FULL FINISHED City Assault Campaign

[Reliable Royce]

OK, I fixed the cash amounts (thanks to Rainbow for pinting that out)... It turns out that I didn't select "start" as part of the cash. I also gave a few bucks for "additional" and "success".

The first 6 levels are the "easy" ones. They mostly are eye candy - nice looking terrain. Not terribly chalenging... However as the levels increase the ratios change... At the beginning your team is %50 heavier.... in the end your team is outmassed by %50 (or was that %100? I forget)...

The Dam breaking in map 11 is my technical marvel... If you have seen the movie "Day After Tomorrow" where the Tsnami hits New York.... Well, you have an idea what happens on map 11.

Map 12 is the biggest fight in the map... 12 on 16 mech... er... Titan Slug Fest.

I am open to any suggestions and bug fixes...

Are you ready? Are you ready? Let's get it on!

Royce

[Coyote27]

Yay!!!

I'll start on it soon

[Coyote27]

So far it's getting fun. My squad just took its first casualty. :p
The money seems to be coming along nicely though, we can actually afford to hire replacements.

[Thorgrim]

Only took a brief glance at some of the maps. Can't tell how it plays, but here are a few things:

The briefings needs to be properly formatted. Blank lines, cut sentences/words, ... doesn't look very nice.

The last 2 maps don't have the indication of campaign/map#.

You refer to the enemy continually as "invaders". The initial briefing sorta conveys that it's their research facility, so are they really invaders?

All maps are set to "all", and only a few suggest 320t as min tonnage. Your allied team goes from 1H (140t) to 1H+1A to 3H+1A (620t). Doesn't seem like this campaign can be played with any squad. In 3 team games, if your tonnage is less than team3's (which is fixed here), team2 will only get twice your tonnage. May get terribly unbalanced for small player teams. Haven't checked if any of the enemy slots are fixed.

[Reliable Royce]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
The briefings needs to be properly formatted. Blank lines, cut sentences/words, ... doesn't look very nice.

I had better check on them, they are all supposed to be formatted with colours.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
The last 2 maps don't have the indication of campaign/map#.

Oh man, I can't believe I did that [:(]. I will double check them.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
You refer to the enemy continually as "invaders". The initial briefing sorta conveys that it's their research facility, so are they really invaders?

Yea, my original idea was that they took over SkyDome, but I guess if it is R&D they wouldn't be in the middle of a war... Well, this one i'm not too worried about. I'm gonig to think of it as a portable-in-the-field-R&N center... [:D]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
All maps are set to "all", and only a few suggest 320t as min tonnage. Your allied team goes from 1H (140t) to 1H+1A to 3H+1A (620t). Doesn't seem like this campaign can be played with any squad. In 3 team games, if your tonnage is less than team3's (which is fixed here), team2 will only get twice your tonnage. May get terribly unbalanced for small player teams. Haven't checked if any of the enemy slots are fixed.

This one I'm not sure about... I am under the impression that if you set the balance to be A=B+%50 then the computer would balance your squad (team 1) with your allies (team 3) against your foes (teams 2 and 4). (In this case your team A is %50 heavier...)

If I had 4 recons (160t) and the full allies (620t)... and I set the balance to B=A+%50... Would team 2 = 1170t? (The full weight of my combined team plus %50)...

If not, then I have some work to do...

Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated!

Royce

[Rainbow7]

I'll try to get a few more scenarios in soon. Congratulations on getting it out.

[Coyote27]

Well, who knows, maybe I'll get around to making a decent mission or two myself...
It helps to know there's still plenty of peeps around to play

[Thorgrim]

Formatting: in the map editor they look ok, but in the battle module they don't. They have very slight display differences, one character too many may be enough to produce weird results. I usually don't use the full line length in the map editor, and check the result with the battle module (don't actually have to load the map, just hit the Briefing button).

Balance: 3 team maps are different. Team3 is counted as being the same weight as Team1. Then balance is applied.


