Patch Ideas

[Spikerocks101]

I know this will get turned down fast, but I was thinking, we should make (or just try) a balance patch, to make things more even. This will not add anything, just try to even the stuff that gets annoying. Heres some suggestions:

Becuase Scorpions move so slow, and have small range, they are rarely seen in battle. I was thinking, why not make the tech "Scorpion Power Systems" increase there speeds to make them fastern then a lynx with out speed upgrade, but slower then one with it. That way, we might actually see them, and the could be used to in a kinda rush for people, with out having to worry about lynxs doing hit and run attacks on an advancing scropion army.

Another thing was the fact Convecs and Cargo Trucks cost rare ore after you get "Reinforced Vehicle Construction". Rare ore is usually not near your base, making it an easier target for the enemies, and when you lose the Cargo Trucks giving you rare, you might not have enough to buy more Cargo, and then need to sacrafice other ones to replace them. Aswell, Convecs should not require rare if you have non and your rare mine is down. I know both that if you lose all your Cargo Trucks/Convecs, you probably lost already, and if you don't want your Cargo Trucks to cost rare, not to get the Tech, but I still think it should instead increase Common cost.

These are just 2 ideas, but I am sure theres other things that could be more balanced, so that some stuff is seen/used more. Btw, would it be patch 1.3.6?

[Hooman]

We still need a full release of 1.3.5.

I see changes to core gameplay like this as being either unpopular or a bad idea. The changes we've applied tended to avoid changing gameplay balancing. It happened once in the past, and people hated it, and the changes got reverted. The only patches we've released in the current version that change gameplay of any built in levels are the removal of cheats, and the doubling of the unit limit. As cheats aren't a normal part of gameplay, and both patches affect all players equally, you'd be hard pressed to say these really change gameplay.


Granted, you do make some valid points. Scorpions are quite useless, or at least underpowered to a point where they've just become a distraction in the user interface of what to not click on. Plus, I've generally disagreed with increasing the cost of units with upgrades while also replacing the build option for the cheaper unit. If you're going to increase a cost, or otherwise make a unit worse in some aspect, perhaps to balance an increase elsewhere, you should not prevent the player from building the old version of it.

But, I don't particularly want to change core gameplay. Unless changes were limited to custom levels, or there was somehow a way to change rule sets easily, and didn't complicate multiplayer, I don't see such changes being implemented.
 

[CK9]

if anything, it should just be allowing the non-upgraded ones to be produced and not auto-upgrading existing units.  However, I'm worried that people will have a lot of complaints about it.

[Hooman]

I'm thinking implementing it right would just be really difficult. I don't have a clue how to patch it to work that way. Besides, the whole upgrade seems questionable. I mean, I'd probably just keep building the un-upgraded ones just to save rare ore. It's not like your cargo trucks or convecs should ever really be in a position where a little extra HP matters.

[Sirbomber]

It helps a little in certain campaigns missions, but its primary function is as a prerequisite to Dual-Turret Weapons Systems.

You're all forgetting a mod could do this easily, and would be totally optional.

[Kayedon]

I think the tech was more intended for the campaign, where your smelter was 8000 tiles away from the mine and your resources were thus far too precious to buy another smelter so your trucks needed to be able to survive a large quake or a sneak attack.

[Spikerocks101]

I was just thinking, there is usually 2 types of patchs for a game, one to fix bugs and other problems, and the other to help make useless things use full. As far as changin game play, we can not do that, but we can help change other things. I guess Sirbombers idea of a mod would be good, but most people would ignor the mod, and it would only work for 1 level in multiplayer. This is not intended for a campiegn level or a custom mission, it was more for multiplayer. i am sure we could almost make a list of things that are never seen in multilayer, like light towers, and since we can not change gmeplay (like making resident transports work), we could change the exsisting things.

Just on light towers, if we increase there health to a large amount, like 2000, and have them have no armour, that could help people see use for them either for planting in the enemies base or or mine spots in the middle of no ware. True, you could always send a military unit to provent expansion, but by the time you get 1 in the early game, could be to late.

