Joined: 25 Sep 2006 Location: Teamblackistan Posts: Over 9000
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 10:25 pm Post subject:
Real Time Strategy Level Design
Subject description: article I found
Greetings,
I came across this article and thought it had some stuff to consider for all you mappers out there. Whatever RTS has become, we can learn a lot by remembering its roots.
That's describing the way i plan my maps for years. Giving the player only limited ways to achieve the goal, using units to their max potential and trying different tactics. Open tactics can be used enough in MP, thus missions should require some thinking.
Funny how others play the missions.
Since this one
wasn't challenging enough by following the intended way, i often took over the northern base instead.
1 minigunner to distract the mammoth tank inside the wall
bazookas to destroy the walls near the conyard
engineers to take over the base
commando to destroy other buildings.
With the conyard, barrack and warfactory captured with the 3 engineers, the AI is as good as dead. Building then some more bazookas to take out the remaining mammoths and the rest is killed in no time.
Also TD, just like RA1, have the nice Infantry firing anim exploit, which allows to shoot with infantry at infinite range.
1.force fire on ground
2.wait till the infantry fires a second time
3.while you see the infantry firing animation, give the infantry an attack order on a new target anywhere on the map
If you get the timing right, to select the new target
-after the firing anim started but
-before the weapon is actually fired (the projectile launched)
you can shoot at any range.
In RA1 it was very easy with grenadiers and their very long firing anim of taking the grenade, preparing it, throwing the grenade. In TD it doesn't works since grenades are here somehow limited by the arcing logic.
But on slowest game speed, it is with a bit practice very easy to destroy a guard tower from 15 cells away with your bazookas. Destroying the gunboat with the bazookas is no problem too.
You can even kill a mammoth with minigunners from 30 cells away. The mammoth is so slow, giving you enough time to kill it before it reaches your minigunners. _________________ SHP Artist of Twisted Insurrection: Nod buildings
A very interesting read. Those particular missions have been a big influence for me while making the TI campaign, in my opinion it's puzzles like those that make TD the game it is. _________________
Twisted Insurrection's Lead Campaign Developer QUICK_EDIT
its nice seeing this. I kinda approach it like maps are randomized chess boards, pieces set up or designed in different positions than the typical start up (skirmish)
often the boards/maps are set up to look like the player has a disadvantage but more often ways the player can overcome their opponent. _________________ Delirium.. QUICK_EDIT
Tell me about it. In the article's first example mission, I seldom used the tactic of running around the hill with buggies or bikes. Instead, I simply took advantage of the Mammoth Tanks' slow ROF and projectiles, dodging their shots with a bike or buggy while the other units dealt damage to the Mammoth.
In the second example, I actually often fled the GDI base with the MCV and deployed it near the center of the map. Yes, it took quite a lot of damage while moving past the GDI defences, but somehow I thought this was the way the mission was intended. Why else would there be so much open ground and Tiberium around the center, and a GDI outpost that seems capturable?
In the third and last example, I always use the artillery to destroy the Guard Towers across the river. The mission is obviously planned with this in mind, since the towers are right in the range of the artillery units when positioned directly south of the towers. There's no need to sacrifice any units to access the base. I don't know how the writer didn't realize this possibility. _________________
on the first mission is also often deployed where you start and then build sandbags across the bridge. the 2 mammoths are no problem when you have a barrack and a few bazookas ready along with your starting units.
In addition is your conyard on that island then save for the rest of the map. _________________ SHP Artist of Twisted Insurrection: Nod buildings
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