Smallish details:
There was one event in a map (can't recall which) about a swimming pool, but the text was not assigned to the event, so it won't be displayed.
Some maps have Jock3 speaking, if the player only takes 2 Jocks it might get weird [;)]
The map that Rainbow appears, the team gets on their titans and talk with Rainbow, even though he doesn't have a titan yet. Portable comm set or something? [:D]


I'll try to have a closer look when I get the time. Not criticizing, just trying to help.

[Reliable Royce]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
Formatting: in the map editor they look ok, but in the battle module they don't. They have very slight display differences, one character too many may be enough to produce weird results. I usually don't use the full line length in the map editor, and check the result with the battle module (don't actually have to load the map, just hit the Briefing button).

I never bothered to stop and read them in the Battle Module... OK, I see where they will need some serious editing. Probably all maps are effects this way.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
Balance: 3 team maps are different. Team3 is counted as being the same weight as Team1. Then balance is applied.

So the best way to balance is to add team 4 with either exactly the same mass as team 2 or computed Titans?

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
Smallish details:
There was one event in a map (can't recall which) about a swimming pool, but the text was not assigned to the event, so it won't be displayed.

That's just bad oversight on my part... Hmmm, the swimming pools are are the beginning... I can check maps 1-6 to find it.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
Some maps have Jock3 speaking, if the player only takes 2 Jocks it might get weird [;)]

Yea, I can fix that buy making 1,2, and 3 mandatory. That brings up an interesting question... If I choose 4 Titans to fight, and they are not my leader, mechanic, or business person... Then what happens with &leader&, &mechanic&, and &business&? Does it just re-adjust for the Titans that are on the Battlefield?

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
The map that Rainbow appears, the team gets on their titans and talk with Rainbow, even though he doesn't have a titan yet. Portable comm set or something? [:D]

I assume that some Titans have enough room for a passenger. So until he get's his Titan, he would hitch a ride and have a second headset for communication. I was thinking of a passenger in a helicopter... They usually get a headset to communicate as well.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
I'll try to have a closer look when I get the time. Not criticizing, just trying to help.

This is great feedback, I really appreciate it! And I've learned a few things about the Map Editor...

I am sure this will help others with their maps as well.

Royce

[Coyote27]

ORIGINAL: Reliable Royce

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
Some maps have Jock3 speaking, if the player only takes 2 Jocks it might get weird [;)]

Yea, I can fix that buy making 1,2, and 3 mandatory. That brings up an interesting question... If I choose 4 Titans to fight, and they are not my leader, mechanic, or business person... Then what happens with &leader&, &mechanic&, and &business&? Does it just re-adjust for the Titans that are on the Battlefield?

Yeah, it probably uses the best jock for the skill, which might be the same one for each.

[Rainbow7]

Okay, so I just finished North Bay. The pay scale is much improved: I took a chance and didn't play any random battles before going in, so there was a chance I would be broke after this mission. But I came out on top.

Two comments:

1. In the briefing, there is a spelling mistake near the end. The word "any" instead of "and".
2. Should that ammo bay work? I sat in it for 60 seconds, but to no avail.

[Thorgrim]

ORIGINAL: Reliable Royce
So the best way to balance is to add team 4 with either exactly the same mass as team 2 or computed Titans?

Well, instead of using 8 titans for team2, you can use 4 for team2 and 4 for team4, or any combination. Or in maps that don't require disabling all opposition, assign a single titan for team4 and lock it behind the talest mountains in a corner of the map where there'll be no action [:)]

Yea, I can fix that buy making 1,2, and 3 mandatory.

Hmm, I don't think you can set player titans to mandatory.

[Thorgrim]

ORIGINAL: Reliable Royce
I assume that some Titans have enough room for a passenger. So until he get's his Titan, he would hitch a ride and have a second headset for communication. I was thinking of a passenger in a helicopter... They usually get a headset to communicate as well.

Sorry for the delay, my connection is down.
Hmm, helicopters have passenger room, they're built that way. Titans are built for a single Jock, the cockpit is not really designed for 2 (life support is a problem, ejection too). Anyways, somewhere in map 7 (he doesn't have his own titan yet) he says "my tactical map". Ooops [;)]

BTW, this kind of "briefing" (and fixed characters) lends itself to possibilities like Rainbow dying (even in the passenger's seat), and then appearing and talking in the next missions.

