CW3 Suggestions Redux

[Grauniad]

AC rain would really lag lower end computers... if it was in 3D.

And you know this.... how?

[lurkily]

Low-end 3D is actually pretty light in its requirements, yes?  A series of moving cylinders?

Besides.  Imagine what a 3D engine rendering CW events as they appear now would visualize AC rain as.  A bunch of falling cylinders that drop AC when they intersect the map?  Or maybe elongated cones with hemisphere caps, for a droplet shape?  Anything you want to use 3D to do with CW's current look and function, you can use 2D rendering to fake. 

[Shrike30]

Titan Suggestion: The Storm Caller

This enormous device pours energy into the local magnetosphere, bringing about significant changes in the weather.

Abilities:
Wind regulation - The direction and intensity of the desired wind conditions can be set by the commander.  The Storm Caller will begin drawing packets from the network at a fairly high rate and will gradually shift existing wind conditions towards those specified by the commander.

Atmospheric seeding - The Storm Caller begins drawing Anticreeper from the network and "storing" it in the upper ionosphere by applying an electromagnetic charge to keep it suspended there.

Call the Storm! - When targeted on an area, the Storm Caller draws packets from the network to reshape the magnetic field it has induced in the ionosphere and direct it at the planet's surface.  This causes an impressive lightning storm at the target (similar in effect to occasional mortar strikes) and also causes any Anticreeper suspended in the ionosphere by the Storm Caller to rain down on the target area.



That enough AC rain for ya? :)

[lurkily]

Hrm.  This one actually interests me.  Particularly in the number of ways it can be applied.

[UpperKEES]

I'd like a scanner unit that detects artifacts beneath the surface, so I can dig them up using a Terp.

These artifacts could be crystals, aether deposits, ore deposits, techs, secret messages, hidden totems, but also locked units that can be used after connecting them to the network.

The scanner could use colors to indicate the type of artifact detected beneath the surface.

[lurkily]

I met some resistance, on similar suggestions.  Some see the near-perfect information you can access in the CW series to be something intrinsic to the series, as if hiding things from the player is wrong.  I have to say that it feels a little wrong to me, for other reasons - it seems to me like just another reason to open the map in the editor before playing it for an honest score.

I'd rather the location and type were known, but for the player to have to get more resources in position to access it.  For instance, once uncovered, maybe you need to build a mine there to refine it over time into a usable resource, before siphoning it away. 

Long story short, I'd rather not add reasons for the player to cheat a map by looking at it before playing it.  I'd rather them be able to come to a map for the first time, and not feel like they can't do their best without looking at it in the editor first.  If buried artifacts or deposits need to be harder to access, I think other means should be pursued to do that.

[UpperKEES]

Yep, the same can be said about games that for instance use the 'fog of war'. If you're playing for a high score, your second run indeed will be better.

However if you're not after that #1 score/time, but just play for the fun of it, you could actually like the exploring element. You remember the first time you found your crossbow in Half-Life? Or discovered that hidden chamber with lots of ammo? You probably could have opened these maps in an editor as well. Or just search the internet.

I see your point in opening the editor though. I know I did the same thing in CW1 to check all emitter intensities, frequencies and spore waves. Nothing wrong with that, but after a while you start appreciating the element of surprise. It's a personal preference I guess.

That said the random maps could contain some 'bonuses' for instance. You can't open these in the editor. A second option would be to not be able to open custom maps from other authors in the editor at all, so everything remains a secret. The last option is to accept that you can never please every kind of player as a map maker. You always create them for a targeted audience and these players will keep coming back if they like it.

[Grauniad]

Long story short, I'd rather not add reasons for the player to cheat a map by looking at it before playing it.  I'd rather them be able to come to a map for the first time, and not feel like they can't do their best without looking at it in the editor first.  If buried artifacts or deposits need to be harder to access, I think other means should be pursued to do that.

Just on a point of order, this is NOT cheating. It's IMNSHO, bad map making. Cheating is on the order of using hex- or other run-time editors to adjust values, etc.

As for the excavating to discover stuff - we did toss it around, but there were intrinsic issues that could not be overcome within the scope of CW3. It is a pity, though.

[UpperKEES]

As for the excavating to discover stuff - we did toss it around, but there were intrinsic issues that could not be overcome within the scope of CW3. It is a pity, though.

Always nice to have something on the list for CW4, isn't it? ;)

[lurkily]

Yep, the same can be said about games that for instance use the 'fog of war'. If you're playing for a high score, your second run indeed will be better.

Yeah, I don't particularly agree with that viewpoint - just reiterated one reason that was provided to me.  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.

Interestingly, I have found that, with my personal rule against examining maps in the editor before completing them, I often find my first times to be good, and then have a harder time beating them with more complete information.  Perhaps because I don't like to pause a lot, and my reactions are faster and more urgent when I don't know what to expect?  Hrm.

Just on a point of order, this is NOT cheating. It's IMNSHO, bad map making. Cheating is on the order of using hex- or other run-time editors to adjust values, etc.

I didn't mean to call anybody a cheater; more that a map-maker typically makes a map to be played, not to be inspected under a microscope. 

Sorry if I offended anybody there.  It's certainly not a cheat in the sense of competitive advantage.  I misspoke because I set it as a personal goal for myself to complete a game first as the dev wished it to be played.  I chide myself that it's cheating to read a walkthrough or look up secrets to keep myself on the straight and narrow, so I misspoke here.

[Chawe800]

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.

That's just my opinion and if the rest of the community loves the idea I can respect that.

Also how would a Bertha fit on a PZ? Would the center part be placed on it?

Another quick question. Would it be possible to have emitters that don't leave PZs behind? (I think you can do this with CRPL though...)

[J]

Also how would a Bertha fit on a PZ? Would the center part be placed on it?

Center must be on it (you can even put a CN on it :D)

Another quick question. Would it be possible to have emitters that don't leave PZs behind? (I think you can do this with CRPL though...)

100% possible with CRPL

[hoodwink]

Just another quick question:

What (if anything) would happen if a Aetherium forge happened to be atop a power zone? Any kind of boost? Or is this impossible anyway?

[Grauniad]

What (if anything) would happen if a Aetherium forge happened to be atop a power zone? Any kind of boost? Or is this impossible anyway?

It would unlock the mysteries of the universe... :P  Think "fruit of knowledge of good and evil". Do you think it's worth the price?

[hoodwink]

What (if anything) would happen if a Aetherium forge happened to be atop a power zone? Any kind of boost? Or is this impossible anyway?

It would unlock the mysteries of the universe... :P  Think "fruit of knowledge of good and evil". Do you think it's worth the price?

Yes, as long as that involved destroying more creeper! :D