Another zone idea

[L.C.]

MGB Forum Thread Here

 

 

200 to 255 flags across the map. You can pick them up and drop them after some time. Flags act as a point/money tool rather than for actual flag-game objective. This is Command & Conquer style instead: every flag your frequency has captured (whether it be already dropped or still holding onto it) is worth a certain amount of points per 5 to 15 seconds.

 

You have to use this method to buy and upgrade your team to victory. There are different levels, but everyone starts out in the poorest ships. HyperSpace kind of does this already -- but I'm thinking strictly in terms of using some any form of SVS settings.

 

 

 

There are different levels of team upgrades:

* Initial level is the poorest ships of them all.

* Every frequency has an automatically assigned captain (cannot be an AFKer).

* Captain of the frequency has access to a team-wide ?buy menu. The team-wide buy menu has all the things under the regular ?buy plus a few extra neat stuff. When a regular ?buy item is bought for the whole team, that will advance the team's default spawn conditions (so if Captain bought a burst for the team, every time you spawn you will start with that burst in your inventory).

 

 

 

Some "extra neat" team-wide buy items are sort of like "specials" or "super weapons":

* You can buy other frequencies (and when you do, everyone on that frequency gets forced to join your frequency, and they end up serving under your command/leadership),

* buy a specific player (forces them to join your frequency and serve under you),

* you can send out a frequency-wide energy EMP (which will freeze everyone's recharge on that specified frequency),

* frequency-wide EMP (triggers engine shutdown on everyone on that specified frequency),

* frequency-wide communication disruption (// will no longer work -- thought about ;, #, and ", but I consider them to be "special alternate communication mediums" that are different from frequency-based chatting, which is influenced by or relative to //),

* frequency-wide radar disruption (scrambles or statics their radar, includes the revoked ability to attach to other members on that same frequency),

* confusbucate the set frequency of someone's ship (basically puts specified player on random frequency because their ships radio components got screwed up) (PS. yeah, I know confusbucate isn't a word -- my mind has a picture of what word I really want to use, but it's kind of blurry/jumbled as you see )

* force all teammates on your frequency to attach to specified teammate (regardless of everyone's individual energy/bounty levels -- could save some people),

* short/medium/long-range frequency scanner (specify any 1 frequency and if any frequencies around it exist -- it will give you the frequency numbers and their assigned captain) (might be partially useless, as frequency numbers could be leaked out -- I wonder if there is a way to censor it for all players, including the number in their HUD and the %freq command)

 

 

 

Here is how the game starts:

* Everyone begins on their own and random frequency. Nobody is allowed to switch teams (this could be debatable -- needs more thought). Since everyone is by themselves, they're obviously the captain of their frequency.

* Since there are plenty of flags around, it shouldn't be a problem for anyone to go and hunt flags to collect points.

* People start buying each other. As the number of different teams decrease and as each team gets bigger, it gets more expensive to buy individual players (essentially it gets to the point where if you have two massive 32 vs 32 teams, you can save to buy out the best player on the other team)

* Ultimately, you have to buy out the last enemy team alive.

 

 

 

Other notes:

* When buying pilots from other frequencies, it costs more to buy captains that are commanding larger frequencies. In other words, after a frequency attains populations past a certain minimum number, it starts becoming more cost effective to buy whole frequencies (but in a massive 32 vs 32 scenario, in a long battle to try and win, one could save up enough money to buy out the other team's captain to gain a very possible winning advantage)

* Killing earns individual points, but not near as much as flag points.

* When a frequency captain uses a team-wide buy, he is using points from the "frequency flag points" (shown in stats/scores box by the way)

* The integrity and ideal fundamentals behind SVS is still maintained -- although it may be modified to better suit this form of gameplay. Greening is still a must if you want to get a better ship.

* You cannot use ?buy unless you are the captain; ?buy can be used anywhere (you do not have to be in safety).

* If you get bought, you lose all your assets. On frequencies of x or more players, a certain % of that frequencies assets get transferred over when they (the whole frequency) is bought. (Maybe 15% to 45% of all assets/technologies get transferred over -- not a high percent due to the lack of understanding of ancient/alien technologies and natural inefficiency and incompatibility with other team's technology. As far as 'what assets specifically are transferred,' that is random)

 

 

 

What happens when the game is over and there is only 1 remaining team?

* The game restarts, but with some handed out prizes

* Top x players in k:d can choose to have a perk for the next game (they cannot save perks, they can only chose and have 1 perk per game, and their perk lasts for only 1 game -- they must chose a perk to use for the next game. They lose their ability to chose a perk after either (1) a certain amount of time, (2) any one frequency attains a population of x or greater, or (3) x total frequencies remaining in the game.)

 

Two categories are "top x" are awarded; in a top 10, 7 of those players would be awarded for best k:d, while 3 awarded for highest kill points (duplicate winners are skipped over if they make it into the highest kill points -- debatable and needs more though ... was thinking that this might give a chance for award to more unique people).

