[Campaign 4] Release & Development topic

[Lord Apocalypse]

So dropping random artifacts doesn't work I take it.

[Rman Virgil]

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Upping rank could be another way of rewarding - connecting the achievment of objectives other than kill ratios to experience valued.

As for gifting - I think stealing, liberating or rescueing units would be more engageing. These could be more advanced (& already ranked too) and outside the research or manufacturing mechanic. Basically, if you wanna build more you still have to research.
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

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Upping rank could be another way of rewarding - connecting the achievment of objectives other than kill ratios to experience valued.

As for gifting - I think stealing, liberating or rescueing units would be more engageing. These could be more advanced (& already ranked too) and outside the research or manufacturing mechanic. Basically, if you wanna build more you still have to research.
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Ooh, like Fleet Operations does with the Experimental / Warp-In Ships? They can't be manufactured in shipyards, either. Using, say, some of the more "Unique" weaponry already found in Contingency or even "useful" stuff like long-range base-busting stuff needed to assault NEXUS Prime with? I like it. All it would require is adding a few new Templates -- easy peasy. NEW and unique technology outside of the Research tree is also an option. Any weapon requests? I'm decent with the stats files so whatever we like we can add.

So dropping random artifacts doesn't work I take it.

Sadly, no. It would affect things the same way handing out rewards has. The same process I was using to give rewards via completeResearch() is what artifacts do with enableResearch(). Same end result.

[Rman Virgil]

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Also include a .pdf tut (like what was done with "Citadel Elite") making explicit what to expect in the way of new gameplay so that the player is not caught off guard and willy-nilly ushered into a state of frustration because they were unable to effectively manage the new opportunities when they emerged.
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Good idea. I was thinking of something akin to that plus maybe a video walkthrough.

[Rman Virgil]

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I still remember the hue and cry for many weeks after WZ's release in the retail bbs about how unfair, impossible and frustrating the original campaign was. Pumpkin had lived with thier creation for at least 2 years so they knew it inside and out and were plenty used to, clear and reasonably comfortable with the challenges it presented. Peeps just getting the game had none of these advantages and Pumpkin really didn't provide any useful tut for playing the campaign sucessfully and enjoyably. Of course the economic model of the day was that the Prima Strategy Guide would serve that purpose if you went out & bought it. But even that had some downside in the way of including spoilers.

Guess the trick is to provide just enough of a guide to get the player going and not feeling deprived of basic, essential, information while also not spoiling the experience by providing too much walk-through type info as to leech all the challenge out of the experience, which the Prima Guides had a tendency of doing.

"Campaign 4" gameplay goes beyond the original in a number of ways that make it a new and richer experience. Which is the point of its creation. But what to expect needs to be made clear upfront to the WZ player. The differences between the old and the new, so there is no misperception going into it that would result in discomfiting dissonance which is the complete opposite of a fun series of challenges.
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[montetank]

Yes-Rman Virgl. I totally agree with you. Nice to read this. Someone who knows WZ history.
Sorry for my bad english.

[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Points well taken.

I'm still working out the problems with research (topics not enabling when they should, etc). The good news is that I should have this work done by the weekend, and after some stress testing that'll be Release-18.

[Goth Zagog-Thou]

More good news. Work continues on the research glitches -- and I've finally got a workaround that is working well. I'll finish this scripting up tonight and tomorrow, perform some stress testing, and we'll have a nice shiny release to play with.

[Rman Virgil]

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Sweet.

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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Work continues, slowly. I had minor surgery yesterday to remove a pre-cancerous polyp, so that ended up being my day yesterday. No big deal. If I had waited 6 months longer, I likely would have had colon cancer to deal with. Good thing I stay caught up with medical stuff.

Moving right along. I'll finish the workaround for research issues and see about releasing tonight or tomorrow.

[Goth Zagog-Thou]

I'm about halfway done with the "Simulated Research" code. It's going a bit faster now that I have the kinks worked out.

Weapon paths will be fully implemented for this release. Tuning will take place as necessary with point releases.

Release-19 will focus on resolving the long-standing Mission Hubs not being fully implemented on the first NEXUS Prime map.

Release-20 is planned to deal exclusively with the second NEXUS Prime map. Expect 5-7 missions for that one, depending on good ideas.

Good times ahead.

[Rman Virgil]

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Now I better understand the technical challenges you've had to wrestle with by contructing your opening GPMs as a finite expeditionary combat group you must try and preserve without benefit of being able to build a research / manufactuting base to replenish loses and instead relying on HQ's discreationary re-supply. Btw I like this GPM because it set's you up to think and command as if you just cannot take for granted replacing the loses of poor command decisions or the notion of mindless extravagant sacrifice instead of the carefully calculated risk assessment and parsimony required when the uncertainty of unit replenishment is a hard fact. Exuberant consumption tends to breed sloppy waste over razor sharp smarts and ingenuity.
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

That was the original idea in the Mangodai Campaign plans all those years ago. It seemed like a good fit, forcing the player to think things through before charging in willy-nilly. As things progress, the player absolutely must choose their battles or they'll get wiped out. When we're finally able to build (Mission 5) it means more because the player actually will appreciate that ability by then.

I'm still working on the Research Tree implementation/workarounds. It's very slow going because I have to tune everything appropriately. The player gets x because they have researched y, z, 0a, 0b, and so on. I make it a point to test everything that I script out immediately for balance, appropriateness, timing, etc. and it's a slow process. That's why it is taking so long -- I want it be correctly implemented. Plus with the complications arising from my surgery a week ago, work on the campaign has been very slow. I won't bore anyone with details, but it's been rough to say the least. Thursday night/Friday/Saturday was "survival on willpower alone" -- that's how bad it got. I had to endure, and I got through it but it was pure misery with a side order of hell.

*sigh* enough of that. Sorry it's taking so long to get Release-18 out. It'll be worth the wait.

[Rman Virgil]

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Sure it will be worth the wait. Your healing to wellness again is first and foremost.

I think your design is deeper and more ambitious than the ManGodAi mechanics and mapping.

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