My suggestions

[General Hoohah]

When I think of some suggestions, I'll put them here. I just feel better knowing I've expressed them, even if they don't get used.

So far, some suggestions I have are:

PLEASE add patrolling. Something simple like ctrl+go here command makes them patrol from where they originally were, back and forth to the new spot. Doesn't have to be anything complicated. Just something simple is all I ask.

PLEASE add the popper to the ISDF forces as a standard mortar available in the armory? I don't understand why they were taken away in BZ2.... I had them in BZ1 and loved them. Its a great weapon and its not overly powerful or anything. Its great as a defensive tactic when you need to cut and run cause you're low on health, you can fire at them when they're chasing you from behind. And I bet they'd be great on jackals.

More stuff to do with DM maps:

Maybe there could be a play mode for Loot where you play against tons of (blue colored) AI who guard the banks, while the players (red skins (criminals)) get points for stealing the loot, and who ever gets the most loot in a certain time frame win.

Rabbit mode + the longer you survive as a rabbit, the more points you get? 1 for ever 5 seconds? Plus with teams, the team gets additional points for guarding the rabbit.

I saw this in TFC, but there could be lots of things you could do with it. 4 bases around a field, with a ball in the middle. Who ever manages to keep the ball in their base the longest, their team gets the most points.

Is there something that can be done with the race map? I never see it used, and thats a shame. I'm sure there's something you guys can do with it?

The ability to add defenses to CTF maps. Maybe each team gets a constructor that respawns if it dies, and each team gets 1 scrap every 5 seconds or so, plus each team can have a commander? Maybe turrets as well? (I'm just trying to figure out a way to make CTF more fun for certain people)

Soccer maps, where a ball appears in the middle of the field, and teams 1 and 2 have to try to either shoot or push the ball into the opposing team's goal? Maybe tanks with different weapons like, rockets for kicking the ball far, and sonic wave for pushing/blocking the ball around and blocking? I guess maybe damage could be turned off or turned down really low? There's lots of ways this could be done.

[Zax]

The first step in getting your wish: Convince Ken to rejoin bz2 patching. GSH has neither the time nor the will for additions, considering the mentality of fix first add later. Unfortunately, the fix first can't really end since things keep turning up broken.

[General Hoohah]

Well I think the soccer idea would get more people interested in the game. My take on modding has always been if you don't have enough help, find a way to get more people interested.... not just empty promises of things yet to come but never will be.

ModDB would be an excellent resource, its a booming modding community with more people than you can imagine. HUGE site. If you don't know anything about it, you should definitely check it out. If you can get more people interested in this game using ModDB, you'd get more help with the community update and modding for the community update. This game has a great deal of potential. Sounds like you just need more man power.

[GSH]

Some of the suggestions above can be done by others (translation: not me) right now. Game modes can be done in DLLs. Source is posted for the existing DLLs with every 1.3 release. Go do the work yourselves. Thanks.

-- GSH

[Nielk1]

Please give bug reports for the *RACE GAME MODE* to me. I will handle that. Be aware I don't want to go too modding crazy, so you probably are not going to get on track boosters or crazy stuff.

Some of those ideas have been hashed out before, such as BZPong which would be a soccer like game/map/mode and just have not been made, only concept-ed.

[Zax]

Please give bug reports for the *RACE GAME MODE* to me. I will handle that. Be aware I don't want to go too modding crazy, so you probably are not going to get on track boosters or crazy stuff.

Some of those ideas have been hashed out before, such as BZPong which would be a soccer like game/map/mode and just have not been made, only concept-ed.

Unfortunately on tack boosters would probably be the only way to balance the mode out. BZ1 race tracks were pretty even since all the ships behaved mostly the same no matter who piloted it. In BZ2, smart players know how to take advantage of vectors when flying. Those that have mastered that art will win every single time over those that don't.

Also, Race Pluto is a pretty dank map compared to Mars Rally, or raverace for that matter, but that's not your fault.

[General Hoohah]

What about the ModDB community? It really is a huge site full of modders, many of them looking for a project to be part of, and there's lots of ways to get people interested. You can create your own mod page, post in the forums, post up news and updates with video, post up pictures, people can even score your work. GSH, you should really take a look at this. You wouldn't have to do it, just ask someone else in the community to.

Here, take a look guys ----> http://www.moddb.com/games/battlezone-ii/mods

If you created a profile for the Public Beta, and added videos that show off all the features you've added in a catchy way, and posted up lots of pics and news updates, I really think people would be more interested in this by announcing it in the forums. You'd also get more people interested in helping. I won't lie though, it'll take some work and you'll need people to do it for you GSH. I know you don't have the time.

[Nielk1]

Unfortunately on tack boosters would probably be the only way to balance the mode out. BZ1 race tracks were pretty even since all the ships behaved mostly the same no matter who piloted it. In BZ2, smart players know how to take advantage of vectors when flying. Those that have mastered that art will win every single time over those that don't.

Also, Race Pluto is a pretty dank map compared to Mars Rally, or raverace for that matter, but that's not your fault.

I realize now I can make boosters with simple shield towers. So I can do boosters...
Should Race have it's own variant of units like DM does?

If yes then I can do things like on unit boosters that look like JATOs and fly off after firing. But that starts to get crazy...

