which is maybe going to disappoint many players because:
it is a single-player story map;
its storyline is not linked to official campaign lore while only uses some elements of the game world;
it doesn't give to the player an epic objective to save the world from primal evil, but to get out of a local trouble (but yes, there will be a kind of feat).
The map tends to (try to) revive the kind atmosphere of old good RPG-style UMS-maps for Warcraft III and of World of Warcraft, so the map features:
cozy greenish Agria tileset, maximum size of the map;
some quests and multi-aspect hero development system;
multiple cutscenes and miles of text strings of characters' dialogues with significant content of my questionable humor and references to this or that.
The map possesses a number of fine gameplay and visual features like:
mini-bosses using abilities forcing the player at least to move a little;
some interaction possibilities and remarkable application of resources (and of other game system elements);
gameplay change: from fresh open air walk to covert tactical like campaign Tosh/Nova missions (the quality and grade are not the same, but I think I made it relatively pretty);
little local DOTA;
visual funnies and wows pleasing the eye;
possibility to skip above mentioned multiple cutscenes and miles of text strings of characters' dialogues by pressing Esc which is not recommended as the game is nothing without them.
Lack of online Save/Load option forced me to implement a relatively elegant respawn feature: you cannot die and lose the game. But map completion may take important time, it is possible to get stuck somewhere (in terms of "what to do or where to go next?"), and old school saving before a dangerous moment is too attractive (at least to avoid running a long way to the point of death), so:
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND:
Playing offline to enable Save/Load option (and to reduce lag/disconnect chance): find the map, enter Lobby: the map will be downloaded on your computer. Then restart the game without internet connection, choose Arcade and find D-Squad: The Edge into the list that will apppear.
I do not expect much bugs and troubles (maybe mostly minor, visual, text issues...), but please inform about any quality defects. The game already received a minor update mainly following the remarks from a player. At least one bug is still present, but I added in-game info to save players from its negative effects (that can only occur while playing online). Currently on Europe server the map has rating between 4.5 and 5 (21 votes) while at least one rating (the very first) was 1 for some (malignant? :] ) reason.
And, overall, in case of remarks, comments, questions, complaints, damnations - use this thread.
That is what I would like to have as result: unit with very little sight range (2 or 3), but able to attack units it doesn't see and at very far distance (up to 100 maybe).
So I created a weapon with Attack (and Minimum Scan) Range of 60 and gave it to the unit with Sight range of 30, just to test. Weapon Target Filters are as following: Dead, Invulnerable, Missile, Self, Stasis are Excluded, all others are Allowed; at the bottom only Enemy and Player are checked. This filter setting is intended to remove target units' need to be seen by the attacker.
But it behaves a bit strangely: attacker shoots at its own units at any distance (up to 60), but enemy units are only attacked at the distance up to about 16 (while even the Sight range of the attacker is 30). And I don't seize - why 16? Where does this number come from? And how to overcome it?
Thanks for the tutorial, it's a very good thing. But sending a transmission via Action Definition prevents other actions of the trigger from being executed until the transmission is over. In my map some actions (movements of the camera, orders, etc.) are sometimes executed during transmissions. When I use this transmission workaround, these additional actions always wait the transmission to finish, though I have "Don't wait until it finishes" everywhere. Checking "Create thread" in Action Definition options just spoils everything and drives the trigger mad. Anyone has ideas how to solve that?
Yes, the solution is very simple (and is related to the very basics of the editor), I just wasn't attentive enough. For those who could encounter similar issues: the problem was the Text Key that is shown above the Description text field when you modify the description. If you want text values to be different, they should have different text keys.
Roach and Primal Roach have a common description. Modifying one of them changes the other one the same way. But I need them different. Obviously there is a link between them somewhere, but I can't find it. Thanks in advance for hints.
Thanks for such a detailed answer. It made me try to find tutorials and to extend my experiments (I fear a little to touch something I'm not familiar with :] ), and it seems that it works now as I wanted. Though it differs from your solutions.
