The Doc's Bio Lab for Scav Experiments - & other oddities.

[Rman Virgil]

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A preview of Mini Ziggy II. How it differs from "Ziggy I" should be apparent (posted on previous page... take a quick gander. )

The entirety of New Pangaea is comprised of 3 main land masses and a score of lesser isles.

~ There is Laurasia in the NE, the foothold of the ManGodAi expeditionary force led by Jason Reed.

~ Then there is the greatest, resource rich, landmass called Central Gondwana which is controlled by the isolationist Sur Amerika Resistence - The SAR for short. "Little Ziggy I & II" are 2 of 5 centers of gravity built out of earthworks and designed as part of an asymmetric defense strategy against the superior forces represented, in this scenario, by the Jason Reed led ManGodAi and the Project contingent initially led by Commander Yevtushenko (following through on a John Hammond initiative), who is sidelined early on, leading to your accending to command.

~ Last major land mass in the SW, Southern Gondwana, is where the Project expedition is compelled to set down during a gale force storm and is designated "Ground Zero".

Next: "Laurasia". This one changes it up from the other land masses previewed so far. It tackles snow and ice in earnest. Gives New Pangaea a little flavor of the far north in "Game of Thrones", is what I tell myself. Along with the rationale I have for taking license with the climate and landscape that is quite different today for that part of the world.

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[Rman Virgil]

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~Interlude ~

If your purview is more mulled wine than mulling, ipso facto, I would prevail, without prevarication upon your personage, passing post haste on the preponderance of this post.

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A mulling over before I close out this preview phase tomorrow evening with a last set of screens of the icy NE Laurasia section (the Jason Reed / ManGodAi foothold on New Pangaea) I'm presently engaged in integrating its particular forms and functions with the still nascent dynamic whole (of combinatorial & concactenated challenges / puzzles merged to the forms as another dimension of their functionality).

Thereafter I'm vacating this cloud till completing the effort sometime the end of December during the holidays, that being my target for releasing "NewPangaea SP".

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Along the roadside of this journey I've acknowledged sources of inspiration and indebtedness within and without WZ. The exception being mappers. There are only 3 and all pre-FlaME, their work being done with EW. They would be - HB, 4nE & Lav. This protocol is deeply ingrained. Old school way of graciousness. At least one aspect of its natural course.

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Been reflecting on past work which started as an early tester / adaptor of FlaME in January 2010 (almost instantly thrilled with its power over Pumpkin's WE & EW), and how, after almost 4 years, progress has been mostly in refining my unusual aesthetic forms (and the original associated GP functions serving those forms) that I'd developed back then and shared in the "Maps & Mods" bbs with a plethora of screen caps, detailed explanations, HMs and FlaME map files.

Where I think the biggest difference resides between 4 years ago and now is that I no longer feel daunted by the challenge of intergrating my forms and functions on a 250 x 250 scale, which has always been my dimensional prefererence.

In addition, I think the difference that has made the difference is that now I'm focused strictly on creating an SP GP experience wereas 4 years ago I tried to do something entirely new in both MP and SP simultaneously (in my enthusiasm over the powerful toolset of the just released FlaME, no doubt).

Also, at the well intended behest of one of the industrious devs of the time (long gone under a cloud of mystery), I reached out to the MP devotees of 4 years ago for early on beta play-testing that didn't turn out into anything of value at all. Files got distributed and I recieved only one comment - "don't care much for NPCs". And mind you it was made perfectly clear upfront and through out that NPCs were in the mix and that evaluating everything else going on was much more critical.

Got the sense in the end that taking a gander at my files was really the only interest, to see how I was using the new FlaME to achieve my unusual forms / functions. Which is fine, just be honest upfront and chuck the devious. Then to top it off, some time after, I began seeing stuff that looked all too familiar without narry a ref or nod, which gave rise to some ambivalent feelings that rather dissuaded in the end my enthusiasm.

All water under the bridge now. However, it does further answer the question posed here a few weeks ago about sharing and why the file will come when I'm a hair's breath from completion and why I'm doing all the beta play-testing myself. Anyway, back to work deeply satisfying, which is the heart of it afterall. Here, elsewhere, anywhere, with whatever is worth doing, just do it well and, to be blunt, frack the rest. A credo of freedom and, with all due irony, TANSTAAFL, because something for nothing is always, and thoroughly, bull chit.

