VoxelWar Discussion thread

[Zekamalikyd]

gen's always been a 2hufag

hi vlad

[VladVP]

hey zek
Can't believe ya ol blokes are still here

[MrHaaax]

hey zek
Can't believe ya ol blokes are still here

We are still here.

[VladVP]

Did the guy who got me banned for posting loli leave?

[MrHaaax]

Did the guy who got me banned for posting loli leave?

Who? Alot of people left already.

[VladVP]

The guy who always used to suck Stack's dick.

[LeCom]

BnS is dead. Especially its staff (dead as fuck, but servers still get banned somehow btw).

[MrHaaax]

BnS is dead. Especially its staff (dead as fuck, but servers still get banned somehow btw).

At least we have got a new game :D

[VladVP]

BnS is dead. Especially its staff (dead as fuck, but servers still get banned somehow btw).

I noticed.
So... how long have you been working on this? Did you use Ken Silverman's original Voxlap, or make your own from scratch?

[gen]

adventures of jack are more alive than bns and vxw together

[MrHaaax]

BnS is dead. Especially its staff (dead as fuck, but servers still get banned somehow btw).

I noticed.
So... how long have you been working on this? Did you use Ken Silverman's original Voxlap, or make your own from scratch?

I think he used your Voxlap port. And it's been around for.. 2 months?

[LeCom]

BnS is dead. Especially its staff (dead as fuck, but servers still get banned somehow btw).

I noticed.
So... how long have you been working on this? Did you use Ken Silverman's original Voxlap, or make your own from scratch?

50/50
Own extremely shitty KV6 renderer + Ken's "example" voxel renderer written in C, optimized and improved (I partly reverse-engineered Ken's ASM version to find out how he implemented some things). No SIMD tho'. Oh, and it was based on your port.

[VladVP]

Ken's "example" voxel renderer written in C, optimized and improved

Man, the BASIC voxel renderer? I ported that to X11 like a year ago.

[LeCom]

Ken's "example" voxel renderer written in C, optimized and improved

Man, the BASIC voxel renderer? I ported that to X11 like a year ago.

No, the gline() C code from your Voxlap port.

[epicfacethe3rd]

Anyways....

I like the idea of friendly fire, so I thought of a way to curb friendly-fire abuse:

After x (3?) amount of FF kills, or within a certain timeframe (say more than 1 within 5 minutes) the player will be auto-banned via IP. Something like at least a 48 hour ban should discourage it. Not only will this serve as punishment for the ones who inevitably go on a rampage but it will also instill fear in those who do actually give a shit about shooting their own team. Hell, make the requirements only 1 FF kill ever and the punishment a day-long ban, people might actually shoot more carefully.

Speaking of careful shooting, I appreciate that the rifle is hard to aim to encourage a slower paced, more thought out battle. I agree with that concept and want to nurture that. However, if I am at close range and I can not physically place my sights on a target right in front of me because my mouse has a mind of its own, that is too much.

But, who am I to complain and not offer a solution? I think there are many different ways to encourage less shooting. I'm writing this part after finishing the monstrosity in the spoiler, so I would like to take this time to say I couldn't help myself and I wrote way too much. Click if you dare:

Spoiler:

- Squad system. Before my eardrums are blasted out with a resounding "NO!", let me say that I understand where you're coming from. Let me explain my side. AoS/BnS is a fantastic game for its simple and exciting gameplay. What is missing almost entirely is any sort of tactical element. Implementing too much realistic tactics reduces the simplicity and fun of the game. It is a delicate balance, but one I think that will separate VoxelWar from the shadow of the giant.

I am suggesting the 32 players on each team be split up into 4 8-man squads. Obviously a match won't start with 32 players normally (and in the game's current state I haven't seen anyone but bots) so the squads will be formed as the player-count increases. In each group of 8, there is a squad leader. He can communicate to the other squad leaders as well as his own squad. The squad leaders are the only form of communication between squads. You can also not change squads with commands.

Determining who is squad leader is tricky business, and I haven't fully worked it out yet. If it was done by kill count it would increase pressure to shoot everything that moves, so thats a no-go. We can at least say that when a game starts no one will have any scores, so the first person to join in each group of 8 is automatically the leader. I will go into a method of determining the leader once I have covered another bullet point later. For now, lets discuss the role of the SL (Squad Leader).

