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Desert Outposts Sinakra v02

This bundle is marked as useful / simple. Simplicity is bliss, low effort and/or may contain minor bugs.
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-Desert Outposts Sinakra-

Modern/ Scifi Themed real time strategy map with "base building".
Explore a randomized map, claim buildings instead of building them, build an army, do research and rise to dominate the map.
  • You can play alone against the preset ai enemy (Player number 12 brown)
  • You can play coop in one team against the preset ai enemy (Player number 12 brown)
  • You can play versus when both teams have players
    • Ai works (Easy, Normal and Insane ai acts differently)
    • You spawn at a random starting point
Check Information Tab for crucial hints.

Information

Screenshots

Changelog

Credits

Authors Notes



Crucial Hints:
  • This map is about exploration and domination, to win you have to sway the odds in your favour.
  • Outpost buildings are randomized, if an outpost is heavily defended, move on find an better one.
    • Red Buildings: Offline, cost the fewest resource to capture, instant.
    • Black Buildings: Destroyed, cost the most resources to capture, takes time.
    • Intact: Buildings are defended and need to be destroyed first before you can capture them.
  • Having more bases makes you loose focus and you may be attacked from several sides.
  • Workbots may harvest large amounts of metal quickly, secure the blue metal ore when you find it.

Unit Infos Infos:
A brief description of what the races have to offer.
  • Workbot: Repairs, harvests resources, can serve as its own drop off point.
  • Shock Trooper: Basic infantry unit, backbone that deals with other infantry, useful against beam troopers and other heavy infantry like the cyborg mutant.
  • Beam Trooper: All rounder, mainly used against vehicles and buildings, vulnerable to laser fire.
  • Troop Transport: Fires with units inside, good for scouting and capturing bases quickly, especially early on. Load troops to secure them from enemy fire.
  • Bulvak Tank: Heavy tank used to soak enemy damage and destroy enemy vehicles and buildings, can be quickly repaired.
  • Basilisk: Artillery with explosive rounds that burns down enemy infantry quickly.
  • Giant Mech: Advanced vehicle that absorbs enemy laser fire and can handle most troops very well. Vulnerable to larger mechanized armies and cyborg mutants.
  • Havoc Helicopter: Only aircraft, good for scouting, raids and against infantry. Can destroy buildings fairly well with its rocket barrage.
  • Cyborg Mutant: Very strong melee unit that is a good tank killer, uses shields to survive at the front lines, be aware of enemy laser fire.


Gameplay Tipps:
  • Don't take on fights early on, try to secure one or two bases without to much enemy resistances, else you will run dry off resources pretty quickly.
  • Killing enemy organics will reward you with lots of bio mass, sometimes enemy also drop metal chunks, make sure to collect it.
  • Ammobox are all over the map, they may contain useful resources or some items to boost your troops, very useful for cyborg mutants later on. (This system is not finalized yet)



-CHANGES-
[2018-01-10]
  • Updated map description
  • Bulvak Tank way more damage
    Buildings have their own armor type now "Concrete", seperated from "Heavy Plating" for tanks, results in tanks and artillery being way strong against buildings now.
  • Lots of new research available in tech center for all unit types.
  • Units have more varied abilities now, mostly unlocked with technologies.
  • More start buildings and units
  • Random outposts removed at map start, more removed the less players are playing.
  • Terrain reworked for a bit more guidance especially in the beginning, tried to generate more orientation.
  • Workbots can now serve as dropoff point for metal ore (Teleport ore ability)
  • Win and loose conditions added, game changes to coop victory conditions when no players are in enemy team
  • All attack and armor types now have a fitting icon
  • All attack and armor type descriptions properly updated, may gets another updated with colorized text.
  • Giant Mech way more hp, almost double damage, but slightly increased cost.
  • Troop Transport now loads all infantry units and has unload ability
    (Still only shoots with units inside)
  • Adjusted some scaling and pathing collision sizes for better path finding and overview.
  • Basilisk increased area damage, more efficient splash damage, burns enemies over time.
  • Laser attacks bonus damage vs heavy infantry (Makes beam troopers and mutants less effective and shock troopers more needed)




-=Models=-
killst4r - Havoc animated
WILL THE ALMIGHTY - Shrapnel Shards Missile
Kofi_Banan - Command-Center
Mechanical Man - Leman Russ
Mechanical Man - Basilisk
Mechanical Man - Himera
D.O.G. - Spider Egg
Burning_Dragoon5 - Guardsman
Thrikodius - Ammo Box
Callahan - Dude mania scout tower
SataX - Heliport
Kwaliti - T-51b Power Armor Unit (TC)
Kwaliti - Cyborg Mutant
Mr.Bob - Giant Mech
Mr.Bob - Metal Mine
Mr.Bob - Tank Factory
Mr.Bob - Tech-Center
Fingolfin - Sta-52 Assault Rifle
Fingolfin - Helghast
Ket - Workbot
Jacky The turtle - Wall
The_Silent - Flamethrower Turret
-Grendel - Brass_Borer
epsilon - BeamMissile
Blood Raven - Ingot


