Is it possible to cheat in multiplayer?

[Sonic]

Hovering is an exploit in the game engine's code which was corrected by the developers. If you really lack the strategic skills to take out turrets and towers using your support units, than stick with DM.

Be carefull with creating 'new' ODFs when cheating. If you created mycheat.odf while no one else has it, you can easily cause the game to crash leaving a nice "Can't find mycheat.odf" in the logs of the other clients.

Just update to 1.3 to squash out these cheats, exploits and crashes. And if you do find someone who seems to be cheating, you can always tell 1.3 to block that person's IP/Network. (Got to love ACLs)

[Nielk1]

I would love to know how to do these. I think you guys know my reputation and will trust me. If you want to tell me how to do any of these, I will go put it in my information archive for eventual release on my wiki (which will only be put up when the community will allow it).

[Angstromicus]

Okay, here goes- *is shot*

[Zero Angel]

Well in order to put any weapon on a ship you have to first..

*gurk*

[Zero Angel]

If you really lack the strategic skills to take out turrets and towers using your support units, than stick with DM.

That isnt a viable option considering how different the mechanics of strat and DM are. If you played more, you would understand this.

*senses that you might be trolling*

*fails to be annoyed*

[Feared_1]

In 1.2 and before, hovering and ghosting are considered "skills" that take years to prepare and master. Because everyone can do it, the game isn't considered unfair. Most "vet" players are too impatient to build 30 walkers to charge the enemy base and kill a few gun towers. They like to end games quickly and in a more hands-on fashion.

If you try to build a massive force, vets will figure it out after they see maybe 3 tanks in your base (Walker would be painted immediately) and the enemy Factory would be gone in a matter of seconds.

Yes it's bad, but the speed and freedom makes you feel happy inside.

[OvermindDL1]

My butt.  There is no satisfaction in the quick kill, there is no thinking involved, no strategy, just reflexes.  Go play Unreal or Quake for that.

[bigbadbogie]

reflexes are not important in bz2 - pity ---- but they will be in my mod!!! 

[OvermindDL1]

And yet so many treat it like reflexes are.  Screw flying around, let's get some good ground-view epic rts battles going on, now those are satisfying.

[Zero Angel]

My butt.  There is no satisfaction in the quick kill, there is no thinking involved, no strategy, just reflexes.  Go play Unreal or Quake for that.

Its not just about reflexes,  but reflexes and tactics. As the commander you of a vet strat you gotta prioritize strategy towards Resources, Defense, or Tech and your skill at managing these are still a factor as a commander, and as the commander you are still the most important part of a team -- twice as important in value as a single wingman (i've developed calculations for this, the commander is numerically twice as important as a wingman of equal skill under conditions where morale is equal). Commanders can resort to a multitude of tactics outside of the standard tech/defense balance including ratting the field and giving scouts lasers, ordering 'pools hard!' to deny enemy of all pools at expense of dogfighting, predicting dogfights and managing scavs there, attempts to UG/GT secondary pools and turret spam, planning a rush, etc.

A wingman must always use correct tactics. Contrary to what non-strat players believe BZ2 winging is about more than having a big DM around the setting of two bases -- it is about managing teams and having them work together and use the correct tactics -- because no matter what it is important to get the commander resources since this determines how fast the team is able to tech up. Teamwork is one of the most important parts of this, strong thugs must cover weaker thugs, and any wing may resort to various tactics including distraction, dogfighting, pools/scavs hit, or base hit.

This differs very much from a DM as there is no teamwork involved, no cohesion, no tactics. A team which does not hit pools and spends all day dogfighting for example will find that the enemy team gets tech first. When I command a strat, I always ensure to pick the teammates who will work the best as a team. Those who want to spend all day dogfighting instead of getting me pools and playing smart can be on the other team.

The game mechanics are a little simpler than the commander-centric version that the non-players are pushing (ie: this should be an RTS), but they arent as exaggerated as they make it seem.

[Zero Angel]

And yet so many treat it like reflexes are.  Screw flying around, let's get some good ground-view epic rts battles going on, now those are satisfying.

You ever play Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes for the X-Box? If first person RTS battles are what you want this will definitely tickle your fancy.

[Avatar]

This is exactly one of those great conversations that gets started and either devolves into flame wars or is shut down by an eager Admin thinking it's about to devolve into flame wars. 

As long as everyone stays rational and polite I love these conversations.

Now, as I've said many times EVERYONE sees this game in a different light.  To me it's about story, and setting, and is an RPG.  I finally, after many decades, get to join Armstrong on the moon, and then as a bonus engage in a sci-fi adventure that would make any good writer of the 50's or 60's proud.  I can't tell you how cool that is.

For others it's the coolest RTS they've ever seen, with lots of toys and tech and the ability to be right down there in the trenches with the troops as they fight.   For anyone who's ever wished they could be on the hangar deck of the Mothership in Homeworld, or become a DeathKnight in Warcraft (prior to WOW), BZ2 is a dream come true.

BZ1, as a DM centric game and while lacking in teamplay options was still a very cool DM that even those of us past our 'twitching' prime could play.  The pace and settings of the game evened the field, and is more of a thinking DM than many FPS games.  BZ2 introduces Teamplay, shifts the focus to Strat, but offers up a host of other options too.  Race, CTF, Allied Strat, and Team DM are all possible along with a more SP type play in MPI.

