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Time Raiders


Cirevam
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  • 2 months later...

Unraveler model nearly complete, SGUT model started, Skid Steer model started, radar concept changed to the copilot in the cabin of large vehicles, Electric Fence/Smash Gate model started, Factory concept started, Distributor Tower code started, SHOVEL BEAM dropped in favour of LAZER SWORD, HUD concept started. See first post for a few more details.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Suggestion: Make Spider Webs into time barriers that nothing can cross or destroy exept certain vehicles (like in the PSX game, only the Loader Dozer could clear webs). It works kinda... things CAN cross it, but very slowly (20 seconds or something), and only the loader dozer can crash through it.

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Since I've been making good progress lately (three vehicles working in-game, some buildings remodeled) I was thinking of ways to choose the alpha and beta testers. I know I want Matt to look at stuff, no doubt there, but for the rest I'm thinking of a sort of lottery. Members would pick numbers from 1 to 100 and when there's enough ready for testing, I'll randomly generate about ten numbers. Exact or closest is a guaranteed beta pass, ties would be settled with smaller lotteries from 2 to 12 and I'd roll some dice to take out the pseudorandom effect. If all ya'll have other ideas then post them here.

Also, if you have level ideas/blueprints that you're willing to contribute, post them here too. Anyone who helps at all (with more than just an idea) gets into the credits movie. Credits.txt is lame. We require full motion video.

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If you're going by the Map Creator, then yes, it would appear the limit is 20. However, this may not be the true limit (if there is one), as it could just be a parameter set by Cyrem. He did the same when he set the parameter of the map size to be 50x50, when original maps in the game were actually bigger. (He later changed to 80x80).

My guess is that it, and probably most parameters in the .map files, can go higher, but Cyrem's made a limit to prevent people from being too 'flamboyant' when map making, and making everything over the top. If you're wanting to go round this I guess you could manually code things with HEX, possibly using the Map Tool to make it easier.

I guess if there's certain parameters that you (and possibly others) find constantly too small, you could ask Cyrem to set them higher in the Creator to make things easier. However, that's of course down to Cyrem, and whether or not my theory is actually correct.

If you read this Cyrem, is there actually any physical limits and parameters to the properties of emerges and other map files?

I only just read this now, but yes I have set the limit to 20 and I can make it higher I believe.

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I ment the webs are like a time barrier or something that slows them down. Created by spiders whatever they might be in this game... some kind of crystal spider alien thingeys?

Also, what is water and lava in this game?

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Water is water. Lava is dimensional rift or something similar. It will look like a wibbly-wobbly starscape, probably. For time web barriers, I was thinking maybe having the recharge seam glitter effect blocking the way (if I can find the file) or the building upgrade effect but modified so it loops better. That way I can place a whole bunch of them in an area and it looks like a tunnel full of glitter that will take forever to get through. I haven't tested this, but if you place them with the OL but not between two walls, do the webs still stay up? That would be ideal because then we could have a large room blocked off by tons of these barriers.

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I haven't tested this, but if you place them with the OL but not between two walls, do the webs still stay up? That would be ideal because then we could have a large room blocked off by tons of these barriers.

I'll try this later. And consider the crystal spider suggestion

Also, how many levels are there and is there any pattern in increase of energy crystals needed per level?

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I'm thinking that there will be the same number of levels but the unlocks would be arranged differently. Also, if you look at the first post in the Levels section, you'll see that the three checkpoint levels have major increases in the spheres needed (120, 240, 360) but when you start a new biome the number goes down a bit then slowly comes back up. The reason for this is that each biome presents new threats and I want to give the player some time to get used to that before throwing a huge sphere quota at them.

Let's see what happens before and after the Sanctuary of Stone, the first checkpoint. The levels before the checkpoint take place in the Rock biome. The threats are Dark Slugs, Rock Monsters, and Water Monsters. Protoss Ore is plentiful, so you probably won't be using the dozers too much. There's a few tunnels blocked by Hard Rock but those usually just contain easter eggs or maybe a few seams. After the checkpoint you go to the Crystal Biome. The threats are Dark Slugs, Crystal Spiders (I actually already had a beta version modeled, but now I must make them more spidery), Time Barriers, Water Monsters, and Spectres (glowy balls of light that float around randomly, like the bats). Protoss Ore isn't as plentiful but you'll be able to find more spheres. This means you have to rely on dozers more but you can make more vehicles, and you have to figure out what's most effective at killing the new monsters. Since Crystal Spiders do a lot more damage to vehicles, you'll also need to protect your dozers and build some Distributor Towers to heal them, but that's one of the last buildings you can make so you need more raiders on defense. There's also more Hard Rock and you'll need to get through it to complete some missions, which means you'll need to either wait the five minutes it takes for a Drill Tank to get through a single wall or build an Upgrade Tower and cut through with lasers.

The Warped Biome is a lot worse as the Metal Monsters can hit your base from a huge distance (if the code works right) and they do a ton of damage, but that's all we know. The rest is secret and can change at any time. I should update the wiki entry a bit as that always has the up-to-date information.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anonymouse offered his assistance with level design so he's officially a Time Raider. This means you don't have to wait until next summer to play the mod. Since I can now concentrate more on vehicles, buildings, monsters, and the story, everything may come sooner.