I needed simple dumbfire missile that is launched directly towards the initial target and hits the first target on its linear trajectory. Guidance to target point is not a very good choice because target can avoid damage just by stepping back (and it's not realistic). What perfectly solved movement part of the problem is still Throw driver with Look At Target as Throw Rotation Type.
As for damage... You asked if my Damage effect wasn't set to occur at target point. No - I had checked it. But to solve damage issue I had just to use the opposite way - I set Impact Location to Target Point and added an Area (with relatively large Radius and Fraction of 1) to the Damage effect. As far as I tested, it seems to work well - it impacts on unit and deals always the same damage. I suppose that it still can do double damage if unit's position matches center point of the effect, but it looks like the possibility of that is low.
I have been trying for much time to create a slowly flying projectile that can be dodged by strafing. Generally, I did it: the missile flied towards the unit and hit it (disappeared near it) if close enough (I set Impact Range to 0.2). But impact damage always behaved strangely. Sometimes it damaged the unit, sometimes not. I added splash damage area to the Damage effect, but it didn't solve the problem: if the unit stands in place or runs away, it only receives "splash" part of damage, if it runs closer to the attacker, it receives both base and splash damage. How to make the missile always cause the same damage on impact?
Neither am I familiar with Movers. I found somewhere here on the forum the solution for such mechanics: Driver - Throw, Throw Rotation Type - Throw Forward, Throw Forward - 0,-1,0, Throw Vector - 0,-1,0. Maybe the problem is with the mover? Anyway, I have a question considering the mover: how to make it treat correctly the height difference between attacker and target positions? Now, if the attacker is on the upper level cliff, it just throws the projectile forward, and it flies over the target's head. If the attacker is on the lower level cliff, the projectile "jumps" up the cliff. How to make it fly in straight diagonal line towards the target (let it penetrate through the cliff edge, doesn't matter)?
I cannot suggest a complete solution, only partly...
When the ability is used, it should give this stat bonus to ALL THE UNITS, not just the unit that used the ability.
Maybe it will not completely suit your idea, but don't you want to try creating just multi-level upgrades?
As for learn points... You can detect learning upgrade with triggers and subtract a learn point. When they equal zero, disable/disallow upgrade abilities.
Won't it work if you just disallow this ability on map initialization and allow it after 20 min timer has expired?
Just create Timer variable, use Allow/Disallow Ability for Player and Start Timer on Map Initialization and again Allow/Disallow Ability for Player on Timer Expires event.
Probably you don't even need any timer and can just use Elapsed Time event.
Thanks again for your help. I didn't implement your solution (I'm afraid I couldn't), but it made me work a little and replace the Ability "SourceCastStart" event for actor creation with Effect "Start". This made the actor static, but appearing too early. So I added some Initial Delay for persistent effect. It works just I need it to.
I created a spell making unit rush forward and damage enemies in its way. And now I'm trying to add guide actor to indicate the direction of this rush - like Kerrigan's Psionic Shift. Generally it works, but it moves with the unit. The caster rushes forward, and this purple arrow is always in front of him. How can I make it immobile? I would like it to be created before the cast and be static so that the unit moves along it.
I made a slowing aura, but it only affects base movespeed (shown in white in armor tooltip) and doesn't take into account bonuses (shown in green). Is there a [relatively] simple way to fix it?
It seems that I solved the problem. I just created a dummy Damage effect (damaging the caster for 0 damage and triggering Action actor creation) and put it together with the Search Area effect into a Set effect which the ability executes.
You made it work with composite portraits like Lasarra or Zagara? Well, you're lucky then.
For me it didn't work whatever I chose as transmission type or source. But I finally got what I wanted. Maybe the result of my desperate tryings and weird experiments will be useful for someone.
In fact, the solution is very easy in the end. Prior to sending transmission we create (only once) the needed portrait with size and position of cinematic portrait we want to have in the transmission. Then we set its actor to the base actor of the portrait (this way we repeat the action which should have been done by the game itself) and store the portrait in a variable.
