BYOND Strategy

Along The Tech Tree: Tight Squeeze

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:10:27 GMT

The ads on hub pages are now on the right rather than on the bottom. I'm not particularly complaining since, for all I know, it could pay more. However, it squishes the hub information into a little box in the center if you're still viewing the other ads on the left. Some developers may want to redesign their sites.

...On the other hand, maybe those of you with widescreen monitors don't mind. Unfortunately, I still have an old CRT and my plans to get a new computer have been derailed. Again. However, this time it's for food and bills instead of appliance repairs. We're not even bothering to fix the dish washer this year.

Foomer's Solar Conquest is now a featured game. It's playable. The help file might take a bit of clicking to get through and the goal seems to be mixed in with the story, but it seems robust. Meanwhile, Foomer is still working on the game if bugs pop up. (The custom ships might not be available for a while though so enjoy the game as it is.)

Acebloke is still working on the Wargames series (and running a poll about adding a newsletter.). I didn't think that needed pointing out, but I guess he did. Changes mentioned include land generation, unit upkeep cost, Iron Age ships, wind, and more. Naturally, my favorite part of the blog is when Acebloke states, "I will also need to start thinking about that damn help guide". ;)

As mentioned in a quick edit last week, Vexonator's Insurgency is back in the guild. I would note however that there was a recent BYOND bug which failed to overwrite files when updating. This would explain why the game was still referring to itself as Antebellum when run. I think that the bug has been fixed in BYOND v420.986, but Tom advised uninstalling and downloading again.

digitalBYOND is dead. Lots of people did not pay their bills. Flick did. However, Mano A Mano needs a host... While you're at it, Flick's Board Games Bazaar could use a membership. ;)

Abra's Space Castle had four updates in a single day this week. I don't know what was updated. I kept downloading and noticing different file sizes in the pager. I also uninstalled and downloaded again. I don't have past play experience to compare. Feel free to share. =)

TheMonkeyDidIt bid farewell to BYOND. He will be missed... Plus, I won't be able to post any more news on his customizable isometric game of tactics. That thing looked awesome.

I saw Hedgemistress on this week and finally paged her about fixing the download for Manifesto! I didn't get a reply, but I'm going to pretend that she was paying attention and my job is done. Besides, I can't bother Lexy with games when I want to read more Star Harbor Nights and have you guys foot the bill. ;)

I've been continuing development on Occupied Forces. I changed the battle formula and the battle stats. I also added textures to the map and redid the HUD/label graphics in a blocky, retro style that stretches better.

Got news? I changed the PathWrath 2 banner. It rhymes! That might make my downloads go from 49 to 50.

Along The Tech Tree: Clown-fed Puppy

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:00:27 GMT

Brigitte Dale's Tiny Tree celebrated a birthday this week. You can now partially understand the reference I made when I posted a link to her shout-out video. If not, then just enjoy the charming lady and pretend that she actually has a deep connection to this blog.

She doesn't, but otherwise you might not come back to read the following.

The results of the Incursion Interface Contest were posted early since there was only one entry. Howey won all of the prizes - including a new rank which any Tech Tree reader should be proud of. Meanwhile, I'm way too proud of the way I chose to link to Incursion by highlighting "nag Lummox JR". ;)

Developous released Nexus Wars and I placed it in the guild. I'm still not quite clear on all of the basics, but it definitely appears to be a strategy game. It was announced in the New Conquests forum and Developous is offering a prize in this Guild Games thread.

Vexonator's Insurgency is back in the guild with a working download announced (and tested).

The original PathWrath has been removed from the guild due to the download no longer being open to the public. I have hidden the game and now only allow subscribers to download it. I consider it outdated and will only support PathWrath 2... In other news, I deleted StarScurrier completely.

Acebloke would like to make it known that people paying for Wargames subscriptions outside of BYOND should include their keys. Otherwise, he has nobody to give the subscription to. Meanwhile, he released an update for Wargames 2 which includes multiple changes along with a critical bug fix. Further plans were posted here. Naturally, I'm most interested in the inclusion of robust help files, but the rest of you might want to pay attention to Acebloke's full-time work ideas... Besides, I didn't see the help files mentioned in the next update. Foomer might like the AI for the Single Player Games guild though.