 

The lower the population, the lower the "top x" stats (and thus less people get awarded). The greater the participating population, the highest the "top x" stats, but not past a certain point. For example, if 100 total players participated, we would only want 10 of them to receive an award. If 10 total players participated, we only want 1 or 2 of them to win an award. I think a 1:10 ratio would work good.

 

 

 

Some perks are:

* Permanent individual upgrades (lasts only for that game) -- they can chose x number of regular upgrades (there are three types: items, technologies, engine related. Items include repel, burst, thor, portal, rocket, brick. Technologies include multifire, xradar, stealth, cloak, antiwarp, EMP [?], bouncing guns, bouncing bombs. Engine related include speed, rotation, thrust, shrap, prox. There are no gun or bomb upgrades)

 

For items, you can chose only 1.

For technologies, you can chose 2.

For engine related, you can chose 3 to 5 (duplicate requests allowed).

You can chose to get upgrades from ONLY 1 of these 3 categories.

 

* Influential/enhancing upgrades -- these affect your value on the team. For example, one upgrade might be

 

(1) when you hold flags, you attribute some % more flag points to your team for each flag that you are carrying;

(2) you get some % more points than normally for making a kill (increases your chances for attaining another award -- debatable and needs more thought ... what if they won again, but would not be allowed to pick an "influential/enhancing upgrade" unless they won a third time -- repeat)

(3) you cost some % more to be affected by a frequency-wide action (except for frequency buyouts) ... this could slightly increase the cost of someone performing a frequency-wide disaster on yours

(4) some % more "influential" -- that is, when a frequency-wide disruption is performed on your team and everyone gets scattered to random individual frequencies, you have a chance to be unaffected and remain on the same team as your captain (without this, you have 100% chance to be put on a random frequency)

 

 

 

Notes:

* "Random frequency" includes non-empty frequencies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other uncategorized ideas:

* As far as game perks and team-wide ?buy's go, I was thinking of a "random warp". One form could be

(1) a lifesaver perk -- if you choose this, you can use ?warpspeed or something and then for 5 to 10 seconds you would be warped constantly randomly around the map (to create a cool warp animation show across the map) and then finally settled to some random spot on the map.

(2) ?buy form -- warps everyone on specified frequency to random locations on map in the same manner described above.

 

* One kind of perk could be a captain-only, one-time use thing; warp your entire team to a specific coordinate (only ONE coordinate for all).

 

 

 

 

Other notes:

* To de-captain yourself, you must go into Spectator mode.

* When you join back in as a ship from spectator mode (if you were previously on a team), you will be placed back in that same frequency.

* If you go into spectator mode, your frequency gets bought while you are in spectator mode, and then you join back in, you will be placed on that frequency that bought the frequency you previously played in

* If you a new player to the current game, you will be placed on your own frequency

 

If there is a scenario where 32 vs 32 vs 1 -- because of the number of remaining frequencies, the ratio of frequency population, you will be very cheap to buy.

 

Might be determined based on the 'average'/mean and mode. If there is 16 vs 16 vs 16 -- to buy a player from one of the other two frequencies will be equally costly as it would be for the other captains on the other frequencies. In the 32 vs 32 vs 1 example, either 32-player sized team's captains could buy that lone player for cheap, but to buy a player from the other 32-player sized team would cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok. I'm really tired now. I spent a couple hours writing this whole post when the idea hit me. I'm thinking it is a supreme and grand idea. I actually want this to happen (using one of the SVS settings though; would be modified to have the 200 or 255 flags). I think the 255 flags would work better than 200.

Edited November 13, 2009 by L.C.

[L.C.]

Those of you who understand the value of SVS, which from my perspective is around the same greatness of chess, I think you may understand why I particularly mentioned this gameplay idea for SVS-style.

 

Right now, in all my excitement, I see this as a near perfect (if not perfect) matching to SVS or mode of SVS (as there is running flag deathmatch, CTF, powerball, etc -- different modes based on the same attitude and direction of the original creators of SubSpace).

 

This idea in itself could quite possibly be a mode just like those because of its uniqueness. I can't see this idea being exactly like T3 Gauntlet, Hyperspace, any of the SVS modes I mentioned (and zones), Command & Conquer zone.. From my point of view, it seems to be a mixture of a bunch of things, but all-in-all unique enough to be itself and its own mode/style.

 

I think Jackpot SVS is a great candidate for this too because the zone is practically a nostalgic musuem of VIE/SubSpace. It contains all the maps made by VIE (please send me the ones I don't have if I am wrong), and most of the settings. (I do furnish and try maintain this zone as if it were a musuem.) One way to extend my gameplay idea is that for every game, a different map would be played.