Eh wot, a story? Is it more detailed than "get sucked into wormhole, find crystals to power up and go home"? Yes it is. I intend on 30-second to one minute vignettes that tell the story and each level will have one instead of a generic video being played before each level. The required levels will most likely have longer movies and the non-required missions will only be loosely connected to the story and will be shorter. I've figured out a way to make all of these in the Rock Raider engine itself, but I'll need to have several different sets of raider models all in one folder for it to work, which means exporting through LW9 or changing texture links. Not a big deal, but still annoying.

A potential 25 minutes of animation, lip synced and with particle effects in some of them? That's 250 hours of work, even though I'm getting better with particles now that I know how they cheat the blink, and I can model all of the sets at once and stick them in an empty level. The beta comes first though.

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Mouse offered to help with maps and now he's a Time Raider. Here comes the flood of people asking to make maps to be a Time Raider blah blah blah. I would help, but I know I can be more usefull in other ways, like testing spesific changes for things for debugging and such. I also have all the tools of the trade and can do some small scale modeling if Cirevam needs a part made or something, not like he wouldn't rather do it himself though.

So, I offer what I have. Testing, debugging, opinions, lightave 9, milkshape and wings, skype convos for brainstorming (crap, can't untill we fix the laptop (which has the mic), but I can still chat on skype as usuall), ideas, *sigh* maps..., or anything else that I can be of use for.

I also know some classified stuff too, but that might only work to my advantage. But I won't, because I know what you're thinking as you read this Cirevam. That's right, but I won't. Sounded too threatning.

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I wonder if people realize that I only really need one person to help with levels, and since Mouse knows much about NPL scripts, he can also make really complicated ones without trouble. I was already planning on asking him for goal scripting assistance just for that reason.

If you want to contribute a map, that's fine, but I'm not looking for more dedicated mappers. What I would rather have is voice actors since I can only do about two or three distinct voices myself. That won't be necessary until after the beta because the gameplay comes first, I haven't written all of the lines, and I haven't started on the cinematics. Do NOT audition in the topic because I'll ignore it. You'll have to wait until the beta, which should be done around Christmas.

Finally, I'm doing almost all of the graphics so don't bother unless you want to rename and change the links on five sets of raider models, sans the tools. The reason for this decision is merely consistency, as I've built many of the TR models in real life first and tried to make them look like they belong to the same theme. The only other thing I would not mind someone else doing is a crystal-based biome, but not energy crystals. Think of crystals shaped like the ice biome's Solid Rock. If you want to make something like that, fine. If not, I'm already sketching it. Since I have an art class this semester I might get graded for working on the mod, which is a good thing.

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Hey great work on this. It is really progressing well and I look forward to seeing it's eventual completion in the short future. Keep at it!

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Heyo, who's looking for beta positions? I remember posting this but I'll do it again. Things are coming along nicely and by the holiday season I should have almost all of the vehicles completed along with some buildings. Since balanced gameplay is key, I need people to test things to make sure the stuff that shouldn't be overpowered isn't, and to find out if anything is made obsolete by some other thing.

As for choosing who gets the slots, I plan on using a die to choose. What people would do is pick a number between two and twelve, inclusive, then I would roll the only proper die I have two times and record those rolls on video to prove that I'm not cheating. I would do this a few times and if you chose a number that I rolled, you get a beta slot. This also means that if multiple people choose the same number, they'll all get a slot. I think twelve testers is a little much so I will probably limit it to seven or eight. Number 1 is reserved for Mouse since he's helping with maps NOT RESERVED FOR MOUSE BECAUSE ALL HE CARES ABOUT IS STUPID TECHNICALITIES. GAWD.

Do not post your number in this topic. Send it to me in a PM with the subject line reading "Beta slot entry" along with your username. I'll close the drawings around Thanksgiving

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Number 1 is reserved for Mouse since he's helping with maps.

Problem: When rolling two dice, the sum will never be 1. Also, I sort of need to have the data anyway because of the OL files (unless you plan to make those yourself).

So yeah, thanks but it won't be 1 :P

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I love how Cyrem doesn't follow the instructions outlined in bold red text when he's told us in the member location topic that he was the only one who followed instructions by sending an image to Nishliau.

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I love how Cyrem doesn't follow the instructions outlined in bold red text when he's told us in the member location topic that he was the only one who followed instructions by sending an image to Nishliau.

Red bold text is far too obvious... so obvious in fact that I missed it. Number removed anyway. The difference between those two topics were that members knew what he asked them to do, yet didn't do it. However I didn't read that last bit, probably because of the crossed out text which made me skip down to what Anonymous said, then I continued with a reply, so the last sentence never got read.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Once the drawings are closed on Thanksgiving I'll record myself making the rolls. I've already had two people send proper entries so we're on the right track.

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Once the drawings are closed on Thanksgiving I'll record myself making the rolls. I've already had two people send proper entries so we're on the right track.

Ah ok. But the sum, as someone pointed out, is most likely to be 7 so you'd have to get people to guess the separate numbers, no?

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