I really appreciate you taking the time to play S.C.R.A.P. The challenges you and SirPenguinz had were (while disappointing - I was hoping the game would be easier to pick up) definitely eye-opening and useful for me to see. Thank you for sticking at it and playing a second match. I'm going to be going over your footage a couple of times to identify problem areas and try to think up some elegant solutions. I know a tutorial of some sort would be useful...
The video looked a little choppy - were you experiencing frame rate issues during play or was that an artifact of recording?
I guess I need a better feedback mechanism for it, but if a unit dies it becomes a "burning wreck" that turns into resources when its timer expires. When units would jump back up to 40% HP, that was the Burning Wreck buff applying. They really weren't 'units' any more
Hey Deadzergling! Thank you so much for taking a look at my mod, I really appreciate your time + feedback. If you're looking for an opponent, I do have a couple of repeat players who would be happy to give you a couple of matches. The best place to contact them would likely be on the mod's Discord channel (https://discord.gg/pRR8FcQ)
Hi! So, I've recently released the public version of my first-ever StarCraft 2 mod, a standalone RTS called "S.C.R.A.P. - Scavenge, Collect, Relaim, Attack, Prevail"
S.C.R.A.P. is a scarce-resource RTS that is played 1v1 (for now). It has 2 factions and a couple of custom mechanics. In essence, players are fighting over 3 things: Scrap metal (the game's primary resource), Energy (a secondary resource, generated by capturable power nodes that serve as bases) and Data (a victory point/ticket system, generated by buildings that are also attached to bases).
In S.C.R.A.P., players must constantly move about the game map taking territory, seeking out resources, and trying to destroy their opponent. I have tried to build in lots of systems that allow for gradations of success and failure.
Currently I don't have a tutorial or skirmish AI, so the game can only really be played with another player.
Specifically, I'm looking for the following sorts of feedback:
How can I make the game more clear, understandable, and enjoyable?
What is broken? Always looking for bugs to quash. I'm pretty new, so suggestions on direction would be very helpful.
Balance suggestions
I have no idea how to add observer slots or a skirmish AI, and direction with either would be a great help!
If you do give S.C.R.A.P. a try, I deeply appreciate it. This has been a labor of love for something like 18 months, and even if no one plays it I've got about 6-12 months more work to put into it in terms of map design, content (adding 4 units and one building per faction, and redoing the map at least one more time).
S.C.R.A.P. Public Alpha. It's a 1v1 standalone RTS where players fight each other and compete for ownership of Generators (base/Victory Point combos). You can find it by searching "public alpha" in Americas or EU, I believe.
1v1. There's no tutorial or Skirmish AI (yet)
The game is public, I'd be happy to have you post a video publicly.
Taking bases is effectively what the game is about. Fighting is more secondary to capturing territory. Each base has 3 Power Nodes and one Data Conduit. Power Nodes are the only way most units gain Energy (they're kind of like Moonwells/Shield Batteries but for Energy) but if you build a tech structure on the Power Node you can't get Energy from it any more). Units decay into resources after they die.
This is the first thing I've ever made in the editor, so some many things about it are buggy/basic. But any and all feedback will go towards me improving it.
TheUltragon helped me figure it out. I was having some issues with the Validator, and the Ability Disable effect removed buffs, which basically made the ability disable effect cancel itself out.
TLDR - I'm trying to disable a building's ability when another building is built on top of it. I don't know the best way to do this. I described how I tried to solve the issue (see below)
So, here's what I'm trying to do:
1. I have a building called a Power Node. They're pre-placed on the map, and players have to build buildings on them via the Built On field in the units core data record. This already works, but I haven't figured out how to make the Node disappear when built on, like Vespene Geysers do.
2. Power Nodes provide Energy to nearby units. This already works, too.
3. Here's where I need help: I want Power Nodes to stop gaining energy and have their energy share ability disabled when they're Built On.
What I've tried to do is to create a Behavior that disables the energy share and energy regeneration of Power Nodes, and use a validator: disable that disables this if no friendly buildings are detected in a 1 range of the Power Node. I think that either I have made a mistake with the validator, or perhaps that the Validator's search effect only starts 'outside' of the unit, so it can't search for a unit that's directly on top of it.
TLDR - I'm trying to disable a building's ability when another building is built on top of it. I don't know the best way to do this. I described how I tried to solve the issue.
1. the search effect needed a minimum count of 1 to not continually fire off.
2. I had to make sure that the search effect specified that the caster had to have at least 10 energy, and the target had to have some missing energy. I also required "can have energy" in the search filters as well as excluded other things that might be nearby that could accidentally be targeted, like resources
3. the set effect also had to specify both that the caster had 10 energy and that the effected unit had to have missing energy.
maybe this will help some other poor schmuck stuck in a similar position.