 

I may be speaking to soon, but I next year (or in the future) I want to run a contest with some high cash prizes of around/atleast $1000 in total awards for an SVS-style map making contest. I already have webpages, templates, etc just about ready to go (I put it together several months ago). I figured that it would be a really attractive contest from around the Internet (I would be posting at other forums like hardforum.com and stuff too) -- people would take a look and think, "Hey, it's only a 2D map! How hard could it seriously be?" (In fact, it shouldn't be difficult for anyone to produce an SVS-styled map ... it would just be time consuming.)

 

Besides being a good attraction to get many non-Subspacers to participate, it would also invite them into the community ... and who knows what potentials lie out there.

 

But anyway, a contest like this would help me get a fresh, brand new library of SVS/VIE-styled maps. (Note to self: participates who donate $5 are eligible to 100% of the cash prizes, while non-donors are eligible for 75%-85%.) Not saying any more.

 

*expects Grav to make a reply about double posting*

Edited November 13, 2009 by L.C.

[rootbear75]

tldr... sorry... can you summarize it?

[L.C.]

In SVS, greening is a must.

 

There are 255 non-turf flags that can be captured and dropped x seconds later (and appear as a captured/yellow flag to you when dropped).

 

Flags will attribute x flag points per x seconds to your team; flag points are used as ?buy money.

 

Every frequency has a randomly and automatically assigned captain, who has access to use a team-wide ?buy. Captain can buy a frequency-wide communication jammer, radar jammer, frequency jammer, energy EMP, engine EMP, or buy a frequency or a specific player.

 

Team-wide ?buys (speed, thrust, rotation, repel, burst, rocket, xradar, stealth, multifire, EMP bombs) are permanent. Essentially a tech tree. A certain percentage of these get transferred when you or your team is bought.

 

Game starts out with everyone on their own [random] frequency.

 

Goal is for the captain to ultimately buy out every enemy frequency and be the last and only frequency standing.

 

Buying out a frequency means that everyone on that frequency is forced to join yours (assuming you are captain) and serve under you.

[Gravitron]

I'll need time to review this.

[L.C.]

Bump.

[Dr Brain]

Ideas are cheap. I have three or four unique ideas a month (pertaining to subspace). The problem isn't coming up with a good idea, it's implementing it.

 

There's no point getting us to comment on your idea. Get it working, and have us comment on the implementation.

[L.C.]

I like your thoughts Dr Brain, although I do not quite see how this idea would be a terribly difficult one to implement. Jowie toured me around his modules for Command & Conquer and to discuss how some of his existing modules could easily be modified to function for my idea. One of the modules he has is where you can apply settings to specific players and specific frequencies (frequency/team-wide). I enjoyed his tour this morning, and it excites me even more.

 

EDIT: By the way, is ASSS really limited to 254 flags instead of the 255 limit in Subgame?

 

However, by no means (unfortunately) am I a programmer. I know someone here is going to comment and say "then go learn to program," and I will down the road through college. I just don't have the environment and occasionally the time to learn it, and though I could theoretically start learning now, I wouldn't be able to put my idea into live functional status for years anyway. And by the time I get to there, what if I no longer have any time at all to do this as a result of college? I further anticipate someone to comment here that they don't have the time either.

 

Well, I am not expecting anyone here to have time or to pitch in support. I was hoping to gain interest and support to this idea, and perhaps that in itself would become a driving and motivating force to implement this idea. (EDIT: And by no means would I see myself taking credit or power-mongering as leader/owner. I would see this as a shared community effort and collaboration. I try to do what I am able to do wherever I can.)

Edited November 15, 2009 by L.C.

[Hakaku]

I don't think ASSS is limited to 254 flags, that would be the first I've ever heard of such a limitation. Perhaps you're confusing the flag ids, which would range from 0 to 254. (Although even if such a limitation of 254 flags did happen to sneak in the source, you only have to change one number at the top of flagcore.c)

 

Oh, and yeah, just to be redundant with your own self comments: excuses!

[JoWie]

it is in asss 1.4.4. Unless I am completely missing something and I am about to look like a real idiot

 

#define MAXFLAGS 255

//flagcore.c:800 ASSS 1.4.4
local void ReserveFlags(Arena *a, int flagcount)
{
adata *ad = P_ARENA_DATA(a, adkey);
if (flagcount < 0 || flagcount >= MAXFLAGS)
	return;
LOCK();
ensure_space(ad, flagcount);
UNLOCK();
}

 

Notice the ">=" part, it should be ">". Unless a flagcount of 0 really means 1 flag.

It does it again in make_turf_packet on line 129.

It does it correctly in set_flag tho:

local void set_flag(Arena *a, int fid, FlagInfo *nfi)
{
adata *ad = P_ARENA_DATA(a, adkey);
FlagInfo *ofi;

if (fid < 0 || fid >= MAXFLAGS)
	return;
<snip>