0
Hello everyone! I'm glad to introduce you my first and only map:
«D-Squad: The Edge»
(Europe: starcraft://map/2/168022; America: starcraft://map/1/241497; Korea & Taiwan: starcraft://map/3/86700; SouthEast Asia: starcraft://map/6/22276),
which is maybe going to disappoint many players because:
The map tends to (try to) revive the kind atmosphere of old good RPG-style UMS-maps for Warcraft III and of World of Warcraft, so the map features:
The map possesses a number of fine gameplay and visual features like:
Lack of online Save/Load option forced me to implement a relatively elegant respawn feature: you cannot die and lose the game. But map completion may take important time, it is possible to get stuck somewhere (in terms of "what to do or where to go next?"), and old school saving before a dangerous moment is too attractive (at least to avoid running a long way to the point of death), so:
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Playing offline to enable Save/Load option (and to reduce lag/disconnect chance): find the map, enter Lobby: the map will be downloaded on your computer. Then restart the game without internet connection, choose Arcade and find D-Squad: The Edge into the list that will apppear.
I do not expect much bugs and troubles (maybe mostly minor, visual, text issues...), but please inform about any quality defects. The game already received a minor update mainly following the remarks from a player. At least one bug is still present, but I added in-game info to save players from its negative effects (that can only occur while playing online). Currently on Europe server the map has rating between 4.5 and 5 (21 votes) while at least one rating (the very first) was 1 for some (malignant? :] ) reason.
And, overall, in case of remarks, comments, questions, complaints, damnations - use this thread.
Have a good play!
0
That is what I would like to have as result: unit with very little sight range (2 or 3), but able to attack units it doesn't see and at very far distance (up to 100 maybe).
So I created a weapon with Attack (and Minimum Scan) Range of 60 and gave it to the unit with Sight range of 30, just to test. Weapon Target Filters are as following: Dead, Invulnerable, Missile, Self, Stasis are Excluded, all others are Allowed; at the bottom only Enemy and Player are checked. This filter setting is intended to remove target units' need to be seen by the attacker. But it behaves a bit strangely: attacker shoots at its own units at any distance (up to 60), but enemy units are only attacked at the distance up to about 16 (while even the Sight range of the attacker is 30). And I don't seize - why 16? Where does this number come from? And how to overcome it?
Thanks in advance for hints.
0
Thanks for the tutorial, it's a very good thing. But sending a transmission via Action Definition prevents other actions of the trigger from being executed until the transmission is over. In my map some actions (movements of the camera, orders, etc.) are sometimes executed during transmissions. When I use this transmission workaround, these additional actions always wait the transmission to finish, though I have "Don't wait until it finishes" everywhere. Checking "Create thread" in Action Definition options just spoils everything and drives the trigger mad. Anyone has ideas how to solve that?
0
Yes, the solution is very simple (and is related to the very basics of the editor), I just wasn't attentive enough. For those who could encounter similar issues: the problem was the Text Key that is shown above the Description text field when you modify the description. If you want text values to be different, they should have different text keys.
0
Roach and Primal Roach have a common description. Modifying one of them changes the other one the same way. But I need them different. Obviously there is a link between them somewhere, but I can't find it. Thanks in advance for hints.
0
Thanks for such a detailed answer. It made me try to find tutorials and to extend my experiments (I fear a little to touch something I'm not familiar with :] ), and it seems that it works now as I wanted. Though it differs from your solutions.
I needed simple dumbfire missile that is launched directly towards the initial target and hits the first target on its linear trajectory. Guidance to target point is not a very good choice because target can avoid damage just by stepping back (and it's not realistic). What perfectly solved movement part of the problem is still Throw driver with Look At Target as Throw Rotation Type.