I've got it working at least partially, but it's continually going off regardless of whether or not anything's in range. I can't tell if it's trying to target the caster or not.
I'm trying to implement an ability on a structure in my game.
Parameters:
The unit provides energy to other nearby units at the expense of its own energy
for every nearby unit that doesn't have full energy, this unit will spend 10 of its own energy to give that unit 10 energy, until it's out of energy.
I don't want to create "free" energy, so for every point of energy it gives out, it must spend 1 point of energy
The long and the short of it is, for units to regenerate Energy in my mod (and Energy is used like ammo for many units' attacks) they have to receive it from a Power Node (kind of like a Night Elf Moonwell, only they can't be built or destroyed). Power Nodes generate Energy when Powered by a Generator (like a Pylon) and players gain ownership of Power Nodes and Generators via a Control Node.
Control Nodes work like Xel'Naga watchtowers. You stand next to it, and instead of conferring vision it gives you ownership of one of the map's Generator/Power Node 'bases.' Unlike Watchtowers, Control Nodes prioritize ownership of the player who first moved a unit next to it, until all of that player's units are dead or leave the area.
If no player is standing next to a Control Node, ALL structures in the associated 'base' default to neutral. This is to allow players to fight over the map's base locations.
Energy is intended to be a scarce resource, as are Power Nodes. You can only build (most) buildings on Power Nodes, and if a Power Node has a building on it, it won't provide Energy to units. This way, as you fill up a base with buildings, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep units charged up with Energy. Players will have to expand, not just to get more Energy for their units, but to be able to build all of their tech structures.
Now, the one part of this I'm not 100% sure of is the Control Node... For balance and pacing reasons, I don't want Power Nodes to generate Energy unless they're Powered and owned by a player. I'm having trouble getting those requirements to work, and this got my thinking about the Control Node and what it represents.
I've been thinking about simplifying the system. Instead of having the player capture a Control Node before 'owning' the base, I'd just have the player build a Generator near a set of Power Nodes (probably have a preexisting slot for the Generator so you can only build it in a certain location) which would power them up and allow them to start making Energy for your units.
What are your thoughts? Do you think it seems more interesting to have the ability to steal your enemy's base from them, or do you like it better as a simpler system, where you just build a Generator, and get control of the base location?
I'm trying to make a unit ability that functions somewhat like a Moonwell, or like the protoss structure from Broodwar that automatically refreshed shields. Ideally, this would take 10 energy from the caster for each unit within the caster's range, and give 10 energy to each unit. So, if there are 5 units in the caster's range, each 'pulse' would take 50 energy from the caster and provide 10 to each unit.
The default behavior for abilities with area search is: the initial effect has a flat cost, and then each unit in the search area gets the ability's associated effect. In practice, this would then take 10 energy from the caster and give 10 energy to each unit in the search area, making that cost more efficient as it effects more units.
I have tried removing the search area, but then the ability only hits one unit at a time (obviously). I've also attempted adding a Cost to the effect applied by the search area but this seems to do nothing (perhaps I'm not configuring it correctly.
I presume questions like this have been asked before but I can't think of a proper query string. Thanks for any help anyone provides.
A temporary solution is to put unpowered structures into stasis, but this prevents them from being attacked. Looks like making it Uncommandable works though. This will suffice for now.
I recently noticed that, for Protoss structure power behavior, the inherent benefits conferred by a structure are not lost when the structure is unpowered.
For instance, if a Dark Shrine is unpowered, the player will still be able to build Dark Templar.
What I would like to implement is a requirement or validator that removes the ability to train a unit if the associated prerequisite structure is unpowered. So, if my Cybernetics Core loses power, then I can't build Stalkers or Sentries any more.
I would like to learn more about Actors/Events but am unaware of a good resource for this, which is why I'm asking here :)
I guess at least this is confirmation that I'm on the right track in guessing that these issues are Events-related... Any sort of resource or reference or guide would be awesome if you know of one.
I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the Data editor, but while I'm getting better at copying/modifying units and abilities with functional results, I'm having a number of... polish issues that have been bothering me. Things like:
I have a unit based off of the Hellbat that can harvest Minerals. It performs no action when harvesting and 'carries' nothing to its drop off point
I have a unit based off of the Immortal that can build structures. When it places structures based off of Terran structures, nothing happens until 70% of the way through the build process, when the structure rises from the ground. It's missing the 'scaffolding' that Terran structures under construction all have.
Likewise, when the structure is based off of a Protoss structure, it has "warp in" animation/model
I have a unit which utilizes a modified version of Psi Storm. It has 1 Period, so I removed one of Psi Storm's 2 damage effects. Now, for some reason, when the ability hits open ground, there is a sound but no model is generated, and when the ability hits one or more units, the Psi Storm model is applied to EACH UNIT, which is kind of funny but not at all what I intended.
