(1) Project Y4: A Total Conversion

[Gausslander]

That is an awful idea.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

I think Miss_Foxy might be referring to the node-hacking minigame. As in, while you're playing the minigame, suddenly something explodes and you're kicked out of the minigame.

Yeah, kinda that.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

That is an awful idea.

This.

Node hacking is limited by time, which is in turn going to be mostly limited by your proficiency at navigating the maze (though obviously the random numbers may sometimes fall against you/aid your progress). I don't want you to spontaneously lose everything -- that's why there's a lives system instead of a death-ends-everything system in Y4.

The node hacking mini-game is just that: a mini-game. Something discrete, independent, isolated, pure. Only the final outcome of the game should be important to the wider world. I don't really see how out-of-nowhere loss of the game contributes anything to anything.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Okay
But uhm, would there be such events for other, stuff in-game that wouldn't be affected much by it?

 

[Tleno]

Dunno... I guess only the main game itself will have random events that won't effect you at all while playing a minigame. Besides, getting hit by some asteroid while hacing into computer system sounds like a retarted (But, honestly, lulzy) thing.

 

[TheDanish]

I admire your tenacity, RDZ, for continuing to work with a game and editor that's 8 years old. Very inspiring.

I await this project like I have all your other ones.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

I admire your tenacity, RDZ, for continuing to work with a game and editor that's 8 years old. Very inspiring.

I await this project like I have all your other ones.

It's little more than a matter of staying in my comfort zone. WC3 is familiar, safe, I know its limits and I know my limits. After all that time with it, I would feel a bit daft leaving without at least trying to exploit everything I've ever learned.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

And many newer tools have been evolving throughout the years, to kinda keep it up to date, but yeah, this mod is awesome.

 

[Tleno]

Well, Danish, when it comes to singleplayer Warcraft 3 still beats it's closest alternative - Starcraft 2, and when it comes to programming a standalone game... not everyone has enough skills or motivation to programm an entire game...

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Would the be other easter eggs as well?
Like the first one you did with the 'symbols', heh, I'd love to spot em next time!

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Would the be other easter eggs as well?
Like the first one you did with the 'symbols', heh, I'd love to spot em next time!

Yes. But I won't reveal any more!

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Hehe, sure!
I love surprises, especially a ton of them

 

[Tleno]

Hmmm... something tells me you RDZ already have a whole bunch of them prepared for us...

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

One thing I am prepared to reveal that isn't an easter egg is the new attack bonus system -- massive, massive props to Captain Griffen and Anitarf for getting this system thrashed out.



Basically, there are two bonus attacks that occur with a random probability -- either a headbutt, which deals double damage, or a wide cleave (illustrated below) that damages several units around the AP-AM.



The problem arose when both Demolish and Pulviserise refused to use any other attack sequence than "Slam". Luckily, we've worked out a convenient hax that is both not too engine fighty but has the desired effect.



This GIF has the cleave ability at 100% for demonstration purposes; obviously, in the real game the chances of performing a headbutt or cleave manoeuvre are very low. However, it's a nice little bonus that might just give you a boost in a tough fight.

 

[Gausslander]

That's great! Much better than a mere critical strike/evasion system.

 

[Tleno]

Awesome, but... will there be some special equipment that will increase the chances of dealing these attacks?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

That's great! Much better than a mere critical strike/evasion system.

That's really all it is. The only difference is, because the AP-AM is scratch-built to order, I can make proper animations for the attacks. The headbutt is just a hidden Critical Strike (actually Demolish so there's no floating numbers), while cleave is hidden Pulverise.

Obviously, there's no way to animate evasion (yes, yes, a complete trigger-the-whole-lot system) -- and evasion is provided by some shields so it's not there by default anyway.

I think the small chance of these special attacks should ease some of the early-game difficulty that has been plaguing me for some time.

