"War School"-A Map/Mod W.I.P.-locked sticky

[whippersnapper]

wow it becomes more and more evolving day in day out i still wish we had something to play with esp as scav mod is pretty much unplayable atm and news there is scarce

I think Black Project released an open Alpha of his Scav Mod for folks like me to able to avail themselves of working with his new assets - like, in my case, his Scav Chopper which I had been asking about for like 6 months. For BP to do this was, IMHO, very generous of him because you just do not release Open Alpha's. BP has already written that his Scav Mod is FAR from finished and he has a ton of work ahead to bring it to a Beta State.

Getting back to "War School"....

Yes a ton of new stuff is in the process of integration that I never foresaw when I started. And while I'm very happy about these new developments because of the terrific creative work by BP, Mysteryem, i-NoD, Astorian and XANAX it also makes for a much longer development cycle than I had originally planned.

While I can play "WS" every step of the way of development as I carefully add, test and refine new added components I am at the same time well aware of it's still to be achieved TOTAL BALANCE integration. I could throw out there - what is done so far and peeps could play with it but I am absolutely certain of the specific issues that would arise especially in MP and it would completely dilute the project to precipitously release it in such an unfinished state. Frankly it would be irresponsible all the way 'round and not be honoring the fine work of others that I'm incorporating.

Look at it this way...

Because of all the new and wondrous contributions to this project by those I just named it has taken on the scope of a mini-version of a sequel to the game that Pumpkin never got to do themselves - aka......... Warzone 2120.

When I say "mini-sequel" I mean that I am only creating 1 Campaign (hybrid really, since it will also function well in MP and SKI modes when I'm done with it) map instead of 3 like the original 2100. But other than that, the work involved is still quite challenging in scope in that it is not a simple mod or a simple MP map and is designed to function in all 3 game modes and not just one or 2 like most other works.

ALSO - many peeps have entrenched notions of what an RTS (& WZ 2100) should be and I will tell you as well, right up front, that a lot of those notions I'm turning up-side on their head 180 degrees from the "conventional wisdom" of RTS design and it will likely not sit well with those folks what I've done. But I will tell you from the get-go I had no intention of duplicating past RTS paradigms tit-for-tat with new "window-dressing". That just wouldn't hold my attention or provoke my acting in the least or sustain my passion over the long haul of attempting anything of this magnitude. Been there, done the conventional (and in some ways innovative) mods-maps, years ago.

For me, anyway. it was/is time to shed the conventional wisdom, push the GPM envelope and even risk stepping out of the tried 'n accepted comfort zones (mine for sure, & some others as well) to venture into uncharted waters. THAT's what still interests me about WZ and what I got from my interactions with WZ Creators, Pumpkin, and why the current situation for me with some (that will remain un-named) is like trying to mix water & oil - it ain't never gonna happen even if there were an option to introduce the philosophical equivalent of the most advanced centrifuge or super-collider on the planet. Just another minor fact of life I don't really sweat-over, to be honest.

Regards, whip

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[new paradigm leader]

ah ok forgive me if i sounded gripy i did not mean to. i love the mod but sadly cant Script for a damn. although what i can say is already its great they use scav units like the player and all is well

[whippersnapper]

ah ok forgive me if i sounded gripy i did not mean to. i love the mod but sadly cant Script for a damn. although what i can say is already its great they use scav units like the player and all is well

It's cool, NPL. I understand really because I've been in those shoes too were this type open WIP process can seem like one long tease or protracted "foreplay" - & that just ain't right. On the other side working alone, in secret, without any input because you are not in a team situation has enormous pitfalls you could be blind to plus the opportunity of collaborative, mutually stimulating and inspiring, engagements with other creators would never develop. So there are pros and cons to the open WIP process but I think in the end the pros out-weigh the cons so it's worth putting up with the protracted foreplay aspects.

Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

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I have decided to use XANAX's Mechs as part of the Alien Presence in War School.

There were several ways that the Mechs could be introduced into game play but I have ultimately chosen this particular way for several reasons. The principal reason being to shift the emphasis of game play some from what I call the "Rote Clerical Click Fest Arms Race Twitch" to the "Battle Field Tactic Leadership" of coordinated multiple vectors and combined-arms..

So, as a part of that decision, I will provide "Opportunity Mechanics" to "Capture" the Alien Mechs and thus garner your gaming edge through a successful execution of field tactics and leadership gumption rather than the aforementioned conventional "Rote Clerical Click-Fest Arms Race Twitch".

To achieve the "Alien Mech Capture" part of the mechanic will necessitate deploying the new "Airlift Mechanic" and your buffed-up Scav Ally Forces.

In-game screens will be forth-coming over the next day or two that will display graphically what I'm talking about here.

