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[hemmingjay]

I kind of wanted to keep the player count on our server low. Else my dad will get mad at me "takin all the bandwidth and letting hackers into our network to steal our visual basic gui interface for the bank and trade drugs with our hifi"

did I miss something?

[phr00t]

I was looking at that guide. So once you level up some of your items stop working? What is the logic behind that exactly?

The grappling hook and antigrav device. If they continued to work, even as your character grows... you could just keep a level 1 grappling hook and antigrav device throughout the entire game, with no need to buy another. The in-game reason is the heavier items cannot be supported by the lower-level grappling hook/antigrav device.

[forsaken1111]

I was looking at that guide. So once you level up some of your items stop working? What is the logic behind that exactly?

The grappling hook and antigrav device. If they continued to work, even as your character grows... you could just keep a level 1 grappling hook and antigrav device throughout the entire game, with no need to buy another. The in-game reason is the heavier items cannot be supported by the lower-level grappling hook/antigrav device.

It just seems like an odd decision to me. I'll try the game out before commenting further.

[phr00t]

It just seems like an odd decision to me. I'll try the game out before commenting further.

If you can think of a better way of handling it, I'm all ears. In the end, I want grappling hooks and antigrav devices, but I also want higher level hooks and antigrav devices to be essential if you want to continue using them.

[forsaken1111]

It just seems like an odd decision to me. I'll try the game out before commenting further.

If you can think of a better way of handling it, I'm all ears. In the end, I want grappling hooks and antigrav devices, but I also want higher level hooks and antigrav devices to be essential if you want to continue using them.

I will grab the demo tonight and see if I can come up with some ideas.

[phr00t]

v2.2b out! 

https://sites.google.com/site/3079game/ or http://3079.phr00t.com/

* Keys are now configurable
* Help is now dynamic based on customized keys
* Added a bit more info to the in-game help screen
* Improved the grass and desert textures
* Renamed “Special Effects” to “Advanced Graphics”
* Added mipmapping to “Advanced Graphics”, making textures look better
* Made attacker/follower indicators a little more transparent
* Fixed a bug that caused followers to get locked together
* Fixed a bug that caused the game to remain frozen after quitting from help

Thanks guys for your suggestions and support This will likely be the version put up on Desura sometime in the next few days. I'd like to make another video too, to make sure I have the latest look for Desura. Anyone who bought Desura on my website can get a Desura key via e-mail (when I get it up there, anyway)

- Phr00t

[PsyberianHusky]

So I got this running, and I am having a blast.
Also is it just me or is the Anti-gravity pack the Material Defender's ship?
Anyway this whole game reminds me of some of the first games I played in the early 90s, I love the whole color pallet.

My only complaint so far(And I kinda had the feeling it would be this way watching the demo) is seeing giant humanoids floating over the terrain is a little displeasing and it would be nice if all the other elements in the game felt a little more "solid" in general.

I do love this game though, and will likely introduce it to my gamedev club friends.

[Jorlen]

It just seems like an odd decision to me. I'll try the game out before commenting further.

If you can think of a better way of handling it, I'm all ears. In the end, I want grappling hooks and antigrav devices, but I also want higher level hooks and antigrav devices to be essential if you want to continue using them.

Maybe just nerf them.  I have to admit, losing your grappling hook and antigrav is a big blow.  Finding some more can be quite time consuming, although not impossible.

By nerf, I mean, cut the distance of the hook by 50% perhaps, and maybe just slow the antigrav travel down if it's beyond level.  Have a message comes up that displays something everytime to remind you of the fact that you've outleveled them too.  Maybe even throw in a calculation that nerfs them based on how higher level you are in proportion to the item?  That way, we can at least continue using them, and would be encouraged to upgrade ASAP, without getting completely gimped.

Just an idea.

BWT Phr00t - you work really fast!  I've never seen a dev crank out updates so quickly.  This is a huge plus and something I consider when purchasing pre-final games.

-Jorlen

[phr00t]

Also is it just me or is the Anti-gravity pack the Material Defender's ship?

I started with the ship from Descent, shrunk it, and cut off some parts.

By nerf, I mean, cut the distance of the hook by 50% perhaps, and maybe just slow the antigrav travel down if it's beyond level.  Have a message comes up that displays something everytime to remind you of the fact that you've outleveled them too.  Maybe even throw in a calculation that nerfs them based on how higher level you are in proportion to the item?  That way, we can at least continue using them, and would be encouraged to upgrade ASAP, without getting completely gimped.

I like the 50% grapple hook length thing. I think it would need to be shrunk another 10% for every level like you said. The antigrav device is a bit more complex.. even if I just make the antigrav device slower, you would still be able to use it to access any height (I could limit its max height too, I suppose?) -- but it also could be abused to allow drops from any height (turning it on right before landing, even if its speed was 0)...

My only complaint so far(And I kinda had the feeling it would be this way watching the demo) is seeing giant humanoids floating over the terrain is a little displeasing and it would be nice if all the other elements in the game felt a little more "solid" in general.

The giant Humoids can use antigrav devices too, right?

What part of the game feels the least "solid" to you?

I do love this game though, and will likely introduce it to my gamedev club friends.

BWT Phr00t - you work really fast!  I've never seen a dev crank out updates so quickly.  This is a huge plus and something I consider when purchasing pre-final games.

Thanks guys!

