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Topic: StarControl: Behind Enemy lines (Read 41201 times)
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Son_of_Antares
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Arioch, I summon thee...
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Too bad  I hoped that some of the Arilou powers could be used as "buffs" for other team members. Tnx for the clarification anyway Yeti&Luki.
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« Last Edit: March 16, 2009, 12:19:40 am by Son_of_Antares »
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Yetiers
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IN MY OPINION -->
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Not wanting to seem naggy or such, but you have to give us a few more clarifications regarding Battlecry. I'm guessing it costs no AP and can be used unlimited times, yes? (Because it would be utterly worthless otherwise, parries aren't of so much use for enemies anyway). It's still not the most useful ability ever, but I suppose that's not a bad thing, given that it's only Level 1 and you've said before that Shofixti get the smallest advantage out of gaining levels, while Arilou get the biggest advantage.
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Son_of_Antares
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Arioch, I summon thee...
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Hmmm...I guess the abilities for the Shofixti were more powerful in the beginning, before Luki decided that some balancing needs to take place. Cause this one seems way to weak for the XP required to get it...although it is at level 1. Maybe it will get some additional effects on levels 2-3 (mass effect, more parries countered etc). But I think that we must wait until all of us level up and then see how big is the difference between the upgrades for different units, before we give our final judgment on the upgrades system.
But all this doesn't mean that I don't like my new "perk" - I think it will make fine addition to both combat and role play, and the idea is totally ok. Keep it going Luki 
EDIT: and yeah, I second Yeti in the description department: does this new ability cost AP? And what about range? Does it affect just the first target or all targets that engage/are engaged by the Shofixti? And how many times can it be used per combat/mission?
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« Last Edit: March 19, 2009, 07:57:27 pm by Son_of_Antares »
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Draxas
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Being the designer of "Battlecry" and a number of other skills you'll see cropping up, maybe I can clarify for you.
Battlecry is a passive skill; it's "always on" and never costs any AP to use, and in fact its use is automatic from here on out.
You'll notice that Battlecry is tagged as an Ability, which is distinctly different from a Power. Powers are what the Arilou and Syreen have, which are single use "spells" (for lack of a better term) that must be explicitly activated and consume AP to use. Abilities, by contrast, are mostly passive and almost never require activation, consumption of AP, or get used up like powers do. There are a few exceptions to this; some abilities may require explicitly stating that they are being used, but that will be made very clear in the rules for them.
In all honesty, Battlecry isn't terribly useful, though it does provide a minor augment to the Shofixti's already formidable melee prowess. And, as you say, this is because it's a level 1 skill. The talents you pick up as you gain additional levels will get progressively more powerful, which shouldn't come as any surprise I should think.
It has been mentioned that the Shofixti does not benefit as much from level gain as the other races. This isn't exactly accurate; the gains are very different depending on the race, and the Shofixti's earned abilities and upgrades are designed to reflect and enhance their particular place among the alliance forces (AKA: Melee specialist and Scout). Other races will likewise earn upgrades that complement their specific roles in a team, but trying to designate any one ability as "better" or "worse" than another, especially between different races, is at least partially missing the point that the core of the gameplay mechanics is squad based combat.
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Son_of_Antares
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Arioch, I summon thee...
