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how much cover is acceptable


Falidell

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now i know everyone has there preferences but i was wondering if there is a current standard for amount of cover. atm i am making levels that have a lot of cover(using "random" sub-maps ) see attachments. i honestly never played UFO Defense but i was and am still an avid TFTD(Terror from the Deep) player so i'm using those levels as examples. in TFTD there was a lot of cover. in some cases to the point where i won't be able to use my Coelacanth(similar to the Xenonauts hunter ) which is fine by me, i enjoy the Claustrophobic amount of cover. That being said i've also looked at the barron levels of GoldHawk made levels. and i thought that maybe this is the way they are wanting things to be? but i also think that maybe the barron levels are really just temp levels made specifically for testing gameplay mechanics.

so what are everyones thoughts on how much cover is too much and how much is too little. in the attachments you'll see the level editor screen shots for examples of what i have done so far for testing. and i rather enjoy it so far.

those 5x5 submaps and Desert_cover_5x5_75p_Random as in there is going to be something there 75% of the time 25% nothing.

those 10x10 submaps are the same thing but bigger natural "Structures" ranging anywhere from Mixed cover from pathways made with mesa's to a desert abode. anyways..

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dESERT_COVER_ISH_OK_overview.jpg.a91820d

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I agree with Skitso. Tabletop wargamers have a rule that "the more cover, the better", and I generally agree with that. Doing battles on open terrain is significantly simpler - not necessarily easier, but simpler - and also more frustrating due to aliens having good sight range. While there should be diversity, I believe most maps ATM are too open, especially the original ones.

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sweet thanks for the feedback guys i'm more confident with placing more cover now. i'm still debating leaving some spaces inbetween the cover submaps for 3x3 vehicles or just changing the 75percent cover chance for 60%(being there will be something there 60% of the time.) have have those occasional times when your vehicles just aren't able to get past certain areas rendering them useless. also as far as buildings i do want to create more levels where there is more buildings, so that'll be a thing eventually. still learning the editor and standards so experiments first. it would be very helpful for me to place an enemy spawn location within a submap so the game can have the option to spawn enemies on top of buildings for height advantage over player; atm i have no means of doing so. =( after i have more fun with testing the editors and levels i'll start releasing packs for everyone

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Extensive amounts of cover also allow both sides to get a lot more mileage out of the suppression mechanic, increasing the amount of fire and movement tactics the game rewards. Actions have to be more thought out and more carefully undertaken, enhancing the need to to expend ammunition to get close safely, and to take short sprints, moving from cover to cover.

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sweet thanks for the feedback guys i'm more confident with placing more cover now. i'm still debating leaving some spaces inbetween the cover submaps for 3x3 vehicles or just changing the 75percent cover chance for 60%(being there will be something there 60% of the time.) have have those occasional times when your vehicles just aren't able to get past certain areas rendering them useless. also as far as buildings i do want to create more levels where there is more buildings, so that'll be a thing eventually. still learning the editor and standards so experiments first. it would be very helpful for me to place an enemy spawn location within a submap so the game can have the option to spawn enemies on top of buildings for height advantage over player; atm i have no means of doing so. =( after i have more fun with testing the editors and levels i'll start releasing packs for everyone

I wouldn't leave it up to chance. I'd create at least three 100% guaranteed routes for vehicles, and not just a three tile pathway: give them some space to maneuver. It's not much fun for someone to have to go all the way to the top or the bottom of the map to get their hunter to the UFO.

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Yeah, I've been suggesting fire, smoke and debris around grounded ufos many times in the past, but at least for now it hasn't been implemented. I hope map editor would support placing smoke, fire and broken tiles for more broken terror sites etc. Hope Chris sees this and gives us more destruction! :D

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yea stuff like Skitso and StellarRat suggested.

it just occured to me after i was about to save a newly created test level then forgot to place the destroyed variants of the alien craft me-> "......Wait.. why are they on the same map? shouldn't there be a duplicate but seperate map that includes debris? to show the player hell ya you shot down that craft BOOYAAAA" i love visual and audio feedback so my maps will have Landed/Crashed Variants crashed including smoke effects bodies and such.. landed will have hmmmm perhaps military support? it is their country it landed in the military will know about it after all... one would think?

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i was doing some testing and at first i thought because of how the games cover system/ prop accuracy reduction works i might have put too much cover but after a while i found that i'm just not that good of a player yet lol some screenies of it in use. again atm i'm only focused on desert then next is desert base

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