Proposals for CW3

[yum-forum]

Began studying CW3. A few awkward moments:

1. Even the minimum speed of the game are very large and have to constantly press the "pause". This leads to the fact that you do not get enough pleasure from the game. :(  I would like to have a button "speed 4 times slower".
2. When you exit the game, it's stored in autoslot. I would like to have the function "clear autoslot".
It is connected with the fact that when you create a game we have to try to play and save intermediate version. And then you cannot return to the previous version.
3. The name of the game is selected in the beginning and then it can not be changed. :(  The point is that when I normally create a map, I don't know what I will finally create. :)  Change the name in CW2 possible, but in CW3 impossible.
4. Would be a great help to have a small instruction/guide about CW3. Many of the functions are easy to understand, but some of them baffled. And repeated attempts to guess the meaning of these functions does not give pleasure...  :(

Best regards,
yum 234

[Clean0nion]

1. Even the minimum speed of the game are very large and have to constantly press the "pause". This leads to the fact that you do not get enough pleasure from the game. :(  I would like to have a button "speed 4 times slower".

It would be nice to have a slightly slower game speed, but perhaps not as slow as 25% speed. The option to select a speed from, say, 50% to 400% would be nice.

2. When you exit the game, it's stored in autoslot. I would like to have the function "clear autoslot".
It is connected with the fact that when you create a game we have to try to play and save intermediate version. And then you cannot return to the previous version.

Just save a previous version into slots 1, 2 or 3.

3. The name of the game is selected in the beginning and then it can not be changed. :(  The point is that when I normally create a map, I don't know what I will finally create. :)  Change the name in CW2 possible, but in CW3 impossible.

Head to User/Documents/CreeperWorld3/WorldEditor. You'll see a folder called the name of your map. Rename it. Done.

4. Would be a great help to have a small instruction/guide about CW3. Many of the functions are easy to understand, but some of them baffled. And repeated attempts to guess the meaning of these functions does not give pleasure...  :(

As far as I know, all of the units are easy to understand. Is there any unit in particular you're having trouble with? If you're talking about custom made CRPLcores, if you don't understand those it's the fault of the map maker for not explaining it properly.

[Ninja]

2. When you exit the game, it's stored in autoslot. I would like to have the function "clear autoslot".
It is connected with the fact that when you create a game we have to try to play and save intermediate version. And then you cannot return to the previous version.

Just save a previous version into slots 1, 2 or 3.

0 would work as well, but some people want to keep that clear for the quick save (ctrl+c).

[yum-forum]

1. For me 50% speed maybe optimal, but as I know from CW2 many many players not so quick as I like and by my opinion 25%-400% is very reasonable.
2. Yes, I know about such a possibility. But when you create a map, you need many time to try different variants, that is, every time again and again game should be saved to a slot 1,2,3... And if you forgot to save it, then all hours of work lost....
3. Good way, thank You, but in CW2 was murch more easy.
4. Not only CRPLcores. For example, Units (Air Exclusion, Shield Key, Scripts), Terr (Wind R/L U/D, Procl, Alpha).
By other words, for example, Air Exclusion do not permit Guppy send packets to some area? Or somthing more? 

[Randomgold]

4. Not only CRPLcores. For example, Units (Air Exclusion, Shield Key, Scripts), Terr (Wind R/L U/D, Procl, Alpha).
By other words, for example, Air Exclusion do not permit Guppy send packets to some area? Or somthing more? 

Not sure what to say about the first three things really, but the AE tower has a pretty simple function:  it doesn't let any air unit function over it's area.  That means bombers won't drop bombs and strafers won't shoot.  For guppies, since their main function involves landing, they simply can't land.  Not sure if you were actually asking or not, but oh well.  And in my opinion, just playing the main story is enough to get pretty much all the functions of the units, both player and enemy.  And if there's something you don't understand right away, then playing a few maps with trial and error will usually be enough to get the basics.  I guess it might help with some higher end things, but that's what the forum and the wiki are for, right?

[cooltv27]

4. Not only CRPLcores. For example, Units (Air Exclusion, Shield Key, Scripts), Terr (Wind R/L U/D, Procl, Alpha).
By other words, for example, Air Exclusion do not permit Guppy send packets to some area? Or somthing more? 

as randomgold said, it simply prevents guppies from landing, they can still send packets into the area
im curious what would happen if you landed a guppy and then are AE zone appeared through CRPL over the guppy

[Khotekki]

Began studying CW3. A few awkward moments:

1. Even the minimum speed of the game are very large and have to constantly press the "pause". This leads to the fact that you do not get enough pleasure from the game. :(  I would like to have a button "speed 4 times slower".

4. Would be a great help to have a small instruction/guide about CW3. Many of the functions are easy to understand, but some of them baffled. And repeated attempts to guess the meaning of these functions does not give pleasure...  :(

I don't make maps (I've never made one for any of the CWs that I'd ever want someone to even know existed, let alone try and play), so I can't really speak to 2 and 3.

However, as far as speed goes.  I agree with this, totally.  Along with this, in CW2 you could hold the N down and it would advance during pause.  Now, though, you have to repeatedly hit N in order to advance.  I wish this feature was more like CW2 where you could advance frame by frame, or hold down to advance until you needed to pause again.  I hate playing by micromanaging, but when I had to do it, this feature made it much easier for me to control the game.

As far as the Units go, there's some information on the Wiki.   I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for, but at least there is some information there.

