WIP: Clash of the Titans

[Dark.Revenant]

WIP: Judgement Day

Judgement Day
1-10 Players
Type: Survival / Minigame / Cooperative
Difficulty: (Variable) Medium-Easy all the way to Very Hard
Time to Play Once: Unknown at present moment, guessing 30-45 minutes

----------

Object of the Game
The object is to defeat 10 units. Sound simple? Think again! Each of those 10 units is a powerful, fully-AI-controlled "boss unit", sent to fight you one at a time. During the round, you only have one life, but everyone is respawned afterwards (granted there is someone still alive to kill the boss). There are no "normal units" to fight. There are no "normal attacks" to use; everything is done with items and abilities.

What the heck is up with this game?
The bosses get 3-5 unique abilities each (almost all of which are triggered), while the players must defeat the boss units with random item spawns that appear in each arena. Each arena has its own item set of 1-3 items, depending on the difficulty of the boss. The players' main activity is going to be avoiding attacks from the bosses and timing attacks upon the bosses, as the item abilities either require the player to be very close to the boss or require the player to stand in the same spot for several seconds. Sometimes both...

Wouldn't it get a bit repetitive, dodging the same abilities over and over?
Yes, it would. Don't worry about it, however, as you wouldn't be dodging the same abilities. There is going to be a wide variety of unique abilities for each boss. In fact, the boss abilities constitute 95% of the mapmaking time, as I will sometimes spend many days creating just one boss. The custom AI for each boss will also help reduce repetitiveness.

----------

The Bosses

Level 1 - Bomberman (Completed)
• Molotov Cocktail - Throws a bottle that explodes into flames when it hits ground
• Power Bomb - Lays a bomb that explodes after 3 seconds, doing some damage in a small AOE while shooting out 4 fireballs in the 4 basic directions
• Suicide Bomber - Sends a mini-guy out to constantly run toward the players, exploding after 10 seconds
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Medium-Easy)

Level 2 - The Deadly Rock (Completed)
• Tremor - Shoots a line of rock
• Smash - The rock leaps into the air then smashes down somewhere else
• Seismic Blast - Creates a big earthquake, doing radial damage
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Medium-Easy)

Level 3 - Hydro (Completed)
• Tidal Wave - Shoots out a wave of water
• Kraken - Tentacles come out of the water, then eat the units in a small area
• Typhoon - Sprays many water jets all over the arena
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Medium)

Level 4 - The Horrible Phantom (Completed)
• Ethereal - (Passive) Effectively permanent invisibility (is visible during spellcasting, however)
• Specters - Forms several specters that home into the players. When one hits a player, it drains HP and MP from the hero and adds a fraction of it to the Phantom
• Ectoplasm Blast - Launches many blobs of ectoplasm in a circle around the Phantom, dealing damage upon contact
• Phase - Effectively teleports to another location, dealing AOE damage at that location while casting banish on everyone caught in the AOE
• Ghost Effect - (Desperation Move) (Becomes visible for the duration) While leaving a ghostly trail behind as he floats, the phantom moves and teleports constantly, unleashing several ghost-like storms of damage behind whenever he teleports
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Medium)

Level 5 - Twister (Completed)
• Wind Power - (Passive) Effectively invulnerable to the Seal of Eradication hero ability. Also slows / damages units that go too close to it
• Tornado Hell - Calls forth a handful of tornadoes that act in the same way as the Sea Witch's Tornado spell
• Whirlwind - The Twister suddenly becomes very quick and effectively super-charges the "Wind Power" ability, dealing much more damage in a wider area below it
• Debris Cannon - Throws several chunks of debris from outside the arena toward the players
• Catastrophe - (Desperation Move) Basically Tornado Hell on crack. Shoots an ungodly number of tornadoes at the players.
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Medium-Hard)

Level 6 - The Lightning Tower (Completed)
• Power Generators - (Passive) The players don't attack The Lightning Tower; they attack the four power generators. When those die, The Lightning Tower also dies.
• Conduit - Creates a focused beam of lightning that sweeps around the arena, doing very high damage to anything it touches
• Thunder Strike - This is one of the most difficult-to-avoid attacks in the game. A very slight and brief ripple shows in the ground, then a huge bolt of lightning slams down into the ground at that spot, doing immense damage
• Shock Death - Creates many brief beams of lightning that deal damage to areas in the arena randomly
• Ball Lightning - (Desperation Move) The Lightning Tower shoots several balls of pure electricity at the players, dealing high damage on impact, then exploding into several mini-balls that deal low damage on impact
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Medium-Hard)