Speaking of Foomer, he has been putting more work into the interface for Solar Conquest. Mechanics, including ways to avoid micromanagement, are also discussed. Meanwhile, there has been some activity in the forum.

Jordan Styles is looking for a team to help with a game inspired by Wargames and Civilization IV. I'm not sure if it's the same as the project mentioned in January. Either way, I suggest that those looking for help mention what their contribution to a project is. Developers are turned off by those who try to pass themselves off as "idea men" or "consultants"... On the other hand, they might not mind "PayPal donators" or "venture capitalists".

I worked a little bit on Occupied Forces. The main game engine appears to be there. I'm working on the unit events now. However, with the gigantic proc from PathWrath 2's modify event weighing on my mind, I took a bit of a detour. I designed an interface for a Star*Scurry replacement that I might actually like. Then I got sidetracked trying to create a level-less strategy RPG. I should really encourage myself to concentrate on Occupied Forces, but it's easier to claim that it's a BYOND Casual plot. It must all be Foomer's fault for choosing now to implement customizable units in a territorial dispute game that's prettier than mine. ;)

Got news? I'm wearing new socks and underwear today. Yay, me!

Results of the Incursion Interface Contest

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:49:10 GMT

The Incursion Interface Contest is over. Unfortunately, there were not many entries. Actually, there was only one. You could have entered. You could have won something easily. You chose not to. Do you know what the saddest thing is?

You took away my chance to nag Lummox JR on a weekly basis. How could you?! That's just mean!

However, we rock. We're still giving the prizes away despite our disclaimer on what would happen if too few people entered.

Howey gets them all.

YMIHere still donated a membership.

I gave Howey subscriptions to Occupied Forces (in development), PathWrath 2 (along with the original), Star*Scurry, Webcrawl, and Wrangle And Warp.

BYOND Strategy has given Howey a rank change. He was In Check. He now has basic Pawn privileges. More importantly, he is now BYOND Strategy's own...

CLOWN-KILLING PUPPY-FEEDER!

Yeah, that's right. We let him do the deed. Suck on that!

The Incursion Interface Contest ends tonight at 12AM EDT!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:51:37 GMT

This is your last chance to enter the Incursion Interface Contest. With so few entries, the chances of winning something are good! I've seen multiple blogs asking for memberships. Have you looked at the prizes?

If you don't enter, I'll still feed the clown to the puppy, but I'll send the puppy to your lawn afterwards.

Along The Tech Tree: Enter the contest already!

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:56:46 GMT

You're all just waiting until the last minute so you can polish up your entries, right? RIGHT? Sure.

[This space is reserved for nagging Lummox JR to judge the entries... Oh yeah, that's right. We only have one solid entry so far!]

The Incursion Interface Contest ends on the 29th! As threatened, I have entered as well. I can't win any prizes, but you can steal and improve upon my ideas if you want... BTW, I tried to share a link to the contest on an Incursion server and triggered the spam filter. I wasn't cursing you out, Popmaster!

I posted a set of Behavior Guidelines for the guild. I don't think that there's anything surprising in there, but they can found along with all of the other rules from now on. You can thank DarkCampainger for rewording the Administrative Decisions Are Final part. My version skinned people alive and stomped on their children.

I changed the description of the New Conquests forum. Updates can now be announced. As long as it's something that players can test/play, I'm fine with it.

Acebloke is still making plans for Law of the Board. The next version should include a way to save and load customized rules. Supposedly, he should be working on Wargames instead as that's where he gets his money. In other news, Acebloke gets money.

In Design Philosophy, Traztx offered up some information on how he ties his orthographic engine to BYOND. He uses the same coordinates. Kind of like how I tie this item to strategy news through Splategy. ;)

Vexonator is having problems with Dream Seeker and it looks like we won't be getting Insurgency back for a while. I thought that the file just had to be uploaded. *Shrug*

Three territorial dispute game developers walk into Design Philosophy. How many of them does it take to create a decent interface for moving multiple units of different types at once? Just think, you'll have a much simpler time with Incursion's single unit type if you enter the contest!