As the poet Delmore Schwartz put it - "In dreams begin responsibilities..."

And, alas, engageing bête noire in fictional composition is compelling. Seeking it out experentially, in cyber space or in the flesh, and residing in its toxic grip, not at all.
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[Rman Virgil]

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The NE Laurasia section of "NewPangaea SP". The sequence of 6 caps represents about 50% of "Laurasia". I'm moving the camera from NW to NE in the first set of 3. In the second set of 3 caps the camera movement goes from the far NE to part way SE.

I'm not entirely satisfied with the look of the snow cliff texture mix. I'm still getting my bearings on the terrain renderer's execution of using different combinations of snow cliff face textures in FlaME (at this point my FlaME file in this section is looking like I'm attempting a Cubist canvas a la Braque or Picasso ). It's a learning process I already went through with the other sections of "New Pangaea" that called for a much lighter snow look. Having to go through the process all over again from scratch with this much heavier snow-ice look. That is, to get to a look that appeals most to my visual aesthetic sensibilities. Sure I'll get there and it will only evolve from what you are seeing here (which will likely change in other ways as adjusting existing forms to accomodate additional interesting functions that continue to come to me during the creation and testing process).

The general idea is that as you move from the far Southern Gondwana, through Central Gondwana to the far Nothern Laurasia, the snow-ice look transitions from the lighter to heavier, thus in somwhat subtle way influencing your sensorium. Not sure yet about terrain texture penalties playing any significant role.

Moving on to next post...

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[Rman Virgil]

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Final set of 3 caps which concludes the preview phase.

This will be completed the end of the year - a particular type of fun experience to check out. It will only appeal to one segment of the diverse fan base. Other segments will not find it thier cup of tea, of that I am certain. I've spoken to the game's audience diversity, and in some cases, mutually exclusive interests and even incompatibility, in 3 posts in a recent thread about including Hi-oil, flat maps, in the stock distro. Rather than repeat the points made in those posts (unanswered) I will provide the links if your interested.

First post: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11292&start=15

Second & third posts: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11292&start=30

There is no superior way to enjoy the game. Just different ways.
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[Rman Virgil]

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Forgot I needed to post this latest iteration of the 2-part WZ Expanded Timeline and Backstory from which the scenario of the "New Pangaea SP" project is derived (2105-2106), along with the on-going Hammond / Reed novel, a score of short stories, 2 hybrid Machinma / 1st Person PoV animation film shorts in production and various still illustrations in wood cut style to accompany a couple of the SS. Enough to keep the interest and engagement with the game (continuous since 1998) positive, generative, self-sufficient and rewarding, irrespective of any endemic bête noire.
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[Rman Virgil]

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After re-examining my initial intentions from different angles over the last few days, I've decided it better if I work with just the stock distro and "USM" and set aside "Contingency" and not make what I'm designing, dependent on it. For as much as I value "Contingency", it does add another layer of complexity and, more significantly, uncertainty, that I need not embrace to make the enriched GP experience "New Pangaea SP" is aiming for. The moving target that is the Stock Distro, plus "USM", should do handsomely and will entail more than enough complexity, emergence and uncertainty that I'm prepared to engage now and down the road. All of which is to say that while you can still run the "Contingency / USM /NullBot" bundle I cannot vouch for what kind of experience that will be since I'm no longer designing and testing with & against it.

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As long as I'm about posting this core ammendment to my intentions with "New Pangaea SP", let me offer a visual of some interest to me and perhaps some others.

First there is this from a few days ago indicating where I was at with the heavier snow aesthetics and the function of this particular form:

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I'm not entirely satisfied with the look of the snow cliff texture mix. I'm still getting my bearings on the terrain renderer's execution of using different combinations of snow cliff face textures in FlaME (at this point my FlaME file in this section is looking like I'm attempting a Cubist canvas a la Braque or Picasso ). It's a learning process I already went through with the other sections of "New Pangaea" that called for a much lighter snow look. Having to go through the process all over again from scratch with this much heavier snow-ice look. That is, to get to a look that appeals most to my visual aesthetic sensibilities. Sure I'll get there and it will only evolve from what you are seeing here (which will likely change in other ways as adjusting existing forms to accomodate additional interesting functions that continue to come to me during the creation and testing process).

