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RENEGADE UPDATES with SCREENSHOTS! [message #-989437]

Wed, 11 December 2002 12:37

Anonymous

Ahh I posted some of my update ideas in the General section but perhaps it should be placed here: Here are some ideas and work in progress screenshots that some of you might be interested in!

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Update 1: Vehicle Queue

One of the things I hate the most is how I have to stand at a purchase terminal in order to wait for the vehicle to become available just so I can buy it. If I'm not quick enough someone else waiting in line will get to buy his vehicle first and I will again have to wait. One of the things I missed the most out of the original C&C series was the ability to queue many vehicles at a time. In this case I'm showing an example of a Team Vehicle Queue where you do NOT have to wait to order, your selection goes into a queue system that is limited by the number of vehicles left to purchase (8 Max). Accessing the purchase terminal shows the actual queue so you can see the vehicles that other people on your team have in queue. This would only aid in the collaborative efforts of your team to choose the best vehicles for a given situation and gives the team members a more adequate opportunity to organize a vehicle rush. As and added feature of this Queue system you may also "Cancel" your vehicle purchase as long as it is in the queue. Screenshot below:

http://www.akumapc.com/rene/queue.jpg

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Update 2: Vehicle Build Time

A buggy takes as long to build as a mammoth tank! This is neither in keeping with the original c&c nor very realistic by any means. To add more depth to the game, I think each vehicle should require a Build Time. This works very well with the Vehicle Queue system as you can see the progress of a vehicle as it's being built by accessing the purchase terminal. For example a buggy might take 3 seconds to build but a mammth tank takes 30 seconds as it's obviously more costly, more powerful, and much larger than a buggy. This changes the dynamic of the game by requiring you to buy a vehicle that is suited to a particular situation. If your base is getting assaulted, do you wait 30 seconds to build a mammoth tank? or should you perhaps instead get a medium tank which may take only 15 seconds. Or should you just cancel your order and instead get a technician to help heal the building under attack? That difference in time and your decision at that very instant adds that extra level of strategy that you must now rethink. Here is a time-lapse snapshot of the Vehicle Build System:

http://www.akumapc.com/rene/timelapse.jpg

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Update 3: Team C4 and Beacon ETA Timer

In almost every game the one thing you'll hear is "STOP LAYING C4, MY MINES ARE DISAPPEARING". This is one of the biggest problems with having a team trying to lay down C4 and not knowing how many are truly left (max 30). A counter is simply displayed above the inventory menu ONLY for the technicians. The number counts down from 30, relative to the number of mines available, letting all the technicians on the team know how many mines are left at any given time. The added ability of this feature is being able to see your mine count go up, indicating someone tripped your mines and perhaps a building is now in breach. The Beacon ETA timer is displayed below the Game Timer, it simply counts down from the moment any beacon is detected. It lets you know how much time you have left to disarm or how much time is left before the building you placed it on is gone Perhaps a similar system could be designed for an individuals timed/remote mines. Below is a snapshot of the system in action:

http://www.akumapc.com/rene/team_c4 .jpg

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Update 4: Functional Display Terminals

Purchase terminals play an extremly vital role in Renegade, this update will actually display the status of All the buildings in your base instead of just showing a picture of a building with nothing on it. The benefit of this upgrade is that you can be inside any building and by simply looking at a purchase terminal you can see all the critical information about your base similar to pressing the "J" button in game. Screenshot below...

Http://www.akumapc.com/rene/functionaldisplay.jpg

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Update 5: Map Download & Auto Installer

A lot of people have made some very good maps ever since Renegade came out but not everyone (most people) know where to get them or even know how to install them! This is one of the biggest issues holding people back from playing on servers with new maps, and in doing so, reducing the longevity of the game. To make downloading and playing these maps easy for most people I suggest a download & auto installer feature. WestWood has already included this functionality in the AutoUpdater program. The process is simple:

1. When a Server Admin starts a server he simply specifies an online directory that has these extra maps (uncompressed).
2. A user browses the server list and see's a server he wants to join that has a new map. He starts joining the server.
3. Server Message pops up saying you need ____ map in order to play.
4. The user is presented with the option of having the map downloaded via the internet address defined in the server setup page, or canceling.
5. User clicks Okay, Map is downloaded and placed in the approiate directory.

You are now ready to play the new map! Example Below:

Http://www.akumapc.com/rene/autoinstall.jpg

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Update 6: "MOTD" Message of the Day Load Screen

I run a dedicated server on GameSpy (MASSIVE GANKFEST FATPIPE) and I can tell you the MOTD is almost worthless. For some people with slower computers it takes nearly a minute for the level to load, after that you get a somewhat annoying pop up that nearly everyone ignores so they can just start playing.. I can't blame them! I think it would be more effective to simply have the MOTD or Server Rules presented as the level is actually loading. This gives some people the entire load time to actually READ the message/server rules. The MOTD text which is already in the server.ini file is simply posted to the load screen. This would increase the chance of people actually reading the server rules/motd by 10 fold! This helps admins out by not having to point out server violations and lets players know the rules (i.e. sniping only, no base kill, no foul language, etc.) before the level even loads. ScreenShot Below:

Http://www.akumapc.com/rene/motd.jpg

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These are just minor updates but I think they will greatly enhance the overall feel of the game. In a few days I will present my work on the "Upgrade" enhancement to Renegade which I think will offer an much deeper level of gameplay and strategy. That is a major piece of work that will require a high level of programming ability. If anyone is interested in using any of these ideas feel free to do so. More to come soon...