SC2Mapster

You can also experiment with water at various colour levels.

E7400 with 2gb DDR2-800 on a 384kbps reporting in:

It takes me a second to locate and click the multiplayer button, another few seconds to load the Join Game list and double click the map of my choosing (thankfully on the first page), 5-15 seconds waiting to fill, and 5 seconds lobby countdown.

So I'm in the next game already in under 30 seconds. No problem here.

PS: I have a lot of problems with B.net 2.0 greying out the play button and taking forever to load stuff, but leaving the score screen to join another game has never been a problem for me.

You could make it more interactive.

Each player controls an avatar - any unit of their choosing.

Give non-debating players the ability to shout really loudly, thereby muting the current speaker. Their words will then appear like this: The quick brown fox ROAR! lazy dog, or the ability to encore, giving the speaker a few extra seconds.

Here's a nice opportunity - make a minimap using a dialog.

for each i from 1 to X

{

set placeA = random number from 1 to (array size)

set placeB = random number from 1 to (array size)

set tempint = myInt[placeA]

set myInt[placeA] = myInt[placeB]

set myInt[placeB] = tempint

}

This basically just swaps the values of two parts of your array around.

placeA, placeB, tempint are all integers.

X is how many times they are swapped; use a high value for a decent shuffle.

And what if it was an automated response from a bot that triggered when you included X amount of obscene words in your post?

Nay, Blizzard readeth not yonder forums.

Sentry Squad

One player is a Dark Templar, the rest are Sentries.

The DT wins when he kills all the Sentries. He is invisible and kills in one attack.

A High Templar that moves around the map randomly is the only unit that can kill the DT, but needs energy to do so. The Sentries must pick up Energy items that spawn randomly around the map and take it to the HT.

Sentries can cast Force Field and Scanning Sweep (very small area).

Some pseudo-code for reflecting missiles:

Make a spell/passive attack that only targets missiles event: unit dies if (dying unit is missile) and (killing unit/behavior is Reflect Spell) then create (dummy caster) at (position of missile) order (dummy caster) to attack (origin of missile)

Where dummy caster is a unit without a model that has that attack. Better yet, just add the weapon to the unit based on what type of missile it was.

Anyway, some ideas:

Archon

• Psionic Cloud - The archon has the same effect that brushes/smoke has; it blocks land units' vision in an area around it. Allows for a more deceptive protoss army, and multiple Archons can be positioned around the army to completely hide it, or around no units at all to give the impression that there's an army. Maybe you want to keep Colossi and air units behind the cloud visible, up to you.
• Final Metamorphosis - Two Archons (yes Archons) morph together to create a massive Psionic Storm. They are consumed in the process.
• Warp Guidance - If the Archon kills two units within a second or so, it regenerates some shields. Making it more effective on the front lines against Zerglings and Marines.

Colossus

• Point Defense Laser - Similar to the Raven's spell, but is basically an additional attack the Colossus has that can block one missile every 2 or so seconds.
• Pointy Feet - A negative passive ability. Basically, the Colossus moves slowly/gets stuck when walking in certain types of terrain, like sand. This could be either very easy or very hard to implement, depending on your map's terrain.
• Thermal Lance - Every X attacks, the Colossus' attack fires in a different pattern, e.g. a circle, and the ground burns for a few seconds. You could also make this an activatable that will allow you to create "fire walls" to alter the flow of units during a battle.
• Overshield - While it has shields, the Colossus absorbs all damage done to units directly beneath it. In the cast of AoE effects like the Siege Tank's attack, the damage is only dealt once, and the protected units receive none. This is especially useful if you want to keep your High Templar alive.

Void Ray

• Booster - When not busy attacking, and in range of a Void Ray that is busy attacking (or a chain of them, with an enemy target at the end), a booster beam is fired at the other Void Ray, improving its damage or booster beam. Think the Link Gun from Unreal Tournament.
• Photon Shot - The Void Ray charges for a few seconds, and then fires a single, powerful shot. Basically a blue Yamato Cannon.
• Feign Death - If the Void Ray loses its shields, it plays a death animation and is disabled for a few seconds. Changes the attack priorities of any units that were attacking it. Enemy players can still manually re-target the Void Ray.
• Overwhelming Attack - While attacking, the Void Ray takes reduced damage from sources in front of it. Or, if you want to take it the other way round, it takes increased damage (because it has to keep an opening in its shield for the attack or something)

Sentry

• Psionic Sand - Target an area of terrain, giving it the "powered" effect of Pylons, and improving energy/shield regen to all protoss unit within. Lasts X seconds.
• Emergency Shields - If a nearby unit is about receive fatal damage and the Sentry has full shields, it can automatically give X shields to that unit.
• Mana Flare - From warcraft 3's Faerie Dragon. Channels an aura that damages enemies within range if they cast spells.
• Manipulation - Changes the appearance of a unit. Basically, if the sentry summoned an illusion on a unit. Expires when the unit takes damage, but not if it attacks. More protoss-style deception.