Level 7 - Meat Bag (Completed)
• Undermine - Throws out a ripple in the ground that deals minor damage until the earth explodes outwards at the ending point of the ripple
• Vomit - The Meat Bag barfs a load of meat out of his mouth, dealing medium damage in a medium area, also poisoning the affected Heroes and slowing them considerably
• Ultimate Trinity - Splits into three magic abominations, similar to the Pandaren Brewmaster ultimate ability
•Storm - Shoots electricity in an area
•Earth - Makes shockwaves
•Fire - Shoots mini-flamestrikes
• Deep Creature - (Desperation Move) This is the Kraken gone horribly wrong. A huge 8-tentacled beast tunnels out of the ground, with a gigantic mouth wide open in a pit in the bottom. This ability is an instant kill, but is very avoidable unless you were casting something
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Hard)

Level 8 - The Heavy Artillery (Not Completed)
• Rocket Battery - Shoots several missiles to a very wide area in front of The Heavy Artillery
• Artillery Strike - Creates a large, faint, targeting circle before random blasts appear inside the circle, doing major damage
• Incendiary Bomb - Throws a bomb that explodes into a mess of fire
• Time Bomb - Lays a bomb with a timer that runs down until the bomb explodes into a huge quickly-expanding ring of destruction
• Sub Cannon - (Desperation Move) Shoots a single large ball at a hero. This ball then explodes into two smaller balls, which explode into a total of four even smaller balls, which then explode into eight balls, which explode into sixteen balls, which explode into thirty-two balls, which finally explode without any more sub-splits
Estimated Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I (Hard)

Level 9 - Blade Angel (Not Completed)
Abilities Not Finalized
Glaive Hell - (Channeling) Throws out a dozen glaives that spin around the Blade Angel in a spiral formation
Blade Storm - Casts out many mirror images that move around randomly, striking anyone who comes near
Synaptic Strike - Very quickly rushes to a location, then strikes at that location with devastating force
Undecided 4th Spell
Electric Death - (Desperation Move) Builds up electricity, moving slowly, then becomes faster and faster while homing in on the nearest living player until he strikes, dealing fatal damage unless the electric chargeup is stopped quickly
Estimated Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I + (Very Hard)

Level 10 - The Devil (Completed)
• Demonic Charge - Quickly charges at a point
• Magma Ball - Throws a large ball of magma at a point, unleashing short-lived lava spawns
• Hell Pit - Carves a permanent fiery hole in the ground
• Meteor Storm - (Channeling) Throws dozens of meteors onto the arena, creating craters and doing major large-scale damage
• Lines of Doom - (Desperation Move) Tears a long, flaming, lava-filled gash through the earth, doing insane damage to anyone unfortunate enough to touch it
Difficulty: I I I I I I I I I I + + (Impossibly Hard)

----------
Boss Completion
Black = Not Started
Red = Designed
Yellow = In Progress
Green = Finished
Blue = Polished
I I I I I I I I I I
----------

I am not yet completed, and I am in need of some suggestions for bosses, abilities, and gameplay functionalities. This is primarily why I have started this thread.

Note: The map size WILL be smaller when I finalize it, as I will have somebody run it through Vex's Map Optimizer. Unfortunately, I can't optimize it myself due to me running the Mac OS.

-Dark.Revenant

 

[ragingspeedhorn]

This sounds cool, I will be looking forward to this map, when do you think a public release might be ready?

I think the Flesh Golem would make a good boss.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

A flesh golem would make a good (albeit annoying to kill) boss... Perhaps an ability would be "Independent Tissues", meaning that when it loses all of its health, it splits into 3 abomination-like things that each spam their own ability.

As for a public release, all I can say is that once the game is playable, there will be a downloadable beta.

Now all I need is an AI for the two bosses I've made so far, then I can release a preview map or something.

 

[Campir]

Interesting... though can you give us some charts indicationg how far along you are in other areas... like terrain?

 

[Dark.Revenant]

The terrain will be acceptable, but not the focus.

Personally, I despise progress bars unless there is scientific analysis behind it, not based on opinion. Map progress can't be scientifically analyzed, so I will just say the following:
1. "Far from done" 2. "Somewhat done" 3. "Close to done" 4. "Almost done" 5. "Done"

I'm currently Far from done

 

[ragingspeedhorn]

Flesh golem dividing into smaller golems would be cool.

Looking forward to the beta (or rather alpha?) release!

 

[Dark.Revenant]

I completed the AI's for both of the finished bosses. The AI isn't terribly dynamic, mainly due to GUI use, but it is still fairly good. I will upload something once I make sure that both AI's work correctly.

Edit: Uploaded.

Also, can you scan the periodic triggers and ability triggers for leaks for me?

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Bump for download opportunities. (0 downloads)

 

[ragingspeedhorn]

Where is the map uploaded?

 

[Dark.Revenant]

It WAS uploaded, but I took it down because there was a particularly nasty bug. I will resubmit it when it's fixed.