I suppose in the real world, these attacks would be queued up to override standard attacks but cost some kind of energy meter... But this isn't a 3rd-person mech combat game, so random chance will have to do.

Awesome, but... will there be some special equipment that will increase the chances of dealing these attacks?

No.

 

[Vengeancekael]

This is an inappropriate post.




Also RDZ, I love you.

Thank you.

Also for starters, this is a bump.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Also RDZ, I love you.

I have recently been working on some back history for the RDZ Industries universe -- I have constructed a timeline that leads from the very near future into the dizzying heights of when the events of Project Y4 take place. You can read it here.

I won't say this is a final draft -- everything can be retconned until release day -- though it sets out the broad strokes of how I want everything to sit.



This should help to set the mood of the game, and make it feel more real with some actual history and hard dates.

 

[Tleno]

Oh, I really enjoy when sci-fi games get a backstory pretty much from close future to somewhat near to time when action takes place... increase the feel of realism (In most of sitations, at least), not to mention I love various speculations with history...

 

[Deolrin]

I really like that timeline\storyline.
And it actually does makes sense. Many companies that were based on the production of civilian vehicles and other such things often switched focus to military development(esp. German companies during WW2, such as Heinkel (From mail-planes to fighter aircraft)). It just doesn't sound absurdly sci-fi, despite the use of nonexistant materials and metals. Even your replacement for fuel\electricity, Taschari, doesn't sound too impossible; You countered the fact that it's seemingly a 'perfect' replacement for oil by stating that it produces a lot of biowaste, but as far as I understood you're not going to focus your storyline specifically ON that biowaste. I just love it. I love the way you handled things. I love the way you wrote things. I love how your story sounds more believable than work done by professional companies and such. (Cough, cough Blizzard.)

 

[Gausslander]

I also like the timeline, now I just hope that it is included somehow into the actual map, like in a cutscene or cinematic sequence that would keep the player more in-tune with the gameplay and events occuring on-screen.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

I really like that timeline\storyline.
And it actually does makes sense. Many companies that were based on the production of civilian vehicles and other such things often switched focus to military development(esp. German companies during WW2, such as Heinkel (From mail-planes to fighter aircraft)).

I never really thought about proper war stuff, but I suppose arbitrarily converging on a real situation shows I must be on the right track.

It just doesn't sound absurdly sci-fi, despite the use of nonexistant materials and metals. Even your replacement for fuel\electricity, Taschari, doesn't sound too impossible; You countered the fact that it's seemingly a 'perfect' replacement for oil by stating that it produces a lot of biowaste, but as far as I understood you're not going to focus your storyline specifically ON that biowaste.

I needed some excuse to have Unreal-esque biosludge and "superconductor fluid" was the best I could manage. It sort of makes sense. A bit. Ish. If you close your eyes and whistle loudly.

And taschari is the answer to that annoying little energy crisis we're hurtling towards. All motors are electric and small taschari batteries -- conveniently -- don't need the superconductor fluid (though these batteries are consequently less efficient, vehicles don't need as much electricity as cities and giant industrial facilities anyway).

Plus I fucking love crystals.

I also like the timeline, now I just hope that it is included somehow into the actual map, like in a cutscene or cinematic sequence that would keep the player more in-tune with the gameplay and events occuring on-screen.

As I said on the blag, I'm not actually sure about this. I could go for a scrolling text intro of some kind, but I think there might be too much text for that.

The other option is just a readme file. The thought is also crossing my mind to try and make a mock game manual instead of just a readme, maybe use all the powers of MSWord and then find something free online to bake it into a PDF... But that's all non-essential stuff for the end of development.

 

[Gausslander]

A Star Wars-esque scrolling word cinematic wouldn't be too bad if it had some nice techno beat in the background.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Considering the fact that this is Single Player, I'm starting to drool over all the possibilities that RDZ could've included for us without the size limit...
Good job!

