(1) Project Y4: A Total Conversion

[Rao Dao Zao]

Son of a-
Thank god I stopped modding the game, you're just smacking everyone in the face.

Now that I've revealed all that is in my hand, you can safely calculate your own project to surpass me.

The drones exploding...
Win.

The two simplest special effects, in any language, are explosions... and explosions.

Thank you RDZ's mother for your son.

Awwwwww.

A RDZ project! Now that's something to get excited about. Looks great so far. =)

Thank you.

 

[Tleno]

Wow, that's quite a lot of support... and ogre emoticons...
Well, looks like I'll have to join the crowd... *Runs to his worshiping altar, throws away the Chuck Norris photo and puts RDZ's portrait instead of it*

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Wow, that's quite a lot of support... and ogre emoticons...
Well, looks like I'll have to join the crowd... *Runs to his worshiping altar, throws away the Chuck Norris photo and puts RDZ's portrait instead of it*

I think that the best thing about this trailer is that, even though the game looks pretty complete, it really isn't.

So all this excitement is a bit... premature?

 

[Tleno]

I think that the best thing about this trailer is that, even though the game looks pretty complete, it really isn't.

So all this excitement is a bit... premature?

Well yeah, it looks like it's already fully playable, even if it's not...

So what? I mean, it's not like we get excited about some WC3 project every day. I mean most of them never get finished, and since this one is done by one person and there is a lot of progress seen and I'm sure you won't abandon this, there's no doubt it will be complete. One day.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Heh. I wonder what other nice features await us.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

So what? I mean, it's not like we get excited about some WC3 project every day. I mean most of them never get finished, and since this one is done by one person and there is a lot of progress seen and I'm sure you won't abandon this, there's no doubt it will be complete. One day.

In twenty years' time, when we're all old and jaded...

Heh. I wonder what other nice features await us.

I did try to capture the keypad code system in action, but Fraps was already recording -- so when I started recording, it stopped, and when I tried to stop afterwards, it started again... Basically, I recorded everything AROUND the keypad use, and I couldn't be bothered finding one of the other keypads to try again.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

LOL. Okay then, but lets hope you'll some how get the chance and patience to find something else as neat too

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Unfortunately, I have to announce that Project Y4 is cancelled.

You can read my reasons for this at my blog.

The up-shot is that I have decided to release everything in its current state. The link is on my blog.

 

[Grievous1]

too sad :O this was one of my favourite projects...

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

too sad :O this was one of my favourite projects...

I know a lot of people are going to be let down, but I don't want to just fade away into non-existence and leave everyone hanging.

Better to make it final, so we can all move on.

 

[Deolrin]

Aww.
That's a real shame.
I really hope you'll be less stressed now, though. Good luck with your job and real life and all that stuff.

 

[Linaze]

/takes a look at the date
Oh no.
At least there's cake for everyone, so to say.

 

[Tleno]

Oh RDZ, why did you disappoint us so much?!

A message to the RDZ himself, don't read it unless you enjoy reading a lot of swearing and offencive phrases.

Spoiler

April Fools?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Yes, it's past 12:00, I can stop shitting you all. Did you really think a bad job could make me give up on something I've been building up to for the last seven years?

Check out the new teaser trailer I just uploaded instead.

 

[Tleno]

I knew it. I allways go paranoic on April Fools... I mean, I go more paranoic that ussual...

 

[Vengeancekael]

This video contains content from SME. It is not available in your country.

Suuuuure.

 

[Deolrin]

Rofl.
VKael is rick-roll prone.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

That's what I get for going through official channels.

THIS is the real new trailer.

 

[Vengeancekael]

In your face, gmail video preview image <3

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

In your face, gmail video preview image <3

We have a phrase here in Scotland for people like you: we call them "party poopers".

 

[Vengeancekael]

Admit it, you failed at it. (the map)

 

[indomitable1319]

RDZ.
You.
Suck.
I mean seriously.
You had me there.
Lol.
+Rep for having me.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

+Rep for having me.

Yes, that last blog entry is in fact a Phat Lewt.

... or is it?

 

[Deolrin]

Can we use it to make another dream of ours come true?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Can we use it to make another dream of ours come true?

If that dream is "to be trolled", sure.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Heh. I love your maps RDZ lol, can't wait to see this finally online

 

[Tleno]

If that dream is "to be trolled", sure.

No worries, Wazzz fulfilled that already...


Now I really doubt that you'll ever abandon this project... I mean you didn't just to us. You promised to yourself too... I mean, you did said you are going to finish this one, right?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Now I really doubt that you'll ever abandon this project... I mean you didn't just to us. You promised to yourself too... I mean, you did said you are going to finish this one, right?

I really am going to finish this one. Failure or abandonment are not options.

I have been climbing the ladder for more than seven years -- this is the next rung and I don't intend to fall off now.

 

[Vengeancekael]

Come on abandon it, this is going to be such a great troll war!

