Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

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Avestron
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:55 pm

Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by Avestron »

Good evening,

To be clear its been a long time since I'd played this game and I must say that installing the update gives it a fresh feel!

A couple of new balanced weapons (always nice), adjusted game mechanics, and other features I may not fully appreciate also.

/\/\/\/\/\

The biggest feature that I am missing from the old version concerns the after-battle screen. It appears that no longer can a player (eager to appreciate carnage) sift through not only the jocks but also the titans of all teams to see how the individual titans fared.

If the feature still exists then maybe my version is bugged. But it was definitely nice to see the results of 'play-testing' designs in Comp vs. Comp battles ;)

/\/\/\/\/\

In terms of possible future improvements (yes I know this game is long past that phase - but no harm in voicing a few thoughts):

1 - New Weapon - Pod Charges - explosive weapons that can be thrown/ shot a short distance (Rng 3) and gains a special bonus in accuracy when dropped upon enemies in the same hex during jump flight.

2 - DCS increased functionality:

For those titans in dire straits - and who are fortunate enough to have got out of the line of fire - or that have been left alone in favour of more dangerous targets - a means of using the DCS to re-establish and reinforce internal structural integrity would not be amiss.

This would include a life-support-like function that slowly repairs individual points of internal damage (but not external armour). This is done through the setting of integrity compromised scrap metal into place with fast drying and rigid foam-like cement and it is presumed that a DCS has enough to serve for a battle - alternatively a set max of internal points repaired (e.g. 5 points per DCS Level)

Furthermore a DCS would have the possibility of expending this foam-like cement to re-establish a degree of structural integrity in locations 'destroyed' such as a leg or a torso section. Re-establishment of a section's integrity would not automatically reinstate integrity of the parts within but would open the possibility for repairs to be made to multi-location systems (cooling systems and actuators) to improve the survivability of a situation.

- Furthermore it would be great if friendly titans in the same hex could attempt to provide support to each other. This could perhaps be implemented through installation of a Hull Interfacer Claw module permitting repair attempts upon a friendly Titan at a 20% penalty. It could concievably also be used to attempt to damage an enemy Titan at a more significant penalty.

3 - Fist-Brace (or Agro-Band) - High density metalic banding for added close combat damage
Either +1 damage or 5 fixed damage - counts as a weapon - 1.0 T

4 - Leg-Brace (or Agro-Legging) - High density metalic banding for added close combat damage
Either +2 damage or 7 fixed damage - counts as a weapon - 2.0 T

5 - Defender Shield

An Arm-Mountable Shield serves to redirect and partially absorb some hits that would otherwise have been taken by other parts.

3 variants:

Variant 1 - Slots 2 - W 6 - Redirect 30% - Absorbs 1-2 Damage
Variant 2 - Slots 4 - W 12 - Redirect 45% - Absorbs 2-4 Damage
Variant 3 - Slots 6 - W 18 - Redirect 60% - Absorbs 4-8 Damage

Hits Received within Torso front arch enjoy the above re-direct %

Hits Received to sheild wielding arm from front arch enjoys double probability of redirect probability

Hits Received to shield wielding arm from pheripheral arches (non-blind zone) receive normal redirect probability)

Weapons mounted on same arm as shield suffer a cumulative -10% Accuracy Penalty

/\/\/\/\/\

The next suggestions would apply to a re-release or sequal of ToS...

1 - Inclusion of a world with various factions with their various ups and downs.

2 - Inclusion of randomly and not-so-randomly generated plot lines to boost the RPG element of the game. This can include travelling to different parts of the world - with their own arenas.

3 - An opportunity to use team and titans within multiple mission contexts (military, mercenary, arena, disaster relief, criminal, etc.)

4 - Inclusion of superior and inferior items within a given class (example - a speciality laser with -1 Damage and +1 Range; or an energy chainsaw requiring more PUs to operate with a shorter recharge time and -1 Ton Weight, or a microwave scanner taking up +1 slot, and a reduced range, but a significant bonus to its abilities within the reduced range, or a rusty engine producing less PUs and more heat).

