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dvs1

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Posts posted by dvs1

  3. Posted · Edited by dvs1

    Lauren, I started writing code in Jan '99 with HTML in Notepad. I picked up JASC's Paintshop Pro a couple years later since Photoshop was too expensive. I used a lot of html, dhtml, shtml, xhtml, which were all precursors to xml; and the eXtensible Markup Langauge when it came out was a game changer. For added function on websites, I got to using javascript. I learned what cgi, perl, and bin was and how to use them. I did all this over a few years by reading the source codes of websites and figuring out what was what. I learned how to use Paintshop Pro really well and even tho I have Photoshop today, the UI isn't friendly imo. I liked Corel's menus much better but I use PS when I have to for things I can't do in PSP. I did a lot of graphic design for ads, posters, brochures, business cards, you name it I probably did it. I made templates for websites too. I tried my hand at Flash, didn't care for it, but really enjoyed 3D modeling. I've used Poser and Maya for different things, and an old program now called 3D world builder. Fun times. I've used 3D Studio Max when I had to for different things. I took Computer Science in college, and learned C++, Java, etc but my strength and passion was always in web design. I can bug hunt more than a dozen languages because I can read them, and have --USED-- 33 different languages, most of which are now defunct, over the past 20 years. I write automation scripts in AutoIT I still do some websites here n there, but freelance only and very infrequently. I was also a DBA of 5 completely different databases for AT&T. Since Wordpress came along, I already knew PHP and MySql, so it became easier to just set up a wordpress based site than write the code like how I used to. I do more photo restorations and coloring now too than graphic design. So please be a little more polite next time than to assume that I don't know what I'm saying. If the short answer is no, then say no and be done with it.

  6. Posted

    The vision was 180. That was the problem. I adjusted the vision to equal the attack range and everything works like it should now. I only thought of that in relation to buildings, not unit too but it makes sense.

     

    I'm still working on getting it to two-fire like the Hammerhead does, which is where I borrowed a majority of the coding from for this.

     

    I notice also that a unit marker, shader, whatever you want to call it, now appears on the ground where it didn't before. Sadly, I haven't a clue which bit of coding I added to make this now appear.

  8. Posted

    Worst customer service: Comcast. I thought they bought TWC?

     

    Worst treatment of employee: Wal-Mart.

     

    On a national scale. I've worked for companies, many of which have folded by now, which were so poorly mismanaged, its still a wonder how they got into business at all or lasted as long as they did.

  10. Posted

    I got the Mini Orca that's used in the bombing runs super power to work. Hooked it up with weapon, experience, etc, everything.

     

    However, it's a rather dense thing. I have it set to be an Air-to-Air attack only, a flying version of the Slingshot basically. It's doing 2 things which make it nearly worthless.

     

    1) It won't attack unless something is practically on top of it. Meaning if I tell it to engage, it will move to that spot and then engage. Also, if something like, like a Stormrider, is flying around it it does nothing unless told to or the Stormrider swings right next to it.

     

    2) All modes are the same. Aggressive, Guard... no difference.

     

    The attack range is set to 355, but it does nothing until a target is less than 30 away from it. It *can* shoot at the range specified, but it does not engage. Why?

     

    I wanted to set the gun firing from the bones, fx_weapon_01 & 02, but don't know how to do that yet. I used the AA Battery fx, but only get a single fire from the area of bone 01 about 10 in front of it, which I can live with but to clean it up I was looking for a way to make it also fire from bone 02 and bring the fx closer, like the AA Battery or Slingshot does when its firing.

     

    Any ideas?

  11. Posted

    My boy is 10. I started him on wc3 2 years ago and this spring introduced him to c&c and red alert. After school was out, I got one of the board games out of the basement from when I was much younger called Tower of the Wizard King. Set it up, read the rules over again, and we played it. After we went through one game, he said to me that its too bad they don't make games like this anymore, that everything was like modern warfare. Then he asked me if I had other board games like this. I have others like Clue, Clue: The Great Museum Caper, Weapons & Warriors, Risk, Dominoes 6 12 and 15 sets, Triominoes, and a few packs of cards to show him.

