New feature: Challenges

[Per]

I've started to work on a new feature I've called "Challenges". A first patch exists at http://developer.wz2100.net/ticket/778 for those brave enough to compile on their own. It adds the beginnings of a new "Challenge" single player game mode that has fixed game setups with a running timer, which becomes a game score. The faster you can finish the challenge, the better the score. However, if you have been unable to finish the challenge, then the higher the score is better (you survived it longer)!

Challenges are setup in INI files in a challenges/ directory. Additional challenges can be added as mods. Here is a sample challenge file:

[challenge]
Name = "No Place To Hide"
Difficulty = "Ultimate"
Map = "Sk-MizaMaze"
MaxPlayers = 8
Scavengers = false
Bases = 2
Power = 700

[player_1]
team = 1

[player_2]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

[player_3]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

[player_4]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

[player_5]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

[player_6]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

[player_7]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

[player_8]
team = 2
difficulty = 10

Basically it sets up a MizaMaze game with the given settings - all AIs allied with each other against you. If you can win such a game without cheating, you are God - hence the difficulty rating of "Ultimate"

Things that still need to be done:

• Improve challenge GUI. Currently using a cloned load/save dialog for this.
• Consider adding MP challenges as well.
• Autogenerate an HTML battle report for easy pasting of your worthy accomplishments.

Feedback on this idea and implementation so far needed. I will post some screenshots below.

EDIT: Updated sample INI file and TODO list.

[Per]

This shows the menu item for the Challenges mode.

This shows the new challenge chooser dialog. If it looks very similar to the load/save dialog, it is because it reused most of its code from there...

[Per]

This shows the usual skirmish dialog, but notice how most options are disabled, since they are now set by the challenge settings.

Finally, in-game, the familiar timer widget is back. However, this time is counts up, not down.

[XboxJosh]

Very cool! Would you be able to use the INI files to set the AI slider bars?

[Per]

Very cool! Would you be able to use the INI files to set the AI slider bars?

Yes. I will add that soon.

[Jimmbob]

Brilliant! cant wait to try it out

[DraLUSAD]

That seems very cool... would you have to still rewrite the ini texts, or will it become a fully functional Expansion/mod?

[2frame]

honestly this is wat ive been looking for. this game has lacked a real challenge for me for a while now and it was breaking my heart....metaphorically speaking. i see this feature going to grand heights. people should be able to make their own challenges, post them to them web and give them to friends. it should also have a good 10 or 20 challenegs built into the game. the only thing i can think of is to make a differnt menu for them.

[Per]

I've posted a new patch in the ticket referenced above, and updated the first post with a new sample challenge file. All the basics for playing challenges are now implemented. High scores are kept in a "scores.ini" file right beside your "config" file.

So - anyone got good suggestions for challenges that can be included in the default distribution? They need a fancy name, a difficulty rating (easy->medium->hard->ultimate), and some map and AI settings.

Here are my suggestions, and comments wanted on them as well:

• "No Place to Hide" - MizaMaze with all AIs allied and basic bases (ultimate difficulty). See this example fully implement in first post.
• "Hide Behind Me" - MizaMaze with two weak allied AIs on player's team, rest allied against player, and basic bases (medium difficulty)
• "Overrun" - Clover with all AIs allied on hard difficulty settings and full bases (ultimate difficulty)
• "What's the Rush?" - Rush with all AIs allied, hardest difficulty settings, full bases, scavengers (hard difficulty)
• "No Need for Speed" - Rush2 with all AIs allied, full bases (medium difficulty)
• "Speed Bump" - Rush2 with no AIs allied, basic base, low difficulty settings (easy difficulty)
• "In the Beginning" - Startup with scavengers and no bases (easy difficulty)
• "Step It Up" - Startup with scavengers and full bases, hardest difficulty settings (medium difficulty)
• "Back to Basics" - Highground with scavengers and full bases (easy difficulty)

[guciomir]

You can add different power levels to those examples.

[2frame]

theres a whole hell of alot more you can do. power levels being one as said above, building restrictions, as in factories you could name the challenge "advance of the metal men" and all you have is cyborgs everyone else allied against you.

you could limit the tech tree to only machine guns, wheels, and the viper body for tanks. call that one "No more bombs"

there's just endless possiblities for something like this.

[Per]

I totally forgot about building restrictions! Thanks for thinking of that.

Restricting research is a totally different level of difficulty, however, so I am not going there, at least not for the first version of this feature.

[iMac]

I think Challenges would a great addition! Like mini games etc... Can't wait to see stable release of this

[2frame]

I totally forgot about building restrictions! Thanks for thinking of that.

Restricting research is a totally different level of difficulty, however, so I am not going there, at least not for the first version of this feature.

well hey man as long as u eventually do it, that would be awesome. tho when u finally do, u might need to make a basic gui for making them, because it can be very hard to restrict the tech tree in just a txt doc. if you can get other devs. to help you, because this is a much needed feature. now if you included some maps, with specific objectives like capture the artifact, or king of the hill, those would be awesome, ill begin work on those maps as soon as i get edit world working

[Revelo]

I'm thinking, this being a good idea and all. Would you scrap the Tutorial level? Or move that into the challenges? As I feel this is a much better thing to have in there then that.