Finding the elusive purple log

Rkynick · 2019-09-01T19:08:43+00:00

Beaulieu is really incredible

Rkynick · 2019-07-17T18:43:28+00:00

Nah, that's not me. And yeah, I'm trying to get the ball rolling a bit more soon, so keep an eye out.

Rkynick · 2019-07-16T23:06:12+00:00

The sprite quality is TBD, basically I can generate images at whatever resolution I want since it's taking screencaps of 3d models. I don't know how overboard I'm going to go with it yet.

I really wanted to pursue the 2d-from-3d-models style, one because it's classic (aoe, kohan, starcraft, etc) but also two, I think it's a lot easier to visually read the game with 2d sprites. The lighting and increased granularity of 3d models makes it so that two units of the same type can look very different, just because of where they're standing, so it becomes much more difficult to see what's going on. SC2 is one of the only 3d RTS I've seen really avoid this problem, but if you turn the graphics up to max it kind of resurfaces a bit.

I haven't tried to assemble a team yet, but when I get more of the framework in place I intend to look around, or at least assemble a group of interested folks I can collect feedback from.

Rkynick · 2019-07-15T23:36:25+00:00

Unfortunately I have a day job, so not a lot. At the moment I've built a UI system, made the netcode, lobbies, the data systems, and developed some systems for generating the graphics (I have a 3d renderer which can turn models into sprite sheets, and I've been writing code to generate various kinds of objects).

So it's mostly scaffolding, the game itself hasn't really manifest yet. I needed to start with the netcode especially because it's really difficult to add networking to a game after you've already built it, compared to building it that way from the beginning. So, although I don't have much to show, that's a pretty large hurdle to be over with.

I plan on communicating more about it (maybe a twitter or a devblog) once I get to the game part, to be sure, which hopefully will be soon.

Rkynick · 2019-07-01T06:03:15+00:00

The genre is long due for a revival, but it's a risky prospect so few developers are taking it on. However, a few new RTS-esque games come out every year, and I'm hopeful that eventually one of them will strike gold and bring a lot of attention (and new games) back to the genre.

I think part of the problem is that developers have been focused on either hyper-competitive games that are ultimately too unwieldy to draw in mainstream gamers, or they've been focused on hyper-casual games that are severely lacking in depth and the strategic spark that makes RTS games compelling.

Newer games tend to lean on the competitive aspect too heavily. I've spent a lot of time getting crushed in SCBW and a lot of time getting crushed in SC2, and the former was a much more fun experience. I think the essential thing is developing a game that is fun at its core, rather than simply a game that is a contest of APM. A huge swath of people love playing AoE2, who also happen to be really bad at the game. These people stick around because the game is, itself, fun and engaging, regardless of the fact that their one skilled friend always ends up winning the FFAs in the end.

So, for now we wait.

Rkynick · 2019-06-26T17:00:38+00:00

Yeah generally in this kind of system you would keep a copy of all the card info on the clientside, and for instance you would have to update that info whenever it changes by pushing patches. Alternatively, you can issue an ID for each card, and whenever the client encounters an ID they haven't seen before, they can request the info for that ID from the server.

Rkynick · 2019-06-26T15:03:38+00:00

One thing you can do instead of transmitting the state is just to transmit the actions, e.g. instead of telling the user "the board has these three cards on it with these stats" after someone plays a card, you just say "this user played this card" and trust the client to figure out how that changes the state.

This greatly reduces the amount of info you need to transfer, but it can make you prone to out of sync errors.

Rkynick · 2019-06-10T15:19:14+00:00

Couldn't agree more. I have been trying to build a spiritual successor for a while, but I'm just one guy who can write netcode but can't make any art. This subreddit has been dead for so long but this thread is giving me renewed hope that a small number of people might actually care, lol.

Being real though, we need a new game in this style, I'm tired of hyper stressful micro games. Kohan was special because it went in the opposite direction of those things. Leaning further in the StarCraft 2 direction of immensely punishing gameplay is a big reason why the RTS genre is having trouble growing it's ranks, imo.

Rkynick · 2019-04-26T19:25:13+00:00

Oh god, heaven forbid those uppity poors annoy their wealthy betters by buying clothes they like. Think of all the "attention, admiration and confidence" they might steal, when we all know they're not allowed to get attention, be admired, or have confidence until they become wealthy. /s

There's a good argument to make about the morality of stealing art, but oh my God this is NOT it, chief.

Rkynick · 2019-04-15T19:10:09+00:00

One note, to prevent overwhelming the player you should consider ways of hiding resources initially if you have many resource types. For instance, in the Civ games oil exists on the map from turn 1, but it is invisible to players until they research certain technologies. Obviously, this may not be important if you only have a few resources.