Superior items would be balanced to be slightly advantageous and would be relatively rare scavenges.

5 - Inclusion of Non-Titan Units

Don't panic. I'm talking about military units that can spice things up and still fit into the ToS model without too great a modification.

The main added units would be 'tank-likes' and 'air-craft' - both with their ups and downs.

Tank-Likes (TLs) would be high capacity, low meneuvreability counterparts to Titans - They are simple and have fewer locations with a higher number of slots. They tend to support heavier armour and weapons for the same price range. They do not 'jump'.

A typical tank-like would have the following locations:

Main Turret
Front fuselage
Back Fuselage
Right Flank Fuselage
Left Flank Fuselage

L&R Fuselage would be where the drive-train would be installed - Included in the place of actuators

With that aside I think that the rest is straight forward enough (conceptually).

Vertical Takeoff Aircraft (VTA)

Tanks would be low capacity, high meneuvreability counterparts to Titans - They are simple and have fewer locations with a small number of slots. They tend to support lighter armour and weapons but can 'jump' indefinitely, also able to turn in flight - but not on the spot.

A typical VTA would have the following locations:

Center Front Fuselage
Center Back Fuselage
Left Flank Fuselage
Right Flank Fuselage
Left Wing
Right Wing

/\/\/\/\/\

Both the above types can come in various weight categories and can install titan parts. A few VTA-specialist weapons might be desirable however.

/\/\/\/\/\

4 - A rehaul of graphics to the standards of isometric 3D-like games (no names).

I would really like to see a version of ToS where the view is (zoomable) wide-angle first person, with titans represented in 3D, surfaces rendered accordingly to part condition, weapon pods rendered externally (and sparking and such when damaged), leaving trails of smoke and ionised steam when some systems are fired, where tiny chunks of 'matter' fly off them when hit, and spouts of earth expoding around them as shells miss their target, where you can see explosions ripping through the titans as ammunition melts down, and titans being forcibly blown out of hexes when bigger booms are afoot.

Add to this the ability to replay an entire battle in real-time and the game takes on another dimension.

/\/\/\/\/\

Well thank you for your attention in any case and for making such an addictive game. The above is intended to be an exercise in enthusiasm so anybody who found anything above insulting - peace ^_^
LarkinVB
Posts: 1501
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 8:00 am
Location: Germany
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RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by LarkinVB »

ORIGINAL: Avestron

The biggest feature that I am missing from the old version concerns the after-battle screen. It appears that no longer can a player (eager to appreciate carnage) sift through not only the jocks but also the titans of all teams to see how the individual titans fared.

If the feature still exists then maybe my version is bugged. But it was definitely nice to see the results of 'play-testing' designs in Comp vs. Comp battles ;)

It's still in. Check the end screen. Right from 'Exit Battle' you can toggle between 'Jock XPS' and 'Unit Info'. Thanks for your other suggestion but development stopped 10 years ago and I'm only modifying very minor stuff for my personal enjoyment. Nothing which takes more than an hour to code.

But it's great to see I'm not the only one still playing and having fun with TOS.
Avestron
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:55 pm

RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by Avestron »

I did not realize that the Jock XP text was a clickable link. Ah so much better now. ^_^

Oh no worries I understand that this game is way past its development cycle. These are just thoughts that had been idling at the back of my mind for a long time.

Out of curiousity, what programming language is ToS coded in and would you say that the structure allows for modding?

LarkinVB
Posts: 1501
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 8:00 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by LarkinVB »

ORIGINAL: Avestron


Out of curiousity, what programming language is ToS coded in and would you say that the structure allows for modding?


It was coded with pure C and is not moddable at all. Sorry. The code is ugly and will never suffer public exposure.
Avestron
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:55 pm

RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by Avestron »

ORIGINAL: LarkinVB

It was coded with pure C and is not moddable at all. Sorry. The code is ugly and will never suffer public exposure.