-=Textures/ Terrain=-
DEFACKTwalker - A_cliff0.blp
DEFACKTwalker - Ashen_Dirt.blp
Fingolfin - Martian Dirt
GolluM_KoMe - DesertTile.blp


-=Icons=-
Big Dub - BTNOrbVar2
Huinipachutli - BTNBulletPiercing
The_Silent - BTNMetalPlatingLevel1
The_Silent - BTNMetalPlatingLevel2
The_Silent - BTNExpansion
The_Silent - BTNMotorBoost
The_Silent - BTNDNA
Paladon - BTNPManaFlare
The_Silent - BTNMotorBoost
The_Silent - BTNMotorBoost
Kwaliti - BTNSquidhead
NFWar - BTNHelghast


-=Effects/ Systems=-
Spellbound - Spellbound's Custom Lightning Effects


-=GUI=-
Minaria - StarCraft 1.16.1 Terran Interface




This map started with my curiosity to find out how much i can "reskin" warcraft 3, to give it a different feel visually and gameplay wise.
It then made units inspired by the cool models that i could find and started to focus the design idea of this map around exploration, because i liked the desert textures that i found.

I am pretty happy how the map turned out with the second version, but i think it will still be a long way before it is really well balanced especially for versus matches, its randomness factor will always stand a bit in the way.

Previews
Contents

Desert Outposts Sinakra v02 (Map)

Reviews
twojstaryjakcie
While I admire the amount of work put into the creation of this map, I have to say that most of the design decisions are simply not working out. Starting units exceed population limit (why?), the ore resource income is extremely low and it doesn't...
twojstaryjakcie
The changes you've made are certainly a step in the right direction in terms of making the map more enjoyable to play. However, I still don't understand why the map has to be uncovered at the start of the game - it's not like it's randomly generated...
Level 21
Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
1,473
I suggest:

Custom music/sound effects (unit responses - optionally)
Engaging ai for singleplayer - it's not doing enough atm
Complex techtree and/or expanding on implants (items) which you have already implemented
 
Level 2
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
17
the map don't work on multiplayer only appear a unnamed post you destroy that only dissapear
work on singleplayer yep
is possible you have 3 bases in a place 2 bases can change into any building and one building is always the same?
example you found a tank factory put one, and 2 bases more you can put a tank factory or other building
note: is me or the basic tank don't attack?
 
Level 3
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
21
I suggest:

Custom music/sound effects (unit responses - optionally)
Engaging ai for singleplayer - it's not doing enough atm
Complex techtree and/or expanding on implants (items) which you have already implemented

Nice suggestions, i wanted to add more sound related stuff anyway.

I really like the idea of implant items that give you new techtree options, because right now the loot from the ammobox feels to lack luster, resources and those infantry item boosts are not enough.

the map don't work on multiplayer only appear a unnamed post you destroy that only dissapear
work on singleplayer yep
I'll test in multiplayer, not sure what you mean at the moment.

is possible you have 3 bases in a place 2 bases can change into any building and one building is always the same?
example you found a tank factory put one, and 2 bases more you can put a tank factory or other building
Is that an request? i'll think about it, right now the outposts spawn buildings randomly in the beginning.

note: is me or the basic tank don't attack?
The basic tank is a troop transport that only fires with "shock troopers" inside,
is a bit confusing for the start, i would prefer that it fires always and increases attack speed with more units inside, but not sure how to do that atm.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Level 8
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
111
While I admire the amount of work put into the creation of this map, I have to say that most of the design decisions are simply not working out.

Starting units exceed population limit (why?), the ore resource income is extremely low and it doesn't increase until you get a worker bot, which also gathers ore at a painfully low rate. I think players should start with a worker rather than having to earn it by capturing a tank factory, since right now the gameplay is painfully slow and boring (I'd increase the income rate as well).

The unexplored map forces scouting around the map and hoping you'll eventually find something which is pretty annoying. I'd understand that if a map was randomly generated each game but it always stays the same, so why hide it from players?

Beam Troopers can't fit into the transport vehicle which doesn't make sense to me as Shock Troopers can and they have similar size. Also, why does a tank deal so little damage compared to infantry units - it's much more expensive than a beam trooper yet it has similar DPS and, in fact, its damage type deals less damage to buildings (???).

Some damage types have changed icons, descriptions and names while some don't which leaves players confused about how the damage and armor typing works exactly.

Fighting against the computer is no fun at all, they don't fight back and it's just a matter of time (a lot of it, in fact) until the players captures all buildings and wins. It would be nice to see a working AI that could attack the player and be able to create some sort of challenge.

