Please review all the new changes going on.

1. The beta version has an amazing new game mode. Try this out and comment here or in the news section. Please try the beta server, and report any bugs you find, this would be very helpful.

2. The beginners server is using a mod with a few modifications to bundle sizes and shield strength. The bundle sizes are a bit easier to deal with and the impact damage from some projectiles is reduced, mainly to make the standard shield worth buying. (originally a baby missile would not take out a shield in one shot). I am making sure that these settings are okay for a main mod release.

Please comment here on any settings and suggestions for the beginners server.

no comments yet eh? well, it has been quiet but it won't be for long.

Key changes to the game are in the works, input welcome.
I noticed something while watching one of Direwolf's old videos posted on the home page. The speed of his film is a bit faster than the game speed. I have quite often thought that the flight of the projectiles simply takes too long. It seems to me that the standard game speed has always been a bit groggy. Should be sped up to match something like that film speed. 2X is too fast, but if the default game speed was about 1.25 - 1.4 X speed I think that would look and feel much better. And, waiting will be shorter.

Secondly, Fuel should probably be made a bit slower, especially when considering the speed that the game can now take with the new mode. In reality, tanks really don't move that fast, they certainly don't accelerate that fast, particularly on a hillside. (perhaps do not count the newest modern tanks... ) As now, fuel will allow the player to essentially dodge almost any incomming bombs, even nukes, if the player is good at watching for it. Along with faster game speed and slower fuel (about 1/3 speed) things should be very ballanced out.

Thirdly, The scale of the weapons in both price, and deformation is needed. It will not take long at turn free mode to reduce a map to nothing but water. To allow for a higher quantity of shooting, a lot more money should flow into the game (or cut all prices).

Lastly, Additional lives should become very standard.

Think of firing 200 shots in a round, getting 25 kills....not sitting out for most of the game farting around on facebook or email... or watching the winners.

This is going to be awesome!!

All comments welcome.

Arggg requirements everywhere
Ok I'll have a look at the fuel and shot speed things.

Faster game speed and slower tank movement, sounds like a move towards having more realistic action and real life-like situations. So, any changes done regarding resigning? Realistically, the act of resigning should incur some penalty. I lost a lot of points in the last few series because of my refusal to resign. Regularly getting killed by low ranked smurfers and true low ranked/highly skilled players plus also the nukes and hogs thrown at me by low rank/low skill players really took its toll, but to me, resigning was an easy way out from being killed and losing points. Whereas, the resigner loses nothing except maybe the chance to make some kills to gain points. So, tactically, resigning can be used to one's advantage in the overall stats race.

Any changes done regarding self kill situations? I think there should be some difference in the minus points you get from getting killed by a neighbour's funky death and getting killed by a direct hit from one of your own weapons.

I've only tried the beta version once, but it was against bots, and the rounds kept on ending with the message all players skipping, or something like that, so I cannot really comment on what I think of the beta version. Hence the questions, instead. The real time style of game play is cool though. Almost feels like a different game altogether.

Gavin, thanks for looking at the game speed thing

Thanks, Raden. The self kill deduction can be changed on the server console. -25 is certainly too high, I agree, but there should probably be some kind of small penalty to self kill, I really can't say how many points, it all depends... I was never a fan of any of the way the skill is determined though, so I'm not the person... We could look at reducing SK to maybe -10 instead?

As far as resign penalty, that is a good point, one I have made as well. I myself never resign. But I have a new idea. I would suggest that resign be turned completely OFF for standard play (no new feature would be needed) especially since skill is on the line! With increased use of additional lives, players will be forced to simply wait for death, or kill themselves if they are stuck or cripled. They then spawn again for another chance. Once out of lives they simply must wait till end of round... which will probably be 10 minutes start to finish? not sure there. I agree that resigning for free should certainly be prohibited.

No resigning!? I'm against that! I resign sometimes, and resignation shouldn't recieve any penalty.

If you die, others get skill points and you lose skill points.
If you kill self, you lose skill and money.
If you resign, you'll keep your money and won't lose skills (if you survive a move).

Every move could be risky. However, idk is there still auto-resign bug (if you resign, you'll be resigned at the beginning of move) which should be fixed.
I feel better being a chicken instead of being fried chicken!

surviving a move, yes, if the bug was fixed. However, regardless of whether it is fixed or not, imagine the scenario where one resigns on the first move, or another scenario, resigns when there is a possibility of not dying first because the other guy only has bbm and happens to be just an average shooter....either way, it ends up with the shooter being denied some possible points, and the resigner not losing points....realistically, resigning means "I admit I cannot kill you and that you have a chance of killing me but please don't kill me, just let me slink away to try and kill you in the next round.....ie, concede defeat" .....which brings me to say, resigning without being penalized, is totally unfair to the shooter.

