Map tricks/ideas

[Z <z@xxxxxxx>]

Afternoon.

First, thanks for the amazingly addicting game. I've enjoyed playing the 
Windows Mobile port on my 8125 immensely.

I looked around the archive a little and didn't see any threads on this 
topic. (Didn't see a search feature.)

I had some ideas on more dynamic maps that would make things much more 
interesting and strategic than they are already. I don't have time to both 
create levels and play them, so I thought I would throw these ideas out to 
the master map makers:

1. Demolition of bridges/buildings/mines or sabotage.

I've attached a very basic example of this (play the Good Guys). There is a 
hidden mountain base that has only one way in: the bridge across the river.
I've placed a special tile just southeast of the bridge that has a sethex 
trigger on it to change it from a working bridge to a destroyed one.
The trigger is activated when a specific infantry unit (currently in Good 
Guy's Base) lands on that hex.

The only problem I have seen so far is that any unit that happens to be on 
the bridge when it explodes will be stuck there. The easy fix for this 
would be a more specific destroyunit trigger that would destroy any unit 
currently at a particular hex position.

For the demolition idea to be used much more effectively, it would be 
beneficial if the triggers could also check for the experience level of the 
unit at the position. That would force a player (especially in a two player 
game) to build up an infantry's experience before being able to blow up or 
sabotage something.

Another great example of where demolition could be used would be near an 
enemy mine. You could setup a trigger that would destroy their mine 
production capabilities, or even one that would destroy or temporarily take 
away some of their factory production capabilities.


2. Timed diminishing of a mine's output.

Some of these maps with many factories get way out of control. I've 
resorted to using interceptors or other units to block all exits just to 
keep the bad guys from flooding out while I work on destroying their 
forces. (On that note, ground units should be able to walk under and passed 
flying ones. It's way to easy to block your opponent with Interceptors when 
they have nothing but infantry to fight them with.)

Some of the maps would be much more interesting if the mines' production 
slowly diminished after x number of turns. With the current build, this 
should be really easy to do.


3. Timed increase of a factory's research.

Like many other similar games, it would be neat to see maps that only 
allowed you to produce a couple different types of units at first. Then at 
turn x, both sides could produce a few more different types, etc.  This 
also should be relatively easy to implement.


4. Changing tides.

I thought of this last night. It would be neat to see a map with water 
where the tide would come in and out. That would make it harder to bring 
reinforcements via ship and would make your troopship get stuck until the 
tide came back in. Could make for some fun maps!

This could easily be implemented by using circular triggers that activated 
and deactivated each other after x number of timer calls.



Those are just a couple of the ideas I had. If anyone is interested, I'll 
gladly post more when I remember what they were.

-Z

[mission]
name = 0
mapwidth = 20
mapheight = 20
info = 0
skirmish = 1
campaign = 0
campaignname = -1
campaigninfo = -1
players = 1
tileset = default
unitset = default

[map-raw]
362,361,361,361,361,361,361,30,77,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,38,38,38
361,361,361,360,360,360,76,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,38,38
361,361,361,360,360,360,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,54,38,38
361,360,360,360,360,360,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,38,38,38
360,360,360,363,360,360,30,30,30,30,30,30,38,30,30,38,38,38,38,38
360,360,360,360,360,360,30,30,30,30,30,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,38
360,360,77,77,77,30,30,30,30,30,30,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,38
360,360,360,30,360,314,30,30,30,30,30,38,38,38,38,38,66,38,38,38
360,360,360,360,30,309,30,30,30,30,30,38,38,38,38,66,66,65,66,65
30,30,360,313,30,318,30,30,30,30,38,38,38,38,66,65,66,38,38,66
77,78,78,30,316,31,325,310,30,30,38,38,38,38,38,65,66,65,38,38
78,30,30,30,30,30,313,310,310,360,30,30,38,38,38,65,65,66,38,38
79,30,30,30,30,30,30,30,340,30,360,208,30,30,38,38,66,38,38,38
80,79,77,38,30,30,30,30,38,38,30,30,360,310,38,38,65,38,38,38
79,79,80,79,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,30,55,38,310,310,38,38,38,311
124,118,80,81,77,75,38,38,38,38,38,30,30,38,38,38,310,316,311,38
123,122,124,81,81,31,38,38,38,38,30,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,38,38
125,119,126,33,31,81,79,77,38,38,38,38,38,38,30,38,38,38,38,38
126,18,33,120,118,118,81,77,38,38,38,38,38,30,30,30,30,38,38,38
126,126,124,125,122,122,124,65,65,65,65,38,38,38,30,30,30,30,30,30

[player]
name = 2
briefing = 1
fcolor = 254,166,4
bcolor = 86,54,12

[player]
name = 3
briefing = 3
fcolor = 0,170,255
bcolor = 2,38,92

[unit]
type = Heavy Tanks
player = 2
id = 8
pos = 10/2

[unit]
type = Heavy Tanks
player = 2
id = 9
pos = 11/2

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 2
id = 7
pos = 10/15
size = 3
xp = 3
face = 4

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 2
id = 6
pos = 6/16
size = 3
xp = 2
face = 4

[unit]
type = Medium Tanks
player = 2
id = 10
pos = 11/1

[unit]
type = Medium Tanks
player = 2
id = 11
pos = 12/2

[unit]
type = Infantry
player = 2
id = 5
pos = 12/1

[unit]
type = Infantry
player = 2
id = 12
pos = 10/1

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 2
id = 13
pos = 11/0

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 2
id = 14
pos = 9/1

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 2
id = 15
pos = 13/1

[unit]
type = Troopships
player = 2
id = 16
pos = 6/0
face = 2

[unit]
type = Infantry
player = 1
id = 0
pos = 1/18
xp = 3

[unit]
type = Medium Tanks
player = 1
id = 1
pos = 1/18
size = 2
xp = 4

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 1
id = 2
pos = 1/18
size = 5
xp = 2

[unit]
type = Scouts
player = 1
id = 3
pos = 1/18

[unit]
type = Medium Tanks
player = 1
id = 4
pos = 1/18

[unit]
type = Infantry
player = 2
id = 17
pos = 6/0

[unit]
type = Infantry
player = 2
id = 18
pos = 6/0

[unit]
type = Medium Tanks
player = 2
id = 19
pos = 6/0

[unit]
type = Medium Tanks
player = 2
id = 20
pos = 6/0

[building]
name = 4
player = 1
id = 0
pos = 1/18
type = workshop
crystals = 25
capacity = 1000
minweight = 0
maxweight = 99

[event]
id = 0
type = configure
player = 1
title = 5
message = 1
trigger = timer
ttime = 0
setting = briefing1
value = 1

[event]
id = 1
type = sethex
player = 1
discard = 1
title = 6
message = 7
trigger = unitposition
tunit = 0
towner = 1
tpos = 10/13
tile = 211
pos = 11/12

[event]
id = 2
type = score
player = 1
depend = 1
trigger = timer
ttime = 0
success = 100
othermsg = -1
othertitle = -1

[messages(en)]
Demolition Example
%
The enemy scouts have located your hidden base.

Reinforcements have just brought in by ship nearby and are heading your way. They must not be allowed to capture or detroy the base.

Luckily, the general had the only bridge over the river rigged. Get your infantry to the bridge and blow it up to stop the attack.

Move your infantry to the demolition point SE of the bridge to blow it.
%
Good Guys
%
Bad Guys
%
Good Guys Hidden Base
%
Good Guys Briefing
%
Bridge Destroyed!
%
Well done! The bridge has been destroyed and the attack has been thwarted for now.
[/messages]

Attachment: demolition.lev
Description: Binary data