[Zax]

Unfortunately on tack boosters would probably be the only way to balance the mode out. BZ1 race tracks were pretty even since all the ships behaved mostly the same no matter who piloted it. In BZ2, smart players know how to take advantage of vectors when flying. Those that have mastered that art will win every single time over those that don't.

Also, Race Pluto is a pretty dank map compared to Mars Rally, or raverace for that matter, but that's not your fault.

I realize now I can make boosters with simple shield towers. So I can do boosters...
Should Race have it's own variant of units like DM does?

If yes then I can do things like on unit boosters that look like JATOs and fly off after firing. But that starts to get crazy...

Yes. Weaponless ship variants. Reason: If you get shot down in a race, which I did once, you're done. You will NEVER catch up, under any circumstance. Dying = lose. Maybe ones with NOS that could include strategy when to deploy it to maximize its benefit, but I only see it being used to jump over hills to gain a position advantage.

[Ded10c]

Ships should start with no weapons and only certain ones (MITS and M-Cur, for example) should be available during the race.

[S.cavA.rmyG.en]

I realize now I can make boosters with simple shield towers. So I can do boosters...
Should Race have it's own variant of units like DM does?

If yes then I can do things like on unit boosters that look like JATOs and fly off after firing. But that starts to get crazy...

if you want a booster try some thing like this.

Code: Select all

[WeaponClass]
classLabel = "jetpack"
geometryName = "igjetp00.xsi"
geometryScale = 0.12
animCount = 1
animName1 = "launch"
animFile1 = "igjetp00.xsi"
ordName = NULL
wpnName = "booster"
//wpnIcon = ""
fireSound = "whcan.wav"
//flashName = ""
wpnReticle = "gphantom.0"
wpnPriority = 0
wpnCategory = "SPEC"
localAmmo = 30
addLocalAmmo = 1
isFlying = 1
aiRange = 150
canSelect = true

[JetPackClass]
ammocost = 2
burnTime = 0.0
accelThrust = 0.0
setAltitude = 0.003
forwardthrust = 170.5
activeSound = "jpack01.wav"
expireSound = "jpack02.wav"

[Render]
renderBase = "draw_multi"
renderCount = 3
renderName1 = "igtjetp.flare"
renderName2 = "igtjetp.smoke"
renderName3 = "igtjetp.flame"

[Flare]
renderBase = "draw_sprite"
textureName = "lightflare.tga"
textureBlend = "one one modulate"
startColor = "255 255 255 255"
finishColor = "255 255 255 255"
startRadius = 2.0
finishRadius = 2.0

[Smoke]
renderBase = "draw_twirl_trail"
textureName = "cloudsmokefull.tga"
textureBlend = "srcalpha invsrcalpha modulatealpha"
startColor = "153 153 153 63"
finishColor = "31 31 31 0"
startRadius = 0.5
finishRadius = 5.0
animateTime = 3.0
emitDelay = 0.01
emitVelocity = "0.0 0.0 0.0"
emitVariance = "3.0 3.0 3.0"
emitLife = 3.0

[Flame]
renderBase = "draw_twirl_trail"
textureName = "cloudsmokeadd.tga"
textureBlend = "one one modulate"
startColor = "255 255 63 255"
finishColor = "255 0 0 0"
startRadius = 0.3
finishRadius = 0.03
animateTime = 0.1
emitDelay = 0.002
emitVelocity = "0.0 0.0 0.0"
emitVariance = "3.0 3.0 3.0"
emitLife = 0.1

[S.cavA.rmyG.en]

how about adding traps to races like tripmines or weapon mines.

I realize now I can make boosters with simple shield towers

how? they only push or pull objects don't they?

[Nielk1]

how? they only push or pull objects don't they?

Track fixed boosters, not on ship boosters.

We should make a new topic for this, I could split the posts out or we could just let them sit here since this would get messy.

[Commando]

Or you could use shield generators since they only push in one direction and it wouldn't require any special dll coding.

[General Hoohah]

how? they only push or pull objects don't they?

Track fixed boosters, not on ship boosters.

We should make a new topic for this, I could split the posts out or we could just let them sit here since this would get messy.

Yes, please do, its somewhat derailing my thread.

I really want to talk about how you guys are making this project known. You guys seem to be hiding in this little nook, away from everything... but at the same time you need more man power and not enough people are playing this game to warrant all this work. The only way that's going to happen is if you get more people interested. In other words, some kind of public relations would be needed... getting the world out. Advertise your work, and get more people interested. Yeah, I know you don't want a thousand people all shouting and telling you what they want you to add... I get it. An easy way to do that is to only make certain people you trust able to post in a hidden area they can see with a suggestion board.... and people with enough posts of course. Don't even tell people its there. That way there isn't twenty nubs a day, shouting out a bunch of idiotic ideas you obviously don't have the time for.

I suggest getting your forum ready for more people, then creating a mod page on ModDB, making a video highlighting all the added features you've added in a catchy way (especially all the cool stuff you can build now), getting people to take lots of pics for you, put all that stuff on your ModDB page along with regular updates, then announce it in their forums and talk to the site staff about an interview so there's a spotlight at the home page. Before you know it, lots of people will be playing this game again, and you'll have people with experience asking if they can help.