Phoenix

• Many Hands - Several Phoenixes can work together with their Graviton Beam to lift heavier targets; e.g. 4 Phoenix for 1 Ultralisk.
• Graviton Beam mod - Allow it to target allied units, giving them the ability to attack air. I mean, can you imagine the awesome of a Zealot ripping Mutalisks apart with his Psi Blades?
• Cloaking Field - Causes the Phoenix and 1 or 2 additional units to not appear on opponents' minimaps. Either drains energy, or reduces Phoenix speed.

Combo Moves

• Phoenix + Void Ray - If a Phoenix casts Graviton Beam on a Void Ray, the Void Ray changes to a unit that aims downward, its attack becoming an area-effect beam like the Mothership had it beta. The Phoenix can move while channeling, and it costs X mana per second. Or you could make this a Void Ray spell that simply lasts X seconds.

A while back there was a very similar clone, called Starbenog. It had the first 3 units of about 4 races, and they were practically identical to the Warcraft 3 version. It might still be somewhere deep down the popularity list.

Hi there

I'm busy making a Risk variant that uses squares/quads. The movement system isn't perfect or the most efficient, but it works and already has the one-move-per-turn feature you're looking for.

If you're still interested, I could configure it slightly to work for your purposes.

Elemental Fusion.

Description

Similar to the board game Risk, players fight over territories by rolling dice when attacking and defending. Unlike 90% of Risk maps in warcraft 3 and starcraft 2, this one is actually turn based, and has no micro requirement - only decision making and luck.

What's different from normal risk?

• For starters, you won't see the world map anywhere. Each territory is called a quad, each one exactly the same size and adjacent to 8 more quads. Units from a given quad may attack, reinforce or conquer another quad if both quads are either touching (including diagonally).
• There is no limit to how many units can attack at a time. This will allow attacks and also turns to go much faster.
• When rolling multiple dice, they are not ranked from highest to lowest against the opponents' dice, but instead matched randomly.
• If the attacking and defending dice are equal, nothing happens.
• There are different types of units, each with different attacking and defending dice.
• Structures can be placed on quads (one per quad) to provide effects ranging from improved income to attack/defense bonuses.
• Each unit can move exactly once per turn - the free move between any two interconnected territories is replaced by the ability of every single unit to be able to move.
• Units need not stay in a quad to retain ownership. None of these gameplay mechanics are set in stone, I'll probably change some if they don't work or cause imbalance, and add some game modes to allow players to choose which rule set they want.

Content already implemented

Game mechanics: unit deployment, turns, moving, attacking, conquering

Units: Marine, Marauder, Siege Tank

Buildings: Bunker (defense bonus), Barracks (autospawns Marines), Engineering Bay (allows Marauders), Factory (allows Siege Tanks)

Plans ahead

More units and buildings. Special units that have auras or abilities. AI - think of them as neutral creeps or independent factions. Alliances - to allow units to move through allied territory. Terrain - impassable mountains are rivers, mineral fields to improve income, forests and such to alter attacking/defending dice

Testing

So far I've only tested the map once in multiplayer (thankfully most of the systems worked), but I'll need some sharp and critical testers to help iron out all the bugs and imbalances that exist. Feel free to PM me or contact me in-game at rulerofiron.330 Also, I'd greatly appreciate any ideas for content the general community might have.

Screenshots

The first screenshot is the start of your turn and deployment phase. The second is moving a group of units to conquer an unoccupied territory. The third is of a battle, during which all participating units play attack animations while the dice are rolled one by one and the outcome is decided.

Not really legible for the contest, but pic related nonetheless.

I like it.

Regarding the roots/materials, is there going to be item crafting/refining? You can build like a factory somewhere to increase the value of goods.

And what about offensive abilities? For example, hiring someone to trash another player's store, or similar.

But overall I like the concept, I believe it could be very fun to play.

New system works fairly well, we had a close game that lasted around 25 minutes, I mostly level 2 equipment and a few level 3, which is fine.

Add votable modes to set the game length (in terms of vespene required).

• Long mode sets income to what it is now, and vespene needed to around 6000.
• Short mode sets income to roughly 50% more, and vespene needed as it is now (3600).

Regarding the vespene mode:

• It's not very noticeable, add a notifier at 50% remaining, 25% remaining, 10% and 5%.
• The command center simply exploding looks terrible. Add a nuke launch and landing cinematic.

Overall I'm happy with the flow and length of the game, just change the numbers a little and work on the aesthetics. And then it's time for more content :)