[burguertime]

the AE tower has a pretty simple function:  it doesn't let any air unit function over it's area.  That means bombers won't drop bombs and strafers won't shoot.  For guppies, since their main function involves landing, they simply can't land.

AE also prevents air units from being built within its area.

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@Yum - what I liked about your series of maps on CW2 is that you started with very simple designs that were still quite ingenious. You had no fear to try and no fear of taking criticism and advice.

Tell you, I really love your work and the simplicity of your forum posts show a kind person behind the screen. Just fiddle with the editor, try something small and expand slowly.

I really look forward to playing your maps, never fear striking out, because you can't.

Don't let CW3 intimidate you. Just do your thing. Go team Yum!

[knucracker]

It sounds like what you are looking for is a way to manage branches of a map.  When I make maps in CW3 I never use the save game slots for map saves.  I only use those slots when I am play testing.  For saving the map, I always use the save and load buttons found in the map editor menu (the ones above the finalize button).  That save and load button always save/load a file called save.cw3 that is in the projects dir.  So when I want to keep branches around I will just copy the save.cw3 file to some other file like "save-experiment1.cw3".  When I want to load, I will just copy that back to save.cw3.  This way I can keep around however many branches I want and always load them with the 'load' button.

Now it might be nice if I built in a file manager into the game so you didn't have to have total commander or explorer open, so I will get around to that after Colonial Space.  But in the mean time my best recommendation is to just have the game up, have explorer or Total Commander up, then manage the save.cw3 file however you like.

[yum-forum]

It sounds like what you are looking for is a way to manage branches of a map.  When I make maps in CW3 I never use the save game slots for map saves.  I only use those slots when I am play testing.  For saving the map, I always use the save and load buttons found in the map editor menu (the ones above the finalize button).  That save and load button always save/load a file called save.cw3 that is in the projects dir.  So when I want to keep branches around I will just copy the save.cw3 file to some other file like "save-experiment1.cw3".  When I want to load, I will just copy that back to save.cw3.  This way I can keep around however many branches I want and always load them with the 'load' button.

Now it might be nice if I built in a file manager into the game so you didn't have to have total commander or explorer open, so I will get around to that after Colonial Space.  But in the mean time my best recommendation is to just have the game up, have explorer or Total Commander up, then manage the save.cw3 file however you like.

Thanks for the detailed response. Preserving maps all right.
The main remaining problem is too much speed of game and inability to decrease it.

[yum-forum]

the AE tower has a pretty simple function:  it doesn't let any air unit function over it's area.  That means bombers won't drop bombs and strafers won't shoot.  For guppies, since their main function involves landing, they simply can't land.

AE also prevents air units from being built within its area.

-------------------------------

@Yum - what I liked about your series of maps on CW2 is that you started with very simple designs that were still quite ingenious. You had no fear to try and no fear of taking criticism and advice.

Tell you, I really love your work and the simplicity of your forum posts show a kind person behind the screen. Just fiddle with the editor, try something small and expand slowly.

I really look forward to playing your maps, never fear striking out, because you can't.

Don't let CW3 intimidate you. Just do your thing. Go team Yum!

Real thanks for the good words! I am in the process of studying CW3 create trial maps (till now already created 18 maps  ;)) and I wait for the official opportunities to share them.

[Cavemaniac]

Looking forward to your maps, Yum - your CW2 maps were among my favourites.

Perhaps if there's enough interest in a slow-mode, Virgil could implement it.

Personally, while I love how slick the CW3 gameplay is, I find it a bit 'slippery' so I tend to pause a lot to issue orders so events don't get away from me.

After all, the three speeds now available in CW2 were added in a later build.

Right now though, he seems to be up to his elbows in Colonial Space.

Can't wait!

[Grauniad]

I don't thinks it's as simple as that.  The game speed is set up on a per-frame basis and for 30 frames per second. 30 times a second the creeper simulation is run, the graphics drawn, CRPL cores executed, etc...

Speeding the game up is "relatively" easy, all the calculations are still done 30 times a second, but the graphics rendered to the screen is skipped every n-frames. For 2x speed, the graphics are only rendered every second frame. for 4x speed, every 4th frame. This allows the game to behave exactly the same regardless of what speed it's run on, or what processor it's run on, since slower processors will take longer for each frame, but still render or calculate exactly the same number of frames.

To slow the game down in previous CWs was easier, since not all calculations were done every frame - creeper flow calculations were done every 2nd frame, for instance. Also there were not CRPL cores to factor in.

To now figure out a method to slow the game and have it "skip" frames may not be trivial.

[Relli]

Speeding the game up is "relatively" easy, all the calculations are still done 30 times a second, but the graphics rendered to the screen is skipped every n-frames. For 2x speed, the graphics are only rendered every second frame. for 4x speed, every 4th frame. This allows the game to behave exactly the same regardless of what speed it's run on, or what processor it's run on, since slower processors will take longer for each frame, but still render or calculate exactly the same number of frames.

I must be missing something. To me, this reads like the faster speeds are actually the same speed, but would make the screen look laggy, skipping frames so much. Could someone explain to little computer-inept me?

[4xC]

In one second, a game operates at 30 frames when going at normal speed. Frames are animation pictures on the screen like all those mini-pictures on old VHS tapes.

Faster speed settings skip some frames so that the game is faster, but keeps up with real time as well.

As per slower speeds, I think the issue is that it needs more frames inbetween to work right.