P.U.R.E. 0.8 RC3

[AF]

How would AIs handle the current disruption in how unit construction occurs? If a unti is bought and is instantly created then the AI is made aware and expects to make use of ti immediatly, but if youve immobilized the unit then it makes things go all awry.

I dunno youll have to tell us exactly how you implemented it

[Argh]

AIs simply don't handle Resistance at all, presently. I'm not really expecting that to change until I get around to making a simplistic one with Lua, frankly- I need to sit down with Chicken and think about how to go about doing something.

So, therefore, if I choose to implement any or all of this, since I have most of it working now... it'd be built for Resistance, not Overmind, so that Overmind continues to be basically like OTA, and people still have an opponent they can play against SP.

[clericvash]

So Argh how far off a new version are we?

[Argh]

Um... all of the balance stuff is fixed, the World Builder Editor is done, but I don't have reworked missions yet. Was thinking it was high time to go the "chicken" route, and have simple Lua-driven stuff instead of waiting for an AI that will play Resistance, which seems pretty hopeless.

Spent most of this week developing a GLSL normalmap shader for Spring, but I don't have reflections or transparency working yet (hmm, soft transparency, with reflections, hmm, could be sexy). Rebuilt the UI last week, it's now a lot more like SC or DoW- smaller, iconographic, etc. I don't have Help O' Matic entirely redone yet- got distracted with other stuff.

In short... I dunno. Maybe one more week, since the high-falutin' graphical stuff isn't necessary (and may take longer than that, to be real), but I'm sure that people would like to see a version that was 0.77b5 friendly?

I'd like to do a private beta of the Installer and front-end, the SP missions, etc., also, to make sure that those areas aren't so rough this time- if people are willing to participate when the time comes, send me a PM.

[Hoi]

I already was in the other beta, does that count?

[clericvash]

Sounds like it's going to be a pretty awesome release then dude :D

[1v0ry_k1ng]

Um... all of the balance stuff is fixed

sales talk, show me the monkey

[Warlord Zsinj]

since when are you alive ivory? Get your butt into #swiw and play some games =_=

[Argh]

@Ivory_king: Let's put it this way- all of the stuff I know about is fixed.

The economies of both Overmind and Resistance have been fixed up- Resistance no longer gets nearly as big of a boost, Overmind can't build a MM econ without adequate Power production. It should substantially slow down the spam, among other things, and we'll just have to see whether or not that's a good thing.

Lastly, the MortarTank is getting a fix that should make it more useful to AI players- it'll be able to move (slowly) and shoot. Should make it a lot more dangerous in the hands of an AI, although I'm a bit worried that it will become OP in the hands of human players. Then again, I haven't heard a single human player talk about using them, which I find bizarre, since they're sure-fire game-winners in late game, if they aren't countered, and are absolute death vs. fixed defenses.

[Argh]

The new MortarTank. Haven't posted a purely WIP shot in awhile, thought it'd be fun.

[Warlord Zsinj]

Looks like it was spawned from the fires of hell itself...

[Pxtl]

Heheh, untextured it looks like the offspring of Tron's gridbugs and Tron's recognizers.

[Guessmyname]

Wouldn't tracks make more sense for the Mortar Tank?

It looks more like a combat walker than a piece of artillery, especially with those two, small barrels.

*has an idea*

Hey, can I try and whip something up?

[Pxtl]

Wouldn't tracks make more sense for the Mortar Tank?

Idunno, EE did a good job making insectoid artillery. I like the concept and I can't wait to see it textured.

Personally, I just think the gun could look more artillery-ish. Regardless of what arty actually looks like, most people get the Paris Gun in mind when they imagine an artillery cannon - a long, single barrel. Locate the turret at the back of the chassis so that it doesn't poke out of the hitsphere when in resting position.

Artillery units are where people really expect to see the big single phallic super-long-barrel... so everything you do to make it look longer will make it seem more "arty"-ish. Including the graphical equivalent to shaving its pubes - having a turret with no front half so the barrel starts behind the center of rotation.

[Forboding Angel]

Mortars != artillery, not all the time anyway. Arty is generally much longer ranged, has a much bigger "Load" :-D

Mortar's are generally fired in a way that doesn't make much of a big boom or require very long barrels. It also tends to have a much higher arc than artillery.

[Guessmyname]

Gentlemen, if I may introduce...
...the MortyBot!




It's literally a gun on legs. I took visual cues from the Overlord metal extractor (the legs). It's role should be obvious (gun on legs...) and the barrel can pitch independently of the legs, though as there's no turret - as that would require separating gun from legs and ruin the effect.
There's also no cockpit or visual eyes save for the sensor spike on the top of the barrel. Again, intentional. It's supposed to literally be a Gun. On. Legs.

Oh, and the legs will act as shock absorbers for recoil too.

[Hoi]

Sorry, I don't like it, looks like a dog/supergun, too messy, something with wheels would be much cooler.

[Pxtl]

Mortars != artillery, not all the time anyway. Arty is generally much longer ranged, has a much bigger "Load" :-D

Mortar's are generally fired in a way that doesn't make much of a big boom or require very long barrels. It also tends to have a much higher arc than artillery.

The point is that I, and most players, don't know (or care) about that. We expect artillery units to look like mortars, not like tanks.

[Argh]

GMN, that's a fabulous concept, but how in the heck would it aim to the sides without clipping? Maybe some rework of that mechanical area, where the gun comes up and legs fold down, giving it adequate clearance to rotate freely? I like the feel of it- it feels lightweight and mobile- I can almost see it as a Resistance toy, with a couple of Troopers tagging along as crew. I almost think that I'd like to see the basic leg design with some sort of saddle, put a Resistance trooper on it with some sort of gun, build 'em in packs of five as "scouts" or something. L'amour de la vari├â┬®t├â┬®, and all that. I'd like to see more uses for the soldiers, basically, just haven't had time to mess with it.

At any rate, this design was meant to correct the most obvious design deficiency with the current MortarTank (besides the fact that it was one of the earliest models, and the skin doesn't match the rest of Overmind), which is that neither human players nor AIs find its method of stop --> fire --> wait a looooong time --> go to be terribly intuitive. It'll be a wide, very slow walker, so that positioning of it is a strategic decision, rather than a tactical one, but its wide stance and heavy build will make its mobility believable whilst firing.

[Warlord Zsinj]

I think that looks great GMN. Not as good as the mobile arty you're meant to be finishing but still a cool concept. I love the playful pose in the second pic...