Zones v2 tricks, tip and rip-off

[philippeqc]

Hi,

Thought we'd move the exploration of the features of zones v2 to a easier to search thread. And what better way to start a thread than to launch a little challenge?

Some time ago our host, Tank Program, talked to me that we should have some better single player games. One problem named was that we lacked the ability to do "levels" and to link them together.

This is no longer true.

Knowing that it is possible, who can not only figure it, but show case it in an interesting context before anyone else?

Dig your brains, fire up your neurons, I'm sure some of you have though "I'd do this if only i could do level", be it a tutorial, a treasure hunt, a new approach to
multi-player games, or what ever strike your fancy and in the task of building it up, in the mist of your creative process, enlightenment should find you! *

I'll wait to disclose it until 2 weeks or the 3rd entry, to be adjusted by vox populis.

-ph

Yes I or someone else could just tell you, Or slap 2 maps together showcasing the solution (I have such map btw), but all this seems so bland, cheap and boring.

*) Should you manage to build an interesting multi-level experience and still have this mechanism elude you, I might give you a nudge or three in the right direction of course.

Edit: Should you find said mechanism but just cant resist the urge to tell somebody about it, just drop me a private message. I'll note your priority of discovery.

[philippeqc]

Of course, if I wasn't a complete hair-head, I would have stated the purpose of this thread!

It is a place of experimentation, of tips exchange and of complains about zones v2.

Share with us what great idea you got, and complain when the (planned) system doesn't allow you to do them.

-ph

[Aang (avatar fan)]

I had a crack of zones v2...

Its a crazy race, with instead of just death zones, it has zones that:

• Slows you down
  Speeds you up
  Kills a random player
  Teleports a random player to a random spot
  and the normal win at the end.

Here, its attached.

[philippeqc]

Hi Aang,

I've noticed a few syntax errors. Considering that you probably do not have access to the DTD, I cannot fault you. I have attached the current version of the DTD for your convenience. I would suggest you try and get an editor that support DTD validation.

- The spawn point should probably not be outside of the defined arena ;)
- Shapes (ShapeCircle and ShapePolygon) have color as a sub-element. Inside a shape, you have a point (the "center" location of the shape), its color, and in the case of a ShapePolygon, all the points defining its contour.
- A zone has a single shape and one or more "circumstence" element, i.e: Enter, Leave, Inside, Outside. The 2 first are evaluated only when the boundary of the zone is crossed, while the other are continually evaluated while the criteria is met. Enter and Leave are excellent for instanteneous event (kill somebody, teleport someone) while Inside and Outside are best for events that have a duration, such as accelerating for as long as a player is in the zone. For the slowzoneX and speedzoneX, you probably want the Inside one. For the destroyzoneX, using either Inside or Outside would kill a player at each iteration of the server. Quite murderous! Further, you probably want to couple some logic to avoid a player making some quick dash in and out of the zone and killing everybody on the grid. The simplest way would be to restrict the number of times the effect can be used. Set an attribute named count in the effect. More complex could use Monitor and/or ownership.
- The next level under the "circumstence" element is the EffectGroup element. It is used to define ownership of the effect. If you wanted to make a zone a boost for one team and an break for another, you would have:

Code: Select all

<Inside>
  <EffectGroup teamOwner="red"> 
    <!-- define a boost for red -->
  </EffectGroup> 
  <EffectGroup teamOwner="blue"> 
    <!-- define a break for blue -->
  </EffectGroup> 

In your case, you do not need to define ownership as all the players are equal on this map.
- A note of interest: with a base speed of 30,
-- an acceleration of -20.0 (negative) never lowered the cycle speed under exactly 26.0.
-- an acceleration of 15.0 (positive) raised it to over 110.0 (difficult to estimate the actual value as i needed to turn to keep in the zone and turning consumed speed.

Retouched, one of your zone could be written:

Code: Select all

        <Zone name="speedzone1">
          <ShapeCircle radius="10">
            <Point x="200" y="1000"/>
            <Color red="1.0" green="1.0" blue="0.1"/>
          </ShapeCircle>
	  <Inside>
            <EffectGroup>
              <User user="all" >
                <Target target="self">
                  <Effect effect="acceleration" value="20.0" />
                </Target>
              </User>
            </EffectGroup>
	  </Inside>
        </Zone>

I'll let you decide how you want to implement the killzone.

Also, you are ahead of me, I haven't implemented the teleport effect yet.

A very nice map. Impressive for someone who doesnt have access to the new version of the game!

-ph

[Aang (avatar fan)]

Hmmm, i see what you mean...

Here, i simplified it by taking out most of the zones.

And i tried the destroy zone....i think i have got it wrong though

Also...i think i might stay away from the monitor thing for now...

[ed]

I'm not quite sure how to create a decent one player game using just what we currently have. Well, one that's built into the client anyway. If you have the answer I'd like to hear it.

Writing a script that controls the server would be fairly easy to implement. High scores, etc could be stored at the server level for that extra challenge.

Things I would like to see to make the single player game that much more interesting (and multiplayer for that matter):
Assign specific images to walls from the map level. To create far more beautiful and controlled maps.
Sounds to zones, while you're in them chosen sounds play, as you leave they stop. Assign sound speed to a zone influence, as the zone is conquered the sound will speed up.
That's all resources, the devs are probably shouting at me. I've no idea if anything is being planned for it.

Anyway, I've made another concept map.
It's a race map based on a track in a certain playstation car racing game. The track is a zone, while you on the track you accelerate, while you are not you lose speed fast.
It aint a good single player map, needs a few people for a decent race methinks. I look forward to trying it with others.