Very few units are actually useful as Beam Troopers counter pretty much everything apart from the Giant Mech. The Havoc Helicopter stops I think you should try and tweak many units (mostly make the vehicles deal more damage, as their dps is very low for how much they cost) in order to make the game more interesting and balanced.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the PvP is nonexistent in this map, is it? If it is, that means there's no possibility of facing an opponent with equal chances as yours which is also kind of a bummer.

The map needs a lot of work, but the main issues are the multiplayer and AI as their lack makes the gameplay much less enjoyable than it could've been.
 
Level 3
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
21
Thank you for the feedback, i agree with a lot of points you made, will put more work into it.
- Only the preset player 12 brown ai is working and casually sending increansigly stronger waves from the top right.
- Adding ai to the player slots does nothing yet, but i will change that.
- PvP is nonexistent? Hm will do more testing, i thought players should at least be able to fight each other.
- I will adjust unit balancing, tanks dealing not enough damage etc are known issues, initially i thought they should be tanky bullet sponges.
- As for the other design decisions, i let the player start with exceeded population limit in order to force them to scout, i wanted to encourage exploration and not let them spend resource to build their initial army right after map start. And about the randomized buildings/ outposts, i actually hoped it would feel rewarding to find a base with some nice buildings, but it actually backfires and feels punishing, also i think it will be problematic regarding multiplayer balancing.
 
Level 8
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
111
The changes you've made are certainly a step in the right direction in terms of making the map more enjoyable to play. However, I still don't understand why the map has to be uncovered at the start of the game - it's not like it's randomly generated, right? As I've said before, this makes finding buildings necessary for progression and research a process of trial and error. Send a unit in every direction and hope that eventually it will find the desired buildings, Tech Center in particular.

I appreciate the ability you've given to the workbots - collection of ore is not a problem anymore and the player can finally focus on combat more.

Beam Troopers don't seem as powerful as they were before, which is good. The map's balance is definitely in a better state - all types of units are useful in certain situations and none of them is visibly overpowered.

I like the terrain improvements - the map looks much more interesting now as there's finally more than two colors to be seen.

The waves sent by the Hostile Forces can finally be a threat, making the map actually challenging.

Apart from fixing some minor issues such as Workbots having the sound set of a Peasant (it sounds pretty silly), the main issue I'd adress is the lack of variety in upgrades and researches - right now, they're available only in the later stages of the game when players finally have access to Tech Centers, but there are no useful researches early on. It'd definitely add to the gameplay value if there were more upgrades available from the get-go. Also, I think it'd be nice if Workbots could construct some kind of Waygates which would allow units to travel between them, especially in the late-game, when it's very hard to maneouver dozens of soldiers all over the map. And for the love of God, please remove the black mask from the map - it'd be really helpful if players could actually see where they should go in order to achieve certain goals.

Overall, the implemented changes are good, but there are still some things left to fix.
 
Level 3
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
21
The changes you've made are certainly a step in the right direction in terms of making the map more enjoyable to play. However, I still don't understand why the map has to be uncovered at the start of the game - it's not like it's randomly generated, right? As I've said before, this makes finding buildings necessary for progression and research a process of trial and error. Send a unit in every direction and hope that eventually it will find the desired buildings, Tech Center in particular.

I appreciate the ability you've given to the workbots - collection of ore is not a problem anymore and the player can finally focus on combat more.

Beam Troopers don't seem as powerful as they were before, which is good. The map's balance is definitely in a better state - all types of units are useful in certain situations and none of them is visibly overpowered.

I like the terrain improvements - the map looks much more interesting now as there's finally more than two colors to be seen.

The waves sent by the Hostile Forces can finally be a threat, making the map actually challenging.

Apart from fixing some minor issues such as Workbots having the sound set of a Peasant (it sounds pretty silly), the main issue I'd adress is the lack of variety in upgrades and researches - right now, they're available only in the later stages of the game when players finally have access to Tech Centers, but there are no useful researches early on. It'd definitely add to the gameplay value if there were more upgrades available from the get-go. Also, I think it'd be nice if Workbots could construct some kind of Waygates which would allow units to travel between them, especially in the late-game, when it's very hard to maneouver dozens of soldiers all over the map. And for the love of God, please remove the black mask from the map - it'd be really helpful if players could actually see where they should go in order to achieve certain goals.

Overall, the implemented changes are good, but there are still some things left to fix.

Thanks for the feedback, i am glad to hear that balance and challenge is finally maturing.

With the black mask thing i thought it would make exploration more interesting, because the player could see before via terrain where an outpost is and i wanted to avoid that, but i guess that is a good thing in retrospect :/
I'll have to see when i find time for the next update, but i guess i could improve some points with less effort hmm.
 
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