Iron Wars development thread (download not available)

[Ardis]

That was actually what I was going to go with when I had one building with all of the addons.

[bajadulce]

Sounds like your mod is coming along.  We have been playing mods on Sunday Nights around 8pm Pacific on ShadowFlare's Realm as well as Sat nights sometimes as well.  So if you want to test anything out, just pop in.

Also, if you're going to be placing add-ons atop of buildings, you'll need to make sure you have triggers remove the Add-on should the base get destroyed.  If not, you'll have add-ons "suspended" and will look like crap.  Probably why Blizzard opted to have the add-on be adjacent to the building.

Code: Select all

Trigger("All Players") {
Conditions:
	Always();
Actions:
	Remove Unit("Player 12", "Terran Machine Shop");
	Preserve Trigger();
	Comment("Remove Tesla Globe for neutral player i.e. Vault destroyed");
}

[Ardis]

Makes sense. So, would I need to add this trigger to every map the mod uses and only have this mod use maps made for it exclusively? Or is it possible to slip that into the template files so they will run on any map? I think I have an old tool that edits the .got files which I think are the game templates.

EDIT: When I feel that the first faction is even close to complete and I can find myself satisfied with the balance, I'll keep that in mind.

[bajadulce]

You're most likely going to include custom maps with your fleetmod that take advantage of a modified tileset to represent space, such as the StarWars Fleet mod, AdAstras, Orid Ibana, Temptaion, and Mesk's latest ITAS.  And if you're going to include custom maps for players to play the mod exclusively on, I would definitely suggest that those maps be UMS to take advantage of lots of goodies you can't in a stripped melee file.

This particular trigger however can be made to be played universally on any melee map, by using such a map converting program that you mention.  Poiuy's PyTrg can also convert to .got files and is an excellent tool.

I wish I was a bit more organized at my site as well as had time to build much needed tutorials for this sort of thing, but here is a link that describes the use of a map converting program.  You simply drag your map into the .exe and out pops a stripped triggers.trg that you can rename to "melee.trg" and inject into your mod as "triggers\".

stripped triggers

[Ardis]

Reason I want to avoid making it require UMS maps is because that would restrict the gameplay a bit much when it comes to choice of maps. You wouldn't be able to have free for all, melee and team matches unless you use a map that only allows that.

I might make a UMS map just to test stuff out to see how it works before applying it to the actual mod, though.

EDIT: Also, I forgot... 32x32, isn't that the default size for the addons? Or was that 64x64?

EDIT2: Okay, default was 64x64.

[Death_Wing]

Just a thought but, if it does come to UMS mapping why don't you take the more popular maps and just change the triggers a bit - make the download separate too. I suggest perhaps 20 maps? It's not alot of work for a modder. *Just a suggestion*

[Ardis]

Problem with that is that it's a fleet mod, meaning apart from small stuff like debris fields which block the larger ships movement, there isn't much terrain. And I do plan to include a map editor with the mod when it's finished.

Also, small observation I made, when you convert an air unit to a land unit, it moves funny. It doesn't just go in a straight line anymore, even if there isn't anything in its path.

[Ardis]

Are there ways to set up triggers to only affect transported units? I had the idea of making transport units repair fighters that they're carrying and wanted to know if this were at all possible. I also wanted to know if it would be possible to make a transport unload all units at death (possibly damage the units a bit on the way out, too.)

I'm probably going to revert the buildings back to one addon per building as well as give the addons some kind of deconstruct button to make it possible to destroy addons without having to manually destroy them by unit, possibly even make it refund part of the cost of the addon. I've seen a mod with a similar system to deconstruct buildings, I just don't know how it was set up.

[Lavarinth]

Are there ways to set up triggers to only affect transported units? I had the idea of making transport units repair fighters that they're carrying and wanted to know if this were at all possible. I also wanted to know if it would be possible to make a transport unload all units at death (possibly damage the units a bit on the way out, too.)

I'm probably going to revert the buildings back to one addon per building as well as give the addons some kind of deconstruct button to make it possible to destroy addons without having to manually destroy them by unit, possibly even make it refund part of the cost of the addon. I've seen a mod with a similar system to deconstruct buildings, I just don't know how it was set up.

