Outpost 2 Scenarios for inclusion in ver 1.3.7

[Vagabond]

This post is an attempt to gather a list of new scenarios that should be included in the next release of Outpost 2.

For a scenario to qualify, it must not require a modification/add on to Outpost 2 that is not already included in the main Outpost Universe download. For example, Multitek 2 scenarios. See this wiki article for what to think about to consider a scenario complete (http://wiki.outpost2.net/doku.php?id=op2_sdk:custom_scenario_checklist).

This initial list is made entirely of my opinion. Please let me know if something I write looks in error or is disputable. I’d like help testing or recording others’ experiences with the scenarios. Please post if you have played some of these scenarios and know about bugs or feel like they are complete enough to add to the main download. I'll update this first post as we go along.

The list of scenarios below is a subset of the mostly-completed custom Outpost 2 scenarios. For pictures, information, and download links for the scenarios, go to http://wiki.outpost2.net/doku.php?id=outpost_2:maps:custom_scenarios.


Currently Included But Should Be Changed
Colony Games

• Pre-Release Eden Demo
  
  • This map is not beatable without a replacement tech tree. See new tech tree here: http://forum.outpost2.net/index.php/topic,5795.msg82861.html#msg82861 which makes it beatable. Propose we replace the original tech tree with the new one.

Multiplayer

• 4P, SRV, Forsaken World
  
  • Vagabond: Some of starting colonies start with buildings on top of impassible terrain. One colony cannot access starting ore deposit.
• 4P, LoS, Punwick Junction
  
  • Remove the DLL from the game. The .map file is not included in the official download so it always crashes. Scenario is meant to be played on La Corrida but has no Peacekeeper AI in the middle.

Should be included
Colony Games
...

Multiplayer

• 4P, LoS, Bomber's Big Blast
• 4P, SRV, Caught in the Crossfire
• 5P, SRV, Danger Zone
• 4P, SRV, Darkest Hour
• 5P, SRV, Fractured Alliance
• 6P, SRV, Judgement Day

Should be included but have minor issue(s)
Colony Games

• Outcaster’s Starship
  
  • Vagabond: Game has a bug where if you destroy the northern Plymouth colony, you may not be able to retrieve the wreckage from their advanced lab, even though the objectives will indicate that you can. Need to retest.

Multiplayer

• 4P, LoS, Hidden Treasure
  
  • Vagabond: Played through once three players. Appears to work with no issues.
  • One common ore beacon unusable at (61, 65) due to impassable terrain in build area. Doesn’t really affect gameplay
  • Would be nice to remove word (beta) from in game scenario name.
  • All multiplayer settings work as advertised.

Would like to include but have problem(s)
Multiplayer
...


Unsure or Need more testing
Colony Games

• Evacuation Under Fire
• On the Run
• Rising From the Ashes
• Rescue Escort

Multiplayer

• 2P, Convoy, Rescue Escort
• 4P, LoS, Battle of the Blight
  
  • Vagabond. Game mechanics seem to be working but did not play through a game.
• 4P, LoS, Confrontation
• 6P, LR, Flood Plain Ver 2
• 5P, SRV, Forsaken World
• 6P, LoS, Scout Rush

Greenworld tile set scenarios
Plan on not including any Greenworld Tileset scenarios in the official download

• Bridge Defence
• The Green World
• Greenhaven
• Greenhills
• Hidden Valley

[leeor_net]

I think the push is to pull the Greenworld tileset out of the official builds because it's ripped from other IP.

Otherwise I like this list so far.

Stuff at work is getting easier especially after I had a talk with the owners about stepping down from management so hopefully I'll have more time to pay attention to this and actually help to develop and push it forward.

[Sirbomber]

The crashing issue with Fractured Alliance was fixed months ago.  In traditional Sirbomber fashion, I forgot to upload the fixed version.

As for Forsaken World, there are a few issues possibly in play here.  The map file for that mission changed constantly so it wouldn't surprise me if the wrong version made it into the download.  More importantly however is why the 4P and 5P version are both in there...  As I remember, the 4P version is an outdated beta test.  The 5P version is the final release.  And while I'm nitpicking, it should really be 5P Forsaken World 2 in the download.  If any of those can't be found, Arklon or myself can provide the correct files.

[Arklon]

As for Forsaken World, there are a few issues possibly in play here.  The map file for that mission changed constantly so it wouldn't surprise me if the wrong version made it into the download.  More importantly however is why the 4P and 5P version are both in there...  As I remember, the 4P version is an outdated beta test.  The 5P version is the final release.  And while I'm nitpicking, it should really be 5P Forsaken World 2 in the download.  If any of those can't be found, Arklon or myself can provide the correct files.