My thoughts:
I'd imagine that it would be possible to allow the Hellbat model to perform an attack animation (with or without flame effect) but have no idea how to initiate this animation, though I suspect Events would be the key here? Likewise, I imagine there's an Event that generates the mineral deposit model on SCV's etc when they have successfully mined resources. I still need to look and see, though any help would be more than welcome.
I'd imagine both structure effects are handled by Events? Any additional insight would likely save me a lot of trial-and-error time :)
I've tried using Events to handle this effect with limited success. The next thing I'm going to try is to generate the spell animation when the AoE's Search effect starts (or can I only start it off of a behavior? Psi Storm's starts when the Persist behavior begins, but that doesn't seem to be working any more?)
0
Hey Deadzergling,
I really appreciate you taking the time to play S.C.R.A.P. The challenges you and SirPenguinz had were (while disappointing - I was hoping the game would be easier to pick up) definitely eye-opening and useful for me to see. Thank you for sticking at it and playing a second match. I'm going to be going over your footage a couple of times to identify problem areas and try to think up some elegant solutions. I know a tutorial of some sort would be useful...
The video looked a little choppy - were you experiencing frame rate issues during play or was that an artifact of recording?
I guess I need a better feedback mechanism for it, but if a unit dies it becomes a "burning wreck" that turns into resources when its timer expires. When units would jump back up to 40% HP, that was the Burning Wreck buff applying. They really weren't 'units' any more
0
In reply to Deadzergling:
0
Hi! So, I've recently released the public version of my first-ever StarCraft 2 mod, a standalone RTS called "S.C.R.A.P. - Scavenge, Collect, Relaim, Attack, Prevail"
S.C.R.A.P. is a scarce-resource RTS that is played 1v1 (for now). It has 2 factions and a couple of custom mechanics. In essence, players are fighting over 3 things: Scrap metal (the game's primary resource), Energy (a secondary resource, generated by capturable power nodes that serve as bases) and Data (a victory point/ticket system, generated by buildings that are also attached to bases).
In S.C.R.A.P., players must constantly move about the game map taking territory, seeking out resources, and trying to destroy their opponent. I have tried to build in lots of systems that allow for gradations of success and failure.
Currently I don't have a tutorial or skirmish AI, so the game can only really be played with another player.
Specifically, I'm looking for the following sorts of feedback:
If you are interested, I am running a Discord for the game as well: https://discord.gg/pRR8FcQ
If you do give S.C.R.A.P. a try, I deeply appreciate it. This has been a labor of love for something like 18 months, and even if no one plays it I've got about 6-12 months more work to put into it in terms of map design, content (adding 4 units and one building per faction, and redoing the map at least one more time).
0
I don't know if this is still on offer, but:
This is the first thing I've ever made in the editor, so
somemany things about it are buggy/basic. But any and all feedback will go towards me improving it.Thanks for your time.
0
@NazaraSC2: Go
TheUltragon helped me figure it out. I was having some issues with the Validator, and the Ability Disable effect removed buffs, which basically made the ability disable effect cancel itself out.
Thanks for the help!
0
TLDR - I'm trying to disable a building's ability when another building is built on top of it. I don't know the best way to do this. I described how I tried to solve the issue (see below)
So, here's what I'm trying to do:
1. I have a building called a Power Node. They're pre-placed on the map, and players have to build buildings on them via the Built On field in the units core data record. This already works, but I haven't figured out how to make the Node disappear when built on, like Vespene Geysers do.
2. Power Nodes provide Energy to nearby units. This already works, too.
3. Here's where I need help: I want Power Nodes to stop gaining energy and have their energy share ability disabled when they're Built On.
What I've tried to do is to create a Behavior that disables the energy share and energy regeneration of Power Nodes, and use a validator: disable that disables this if no friendly buildings are detected in a 1 range of the Power Node. I think that either I have made a mistake with the validator, or perhaps that the Validator's search effect only starts 'outside' of the unit, so it can't search for a unit that's directly on top of it.
TLDR - I'm trying to disable a building's ability when another building is built on top of it. I don't know the best way to do this. I described how I tried to solve the issue.
Thanks anyone who takes the time to respond
0
OK so I've got it implemented.
Here's what I needed:
1. the search effect needed a minimum count of 1 to not continually fire off.
2. I had to make sure that the search effect specified that the caster had to have at least 10 energy, and the target had to have some missing energy. I also required "can have energy" in the search filters as well as excluded other things that might be nearby that could accidentally be targeted, like resources
3. the set effect also had to specify both that the caster had 10 energy and that the effected unit had to have missing energy.
maybe this will help some other poor schmuck stuck in a similar position.
0
I've got it working at least partially, but it's continually going off regardless of whether or not anything's in range. I can't tell if it's trying to target the caster or not.
0
I'm trying to implement an ability on a structure in my game.