I think the unloading of units is possible of you replicate the bunker's attribute. To restate from my vast lack of knowledge: Quite sure I've seen it done.

[Ardis]

If it were possible, how do you think it would be done? I don't think it would be done through iscripting and I don't think there would be anything under the .exe edits in Firegraft (could be wrong, haven't checked because I'm working on a model for something (a unit) right now.)

EDITED

[Ardis]

I want to find ways to make the carriers (role, not the Protoss unit) appealing to use.

Ideas I have right now:
-Carriers repair carried units.
-Small ships can't enter wormholes/jumpgates while larger ships can and carriers can transport smaller units through.
-Carriers automatically unload smaller units on death meaning you don't have to worry about losing the contents if the carrier dies.
-Maybe add terrain hazards that can damage or even destroy fighters but won't affect larger ships.

----

Another idea I want is to give larger units some kind of long distance transportation. I'm thinking of giving one faction something like a hyperdrive (Star Wars) or Warp (Star Trek), giving one faction Jump Gates (like in Babylon 5) and coming up with something really bizarre/unusual/impractical (under normal conditions) for the third faction since they're supposed to have the stranger technologies in the first place.

----

Okay, I have some of the sprites finished for a few of the Iron Wolves units. (I'll improve these later, but for now this is just so I have something other than default/borrowed sprites)

From left to right:
Top row: Spire Cruiser, Selveris War Cruiser, Targe Carrier
Bottom row: VV-X Superiority Fighter, R-21 Carver Missile Frigate, R-20 Scythe Advanced Tactical Fighter, ZZ3-F9B Experimental Tech Testbed

EDITED

EDITED Second time, two units mislabeled

[bajadulce]

Fun ideas.  Some of these are pretty complex and probably will require some non-traditional methods.  Some however would seem to be doable with a simple exe edit working together with modified .dat files.  The terrain hazards would seem the simplest of the ideas to implement with a weapon target flag edit.  Jumpgates (nydus canal) can be altered to allow flying units and by default only allow zerg units to use, but most likely all of your ships are of the same supply type so that sort of rules out discriminating within the fleet. 

Of course UMS trigs would have no problem allowing/disallowing different ships from entering warp gates etc.  You could even have a selector of sorts prompt the player as to different warp destination choices. 

Are you referring to carriers as "transports"?  Not sure I understand what "carriers repairing carried units really means."

Creating models is a lot of work.. I admire those that toil over such things.  Look forward to trying out.

[Ardis]

I've seen some units in the Temptation mod go into a warp-like effect (probably through iscripting) when they travel a long distance (not sure how it's actually triggered yet since I haven't had a chance to look at the iscripts for that mod), so I know it's possible to give one faction warp for their larger units.

Jump gates I can do easily just by reworking the Nydus Canal, but what would be interesting to do on top of that if it were possible (but I think someone already said it would be impossible due to hard-coding) would to that you could manually destroy the exit with a button and place a new one somewhere else. And actually, I would need it to NOT allow flying units since that's the flag I use for smaller ships for weapon targeting. I saw the .exe edit you were talking about for that, but I don't need that one for it.

Still have no clue how to make "transports" repair units inside it if it's even possible. And yes, I meant transports when I said carriers... Sorry for being ambiguous on that. The idea I had in mind was that a transport (dropship, overlord, shuttle, etc.) was carrying a unit, that the unit would be healed over time. I'm also unsure as to how to make a transport eject its carried units on death.

[IskatuMesk]

Warp is very easy.

Have a wait in the movement script, or a target range condition jump.

This moves to a block with setflingyspeed or whatever the command was. Set this to a high number. Spawn effects or whatnot as desired.

Have another target range condition jump that is much smaller, use this to set the flingy speed back to normal and whatever else you want.

[Ardis]

Okay. I will have to figure out what that all means and how to make actually script that out (my scripting knowledge is pretty bad, but I'm learning)

Another thing, is there anything I can add to that to make the unit unable to attack or pickup/drop units while in its warp status? And maybe even make it unable to attack for a split second after exiting warp? (I think I can do that with a simple wait)