Staredit Network > Forums > SC1 Map Showcase > Topic: Squadron! Ultimate
Squadron! Ultimate
Sep 2 2010, 11:37 pm
By: FoxWolf1  

Sep 2 2010, 11:37 pm FoxWolf1 Post #1




Squadron! Ultimate
3v3 Space CTF Game...with customizeable starfighters.
~~~A Wingless Production~~~
FoxWolf@USEast
Version Status: Alpha (initial release, testing and debugging required)



Overview
Squadron! Ultimate is a capture the flag game, intended for two teams of thee players each. The object of the game is to score 200 points. Your team scores one point every time an enemy dies, fifteen points for every flag capture, and fifteen points every time an enemy sets off the anti-camp/anti-turtle system by staying in a base for too long.

Gameplay occurs in two areas: the battlefield, an area of walls, with flag bases at opposite corners, where long-range combat occurs, and the close combat arena. Engaging an enemy fighter with medium or long range missiles (a+click) has a 50% chance of destroying them. The other 50% of the time, they will evade the missiles, and you will both move to close combat.



Battlefield
The battlefield is where you will have the opportunity to engage enemy fighters and capture the flag. Watch out for asteroids, and be careful not to stay in bases too long (don't let your minerals reach 20). On the battlefield, you will have the following abilities available:

Jump: Allows you to go over walls instead of crashing into them. You cannot jump over the south border, or over asteroids.
Charge: Increases your energy. Use this function repeatedly to keep your energy levels up; part of the challenge of controlling your fighter skillfully is learning how to blend charging with other commands smoothly.
Warp: When designing your fighter, you will be able to choose between light, medium, and heavy warp points. You can teleport to these warp points (you get two), either to help with capturing the flag or as a way of ambushing enemies.
Missile: The long-range missile is your furthest-reaching attack option, capable of moving independently of your fighter. Like the medium-range missiles, it will only attack upon a positive lock on an enemy fighter, and has a 50% chance of killing.
Scan: Charges your long-range HDAR so that you can scan for enemies.



Close Combat
When missiles fail to kill the enemy, close combat commences. You will be armed with one of three primary weapons and four of eight specials. You can also use charge and jump, the latter of which will allow you to evade enemy specials (but not primary weapons).

Primary Weapons
Primary weapons cost 6 energy per burst, and can aim at the many aimpoints around the outside of the arena. On an energy/damage basis, your primary weapon is your best tool for destroying the enemy fighter; that said, its lack of guidance means that it is best used in conjunction with your specials. You can choose from nail flares, which are fast, but not terribly powerful; fission shells, a mixture of speed and power, and acid clouds, which are slow and take a long time to fire, but are large and powerful.

Specials
You can equip your fighter with any four of the following:

Propulsion Wake: Creates a lasting trail of burning plasma that will damage anyone who runs into it.
SFOW MIssile: A wire-guided weapon, slow, but with a sizable warhead. Quite handy in that you can fly it in front of an enemy to block their path.
Wall Drone: Costs no energy, but can only be used once per combat. Stationary wall that blocks starfighters and enemy weapons (though it can be jumped over).
Radial Pulse: Costs a lot of energy, for a tiny amount of damage, but the damage is automatic.
Mk. VII Deflector: Kills any primary weapons or specials (which are dodged but not destroyed by jumping) that come near your ship. Has a small period of vulnerability before it can be used again.
Razor Storm: Fires bursts of shards (with medium damage and some energy drain) in all directions. Unpredictable, and uses a lot of energy, but can theoretically do enough damage to kill an enemy fighter more than 80 times over.
Quad Star Barrier: Four blocking projectiles that move towards the corners of the arena and do decent damage upon contact.
ASFSRM Missile: Auto-seeking missile with a stun warhead.



Misc. Features
-Reports kills and deaths to all players, with a randomized victory quote whenever your team makes a kill.
-Multiple randomized respawn quotes.
-Flashing text effects when taking damage in close combat.
-Sound effects for almost everything that happens (for best experience, uncheck the "unit sounds" option in the "sounds" panel, but leave the others checked. In testing, the overall sound experience was better this way than with a muting trigger.)



Images
Collapsable Box





Known Issues
-Primary weapons seem to glitch sometimes. Cause is being investigated.
-Respawn seems to go into an endless loop sometimes. Cause is being investigated.
-Antis are a bit faster than would be ideal. WIll be slowed down in the next version.
-Healing damage by returning to your flag after close combat is not yet implemented.