Ah well I am certain that that was just a consequence of tight coding deadlines and the sort (the common pitfall that many programs share). The main thing is that it does a great job of representing massive fighting robots in strategic micromanaged mayhem. ;c)

[begin non ToS stuff]

Truth is that I am once again paying heed to my childhood dream of epic game coding and I currently have my sights on C# as one of the more promising coding options out there (weary of Pascal - bad experience in the past plus it was kind of an outdated language when I learnt it - let alone now).

On the other hand I am a very sketchy kind of person - in that I lack focus (one moment I'm thinking movie concept, the next I'm thinking oh hospital management (no, I'm not in healthcare) and the next I'm thinking of rule systems - in the space of a given hour).

I have read that an ideal way to learn a language is to have a project to learn with and to have a mentor to help keep my focus. Since I lack the later and recognize the complications that my focus issue might have with respect to a full project I figure that the way to begin is to familiarize myself through attempting small mods - then move on to more extensive mods if confident - and then move on to starting a reasonable project if still confident.

To be clear I am not asking that you be a mentor - nor do I expect you to release any code. I am just tossing the above out there in case you see large enough holes in my plan above that you feel the need to flag them for me :c)

[end non-ToS stuff]

Oh and thank you for keeping this project going in its afterlife!
LarkinVB
Posts: 1501
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 8:00 am
Location: Germany
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RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by LarkinVB »

My only advice is to do what feels like fun. Coding freeware TOS was fun in every aspect, coding the retail version was sometimes more hard work and pressure drained some fun. Coding can be creative and satisfying but it can also get dull and repetitive.
Avestron
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:55 pm

RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by Avestron »

Thank you kindly for the sound advice. Deadlines and pressure will drain the life out of even the most pleasurable activities. I must admit that I see code as being a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Its a means of expressing ideas mundane and awesome.

/\/\/\/\/\

Returning to the subject of ideas (and keeping things to what I presume might be relatively light coding wise):

MG3 Machine Gun

Weight 1.0(T)
Slots 01
Range 00/04 C(S)
Damage 03
Heat 03
Mod +05
Ammo 18 (54 Damage/ Ammo Slot)
RC/PU 07/--
Cost 2,500

Not the most innovative weapon creation but intended to round-out what I percieve to be a slight hole in the weapon line-up. This may be extended to the heavier cousins


MG4 Machine Gun

Weight 2.0(T)
Slots 02
Range 00/06 C(S)
Damage 04
Heat 04
Mod +00
Ammo 15 (60 Damage/ Ammo Slot)
RC/PU 08/--
Cost 4,000

And finally


MG5 Machine Gun

Weight 3.0(T)
Slots 02
Range 00/07 C(S)
Damage 05
Heat 05
Mod +00
Ammo 12 (60 Damage/ Ammo Slot)
RC/PU 09/--
Cost 6,000

/\/\/\/\/\

A much simpler way to go about this would be just the one heavier version of the current machine gun, renaming the current one as 'Light Machine Gun'


Heavy Machine Gun

Weight 2.0(T)
Slots 02
Range 00/06 C(S)
Damage 04
Heat 04
Mod +00
Ammo 15 (60 Damage/ Ammo Slot)
RC/PU 08/--
Cost 4,000

/\/\/\/\/\

Completely unrelated:


Magma Fist

Weight 2.0(T)
Slots 01
Range 00/00 C
Damage 05 + Heat
Heat 10
Mod +00
Ammo --
RC/PU 07/05
Cost 3,000

Designed with the transference of heat in as efficient a manner as possible, magma fists tip the temperature balance against opponents. They are relatively light and compact but require engine power to operate.

