Next build delayed

[rob]

Hey all,

Due to illness we are going to delay build 37 for a day. See you tomorrow!

Rob

[tarbomb]

Get well soon!

[linkshot]

I can boss people around if you need it.

[rob]

After some internal discussion, we've decided to postpone the next build until next Wednesday. It's been a heck of week around here. Forgive us please!

[sven]

You're forgiven. After all, we couldn't get far without communication. Thanks for the notification!

[linkshot]

Why would I forgive you for getting sick? It's the virus you guys got that should be apologizing!

[amitp]

The virus won't apologize but maybe we can make whoever gave you the virus apologize! ;-)

[rob]

Status so far:

Tim's been cranking out new triggers for Mustang and Trailblazer. Mustang gets a double shotgun, a knight-like stun, an instant side-shield refill, and a massive temporary main turret buff. Trailblazer gets a speed boost, an extra long blink, the standard non-combat shield refill, and rogue-like invisibility.

I've been bashing my head against the "minimap" you get when you zoom way out. Who knows what it will look like by Wednesday? But in short I'm dividing enemy fortresses into categories and displaying the categories via map symbols.

We had a long discussion about loot yesterday. We're considering a new type of loot (called "modules", or "mods" for short?) which you pick up in the course of fighting, like gridshards. You can keep an unlimited number of these in your tank's hold, but they only last for 24 hours in this state. Before a day goes by, you must get them out of your hold or they are destroyed. You can either put them in your storage area (vault), or you can install them onto one of your tanks. Once installed, you can't remove a module without destroying it. Modules come in several types: hull, shield, turret, and gun. Each tank class has one or more module slots on each gun, turret, shield and the hull. Each module provides a collection of bonuses: +5 rotation, +7 damage, etc. We are also considering bonuses like +7 damage vs flying, or +3 damage vs fotresses. The bonuses might be procedurally generated on the fly, or they might be handcrafted in advance. Each module would have a name like "reciprocating ion generator" or "spooled flux impeller". This whole idea is still only half-baked.

Thanks for your patience and support!

[tarbomb]

On modules:

You can keep an unlimited number of these in your tank's hold, but they only last for 24 hours in this state.

24 hours actual time or 24 hours of gameplay time? I'm hoping it's the latter, but I can see no real advantages that a time-based expiration system has over a finite inventory (in fact, the latter creates less mental "inventory management" overhead by eliminating the necessity of keeping track of expiring modules, since you only worry about that when your inventory gets low and you're about to pick up something rather than all the time).

Also, on the concept of modules itself:

We already have two ways to buff stats: augments and prisms, and I don't see the point in a third. I want to see noticeable, game-changing modules that allow me to really customize my tank such as extra abilities, extra shield layers, and different types of guns (a missile launcher or a close-range EMP stun blast, for instance), not another way to give minor, difficult-to-notice stat boosts to my tank.

[rob]

The time-based expiration, rather than the traditional capacity-based system, is to eliminate all the "wait guys my backpack is full" moments that happen when grouping, and replace it with auto-looting. The idea is to just auto-collect everything, and sort it out later once you've gone back to town. Come to think of it, we might want to require that module installs happen in town.

Having a gameplay clock, rather than a wall clock is an interesting twist which might be more fun.

Tarbomb, it sounds like you want to design new tank classes! Triggers as loot might be a thing we can do.

There is a subtle difference between prisms, augments and modules. Prisms are global, across all classes. Augments are per-class, but if you spend VPs to augment your alt, then you are hurting your main because those VPs could have been used to augment your main. Modules are also per-class, but you can use your main to collect them for your alts, without hindering the development of your main. (Any mods you find that aren't an upgrade for your main can get installed on alts.)

[tarbomb]

I never really thought about that facet of time-based triggers, and after reading your explanation it does make sense. I look forward to seeing how it works in practice.

Tarbomb, it sounds like you want to design new tank classes!

While I'd certainly like to design new tank classes, what I really want to see is the ability to craft your own class in-game by being able to customize shields and guns to some extent. Even if there were a hundred tank classes in the game, I'd just be one of many other people using highly-upgraded versions of that particular tank. On the other hand, customization allows a far more diverse set of options that I can use to really make the tank mine - to tailor it to my personal style.

There is a subtle difference between prisms, augments and modules. Prisms are global, across all classes. Augments are per-class, but if you spend VPs to augment your alt, then you are hurting your main because those VPs could have been used to augment your main. Modules are also per-class, but you can use your main to collect them for your alts, without hindering the development of your main. (Any mods you find that aren't an upgrade for your main can get installed on alts.)

Perhaps so, but gameplay-wise they all affect the tanks the same way - by buffing stats. And since there's no tradeoff or difference to them - only more buffs (i.e. progression advances you forward, but not laterally) I expect most players will follow the single path that proves to be most efficient - some sort of build-farmer-and-use-it-to-build-others strategy much like we see in Realm.

Essentially I don't want to see the same thing that happened in Realm happening here. In Realm, once you've maxed your character and loaded it up with high-tier gear, the only thing left is to play an unsatisfying numbers game (fame, analogous to raising augment percentages past diminishing returns). There is some lateral variation (a few UTs that change playstyle) but not enough to allow veteran players to experiment once they've "won the game". I see customizable tanks as a way to avoid that in g12.

[amitp]

While I'd certainly like to design new tank classes, what I really want to see is the ability to craft your own class in-game by being able to customize shields and guns to some extent.

Steel Chaos!

[vkm]

Haha Amit, customization is always good because it makes you feel like this here is my tank. Tarbomb is one smart cookie:) I can't find a word he says that I don't agree with