ManGodAi4x / AquaCoop, Comic, Cinematic…Terminal Dark.

[Rman Virgil]

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RV, are you saying that you are working on a new campaign? For real???

Mini-Cam. One map, 5 glorious missions. 3 are scripted, need to script 2 more. A modest effort, to be sure, but still more than has been done to date, after 10 plus years of dreaming the talk.

A full blown, lets say, 20 Mission Campaign (as opposed to the original's 30+ Missions) would best be tackled by a very strong, tightly knit, minimum 4-man team were all 4 had WZ scripting insight and at least 2 could actually script and all 4 were prepared to commit a year to this project. 'Course, that's just my opinion, though it is based on hard-won experience in this area.

When I'm not working on the Skirmish Edition of "Aqua" (aka, "Aqua Elite"), I work on components of "Aqua Cam". These days I'm working on parts of the sound track

At some point, though, I'm gonna have to make time to learn LUA because it sounds like the conversion from WZ Script will require "hand work" / re-tooling.

In any case my order of priority is: get this MP, human players only, "Aqua Co-op SE" balanced as best as possible for general release ASAP. Then focus on completing the SP Skirmish A.I. version "Aqua Elite" and lastly the "Mini-Cam" version aka, "Aqua CAM".

BTW, this "Aqua Co-op SE" was designed for 2-man team play were in the Teams are each made-up of 1 vet & 1 novice and they occupy positions according to the set-up graphic I posted a while back and will update soon.

HOWEVER, it is also workable to play NON-Team, everyman for himself, if you know the folks you are playing with and have basically 2 strong players and 2 players that are not so strong. The positions would still hold for this fun type experience. Actually, maybe even the 2 Novices teaming up vs the 2 Vets who are playing non-team. That will be up to folks to experiment with.

ALSO - While "Aqua Co-op SE" was NOT designed for SP Skirmish, I cannot stop you from playing it that way. So I definitely do not wanna hear any whining on that score. If you do go that route understand that the default skirmish A.I. can NOT, I repeat an NOT, handle islands so it is at a crux handicap right there. Another thing it can not handle is Player 7 Scav Force Strength as I have designed it. That said, I have had some very interesting SP Skirmish experiences with it. Among other things, the "Aqua Elite" version will address these 2 "issues" for a completely fulfilling, & hopefully inexhaustible, set of challenging fun experiences in SP Ski.

Here's is the original Team set-up graphic I did a few months back that still holds as far as the positions. What is out-dated is the map topography and that is why I'll post a much more current version within 24 hours, after I get back home from my road trip.



Regards, RV
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Bringing forward some relevant graphics to this page:



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Caveat: Current Topography & CoGs (aka, "Centers of Gravity") are much evolved. I'll post updated versions in the next day or two.

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[Rman Virgil]

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Truck Deployments: Something I have not spoken to before. Most deploy Trucks in a particular way. It ain't gonna work that way here and that's by design.

There are other things that go contrary to typical styles of playing, especially in the Early Game. How many of these changes I should address explicitly and which ones I should leave for folks to discover, I'm not sure at this point.

I've already alluded to design changes that will affect game play as they relate to what I have designed around promoting what I call Air Lift GPMs. I think I'll recap those explicitly because there are several newly minted methods used, not all really obvious, that in total constitute major game changers IMO.

We'll see how the beta stress-testing and feedback go this week.

- RV
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[Rman Virgil]

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"4c-AquaBeta1" is out to the testers for its first round of independent, impartial, assessment and constructive feedback.

I'll be posting the promised updated info graphics in the next 24 hours.

- RV

[Rman Virgil]

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Here's a quick snap of the current map preview. This is what is being tested. I will likely be making adjustments based on testing feedback but for all intents and purposes this will be the lay of the land.

And yet an other shout-out to Flail13 for creating FlaME. While I enjoyed using EW & 32EW for many years I would never, and I mean NEVER, have attempted a map of this complexity were it not for the power & functionality of FlaME. Just a personal assessment. Last thing on my mind is to get into a debate about the relative merits of FlaME vs. 32EW.

[Rman Virgil]

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To my surprise I've already received some solid feedback I could work with.

Made substantive changes based on 'em.

This map is a lot harder to properly test than it is to play (as it should be - the complexity being subsumed by elegance in the service of fun or put more expansively, the function is deeper fun being served in the form of artfully veiled, non-frustrating, complexity) and thus requires that folks approach its complexity as do PAID pro Beta Testers in RL.