-Wall drone has reload issues. This will be a quick fix.
-Asteroids do not stop during arena combat. Also a quick fix.
-Razor Storm may need additional power.
-The current briefing is terrible, and therefore temporary.
-No anti-hacking measures are incorporated at this time. This will be changed if at any time it becomes practical to do so.
-Map revealer creation for the blind spot at the center of the arena is not yet implemented.
-Not all systems have been comprehensively tested, so additional issues may exist.



Get It
Get it on the Week #6 Contest thread.

This will change when revised versions are released.



Testers
(none at this time)



Post has been edited 5 time(s), last time on Sep 19 2010, 7:54 pm by FoxWolf1.



None.

Sep 4 2010, 2:29 am FoxWolf1 Post #2



I am double posting because attempting to edit my original post yields an error ("Query failed : SELECT * FROM attachments WHERE att_status=0 AND att_posts=0 AND att_mid=3157"), and to reserve this space in the event that the changelog expands beyond the capabilities of the original post.

The beta version (imperfect, with additional testing required, but addressing most of the issues from the alpha version, including many not listed above) is attached.

Currently known issues:
-The asteroids still aren't particularly keen on stopping for arena combat.
-The briefing could still be better.
-Some minor issues occasionally result from mutual but non-simultaneous long-range kills. More serious issues result from simultaneous kills.
-Some design inefficiencies exist due to the rapid nature of the map's design. These will be edited out over versions to come.
-Nail flares (interceptors) occasionally fail to function.
-Flag is occasionally returned, and gas occasionally reset, when being moved to close combat.
-Propulsion wake count does not reset upon close combat concluding.

Post has been edited 7 time(s), last time on Sep 10 2010, 8:43 am by FoxWolf1.



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Sep 5 2010, 5:21 am stickynote Post #3



Looks so frickin awesome. Are you using null tiles?



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Sep 5 2010, 5:45 am FoxWolf1 Post #4



Thanks! Yep, the close combat arena is done in walkable null, which is used for a few things:
a) The design area.
b) Exhaust plasma (archons).
c) Razor Storm shards (scarabs).
d) Loading markers into heavy warp points (overlords) to tell them apart.
...while still looking like space.



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Sep 10 2010, 10:09 am FoxWolf1 Post #5



New version!

I'd call this a beta-2 version, since it still needs more testing before I am confident about it being bug-free.

Changes:

Bug Fixes:
-The asteroids now stop during arena combat (so no more getting run over while you're watching a duel).
-Issues resulting from simultaneous and mutual but non-simultaneous kills seem to have been dealt with by revisions to the kill-handling system (including a judiciously placed "Wait 0" action).
-Nail flares now function properly for all players. Turns out that in the rush to complete the map, I forgot to duplicate some of Force 1's triggers for Force 4. The necessary triggers now exist.
-Flag and energy status should now be preserved successfully when entering close combat, even if it is the enemy who fired the missiles that initiated the combat.
-Propulsion wake count resets upon combat concluding, and extra bits of plasma are reliably removed.
-A typo was removed from one string.

Balance:
-Radial Pulse now drains 20 gas instead of 5, and has a slightly more pronounced stopping effect.

Known Issues:
-Occasionally, when playing with multiple players on a side, multiple people are moved to the arena, causing arena systems to glitch and creating problems for the kill-handling system in the future. THe cause of this bug is being investigated.
-The briefing could still probably be better.
-There are more repeating actions and triggers than are absolutely necessary. This inefficiency is due to the fact that many of the systems were made very quickly, and it was simply faster to get them working this way.
-Warp Gates aren't invincible.

Anyway, download the new file (attached) and let me know if something else is now broken, if I accidentally uploaded the wrong file, or if you have any other feedback. I know that SC1 isn't as active as it used to be, and that the arena and CTF genres have never exactly had an easy time getting players (even more so with a higher-complexity game like this one), but I'm hoping that there might be there might still be someone out there who would like to play this map.

EDIT: Additional Update!

Changes:
-I've added in some triggers that should fix the multiple-people-in-arena-simultaneously bug. I haven't had a chance to test them yet, but hopefully, the close-combat transition should now be glitch-free and not permit such dishonorable things as people involving themselves in the fights of others (:P).
-Some sprite reduction has been implemented.
-Radial Pulse damage increased to 2.
-Some subtle sound effects have been added to the anti-camp/anti-turtle system to enhance its feel.

Post has been edited 5 time(s), last time on Sep 14 2010, 11:04 pm by FoxWolf1.



