Islands In The Sea

[ThE-eNiGmA]

Islands In The Sea (or IitS) is the cumulation of all my experience in map-making
(not much) and thinking for a sea map idea (plenty of that.) While I am no where near being done, considering my success so far today (I created a flexible system that allows me to limit the weapons on a ship), I feel fairly optimistic. Theres only one problem. I like to code far more than I like to actually create maps.

The map currently is styled between Battleships and Island Troll Tribes. The idea is to build a fleet, equip it, explore, build outposts, defend said outposts and main base, trade with friendly allies that can backstab at the drop of a hat, and conserve resources. I have like 4 Resources planned out: Wood, Gold, Stone, and Steel, with a couple of composite resources (Hull and Steel). You don't just buy ships or weapons...you have to make them by combining items. For example, a sail boat would cost 2 bundles of wood and a gold bar. However, a sailboat by itself is useless. You would have to equip it with weapons in order for it to fight. There are currently five weapons, 2 arrows, 3 cannons, and each requires resources to make. Ships end up being rather costly, so you have to decide where best to put your resources. There are 6 different classes of warships at the moment.

I would welcome any feedback. I just hope I can actually get this one finished.

 

[krakka-1]

HEY! You're Back!

that sounds like a cool, fun map.

P.S you should have posted this in the Member projects.

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

Uh... I've been back...and I DID post this in the member's projects...

 

[AgentPaper]

Hey this sounds like the perfect map for me! it seems to be what Ive been wanting to do for a long time, but wasn't sure what was. sign me up to help! I can do triggers and make the weapons/items.

 

[Rad]

Sounds good but if you make it to complicated it wouldnt catch on. If you cant kill another person in 5 seconds then people wont play it. thats why dota caught on

 

[AgentPaper]

-.-

You know there are people who like longer, maybe even peaceful games, and DotA caught on with the people who like to win easily, because they know which characters are the most rigged and how to use them in the cheapest way to win as soon as possible so they can get back to gloating to the people they just "beat".

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

Status update on map: I've managed to partially create a resource system, and even finished the way boats will be made, at least the format. It isn't as good as that in troll tribes (don't know how he auto detects items without using the aquire item function, but then again, this prevents accidental wrong item creations...) haven't made the weapon creation system yet, but once i lay down the framework, like how i make the ships, the rest is easy.

This is meant to be a LONG game. There is no hero combat here. While I might put in my old idea of admirals, that is secondary to getting the actual map done.
I don't need help with triggering... i just need a beautiful island map, and it can be as natural as you want. There is no location balancing as far as I'm concerned... hey, there is no location balance in real life, either. As for too complicated, have you ever seen Island Troll Tribes? Now THAT's complicated...and some of the games I've played lasted way over an hour or two
(had like 14 towers or so at the end, each with entangling root, and about 10 ensnare traps...yeah, i would like to see somebody actually take that on )

 

[AgentPaper]

I think I could make the terrain, but you have to promise I can design some boats an weapons, that's what I really like to do. Just give me the map and I'll add the terrain.

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

Well...believe it or not I am trying to keep things simple. Theres only 5 weapons so far, Short and long bow crews, and light, medium, and heavy cannons. The good news is, I need more medium and heavy class weapons. I was thinking of something like a balista for a medium...but what would you have for a heavy weapon other than a cannon? As for ships, i don't even have the trader made yet, or the trading system for that matter (i need to devise a way to have fluctuating values...hmm... a multiboard might work...). I'll tell you what though, i have planned a pirate race to be in the map, but i haven't even designed the ships. As for the map, i dont have one. I just have a 256x256 playground. I'm not sure whether or not it needs to be that big, though it does slow the game down and prevent instant rushes. What I would really like is to simply make the system, and then apply it to any sea map. So, just make a map, and i'll edit it (I much prefer modifying already made terrain to simply making it from scratch) and
ill include "suggestions" and of course, plenty of credit. Want to be an admiral?

