Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: TopAce on August 30, 2003, 10:56:04 am

Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on August 30, 2003, 10:56:04 am
I don't know how difficult is it to make this one:

Let the player custumize the difficulty in the following fields:
Ai Intelligence - Larger setting means greater accuracy and more dangerous Ai.
Power output balance - Easier setting makes faster recharge for Afterburners and lasers.
Damage balance: Lower setting means more hits the player must suffer to die.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: Lynx on August 30, 2003, 11:52:21 am
I don't really like the Power Output balance thing, but the other things could prove to be useful, especially the AI intellegence thing when we get the advanced Freespace AI sometimes in the next century.:p
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on August 30, 2003, 03:22:52 pm
I mean power output when your lasers or engines recharge slower when the difficulty is higher.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: _argv[-1] on August 31, 2003, 06:36:24 pm
AI intelligence (accuracy, ability to evade, etc) can already be customized -- see ai.tbl. Damage scaling is already in, but it's hard-coded. Power output scaling can be done (for my new energy system code) as can recharge scaling (for the old energy system).
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on September 01, 2003, 03:27:30 pm
OK, let me change my own line:
Quote
Ai Intelligence - Larger setting means greater accuracy and more dangerous Ai.


Ai Intelligence - what is in the ai.tbl(accuracy, evasion ability, braveness etc.)
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: Shiva Archon on September 01, 2003, 09:59:17 pm
You can set the AI of every ship you put in using FRED.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on September 02, 2003, 12:55:08 pm
[Size=9]AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH![/size]

Let me explain it like it is done in pre-school:

There is a fighter cruising space. He is an average pilot.(Ai set to Captain in FRED). The player(who is still not facing this guy in space) is in the options screen. The user grabs the mouses and picks the customs difficulty icon and sets the Ai to be the best. He clicks on Play after briefing. That damned Ai kills the player. The user is impatient, and sets the Custom difficulty Ai's option to Medium. The Ai is weaker now, and he ripples that damned Ai to pieces.

Understood?
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: diamondgeezer on September 02, 2003, 01:07:08 pm
I'd say there's no need to scream, but sometimes this forum makes me feel the same way. So, you want to set enemy AI independantly off the difficulty setting?
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on September 02, 2003, 01:37:08 pm
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer
I'd say there's no need to scream, but sometimes this forum makes me feel the same way. So, you want to set enemy AI independantly off the difficulty setting?


Damn. No comment, let me give you an example:
Ai skill : Hard
Power output: Medium
Damage balance: Medium

The ai is one the level up to medium, but it is a medium skill setting with more dangerous Ai.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: diamondgeezer on September 02, 2003, 01:39:21 pm
That post was barely intelligable TopAce mate. Are you saying you want to be able to set things like AI and damage scaling seperately, without adjusting them all at one via the difficulty setting?
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: StratComm on September 02, 2003, 01:42:33 pm
Quote
Originally posted by TopAce


Damn. No comment, let me give you an example:
Ai skill : Hard
Power output: Medium
Damage balance: Medium

The ai is one the level up to medium, but it is a medium skill setting with more dangerous Ai.


Now that was uncalled for... that's exactly what DG said.  You want to adjust difficulty on several scales rather than just the one, and I think about everyone here gets that.

The real question is why, as this involves changing pilot files and the user interface for the options screen for what right now very few people see as a real gain.  Give us a good example of why this is needed, and then we might be convinced.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on September 02, 2003, 01:51:55 pm
no need for more example here, otherwise as I know, none of the suggestions here are implemented . . .

Otherwise I will never use FS_open, slow and unstable. I am only trying to help you.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: diamondgeezer on September 02, 2003, 02:00:01 pm
It's not that slow or unstable. It's experimental, yes, but it's useable. And I hope you meant suggestions (such as they are) in this thread, cos recently the coders have implemented big ****loads of stuff people have wanted.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: TopAce on September 02, 2003, 02:17:03 pm
No need for more discussions here, this one WON'T be implemented.
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: _argv[-1] on September 02, 2003, 02:45:23 pm
Quote
Originally posted by TopAce
Otherwise I will never use FS_open, slow and unstable. I am only trying to help you.

So, when I'm routinely playing it, it's just a figment of my imagination that it isn't slow and unstable? :nervous:
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: Flipside on September 02, 2003, 02:57:01 pm
Well, as long as we are reporting WHEN it is slow and unstable, that is what is most important, otherwise no-one can try and fix it :)

I get what you are saying TopAce, it could be interesting but it is a step further than most games these days offer as difficulty levels, possibly a slight case of overdecorating the Christmas Tree? It might be interesting to be able to set 'Environments' into a mission, where there are mission-wide penalties, such as half shields max, slow weapon recharge etc, particuarly if when MP is up and running, but once again this may just be me getting out the tinsel ;)

Flipside :D
Title: Custom difficulty
Post by: WMCoolmon on September 02, 2003, 05:37:01 pm
Quote
Originally posted by TopAce
No need for more discussions here, this one WON'T be implemented.

Doing what you want would require re-doing interface art (possibly breaking all mods) as well as recoding, and you haven't given a good reason why it should be implemented. Why should the FSSCP coders add this feature insted of multiplayer or graphics enhancements? It's not that people have a personal vendetta against you - they just want to get the features most useful to the most people implemented, to make the best use of limited resources.