After a couple sessions of experimenting with different texture combinations and closely associated vertex adjustments, I'm finally a lot closer to the visual render mix that pleases me. Also this particular form has evolved from a standard flat higher ground functionality to something more complex in both form and potential functionality from the vantage of martial tacs.

For the sake of a clear depiction of the transformation process, the 2 screen caps below represent the before and after of the same far SE region of the Laurasia Position One. Please note that the units are just there for perspective, scale and aesthetic frills - they are not in any way meant to portray GP or an apt exploit of the form's potential functionality, in isolation or in combination with other form types in the vicinity.
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[Rman Virgil]

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Fire 'n Fade without microing. (or special command a.i.)

That old engineering adage (which I'm paraphraseing) - "Almighty providence is in the details, and so are the contrary demons." - comes out in concurrent testing and building out, to my suprise, delight and sense of wonder.

Upfront, a quick reminder. There's 3D curvature 360, everywhere, along with disparate LOS. Where ever you are, where ever you turn to on the compass rose, you are presented with different topography and widely differing PoVs. A world of vastly varied wonder compressed into 250 x 250. A world of fiction without words, in essence, whose narrative is conjured in the imagination of the gamer as GP unfolds.

Now, the specific scenario that arose in my standard testing....

Brought my little squad of borgs - IF, DF and Mechanics - up a steep rise to just below the crest, on the other side of which, and below in a bowl, were a far superior contingent of SAR. I let go control of the squad to pure "Unit" A.I.. The DF borgs went to the crest, fired down at the SAR, were fired upon in turn, and BEFORE health settings kicked-in, retreated below the crest, out of the SAR direct fire, to join the rest of their squad, (the IF borgs and Mechanics who on their own held thier position below the crest and out of the SAR LOS.... IF borgs lobbing their ordinance from that safety), to be attended by Mechanics and then return to the crest and repeat the Fire n' Fade maneuver on thier own . I'm watching this and thinking - "Well chit, these guys got this attack vector in hand... let me go put my attentions to other attack vectors." What a pleasant and unexpected emergence from stock.

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The muse is essential in all this. It is also insatiable in its appetite. Sometimes a burger and fries will do just fine and other times you'll come across a gourmet platter that is as unusual as it is satisfying for the muse.

Over the course of a couple years this painting would come to my attention in different contexts. I was not familiar with the artist. From the very first time it haunted me with a sense of wonderment but it was only after the 3rd or 4th time that I decided I gotta look this artist up.

His name is Caspar David Friedrich and the painting that started my journey into his wonderous body of work is called "Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog" (1818) and I've attached the Wikipedia copy and link below. Looking at his landscape paintings refreshes my vision that evokeing a sense of wonder is vital to my compositional mix.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich

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Just published a few weeks ago, "The Wonderbook" is also providing rich sustenance for the muse with its 200 full color illustrations and deeply insightful essays on the creation of fabulous worlds through words, art and maps. At 15 bucks its a one of a kind, absolute steal (quality printing, quality paper).

Here's some links providing generous viewing samples from the tome.

http://wonderbooknow.com/

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3019333/8-t ... orlds-to#6

http://www.amazon.com/Wonderbook-Illust ... wonderbook

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[Rman Virgil]

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Deep enough into the making of New Pangaea SP now to know I will be able to fullfill all previous stated goals but one - my self imposed target deadline. The whimsical notion was to tie it to the holiday. Fairly certain it's gonna spill over well into Jan. '14.

Besides all the various tasks / goals already discussed, there is one I've not touched upon whose time investment has grown more and more while at the same time there is no way for me to increase my efficiencies (like I have with my aesthetics and form variety all serving martial functions) or the total number of hours I can dedicate per week. A big part of my making and testing at this stage involves contending with Emergent Properties or Behavior and adjustments there from to optimize the GP experience as I've defined it in my previously stated goals.

I won't get into it any deeper than that because ultimately the best way to understand the whole of it, the gestalt, if so inclined, is go through the GP experience (presuming it's your cup of tea, a series of fun, deep & diverse challenges) and then go back afterward and examine the interlocking parts to see how it was done. At that point you may have ideas of your own, wanna experiment and make changes, then see how it plays out. If you go that route, you will surely end up contending with emergent properties and being pressed to come up with synergies that can counter the undesirable of those unpredictable results (some emergent properties turn out desirable, like the one in my last post - however, many are not).