     

    We could discuss the pros and cons of the different genre of gaming for a decade or more into a stalemate of opinions, but I wonder if the younger generation, those born after 2000, would actually appreciate the older games like we did.

  13. Posted

    If anything, RPGs are still in production and are popular. Look at The Elder Scrolls and Witcher series.

     

    You haven't played TES unless you've been through and survived the dungeons of Arena and Daggerfall. I liked them so much I bought Redguard when it came out.

     

     

    50% of them are stolen at minimum, 100% of them are mobile games ffs!

     

    There was no distinction on platform base. NES vs Sega vs vs MS vs Android/iPhone vs. a Modern computer. If you want to split hairs, start with a bald head; you'll be finished quicker.

  14. Posted · Edited by dvs1

    Traditional RTS were time consuming, the last 5 or more years there has been a shift towards shorter games or game session, modern rts are aimed to play faster, last shorter. Hence why concepts like base building, resource management have taken a back seat to fast paced action. Specialy when it comes to multiplayer. Mobas basicly offer that, they remove the "simcity" aspect from a rts, remove anything that can "unnecessarily" prolong a game like objectives, missions, resource management etc. You focus on 1 unit with 1 goal, kill and win.

     

    What he said.

     

    I remember playing TD like a simcity game....having 3 types of walls (sandbag, chainlink and stone) wasn't there for the strategy part, even more so the ai was dumb as **** when it came to sandbags, it was obviously there to groom a base.

    I used to build my base, wall in the enemy, go afk just to let the tiberium regrow on the highest speed because i loved to build bases. i took sometimes over 2hours for a mission, the cover ops mission were my favorite just by map designs. I ****ing build kingdoms in the Black Out mission map!

     

    I do the same thing. Functional. Strategic. Winning is better when you look good doing it.

     

    What happened to the gaming industry some would call an evolution. I remember when WarCraft:Orcs and Humans was a new release at Wal-Mart. Now you have BlizzCon.

     

    Ravendark's analysis would be on par with discussing how old tech was replaced with new tech. The cassette vs the cd.

     

    There are different segments of people. let's say you have the 'high end' people who ride the bleeding edge of technology. Behind them you have the 'traditional' group who wait until the tech is older, more stable, then get into it. Finally, trailing behind them is the 'low tech' group who are slow to adapt. The huge profits come from the high end group who scream 'take my money!' so they can have the latest, greatest thing. Once the traditional group gets involved, the high end group has most likely moved on to something else, while the traditional group keeps it alive. The product may or may not be viable anymore by the time the low tech group gets involved.

     

    The statement that DotA killed RTS is the same thing as saying only what the high end group likes is relevant. People do get burned out on MMORPGs like LoL, Rohan, etc. Especially when the fantasy hits the wallet and its empty. The mobile games are here, for now, but look at how many there is. In another 2-3 years will they even be remembered? Maybe by some of the traditional group who never play it anymore.

     

    But people like us, who sit here reading, of all things, a command and conquer forum which is based on a game that was originally released in 1995---21 years ago. The last release was in 2008 and Red Alert was 2009.

     

    We look at a rainbow. You like the first color red and I like the last color violet. Which of us is more right? They're both colors on the opposite ends of the spectrum.That's what games are: different colors of the rainbow.

     

    But when you're a corporation whose sole purpose is to produce products for high revenue volume, the high end group is who gets catered to. Every time.

  15. Posted

    Still i want to remind you, that there were successful mods which not only gave prestige to developers, but also changed gaming industry. For example WarCraft III mod, DotA. I found an article few weeks ago claiming that DotA actually killed RTS genre, and it's hard not to agree with. So yeah, sometimes (not often) you might hit Alpha Centauri just by pure luck.

     

     

    I would disagree that DotA killed RTS. That would be like saying the MMORPG killed the RPG. Both are still around, but only one is a massive money making scheme for the clueless with credit cards who need to "win".