Please note:

As XANAX has generously shared & made available publicly all his newly created art assets ANYONE is FREE to use them in ANY WAY they see fit to suit visions that can surely differ entirely from what is being done in War School.

As a convenience here are the links to .......

XANAX's new art assets:

Mech Prototypes WIP

New 3D Scav bloke & Cyborg with animations

Altered HQ works

New Body & Struct Set

Cyborg Design WIP


i-NoD's new art assets:

Hi-Res textures

Just another Scavenger art


Astorian's new art assets:

Modeling Request - i do it!


Black Project's new art assets:

Scavenger Mod V1.1 ALPHA Released!


Mysteryem's new art assets:

New Features


Elio's new art assets:

New Base Structures Mod


Olrox's new art assets:

NEW STRUCTURE MODELS

New feature: Gates

AND......

Let's remember milo christiansen's valuable new WIP Utility - Warzone 2100 Mod Manager

ALSO......

Zarel's scrupulous and critical: The 2.2 -> 2.3 Rebalance Thread

A Note on the War School Dev Roadmap:......

I have decided to include both Flying Constructor Droids and Jump Borgs because I think I've figured out how to balance them with all else.

I'm not sure yet about including Multi-Turrets as much as I love 'em. Just may be beyond my abilities to integrate with all else going on. But, we'll see.

"War School" is focused on expanding the diversity of opportunities in the realm of Battlefield Field Tactics in specific ways associated with making Asymmetric Warfare viable.

At the same time, I am also deeply committed to enhancing what I call the War Preparation GPMs vis-a-vis optimizing non-combat (as well full-blown combat) "switch-tasking". BUT that aspect will not fall within the scope of "War School" because I need an already fully developed BetaWidget / LUA in order to realistically proceed in that direction. I only mention it here because it should be understood that this is an integral part of the development mix as I perceive it in a best case scenario outcome but rather than wait to be able to tackle enhanced simultaneous multiple vectored Command Group UI / AIs I have gone forward with what I believe to be viable, interim, work-a-rounds that will also serve "proof-of-concept" ends.

Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

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On the side of the aesthetic values that inform the construction of all components of this project (from the illustrated e-book to the FMV short to the Mod-Map itself), the following that I posted in another topic thread earlier today also applies here.

Hey, this is not a DARPA project. If it looks believable under the usual suspension of disbelief involved with playing almost any game, it is fine. Science is what you can use to give an in-game rationale for what you have already decided to do, and if that fails, techno-babble (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technobabble) will do the job.

Indeed. It is at least a 3000 year-long effective story telling tradition for achieving the immersive, holy-grail artistry known as "the willing suspension of disbelief" (a phrase coined and explicated by the great 18th century English visionary poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge - creator of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" & the opium 'inspired' masterpiece "Kubla Khan") and most recently dubbed by various trope names or neologisms such as...

Arthur C. Clarke's "Third Law", David Langford's corollary to A.C.C.'s "Third Law" and David Greenwalt's "Applied Phlebotinum"... and so on...

And you can also take RL D.A.R.P.A. work, for example, and conjure from it thru the alchemical crucible of "Applied Phlebotinum" whatever you will to suit the ends of your artistic vision, dramatic fictional construct or game world entertainments.

And BTW - surely I am not the only one in the neighborhood who has read H.G. Wells 1898 Sci Classic novel "War of the Worlds", seen all the movies based on the novel and absorbed their art design .... not to mention the TV series from the 1980s plus Jeff Wayne's Musical Version and computer game of 1998?

On that last note here is a web site entirely dedicated to the visual art designs associated with "War of the Worlds" from 1898 - 2009 in ALL printed media:

The War of the Worlds art design over the last 100 years in book form..

Art design for WOTW associated with audio or video versions of the book, or documentaries about the book, both completed and unrealized.

I was tempted to get into the difference between evolution by natural selection fulfilling specialized ecological niches and the design of war machines but then thought that's not really the point when your focus is invoking the fun of interactive, artistically engaging, fictional game tropes.

Regards, whip

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[whippersnapper]

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Coming soon, images of -

"The Fortress Pegana Unvanquishable, Save For Welleran"......

"In the winds four directions, shrouded in the blackest fog of its alien origins, the amply fortified edifice known as Pegana by its sworn enemies, is ringed both by roiled waters and causeways guarded in stoic silence by gauntlets of soulless sentinels called the Talos....

Them you must give souls to and muster to your quest.... "

You will have ample opportunities, and variety of tactical options, to command as the legendary "Welleran", but it won't be a piece of cake. Such journeys can never be anything less than Epic.

In the biggie type-face opening lines of this post I am paying homage to a Cretan myth and also one of the singular stylists of the English language who has influenced every major fantasy writer of the last 100 plus years including JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis among countless other luminaries of the genre. Almost all his fabulous literary creations are now in the Public Domain. He was Irish & his name is - aw, shucks, you can readily decipher from the clues provided.

