Allow mappers to alter tickets/resources in real time

Discussion in 'Feedback' started by Broccoli, Jul 25, 2008.

  1. Broccoli

    Broccoli Member

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    There should be an entity which can alter the tickets/resources of the specified team, either up or down. In this way certain acts can be made to cost resources, and other acts could be rewarded.

    The example that springs to mind would be a capture point on a dock. At set intervals (5 minutes or longer) bulk shipments of resources would arrive. Depending on who owns the dock at that time, the resources would go to the controlling team.

    Another idea would be an isolated command post in a hostile environment that would cost tickets to capture it (because it's so dangerous that men would be lost, but you don't want to kill active players).

    The potential for more advanced strategic maps would be greatly expanded by the implementation of this idea. Of course it's open to abuse, but at the end of the day if a mapper uses these entities in an unsuitable manner, nobody will want to play their map.
     
  2. Empty

    Empty Member

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    I like the idea of a dock, mappers could even have a ship entity that comes in and out.

    Awesome.
     
  3. Emp_Recruit

    Emp_Recruit Member

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    Bleed with a negative value?
     
  4. Empty

    Empty Member

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    I don't believe that works.
     
  5. BumGravy

    BumGravy Member

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    I was thinking this would be handy for escort. BE could start with say 1000 tickets to get the first flag and are given more tickets as they cap flags, to prevent the 2hour games on the first flag when BE are getting fucked over.
     
  6. Empty

    Empty Member

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    I think that got shot down. And it can already be done by having each flag bleed BE tickets.
     
  7. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Having time specific events is useful because it increases the value of the area at that time immensely, so it tends to create pushes at those times.
     
  8. Empty

    Empty Member

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    Design Question:
    Do we give the players a timer, or do we let them get into the rhythym themselves? Because naturally gaining an ebb and flow of battle around certain events is awesome if you can pull it off [the boat coming in is a great way to give players warning]
     
  9. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    You can put cues into the map, have a siren play before the event happens, or a charge meter made out of beams build up to the event.
     
  10. ScardyBob

    ScardyBob Member

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    Could we already implement this idea with input/output triggers? I was just thinking that if Silk can make variable starting locations/refs, then maybe we could adjust res rates/tickets in game.
     
  11. Empty

    Empty Member

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    Lol, removing random refs from the map is different to changing a variable that isn't widely advertised, and is in fact buried in your PCs memory as you play.
     
  12. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Starting locations and refineries can be done with a set of the current entities and just spawn in one of them, or teleport them from somewhere, but mappers at the moment have no way to interface directly with the ticket or resource counts, whereas we do have ways to directly move things and randomise things.
     
  13. -Mayama-

    -Mayama- MANLY MAN BITCH

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    I wanted to do that on my map, giving each team 50 tickets, so they
    have to fight for 2 recources. Tickets & RES but everyone told me that
    its impossible...
     
  14. Aquillion

    Aquillion Member

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    It would also be useful if flags could be set up to award a specific team with extra tickets when they capture it for the first time.

    Specifically, I'm thinking of Escort here -- it would be nice if BE started with fewer tickets, but got a bonus the first time they capture each flag (the same way extended mission maps in other games give a 'time bonus' for each objective, rather than just giving you all your time at once.)

    That way, if the game totally stalls on one flag, it won't stall for too long. Yeah, sure, it might stall for half an hour and then BE suddenly wins, but who cares? Having a game stall for too long is dull and should be discouraged.
     
  15. Metal Smith

    Metal Smith Member

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    How far can you edit a variable in a map entity?

    If an entity can change a variable, and count how many times it is capped, for example If the be caps the flag, the variable increases, and then when that variable is increased, it adds X amount of res. make it only check that entity when the flag changes, and make sure it only runs through one time when the flag does change, and it should have that effect.

    Is there any way to set a timer on the map? When you cap something, have it start a timer, and while that timer is > 0 say, you can't get anything from the flag, but once it counts down to 0, it will add X amount of res and reset itself?

    I just dunno how complex you can edit entities.
     
  16. Empty

    Empty Member

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    YOU CAN DO THIS WITH EACH FLAG BLEEDING

    JESUS CHRIST...

    Look, you have 5 flags right, BE starts with say, 5000 tickets. Each flag bleeds 1 ticket per second, so it's 1000 seconds when BE start. Once BE cap the flag the bleed slows down, suddenly they have more time, eventually once they reach the last flag they're bleeding very little.

    This has exactly the same effect as your idea, except we can do it now.

    Jesus christ.
     
  17. Aquillion

    Aquillion Member

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    It's not the same thing. The point of giving time after each flag is to make it so they game doesn't stall at one flag, while ensuring that the total overal time for the level (and the total time BE has to win, if they don't start to completely suck at one flag) remains roughly the same.

    It also means that when BE does manage to take a flag, they're guarenteed to have enough to at least make a stab at the next one, because the fixed time they're granted is going to be enough for a few attempts... even if they only had a few tickets left when they go it. It keeps things exciting, because (optimally, if the map is well balanced), BE will always be fairly close to losing when they capture a flag and continue.

    You're not adding a set amount of time; you're applying a multiplier to the time they have already. By your method, if BE gets stalled for 5 minutes at the first flag, that hurts them much, much more than if they'd gotten stalled for 5 minutes at the last flag. This isn't a good thing. It eliminates the driving tension that adding additional time for each flag is supposed to grant -- since you're applying a multiplier to any leftover time BE has from each flag, even a small advantage in time makes them much much 'safer', while even a small deficit makes it much more likely the map will simply fizzle on a flag without giving them a chance to do anything.
     
  18. Empty

    Empty Member

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    If brenodi takes 10 minutes to cap the first flag, they deserve to lose. Period.
     
  19. BumGravy

    BumGravy Member

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    Now now, no need to bring menstruation into the conversation.

    If it takes BE 10 minutes to work out how to play the map and how to work as a team and they do cap the flag, they should still be rewarded by being given a time boost to get the next flag. This way they have learned what to do and how to do it better next time, and still have a chance to win the map. Obviously the fact that they have taken ten minutes means it will be harder for them in the end, but there is no point in making it impossible for them to win just becasue they had a slow start, if they cap the flag at all they still deserve a chance at the next one.

    It would be a bit shit if NF could, as you say, hold the first flag for ten minutes (it ain't THAT long) and then decide that they now have no way of losing, they can stop playing and start dicking about and turn the server into a chatroom.
     
  20. Empty

    Empty Member

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    Yeah, but what happens when BE is on 200 tickets at the 2nd flag, NF keeps fighting, because they know that no matter what, if you start fucking around BE can drive straight through to the end.
     

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