[forsaken1111]

I tend to dislike arbitrary loss of ability, especially when it happens because I have leveled up. If you have to cut abilities out of the player to force them to upgrade their tools, you are punishing them for leveling and introducing a mandatory tax on their accomplishments.

This would be like getting level 5 in world of warcraft as a mage and the game saying "Well you have outleveled your firebolt spell so it's now only 50% as effective as it was before and you will have to spend money to upgrade it to normal again." This leaves a bad taste in a player's mouth, and makes no logical sense. I have become a better mage, why do I now cast firebolt so shitty? Why does paying money restore it to normal?

Instead, World of Warcraft says "You are now level 5. You can upgrade to Firebolt rank 2 which will give you more damage and will be more effective against monsters of your level. If you use the old firebolt against new monsters it will be resisted more often and do less damage." So you keep your firebolt spell but it won't work well on new content.

In your case, it is like the game saying "Congrats, you are level 5! You have decided to throw away your super useful grappling hook because it was dirty and level 5 people don't use dirty tools. Also your antigrav pack broke because we don't like you. Go buy new ones, you silly level 5 guy." if you're requiring a player to spend X amount of money/resources to maintain their current capabilities you may as well just make money/resources less common so they never get that X amount and then let them keep the capability. You've introduced a tax on accomplishment which adds no fun and exists only to remove money/resources from the player.

(Again I have not yet played the game, these are just my thoughts in general. I will be trying it out when I get home, I'm still at work at the moment.)

[Levi]

Out of curiosity, are the skies always purple like in the screenshots?  For some reason the purpleness in the screenshots is slightly off-putting.

[phr00t]

I tend to dislike arbitrary loss of ability, especially when it happens because I have leveled up. If you have to cut abilities out of the player to force them to upgrade their tools, you are punishing them for leveling and introducing a mandatory tax on their accomplishments.

This would be like getting level 5 in world of warcraft as a mage and the game saying "Well you have outleveled your firebolt spell so it's now only 50% as effective as it was before and you will have to spend money to upgrade it to normal again." This leaves a bad taste in a player's mouth, and makes no logical sense. I have become a better mage, why do I now cast firebolt so shitty? Why does paying money restore it to normal?

Instead, World of Warcraft says "You are now level 5. You can upgrade to Firebolt rank 2 which will give you more damage and will be more effective against monsters of your level. If you use the old firebolt against new monsters it will be resisted more often and do less damage." So you keep your firebolt spell but it won't work well on new content.

In your case, it is like the game saying "Congrats, you are level 5! You have decided to throw away your super useful grappling hook because it was dirty and level 5 people don't use dirty tools. Also your antigrav pack broke because we don't like you. Go buy new ones, you silly level 5 guy." if you're requiring a player to spend X amount of money/resources to maintain their current capabilities you may as well just make money/resources less common so they never get that X amount and then let them keep the capability. You've introduced a tax on accomplishment which adds no fun and exists only to remove money/resources from the player.

(Again I have not yet played the game, these are just my thoughts in general. I will be trying it out when I get home, I'm still at work at the moment.)

I see your argument, but I look at it differently. Think of the grappling hook like a t-shirt. As you grow older and bigger, the t-shirt doesn't fit anymore, so you need to go buy a new one.

Your comparison to a firebolt spell isn't applicable -- it is easy to endlessly scale up the damage of a firebolt spell to make higher level firebolts desirable, while making lower level firebolts less useful. This is how I handle weapons (and everything else that can be scaled). The grappling hook just doesn't work that way -- it either pulls you a distance or it doesn't. This is why I need to find another way to differentiate between hook levels. I do like Jorlen's idea of reducing distances as level increases -- but this still might not be the solution you want, since you never want to lose ability.

Out of curiosity, are the skies always purple like in the screenshots?  For some reason the purpleness in the screenshots is slightly off-putting.

I believe the reason it looks off-putting is it clashes with the color of the ground. In v2.2b, I changed the color of the ground to a more natural green and I think it helps. I made the sky slightly purple to give a more "alien" look, since you are on an alien planet. Oh, and no, the sky isn't always purple -- as night approaches, it gets darker, and then black with stars at night.

[hemmingjay]

how do those of us who have previously ordered get the new verion? I'm tired so I may be missing the obvious.

[Meta]

I must say I strongly agree with forsaken: removing an ability from a player or weakening it because he leveled up is illogical, and may be very frown upon by players. Why not give the player a jetpack and/or antigrav device, without levels, later in the game, instead of at the beginning?

[phr00t]

how do those of us who have previously ordered get the new verion? I'm tired so I may be missing the obvious.

Visit the original BMT Micro link you got when purchasing 3079. Re-download and re-install 3079Installer.jar -- you should be all set

I must say I strongly agree with forsaken: removing an ability from a player or weakening it because he leveled up is illogical, and may be very frown upon by players. Why not give the player a jetpack and/or antigrav device, without levels, later in the game, instead of at the beginning?

The antigrav device and grappling hook are both very useful and fun items I want enjoyed throughout the game -- which can be played as long as you want. I don't want to set an arbitrary point where you get these items, and then you'd never have to "get them" again.

I understand the sentiment that items should never weaken as you grow, but I believe the nature of these items requires them to be handled differently. If these items were made to always work, level 1 antigrav devices and grappling hooks would be very imbalanced, since they'd use little energy, be cheap, and always work.