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Considering the fact that this is Single Player, I'm starting to drool over all the possibilities that RDZ could've included for us without the size limit...
Good job!

Currently sitting at 9.2MB, and that's no music or voice acting. Over 1000 imports (and counting), each one of them hand-crafted by me. ^0^

I'm just hoping I'm not going to run into some daft import limit now. Would be a bit of a bummer, and would cost most of the side missions.

I remember when I thought I could do a total conversion in under 4MB. Oh, those were the days... Well, I suppose I still could, but the scope would be considerably smaller.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

Limitless ideas RDZ, it's so awesome the number of things that you can come up with.
In saying that, would there be regular updates or one full version?
Or like... A sequel? (So awesome)

Heh, excited about it already, because apart from the map bound limit, you could practically add so many stuff.
Any new mechs?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Limitless ideas RDZ, it's so awesome the number of things that you can come up with.
In saying that, would there be regular updates or one full version?
Or like... A sequel? (So awesome)

Right now, I'm beginning to think I'll release the main game and tutorial first, with all the bonus missions as stubs that I'll fill in with later updates.

As for a sequel... I have plenty of ideas for a direct sequel, but since Project Y4 currently seems to function as a prologue to the entire RDZ Industries mythos there are loads and loads of other avenues to explore. The matter is more whether or not I can stomach it...

But don't worry, Project Y4 and all its mini-games will stand alone as discrete elements. I'm not going to go all episodic content on you.

Any new mechs?

Nothing of note, really. I had been adding new animations and fixing old ones on the AP-AM itself after I added shoulder joints, so now I'm doing something similar for Countermeasure (and finally adding the pieces for its alternative modes).

Then there's still the matter of the final boss, but even though I've finally settled on the design for that, I can't show you anything.

 

[Skycraft]

y u no show final boss?
ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ

On another somewhat related note,
This is a very sexy project that I have been lurking for quite sometime.
Keep up the FANTASTICAL work RDZ.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

y u no show final boss?
ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ

Because I'm creatively bankrupt, all my maps seem to gravitate towards revolving around a mystery villain who is a mystery until the end when everything suddenly makes sense. Of course if I showed you the boss now (let alone his surroundings), it would spoil everything (especially because the map is full of red herrings).

Which means people will probably find the finale a terrible cop-out at worst, and at best will go "do-ho-ho". But that's just how I roll!

EDIT: \o\ just noticed this thread is now 1 year old.

 

[Tleno]

Happy Birthday to your thread!

Well, the bio waste thing explains the thing with biowaste and why company was trying to find a way how to practically use it... it all makes sence now!

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

I think that, since this thread now has over 10,000 views (^0^), I should finally introduce another rival corporation.


HoverCon's initial incursion attempt has been in the game for quite some time now, and barring a few art changes and some gameplay refinements is mostly complete (there are plans for at least one follow-up quest, though, so the HC stuff is far from done).

But it's only now that I finally have the G1 Technology stuff planned out, as they've somehow managed to segué into a vaguely main plot-based position. I will say no more than this.


So I present to you the first G1 reboot vehicle: the Cavalier.

The most notable difference from existing G1 artwork is the presence of tracks -- all the other G1 stuff is from when RDZ Industries was engine agnostic, and I couldn't know whether or not tracks would be feasible. Obviously, everything then turned out looking like arse because wheels are anathema to low-poly. So now we're back in WC3 for deffo, all the G1 vehicles will have proper treads.

I'm thinking I might want to variably replace the four cannons with four rifles or a single fast(ish) homing missile launcher. These Cavaliers will be the heavy-hitters that lead the other G1 assault units; they're actually remotely controlled by hotshot pilots in a mobile command centre.

 

[Deolrin]

Looking great, as always! The 'warning stripes' and lights seem a little blurry and out-of-style, though. (Texture-wise)
I hope you'll fix that up!

 

[Miss_Foxy]

So awesome, I'm starting to drool...