Regards, whip
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[XANAX]

I've added some rebalanced thoughts for my mechs in my WIP topic
if you have read it already xD
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3337

p.s. I'll be working on them as much as I can
just can't post it as often (reason in topic)

[whippersnapper]

I've added some rebalanced thoughts for my mechs in my WIP topic
if you have read it already xD
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3337

p.s. I'll be working on them as much as I can
just can't post it as often (reason in topic)

I saw what you said in your Mech thread about this upcoming senior year. Pivotal decisions you will be making and I would guess a part of it includes seriously contemplating a career as a graphic artist and the higher education moves that will best suit you and your goals. I can relate and like I said before, you have the total package to be a successful pro. I know where of I speak, first hand.

------------------------->

You've done an incredible amount of high quality art work the last few weeks XANAX and it will take me a bit of time to integrate it all and basically catch-up on the specific implementations with all else going on in "War School" itself and it's adjunct sub-projects. For example - because of this introduction of Mech's I have to re-write 25% of the "Truce" illustrated e-book sub-project.

BTW - I much appreciate the careful thought you've put into balancing and sorting it all within a faction context. That will be very helpful - not only to me but also anyone else with a passion to make good use of your original art in other projects they are willing to do some actual work on..

I can easily see a dozen totally different ways of utilizing your art and all of 'em worth doing. However I can only pick one way in order to follow-up with all the necessary work that makes a reality of ideas - in this case tons of text editing, mapping and scripting. I hope others that have ideas with their own unique spins will roll-up their sleeves and actually do some passionate work that will utilize your assets to realize any of those many other engaging, worth doing, visions.

Speaking of ideas...

Ideas are NOT work, to me anyway. ORIGINAL ideas are as easy to conceive and articulate as taking a walk on level ground in a pair of $150.00 Spira Tri-wave forms or even chewing a wad of gum. And of course UN-original ideas are a dime dozen and also do not qualify, to me, as doing anything more worth while than farting. Making ideas work - that is the reality. Anything less than that is not much of anything. The standard formula for many generations has been 10% inspiration (ideas) and 90% perspiration (work).... I see the ratio more like 5% to 95%, ideas to work, natch. (I also see a similar pattern with 3D modeling art - that is, between creating geometry and texturing it. But that's an other story.)

Honestly, there are a bazillion good ideas and hardly a soul willing to do the work needed to make a single one of 'em a reality. Peeps think getting others to do the work qualifies as something special accomplished. I really have no patience for poseurs and am totally over folks who truly believe yakking will accomplish anything, in and of itself, and that their tired re-tread ideas are brilliantly original. At best, outrageous gall all that, imho. Well, enough ranting....

Getting back on topic...

I'll be staying focused on all your Mech-Borg work, XANAX, for the next week or so. After which I will shift my attention to all the Scavenger related assets and integrations. I already started with I-NoD's work but I still have to get back into Black Project's creations and of course what you're creating with Scav Structs.

And Olrox - Love your work but can only use it if you provide .pies to work with..... if i had less of a work load here and more time I would help on that end of the conversion but in all honesty I'm not realistically able to do that, as much as I may wish I could.

Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

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Since I cannot be trusted to responsibly edit my own posts to update information this re-posting will have to do. Works for me !

Basically, I have added 2 links to more art that Olrox is doing and efforts he is contributing to - with other noteworthy artist mentions..... AND a new link Section on art being done by artist MaNGusT. I have also added more links to the art of Elio, Mysteryem and Black Project...

.

I have decided to use XANAX's Mechs as part of the Alien Presence in War School.

There were several ways that the Mechs could be introduced into game play but I have ultimately chosen this particular way for several reasons. The principal reason being to shift the emphasis of game play some from what I call the "Rote Clerical Click Fest Arms Race Twitch" to the "Battle Field Tactic Leadership" of coordinated multiple vectors and combined-arms..

So, as a part of that decision, I will provide "Opportunity Mechanics" to "Capture" the Alien Mechs and thus garner your gaming edge through a successful execution of field tactics and leadership gumption rather than the aforementioned conventional "Rote Clerical Click-Fest Arms Race Twitch".

To achieve the "Alien Mech Capture" part of the mechanic will necessitate deploying the new "Airlift Mechanic" and your buffed-up Scav Ally Forces.

In-game screens will be forth-coming over the next day or two that will display graphically what I'm talking about here.

Please note:

As XANAX has generously shared & made available publicly all his newly created art assets ANYONE is FREE to use them in ANY WAY they see fit to suit visions that can surely differ entirely from what is being done in War School.

As a convenience here are the links to .......