     

    Some of the most popular Android games are all RTS. Good grief, they run commercials for them with hi-viz actors!

  16. Posted

    I've always found it interesting out much foreign people pay attention to our politics. A friend of mine who lives in Sydney rails on the current president like she lives here. It is rather amusing.

     

    and jeffnz needs to listen to something (among the huge collection of 'tin foil' things I know of)---it'd really blow his mind if he knew about this... and its just the beginning.

     

  18. Posted

    If the AI suicides it into my base... that's just something else to run along with the horde of slingshots that invade and surround the harvester to keep it from moving or entering the refinery.

     

    The CE is set at 700. I knocked the Engineer down to 200.

     

    Here's my notes on them

     

    			□ ENGINEER
				® CAPTURE/REPAIR BUILDINGS/BRIDGES
				® SPEED: 80 (36)
				® COST: 200 (500)
				® TIME: 2 (5) 
				® CAPTURE TIME: 1 (3)
			□ COMBAT ENGINEER
				® CAPTURE HUSK ONLY
				® DEMOLITIONS
				® DEMO TRAP BUILDINGS/BRIDGES
				® SPEED: 80 (36)
				® COST: 700 (500)
				® TIME: 7 (5)
				® CAPTURE TIME: 1 (3)
				® UPGRADES
					◊ COMPOSITE ARMOR
					◊ AP AMMO

     

    I find it personally enjoyable to get a squad of CE onto a bridge, about 4 or 5, and trap every segment then watch the enemy attempt to cross it. Same with dropping a mine field on a tib spike. But even with a speed of 80, I've had to run circles around a Tib Spike (quite literally, its hilarious to watch) while Buzzers are chasing them. They can barely stay ahead of them too.

     

    There is a skirmish AI tag. Because they have the same special powers as a saboteur, if I replaced the skirmish ai tag info with the nod version, that should tell the ai how to use it effectively, even if it can't capture buildings it *might* still send it out to do other things. I haven't done this yet, but I will soon.

     

    I've seen the AI use demos and traps on the bridges of barstow's badlands--which really surprised me when the bridge collapsed for no apparent reason. I only play against brutal and balanced too.

     

    I got the Mini Orca to build on the first try (yea for me), but not the Ox... its there, but not buildable (yet). Anyways, so I was thinking this over about the Mini Orca and find it would be useful, imo anyways, as an air-to-air unit only. I was going to make it like the hammerhead, but why duplicate that? It has the Firehawk locomotor and I want to hook it up with the Firehawk missiles.

     

    The more I make time to play with this, the easier it gets. If you want to see something crazy, quadruple the value of green tiberium crystal (and field values x4 too) from 7 to 28 and cut the regrowth time down to 2s between 3s stages then play against a brutal balanced ai on a large map 1v1. The only way I've managed to barely control the situation is to set the Ion Cannon with a 30s cooldown. The AI will throw everything it has and can at you nearly non-stop.

  19. Posted

    renaming= new unit. Means you NEED to add him to EVERY buildings' Engineercontain module if he is to be able to capture anything. You are better of keeping the original engineer and removing him from those 5 huskfiles.

    From a bigger picture...GDIengineer is used in skirmish ai and singleplayer map scripting and conquest mode....removing it possibly breaks those aswell.

     

    I was going to change GDIEngineer to GDICombatEngineer for the husks ..... but ... damn you're right. The AI wouldn't know what to do. I've only been playing and testing as GDI, nothing else. The Scrin and Nod factions only have 1 engineer. See, what I was thinking is that you have the GDI Engineer for buildings and bridges, while the Combat Engineer (CE) would be used for capturing husks, setting traps, and demolitions. I wanted to rename the CE from Steel Talons, that way the subfaction would remain unchanged if chosen to play as that. Thanks for the thought. I'll test it and see what happens. If the AI can't figure it out then I'll have to do something else.

     

    i dont see the point in using a different upgrade template. don't you trigger the heroic status by experience like the units do?