I don't know if he's still around, but I just noticed that Dever is no longer a BYOND member. He developed War of Lasers along with some games currently held captive by BYOND Casual. If only there was some sort of contest offering a membership to the key of the winner's choice. You could be his hero! Of course, he might not even notice, but you could pretend!

I've been combating positive feedback loops in Occupied Forces. I've also been redesigning subscription handling in Occupied Forces. Please vote in the poll in that second link. I'm trying to figure out what to do with my older games after I write new versions/sequels.

Got news? Last week, I knew that my socks didn't match before I wore them.

PS: Join the Incursion Interface Contest!

The Incursion Interface Contest ends in 1 week!

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:20:17 GMT

The Incursion Interface Contest ends in 1 week! This could be your chance to help guarantee an update to Incursion... and save a clown!*

There has only been one entry so far. Don't let it win by default! As a matter of fact, it probably can't win by default because Lummox JR will chop up the prizes and cement them together to form a doggy bowl. (You know, for the clown pieces.)

If you don't enter then I may be forced to. I can't use the prizes. I don't even know if Lummox JR will let me win. However, my elite interface skills will make those who did not enter run from BYOND in shame!**

Remember, the contest ends on the 29th at 12 PM EDT! Go enter!

*The fate of the clown is negotiable. You can feed it to your own puppy for all I care. Offer void wherever clown murder is illegal.

**Naturally, those who did enter might look like my honored students. Like in a school of martial arts. Like Jet Li. Join the contest and you could be the next Jet Li!

Behavior Guidelines

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:05:30 GMT

Do Not Assume Bias: The site is patrolled by volunteers who are not active at all times. It is possible for one offense to be caught while another escapes punishment. It is not a matter of certain people being favored. It is still wrong to commit the offense in either case.

Administrative Decisions Are Final: Do not start a thread to plead your case. Likewise, do not have others do it for you. Although we strive to create a fair environment, this is not a democracy. If power was misused, it is likely other staff members are already discussing the situation. Getting fifty John Does to agree with you and spam a thread will not make things any faster, but will hurt your case more than help it.

Language: The language of hub entries, forums and submitted blog posts is English. Different cultures are appreciated, but speakers of other languages should not expect thoughtful replies nor moderation. Naturally, you may speak whatever language you like in your own blog and forums.

Swearing: Cursing is to be avoided in hub entries, forums, and submitted blog posts. Note that moderators should not be expected to know what constitutes cursing in every culture. The standards will usually be based on phrases spoken in the United States.

Flame Wars: Keep discussions civil. Do not throw insults. Do not slander. Note that controversial topics, such as politics or religion, might be closed without warning.

Indecency: Hub entries, forum posts, submitted blog posts, and the links therein should be work-safe. They should not contain porn, scantily-clad people, nor nude graphics of any type. Further rules of decency are at the staff's discretion.

Spam: Flooding a forum with multiple copies of the same post will not be tolerated. Those who spam will be banned.

Crossposting: Posting the same message in multiple areas is not allowed. Though posting across separate guilds may be tolerable, posting the same message across forums within a single guild is not.

Bumping: Replying to one's post to add more information is fine. However, replying to one's post just to make the thread look more recent is rarely tolerable. Consider the standard message view preference to be Topic View, which often lists posts going back multiple months. If you did not receive any replies, consider the idea that either nobody knew the answer or nobody cared.

Along The Tech Tree: Yo gots a problem with me?

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:19:36 GMT

I replaced PathWrath with PathWrath 2 in the featured games this week. If any of you feel uncomfortable with me touching my own games in the featured list, go ahead and speak up.

IainPeregrine featured the original PathWrath, but it has a host-run model. While the host may assign people to start the game, they still have to be online when the players are. Unfortunately, I have repeatedly found an empty server being hosted, which, although I appreciate the support, is useless to those new to BYOND. PathWrath 2 has a player-run model, which should be better BYOND advertising.