Here's the only negative part of this little discourse you'll hear...  for some reason the 'Vets' have decided that the only 'true' players are those playing Team Strat.  I've said enough on this, and despite their negativity I'll fight to the death to keep THEIR version of the game playable and enjoyable FOR THEM, but nothing I've said has gotten any of them to admit that it's only one small part of the game.  Yes, it's the one part of the game you can call up a list of people playing, but that's no reason to insult or disrespect everyone else who loves the game too...

But that's beating a dead horse, which is illegal around here...   

So, everyone realize, THIS IS A DIFFERENT GAME FOR EVERY PLAYER WHO PLAYS IT, and be thankful that 1.2 is still supported (no forced upgrades like other games).  Also be thankful that, especially in 1.3, the game can be all it can be for everyone no matter what part of it you enjoy.  I mean how many patch makers out there take care to keep important bugs reproducible just to support an earlier version?  GSH did it for 1.3 for several 1.2 bugs, despite all the bad press and personal insults heaped on him about the hovering issues.

It's all good, people, and I think how heated some people get when 'their' version of the game is disrespected or threatened is just a good way of showing how much we all love it.  And that's a good thing...

-Av-

[OvermindDL1]

I've not played that xbox360 game.  I will not get an xbox360 until it is more worth the money, and right now I cannot see it for anything but being a money sink (come on after all, paying for multiplayer? heck, steam offers just about all live does and a lot more in areas, yet it still and should always remain free).  Cannot program for it well without paying extraordinary amounts of money.  Can't set it up as a decent router when it is not being used.  And I certainly do not play enough games to warrant its very high cost.  Just the cost of the system, controllers, a decent quality tv, the ongoing monthly cost, etc... it ends up to be a heck of a lot more expensive then my computer, and my computer is more powerful then it in every way, and until that changes I do not see why the money should be wasted.  But there are plenty of idiots out there who think otherwise (yes I know people who have it, and live gold, but never play it), and plenty of others who may play enough to warrant the cost, but there is still far more usefulness out of a computer and I am too cheap to waste money like that.

Either way, on a continuing lighter note.  I like the strategy, heck if I could turn BZ2 into an fps version of Total Annihilation or Warzone2100 then that would be a near perfect game of that type.  As is, BZ1/2 are far too much in the first-person style, player being an 'uber-unit' even with the weakest of units, etc...  I would prefer to be a real commander, or a real soldier in it, not this 'god-creature' that can only be defeated by other 'god-creatures'.  Being in a TA style, I'd love to be the commander zipping around the base actually building up the basics, then start delegating work to other building units, while the other human player go out and start capturing other metal deposits as I give them some builders and a small force with access to a settable percentage of the metal and energy income.  Eventually they would be delegated to various purposes.  Have one person focus on raiding and give him plenty of units to help with that, as by himself he would be too weak to be of any use, but by commanding a decent sized army it will be more effective then if it was just that army without him.  Have another person focus on holding the defensive line.  Have another focus on getting the main attack force built up.  Etc... and so forth.  That is what I would love, the strategy.  Even with a unit being commanded by a player it would not be all-powerful, but rather having that human command his own little platoon would make, probably modest and usually weak platoon deadly in the command of a skilled human.  This one-on-one battles are tiring and boring and I still say require no real skill.  Yes they require skill, but only for dealing with yourself, and even if you are not that great even AI units are still no real match for you, other humans are the only real challenge and it just should not be that way in my opinion.  If you want one-on-one matches, as stated, go play quake or unreal or bzflag or something, give me a real game.

Hence, that is why I like playing MPI against good computers, because they actually do attack with forces that I have to counter with forces, not with a single god-unit.  It forces you to actually think (that is until you get too used to the pc, that is why I would like it if humans played that way).

Hmm, thought of a strategy mutator gametype for BZ2, perhaps have any unit that is commanded by a human have its max health and ammo be an eighth (or some other configurable amount) of what it normally is, forcing humans to actually build up forces.  Doubt anyone would play it, too many fps'ers here who do not actually care about good gameplay.

EDIT:  And sorry for the rant, a bit sick so far less inhibited then normal...

[Sonic]

I agree with you Avatar that the game has several diffrent ways of being played. What I never liked was when I went to play a good Strategy game (aka, 1-2 hour game), I often was smacked with a 15 minute game due Rushing, Hovering over bases with Motor Bikes and other player based exploits that made the AI completly useless. I'm simply saying, if you only want to run around blowing anything and everything up using super cool player manuvers, go into a DM game, let those who want to challenge whits play in ST.

As for hovering, I simply want people to stop trying to justify it as a 'skill'. It was declared an exploit by the developers, end of conversation. If you can't live without that explit, by all means, stay in 1.2 and face all those annoying bugs and intential chat line crash exploits.

[Nielk1]

I like playing strats and building massive forces to attack from unusal vectors. If I make an APC, its moved to a staging point, and Archer, the same. I make attack groups, position them, and attack the enemy from all sides.

I call that strategy, and I find it fun when the other player notices and trys to thwart the attack. Battlezone is a game about team play and strategy. If in DM your just twitching and clicking, your doing something wrong. Plan, set traps, work togeather, these are what I view as the way to play.

I hate flyers BTW... I start a game, they come in, and destroy my base before I can lay my 3rd scav. (I normaly make 2 scavs, make a turret, make a scav, and then make more turrets for the pools. This works best with humans finding pools.)

Now back to the point of this, anyone wanna PM me this any weapon on any ship deal? I know how to Fly, MPedit, join AI, etc. Another question, what are these chat line crashes? Is there a way to prevent them without moving to 1.3? Then again, I already moved to 1.3