CW3 Suggestions Redux

[UpperKEES]

The feeling that you must ruin the surprise because you feel you can't play effectively without opening the map in the editor was my main objection.

Your feeling is based on the wrong assumption. Items crucial to beating the map should never be buried under the soil in my opinion, unless it's a puzzle map or clues are given. Otherwise these items should just be bonuses. When used like that, they can be a very fun addition to the game and introduce an additional aspect: exploration.

A bad map maker can screw up any map. For instance an emitter that suddenly 'erupts' after 30 minutes of gameplay without any warning. Also I don't have to tell you what CRPL-cores are capable of; these babies can do anything and you won't know until you analysed all scripts (yes, in the editor).

In short: making good maps is a skill and excluding units/options is not going to change that in any way. There will always be bad maps.

[hoodwink]

In short: making good maps is a skill and excluding units/options is not going to change that in any way. There will always be bad maps.

Agreed.
The main point of this thread, as I see it, is to improve the features of the game, and thus the maximum of how good those 'good maps' can be. We're not really focusing on how to make the 'bad maps' not so bad, are we?
Any feature can be used wrongly, and thus anything we improve the game with may be used to annoy people in bad maps. These bad maps will not be played much - if at all - and the makers may learn how to get better. I say 'may' because I do not doubt peoples' stupidity sometimes.
I personally quite liked the idea on CW2 of a little side assault wherein you are rewarded with a piece of technology for your efforts, thus to help with the rest of the map. Same with bonuses: it's optional, but helpful.

[Shrike30]

On the Subject of AC storms. If it's in a specific area then it's the equvilence of bombers except more spread out in a sense. You can still achieve this with timing of bombers though.

I'm sorry Shrike but I really hate the idea of a wind machine of any sort. I don't mean to offend someone but I truly despise the concept. Like I said before it takes away the element of adding wind in the first place. It removes the quirk of wind.

It could also add the quirk of wind on a windless map, which could be amusing or tactically useful.  You're right in saying that AC storms would be similar in effect to bombers; the only real advantage that this would have would be not worrying about travel time, as the storm would start shortly after the titan was "fired."  Berthas don't really accomplish anything you couldn't pull off with strafers, for that matter, but they definitely "feel" different, which I think is the main point of a Titan unit.  I'm just spitballing ideas here, so there's no need to apologize for not liking them.



Titan suggestion: Calcifier

Description:
This Titan allows commanders to reinforce fragile elements of their infrastructure.  When "fired" at a structure on the same network, the Calcifier draws Anticreeper from the command node and then sends it to the target building, where it is compressed into a thin shell lining the exterior of that structure, helping to protect it from encroaching Creeper.

Game Effect:
The Calcifier consumes a set amount of Anticreeper when targeted at one of your buildings, and raises the maximum Health of that building by a set amount.  This can be done once for any given building.  This would allow Weapons to be made tougher, and would also allow Infrastructure buildings (such as Relays and Collectors) to survive for a short period of time when immersed in Creeper.

[4xC]

As good as new ideas are, I think CW3 is about too close to its peak in new stuff to take in anymore. After the current stuff is finalized and polished, I think it can stop there. The original time goal of before 2013 has already been passed and the sonner CW3 gets what it has tweaked enough, the less unpredictable the expected released will be.

[lurkily]

I'm sorry Shrike but I really hate the idea of a wind machine of any sort. I don't mean to offend someone but I truly despise the concept. Like I said before it takes away the element of adding wind in the first place. It removes the quirk of wind.

I wouldn't mind this so much, WITH the provision that this is a limited-time deal.  I would be against any wind-manipulation device that could be powered indefinitely just by putting enough reactors down.

As for there being anything special or quirky about wind . . . it's really just a shortcut for covering the map with a field in a specific direction.

The feeling that you must ruin the surprise because you feel you can't play effectively without opening the map in the editor was my main objection.

Your feeling is based on the wrong assumption. Items crucial to beating the map should never be buried under the soil in my opinion, unless it's a puzzle map or clues are given. Otherwise these items should just be bonuses.

Bonuses like energy or tech that influence your performance were what I was thinking about - and I thought it was what you meant, as well.  If I'm wrong, my mistake.  I'm sure you know how influential the presence of a single gem might be in some tough CW2 maps, even if they aren't essential for victory.

The reason I bring this up isn't to try to demand that we make bad maps impossible.  That would be a fool's errand, as you've pointed out.  

