Dune 2000 Inspirational Review Video (2020) + Learning How to Map/Mod D2k

[Cm_blast]

9 hours ago, AZ-Stalker said:

I tested them grouping larger forces, but then they destroyed the Redzani guards at the mountain range entrace super fast. Then I tried to set them to trickle units bit by bit, and this is what came out of that. How would you make them group up first, but not too strong? I had trouble configuring that.

Ok, I will tell you how the AI works, because it's totally a problem most of newcomers find.
The AI, to define which area he should protect, he draws a rectangle from the building at the top, bottom, left and right. It does matter the distance, he consider the area he draw as "my base it's under attack". This is the imagen:

This is your minimap, and the red rectangle it's the area the AI consider it's his base, which cover 80% of your map; so, doesnt' matter where you are, his base is "that big", and for that reason, anything he build he send it to attack, ¡He is not attacking, just defending himself!

If you want to avoid that, theree are two solutions, one it's using different Ais.
1 AI to the base at top, and you can use another for the ref to the right, another to the base to the left (or 1 for the others since they don't produce anything).

Or, as an alternative, you can use "defenses areas". 
 

This is H4v1 map, to the fremen, the defense area makes the units to wander around this area but ignoring where the other buildings are, you can create a defense area at the base at the top while keeping the ones to the bottom and they will group units much better.

These are the values you need to change.
"DefenceAreas" need to change into 1 if you need 1 area of those, 2 if you need a second, Fey sais that with more than 2 game may crash, I cannot confirm but I trust his word.

MinX - MaX - MinY - MaxY are the position, the editor at the bottom tells you X and Y coordinates, so it is easy to know the position (unlike events, here you need to write it manually).
The first unknown it's unknown, we always use 255 because that's how the original games were, feel free to try other values, I never tried anything else.

Strenght controls how many units will wander around that defense area. The strenght it's base on the HP of the unit; On the manual I made a list with values, you can check that; Quad it's 1100, harkonnen tank it's around 2500 or something like that... so based on which units you plan to have wandering pick your value.
For example, 5000  will be filled with 5 quads, the quad number 6 will be used to group for the next attack.

The start delay it's the time the AI wait until the unit starts wander, for example, AI builds a quad, and will wait 40 seconds (in game) before that unit starts moving around that such defense area, if you change that into "1" he won't wait at all.

The last unknown it's just like the first, we have no idea what means so we keep using that value.

Don't forget to turn this value to 0; otherwise, your units will keep thinking that his base it's the big red rectangle I paint early.

Of course, if you make those secondary bases as owner by the Emperor AI (even if later you make them to be Harkonnen) defenses areas are not needed, that's up to you.

9 hours ago, AZ-Stalker said:

One thing that I know about myself, is that I prefer to be detailed and small, rather than empty and big. So I put a lot of effort into story telling with the environment of the map. The bases and surroundings were decorated with that in mind. For the third map, it will open up more as we're moving into the deep desert, so more vehicle space to navigate will most likely be featured. As I learn and practice more, I will add to the complexity and difficulty of the missions accordingly.

That's a good thing. My first campaign, "A new house" just reuses original maps, some from the campaign, some from the skirmish-practice one.

And my second campaign, "The emperor return", if you open the maps most of them are 80% sand with barely details. 1 big rock area around the enemy or player bases and that's it, the remaining it's mostly sand/spice.

Today tools make it so easy that every newcomer that comes to do a mod already surpass my first 3-4 campaigns ever done, and that's a good thing.

1 hour ago, AZ-Stalker said:

Here's a little preview of the third mission I'm working on. Moving into the deep desert, the Commander's visions will lead him (you) to a Fremen settlement which houses one of their underground water catch basins - critical to the Fremen ideal of terraforming Arrakis. The Atreides are helping protect the settlement as part of an alliance with the Fremen (as the Harkonnen are around in full force). The Fremen in return allow Spice harvesting within their territory. The Redzani forces are asked to assist them in this situation, opening new opportunities going forward.

I like that design; sometimes I force myself to do weird set ups or not just always the same "rock for the base, a few rifts and that's it", like that, you have the entrance and in the inner section sand and a piece of mountain there, I like that.

Ps: on the second mission there is a wrong tile

under the trike.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Cm_blast

[AZ-Stalker]

I've taken a brake from Dune 2000, but will eventually return to resume where I've left off. I wanted to update this thread that I've started a video series about experiences in game dev which will likely cover some of my Dune stuff as well, which I look very forward to. Here are the first two videos I've posted so you know what to expect when D2k comes around.

https://youtu.be/qt3WhMv_ppY
https://youtu.be/LbVnWkmO6O8

Note: Some of you here have no doubt already seen them.

Edited May 28, 2020 by AZ-Stalker

[Gruntlord6]

Sorry guys, it's not that I don't want to work on this stuff, its simply that I have so little free time that when I do sit down and work on it, I have no idea where to start. With @Cm_blast I had intended to stagger the releases but unfortunately I lost a lot of time I planned to use on it.

If anyone is willing to update me on what tools are outdated and where I can find the new versions I would be more then harpy to overhaul things.

[Fey]

9 hours ago, Gruntlord6 said:

If anyone is willing to update me on what tools are outdated and where I can find the new versions I would be more then harpy to overhaul things.

@Feda is working on a new Mission Launcher, I dunno how that'll work out but I guess he'll report its completion himself. The big thing I suppose would be Klofkac's editor, which I believe has its latest version posted right here:
https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/28587-map-and-mission-editor-v14-release-candidate-full-of-improvements-and-new-features/?do=findComment&comment=398941

If I'm mistaken, I'm sure @Klofkac could correct me.

[Cm_blast]

It's the latest version, but it is incomplete. I would recommend to wait until he feels good enough to do the release of v1.4.

18 hours ago, Gruntlord6 said:

Sorry guys, it's not that I don't want to work on this stuff, its simply that I have so little free time that when I do sit down and work on it, I have no idea where to start. With @Cm_blast I had intended to stagger the releases but unfortunately I lost a lot of time I planned to use on it.

If anyone is willing to update me on what tools are outdated and where I can find the new versions I would be more then harpy to overhaul things.

I don't know, for example the color.bin editor that allow to change colors on the factions; that's here on the forum in the middle of a post in the middle of a page. But it is a tool made for Funky; so he should be the one uploading it.

And I don't know about the text.uib editor (like the one you used for gruntmods for the Mercs, although nowadays we use .inis, text.uib still has strong uses); but for example I don't ever know what it is the lastest version possible or the one you have; my head it's dizzy and I am too burned to check right now.

I am not even sure if my index have pointed the lastest version of that said tool.

[Feda]

I am updating the existing mission launcher, not making a new one. Funky was kind enough to give me the sorce code so I can maintain it and update it from now on.

 

https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27863-release-heighliner-tileset/?do=findComment&comment=399215

 

Check this post for some screenies and info. Basically I have enabled per mission automatic mod file installations. The launcher can automatically copy modded files when starting a mission and revert them when it ends. This works with a colors.uib too, so you can use custom colors for every mission. 

There are also other story telling improvements such as intel text and image entries per mission, a tactical map image per mission, check that post for more details.

I also fixed the flickering of the briefing textbox with large briefings, although that is a bit wonky, as it would flicker again if the window is minimized and then restored. I couldnt get to fix this part, and I have limited knowledge about WinForms as I am normally doing WPF.

The tool is currently in the testing phase, as the guys need to have a look at it and help me see and spot any possible bugs.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Feda