On the making side, there are more puzzles to puzzle out than the diversity of topographic forms, associated martial functionalities and economy management to support optimal decision making on the build, deployment, end. Not just for you, but also for the "SAR" and the "Mangodai" and the total 7, distinct but interacting, centers of gravity.

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Another point I have not made heretofore involves the phrase "Triumph in the balance" as it relates to the GP experience I'm after. I can think of no more boreing a GP experience than the sense you've entered a predictable, and protracted, "mop-up" phase. So a central goal is to forestall that sense for as long as possible (with a series of escalating, epic, and diverse, battles) so that when it does arise it is short and sweet, the triumphant end game, quick. Such that when it's over you go - "Wow, that was hell a fun. Look forward to giving it another go, and try some new things out while I'm at it !"

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[Rman Virgil]

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Footnote to my last post...

As dealing with the unforeseeable emergent properties in "New Pangaea SP" will now dominate making to the very end, I've come to several realizations.

It never occured to me the extent to which this would become a GP Sandbox. In areas I thought pretty much done, like S. Gondwana, I've had to come up with major changes to turn undesirable emergent properties into even more interesting GP assets ! That re-making process naturally involves decisions based on my perceptions, my GP proclivities and my skills. At the same time, I've come to the notion that the segment of the fan base that shares a fondness for this type GP experience, will likewise have alternate perceptions on how to shape GP and will also be able to approach "New Pangaea SP" as thier own sandox, after thier initial play through, to remake the GP experience, to whatever extent, needing but to act on their own imagination, insights into the game's inner workings, personal tastes, and basic facility with FlaMe.

It's been a very long time since such a sensibility came naturally, which had been the case from day one encounter with the game's inclusive community and for many years after.

That close fellowship with the SP segment of the fan base morphed into a Proustian rememberance of its passing from observance, and from there, to the present sense of "Waiting For Godot" in Gregor Mendel's garden while he tends to his 29,000 pea plant experiments with monkish self-absorption and the clinical precision of a practicing scientist.

The possibilty of once again sharing and playing in a common sandbox, without any obstrusive grandiosities or ideaologies, is quite appealing. 'Course it could always turn-out just so much pie in the sky and nought more, which is actually the odds on favorite out come if approuched like a bookie handicapping a horse race.
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[Rman Virgil]

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The following screens are to supplement my last 2 posts about emergent properties. They illustrate, with some GP detailed insight, the BEFORE and AFTER of the changes I had to make to what I thought a "finished" Southern Gondwana (aka 'Ground Zero') to deal with unsatisfactory emergent properties. This pattern of modifications will run throughout all 7 interlocking, dynamic, centers of gravity that comprise New Pangaea ("Laurasia" = 1, "Central Gondwana" = 5, and "Ground Zero" = 1)

The "finished" Ground Zero GP had 3 distinct attack vectors to contend with while doing what needed to be done at HQ plus simultaneously securing 2 atypical, outlieing, and essential resources. Altogether interesting, but not quite what I was after on the challenge and drama continuum of GP (and forms serving functions).

About 40% of my changes are shown in the 3 AFTER screens below (the post that follows this one).

* The net result of my changes are:

~ contending with distinct attack vectors has escalated from 3 to 6 (combined ground, air & sea, from 2 enemies: the "SAR" on Central Gondwana and the "ManGodAi" on Laurasia).

~ simultaneously securing atypical, outlieing and essential resources from 2 to 5 (as in, NOT oil wells - or, in addition to as in a quasi Supply Line).

~ more topographic forms whose exploitation (of thier potential martial functionality) becomes an essential part of the survival strategy. (Especially at the begining of the game. In mid and late game they will afford opportunities for variety to your advance and also impact its velocity by your ability to make sense of thier puzzle-like construction and then execute in 4D).

~ doing all what needs to be done at HQ / Main Base but now you must also secure, manage, and hold onto a Firebase as your survival is contingent upon it as much as HQ itself prevailing.