 

[Tleno]

Wait, so thse big mean tank-ish machines are nothing else but large RC toys with guns? I guess they'll be hard to fight with when you meet them and will have to find the command post... I wonder if you'll get to hijack some of these...

 

[Miss_Foxy]

By the way, would you have a separate Hosted Projects Category once it's done?
Seems like there'll be a lot of discussion about stuff then, there could be a need to filter these discussions as well

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Wait, so thse big mean tank-ish machines are nothing else but large RC toys with guns? I guess they'll be hard to fight with when you meet them and will have to find the command post...

Mostly because G1 are carmudgeons that don't have the desire/trust/technical expertise to produce drone controllers, but aren't exactly going to throw their best pilots into a full-frontal assault in completely unknown conditions. Only these Cavaliers and possibly a couple other units will be remote controlled -- the bulk of the attack force will be man-driven.

And when I made the original design sketches there was a curious lack of space for a cabin.

By the way, would you have a separate Hosted Projects Category once it's done?
Seems like there'll be a lot of discussion about stuff then, there could be a need to filter these discussions as well

I don't need nor want a hosted project forum. I am a lone developer, a single man, so I'd rather have one active thread than a ghost town sub-forum.

 

[Vengeancekael]

Are is you making progress?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

Are is you making progress?

Why yes, sweet VK, I am indeed.

I've been working on more G1 stuff recently, so today I present to you... The Knight!

It shoots homing missiles; it's roughly equivalent to an RDZ Industries Delta that is armed with rockets and blast shields, except it's going to be a bit slower and trade the damage-reduction for just having more hit points.

The model is based on the old G1 Fork, but now I'm mostly naming G1 vehicles after Age of Empires II units instead of household utensils and other amusing sundries.

 

[Miss_Foxy]

That looks awesome, heh.
I'm starting to get real thrilled for the release

 

[RiotZ]

Cool looking project I may subscribe, but why did you make everything so cartoony? WC3 engine? Preference, or playability?

 

[Skycraft]

Cartoony is cool.

 

[Tleno]

I wouldn't say it's cartoony. More lie... somewhat digitalish-lookijng, like those older 3D games. Or somewhat like TRON movie, only without those annoying lights.

 

[Deolrin]

It looks... Classy.

 

[RiotZ]

It looks like a 3D game from the 90's lol.

Everything is very, 'blocky', and sort of, strange... It looks very cartoony, but that's just my opinion. I suppose it makes the game more stylized like people like to do with films. Although it could be that RDZ can't texture. D:

 

[Aeroblyctos]

It looks... Low poly.

 

[Tleno]

Well, Warcraft 3 is pretty much low pony and old game too according to modern standarts.

 

[Aeroblyctos]

Well, Warcraft 3 is pretty much low pony and old game too according to modern standarts.

Warcraft 3 will never be low pony, but maybe low poly.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

It looks like a 3D game from the 90's lol.

I'd like to cite Quake II as a stylistic influence here. And Unreal Tournament.

If I was born twenty years earlier, I could probably have been a successful shovelware modeller in the mid 90s. Since this is the new millenium... I mod.

I don't get why people call my style cartoony. Low-poly, yes, low-detail, yes, angular shapes -- fine. But, as far as I'm aware, "cartoony" is exaggerated shapes and obvious lines and lighting, and (believe it or not) all of the models are actually constructed roughly to scale. The standard RDZ Industries cockpit module, for example, is designed to accommodate a man of my stature (albeit a little scrunched up, half-seated). Any issues of exaggeration are because my eye-sight is wonky or I'm terrible at estimating how much space you need for big piles of machinery, not because I'm intentionally bigging things up.

TL;DR things are brick-shaped because I'm a modernist. It just so happens ogre_icwydt that my stylistic desires coincide with the fundamentally angular world of polygonal 3D geometry.

 

[Vengeancekael]

Looks like we have come to a

conclusion...