[Kayedon]

Light Towers were pretty much just to be cheap stationary scouts. But obviously the slow-ass ConVec's (they were once a decent speed...) and the warning alert from the Scout made it obsolete. It's so that units with their lights off can't sneak up to right outside your base. Just place these in a perimeter pattern and any attacks will be seen!

Sadly, they're useless...

[Hidiot]

Uh... a little adjustment of multitech.txt is what can be done without too much hassle (the bigger hassle would be if people wanted it included in the .vol)

Then again... one can always build a rare storage or two in their base (assuming their rare ore is not very close and vulnerable) and always make sure to have some rare for dire times.


Scorpions moving faster than lynx is actually a worthy idea. Gives Plymouth something else to use. Their short attack range would still prevent them from being of any real use, but in certain situations...

Of course... that's if you can find a reason as to why legs move faster than wheels on all terrains.

If I recall right, wheeled vehicles move slower than legged ones on sand dunes and recent lava anyway.

[Brazilian Fan]

I'm pretty sure those 'minor' (don't change the core) changes can be made with a custom DLL or techtree for multi or colony. Getting the main levels and techtrees changed is another story althogether.

[Hooman]

I thought light towers might be more useful if other buildings or vehicles didn't have lights on them. It'd be particularly interesting if vehicle movement rate depended on the light around them, rather than their own headlight setting. Then it would be useful to illuminate your base with light towers. Plus, if you were being attacked, you could potentially turn them off to slow down your enemies.
 

[Sirbomber]

So, basically, you'd make Light Towers useful by crippling every other structure in the game...?

[Hooman]

There's a young crippled boy in the hospital that wants you to win this game. I know, because I crippled him myself to inspire you.
 - Mr. Burns
 

[Hidiot]

I would really like to see buildings lose their sight range.

Units, well... not so much, since they do have headlights. And to change the way their headlights work (as in, illuminate just frontally and not 360) is rather not doable.

[Kayedon]

I would really like to see buildings lose their sight range.

Units, well... not so much, since they do have headlights. And to change the way their headlights work (as in, illuminate just frontally and not 360) is rather not doable.

Teim 4 masiv mod.

[Hidiot]

Which part?

Because adjusting the building's sight range is a simple setting of the sight range to 0 or 1 or 2 or whatever in the .vol text files. Of course, the problem comes with re-packing the .vol if people don't want a file overriding the .vol contents.

[Spikerocks101]

can some one please explain the sheets.vol file, i dont really understand it...

I edited the sheets.vol file, but now the game wont start. can i have some help...

[Kayedon]

can some one please explain the sheets.vol file, i dont really understand it...

I edited the sheets.vol file, but now the game wont start. can i have some help...

Editting it as one solid lump seems to hate you, you have to extract each text file. If you check the wiki for various .vol things you can find the tools needed to do it (the op2 mapper can also do this). You unpack, edit it as needed, and then repack.

[Sirbomber]

Use MS Excel to actually edit the files you've extracted from sheets.vol.

[Kayedon]

Use MS Excel to actually edit the files you've extracted from sheets.vol.

That, or Open Office Spreadsheet. Or notepad, although it's a b**** to read.

[Spikerocks101]

i got it working thanks to Hooman (even thou i think he will never say "Outpost2/ folder" again >_>). I made scorpians move as fast as upgraded lynxs, and it is quite noticable. I also noticed that spiders and scorpians will fallow paved roads. I now thats not new, but just say, why would they move faster on paved roads. Unlike wheeled vechiles, scorpions are as burduned by high distortion, so they really shoulden't get paved road bounce...

[Sirbomber]

Hmmm...  I'll give you two responses to that:

1) It's a game.  Suck it up.

2) Their on-board guidance computers don't have to make as many calculations when traveling over smooth terrain than they do when traveling over rough, potentially dangerous terrain, allowing for faster travel.  This sounds so science-ish it might actually be true.

[CK9]

legged-robots also don't have as much weight to move

[Brazilian Fan]

legged-robots also don't have as much weight to move

You really don't know what a Gundam is :heh:.

[CK9]

Gundam's, Guren's, and Knightmare Frames don't count