Way more challenges but measured to be possible and, while hard, we excercise much care to not cross the line into frustratingly hard and to instead keep the GP in the sensorium of deep fun (not arcade and not rote boilerplate response; something quite different). It is also modulated on the unfolding dramatic continuum of moving through a highly detailed, and asymmetric, visual wonder scape no matter where you find yourself; to be engaged at all times in a journey of survival by the imaginative excercise of all manner of coordinated, multi-vector, tactical battling, (whilst still engaging and manageing non-combat decision making as part of the total situational awareness); and throughout, having your internal narrative of ultimate conquest be suspended in the grip of triumph held in the balance till the very end. Think you'll wanna save and savor over multiple sessions.

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I'll check now and then for any binary changes that may have an untoward impact on what I'm doing that I'll have to account for. Any questions that may come up, I have notifications set-up for. I have been tempted to share some nuts and bolts (how to do it) discoveries at this time but have judged it best for that to happen on the back end.

Whatever responses I may have about this, that 'n the other elsewhere come upon, I'll henceforth circumscribe to this thread. Somehow I'll weave whatever into the context, and gamut, A to Z, of WZ interests herein. I still have a propelling passion, curiosity and desire to learn, upon which I would act, but to insure it feeling, much more often than not, a joyful, generative, constructive, investment of time and energy (in what has been a perennial pass time since '98 in all dimensions possible) I shall be chary of venturing expression beyond right here.

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[Rman Virgil]

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The screens below displaying about 40% of the necessary AFTER changes to counter and subvert the unsatisfactory emergent properties of what I had prematurely assessed a finished "Ground Zero".

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[Rman Virgil]

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Still engaged - and now with new insights into what I've been doing with "New Pangaea SP" (or attempting to, in any case).

While away in N. Cali the last couple weeks visiting for the holidays, my device of choice for traveling can't run FlaME so I worked with Topos and System Dynamic notation to represent my understanding so far of the emergent properties and how to shape them to previously stated ends - which I'm able to translate into FlaME iterations to test and modify, now that I'm back in my Colorado crib.

The time away from FlaME (& to only be able to work on "paper") has brought new perspective to the surface as well some specific underlieing design intentions related to war making doctrine I've been digging into (and explicating, hither and yon, in this neighborhood) the last few years which I only previously saw, and worked with, in the context of enhanced WZ Commander Turret development (along with its revamped command & control UI).

These fresh insights fall into 2 specific, and interlocking, areas: the Strategms of Deception and why historically in 30% of Asymmetric Conflicts the weaker side in force strength has triumphed in the end.

Basically, I realized that all the goals and means, forms and functions, already elaborated on here (and implemented up to this stage), were to set up the 250 x 250 context for the player to experience much more GP within these 2 aforementioned areas than has hitherto been the norm. And also to make it adhering to a rich minimalist approach of less can be a whole lot more.

'Nough said. Back to it...
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[NoQ]

This map *might* accidentally look better with cliff decals disabled (remove them from rockie_decals.txt, decrease the counter on the first line, map-mod, see starfish as an example). Cause cliff decals were initially made to improve looks of *old* maps with complicated "high-density" cliffs, and they don't really look very well on "monolithic" mountains and especially snowy mountains (which could look well too). I actually believe that a rocky mountains map designed with 3.x terrain renderer in mind does not really benefit from cliff decals. P.S. Not sure how much the 3.2+ seabed algorithm would be an improvement.

[Rman Virgil]

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Thanks for the suggestion, NoQ.

Here's the first run at it with before and afters. Am open to further adjustments.
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[Rman Virgil]

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Still experimenting.

Removing the striation decal that works well with AZ cliff face, yields a marble-like texture with RM snow cliff face I'm using that I'm not entirely sure about because the edges seem not jagged enough and overall it strikes me as too homogenous.

Early on in this effort I re-assigned a non-cliff face texture to make a more satisfying "earth works" cliff face. I'm now thinking I may have to do something like this with a non-cliff snow texture if I am to get away from the homogenous, marble-like, snow cliff effect.

See if I can come up with a more pleasing to my eye solution over the weekend.

My focus this week has been so wound up in GP constructs and dynamics that I haven't given this aesthetic challenge the kind of focus it needs to come up with a better alternative. Today I reached a satisfying milestone on the GP dynamic side of construction that made for a freeing up of attention I can now put to this. I'll post anything of note that may come of it by Sunday.
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