Wasn't sure stepping blindly into this phase that there would be those up to that challenge in this neck of the woods. This is something I've taken for granted, frankly, for years with my LAN party buds. I'm now reassured that there are at least a few such capable folks in this neighborhood willing to help with this project & that can actually walk their talk with as much vigor as some post pipe-dreams and entrenched bias.

And so....

4c-AquaBeta2 is ready for continued assessment and constructive input.

Below is one of my working graphics used to assist me in managing some of the many Balancing Factors and the areas where necessary changes would likely manifest.





And just for fun: A view from Jian's Hilt...



And: A view from the Red Beard Caldera.



Lastly: A view of The Isthmus of Regret looking down from a plateau leading to the Scav Stronghold called The Last Redoubt.



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[Rman Virgil]

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Completed another set of modifications based on input last night before hitting the sack so AquaBeta3 is ready & uled to my VPN. Off to RL work now but any more input based on this latest iteration I'll get to tonight after supper & the PBS News Hour. Wherever this ends-up by the weeks end I'll post here that iteration for wider review.

- L8r, RV
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[BlueMaxima]

Hey RV, since you actually know half a damn about scripting missions, why not write a tutorial on it? For us? Your loyal fans?

[KukY]

Hey RV, since you actually know half a damn about scripting missions, why not write a tutorial on it? For us? Your loyal fans?

Yes! Why not?

[Rman Virgil]

Hey RV, since you actually know half a damn about scripting missions, why not write a tutorial on it? For us? Your loyal fans?

That is possible. I do write documents for myself or otherwise I would get frackin lost... really.

What I could do is collate my Mission Pre-Scripting Analysis Docs with the actual script translations and the file directory structure.

Like for example modifying this bit of info from my 2004 WZ 2100 Wiki on CAM Make:

* Note that World Edit does not feature a script editor. It is necessary to edit and create scripts to forge your own campaigns.

* "Note that World Edit exports to a .gam format. .Gam must then be manually assembled with the other necessary files by creating custom .wrf files.

Note also that your campaign scenario or mission files must include .vlo and .slo script files created by yourself to be of any use."

* To complete this...

* You need the following & oh its allot

* addon.lev--->there you specify whether is can be used for T1/T2/T3
and if it's multiplay or skirmish, like this (goes in the main directory)

* CODE:

// Multiplay

// Tech 1

level BeggarsKanyon-T1
players 8
type 12
dataset MULTI_CAM_1
game "multiplay\maps\8c-BeggarsKanyon.gam"
data "wrf\multi\campaign.wrf"
data "wrf\multi\fog1.wrf"

// Skirmish

// Tech 1

level Sk-BeggarsKanyon-T1
players 8
type 14
dataset MULTI_CAM_1
game "multiplay\maps\8c-BeggarsKanyon.gam"
data "wrf\multi\skirmish8.wrf"
data "wrf\multi\fog1.wrf

* List of WRF's needed:

CODE:

• campaign
• campaign2
• campaign3
• skirmish2
• skirmish4
• skirmish8
• t2-skirmish2
• t2-skirmish4
• t2-skirmish8
• t3-skirmish2
• t3-skirmish4
• t3-skirmish8
• fog1
• fog2
• fog3

* All those wrf's goes into the following directory

* CODE: wrf\multi

* Your maps

* CODE: multiplay\maps

* with all the .gam files & each map a separate directory with its name.

I'll definitely consider this suggestion BlueMaxima when I resume work on AquaCam. Besides finishing up the present project of this thread, Aqua MP Co-op SE.... I have already moved on to Aqua Ski Elite..... so it won't be right away as I do wanna finish the skirmish version before I focus on the campaign version.

- RV

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[Rman Virgil]

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More to consider. Will be making AquaBeta4 this evening.

I'll cut-off tomorrow and make an AquaBeta5 for wide release over the weekend to continue for a wee bit the process of feedback & tweaking before I put a version in "Showcase" & the Add-on Downloads section of the site.

The differences between AquaBeta1 and all Betas moving forward has become very significant. Actually AquaBeta1 was in part an integrity check. Most passed, a couple didn't. Got the memory of an elephant when it come to such revelations. However, it will remain "our" secret.

Any hoot....

The most current Map Preview:



- RV

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[NEXUS]

The map is looking good Rman Virgil

This will be one of the best maps released this year I think.

[Rman Virgil]

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The map is looking good Rman Virgil

This will be one of the best maps released this year I think.

Thanks NEXUS, that's very generous of you to venture & go out on the limb like that. I hope you will find at least some of it, if not all, to your liking.

