Dylan's thread reminded me of:
Settings are too Difficult thus players prefer high rubber ?
I guess the youth loves speed but to cope with it they need much rubber. That's why so many high rubber server appear (IMHO). But the other reason why strange settings appear might be that single player or most maps are too difficult. Did anyone of you try to play single player lately ?
I guess the higher base speed is fine for advanced players, but for new players the initial AI and speed are too difficult (no rubber in single player etc.). The initial AI should be the worst available (=> ppl get a happy moment soon), and personally I'd suggest to reduce the single player's cycle speed. Just allow them to learn.
Once we have Map packs and Levels there should be a tutorial map...with time and zone triggered instruction while difficulty increases with each level. (Increasing difficulty = raise speed, lower rubber, stronger AI...)
Might even setup a online tutorial server, where each player gets his own tutorial arena part, but they can talk while learning.
Perhaps we can start by making a list of skills with a number from 1=basic to 10=advanced skills ... for a start.
Single Player Skill Level
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Phytotron
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Well, this seems as good a place as any for me to suggest the preliminaries of an idear I've had mulling about in my noodle for some time now. This is all very rough at this point, just a "draft proposal." It's "inspired" by the fact that many video games, including those with a heavy multiplayer element, have a tutorial and/or practice and/or challenge mode. Think of Madden or Perfect Dark, or something like that. (Heh, I can't reference any games like Halo or Counter Strike or whatever because I don't play those, but maybe they have them as well.) So the idea is to add a single-player mode to the game which would serve to introduce and hone various skills and techniques. It would be broken down into different sub-modes, each beginning with a very basic thing, and going through progressively more difficult stages. Some of the sub-categories could be:
• Moves and maneuvers — Perhaps an AI bot is programmed to do make a move, and then the player is meant to replicate it. Maybe there are lines drawn on the floor that the player has to stay in close proximity to while performing the move (like the guides in that old game Operation). Whatever. It could begin with something as simple as "turn left." Once the player successfully completes a move, he moves on to the next, and on and on. It would cover any kind of move—offensive, defensive, and miscellaneous.
• Follow up to that ^ — A player must successfully use maneuver XYZ against an AI bot. Again, progresses through stages.
• Mazing (not as defined by the wiki) — An AI bot generates a maze/labyrinth, then the player is meant to navigate it. First stage, very simple tunnel, one AI. As stages progress, more complex mazes, even additional bots.
• Mazing (as the wiki defines it, what I just call a self-roulette, or individual roulette) — Similar to the moves/maneuvers, an AI bot demonstrates a maze, and the player replicates it, perhaps with a guide drawn on the floor. Both outside-in and inside-out types.
• Roulette — Roulette performed with preprogrammed AI. Starts simple, as with a spiral, gets more complicated.
• Time attack — Player is meant to defeat an AI bot within a certain time limit. Starts easy with stupid AI, gets progressively more difficult with smarter AI and tighter time restrictions.
• Time survival — For particular use with finite cycle_walls_length. Different challenges. For instance, player gets boxed by an AI, must survive long enough to get out. And, player gets boxed by an AI, can't get out, must survive a time limit. Could also be blended with mazes (not as wiki defined). Whatever.
There could also be challenges dealing with settings—very low rubber, no rubber, simulated lag, wide cycle_delay, etc etc.
All of this would have UI instructions and guides, of course.
To make it even more interesting and fun, with all this standardized, players could upload their progress and results to an official server/website, which would keep "high scores" for everyone. Then people could brag, "look, I got to level such-and-such and this-or-that challenge." Heh.
Like I said, just rough brainstorming. No elaboration or details at this point, and I reckon it would be best that development of such would be a collaborative effort. There are other things that could be added, too. But I should think youse get the idea of what I'm suggesting.
Obviously, this would all be far down the development line, I think it's safe to assume, and would just about amount to making a separate game. But, I think it could be of good use. Not only would it serve the purpose of introducing (as in a tutorial) and honing (as in practice and challenge) many elements of gameplay that could then be implemented in server games, but it would also simply add a secondary game that people could play when they don't feel like playing online.
So, uh, yeah, there's the thought.
• Moves and maneuvers — Perhaps an AI bot is programmed to do make a move, and then the player is meant to replicate it. Maybe there are lines drawn on the floor that the player has to stay in close proximity to while performing the move (like the guides in that old game Operation). Whatever. It could begin with something as simple as "turn left." Once the player successfully completes a move, he moves on to the next, and on and on. It would cover any kind of move—offensive, defensive, and miscellaneous.
• Follow up to that ^ — A player must successfully use maneuver XYZ against an AI bot. Again, progresses through stages.
• Mazing (not as defined by the wiki) — An AI bot generates a maze/labyrinth, then the player is meant to navigate it. First stage, very simple tunnel, one AI. As stages progress, more complex mazes, even additional bots.
• Mazing (as the wiki defines it, what I just call a self-roulette, or individual roulette) — Similar to the moves/maneuvers, an AI bot demonstrates a maze, and the player replicates it, perhaps with a guide drawn on the floor. Both outside-in and inside-out types.
• Roulette — Roulette performed with preprogrammed AI. Starts simple, as with a spiral, gets more complicated.
• Time attack — Player is meant to defeat an AI bot within a certain time limit. Starts easy with stupid AI, gets progressively more difficult with smarter AI and tighter time restrictions.
• Time survival — For particular use with finite cycle_walls_length. Different challenges. For instance, player gets boxed by an AI, must survive long enough to get out. And, player gets boxed by an AI, can't get out, must survive a time limit. Could also be blended with mazes (not as wiki defined). Whatever.
There could also be challenges dealing with settings—very low rubber, no rubber, simulated lag, wide cycle_delay, etc etc.
