Scion modifications and image and design and such tomfoolery

[Warfreak]

Not necessarily, I remember a multiplayer map with two way multiuse portals.

That and a BETTER code would be to track if units are in a general pinpoint location for more than 1/5 second and sending said unit from location to another poinpoint location.

I say pinpoint because the "event horizon" is paper thin. (Remember that the Hadean Starportals are essentially stargates )

[iron maiden]

artillaey should be a part because...

A. we want the mod to have a sense of freshness and to have something you don't see often in battlezone

B. artillery is like a mortar except better, that's awesome!

[Clavin12]

What about artillery that shoots across the map? but you only get a couple shots per game.

[bb1]

As soon as you brought up the old Buildable Portals debate, 1000 nightmares flooded my vision. No joke. Let's not do this... somewhere on this forum lurks hundreds of reasons why it isn't feasable. I forget where.

The Scions are known for energy weapon preference, so I don't see them waiting in line for fuel based rockets and missles.

Artillery not being often seen in BZ? It is fundamental! Bz1, it was uncommonly seen in multiplayer but everywhere in single player. Howitzers. They'd be in map packs too, shelling your base from hundreds of meters up (Get Arkin). BZ2 continues this by including the archer for Scions. It traverses all terrain safely and can deploy in the nastiest places, and also loaded out differently to fulfill different roles like AA (popper) or for group busting (cloud).

If you are referring to giant shells and such, the Scions don't use tactics like that. Maybe a floating GS orb that unleashes blistering lightning beam-style over a swath of terrain. Makes me ache for destroyable and scorchable terrain....mmm.

[ScarleTomato]

is the FE dll source posted somewhere? specifically the MP dlls? I can't see it being that hard to make buildable portals. They already had the portals in MP. Just make it so that it looks for the odf name instead of the label. Then make the constructor build pairs. Portal 1a, Portal 1b, Portal 2a, Portal 2b, etc...

infact, have a sub list of ten portals with a build restriction of two for each one.

heck, might even be able to have the dll call an effect while two of the same portal exist, making them look 'active'

[TheJamsh]

you could quite easily (well I couldnt but i know N1 could) write a script that looks for an object with certain ODF parameters, and use it as a portal correctly.

Portals however DONT work wel with AI. as soon as they have gone through the portal, they get sucked to another part of the map, and then instantly try to go back. Even that said, AI wouldnt use portals if they existed, and would still drive all the way accross maps to their targets. The buildable portals is something we should knock on the head... part of a map? great. NOT part of a race.

When you design a new type of unit, I find its best to think about what its weapon would be first. I have some VERY unique things in s-mod that no-one has thought of yet, and unless you put a lot of time into thinking about them, you wont get anywhere. Creating a new unit means thinking VERY outside the box in BZ2.

An attractive, well balanced and vry original unit can be created just be creating some strange physics for it, some strange animations and a VERY unique weapon.

EDIT: continuing...

BBB wrote some much nicer code for portals in QF mod. (Play the last mission if you haven't already). SO IF we do use portals, there is a good basis. However because of the scale of the project i sense we will be strolling into C++ area when required. Shame the scriptor cannot export a rough C++ editable version of itself.

If you are GOING to create new units for the scion and ISDF i wouldn't bother... unless the unit deserves a true purpose (he says looking at the model list he has for s-mod... yikes).. FE had the right idea, create one (two if you count the cargo ship) unit for each race, then build two more races to match. The Hadeans in my eyes are one of the most perfect races (in design and theory, their actual prescence is somewhat buggy, but can be fixed in newest betas to make them a little more unique).

The QF build tree was also well-designed, and their 'unique' units were rocket-walkers, in-atmo gunships and air support, assault hover ships etc. Too many units and things go mad. Recycler variants make ridiculous amounts of units ok, but stock variants should NOT go mad on ships. I think the ISDF and Scion have enough as it is for another CP.

[bigbadbogie]

Portals however DONT work wel with AI. as soon as they have gone through the portal, they get sucked to another part of the map, and then instantly try to go back. Even that said, AI wouldnt use portals if they existed, and would still drive all the way accross maps to their targets.

Unless teleported units are also given a hold command by the dll upon their arrival.

BBB wrote some much nicer code for portals in QF mod. (Play the last mission if you haven't already).

Second last mission.

[AHadley]

God forbid you forget the bonus

[Nielk1]

* Nielk1 just doesn't want more DLL code to do atm. But yes, portals they dynamically link to other portals when made are POSSIBLE. Even more and more so in better ways as 1.3 progresses.

[sabrebattletank]

* Nielk1 just doesn't want more DLL code to do atm.

Respect this guise.

[Nielk1]

It should be said some code is simple, while other code, like a complex portal system, is not.

[ScarleTomato]

well id love to take a look at how it's already been implemented. I'm sure i could make my own methods but why reinvent the wheel? I'm no stanger to C++ or Object-Oriented Language in general. It's just nice to see what other people have done when using the predefined methods in BZ.

[iron maiden]

what i noticed in FE is that when i went through portals[ I'll use the third mission as an example] my other units did not follow me through or the recycler. instead, they just stayed out side the portal and fought inbound xypos', not that it doesn't help. was this an original bug? and if so, what can we do to correct it and make it more efficient.

[TheJamsh]

Its NOT a bug. its the fact that portals were NEVER designed to work with BZ2. Its a bit of hacky code that allows it to 'work', but the whole thing is faked.

Unit pathing doesnt work like that.

[iron maiden]

ah, well then, getting back on the topics of weapons and the dual missile launcher, perhaps we could creat a scion version of the shadower, perhaps like the photon torpedo. my idea for the rocket tank would be for it to have a body similar to a drone scout but with two extensions going backwards, kind of like the enterprise meets a soviet bomber from bz1.