 

[Rad]

I know there IS people who like very long games, I do. My favorite map is Heroes and Empires (without any heroes) against kalenden just because you survive for like 5 hours and it keeps getting harder =D

 

[AgentPaper]

Well if you want me to make it, then post it or something. and how avout this for weapons:

Light
-Bowmen
-Longbowmen
Normal
-Cannon
-Flaming Arrows
Heavy
-Ballista
-Catapult
Special
-Fire Cannon
-Steel Prow

Light does less damage but faster, heavy does more damage but slower, normal does average, and special does special things, like light the enemy ship on fire or a melee ram attack.

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

I already have a weapons system, I just need to fill out the tree. As for posting the map, there is nothing to post yet. All I have is triggers and units, but the "map" is just one giant blue thing with brown freckles. Send me a map, and I can port my units and triggers right over to it. Maybe i should look on some sites for maps.

 

[AgentPaper]

Oh, I thought you were going to send the one with triggers, and I'd put stuff in it. Anyway I'll get right on it.

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

I need to come up with a trading system in my map. Basically, there are four tradable resources: wood, gold, stone, and iron. Resouces can only be traded PHYSICALLY. That means that when you trade wood, you literally hand over a bundle of wood that cost 100 wood to make, and the same goes for gold. Stone and iron are a little different, they are the rarer resources, and must be found or
"mined." Here is the thing: I want to have a supply and demand type system. If one particular resource is rare, you have to trade more gold or another resource to get it. Then, theres the method of trading to worry about. I thought of one way that involves something like contracts (which serves as a sign saying "I want ____") and trading houses (places where trading occurs automatically: you put resources in the inventory, click a button saying either trade for gold or trade gold for a resource or something like that.) Anyway, I want to know if anybody had any ideas.

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

No ideas? *bump* How's it coming, Agent?

 

[AgentPaper]

Trading sounds good, but they should be stackable items that you can carry, and certain areas will have moe or less of an item, so you have to trade with other people who need what you have and have what you need. there is a good combine charged type trigger in free trigger code, and we can make our own to drop/trade certain amounts of it.

The terrain is coming good I think. So far I have a icy northern area with a few small and one largeish island with a large inlet, and a temperate southern island with a river and lake inside, and I plan for a tropical island to the south.

Do you want there to be a significant amount of land? do you want there to be specific areas for each player to spawn, and if so, how many players? how many islands do you want?

 

[ThE-eNiGmA]

Actually, I don't want the items to be stackable. I deliberately want it somewhat difficult to exchange resources, at least in bulk amounts. I want it set up so that relationships have to be established between players...for example, one player may be on an island with a lot of iron and stone, but very little in the way
of wood. What he should probably end up doing is fortify the island, maintaining a strangle hold on a valuable resouce, and trading off excess stone and iron for wood and gold. A player with lots of wood could enter into a mutually beneficial relationship.

Just make natural looking terrain. There is going to be a lot of players, the exact number is undetermined. I think I am going to make it so that it doesn't really matter where you start, you can expand onto other islands. There is going to be one comp player (creeps and nasty sea creatures) 1 pirate player (plays an entirely different style, no trading or building, just pirating) and I guess 10 normal players. As for land, I think there should be plenty of open water, but it would also be fun to have narrow straits and other geographical features. Whatever looks natural.

 

[AgentPaper]

sorry for the long delay, but my schecuale messed up this weekend so i couldn't wok on it, and i can't get to my comp, but i'll be finishing this first thing this coming weekend. I plan to add 2 continent in the south east, with a narrow straight down the middle to seperate them. also the pirate player seems unessasary, players can just play the role without any other features.

 

[AgentPaper]

hmm, rescources should be like- construction materials, you use these to buid things- stone, wood, metal, etc. then theres gold, which you use to pay people to do the work, so it's used in many things. gold would be valuable, so everyone wants it, like money.