All of this would have UI instructions and guides, of course.
To make it even more interesting and fun, with all this standardized, players could upload their progress and results to an official server/website, which would keep "high scores" for everyone. Then people could brag, "look, I got to level such-and-such and this-or-that challenge." Heh.
Like I said, just rough brainstorming. No elaboration or details at this point, and I reckon it would be best that development of such would be a collaborative effort. There are other things that could be added, too. But I should think youse get the idea of what I'm suggesting.
Obviously, this would all be far down the development line, I think it's safe to assume, and would just about amount to making a separate game. But, I think it could be of good use. Not only would it serve the purpose of introducing (as in a tutorial) and honing (as in practice and challenge) many elements of gameplay that could then be implemented in server games, but it would also simply add a secondary game that people could play when they don't feel like playing online.
So, uh, yeah, there's the thought.
I play single player a lot these days. Well, a lot is subjective. I play it during class in 2 classes, 1 consistently. You know, I'm waiting for the teacher to show up and teach, so I play some single player arma. 
I had to add rubber to autoexec.cfg to make it playable. Otherwise I couldn't accelerate because I couldn't drive precisely enough to get close to the walls without dying, but the AI could accelerate. I tried adjusting cycle_wall_near instead, but wound up backing off those changes and upping rubber instead.
I had to add rubber to autoexec.cfg to make it playable. Otherwise I couldn't accelerate because I couldn't drive precisely enough to get close to the walls without dying, but the AI could accelerate. I tried adjusting cycle_wall_near instead, but wound up backing off those changes and upping rubber instead.
Check out my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@davefancella?si=H--oCK3k_dQ1laDN
Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name.
- Iron Maiden
Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name.
- Iron Maiden
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Phytotron
- Formerly Oscilloscope
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Yeah, Lucifer points out another thing I forgot to add. If what I proposed were ever actually developed (and I'm suggesting something fairly elaborate—and well down the road, I assume), it would be cool if the client could, for these purposes, simulate lag somehow. As Lucifer so rightly points out in one of his "articles," lag is such an essential and inescapable part of the game, it affects everything. I dunno how one does that. Maybe another master server that just delivers junk data to the client? Er, heh, I dunno. Anyway, some kind of simulation.
Well, like joda mentioned, i think, there could be "tutorial servers" that you would connect to and learn there, while interacting (not on the grid, though) with other beginners. That would obviously have lag, being online, but also has the detriment of, well, being online, so maybe a person wants to learn in private while on a plane or something, they can't...
Doubt it though, so whatever.
Either way, the settings for the local game definitely have to be changed, it is pretty much unplayable, and when i do get there, i just do what Lucifer does and up the rubber. It's by far the quickest and most effective fix.
If you could make something like a "ghost AI," an AI that you can see but isn't really there, you can go through it's walls, and whatnot, then you could use that to make example moves to follow, like what scope was saying. So you could have somehting like "follow the AI" with this ghost, and it would take you through simple turns, boxes and the such.
Another thing, from iF's American Race is, there's this one track where there are no visible walls, just poles. Youcould make a track like this for beginners, a kind of slolem course (is that spelled right?)
I dunno. The bizarre Local settings have to go, though.
Doubt it though, so whatever.
Either way, the settings for the local game definitely have to be changed, it is pretty much unplayable, and when i do get there, i just do what Lucifer does and up the rubber. It's by far the quickest and most effective fix.
If you could make something like a "ghost AI," an AI that you can see but isn't really there, you can go through it's walls, and whatnot, then you could use that to make example moves to follow, like what scope was saying. So you could have somehting like "follow the AI" with this ghost, and it would take you through simple turns, boxes and the such.
Another thing, from iF's American Race is, there's this one track where there are no visible walls, just poles. Youcould make a track like this for beginners, a kind of slolem course (is that spelled right?)
I dunno. The bizarre Local settings have to go, though.
You just reminded me I wanted to make a slalom map (correct spelling). I've got some time, maybe I'll fool with it a bit.
Check out my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@davefancella?si=H--oCK3k_dQ1laDN
Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name.
- Iron Maiden
Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name.
- Iron Maiden
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Guest
story mode
humble idea:
what about a single player story/career mode or whatever? make levels of progressive difficulty and have some sort of story line to provide a framework... I don't know what kind of difficulty is involved in implementing cutscenes and whatnot, but I know that can really lend to the fun of the game. I got far enough to beat like one ai in single player mode 1 out of 4 times, but it was never enough fun to get me to play single player much, and sometimes I want to play when I either don't have internet or don't have the time to justify logging on and logging off just for a short play session. Having levels of varying difficulty would be great, but having a story would provide that much more incentive for the player to proceed to the next level. Provides the benefits of a tutorial with the fun of the game...
The story wouldn't be that hard either. I would have to watch tron in it's entirety to make any suggestions that would be consistent with the movie, but it seems that one could just call the other cycles "rogue programs" or "viruses" or "hackers" or whatever and develop from there.
My two cents.
what about a single player story/career mode or whatever? make levels of progressive difficulty and have some sort of story line to provide a framework... I don't know what kind of difficulty is involved in implementing cutscenes and whatnot, but I know that can really lend to the fun of the game. I got far enough to beat like one ai in single player mode 1 out of 4 times, but it was never enough fun to get me to play single player much, and sometimes I want to play when I either don't have internet or don't have the time to justify logging on and logging off just for a short play session. Having levels of varying difficulty would be great, but having a story would provide that much more incentive for the player to proceed to the next level. Provides the benefits of a tutorial with the fun of the game...
The story wouldn't be that hard either. I would have to watch tron in it's entirety to make any suggestions that would be consistent with the movie, but it seems that one could just call the other cycles "rogue programs" or "viruses" or "hackers" or whatever and develop from there.
My two cents.