I gave it my best shot & think it has many merits. I have, frankly, done quite a few experimental things that may fly with some and not with others.

From the get go I designed it within a specific set of parameters that reflected a mind-set that went against the conventional wisdom.... a way that some will embrace and have a fun playing and others will not like at all.

The ones that will not like it - I knew all the reasons why months ago but still went ahead with my vision & implementations.

But here's the deeper beauty of it.

As it is folks can play it in a number of DIFFERENT ways than how I designed it and how I suggest to set-it-up in the above graphics. I'll leave it to folks to discover for themselves all those different ways.

Now here's the kicker - once I release it with a license in the Showcase BB, those who do not care for some of my fundamental game play design choices will be free to re-design the game play elements to suit their particular tastes... those very tastes I frankly was steering away from. And that's totally cool with me.

I do believe there will be some peeps who will be inspired to redesign the game play elements other than how I did it and I hope they do !! (This will be imminently feasible because my basic, underlying, map making craft is compellingly top-notch and rich in possibilities left totally unexplored by me.)

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I am in the midst of making AquaCmpBeta6... this will be the version I release here over the weekend for further wide scope review, then further modifications based on constructive input received here. After that I will license it and put it in the Showcase BB and the Addons repository and folks so inclined can change the game play elements however they want & others, simply enjoy it as I designed it. It's all good.

- Regards, RV














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[Black Project]

This pictures proofs that the map really ROCKS!!! Awesome work on the map.

Regards BP

[Rman Virgil]

This pictures proofs that the map really ROCKS!!! Awesome work on the map.

Regards BP

Thanks Bud.

And now the time of Screen Caps is behind us - welcome to my world of Aqua Co-op SE.

This page speaks to all the particulars of opening wide the continued balance testing.

Please look at the graphics & posts on this page - they summarize the design goals and game play set-up that have remained consistent through 177 posts first commenced back in February..... I have merely expanded and refined over these months the original vision.

To recap briefly - with this posting of 4c-AquaCmpBeta6c I am seeking further input from the community at large in the following very specific areas:

1.) Oil Resource Amount & Distribution as well as

2.) Player 7 Scav Force Strength & Distribution

This 2-pronged focus is so that I may further refine the overall BALANCE in these areas within my stated design parameters. Any such constructive input will be much appreciated so that I may make further modifications toward the end of putting this up in a FINAL release form in the Showcase BB & Addons Repository.

Of course you may play 4c-AquaCmpBeta6c outside of my stated parameters in a multitude of different ways (interesting in their own right too) and I do encourage you to explore as such but any critiques of those other ways are not relevant to what I'm looking for here. In my previous post I address this point and it's positive consequences outside the scope of what I am doing at present here looking down the road when this is finished and licensed and you folks can work on your own variations with my total blessings in Flail13's marvelous FlaME map editor.

As stated:

.......

I have, frankly, done quite a few experimental things that may fly with some and not with others.

From the get go I designed it within a specific set of parameters that reflected a mind-set that went against the conventional wisdom.... a way that some will embrace and have a fun playing and others will not like at all.

The ones that will not like it - I knew all the reasons why months ago but still went ahead with my vision & implementations.

But here's the deeper beauty of it.

As it is folks can play it in a number of DIFFERENT ways than how I designed it and how I suggest to set-it-up in the above graphics. I'll leave it to folks to discover for themselves all those different ways.

Now here's the kicker - once I release it with a license in the Showcase BB, those who do not care for some of my fundamental game play design choices will be free to re-design the game play elements to suit their particular tastes... those very tastes I frankly was steering away from. And that's totally cool with me.

I do believe there will be some peeps who will be inspired to redesign the game play elements other than how I did it and I hope they do !! (This will be imminently feasible because my basic, underlying, map making craft is compellingly top-notch and rich in possibilities left totally unexplored by me.)

There is one exception to this proviso - you have a choice to go with the default Player 7 Scav A.I. by Per OR you can use Dylan Dog's different & interesting Dydo Player 7 Scav A.I. - both work well & provide variant experiences within my GP parameters.

Well then, without further ado.... 4c-AquaCmpBeta6c

This Forum has a 100kbs limit on attachments so I have to use another host for the file because it's 126 kbs ... sorry for the additional hitch, but here is the link at Filedropper.... it's in a .zip archive so just take the 4c-AquaCmpBeta6c.wz out of the .zip archive and then put it in your Map Folder.

http://www.filedropper.com/4c-aquacmpbeta6c

- RV
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[macuser]

YAY! thanks Rman, Wish I had time right now to play it (mumbles about summer "vacation" business)