XANAX's new art assets:

Mech Prototypes WIP

New 3D Scav bloke & Cyborg with animations

Altered HQ works

New Body & Struct Set

Cyborg Design WIP


i-NoD's new art assets:

Hi-Res textures

Just another Scavenger art


Astorian's new art assets:

Modeling Request - i do it!


Black Project's new art assets:

Scavenger Mod V1.1 ALPHA Released!

EDIT addition 9/10/09: M1A2 Abrams in WZ2100 (I was bored )

EDIT addition 9/10/09: Ultimate Warfare V2.0 for 2.1.x Released!


Mysteryem's new art assets:

New Features

EDIT addition 9/10/09: Original walls

EDIT addition 9/10/09: I got bored… Update .... New Fortress Art

EDIT addition 9/10/09: Mysteryem's Model Package


Elio's new art assets:

New Base Structures Mod

EDIT addition 9/10/09: driving mode interface

EDIT addition 9/10/09: interface proposal


Olrox's new art assets:

NEW STRUCTURE MODELS

New feature: Gates

EDIT addition 9/10/09: "New Turret".... original creator of thread and art, member thelion

EDIT addition 9/10/09: "Upgraded Truck model/texture needed!"..... thread creator Zarel... also includes art by members Avestron, Safety0ff as well as member Olrox..

EDIT addition 9/10/09: MaNGusT's new art assets:

models by MaNGusT


AND......

Let's remember milo christiansen's valuable new WIP Utility - Warzone 2100 Mod Manager

ALSO......

Zarel's scrupulous and critical: The 2.2 -> 2.3 Rebalance Thread

A Note on the War School Dev Roadmap:......

I have decided to include both Flying Constructor Droids and Jump Borgs because I think I've figured out how to balance them with all else.

I'm not sure yet about including Multi-Turrets as much as I love 'em. Just may be beyond my abilities to integrate with all else going on. But, we'll see.

"War School" is focused on expanding the diversity of opportunities in the realm of Battlefield Field Tactics in specific ways associated with making Asymmetric Warfare viable.

At the same time, I am also deeply committed to enhancing what I call the War Preparation GPMs vis-a-vis optimizing non-combat (as well full-blown combat) "switch-tasking". BUT that aspect will not fall within the scope of "War School" because I need an already fully developed BetaWidget / LUA in order to realistically proceed in that direction. I only mention it here because it should be understood that this is an integral part of the development mix as I perceive it in a best case scenario outcome but rather than wait to be able to tackle enhanced simultaneous multiple vectored Command Group UI / AIs I have gone forward with what I believe to be viable, interim, work-a-rounds that will also serve "proof-of-concept" ends.

Regards, whip
.

[i-NoD]

Hehe... Beware of The Dark Side of the Force

[whippersnapper]

Hehe... Beware of The Dark Side of the Force

Haha.... I'm about to piss and crap my pants I'm so shaken with terror.

Regards, whip
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[i-NoD]

Sorry, couldn't stay away

[whippersnapper]

Sorry, couldn't stay away

No need to apologize. It's all good. I sincerely appreciate the humor of it (for indeed, the opportunity at levity taken with gusto that is not cheap, lame, snark is all too rare these days, IMHO) - as well your animated .gifs which are way kwel and illustrate the time honored refrain that "a picture is worth a thousand words".

Regards, whip

[new paradigm leader]

well upon your next post whomsoever posts next i gotta contgratulate whipper on the 240th post in one thread and on the exponential growth of it since may which is really something as it wasnt exactly an age ago.

yours NPL

p.s. meant in good humour not trying to turn this into imageboard. just celebrating the win/awesomeness of this thread

[whippersnapper]

p.s. meant in good humour not trying to turn this into imageboard. just celebrating the win/awesomeness of this thread

I surely take it in that good spirit it was intended, NPL.

On the score of WS evolving - it is all due to the artistry of those listed above, their hard work and the inspiration their creations evoke.

On occassion (when feeling a tad overwhelmed) I wish I could enlist one of my brothers to this cause who has been a professional coder / software engineer, musician and gamer for years... But alas he had twin daughters last year and even as a stay at home dad now (his wife makes big dough, runs in her family actually, and prefers the biz gauntlet to the traditional house wife role) he has his hands full with his baby girls and I really don't see that changing till their 18 and off to university, heh. Don't envy him that but he's happy in his decisions and that's all any of us can hope for, don't we know.

Anyway, all that was my long-winded way of saying wish I could speed this process up more but realistically that would only be possible if my brother collabed with me and I don't see that happening anytime soon. '

Course you never can be sure 'bout anything 'cept what you are willing to do outta your own wherewithall, and something more than a fleeting whim or lark. So I carry-on, enjoy the process and it will get done eventually. Unless I get struck by lightening on the golf course or run-over by a Mack truck on a mountian bike ride or some such unpredictable "hand of fate" intervention as can happen with the best laid plans of "mice and men".

Regards, whip
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