Warbox is down. No more distractions until I finish beta.

Just a heads up to some new cockpit changes coming soon. The cockpit options presently are as follows:

• Toggle Gear Spawner
  
• Acquire/Teleport
  
• Deploy Vehicle
  
• Toggle Shields
  
• Launch Redeemer Missile
  
• Launch Seeker Bomb
  
• Return Bits
  
• Gear Master (unused)
  

But, with some upcoming changes, it will be looking something more like this:

• Toggle NPC Ordering | Consume/Acquire
  
• Toggle Propulsors | Return Bits
  
• Deploy Vehicle
  
• Cycle Shields/Armor
  
• Launch Redeemer Missile
  
• Launch Seeker Bomb
  
• <blank> (unused)
  
• Gear Master (unused)
  

I'll be making the NPC spawner work automatically, so having an option for it will be no longer needed. The teleport menu, too, will be automatic when hovering over an allied spawner. The other options with the | separators indicate that they will actually change according to context. That is, you must Return your bits before the Propulsor option becomes active. And you'll need to cycle between Shields and Armor.

So as you can see, the last 2 cockpit options are now free to use. Instead of 3 holder options in a separate transport, I could use these for just 2 instead, but keep them in the same transport. I'll be rearranging the hangar to allow the classic Bit Deploy method, too, as well as leaving a 3rd, non-deployable holder for storage/organizational purposes.


Thoughts?

I wanna try this thing out... anyone wanna play sometime? IM me.
I was going to register on the forums but they are shut down ;o

I'll play with you as soon as I get my laptop fixed >.<

...if ya g1v3 m3h m1n3r4al5

Care to give us a status report, Tux? It's been awhile since you've said anything about this map.

Ya, and I wanna test... :'(
How comes I hear so many peeps that have the alpha test version and me that is subscriben to the testers, I dun have anything? :'(

Okay, I did a lil' 30 min test alone and here is what I found :
- The Gear Master, once near the Cockpit, do not go into it automatically
- If you use the teleport to last shop beacon, it kind of set a link between the shop and the Gear so you can swap your vehicules via the shop (I dunno if it was supposed to be like that)
- When you deploy a vehicule and you lift off, you lose the control of that vehicule and have to go get it back
- Maybe it's supposed to be like that, but when I deploy a BIT, it only do a minus of 1 gaz...

None of those are errors. Those were all intentional.

Btw, Tux has revealed himself! He has posted a few times on Maplantis in the other Astrogears thread. He says he's almost done with beta 1. Here's a link.
http://www.maplantis.org/index.php?topic=2483;st=220#60164

Hi.



Ok got a new postable update: Tech. I've decided after some careful deliberation that tech will now be handled by unlocking purchases. The first purchase of any shop item unlocks that item (unlocking costs extra). Subsequent purchases simply buy it.

Unlocking will also have a hierarchy, too, so to unlock certain things you must first unlock others. This in effect creates a true tech tree. I think I prefer this system over the other options because it skims off a lot of the nonsense while adding a powerful layer to the gameplay to encourage players to make decisions (rather than just staggering them with a rigid tech ladder). Plus it's easier for me to code.




No beta today. Too much stuff needing to be finished off at the moment (including the above tech thing).

Alright, now that I've gotten underway with the new batch of to-do list junk to get this to the somewhat complete stage, I'll give the estimate that I should have this ready no later than next friday. And that's padding out a few days for any further laziness/distractions/indecisiveness. If I can maintain my current pace, though, I could have this ready as soon as monday. But I doubt it.

I really want to see how well Mk II plays. Everything is just so much better than Mk I now. I can't stand even watching people still try to play Mk I.

Forwarded
Update: Alright, I may have a safe version ready for some private testing. But the proper beta is still scheduled for Friday.

I haven't gotten the new tech system up and running yet, so I'll just have to make do with the old one for now. Hopefully I can have that too ready by Friday.

O.O

What a useless post.

I played Astrogears MK I for the first time this morning, and I have to say it was absolutely brilliant. It wasn't very difficult to learn either, I could understand most things pretty quickly.

I'm suspecting AG MK II is gonna be four times better than MK I, and I'm readily awaiting the beta. =)

If I cant find anyone to play the alpha/beta with when it's released, which varies and is very much possible, I could let you try and play the alpha/beta.

Tech tree now works by purchase unlocking. I'm still drafting out the hierarchy/unlocking prices:

Tier 0 (no unlocking)-

• Support Engineering Bot
  
• Field Engineering Bot
  
• {Field Engy's Ground Barricades}
  
• {Field Engy's Sky Barricades}
  
• Bomber
  
• Bomber's Aero Mines
  

Tier 0.5-

• Bomber's Nerve Gas: 25$
  
• Electro-mag Device Bit: 75$
  
• Skirmisher Bit: 100$
  

Tier 1-

• Redeemer Missiles: 100$, Skirmisher
  
• {Field Engy's AA Turrets}: Redeemer
  
• Nuclear Fusion Core (Core 2): 200$, Redeemer
  
• Positron Lance Bit: 125$, Electro-mag Device
  
• Rift Runner: 75$, Electro-mag Device, Redeemer
  

Tier 2-

• {Field Engy's Sentry Cannons}: Core 2
  
• Bomber's MOAB: 75$, Core 2
  
• Seeker Bomb: 100$, Core 2
  
• (Anti-Matter Cannons): Core 2
  
• Bio-teck Device: 125$, Core 2, Electro-mag Device
  
• Siege Device Bit: 150$, Core 2, Seeker
  
• Anti-Matter Core (Core 3): 200$, Core 2, Seeker
  
• Bomber's Pepper Jack: 125$, MOAB, Siege Device
  
• Radar 1-3: Redeemer, Seeker
  
• (Quantum Envelope): Bio-teck Device
  
• [Pylon Consume]: Bio-teck Device, Siege Device
  

Tier 3-

• Radar 4-6: Core 3, Radar 1-3
  
• Singularity Core (Core 4): 150$, Core 3
  
• [Gear's Shields]: Core 3
  
• Neutron Flare Bit: 100$, Core 3, Bio-teck Device
  
• Nuclear Battery Bit: 125$, Core 3, Siege Device
  
• Radar 7-9: Core 3, Radar 4-6
  
• Aegis Bits: 100$, Nuclear Battery Bit
  

Tier 4-

• Vector Singularity Core (Core 5): 100$, Core 4
  
• [Rift Consume]: 100$, Core 4, Bio-teck Device
  
• Repair: Core 4
  

Edit: Stupid SEN list formating glitches...


I think I like this system better than the dumb "build spawner to go any further" nonsense going on before.

Post has been edited 4 time(s), last time on Mar 14 2008, 12:59 am by Tuxedo-Templar.

Tweaking this tech tree is taking a while. Be patient.

Nuclear Batteries now go under Core 4, by the way. Require Siege Bits too.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Mar 16 2008, 1:58 am by Tuxedo-Templar.

Beta 1 is up!

This is only semi-public right now. I'll post it formally when its ready. Don't expect the finished Mk II for at least a few more weeks, though.

Post has been edited 3 time(s), last time on Mar 16 2008, 2:13 am by Tuxedo-Templar.

Arrrg... Why must we register to download the file? Couldn't go with something easy like savefile, rapidshare, or megaupload could ya...

Because it's semi-public beta. As in, not something I want official yet. If you really want to see it at its present state, at the least you'll need to be bothered enough to register first.

I'll be nice this time and register, but I expect something from the DLDB... New... I'm only kidding, you do what you want to do man