Spring RTS Engine

hi.one thing that i think could improve micromanagement of units dramatically would be a widget(or something)that advises units to go in a predefined formation,squad or array.like,you cover some shellshockers with stumpies,and far in front are some scouts.(ok,ok i admit i play ba)
the widget even could even suggest a special unit formation based on the range of the units.
if there is already something like this,tell me and i m happy.
what do ya think of the idea?any suggestions?

srapop wrote:hi.one thing that i think could improve micromanagement of units dramatically would be a widget(or something)that advises units to go in a predefined formation,squad or array.like,you cover some shellshockers with stumpies,and far in front are some scouts.(ok,ok i admit i play ba)
the widget even could even suggest a special unit formation based on the range of the units.
if there is already something like this,tell me and i m happy.
what do ya think of the idea?any suggestions?

very complex problem.

Just remember that if you let the game play itself for you your micro will always stay crap.

What would be great though is customformations (which is NOT simple) that'd work a bit better, ie. always make units choose the point on the line closest to them and not constantly cross each others paths...

JohannesH wrote:Just remember that if you let the game play itself for you your micro will always stay crap.

do you mean,if i have a widget that plays for me,it wont be fun!?!
i agree with this point,but do you have fun microing five or more squads like this...i havent

Taking the script.txt and renaming spring.exe to spring2.exe, then inserting a file that inserts skirmishaidll=ntai.dll; into script.txt, then launches spring, would do this..

srapop wrote:

JohannesH wrote:do you have fun microing five or more squads like this...i havent

That's where the element of actually playing the game comes in.

AF wrote:Taking the script.txt and renaming spring.exe to spring2.exe, then inserting a file that inserts skirmishaidll=ntai.dll; into script.txt, then launches spring, would do this..

would do what,play the game for you or handle formations!?!

JAZCASH wrote:

srapop wrote:

JohannesH wrote:do you have fun microing five or more squads like this...i havent

That's where the element of actually playing the game comes in.

isnt that more of a philosophic question.i kinda agree now,but its still wrong topic for that,isnt it?

If you hold alt or control (I forget which) the units will move to stay in their current relative positions. It is not that powerful so a widget would be needed for proper formations.

This sounds like quite an easy widget to make. Disable custom formations so that drag movement creates a movement front. Detect the command, the 6 params give you formation width and direction. Then get the selected units, sort them into type and assign them a position based on a custom variable or just use unit range. The grid is just made up of the movefront vector and a perpendicular one. Then give units move orders based on the grid. A hard bit could be a sort algorithim within the unit types to minimise walk times.

A hard bit could be a sort algorithim within the unit types to minimise walk times.

Steal that math from Custom Formations, space it out over several frames even, it's not that important if the order arrives in 5 frames and it could greatly help CPU cost.

Google_Frog wrote:If you hold alt or control (I forget which) the units will move to stay in their current relative positions. It is not that powerful so a widget would be needed for proper formations.

ctrl

cough cough*THIS*cough cough

d_b wrote:cough cough*THIS*cough cough

i dont get it.

Google_Frog wrote:If you hold alt or control (I forget which) the units will move to stay in their current relative positions. It is not that powerful so a widget would be needed for proper formations.

This sounds like quite an easy widget to make. Disable custom formations so that drag movement creates a movement front. Detect the command, the 6 params give you formation width and direction. Then get the selected units, sort them into type and assign them a position based on a custom variable or just use unit range. The grid is just made up of the movefront vector and a perpendicular one. Then give units move orders based on the grid. A hard bit could be a sort algorithim within the unit types to minimise walk times.

yeah and i noticed it works with alt too,but then the units ways are crossing and its messy.
that idea looks great to me,although i have no clue of programming,so anyone got the time and passion to do it?

srapop wrote:

d_b wrote:cough cough*THIS*cough cough

i dont get it.

cough cough cough cough cough*THIS*cough cough

Might make more sense if you said "T.H.I.S."

Forboding Angel wrote:Might make more sense if you said "T.H.I.S."

good work ill put it into red bold big text for u

But THIS doesn't stand for anything.

THis Is a Seriously-annoying-mod-name

d_b wrote:cough cough*THIS*cough cough

yeah,i tried,like it,
nonetheless didnt find anything like formations.
may you help my old brain to figure out what you mean