How do you get a RTS going?

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 06:12

Links, Help, anything would be loved!

More info: I am kissing up to the higher members for my clan I am in... It happens I have found Spring. I heard it was easier then other game engines from friends and that I could try to get soem help on the forums.

What I have is ALOT of pretty much made models that CAN be exported to Maya. So any modelers who want some easy (yet a little numerous work-About 40-50 units) and any slightly experienced coders that are good with adding variables, special effects etc..

If its needed I might also need an animator good with alien movement for multiple races!

I will post more info as its needed!

MidKnight · Post by **MidKnight** » 16 Oct 2010, 07:32

An RTS game project?

Well, I'd recommend you start by learning about the engine and what's been done and what hasn't. Then you'll have a much better idea of what to do and how to do it. Other posters will probably be more specific about how to do this.

This helpful sticky is also a good read, although the information in it is pretty dated.

Check out the wiki link on the top of this page for development info.

Your attitude is also important! Be humble and willing to learn, and people will be much more likely to help you! There'll be people who will criticize the bejeezus out of your work, don't let that discourage you! Stay motivated, and your project will succeed!

Best of luck!

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 07:44

I have a good plan this is what I got so far!
I will include probably 10 Races with:

7 Infantry units
2 vehicles
An assortment of buildings

Heres post on clan form:

OKAY

Lets get to buisness! I need anyone who is joining the RTS to PM me they are!

ALSO: ALL UNITS MUST BE REMADE TO SOMEWHAT LOW DETAIL!!!! I WILL ALERT SOMEBODY IF THERE UNIT HAS TOO MUCH DETAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also Turtle Fence of Text below! (Its not too much but enough to be interesting!) PLease bare with me as I am tired and posted this late at night :\
New Criteria is now out:

Land Units)
1. Unit good for early colony defense
2. Unit good for Mid-Late game
3. Good unit for late-REALLY late game
4. Special unit (Sniper, Rocket-guy, Gatling laser guy, SUPER LIGHT vehicles like Speeders, light walkers and support mechs etc..)
5. Same as ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
6.Same as ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
7. Some sort of Fast, anti-infantry troop (Flame thrower troop, skirmishers, stealth units etc.)

Vehicles:
1.Medium Vehicle good for semi early-mid game (Please make it with as minimal weapons as possible. Cannnon, Anti-infantry guns Flamthrower etc..)
1. Heavy vehicle that is more for mid game to Late game. Could be equipped with more weapons (Short range arty, Sheild bubble, quadrupal mech legs etc..)

3. SUPER UNIT! What ever meets your eye but must be at the most 7 time bigger then your normal land infantry. It could be mobile-artillery or a large sheild bubble genarator that is deployable and re-deployable!

Other units)

Leader unit) Builds structures faster, good health, good damage only one per player (maybe two to start but this is might count as a special Building unless I agree to some sort of balancing deal)

Engineer)Mobile building unit tht could also gather from some sort of resource point

Scout) Early, Cheap unit that is fast and mainly used to make SUPER EARLY defense and Recon. It might be a Robotic probe, it might be some sort of conscript or really weak trooper (Or you don't have scout unit, but have slightly cheaper Engineers: The cost in resources will be changed by 5% at least and 10% at most)

Buildings)

Barracks. A building that trains the Infantry units. (Includes upgrades and extras depending on what you want on it: Little turrets, lights, smoke and other effects please ask!)

Colony Centre) The place you start out with it spawns Scouts, Engineers and with certain circumstances another Colony Leader!
(more might be built for certain races if needed: BE WARNED they will be quite expensive!)

Turret) A simple non-mobile gun thats used to defend chokepoints and certain places on walls.

Walls) Includes Corners and the acutal wall

Two special buildings) Could be artillery could be a sheild generator.. Maybe its some sort of Reserach station with better upgrades? Could it be a Resource converting machine? Or is it minefield for more base defence! Its up to you (Multiple Leader units may take one Special Building slot!)

A choice of:

A) A self-gathering resource gatherer that gathers food or some sort of secondary resource nesscery to make your troops; Gathers quite slowly and is in limited numbers

B) A engineer ran resource gatherer that has at least 5 Engineers to run at max effciency; Gathers faster then Self gathering and has more allowed... But requires Enginees to gather it!

Vehicle Depot (or factory). Pretty much same principle as the barracks except it spawns vehicles! Added effects are added, but are used Sparingly.

Energy Generator. Cheap, fast made energy generator.... Simple and in Unlimited numbers. Could be good strategy to have it in a combo with a energy/Resource converter.

A choice of:

A) A extractor you would place over the resource of choice and just leave it alone to do its work; Unlimited numbers, but secluded to resource points.

B)Engineers gathering the supplys themselves.

Sentry) A stationary tower that removes fog of war or detects enemys coming towards its position. (abilities depend on what the empire wants it to be!)

(I probably forgot something so If I do I will add it to this list!)

Is all of this able to be done? Also many of my clan members races use melee units.. If you can link me to a good melee tutorial!

KDR_11k · Post by **KDR_11k** » 16 Oct 2010, 09:04

Looks feasible, the resource stuff might require a bit of work though.

The problem with melee is the range, I'm not sure if calculating the range to the edge of the target instead of the center works yet. Other than that it's just a weapontype you stick on a unit and it'll melee.