     

     

    You're right. It wasn't working before, but now that it is, it only makes sense to reset it back to default.

  20. Posted

     

    it is possible but it won't work actually if this part of code is missing inside the structure's GameObject file.

    <AutoHealBehavior
	id="Upgrade_HeroicHeal"
	StartHealingDelay="1s"
	HealingAmount="10"
	HealingDelay=".5s">
	<TriggeredBy>Upgrade_Veterancy_HEROIC</TriggeredBy>
</AutoHealBehavior>

     

    This is the code I've been using:

     

    <AutoHealBehavior
	id="Upgrade_HeroicHeal"
	InitiallyActive="true"
	HealOnlyIfNotInCombat="false"
	HealOnlyIfNotUnderAttack="false"
	StartHealingDelay="1s"
	HealingAmount="100"
	HealingDelay=".5s">
	<TriggeredBy>Upgrade_Defense_HEROIC</TriggeredBy>
</AutoHealBehavior>

    And the Upgrade Template is:

     

    <UpgradeTemplate
	id="Upgrade_Defense_HEROIC"
	Type="OBJECT"
	BuildTime="0s"
	BuildCost="0"
	ResearchSound=""
	UnitSpecificSound=""
	UpgradeFX=""
	UseObjectTemplateForCostDiscount=""
	GroupOrder="0"
	SkirmishAIHeuristic="INVALID"
	Options="DO_NOT_TRANSFER"
	WaypointQueueable="False" />

     

    When I changed the InitiallyActive in the AutoHealBehavior tag from false to true, it works. It works at every level though. Not exactly what I was going for, so I'll come back to this in a minute. I changed it back to false once I got it fixed so the hero heal will kick in on the upgrade.

     

    as for the engineer... you can create a new engineer by copying and renaming, but you'll have to change the "engineercontain" stuff inside of every single structure/husk to make it possibly enter/not enter it.

     

    Exactly. I wanted to copy & rename because I figured it would be easier to change 5 husk files to add him, and remove the gdi engineer, than dozens of everything else.

     

    1. try this instead

     

    <AttributeModifier
		id="Defense_Veteran"
		Category="NONE">
                <Modifier Type="DAMAGE_MULT" Value="125%"/>
                <Modifier Type="HEALTH_MULT" Value="125%" />
		<Modifier Type="SHROUD_CLEARING" Value="125%"/>
		<Modifier Type="VISION" Value="125%"/>
		<Modifier Type="RANGE" Value="125%"/>
</AttributeModifier>

    Is your sonic fence mesh set as geometry? Else it won't show ingame.

     

    Changing power on the powerplant is basic, no reason it shouldn't work.

     

    The only things i can think of is

    1. you either changed the wrong power attribute...

    EnergyProduction="20" /** this is the on you need **/

    EnergyBonus="10" /** this one only comes into effect from the turbine upgrade **/

     

    Long story short: there was a syntax error somewhere in the coding from when I added the SRF. I wiped the file and put in fresh code, then changed the energy output and it works. I'll let you know how rest develops.

     

     

    2. you forgot to reference you powerplant xml in your static.xml

     

    So far I've only done this once.

     

    3. could be there is some syntax error in the xml which gives a error and fails to compile your xml into your mod.

     

    There was. I wasn't interested in reading every line to find it, so I'll have to go back and do it over again.

     

    After messing around with the power plant and realizing my tweaked one wasn't being built, it got me to thinking about the defenses and how all the code was in place but what if the files weren't being acclimated because they weren't compiled properly? Then it dawned on me. Some of the files I put into a folder called "Global". Even tho I cited everything accurately, they weren't being added how I wanted. I renamed the folder from Global to AllFactions and *BAM!* everything freaking worked! Now my GDI base defenses are seriously OP and need toned down.

     

    It's always the simple stuff that drives one mad.

     

    As for turning segments into hubs, i used a replaceself specialpower for something similar a while back. Think mcv unpack coding.

     

    That makes a lot more sense than what I was going to try. I'll let you know if it works.