Not exactly. The whole 4P/5P version split was a bit of a mess. I seem to recall the 5P version having been quickly thrown together and lacking features of the 4P version, and the 5th base wasn't very well balanced (it gets infected a lot earlier than all the others). There was also the issue with either using the MP Axen's Home map or the version made by gluing together the Eden Starship and Plymouth Population maps (which is a variant of Axen's Home); Vagabond's issues with starting bases suggests the wrong map is being used somehow. The 4P version used one variant of the map, and the 5P version used the other.

[Vagabond]

Sirbomber,

Fractured Alliance is probably my favorite multiplayer scenario, so I'm looking forward to you posting the fixed version. If you ever posted some tutorials on how you let the blight take over the vehicle factories and send units to attack the other players, I would appreciate it.


Arklon & Sirbomber,

I looked over the filenames associated with the 4 and 5 player versions of Forsaken World. For the 4 player version, it looks like the DLL name is different between the one posted with the official Outpost 2 download and the one listed on Mcshay's website. Perhaps they were compiled at different times?

I would appreciate it if someone posted the most up to date build(s) on them. If we are not sure which is newer, when I have some time (unless someone beats me to it), I can try loading the 4 player version from the DLL from Mcshay's website and see if it has the irregularities with the terrain and beacon placement for the starting bases.

I pasted the description from Mcshay's website below since it discusses the gameplay differences between the two.

Are we looking at pushing them both into the official download or just pushing one of the two scenarios?

4P version (As seen in the official Outpost 2 download
mf4_hso.dll (Listed on Mcshay's website: mf4_fw2.dll)
survtech.txt
survaxen.map

5P version (Not present in current official Outpost 2 download, but as seen on Mcshay's website)
mf5_hso.dll
survtech.txt
axenvolcanoes.map

From Mcshay's website

Forsaken World is a survivor map (listed as a space race). It takes place on the map known as 'Axen's Home'. As with all survivor maps, the goal is to launch a complete starship. There are two versions of this map; each of them have different features.

4-Player Version

This is version includes the same food and evacuation transport code Crossfire has, you need to remember to evacuate food in cargo trucks and enough evacuation transports for your colonists. If all of your agridomes are destroyed, your food storage is set to the total food stored in cargo trucks. This ammount then becomes your food storages and falls untill you starve or build a new agridome. Evacuation transports are needed to hold colonists if all of your buildings are destroyed; each transport holds 25 people. Colonists are loaded into transports in this order: Scientists, Workers, Children. This version also has lava in it. The lava wipes out parts of two of the starting bases around the same time the blight gets them. The lava also slows the blight down a bit, so this mission plays for a bit longer.

5-Player Version

This is version does not have the food and evac code in it or the lava code. However the player starting bases are shuffled up before the game begins. This is a good map to play if you don't want to have to manage food and evacs while looking out for lavaflows.

[gethomas3]

Can we get a non-blight, world map colony game that faces you against 5 AI?

That would be pretty cool!

I wish I knew the tools needed to create colony games.

[Sirbomber]

This is a good place to start, gethomas3.  It's not as scary as it sounds, so don't be intimidated.

[Vagabond]

gethomas3,

Also, check out this link for how a high level overview of making new scenarios in Outpost 2 and how to setup Visual Studio properly: http://wiki.outpost2.net/doku.php?id=op2_sdk:software_development_kit_sdk.

Please feel free to give it a shot. Open a new forum thread up when/if you have difficulties and we will see what we can do to help out.

-Brett

[Vagabond]

I moved Fractured Alliance to the Should Be Included section since Sirbomber posted the new build. I also added the two versions of Rescue Escort to the Need More Testing section.

I have family visiting starting later this week. After they leave, hopefully my siblings and I will be able to find some common time to get some games organized and play through some more of the scenarios.

[Vagabond]

I've played through 6P, SRV, Judgement Day several times now multiplayer without any issues.

Playing on Medium resources, Morale Unsteady, with Disasters.

The beginning is pretty tough, but I enjoyed it. We spent the first 4 play throughs alternating who died because of forgetting to take a smelter with the group, running out of food because of traveling too far in evacuation, etc. (Could have kept playing, but we wanted everyone to survive initial evacuation).

Finally everyone made it through the initial evacuation. I ended up dying with around 175 of the 200 colonists. My daughter needed a lot of attention near the end when I needed to be frantically build blight resistant earthworks, so instead I sat idle while the blight assaulted my earthworks and eventually prevailed. Anyways, it would have been beatable if I had played a little better I think? Not sure about beating on low resources though with unsteady morale and disasters.

We played it as a non-combat map so the three of us could just each play against the blight, which worked well I thought. It would also work to slug it out some and then see if you still had the resources to escape I guess?

-Brett