As for damage... You asked if my Damage effect wasn't set to occur at target point. No - I had checked it. But to solve damage issue I had just to use the opposite way - I set Impact Location to Target Point and added an Area (with relatively large Radius and Fraction of 1) to the Damage effect. As far as I tested, it seems to work well - it impacts on unit and deals always the same damage. I suppose that it still can do double damage if unit's position matches center point of the effect, but it looks like the possibility of that is low.
0
I have been trying for much time to create a slowly flying projectile that can be dodged by strafing. Generally, I did it: the missile flied towards the unit and hit it (disappeared near it) if close enough (I set Impact Range to 0.2). But impact damage always behaved strangely. Sometimes it damaged the unit, sometimes not. I added splash damage area to the Damage effect, but it didn't solve the problem: if the unit stands in place or runs away, it only receives "splash" part of damage, if it runs closer to the attacker, it receives both base and splash damage. How to make the missile always cause the same damage on impact?
Neither am I familiar with Movers. I found somewhere here on the forum the solution for such mechanics: Driver - Throw, Throw Rotation Type - Throw Forward, Throw Forward - 0,-1,0, Throw Vector - 0,-1,0. Maybe the problem is with the mover? Anyway, I have a question considering the mover: how to make it treat correctly the height difference between attacker and target positions? Now, if the attacker is on the upper level cliff, it just throws the projectile forward, and it flies over the target's head. If the attacker is on the lower level cliff, the projectile "jumps" up the cliff. How to make it fly in straight diagonal line towards the target (let it penetrate through the cliff edge, doesn't matter)?
Thanks in advance for your ideas.
0
I cannot suggest a complete solution, only partly...
When the ability is used, it should give this stat bonus to ALL THE UNITS, not just the unit that used the ability.
Maybe it will not completely suit your idea, but don't you want to try creating just multi-level upgrades?
As for learn points... You can detect learning upgrade with triggers and subtract a learn point. When they equal zero, disable/disallow upgrade abilities.
0
Won't it work if you just disallow this ability on map initialization and allow it after 20 min timer has expired?
Just create Timer variable, use Allow/Disallow Ability for Player and Start Timer on Map Initialization and again Allow/Disallow Ability for Player on Timer Expires event.
Probably you don't even need any timer and can just use Elapsed Time event.
0
@DrSuperEvil: Go
Thanks again for your help. I didn't implement your solution (I'm afraid I couldn't), but it made me work a little and replace the Ability "SourceCastStart" event for actor creation with Effect "Start". This made the actor static, but appearing too early. So I added some Initial Delay for persistent effect. It works just I need it to.
0
I created a spell making unit rush forward and damage enemies in its way. And now I'm trying to add guide actor to indicate the direction of this rush - like Kerrigan's Psionic Shift. Generally it works, but it moves with the unit. The caster rushes forward, and this purple arrow is always in front of him. How can I make it immobile? I would like it to be created before the cast and be static so that the unit moves along it.
0
@DrSuperEvil: Go
Thanks. I'll maybe try tracking bonus addition and modifying the buff with Catalog Field Value Set.
0
I made a slowing aura, but it only affects base movespeed (shown in white in armor tooltip) and doesn't take into account bonuses (shown in green). Is there a [relatively] simple way to fix it?
0
It seems that I solved the problem. I just created a dummy Damage effect (damaging the caster for 0 damage and triggering Action actor creation) and put it together with the Search Area effect into a Set effect which the ability executes.
0
@Argutaris: Go
You made it work with composite portraits like Lasarra or Zagara? Well, you're lucky then.
For me it didn't work whatever I chose as transmission type or source. But I finally got what I wanted. Maybe the result of my desperate tryings and weird experiments will be useful for someone.
In fact, the solution is very easy in the end. Prior to sending transmission we create (only once) the needed portrait with size and position of cinematic portrait we want to have in the transmission. Then we set its actor to the base actor of the portrait (this way we repeat the action which should have been done by the game itself) and store the portrait in a variable.
Then we use the normal "Send Transmission" action with our variable as portrait and "No transmission source" as source.
Sending transmission from no one will require to make unit selection circle flash manually if necessary.