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Wow I didn't know you became a game designer for BEL, nice going  and great explanation there for battlecry, you could end up writing a manual or something  it's always nice to know you can speak with game designers directly...it's like you're talking to game celebrities. omg omg omg etc
Although I have another question concerning Shofixtis new ability: does it apply only on the "natural" parries a unit has, or on all of them (gained through enhancements or otherwise)? Let me clarify: if we fight against, for example, an Andro Private and Andro Sarge, the Private has 3+2 parries. If we mob him up and exhaust his natural parries (with shooting etc.) and leave him just with "bonus parries" (from leadership) and then I charge to melee his ass, will my bonus apply (cause his parries are now 0+2)? I ask this just to be sure, the question was probably unneeded, because the answer is probably yes. But better to ask this now than to whine about it later in battle
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Draxas
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Wow I didn't know you became a game designer for BEL, nice going and great explanation there for battlecry, you could end up writing a manual or something it's always nice to know you can speak with game designers directly...it's like you're talking to game celebrities. omg omg omg etc Flattery won't earn you any hints about the other upgrades. Incidentally, I'm glad you find my explanations clear; I sometimes can't tell when I'm clarifying or garbling an explanation with detail (it makes perfect sense to me! In my head!). If that ever starts happening, just let me know and I'll try and approach it from a different direction. Although I have another question concerning Shofixtis new ability: does it apply only on the "natural" parries a unit has, or on all of them (gained through enhancements or otherwise)? Let me clarify: if we fight against, for example, an Andro Private and Andro Sarge, the Private has 3+2 parries. If we mob him up and exhaust his natural parries (with shooting etc.) and leave him just with "bonus parries" (from leadership) and then I charge to melee his ass, will my bonus apply (cause his parries are now 0+2)? I ask this just to be sure, the question was probably unneeded, because the answer is probably yes. But better to ask this now than to whine about it later in battle Yes, it will reduce any parries the opponent may have in situation where it applies. The assumption here is that every unit has at least 1 parry naturally, and it rarely makes sense to track exactly which parry is being used at any given time. So you can always figure that the one natural parry has not been used, and is being eliminated by the ability. Of course, if you entirely drain an enemy's ability to parry before attacking in melee, suffice to say that the skill will have no effect. You can't eliminate something that's not there anymore. So strike early and strike often if you want to maximize your ability to utilize this new talent. |
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Yetiers
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Hey Luki, Draxas, and Dabir,
I was planning to DM an SC forum RP using BEL's rules after Mission 1 is finished (partially so that we who are banned from Mission 2 can still continue playing BEL, partially because I just feel like it), but I need your agreement to use your rules and your sprites -- so would you be OK with me doing that?
I will also need Dabir to help me with some more sprites, but first I need to actually plan what I'm going to do (I only have a general idea at this point).
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Draxas
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Unfortunately, I have no plans on developing any Opposing Forces content anytime soon; the main game has a ludicrous amount of content as is! However, once we've really fleshed out all the details of the main game, I may revisit the idea. The problem I'm encountering with an early concept is that the Hierarchy doesn't lend itself to specified roles well like the Alliance does, which makes balancing the team play aspect of it difficult. However, perhaps I'll investigate this further later.
I'm always keen on jumping into forum RPs, and have always been saddened that there are none on the site. However, I know Luki has some exciting plans for the game coming up, and you may not want to run two versions of the same game simultaneously regardless. Of course, if Luki says it's OK, then I have no problem with it... Except you're going to be totally spoiled on all of the currently secret details. If you're OK with that...
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Dabir
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I don't really have a problem with people using whatever my limited skills can produce for anything as long as it's legal, so consider this a 'do-what-the-hell-you-like' permission unless Luki has any particular objections. Barring that, I'll upload all the ones seen so far (that I made at least) to an album on Photobucket and post the link.
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Yetiers
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By the way, I will have a completely different storyline from Luki's, so I don't need to be spoiled. I'll also produce my own versions of the units we haven't encountered so far in Luki's game, such as the Mmrnmhrm (if of course Luki hasn't already made them by that time). And thanks, Draxas and Dabir.
EDIT: I'll also have different level-up abilities than in Luki's version, to avoid 1. being spoiled by learning the new abilities Luki has in mind, 2. spoiling other players by showing them what abilities they may get in Luki's version by having them encounter them in my game, and 3. having some of my players know about some of the level-up abilities that have already been encountered in Luki's version. Also, my version will be somewhat more focused on talking, and on choices&consequences, so I might have some skills and abilities for non-combat situations as well.
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« Last Edit: March 21, 2009, 07:42:07 pm by Yetiers »
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Yetiers
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Er, I'm afraid I can't log into your album, it says it's a private one.
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)...too bad just that I can't get the opponents to go in minus with their parries when they have zero left and I use Battlecry; or at least to stun them, take them away a parry for the next round or negate one strike (from fear). Just a few ideas for levels 2 and 3