Oversized Maps (Above 256x256 Tiles)

[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Goth Zagog-Thou, for now.

Also I see only few (though important) use cases for big maps, for example without them there is no need for naval units at all (who needs them on water bodies of size like 25 x 25?).

[aubergine]

Scripting is getting easier thanks to the work by Per and others. The JS API is making scripting much nicer and it's relatively easy to augment it with custom classes within a script.

I'm slowly tinkering away at a Mission API that will make mission scripting a bit more descriptive. It lets you define objectives in a somewhat more eloquent, event-driven format.

For example, in cam1a a secondary objective would be to destroy the scav camps. It gets triggered when the player enters an area near their first oil resource, causing the initial scav attack and a video to be played. After that, they enter another area that triggers discovery of the first scav camp. It could be implemented as follows:

Code: Select all

function toEnemyDroids(obj) {
	return (obj.player != me && obj.type == DROID);
}
function attackPlayerBase(droid) {
	orderDroidObj(droid, DORDER_SCOUT, Mission.labels.PlayerBase.x, Mission.labels.PlayerBase.y);
}

Mission.objective({
	title     : "Search the area for enemies",
	priority  : Mission.SECONDARY_OBJECTIVE,
	id        : "findScavs",
	tasks     : NUM_TRIGGERS,

	onStart   : function( objective, data ) {
		// play cam1ascv.ogg video
	},

	onProgress: function( objective, data ) {
		if (objective.progress < NUM_TRIGGERS) { // trigger initial assault
			enumArea("AssaultForce").filter(toEnemyDroids).forEach(attackPlayerBase);
		} else { // first base detected
			locateBase("ScavBase1");
		}
	},

	onFinish  : function( objective, success ) {
		Mission.objectives.killScavs.enabled = true;
	}
});

function eventAreaAssultTrigger() {
	Mission.objectives.findScavs.progress();
}
function eventAreaAssaultForce() {
	Mission.objectives.findScavs.progress();
}

My ultimate goal would be to create MP campaigns, where a team of players have to complete multiple missions and objectives by working together (or not, depending on scenario) to dominate a large map. Depending on player start position, which team they are in, etc., they'd have certain missions and objectives open to them. As they progress through the map, new missions and objectives would become available, in some cases with multiple players fighting over the same missions or objectives.

[Emdek]

Multiplayer campaigns sounds interesting.
There could be also possibility to create such one where players are enemies to each other and compete on each shared away mission (with some limits or goals, so it could end eventually ) and in last one their "separate maps" could be revealed to be one single super map and final battle could commence.

[aubergine]

Yup, that's exactly how I envisage it. Also there could be dynamic alliances so early on players might ally with each other to get some basic tech to fend off local scavs or AI factions, but sooner or later they'd have to unally so they can get distinct tech advantages over other players.

A lot of the stuff could be tested out with the upcoming changes to campaign system in WZ 3.2+, albeit with one human player and several AI players. There are numerous hurdles to overcome before an MP campaign would be possible.

[Emdek]

aubergine, maybe not exactly, since I'm unsure if in your description AIs could be also enemy that cannot be controlled by human player. In mine vision there is only place for Scavengers, main forces should be controlled by players (maybe optionally allowing AI to use some slots, if there is not enough human players).
Also there could be two categories (depending on time needed to finish it), like mutiplayer campaign for cases that have lots of missions and consume lots of time (in short: requiring saving) and something more like multiplayer challenges (including even so simple like be the first to reach center of symmetrical map), for which one large map could be enough.
Anyway, the main goal for game should be to be flexible enough to allow nearly any scenario.

[aubergine]

AIs would control factions that human players might encounter on a map. Whether the AI uses scav tech or more advanced tech doesn't really matter that much, even the scav faction could be given research and tech that would allow them to produce similar structures and droids to human players if desired, much as if nullbot was in charge of the scavs and player initialisation gave scavs the same techs as any other player.

I would imagine that MP challanges would be more apt, I'm not sure a group of players would want to spread a single MP game over several evenings / weekends. (but then again, I don't play much MP so I could be completely wrong).

[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Sorta the "Multi-Guild Raiding" like with World of Warcraft ... I like it. Heck of an idea!

[Shadow Wolf TJC]

A thought just popped up in my head: what if, on a massive 250x250 (or more) 2-player map, the players' starting positions were placed very close to eachother (like as close as in a small map like Rush, Startup, or Vision)?

[Iluvalar]

if there is only low oil concentrated in the center around the bases. Nothing would happen and the desert land would be mostly ignored.

If you populate it with oils, the early game would be a boring truck oil hunt. The player that will grab the more oil from that hunt will quickly grow exponential and disintegrate his too close neighbour with mass of cheap units.

If both players happen to have the same skill at oil hunting, then the one that have the most skill in multi-tasking and is able to handle more fighting groups at once (3 or 4) will be able to take down the undefended oil derricks from his opponent and eventually take the lead. Whatever his strat and research is.

[Emdek]

Iluvalar, that would be probably true for standard rules, but they could be for example changed to that so there is no oil at all and all players get the same amount of power. This is just example, even with standard rules it would be probably possible to create something interesting.

[Iluvalar]

Running after survivors in an oversized maps until you reach the satellite uplink is not "interesting" for me. (unless you play NRS so the uplink is a 3 minutes research no matter what)

[aubergine]

With the recent changes Per is making to <mapname>.ini it seems that MP and skirmish games are going to get a whole lot more flexible in WZ 3.2

Per's notes: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=10443&start=15#p115383

My docs: https://warzone.atlassian.net/wiki/disp ... ame%3E.ini