Will there be weather effects?

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 07 Apr 2005, 15:21

The snow build up isn't really necessary, as cool as it would be. It just sounds like alot of effort for a minor issue. If some sort of buildup is needed so that it looks less artificial, I think textures would be the best way to go about it. Then you could do a light dusting of snow for light snow conditions, and if the snow started coming down more heavily (obviously weather wouldn't be a constant, but liable to random changes, in good and bad directions), than the textures would show the plants being more covered. Not enough that it would halt construction though.

*brainwave*
If you were able to have a method that detects what sort of terrain an area of map is (green, acid, mars, snow) to institute weather effects (and do the unit effects, like slowing them down, etc), then buildings would be able to detect what terrain they are built in, and change textures accordingly. A structure built in the snow would have snowed-on textures, a structure built in grass would have camoflage textures, a structure built on mars terrain would have different "heat resistant" textures, etc...
Again, I doubt the work would be that much extra, using a similar program as the one used by SY's to change tonal textures to flat textures...

... and depth can be imitated with a good 2D overlay (as shown in the total war games)

[K.B.] Napalm Cobra · Post by **[K.B.] Napalm Cobra** » 07 Apr 2005, 22:21

If they implemented my idea about map "classes", where you add a map bitmap layer, and added the ability to detect what colour the unit was on and therefore how to react with that terrain or map area.

aGorm · Post by **aGorm** » 07 Apr 2005, 22:24

The that was a fantasic idea [K.B.] Napalm Cobra, just what I was hoping would get listend to... not sure if you can make it do the weather to... no hold on, spring could edit the basic bitmap layer to all have snow when it snows, is that what you were thinking? That would be sweet cool.

aGorm

Dwarden · Post by **Dwarden** » 08 Apr 2005, 21:56

Hey anyone here remember Turn Based Strategy serie Battle Isle 1-3 ?

I was always in love with weather messages (like expecting cold weather in next days , rivers and lakes will freeze etc) ...

was giving great strategy concept to do fast vehicle movements over ice etc ...

of course ... all optional (so who like will enable that on server who not will disable) ...

but definitely must for future releases ...

AF · Post by AF » 11 Apr 2005, 14:26

hehe thin ice! I cant believe I didnt think of that. Weight can be done by metal price and ice cracks after a second of non mobility.

You lot can think up the specifics

Shade · Post by **Shade** » 14 Apr 2005, 23:40

I'd love to see tornadoes. Hurricanes...

And of course electro-magnetic storms.

-Shade

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » 15 Apr 2005, 11:27

And all exotic things you would get when battling on planets across the entire galaxy. Like meteor showers that do damage, plasma storms, 1000 mph winds, electromagnetic storms that disable units etc etc. We're not fighting for earth u know :)

PauloMorfeo · Post by **PauloMorfeo** » 15 Apr 2005, 11:50

Shade wrote:... electro-magnetic storms. ...

Hummm, if the Krogoth, the experimental K-Bot, discharged lightnings and electromagnetic storms whenever it moves, it would look extremely cool and powerfull...

BlackLiger · Post by **BlackLiger** » 15 Apr 2005, 17:32

Redfish wrote:And all exotic things you would get when battling on planets across the entire galaxy. Like meteor showers that do damage, plasma storms, 1000 mph winds, electromagnetic storms that disable units etc etc. We're not fighting for earth u know :)

w000t? Uber wind generators? Cooooool!

AF · Post by AF » 15 Apr 2005, 19:58

No I think that windgenerators should have a death animation in high winds where there blades slowly crank and fly off and they end up half fallen voer with broken blades producing no energy if the winds at 1000mph, either that or they build armored blades when built in such conditions.

Min3mat · Post by **Min3mat** » 15 Apr 2005, 20:26

lol wind generators>>>solar panels :woot!

Torrasque · Post by **Torrasque** » 15 Apr 2005, 20:33

I have been always annoyed by the fact that on some map, solar are better and some other, it's the wind.
You need to know all the map by earth and I think it's crap.

(Perhas I'm wrong...)

edit : It could be cool to have different style of playing regarding of what you use, winds or solar.

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » 16 Apr 2005, 12:37

Geez that's just no argument. If you don't know you just build 1 wind which costs u 52 metal and then you'll know. And on planets with no atmosphere like moon maps there is of course no wind so you don't even have to bother trying there.

Of course there are lame maps where u suddenly find out that tidals give +60 or something like that, which isn't a nice surprise. But mostly wind is okay and cheaper.

Torrasque · Post by **Torrasque** » 16 Apr 2005, 12:51

@Redfish : I agree..perhaps I'm just too lazy :)

But I think that having different tactic based on how you gather energie could be cool
If only one way is used on one map, why complicate the game for nothing with winds and solar? It just disturb neeb (like me :))

The Grand Poobah · Post by **The Grand Poobah** » 16 Apr 2005, 15:27

It would be sweet if solar output varied from map to map, or (if weather effects get put in) it changes over the course of a game based on how cloudy it is.

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » 16 Apr 2005, 15:34

Yeah it would be more realistic, however solars are are the game to provide a stable source of energy income contrary to winds. Maybe they should give a minimum of 20e + a variable(ranging from 0-10) based on cloud cover etc. or how close a planet is to the sun in that solar system. Would be nice to have 3 suns on a map.

PauloMorfeo · Post by **PauloMorfeo** » 16 Apr 2005, 15:40

Torrasque wrote:I have been always annoyed by the fact that on some map, solar are better and some other, it's the wind.

Maps need to have a description of the average amount of wind energy they provide.
Having to know before hand or having to guess or having to build on wind-colector just to find out it's useless is wrong.

BlackLiger · Post by **BlackLiger** » 16 Apr 2005, 21:35

Theres a point: What happens if they introduce a day/night cycle? Solars switch off when theres no light?

Would also mean the decorative effects of night would actually be useful, because when ur enemys run out of energy, the lights go off :)

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 17 Apr 2005, 03:49

Yeah, I definitely think that bizarre/alien weather effects would really sell the whole "fighting across the galaxy" byline.

However, I don't think that solar's should just up and quit if there is a day/night cycle. Presumedly they would be able to store energy within internal batteries for use during night cycles, as well as drawing on electromagnetic radiation and heat sources for energy. Most modern day solar power plants aren't entirely useless at night.

... Of course, thats just a bunch of lingo to say that solar plants are the "generic" energy source for TA. Removing their generic nature completely changes TA's balance and gameplay, and I don't think for the better, simply because there would be no option. What are players supposed to do during night time on a moon map?

Post by **ILMTitan** » 17 Apr 2005, 06:27

It would increase the importance of Energy storage facilities, and could increase the tatical importance of attack timing, hitting the enemy close to dawn when their energy reserves are at the lowest and my not be able to power their hlt's. Also, one could create a fission power plant that uses metal to create energy, reversing the process of a metal maker (which I always assumed was a form of endothermic fusion). However, I agree that this would change TA's balance and gameplay. Thus I think it should be an option, if it is put in.

Spring RTS Engine

Will there be weather effects?