None.

Sep 14 2010, 10:38 pm FoxWolf1 Post #6



Since, as stated in the forum rules, "there has been a lack of activity in your thread for days" (and because nobody would ever notice otherwise), I feel that the situation justifies a multiple post.

New version!

Changes:
-New file suffix: 1.0 (!)
-Map performance has been significantly increased: enlarging the area to 64x128 allows the interceptors to roam freely while waiting to be used, instead of having to be confined by triggers, eliminating a major source of lag. In tests, the map now runs much more smoothly.
-Decorative checkerboard pattern added in the space where the carriers and reavers used to be held.
-Radial Pulse damage increased from 2 to 3.
-Radial Pulse momentary stopping effect increased from 5 to 6. All in all, the Radial Pulse is now very much more powerful than it was in its original form; I'm looking forward to seeing what sorts of builds people can come up with for it!
-Gong sound effect added to briefing.
-Briefing is now slightly more detailed. Mind you, the map is simple enough that approaching it with logic and a bit of patience would be more than enough to figure it out without any help, but it's nice to have some information here and there anyway.
-Warp Gate name is now colorized.
-Warp Gate is now invincible.

I know that trigger-based arena maps aren't exactly the most popular genre, but if you're even remotely interested, please help out with testing...I need to run some 2v2/3v3 tests to verify that the trigger changes introduced in beta-2.5 have been successful in preventing the multiple-people-in-arena-simultaneously bug. There's only so much I can test by the host-OS-Starcraft-install vs guest-OS-Starcraft-install method.

EDIT: This version removed due to a minor bug. See below for information and fixed version.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Sep 14 2010, 11:49 pm by FoxWolf1.



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Sep 14 2010, 10:41 pm StarBlue Post #7



I can't find where you saved it in. what map folder is it in?



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Sep 14 2010, 10:43 pm FoxWolf1 Post #8



Quote from StarBlue
I can't find where you saved it in. what map folder is it in?

Scroll up about three lines from your post.



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Sep 14 2010, 10:45 pm Echo Post #9



Awesome, A new Squadron map! I've been playing SC2, but I'm definitely going to go back to SC1 to try out this map.


By the way, are you getting SC2? I remember saying that you weren't going to, but maybe a change of hearts?



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Sep 14 2010, 10:51 pm StarBlue Post #10



yeah, that doesn't help me at all...



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Sep 14 2010, 10:59 pm FoxWolf1 Post #11



Quote from Echo
Awesome, A new Squadron map! I've been playing SC2, but I'm definitely going to go back to SC1 to try out this map.


By the way, are you getting SC2? I remember saying that you weren't going to, but maybe a change of hearts?

Thanks!

Naw, SC2's much too high-tech for me, and I don't fancy the sort of threat it might pose to my dissertation. I think after SC1 finishes dying (if it ever really does), I might give graphical games a break for a while, and try my hand at writing interactive fiction (like the old Infocom games, which are awesome, by the way). Mind you, if I were to find myself in a position to permanently borrow SC2 from someone without repercussions, like I did with SC1, I'd probably want to at least take the map editor for a test drive...so I'd put the chances of there being a physics-y, Continuum-style super-Squadron! map at 0.1% rather than 0% :P.

Quote
yeah, that doesn't help me at all...

Okay, go to your first post in this thread. You should see one of my posts right above it. At the bottom of that post, there is a file. That is the file. Download it. As to where it downloads on your computer, that will depend on where you tell your web browser to put it.

EDIT: Gah, it looks like I broke the Razor Storm. New version coming soon...

EDIT2: So when I was moving things around, I accidentally shrank the scarab-handling location. This caused the scarabs to be moved to unwalkable terrain, causing them to explode. The problem has now been remedied, and the Razor Storm is confirmed functional again. Fixed version is attached.

EDIT3: Nevermind, that wasn't it. Chill for a sec while I figure this out.

EDIT4: Aha, got it. It's a trigger-based bug that only happens with more than one person per team, which was why my private testing was going all right. Update coming soon...

EDIT5: The problem was that the "kill scarab" trigger was firing for people who weren't the one fighting (and thus had no timer set for scarab-blowing-up-regulation). It should work now.

EDIT6: Some fun tactics you might want to try:
-In close combat, if you have the wall drone, don't place it right away. If you get nice and close to an enemy, you can get them stuck on it for an instant (until they jump off), which will let you set up a shot.