Parameters: The unit provides energy to other nearby units at the expense of its own energy for every nearby unit that doesn't have full energy, this unit will spend 10 of its own energy to give that unit 10 energy, until it's out of energy. I don't want to create "free" energy, so for every point of energy it gives out, it must spend 1 point of energy
Here's what I've got so far:
Behavior: Energy Share
Alignment: positive
validators: caster has 10 energy
periodic: search effect
period: .5 seconds
--Effect (search)
area 360
radius 3
max targets -1
impact location: source unit
excluded: self
validators: energy not full, caster has 10 energy
effect: set effect
--Set Effect
Effects: cost, and regen
--Cost effect
Vitals -10 Energy
Impact unit: caster
--Regen effect
Vitals +10 Energy
Validators: Caster has 10 Energy
Anyone know what I might be doing wrong here?
Thanks for your time
0
Link to full description, but I'm going to post relevant sections below: http://waywardstrategist.com/2016/02/05/some-thoughts-about-the-power-system-in-remnants/
The long and the short of it is, for units to regenerate Energy in my mod (and Energy is used like ammo for many units' attacks) they have to receive it from a Power Node (kind of like a Night Elf Moonwell, only they can't be built or destroyed). Power Nodes generate Energy when Powered by a Generator (like a Pylon) and players gain ownership of Power Nodes and Generators via a Control Node.
Control Nodes work like Xel'Naga watchtowers. You stand next to it, and instead of conferring vision it gives you ownership of one of the map's Generator/Power Node 'bases.' Unlike Watchtowers, Control Nodes prioritize ownership of the player who first moved a unit next to it, until all of that player's units are dead or leave the area.
If no player is standing next to a Control Node, ALL structures in the associated 'base' default to neutral. This is to allow players to fight over the map's base locations.
Energy is intended to be a scarce resource, as are Power Nodes. You can only build (most) buildings on Power Nodes, and if a Power Node has a building on it, it won't provide Energy to units. This way, as you fill up a base with buildings, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep units charged up with Energy. Players will have to expand, not just to get more Energy for their units, but to be able to build all of their tech structures.
Now, the one part of this I'm not 100% sure of is the Control Node... For balance and pacing reasons, I don't want Power Nodes to generate Energy unless they're Powered and owned by a player. I'm having trouble getting those requirements to work, and this got my thinking about the Control Node and what it represents.
I've been thinking about simplifying the system. Instead of having the player capture a Control Node before 'owning' the base, I'd just have the player build a Generator near a set of Power Nodes (probably have a preexisting slot for the Generator so you can only build it in a certain location) which would power them up and allow them to start making Energy for your units.
What are your thoughts? Do you think it seems more interesting to have the ability to steal your enemy's base from them, or do you like it better as a simpler system, where you just build a Generator, and get control of the base location?
As I said, more details in the link (http://waywardstrategist.com/2016/02/05/some-thoughts-about-the-power-system-in-remnants/)
0
Hey everyone,
I'm trying to make a unit ability that functions somewhat like a Moonwell, or like the protoss structure from Broodwar that automatically refreshed shields. Ideally, this would take 10 energy from the caster for each unit within the caster's range, and give 10 energy to each unit. So, if there are 5 units in the caster's range, each 'pulse' would take 50 energy from the caster and provide 10 to each unit.
The default behavior for abilities with area search is: the initial effect has a flat cost, and then each unit in the search area gets the ability's associated effect. In practice, this would then take 10 energy from the caster and give 10 energy to each unit in the search area, making that cost more efficient as it effects more units.
I have tried removing the search area, but then the ability only hits one unit at a time (obviously). I've also attempted adding a Cost to the effect applied by the search area but this seems to do nothing (perhaps I'm not configuring it correctly.
I presume questions like this have been asked before but I can't think of a proper query string. Thanks for any help anyone provides.
0
A temporary solution is to put unpowered structures into stasis, but this prevents them from being attacked. Looks like making it Uncommandable works though. This will suffice for now.
0
I recently noticed that, for Protoss structure power behavior, the inherent benefits conferred by a structure are not lost when the structure is unpowered.
For instance, if a Dark Shrine is unpowered, the player will still be able to build Dark Templar.
What I would like to implement is a requirement or validator that removes the ability to train a unit if the associated prerequisite structure is unpowered. So, if my Cybernetics Core loses power, then I can't build Stalkers or Sentries any more.
Thanks for your time,
0
I would like to learn more about Actors/Events but am unaware of a good resource for this, which is why I'm asking here :)
I guess at least this is confirmation that I'm on the right track in guessing that these issues are Events-related... Any sort of resource or reference or guide would be awesome if you know of one.
0
I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the Data editor, but while I'm getting better at copying/modifying units and abilities with functional results, I'm having a number of... polish issues that have been bothering me. Things like:
My thoughts:
Thanks everyone :D