On the extreme end, in a stats race, resigning can be used to prevent the opponent from gaining points and therefore rise in the stats. Doing something to prevent others from gaining while at the same time not losing anything yourself seems uncool to me.

I'm not sure if this has been suggested before, but is it feasible to add resigns into the list of things calculated for the overall win? Instead of penalizing resigning directly (which I am against, personally, as it already prevents you from winning the round) it could be added to the overall win calculation.

Honestly, I'm not sure how the overall win is calculated, nor the details of the weighting system (if any). I do agree that resigns are currently taken a bit too lightly, but penalizing them directly by points, cash, etc. seems to be an extreme in the opposite direction.

the win is simply calculated by highest score. It would be very appropriate to deduct points for resigns. It is innacurate to say that they "prevent" you from winning. What prevented them from winning the round was the other players. Resigning is in no way a penalty on its own. You actually have it backwards, Resigning HELPS you win by preventing OTHER players from acquiring points.

Well, it seems easy to understand what use is today a resign action : before, when the points include the win of the round, it was risky to resign without a good reason. Nowadays, if you want an easy win, only shot one time (a hog, for example) and then resign. If the resigner do that 6 or 7 times in a game, he's quite assured to win the game. Some of the players have understood that very well, believe me...
So, my opinion is that one : change the resign mode : only accept resign at the end of the round (not at the beginning, that's a pity to spend a weapon on firing in the ground), add penality points to resign (-15 skills like a self kill today or -50 points), and just consider that the win of the round can give the winner more than 0 point (reward of 50 point seems to be honest).
If we can have a new version of the game including some of our requests, after all these topics, that will be a good point for everyone.
Have fun

that stratagy doesn't make sense, you can only get points by shooting, resigning doesn't do anything to help you. someone else can then get all the kills.

I would agree with a few things such as make a resign cost something either money or points so it is not a free option to use whenever. Having held the title of biggest resigner for a while in the last series I like the resign feature. It seems silly to sit there helpless and allow someone to lob shot after shot at you so they can get points when you could resign and save some damage done to you points wise. If resigns cost some points it may be worth it to resign sometimes and maybe not other times.

The resign before the shot hits gives me mixed emotions. First of all it is funny, shoot me hate me whatever you want to do but it really is funny when someone shoots and when the shot gets there the person they shoot at is gone. Games are supposed to be fun. It is also frustrating if you are the one doing the shooting but at least you can know someone might have got a kick out of it. It is costly at times but if you do not have money and your opponent does maybe it will help you a bit if they waste a bit of money. It is also a mental strategy because some of you get so upset about it you RQ or get distracted from winning and go after the resigner over and over. As a regular resigner I usually do not use it if I don't have a chance to win the game. I will admit though resigning going into affect before the shot hits makes it rather easy to use this feature instead of looking for another possible way to escape ie fuel, re-bubble, teleport.

Server settings change updated:

Bot was replaced with cyborg. In order that the Shark does not return, I had to increase players to 10 before bot is removed. Whenver he is removed, a shark will return in his place until the server code is refreshed. This cannot be changed by admins, only gavin.

If bots rank seems to go too high at any time, bot will be kicked and bot will be replaced, refreshing the bot's stats.... this way he will be a low rank again, and worth less points.

Perhaps not a point, or money penalty.

what if we change the word resign to retreat?

perhaps the player will have to skip the following round, to recouperate and gather themselves like a real retreat.

you may skip out on a death here, but you will lose a chance for points following that round.

Just a thought,

Kanga

Edit*** they would not recieve interest for their money for either round.
Edit2*** Lol if they dont gain interest then i guess it is a $ penalty, and if they cant kill opponents i guess it is a point penalty also

---------------------------
Final Edit***

Lemme Just Cut my own throat here.
After Reading Xtc's post, i realized
This was a horrible idea.
My resign idea would make players wait longer, and would frustrate some.
Perhaps a money penalty would be best.

-or-

Just cut the option out

Hi Kangabunny :



Your idea of a skipped round is appealing. Not granting
interest for the skipped round I did not find appealing.

Rational : You are about to be killed in the first round
and resign. You were heavily damaged and used much
of what you had purchashed trying to get a kill.

You are short on cash but still have things you can sell
when round 2 starts. You sell everything and count on
the interest earned and the round bonus cash to give
you a chance in round 3.

Without a way to "recouperate and gather themselves like
a real retreat." making someone skip a round because they
resigned seems a bit harsh.


Well done,


Rommel