Better alliances patch

[Zarel]

You can already try them out in 2.3 beta 2.

[NaxShaleChan]

Does this apply to playing with AIs too?

[Zarel]

Yep.

That's how I tested this patch. What, you think I have actual human friends who want to ally with me?

[Olrox]

Yep.

That's how I tested this patch. What, you think I have actual human friends who want to ally with me?

hahahahahahhaha
I dunno, perhaps Zarel keeps makis patches and fixes because he always bwns everyone on multiplayer soooo soooo easily? xD

Anyway, do you think that those changes will be on a stable release before 2010? I'm really willing to go beta-testing but I don't have that plenty free time
Perhaps on the summer vacations. Actually, it's most certain that I'll test some 2x2x2x2, 2x3x3 and 4x4 multiplayer games then. Perhaps even 2x2 or 4-player free-for-all

[Zarel]

Anyway, do you think that those changes will be on a stable release before 2010? I'm really willing to go beta-testing but I don't have that plenty free time
Perhaps on the summer vacations. Actually, it's most certain that I'll test some 2x2x2x2, 2x3x3 and 4x4 multiplayer games then. Perhaps even 2x2 or 4-player free-for-all

2.3 is scheduled for stable release on December 29, 2009 (4 weeks from now), barring major problems. So if we stick to that schedule, barely.

Personally, I don't think we should; four weeks isn't enough to produce a stable release yet, but others' opinions may differ.

[winsrp]

WOW... O_O

Now these are some great changes, I'm testing them and I'm really impressed on the great work done on these. This really adds a new level of strategy when playing.

One thing that might as well be a great addition is the ability to demolish allied hardcrete or defensive structures, sometimes friend make walls and you have to wait that they bring a truck to the scene to unbuild them, and maybe he is busy with something else, and if I'm the one that currently attacking, why don't I demolish your wall... just a thought.

Overall this is a kickass upgrade!!!

[Zarel]

One thing that might as well be a great addition is the ability to demolish allied hardcrete or defensive structures, sometimes friend make walls and you have to wait that they bring a truck to the scene to unbuild them, and maybe he is busy with something else, and if I'm the one that currently attacking, why don't I demolish your wall... just a thought.

We try to limit the amount of damage you can do to your allies. After all, we used the same alliance mode in Alliances and Locked Teams... Imagine demolishing all your ally's factories and defenses, then breaking alliance.

[guciomir]

will stable 2.3 have new terrain renderer?

[Zarel]

will stable 2.3 have new terrain renderer?

No. That's for 3.0.

[winsrp]

We try to limit the amount of damage you can do to your allies. After all, we used the same alliance mode in Alliances and Locked Teams... Imagine demolishing all your ally's factories and defenses, then breaking alliance.

That would defenetly wont be good for you ally!!!... lol xD , but can't a check be made that you can do that on locked teams, and cannot do that on alliances mode?

[Zarel]

I might later offer a full cooperative mode with the ability to screw over your ally, but Locked Teams isn't that mode.

[winsrp]

lol xD

screw your ally mode.... its so cooperative that you share even the mouse pointer.... xD

[Deus Siddis]

Sounds like a very cool patch.

Though it is too bad there's still no remedy for your greedy/dumb AI allies taking over your oil pools before you can rebuild your derricks on them. Because there's no way to get them off of your resources then, unless one of your enemies can help you out, heh.

[Per]

I'm not sure if the make/break alliances during the game feature is ever used. Probably very rarely. So investing lots of work into its corner cases might be a bad priority.

[Olrox]

I'm not sure if the make/break alliances during the game feature is ever used. Probably very rarely. So investing lots of work into its corner cases might be a bad priority.

Yes, perhaps even due to the lack of a more complete tutorial. But truly, it's not a good priority - I think that work should be directed into features that are present on most (if not all) of the game styles first. Improvements such as the ones done by Zarel are really good, because they aren't restricted to a small section of the game.

Perhaps tags could be created for the starting bases' oil resources, so that *magic* could be written so that the AI doesn't build those while the player number X isn't defeated. That is, if the AI is allied to the mentioned player. That would be good for pretty much any alliance games, but I think it would represent more work for the map makers (they'd have to place the oil resources with correct "tags") and developers (they'd need to write the scripts [forementioned *magic* ] so that the AI ignores oil resources with tag <number of any allied players> until the player <number of any allied players> is defeated)