-At missile range, sometimes the enemy will get a lock on you from too far away for the missiles to launch right away. This will cause their fighter to move towards yours. Respond by turning around and jumping over the nearest wall...their ship will automatically follow you, so unless they match your jump, they'll smash into the barrier and die.
-A classic as old as the Squadron! series itself: the warp drop. With medium or (even better) heavy warps, wait until the enemy is shooting at them with missiles, then warp there and take a free surprise shot at their fighter while it's busy attacking the warp point.
-For long-range hunting, combine HDAR, vision from warps, and missile (you'll have to charge +5 in between) to lock on the missile from beyond the enemy's visual range.
-Catch people by surprise with the Razor Storm by activating it right as you fly over the enemy for massive instant damage. This one is especially effective if they don't even know that you have it. You can do it with the SFOW missile too, especially if you've charged up enough to fire twice for an instant kill.
-If the enemy is trying to warp into a tight space, strategically position your warp points such that they displace his fighter into a wall for an instant kill.

Post has been edited 8 time(s), last time on Sep 17 2010, 6:15 am by FoxWolf1.



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Sep 15 2010, 9:07 pm StarBlue Post #12



@ FoxWolf1
The thing is, it automatically saves it, it doesn't let me choose where to save it :massimo:



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Sep 16 2010, 12:14 am FoxWolf1 Post #13



There's always a way, though what that is will vary based on your browser and operating system. Consult whatever help function your browser has built-in to learn about this option, or search on the internet for information about it, or just look through whatever menus and preference screens you might have until you find it.

If, against all reason, none of these methods yield success, then after you download the latest version, use whatever search functionality your operating system features to find it, then move it to your maps folder. This procedure will have the side effect of revealing where your computer has been putting your downloaded files.



None.

Sep 16 2010, 12:52 pm ClansAreForGays Post #14



Just going by the screenshots, I can tell this is an awesome map. Can't wait to play it




Sep 16 2010, 10:47 pm Magicide Post #15

Sleeping wolves wake hungry.

Quote from StarBlue
@ FoxWolf1
The thing is, it automatically saves it, it doesn't let me choose where to save it :massimo:

Right click, save as, choose save point.




Sep 17 2010, 1:44 am FoxWolf1 Post #16



Quote from ClansAreForGays
Just going by the screenshots, I can tell this is an awesome map. Can't wait to play it

Thanks! I should be hosting the current version a bit over the next week or so; I haven't seen any bugs in it yet, but it needs some more intensive testing before I'll say I'm sure that it's 100% functional. It's kind of tricky to get games going, though, since it's not a mini-game and therefore will require a bit of practice to get the hang of. Unfortunately, I don't have a group of regular testers with whom to have the sort of full-scale game that would encourage new people to stick with it until they become competent, and without new people sticking around, no group of players for full-scale games is built, so it's kind of a Catch-22...

P.S. If playing, be sure to use the latest version, because there is a big difference. The bug and lag fixes are pretty much required if you want it to go as it should.



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Sep 17 2010, 2:35 am ClansAreForGays Post #17



Was completely wow'd playing this.




Sep 17 2010, 4:01 am FoxWolf1 Post #18



Quote from ClansAreForGays
Was completely wow'd playing this.

Glad you liked it!

Anyhow, time for a new version!

Changes:
-When running with the flag, vision lock is released during duels.
-New quick-reference help functions!
-->Left Corsair: Displays the key list (sure, I could have put this in the mission objectives, but that'd mean getting rid of the Squadron! haiku Easter egg :P)
-->Right Corsair: Displays a list of your specials.



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Sep 17 2010, 5:08 am ETEFT(U) Post #19



This map is pretty nice, I liked it. Only bad part is that it made my brain numb on trying to figure out how to do all the combos and special features. But it's still a map I'd play again. :-_-:



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Sep 19 2010, 7:52 pm FoxWolf1 Post #20



Quote from ETEFT(U)
This map is pretty nice, I liked it. Only bad part is that it made my brain numb on trying to figure out how to do all the combos and special features. But it's still a map I'd play again. :-_-:

Glad you liked it! The numb-brain feeling is normal and typically goes away with practice (the new help features ought to help with that).

Anyway, there are still one or two quite rare bugs left in 1.1, so there'll probably be a 1.2...but it looks like I'm at least getting closer to the point of being finished with this project. Next up? Who knows :P.



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