[hoodwink]

Titan suggestion: Calcifier

Description:
This Titan allows commanders to reinforce fragile elements of their infrastructure.  When "fired" at a structure on the same network, the Calcifier draws Anticreeper from the command node and then sends it to the target building, where it is compressed into a thin shell lining the exterior of that structure, helping to protect it from encroaching Creeper.

Game Effect:
The Calcifier consumes a set amount of Anticreeper when targeted at one of your buildings, and raises the maximum Health of that building by a set amount.  This can be done once for any given building.  This would allow Weapons to be made tougher, and would also allow Infrastructure buildings (such as Relays and Collectors) to survive for a short period of time when immersed in Creeper.

Er... what's wrong with simply making a protective puddle of AC around the unit in the first place? Doesn't this achieve the same thing, more or less?

[ShadowDragon7015]

Titan suggestion: recycler

Cheaper cost but allows you to recycle unnecessary units and gain the energy from them back. Useful for people that have constantly changing networks.


p.s. also promotes helping the environment!

[lurkily]

Titan suggestion: recycler

Cheaper cost but allows you to recycle unnecessary units and gain the energy from them back. Useful for people that have constantly changing networks.


p.s. also promotes helping the environment!

Reminds me of a flash game - RTS slash tower defense - where all your units had waste, and some produced smog . . . smog attracted more zombies, and waste could be eaten and they would power up, and with good recycling, you would actually be able to reclaim some resources from the trash that you collected.

Not sure this has the utility to be a titan, though.  Same with the calcifier - they're interesting ideas, but nothing about them said "titan" to me.

[Kingo]

Titan suggestion: recycler

Cheaper cost but allows you to recycle unnecessary units and gain the energy from them back. Useful for people that have constantly changing networks.


p.s. also promotes helping the environment!

Reminds me of a flash game - RTS slash tower defense - where all your units had waste, and some produced smog . . . smog attracted more zombies, and waste could be eaten and they would power up, and with good recycling, you would actually be able to reclaim some resources from the trash that you collected.

Not sure this has the utility to be a titan, though.  Same with the calcifier - they're interesting ideas, but nothing about them said "titan" to me.

Super Energy Apocalypse?
Power plants produced smog :)

Virgil said that at most, he'd release CW3 sometime in the first quarter of 2013.
So I am guessing it will be here soon?

[UpperKEES]

Virgil said that at most, he'd release CW3 sometime in the first quarter of 2013.

No, he didn't. Listen carefully between 25:30 and 26:30.

It will be done when Virgil is happy with it and proud of it. And that's how it should be.

Now please be patient, so you will be able to play a game that will meet everyone's expectations.

[Chawe800]

Now please be patient, so you will be able to play a game that will meet everyone's expectations.

You see; there is the problem. Patience is difficult  ;)

[Grauniad]

You see; there is the problem. Patience is difficult  ;)

Patience is an essential skill for you to get along. I have unfortunate experience of another game dev that was so harasses by impatient fans that he shot down all interaction with his fan base.

If anything like that was to happen here, specific fans would be excommunicated.

Not pointing a finger at you, just making a general observation. :)

[lurkily]

Another story along the same vein - I worked for one game dev who had to crawl out of depression because he DIDN'T shut down communication with fans, but instead let himself feel that he was letting fans down, each time they complained about the update schedule.  That in itself slowed production down by a lot.

Luckily, it's good to see how many fans here are insistent that V take his time, and though they wait eagerly, are understanding of the time things take.

[Ronini]

I'm sorry Shrike but I really hate the idea of a wind machine of any sort. I don't mean to offend someone but I truly despise the concept. Like I said before it takes away the element of adding wind in the first place. It removes the quirk of wind.

I absolutely support a wind changing device. But it should have an efficiency cap. I don't know what values wind operates with, so the numbers I use are an example. If the wind generator's power is capped at 3, the best you could do on a map that comes with a wind power of 5 is to slow it to a power of 2 (or increase it to 8 if it should suit you).
Maybe the wind generator could have three levels (low, med, high power) with preset strengths (1,2,3 or 1,2,4 or 1,5,10 or ...) and different energy requirements.
If you should think wind is essential to your map, just deactivate the generator for it.
For that matter, I would like random maps to come with a random selection of titans (not just none or all)

[lurkily]

I don't think wind manip should be sustainable at all.  It should be something you can charge up, then run for a maximum of X amount of time, not something you can run continuously just because you have enough reactors.

I think being able to establish even a temporary wind is incredibly helpful.  Being able to globally manipulate forces on a permanent basis because you have enough reactors is too much.  Limiting the request rate to charge this device slowly should be enough to limit this, I think.