CW3 Suggestions Redux

[Ronini]

Are you sure it's not the other way round? 3D game-play in 2D rendering? I think it could be done. Maybe not today, but we're talking CW4 here. That's going to come about waaaay into the future.

[lurkily]

3D gameplay in 2D rendering is a lot older than that term - writing code to respect three dimensions is a lot easier and older than 3D modeling.  Think about, for example the Fatal Fury games, and other Beat'Em-Ups.  They provide gameplay with lateral motion, vertical motion, (jumping,) and depth.  X, Y, and Z - 3 dimensions.

I think Creeper world already respects a 3-D environment - it simulates horizontal motion, vertical motion, and depth.  Based on V's responses, it seems like tunneling would not represent a challenge to code, only a challenge to represent to the player.

[4xC]

As 2D as CW can be in some respects, it is agreeably 3D enough as it is. We do not need to move on to 3D modeling and making pure 3D designs for everything just yet. It would be too quick in terms of series evolution.

[lurkily]

As 2D as CW can be in some respects, it is agreeably 3D enough as it is. We do not need to move on to 3D modeling and making pure 3D designs for everything just yet. It would be too quick in terms of series evolution.

Not really what I'm trying to say.

My point is, 3-D modeling would not really solve the problem of being able to visually represent 3D underground caverns of creeper.  Not in a way that could easily be grokked from a 2-D perspective.

[Mr.H]

We're going on another rant folks ;)
I think we've squeezed enough out of the whole 3D thing and I'm relatively confident virgil has played around with it before, at this stage it is unnecessary to suggest it anyway.
Now then a suggestion...

The Pulverizer
Long version:

Spoiler

This fine piece of merchandise is unlike any other military piece ever contemplated prior to it's release. Rather then fighting and grinding at the creeper it harvests it into much needed energy! Yes indeed a weapon that uses the enemy to get you energy! What it does is it has an internal anti-creeper chamber reacting with the absorbed creeper to turn into raw energy. This is then redistributed to the network or stored internally if disconnected. It is ineffective against digitalis and it is very silly to use it to try and stop creeper, since it only absorbs a very negligible amount. Perfect for last ditch efforts or on a small contested map where your network is stretched to the brink.

[close]

Short Version: Absorbs a negligible amount of Creeper and turns it into energy for the network. Perfect for extreme missions with high energy demands or, for experts, a faster setup. It has an attack range, and works similar to a terp beam.
Hoodwink's Pulverizer
Long Version:

Spoiler

This fella is unique and handy but nowhere near over-powered. It harvests creeper and turns that into anti-creeper packets which are sent back to the network. Due to space/time disruptions near emitters it can only effectively work with creeper that is far away from any emitters. It slowly absorbs creeper directly and either puts it in internal storage or sends it to the network.These are mighty weapons in an experimental stage and can help bring your network the anti-creeper it needs when starting off, or when the map has none. It is a Titan Class weapon but one of the cheapest Titan's available, nonetheless it costs more then the average unit at 60 energy per unit. It is incapable of taking creeper from below digitalis and is susceptible to runners.

[close]

Short version: Titan Class at 60 energy construction price. Absorbs creeper that is far away from emitters and turns it into anti-creeper, stored/returned to network. Curbs anti-creeper problems in ore-less maps, great new resource source.

[Ronini]

Would the Pulverizer have to be placed right on creeper to work. or shall it hav an "attack range" kind of AoE?

[hoodwink]

The Pulverizer
-snip-

I think a good tweak to that would be that it slowly produces ore instead of energy, since creeper is material (and it also uses some of this ore for it's own 'anti-creeper chamber' to use.
However, I don't like the possibility of a player using an emitter as a reactor, by farming it with these things when it's been beaten back. Using enough of these things - and lots of continual creeper - to mass-farm energy.
My suggestion:
Make it more powerful, give it a twist (only work in certain area / only handles a small amount of creeper), and call it a Titan. Might work...

EDIT: Very subtle Mr. H, but yeah, that's the general idea.

[lurkily]

Hurm.  I think the reason I don't like this is because it crosses the line between weaponry and economy.  You can build this conversion reactor, use it to buffer yourself against creeper, use the energy to build another conversion reactor, use the damage to buffer against creeper and the energy to build yet another conversion reactor, ad nauseum.

I think I prefer the idea of a titan that can convert ore to energy, or vice-versa, but rips you off doing it.  AC players can force-dump their stockpile of energy into ore with reactor farms, other players will then have a reason to build ore mines, to supplement energy income.

[4xC]

Heck, anything new and good enough for normal-ish use sounds good for at least a second and maybe third titan. I just hope and pray there will be more than one titan and orbital each when CW3 is released.

[tornado]

what if they put in cut scene like pick up this and you watch a short video.
also my mother suggested that you cold find weapons in bits and put them together.
of course that suits the titans as the are large enough to be found in chunks.
also the pulverizer could be toggled between energy and anti-creeper production.

just some suggestions

tornado

PS:i agger on the pulverizer being titan class.
and speaking of titans i thought of at titan that stops time.and leves you capable of moving around for one mouth at full ammo capacity.
i got the idea from the Greek legends bout the titans that came before the gods in Greek mythology,manly kronos the lord of time.

[lurkily]

I'm curious, what led to the name 'Pulverizer'?  It sounds a little too badass a name for a really thirsty reactor.

[Grauniad]

what if they put in cut scene like pick up this and you watch a short video.

What would the video be about? Making videos is a very expensive activity, paying for actors, scriptwriters and producers is not cheap. How much value would that add to the game? It also adds substantially to the size of the game and how we can deliver the game.

also my mother suggested that you cold find weapons in bits and put them together.
of course that suits the titans as the are large enough to be found in chunks.

I think we did at one time consider the idea of Remnants that could be used in constructing something. It may or may not happen, things in game development has a way of evolving. Right now I think that the "big thing" for CW3 will be CRPL. The one strong, consistent request from map makers was the ability to program their units. Not that may players expressed an interest in a type of a "quest" to search for objects across the various maps. Also, the ability to use (or not use) such a device may be affected by the custom maps one plays - remember that custom maps make out a far greater portion of the playable map universe than the in-game maps. The device may also change the map dynamic and alter how easy or hard specific maps are. Up to now all maps were uniformly hard for all players.

and speaking of titans i thought of at titan that stops time.

Another thing we thought about, but at the moment the only way we could implement it was to use the "Freeze" button and to make a map go into "stasis" if you leave the planet.

[4xC]

About the Time-freezing Titan idea: What if you made it able to freeze time in a select location for a short period, or made it slow down time drastically for a slightly longer but still short period, or both. It would presumably require a constant connection to energy packets coming in like the DB of CW2.

[lurkily]

I worry that it would create weird effects - for instance, a big buildup of creeper, where creep could flow in but not out at the same rate - lots of potential for weirdness, and very little actual game effectiveness.  Destroying creeper should usually buy you more time, long and short term, than time-freezing it.

[Ronini]

The whole oint about time-freezing is that it doesn't apply to you. Otherwise you could just use the pause option. The area affected by a time-freeze would turn the creeper (and digitalis, runners, etc.) immobile. Your units would still be able to attack, reducing the amount of creeper in the area in question. There would have to be a barrier between affected and unaffected creeper, though.