"Crusader-Mode" for ns2 ?
Kelmops
Join Date: 2013-08-14 Member: 186853Members, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow
Hello there, im not sure if you guys are familar with the game "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic" but there was a gamemode in the multiplayer i really liked, the Crusader Mode.
For all who don´t know already this Mode contained a mappool of 5 maps. There was 1 neutral map, 2 "main city or base" maps and 2 filler maps.
Let me show it to you with a little "picture" :
[Undead Maincity map] [Undead Filler Map] [Neutral Map] [Human Filler Map] [Human Maincity Map]
The Game starts on the neutral map, if you win a round your team is pushing the enemy back towards their main city. For example the humans win the first round, then the next round will be played on the "Undead Filler Map".
The Game was over if one side managed to push the enemy back to their "main base map" and win on this final map. The further you pushed the enemy the more "siderelated" the maps looked like. The undead final map was a giant necropolis
I would love this kind of feature in Natural Selection 2, it gives the game a greater goal and you feel like actually achieving something by winning a game.
This is my first activity in this Forum so feel free to give your opinion on this.
If this english was bad sry, but I´m german and typed it between 2 ns2 games
For all who don´t know already this Mode contained a mappool of 5 maps. There was 1 neutral map, 2 "main city or base" maps and 2 filler maps.
Let me show it to you with a little "picture" :
[Undead Maincity map] [Undead Filler Map] [Neutral Map] [Human Filler Map] [Human Maincity Map]
The Game starts on the neutral map, if you win a round your team is pushing the enemy back towards their main city. For example the humans win the first round, then the next round will be played on the "Undead Filler Map".
The Game was over if one side managed to push the enemy back to their "main base map" and win on this final map. The further you pushed the enemy the more "siderelated" the maps looked like. The undead final map was a giant necropolis
I would love this kind of feature in Natural Selection 2, it gives the game a greater goal and you feel like actually achieving something by winning a game.
This is my first activity in this Forum so feel free to give your opinion on this.
If this english was bad sry, but I´m german and typed it between 2 ns2 games
Comments
PS: Your English’s fine, player base all around the world, use hands and feet if necessary
Really is not hard to implement, all you need is some sort of global map which shows you all official maps as sectors. Let's say at the beginning maps are spread equally among teams, god knows what decides which map is played first, but then, winning team is able to pick enemy controlled map that is next to any territory they control.
To add meaning to territories you control, you get a little (I do mean LITTLE) advantage, like pre-built (or 99% built) powernodes on closest res nodes, or pre-spread cysts to closest nodes (these two really make sense), or 5-10 extra res at start, or any other kind of preparation that will grant you minor advantage.
In addition, winning team might decide not to attack, but to defend their sector. Choosing to defend grants you a little more advantage in addition to owned territory advantage. In case you are defeated, you lose control there, but if you win, you get more noticeable starting advantage next time enemy attacks this map, making it even harder to regain control of global map for enemy.
Next thing, you just disable ready room/team switch, i.e. you can only pick your team once and then game goes on and on after each map with same teams.
OR. You can just leave no team switch and global map with winning team deciding next map features, without all the questionable map control bonuses.
Seriously, this game needs something like this. Adding global strategy element to existing RTS elements of the game, making it look like real war between aliens and marines.
Basically, it's a votemap system that keeps track who was on what team and who won on what map. Territory control bonuses might be constant every time (boring) or picked by winning team from set amount of bonuses, choice might even be based on map captured. Like, after winning on summit marines can pick between prebuilt power nodes at two closest RTs, or scan at the begging of the game, that scans one random spawn, possibly revealing alien hive or at least marking safe location and on veil you get to pick from different bonuses. So when you lose one map and aliens are attacking one of your maps, you get some slight starting advantage. And if you get to win, you pick next map and so on until campaign is complete.
I would suggest a change to standard game play and unique maps that cater to faster games might make this worth while.
Another idea (one that would amplify the time issue, not resolve it): Alien Territory is already infested (Possibly with Structures already built), Marine Territory already has critical buildings built Armory, Arms Lap, extractors etc. To counter this I think having a really strong bonus to the winning team would make sense. Upgrades from the last map researched or choice of early game buff (Health/Speed/Res Collection rate etc.)
Regardless this feels like it would be an AWESOME Mod if anyone has the time and inclination to take it on.
If teams can sign up for a cup between seasons where you can choose to join as either Marines or Aliens, and only play as that side. It would be hard to get an even number of teams on each side, but if you do this and cycle through maps from neutral to alien sided or marine sided depending on the first victory, it might make for very interesting games!
Yea and just make it so that the teams stay the same automatically for the next map, but of course new players in the middle of a round can join.
Throw in some of those adorable story pop-ups like in Xenoswarm and you've got yourself the closest semblance to single player/co-op that natural selection will likely ever see
Well, you don't have to play through whole session.
Take Arma Capture the Island for example. Games lasts for days. You just hop in whenever you like to help your favourite side.
Same goes for Planetside and Red Orchestra's Campaign mode. Of course, if you are so dedicated, you can play from the very start to the very end, but this is not required.
Modes like this just add some more depth to ordinary gameplay.
Config:
ForceTeams : Should Teams stay the same over rounds blocks also rr by F4
MapCycle:
[
"map1", -- alien base
"map2",
"map3" -- marine base
]
Rest should explain itself
Commands :
sh_resetteams (!resetteams in chat) : deletes teamlists
sh_changelevel <mapname> (!map in chat) : change map to given mapname (is from the basecommand plugin)
If you have any questions just ask, futhermore anyone is free to modify the code to his/her needs i will gladly merge pull requests.
You're late son.
This idea has already been submitted on NS1.
1 : One of the main problem is that you can't use original maps like that.
If you have a alien friendly map used for this "territory fight" you will have problems using these map as casual/single. This would need development to at least patch maps. I mean making a different version of the original map to be A or B friendly. Then comes the balance issue. as pointed out by Mururmir. Dev team is small. So the modders will have to be "on their own".
2: You can end up in the "back and forth" syndrome.
This would ultimately require a tool to save the state of the war in order to continue next week end... Or a system that determine winning even if game isn't finished yet. Yes the almighty timer/score. It has flows.
@xen32 have pointed out the attack/fortify system which can add to this.
My question is:
For that kind of project you need people.
Many Mappers, Some Map testers, 1 Programmer, 1 Project manager
And a really good definition of what mappers should do.
There's always a lot of people that will say "yeah cool idea", but won't get in. Then you have the one that get in but don't do much. and you end up alone. You always have a lot of problems.
Are you willing to put some time in this ???
I can help. PM me.
1) Make every map neutral. This avoids back-and-forth. No additional work required.
2) Give the defending team an advantage by granting them certain tech/more bases/more harvesters in the beginning.
Something like this, only good:
You know, some good 3d icons that outline the map/facility action takes place in. Some connections might be shown, i.e. ships flying between descent station and docking, moving elevator between mineshaft and tram, trams going to/from refinery, etc.
So, this map can act like new ready room for crusader mode that loads after every match or something.
Jeah, you´re right. At the moment it´s just an idea and to actually create this mod I´ll need a team. The problem is that I´m alone atm just as you mentioned, and I decided to visit school again for 2 years. ( I wanna visit university afterwards) I hope that sentence makes any sense : )
I really like creating thinks,but my time is quite limited right now. I started to create a map with the editor, but it´s in Pre pre pre alpha state atm.
If someone knows how to use the editor, I would appreciate your help.