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

I recently noticed that, despite the AP-AM being primarily a melee attacker, I have no generic melee enemies.

Of course the original RDZMech is a melee attacker (and its pistons would surely do a fair bit of damage), but with those stubby legs designed for moving in confined mines it would be easily dispatched with artillery. No, I needed something a bit faster moving.

I recently upgraded the Beta (a.k.a. Bravo-3 Peacebringer ) to use the new Delta animation set, so it was fresh in my mind. I recently added some bonus weapon drops from crates of the Gladii (short swords that attack fast but do less damage). Why would there be blades for an experimental prototype lying around an essentially unrelated facility?

Because some other mech might also need them.

I present to you: Beta Gladii

Okay, they don't slice like on the AP-AM, but they do pump in and out in a piercing, cutting kind of a way.

Come on abandon it, this is going to be such a great troll war!

 

[Gausslander]

So... we're expected to fight robots with pincers?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

So... we're expected to fight robots with pincers?

Not pincers, pistons. They pump in and out like something off Robot Wars. The blades have sharp piercing ends as well as the main cutting edge.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

It is time to unveil the first (well, not counting the tutorial) bonus mission.



Asteroid Wars Y4

You can read the story on my blog. The jist of it is... A small Battleships in space, with procedurally generated terrain.

It's all because I discovered the cellular automata algorithm for terrain generation. I implemented it in C# and the results were too good to pass up -- not to mention the algorithm is so beautifully simple it was easy to rig up in Jass.

 

[Vengeancekael]

I cried a little.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

I cried a little.

Tears of joy, I hope?

 

[Vengeancekael]

Well you've read my other comment, so now you know.

 

[Tleno]

Actually, the procedurally generateable terrain looks awesome... though I have no idea how would it work in a starship map... could you eleborate a bit and show it?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Actually, the procedurally generateable terrain looks awesome... though I have no idea how would it work in a starship map... could you eleborate a bit and show it?

As the final screenshot in the blog shows, each "wall" tile is an asteroid that blocks pathing (I actually drop down some double-size asteroids if there is enough space to break it up a bit, and I will definitely consider doing some triple-size asteroids too).

So the terrain generates an asteroid field with two clear paths between two bases for spawns to go down.

What's not to get?

 

[Tleno]

Sorry, haven't checked your blog

Now I did and hey, now I see it!

 

[Gausslander]

Are the asteroids destructible?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Are the asteroids destructible?

You know, I am thinking about this.

Obviously, yes, they are destructibles -- they've got to be so I can plop them down at run time (and they can't be units because that would cause a massive performance hit) -- so it would be trivial to make them killable.

I think it would be quite nice to add nukes and really big explosives that could demolish the terrain, but I don't have any explicit plans for that just yet.

It really depends on how weapons and abilities pan out, I haven't really thought much about the specifics of these yet.

TL;DR: possibly.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

What's Robot Wars?

 

[Tleno]

What's Robot Wars?

There's a TV show where people make Radio Controlled robots and make them fight on an arena.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

What's Robot Wars?

It was a TV show, where amateurs built remote-control robots out of toys and scrap and improvised weapons like power tools, and fought them against each other. Like cock-fighting but with... robots.



Now, here are some pictures of the spacecraft we're going to see in Asteroid Wars.

The first is the imaginatively named Fighter, which will be your hero in the game. It's a small one-man craft that you will fill with Phoenix Fire weapons and possibly other stuff as necessary. This mining operation is only small-scale, so you are the security force.

The second is a pirate ship that is attacking your base. It's quite big, but I'm not sure it's big enough to be a mobile base; so it might just a be a big defensive (or offensive) brute you need to take down at some point. There's a lot of Jabba's Sail Barge in this design.

 

[Tleno]

Yes, that pirate vessel looks like some kind of transport... and it kinda ressembles of a futuristic camoflage-painted train to me...

 

[Gausslander]

So, let me get this straight, you can fly over all the asteroids as well?
Because if you can't, it'll have some strange pathing for ships to get to... well, the opposing base... I assume this is an AoS mini-game right?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

So, let me get this straight, you can fly over all the asteroids as well?
Because if you can't, it'll have some strange pathing for ships to get to... well, the opposing base... I assume this is an AoS mini-game right?

Battleships-style AoS, yes.

No, asteroids create the terrain -- you cannot fly over, under or through them (physically hurf, but gameplay demands it). Units can only move through the clear areas created 1) naturally by the procedural generation and 2) unnaturally by the forced carving out of the two lanes.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

New video!

This one shows the drones you'll spend most of your time cleaning out. Don't go thinking this is a complete list, mind you. I have plans for further variety in themselves (different shields, camo paintwork, et cetera) and a few ideas for additional chassis.

 

[Vengeancekael]

Teehee, watched the video before the post was even made.

















I need a life.

 

[Tleno]

This is awesome! but wait, these are all that you've already made? Nice.

Kael, No you don't.