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 09:10

Ok well if you can (or even able to) I will have list of units I can turn into maya (I think it only works for the creatures, the buidlings might have to be hand made :\) most of the vehicles are also Creatures disguised as vehicles!

I am a very easy to work with person and willing to learn the tricks of the trade hands on :3

EDIT: ALSO I am trying to make it play like a mix of Starcraft2: Good balance Aoe3: sheer units (About 200 Units each player) and lots of factions and SupCom2 (The superbig unit and bubble sheilds, arty etc..)

Forboding Angel · Post by **Forboding Angel** » 16 Oct 2010, 10:27

Why make the units low detail? Poly count isn't an issue in spring (as in use like 1000 polis or a bit mroe or less per unit and you're fine).

Pxtl · Post by **Pxtl** » 16 Oct 2010, 15:20

Ooh, I like the idea of lots-of-simple-factions.

MidKnight · Post by **MidKnight** » 16 Oct 2010, 17:36

Forboding Angel wrote:Why make the units low detail? Poly count isn't an issue in spring (as in use like 1000 polis or a bit mroe or less per unit and you're fine).

Agreed. You can ever go up to 3 or 4 thousand, and even more on units that are used only rarely.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 16 Oct 2010, 18:00

Forboding Angel wrote:Why make the units low detail?

speed

oksnoop2 · Post by **oksnoop2** » 16 Oct 2010, 18:39

Were these models made with creature creator?

zwzsg · Post by **zwzsg** » 16 Oct 2010, 20:10

I'd say it's worthless to write up gran plan until you've got some experience. Start small, but get started. Don't waste time imagining a perfect mod and write up design doc, instead learn modding skills by practicising.

Instead of a long term aim of 10 races mod, focus on the short term goal of etting one unit ingame. Discard everything else, just focus on modelling, texturing, scripting, etc... one tank, all the way from foggy idea to actual ingame unit. This shouldn't take long, a full day, at most a week if you are slow and only have little time per day, but will teach you alot more than just thinking and discussing.

If you want to get help, it's much easier to get some if you show you're actually trying, that is, posting models, alpha version, work-in-progress stuff, and generally have material that prove you're actively working on your mod instead of just having ideas.

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 20:56

@zwzsg, I have made a simple cube (made by me

) to move around and attack another cube.

@oksnoop2, Yes they were. But buildings and Vehciles might not work with the maya export command.

Today I will attempt to do the unit test on a acutally pre-made unit and see how all the numbers change things etc..

My search for some people to help continues!

EDIT: Also if the detail of this:
Alurian Ranger (hoping to be mid-game attack unit of some kind)
http://www.spore.com/sporepedia#qry=sast-500648693130

Zaretian land-factory: Made by me to one of the clan leaders
http://www.spore.com/sporepedia#qry=usr ... 0665842565
Would those be able to be put in the engine?

oksnoop2 · Post by **oksnoop2** » 16 Oct 2010, 21:18

http://springrts.com/phpbb/viewtopic.ph ... or#p417463

You might have some problems. Some one more knowledgeable would have to weigh in on this though.

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 21:24

Balls know anyone who could help me?

oksnoop2 · Post by **oksnoop2** » 16 Oct 2010, 21:27

Not specifically with your creature creator problem. But I don't mind helping you with other questions.

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 21:35

Ok well. I am trying to make this simple so anyone can pretty much learn it without making somesort of tutorial, have a nice amount of people in one match (hoping for at the most 16 players in one game) Making expansion packs or add-ons somehow. And is it possible to make tirrgers that set off music?

Two steps from hell music is what I am hoping ot put around the menus and in-game

Forboding Angel · Post by **Forboding Angel** » 16 Oct 2010, 22:17

smoth wrote:
Forboding Angel wrote:Why make the units low detail?
speed

Well hear me out. 10 factions 9 units each, that's 90 total units. Not much really. Well ok lets take a different approach. The majority of evo units are give or take around 200 - 500ish polis, and ingame at any given point and time you could easily have a couple hundred units on screen and I have yet to ever experience slowdown from it.

Meh, bad example I guess.

Forboding Angel · Post by **Forboding Angel** » 16 Oct 2010, 22:19

Fenrirr wrote:Two steps from hell music is what I am hoping ot put around the menus and in-game

Oi, foul ball. No using copyrighted music for which you have no permission to distribute.

Fenrirr · Post by **Fenrirr** » 16 Oct 2010, 22:39

Balls, but thanks for the help :D

Is it simple to re-create those two things I made? A good tutorial for how to get engineers to build stuff and spawn barracks/factorys would be nice too

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 16 Oct 2010, 22:53

Forboding Angel wrote:
smoth wrote:
Forboding Angel wrote:Why make the units low detail?
speed
Well hear me out. 10 factions 9 units each, that's 90 total units.

Say I was to model the units only and speed model them at that. it would take me roughly 1.5 hours each. So 1.5X90=135 hours not counting textures. Say you did 1 model every 2 days counting texture, that is 180 days. Then there is the script so say half a day for the script and unit def? So that is 2.5 days per unit, 270 days. 365 days in a year man.

that is doing simple models.

Spring RTS Engine

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