Ok, now its reuploaded.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Update: Bomberman completed and functional, now reuploading.

 

[Setreal]

I just played through this and it was quite neat. I have a few suggestions:

- I wonder if it wouldn't be better to outfit the hero with more typical spells (i.e. offensive and defensive stuff) and switch the runes to speed/health boosts. You could also allow for the player to pick their hero (maybe just a few options so it stays balanced).

- There was also a few typos but nothing that was too noticeable.

- An option to skip the intro would be nice too (no need to see it more than once).

Overall very cool stuff.

EDIT: On a 2nd playthrough the rock boss dissapeared on me so I had to exit out. I think it happened right after he jumped at me but I'm not positive.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

EDIT: On a 2nd playthrough the rock boss dissapeared on me so I had to exit out. I think it happened right after he jumped at me but I'm not positive.

That's a rare bug, and I haven't seen it happen in a long while. I still cant figure out why that happens, because the triggers don't show any flaws.

Edit: this bug is fixed.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Updated to version 8. There are now four completed bosses.

Edit2: Fixed all extraneous lag. Will upload version 9 soon, which will have the new lag fixes along with The Horrible Phantom (bringing it up to 5 / 10 bosses).

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Updated to version Alpha 9. There are now five completed bosses.

I REALLY need feedback on level 4, as the difficulty fluctuates very dramatically from level 3.

 

[Redeemer59]

Quick question before I test, is it playable with one person? And if it is, is it possible to defeat with one person?

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Yes, it is playable and (on the earlier bosses, not so much the final bosses) quite beatable with one person.

 

[Redeemer59]

Alright, I'll give it a whirl then.

EDIT: I only got to Hydro, but I dare say this game is full of win. The bosses are fun and unique, but challenging at the same time. I personally found the second one to be easier than the other two, but still very awsome. Keep up the good work.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Thank you for trying the map and, more importantly, liking the map!
The difficulty levels, unfortunately, fluctuate very dramatically based on several factors:
1. Number of people playing
2. The skill level of people playing
3. Pure Luck with the AI
4. Your knowledge of the map / your playing style
5. You have prayed to Dark.Reve- never mind...

I personally find Hydro to be the easiest boss to beat, while The Deadly Rock tends to be the #1 people killer (besides The Devil, obviously) in the games I play.

 

[atropos007]

Hmm... you might want to change the name, at least for me, I got confused it's an old wc3search Red Alert 2 Total Conversion Mod (hosted here now)

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Edit: New name, fixed Phantom, extra effects on the Devil's charge ability, and fixed the disappearing rock syndrome. New HP bars too!

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Updated! There are now six bosses. Also, the host can now pick the game difficulty. Just note: The first 3 bosses will probably be pretty easy and short, then boss 4 will be somewhat easy but a bit longer. Boss 5 (and later, 6 and 7) is where it starts to get quite difficult and long. Boss 10 is pretty epic, as I'll sometimes see the (4 minute long) music loop several times before I die (or rarely win).

 

[Razorbrain]

i just tried it, and i must say, very nice map

i got to The Deadly Rock on my second try on Single Player, and im looking forwards to a final release to play multiplayer on

 

[Dark.Revenant]

I find the game much more entertaining in multiplayer, but prepare to allow a few minutes to have everyone download. If you have trouble getting very far in the game, it's best to play with more players, as it gives a net boost in average skill if you aren't very good in singleplayer.

Anyway, I'm glad that you like the map, even though you didn't see my best work.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Update! There is a points system, seven bosses, and an anti-cheating system.

 

[Gausslander]

Yeah, get rid of the anti-cheating system, it doesn't work correctly, and, when the tower shoots and makes a dirt patch, change it from dirt to Ice. Other than that there are a few buggy things, such as the fact Hydro is too easy and the first boss is a little out of place.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Yeah, get rid of the anti-cheating system, it doesn't work correctly, and, when the tower shoots and makes a dirt patch, change it from dirt to Ice. Other than that there are a few buggy things, such as the fact Hydro is too easy and the first boss is a little out of place.

The anti-cheating system is fixed now, don't worry. Hydro is not easy with multiple people, and even in single player, Hydro is easier than level 4 but harder than levels 1 and 2.

What do you mean by the first boss being out of place?

 

[Redeemer59]

I think he means that a half-sane giant goblin sapper is out of place with the water elementals, ghosts, devils, and such of the fantasy world.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

In that case, levels 6-8 are also out of place.

 

[Redeemer59]

True, but I personally dont really care.

Tried it again, and I'd like to say that the easiest difficulty level, Pussy, is kind of juvenile, I suggest changing it to "Newb" "Newbie" "Ultra Newb" "Totally Noob" "Very Easy" "Easiest" "Novice" etc... but that's just me. I personally try not to insult the players of my maps, even in jest.