The swimming pool thing I mentioned is in map 2, the 2 bays Rainbow mentioned (60 secs delay missing) are in map 4.

There are a bunch of other details, mostly event related (triggered by), I'll send them privately, no need to post spoilers here.

[Rainbow7]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
the 2 bays Rainbow mentioned (60 secs delay missing) are in map 4.

Are you refering to me or to the Rainbow character in the game? The ammo bay I was refering to (above) was in map 2.

Maybe I too should switch to private email, in case these are spoilers ...

Finished map 3, and it was an interesting fight. No problems that I could see with the map.

[Thorgrim]

Oops, should have payed more attention. There are 2 more in map 4 then [8D]

What I meant with the private comments was actually for technical issues with the map editor. I don't think AARs will spoil much.

[Reliable Royce]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
Hmm, helicopters have passenger room, they're built that way. Titans are built for a single Jock, the cockpit is not really designed for 2 (life support is a problem, ejection too). Anyways, somewhere in map 7 (he doesn't have his own titan yet) he says "my tactical map". Ooops [;)]

I guess I was thinking of the BattleMaster from BattleTech. I also assumed that not all Titans would have the ability or room to hold another person... Recons probably wouldn't have any room, but maybe large Titans may have just enough space to cram in another person. As for the datapad... I assumed that he would have something like my PalmPilot... Just a better version that he would carry in his pocket.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
BTW, this kind of "briefing" (and fixed characters) lends itself to possibilities like Rainbow dying (even in the passenger's seat), and then appearing and talking in the next missions.

Yea, I thought about that wierd "coming back to life". It would have been nice to have some sort of feature to have a premade team that suffers along the way with you (or the ability to take more than one team with you in the mission).
In the end, I honestly chose just to ignore it and just smile when someone pointed it out.
[:)]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
The swimming pool thing I mentioned is in map 2, the 2 bays Rainbow mentioned (60 secs delay missing) are in map 4.

Thanks I will fix that as soon as the project gives me a break.

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
There are a bunch of other details, mostly event related (triggered by), I'll send them privately, no need to post spoilers here.

Sure. I think a lot of the earlier maps suffered as I learned how to use the tools.

Royce

[Thorgrim]

ORIGINAL: Rainbow
The ammo bay I was refering to (above) was in map 2.

Maybe that wasn't supposed to be an ammo bay at all, but more houses? The briefing says there are no facilities in that town.

[Thorgrim]

ORIGINAL: Reliable Royce
I guess I was thinking of the BattleMaster from BattleTech.

Yea, like the Rifeman also has AAA abilities [:D]

I also assumed that not all Titans would have the ability or room to hold another person... Recons probably wouldn't have any room, but maybe large Titans may have just enough space to cram in another person.

Well, even if that were the case, you can't really know which titans the player will have [:)] Picky, I know.



Played the 1st map with the default squad that came with the game (3 recons: Stinger, Dragonfly and Porcupine), got a lone Cutthroat as opposition. Defeated it with minimal damage, even though my leader took a gauss round to the head which almost killed him. Earned 208k plus the Cutthroat without an arm and a leg. Repairs were 98k, 2/3 of which for the Cutthroat. May be a little too much reward for a rookie squad IMO (though not for medium or high skill squads). I now have a light when I couldn't buy one too - maybe more than one titan should be set to mandatory.

[Reliable Royce]

ORIGINAL: Thorgrim
May be a little too much reward for a rookie squad IMO (though not for medium or high skill squads). I now have a light when I couldn't buy one too - maybe more than one titan should be set to mandatory.

Yea, I've noticed that it is very difficult to make map/mission/campaign geared to all levels... Something always seems off balance. I think in the future I will make missions specifically for one level instead of all levels.

Royce

[Thorgrim]

Well, giving payment, bonus and titan reward in all maps doesn't help [:D]
But yes, it is easier to make maps for a specific level, or limited set of levels. And having a general figure for tonnage also helps.