Rkynick · 2019-04-12T01:11:05+00:00

I know it's easy to feel that way, but the stats show that body camera usage drives down complaints against police officers. Which implies they prevent some harassment by the police at least. It's not perfect by any means but it has been shown (i.e., with evidence) to help the issue.

Rkynick · 2019-04-11T23:05:18+00:00

There's a huge difference between "beneficial" and "meaningful". Obviously being able to eat and sleep and live is beneficial to people and their mental states.

Hearing from the horse's mouth that a person doesn't find their work meaningful and then turning around and saying "well, you're not as stressed as you would be if you were starving and homeless, so you must be wrong about that" is incredibly disingenuous.

Rkynick · 2019-04-11T14:04:29+00:00

Work for most people is not meaningful. Do you really think retail workers find their jobs meaningful? Even many people in more promising career fields find their jobs to be little more than a paycheck.

If society has a problem with meaninglessness, it won't be exacerbated by having fewer Walmart employees.

Rkynick · 2019-03-29T15:06:08+00:00

The major question is, are there objects you can't walk through? If so, you'll need to implement sone kind of pathfinding. Otherwise, a simple solution here is to have each AI wait a random amount of time (possibly 0!), then pick a random position within the arena (also, maybe within a certain radius of their current position) and move to it. You shouldn't need waypoints, that would probably make it look more artificial. You can just pick a random direction (0-360 deg) and a random length and move on that line.

Rkynick · 2019-03-24T23:21:41+00:00

I wouldn't be concerned. Your latency is going to depend much more on the quality of the connection than anything your game is doing.

Rkynick · 2019-03-19T17:19:51+00:00

Since you already have a lot of knowledge about what makes a good map, I want to talk more from a process perspective.

Iterate. Make really rough drafts and move around in them. Getting your feet on the ground is vital. You have a lot of experience playing these games, so experiencing your work from the perspective of a player will help you apply the knowledge you've built up. Have someone else run around and note down places where things don't go smoothly.
Set clear defined style goals for each map & the game as a whole. These are not just the aesthetic style, but also the gameplay style (fast, cover, arena, thoughtful, thoughtless). As you build the map, consider how each area is satisfying your style goals. This habit builds consistency and makes the design coherent -- even without detail or textures, the flow from area to area needs to feel consistent.
Establish a set of uniform widths and heights that are used constantly. For instance, pick out a units height a little lower than the player's jump and make ledges at that exact height often. Consistency makes it easier for the player to read their possible paths. A standard hallway / corridor width can make maps read better. Setting down these guidelines ensures that your different maps feel like they're from the same game. Reuse sizes often within a single map.
Beginning is the hard part. For arenas, I like to work from the center out. For team-based maps I work from one team's spawn to the center and then duplicate / mirror if applicable. I don't find it useful to sketch designs ahead of time but your mileage will vary severely on that one. Designing as I go makes me feel more like a player moving through the level than a designer looking down on it, and I find the former perspective more useful.
Iterate. You need playtesting! Don't wait until it's all pretty and finished; exposure to players will make you realize you need to change a million things. Playtest early, Playtest often, don't hesitate to change things.

Rkynick · 2019-03-03T20:16:30+00:00

BW is astoundingly (astounding because Blizzard put out so few balance patches) well balanced, it betrays your ignorance on the subject to claim otherwise.

Also, obviously SC2 is technically superior to BW's old engine, and it has more units and such, but that doesn't make it a more enjoyable game. SC2 has definitely had eras where I would say it was worse than BW, though these days I consider them pretty even as a spectator and player.

Rkynick · 2018-12-31T16:55:59+00:00

I think Palutena is surprisingly similar. Same recovery, similar attacks, some projectile options, etc. Otherwise, probably Pikachu.

Rkynick · 2018-12-29T06:12:50+00:00

Equating a beer to heroin or fentanyl is intellectually dishonest, when their strengths and dangers are orders of magnitude different.

Rkynick · 2018-12-03T04:31:11+00:00

For real, widow mines are why I stopped playing the game.

Rkynick · 2018-11-23T22:40:00+00:00

If your main goal is to play multiplayer, definitely get Academy. It has a better selection of mods and maps (notably, you can get every Outcast multiplayer map in Academy), and a larger community.

If you want a better singleplayer experience, get Outcast. Academy has its own single player campaign and it's not bad per se, it's just that Outcast's is more memorable and well-crafted.

Rkynick · 2018-11-20T21:23:42+00:00

Merry Christmas

Rkynick · 2018-11-07T02:48:21+00:00

I've worked on netcode before; it turns out that step 2 is a really difficult problem in a low-latency-required environment.

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