     

     

    I like how this works. I ask a question. Ideas are thrown around. I tool a bit more based off the ideas and suddenly everything works.

  21. Posted

    I figured out how to add veterancy to base defenses, tested and working. What I can't quit figure out is how to increment via the attribute modifier 3 other things.

     

    I want the range, vision, and shroud clearing be x% for veteran, y% for elite, and z% for heroic; I borrowed the coding from the zone trooper upgrade to do this.

     

    	<AttributeModifier
		id="Defense_Veteran"
		Category="LEVEL INNATE_VISION"
		Duration="0s"
		MetaDuration="0"
		StartFX=""
		EndFX=""
		ModelConditionsSet=""
		ModelConditionsClear=""
		ObjectStatusToSet=""
		StackingLimit="1"
		ReplaceInCategoryIfLongest="False"
		IgnoreIfAnticategoryActive="False">
		<Modifier
			Type="DAMAGE_MULT"
			Value="125%" />
		<Modifier
			Type="HEALTH_MULT"
			Value="125%" />
		<Modifier
			Type="RANGE"
			Value="125%" />
		<Modifier
			Type="VISION"
			Value="125%" />
		<Modifier
			Type="SHROUD_CLEARING"
			Value="125%" />
	</AttributeModifier>

    This is the current code I'm working with. As always, I've done my looking and comparing to see how something works. The dmg and h% work, but the R, V, S do not. I tried it with INNATE_VISION and without. Same thing.

     

    I tried to get the heroic heal to kick in too (the main reason for adding veterancy) and it doesn't work. I tried the c/p method from the APC to the WatchTower, that didn't work so I tried changing the id to the module; that didn't work either. I made sure everything was linked together, spelling correct, etc. Checked the other files too not requiring my changes, nothing there it looked like it needed changing, being generic. So how can or does one add an autoheal function to a structure? If this were possible, of course.

     

    I've actually got a long list of stuff done. I know I ask a lot of questions, but don't think I ask 'everything'. Just the stuff I spend way too much time on trying to figure out.

     

     

    the other stuff

     

    does the sonic fence need to be a bone to show? I added it to the power plant, its "there" but doesn't show... I forgot how to add a bone, which is a different problem...

     

    I changed the combat engineer; I added stuff like demo, traps, and want to make him only capture husks. At the same time, I want the engineer to only capture buildings and not husks. I tried changing the ID from "SteelTalonsCombatEngineer" to "GDICombatEngineer" where applicable but the game crashed on start. When I make an id change like this, do I need to treat the unit as a new one and "import" everything?

     

    I tried changing the power output on the power plants from 20 to 30 and it didn't work. At this point I start asking 3-letter questions that begin with "W".

     

    Why. The questions are "why". Not the other one. We both know what you were thinking. Altho that one does come to mind often too.

     

    Lastly, for this round, I want to upgrade wall segments to hubs. After some thinking on the issue, making it an "upgrade" is the way to go, and the easiest way to patch a hole in the wall too without replacing the whole blasted thing between hubs. Before I start this one, is there anything I should know? I need to use an upgrade template, create a LGS for the segment, and set the triggers in the g/o code. Anything else or what could I use as a guide?

  24. Posted

    Sandbagging everything was the way to win. It took ages to get the civ's down near the hospital. I had to blocked them all in, then one by one open up a path to let them move. One they got to where I wanted them, I could turn my attention back to Nod.

     

    I played thru all my old CnC stuff last year, which is what lead me to TW & KW, which got me thinking of a mod for KW in March which lead me to here. Some of the Covert Ops missions I still can't beat. They're just too damn hard.

  25. Posted

    Thats the code from the Nod Shadow unit.

     

    I'm not sure how that would work as an upgrade tho but...

     

    In another post I talked about getting the Zone squad upgrades to work in the Space Cmd Uplink. What finally did it for me was using the gamedependency tag and setting it to the GDISpaceCommandUplink .... once that was pointing to the building it was researching from, that worked.

     

    Have you or could you try that?

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