Everyone in game has a map, yes? Each SL can draw on/mark points of interest on the map for their squad, and for other squad leaders to see. Here are some ideas for markers:

Objective - The objective marker is simply where the squad is directed to go as determined by the SL.

Spawn - The spawn marker is a required marker and it can not be deleted, only moved around to each CP the team has.

Line - If you click and drag your cursor from your spawn point you can draw a line to indicate how the squad should move to that objective. The line is drawn in points, not freehand, and it has to connect back to the objective. Other measures could be taken to ensure the SL can not just draw all over the map willy-nilly. An example of how the line could be used is to indicate flanking maneuvers, which otherwise would not be clear just by placing an objective marker.

Everyone on a team can see every squad's Spawn and Objective. Having actual icons instead of colored numbers for things on the map would reduce confusion greatly. If you're still reading this far holy shit.

So one of the reasons for implementing things like objectives and leaders is to lower the chance that someone is going to just waltz in with an SMG and rack up kills. More planning and thought is inherently required. I also mentioned CPs and what it would take to be a Squad Leader, so that brings me to my next bullet point.

- TOW-esque Default Gamemode. A variation of the aforementioned squad system could work with babel, push, ctf, etc. but it is built in mind for something like tug of war. Each map would have set CPs for each team. The number of CPs does not have to be equal for each side, but that would be ideal.

Each CP spawns with at least:

- An ammo crate
- A medical tent
- 2 artillery pieces
- 2 machine guns

So now we get into the driving force of the gamemode. Why is it important to capture all the CPs? To win the game, obviously. (Quick aside, the CPs are not in a straight line, they are dispersed however the mapmaker decides) Each CP generates intel as time passes. The more you CPs you have and for as long as you have them determines how much intel you can earn for your team.

Why is intel useful? Because you can buy things with it! What would you need to buy? This brings me to my next point:

- Finite supplies. This is a big thing to discourage wild shooting. There is a real chance that your team could run out of ammo, so players are encouraged to take shots more carefully and the value of things like ammo crates and medical tents increases dramatically. Imagine if you were running low on medical supplies. You would be less likely to take risks and get everyone killed.

So here is an idea of what you would be able to spend intel points on:

- Ammo Refill
- Medical Refill
- New Ammo Crate
- New Medical Tent
- New Artillery
- New MG

New items would be designated to a CP and dropped there via plane.

(I just thought of something in between what I'm typing. Building is further necessary to defense of the CP so that intel can be reaped for longer. People might actually want to make forts and stuff!)

Who decides what is purchased? Thats where the handy-dandy voting system comes in to play. Only squad leaders can put up a vote for purchase of something and where it will be located. Everyone on the team has an equal vote though.

So above I alluded to the concept of not getting your guys killed. In games like AoS/BnS getting killed wasn't such a big deal, and so people were more likely to again be reckless and just shoot/kill all the time. I'm not outright suggesting the respawn timer be longer, or the number of respawns allowed be finite, but some sort of penalty for dying should be implemented.

Also, getting back to how SLs are determined: Those who have individually captured the most CPs are selected before anyone else. In addition to that, maybe you could pass on being SL if you aren't up for it or don't know what to do. Then the next in line gets it. Or if everyone is tied than its selected at random. Lots of different options. Point is: The ones who actually go out and get stuff done are selected to lead.

I know I have suggested a lot in here. I also know I've left stuff out, and there will be obvious exploits to the game mechanics I have laid out. And I know that I'm going to get some bullshit sarcastic cynicism-filled comment from gen, bloodfox, or that other guy. But I've made my case and those who actually are contributing hopefully will agree with my suggestions for the game.

TLDR; Having a way to plan/coordinate with other players, having constraints like finite supplies, fear of death, fear of friendly fire all together can have a drastic difference in making this game not a shootout but a real battle. A real struggle between two sides. And not only that, but it would make it its own game, not a thing to shit all over and compare build and shoot to. No rifle handicaps necessary!

damn, you beat me to posting about my supplies system!