(Again, all the above thoughts with the understanding that most if not all shall not see implementation - no worries :c)


Avestron
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:55 pm

RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by Avestron »

Incidentally I am aware that the Magma Fist mentioned in the previous post treads upon the territory of the flame thrower. This is why I envision it as an attack which recharges (I am thinking 1 PU Drain), generating less heat per attack than a flame thrower - but benefiting from no ammo limitation - like energy weapons.

Two further variants:

Brace Fist
Weight 1.0(T)
Slots 01
Range 00/00 C
Damage 05
Heat 6
Mod +05
Ammo --
RC/PU 07/--
Cost 1,000

(A weapon with the sole purpose of sparing the assaulting arm damage)

Taser Batton
Weight 2.0(T)
Slots 01
Range 00/00 C
Damage 05 + EMP
Heat 10
Mod +00
Ammo --
RC/PU 08/13
Cost 3,500

(Think the concussion rods used in 'Demolition Man' on titan scale - alternatively tasers)

-----

Non-Weapon Weapon Add-Ons

In the spirit of increasing functionality with the minimum of coding perhaps add-on features 'could' be tagged as weapons but simply function differently.

Example Units that could be added in this way - conveniently listed last on the list:

- Light/ Heavy Omnistealth array - provides a persistent boost in the titan's stealth.
- Flight Modules - provides a bonus to jump (incidentally one thing that always got me curious is why its not possible to turn in-jump)
- Mobility Enhancer - Increases move speed of unit on land, shortens physical recharge time of melee weapons (I have since read that you considered something of this sort in the past but was concerned about delving too deeply into the mechanics)
- Kinetic absorbers - Increase resilience of part.
- Energy Capacitors - (I am sure you know which post in this forum inspired this - its a nice idea)

And more - but I'm afraid that sleep is overtaking me ;c)

-----

Incidentally I admit that I am a little disappointed that ToS's battle mode won't run with other software actively being used. Like typing this post - watching the on-going battle being paused.

Come to think of it I think that I used to nap while ToS played out mech-testing battles.

Are there any ways that this can be worked around (presuming its not easily fixable)?

I read back a couple pages of posts - nice to see the history of this game's fans/ critics.
Avestron
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:55 pm

RE: Thoughts on v 1.2.7 and a bunch of suggestions

Post by Avestron »

Light B.M. Grenade Rack (Cannon)
Weight 9.0(T)
Slots 03
Range 02/12 SM
Damage 08 Blast Rng 0
Heat 12
Mod -10
Ammo 14
RC/PU 21/--
Cost 18,000

(Blast - Each titan within the same hex as the target enjoys blast damage - similar to an engine explosion)

Heavy B.M. Grenade Rack
(Cannon)
Weight 18.0(T)
Slots 05
Range 03/18 SM(L)
Damage 16 Blast Rng 0
Heat 24
Mod -10
Ammo 07
RC/PU 26/--
Cost 30,000

(Blast - Each titan within the same hex as the target enjoys blast damage - similar to an engine explosion)

Tempting to go for Range 1 on the blast but such may slow the game down.

C.M. 4 Rack (Unguided Missile)
Weight 4.0(T)
Slots 02
Range 00/10 CSM
Damage 02 Swamp
Heat 7
Mod -5
Ammo 16
RC/PU 14/--
Cost 8,000

(Chem missiles dissolve rock to produce a semi-fluid state that is difficult to navigate through. Titans targetted by missile may be forced to take movement checks - also a fair chance of terraforming the hex into swamp - may be used defensively to make it harder for close combat mechs to get in close.)

Integrafoam Blaster (Damage Control)
Weight 1.5(T)
Slots 01
Range SELF
Damage -02
Heat 25
Mod +0
Ammo 5
RC/PU 25/--
Cost 8,000

(Integrafoam is a heat activated fast-setting polymer with sub-steel-like properties. It is used for the reinforcement of weakened limbs as well as for restoring a degree of integrity to destroyed limbs)

Parts treated with integrafoam can have 2 points of internal armour restored per application and this foam applies a 0.75 modifier to heat dissipation for the affected limb (if cooling system passes from it).

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