Code: Select all

RESOURCE_REPOSITORY_CLIENT http://www.crazy-tronners.com/resource/
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/autumn-0.0.1.aamap.xml

I tried to add a walled in track instead of a square box surrounding the track:

Code: Select all

MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/autumn-0.0.2.aamap.xml

but using this map the zone, although it was present, had no influence over the speed of the cycle.
So I reintroduced the surrounding wall as well as the walled track:

Code: Select all

MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/autumn-0.0.3.aamap.xml

and all was well again.
I think the map works better without the track wall anyway, and there is an easy workaround, just thought you might like to know.

[philippeqc]

I'm not quite sure how to create a decent one player game using just what we currently have. Well, one that's built into the client anyway. If you have the answer I'd like to hear it.

I do not have much ideas on this either. I think it will come by trial and error. We are at the same step than people where before pac-man. It is difficult to wake up one morning and think "what if we had a big mouth running around eating pills in a maze while being chased by ghosts."

Some rough ideas:
- The tutorial that I have written for new players in the wiki mention some maps to test the basic mechanism of the game (grinding for example). I have yet to made those maps, and people have yet to read the tutorial (as nobody complained that the maps where lacking, I know nobody tried). No it is no anything fun for single player. What it is is a reason for someone to sit down and start making balanced, interesting, one-person, tutorial maps. After someone has done the 3 or 4 maps required by the tutorial, said person would probably have a good feel of single player "experience" with the new maps, and would probably be at an advantage to start to look into gaming single-player maps, rather than just tutorial.
- I recall a game where the player was trying to keep some plates spinning on long poles. The player had to run under them to spin them up again while the other plates slowly lost their speed. Each time the player succeded (I think the goal was to keep them spinning for a certain time), the game started with one more plate to keep up. Replace plates with zones and you have something here... and we have the concept of cycle trace making motion even harder!
- A concept that will not work right now as zone size (scale) is not a true equation yet, but could soon: The zones are pulsating at different rythm. One could double in size and then shrink over a 5 second period. Another could gain 50% of its size over a 10 seconds period. With an arena filled with properly timed pulsing zone, the player has to crack the pulsing sequence and decide for a path and try to make it without touching any of the zones. Another section, the "behavior" could be reverted, and you would have to keep on being on a zone, and try to pass from one to the next when they are touching. Think a psychadelic frogger where instead of dodging cars and jumping on logs, you have to avoid growing and shrinking zones, or pass only through them.
- Coupled with your sound idea, have zones glide on the ground always in the same direction. Associate a sound with each. Entering the zone play a note and give point. Who can say dance dance revolutron? Or Guitron Heroes?
- Come one gang! How many of you have shouted they wanted pac-man, and yet nobody tried a port to zones v2? Shame I say! Shame on you! ;)

Over all, I'm not too worry about single player games. The engine is a bit rough for them, but as people experiment and new capacities are offered, we should see new and interesting one pop-up.

Writing a script that controls the server would be fairly easy to implement. High scores, etc could be stored at the server level for that extra challenge.

I'll let this to someone else. I have never been a fan of highscores, and I have trouble to beleive their authenticity when the game is open source. But I'm sure many people will find this interesting.

Things I would like to see to make the single player game that much more interesting (and multiplayer for that matter):
Assign specific images to walls from the map level. To create far more beautiful and controlled maps.
Sounds to zones, while you're in them chosen sounds play, as you leave they stop. Assign sound speed to a zone influence, as the zone is conquered the sound will speed up.
That's all resources, the devs are probably shouting at me. I've no idea if anything is being planned for it.

I want to have map-driven resource since a long time. Your idea of sound coupled to zones behavior is really neat. Consider it added to my list.

I'll try your map later. My mom is visiting me from Canada.

-ph

[philippeqc]

Anyway, I've made another concept map.

And a fun one too! I will have a look at the problem about the zone working only when a square wall is present.

Keep on the good work!

---
I have receive a first entry for the competition to make levels. I still have not received any implementation, so you still have the chance to be the first one!

Good luck!

-ph

[Aang (avatar fan)]

Reading all this, i have had a great new idea for a map! Single player too.

The only problem is, how do i test them? 3.x?
I am happy to make them, but without tests....

[ed]

You need to checkout the latest trunk using svn. Then compile the game from source.
There's some instructions here.

[ed]

I was wondering if it would be possible to one day be able to make invisible zones. Set alpha="0", that day is today.
Same race map again with a few tweaks:

Code: Select all

RESOURCE_REPOSITORY_CLIENT http://www.crazy-tronners.com/resource/
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/autumn-0.0.4.aamap.xml

It will be of no use without this moviepack installed.

The zone is invisible, the image on the grid marks the track.
I am under no illusion, my design skills are crap, but the concept works.
Invisible walls, hidden boost/brake zones, hmm...

[wrtlprnft]

Just another reason why we need moviepacks as a resource with a possibility for the server to force a specific one…

[ed]

Here's another:

Code: Select all

RESOURCE_REPOSITORY_CLIENT http://www.crazy-tronners.com/resource/
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/spaceman-0.0.1.aamap.xml

All you need to do is reach the Mothership. Look out for the stars, they're killers. As is that Langolier.

[wrtlprnft]

Waaah! I love the animation at the end, nice surprise
I haven't quite figured out what those other yellow ships are good for, if I enter the second one (the one in front of the spawn point) it just doesn't accelerate me enough to stay in it and dodge the stars…

[ed]

Well it didn't exactly finished as I'd originally intended.
But..if we were able to have zones influencing other zones by entering, leaving, etc as you can with a player and zone, a new objective with this map would be to take three of the small ships home to the mothership, only then is the map completed.
Try it and post your screenshot