 

[Gausslander]

I mean the boss arrangement should be changed. And did you change the dirt to ice yet?

 

[KingLz]

Just play the map with some friends.
I like it, but there are some issues i would tell you.

When i play an RPG or whatever, I learned myself, that a dungeon without a boss isnt worth it, and a boss without a dungeon isnt worth it either.

Look you invest an enormous amount of time into those trigger based bosses.
And how much fun are they.... 30 mins of playtime at max. Even if you beat them on pussy, they arnt much different on higher levels are they ?

I would really suggest to increase playtime.

What about some dungeon like rooms before the bosses.
Make it hard enough that the boss fight is the result of good work.
Like good old zelda. When you faced the boss you knew you have already achieved something. Even if you didnt beat him.

Think about it. Just make some puzzles. Some smaller enemies or whatever.... THAT THE BOSS BE THE BOSS !!!

Thats what i would suggest you. And the fact that the shade is kinda imbalanced.... the lightning tower and all other bosses were easy, but noone was able to target that damn shade. ^^

 

[Dark.Revenant]

The shade is one of the physically weakest bosses, hence I cream him nearly every time, almost single-handedly. You have to employ a different play style to beat him. As for the lightning tower, how is he easy? I find it very difficult to beat, but I usually play single player.

I am definitely going to add in a sort-of maze-like portion before each boss to break up the combat with skilled timing and movement.

Overall, I am going to work on making the bosses collectively harder, as the game is pretty much over once you beat it once. It's a good thing if most don't win on the first try.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Update with several changes, including the eighth boss (level 7). I managed to make one maze, and will make eight more.

The game is now exponentially harder. Seriously, it's so difficult now that it's just ridiculous. I have yet to beat level 4 in a multiplayer game ON NORMAL.

 

[KingLz]

I like hard games.

Just add a highscore system, that rewards players even if they cant beat the game.

Think about old arcade classics.
It's not about beating the game, its about beating the highscore.

Damn just played it again... didnt notice the highscore ^^...............
But it should be more individual.... adding points for triggering switched and such stuff.....
Ever single progress should be considered.

And then make a highscore page and let players up the score.
Beating highscores is a nice feature.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

I am beginning to believe that great minds do, in fact, think alike.

I won't track the progress of the mazes, nor will I be too specific with the existing scores. I will probably add in a seperate message to each player at the end of the game that basically tells them exactly what they did and didnt do, though.

 

[Campir]

NO
BUNNIES!!!11

Dis roxors!! sept no bunnies.... baD face!!!

 

[Dark.Revenant]

Now I really miss the neg-rep capabilities we had years ago...

 

[Campir]

Now I really miss the neg-rep capabilities we had years ago...

Im glad it dropped... funny how that works eh? ANYWAY this map is way to hard... that or i just suck... i cant get past the 3rd boss in normal... what am i doing wrong?

 

[ragingspeedhorn]

I just played the map with a friend and we both LOVED it. This map is awesome and the best map I've tried this year. Original, fun and hard but beatable!

Now to the complaints, the map has a few bugs here and there and some of the bosses could need some balancing, especially the "Meat Bag", we killed that within 15 seconds with 1 life drain spell and 2 of the spells you pick up around the map. Way to easy boss and it looked so cool so was a shame. About bugs we beat the devil boss at the same time that we got defeated by the devil boss so things got fucked up, both winning messages started comming and then losing messages came, a bit of a mess. Also the Twister boss (lol same name as my BNet mate ) was really annoying because you could allmost not help clicking it and it blocked the whole screen, making it's select thingy smaller would be nice and perhaps downsizing it just a tad. Besides from that, again, the map is AWESOME, keep at it mate, extremely enjoyable map. 9/10.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

The Meat Bag has a bit of a problem that I fixed. Its earthly rumble-like ability didn't do damage, its vomiting ability was an instant 1-hp, and the "Flames" rune did 250 damage instead of 50. "Inferno" didn't do anything at all...

I just did some fixings for the map, hopefully remedying the Meat Bag and some other things. However, the death-at-the-same-time-as-the-win bug is strange. The death trigger is immediately turned off at the very top of the boss death/win trigger, but the same is not done for the boss death triggers. I'll look into that for the next version.

P.S. The difficulty in Twister is simply the technique in beating him; If his model was small, he would be no harder than the ghost.

 

[Zack1996]

Hi, Dark.Revenant, i have been playing this map with my brother and we both loved it! same thing bout meat bag, we beat it so quickly we got lots of points, and the split thing is pretty useless, hope u continue the good work! (but i see u seem to have abandoned project ) i hope u will continue this map as it rocks!