...Of course, if the rest of you developers would write some proper help files then I wouldn't need to feel so embarrassed by standing out, would I? ;)

Enter BYOND Strategy's Incursion Interface Contest to encourage Lummox JR to finally update Incursion! I feel odd offering subscriptions to my games among the prizes, but there are ranks and a BYOND Membership (generously donated by YMIHere) included as well. Besides, this BYOND contest comes with what should be a guaranteed finish (generously donated by a weekly blog to nag Lummox JR with).

Dream Makers is also having a Build Your Own Board Game contest. I don't know what the entries will be, but strategy games are a possibility. If I offer up my libraries, will you forgive me for not delaying BYOND Strategy's contest?

Foomer posted a game concept called Rock-Paper-Scissors++ that some of you might want to look at for boardgame contest ideas. In the comments, Acebloke asked if he could make it part of Law of the Board and was approved.

Foomer also commented on a strategy game design article... Note that neither blog post contains a visible permalink so I had to edit the addresses. I think it's the BYOND Casual guildmaster's passive aggressiveness combined with self-loathing for posting strategy news. ;)

I entered Bandock's Text City Simulator into the guild. Development is still on hiatus and there are currently bugs, but Bandock released a download.

Vexonator's Insurgency has been removed from the guild. There is neither a working download nor a regular server. Should either become available, back into the guild it goes.

Traztx posted twice about Splategy this week and somehow still gets bumped down the list due to guild news! There's a lot of info in the first link and a small screenshot in the second. The screenshot might be the first we've seen of his orthogonal engine... which is to say that it's still worth looking at even if it's not the Reason To Play pic that his site links to. (At least my YouTube women hide their midriffs! Usually.)

Hedgemistress was on the pager for days and I didn't bug her to get the Manifesto! download working again. =(

I released the PathWrath 2 update that I mentioned last week. It contains some bug fixes, some interface changes, and a new (little) deck of cards.

I've been redesigning Occupied Forces to be bit more chaotic and fun. I think I've finished the skin. I'm going one by one through the turn phases now. I'm not quite done with the new Deploy phase yet.

Got news? My socks don't match.

BYOND Strategy presents: The Incursion Interface Contest

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:24:32 GMT

Would you like to help me nag a developer for an update? You can if you enter this contest!

In the comments of a recent Tech Tree, Lummox JR stated that he would be encouraged to update Incursion if he was given interface ideas without the "hacky BYOND 3.0-era crap" that the game uses today. He then asked for mock-ups.

Knowing how hard it can be for a developer to get decent feedback, and being a benevolent King, I suggested turning it into a contest. That, and it's an activity that I won't have to judge. ;)

To Enter:

Create a mock-up of an interface for Lummox JR's Incursion. Clarity of presentation will be a factor, but the mock-up can be either a BYOND skin, a demo, or even a set of pictures.

While an input control for verbs is not required, the interface for Incursion will need several elements. In no particular order, these include:

A map (of course)
A text output area
Replacements for the current toolbar
Display of cards held by the player
A browser window (popup or not) to handle territory info, help, admin foo, etc.
A grid to show status updates
Popups for advancing/redeploying units and resources--this is to replace the current method using screen objects.

When you are done, submit a link to your entry in the comments below.

Deadline

Entries can be submitted anytime between now and the 29th at 12 PM AM EDT. That's 2 weeks from now. Lummox will then have 1 week to judge. Unlike other contests you may have noted, this one comes with a weekly blogger to nag him until he finishes. ;)

Prizes

1st Place: The rank "Gold Winner" in BYOND Strategy, a BYOND membership (donated by YMIHere) which can be given to the winner's key of choice, and lifetime subscriptions to all of ACWraith's current games.
2nd Place: The rank "Silver Winner" in BYOND Strategy and lifetime subscriptions to all of ACWraith's current games.
3rd Place: The rank "Bronze Winner" in the BYOND Strategy Guild and lifetime subscriptions to the PathWrath series.

If there are not enough entries, then Lummox JR will divide the prizes at his discretion. Either that, or a clown will die. Don't worry, we'll chop it up for the Tech Tree puppy to eat.

Along The Tech Tree: Post-Brigitte Fidget

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:48:20 GMT

Sometimes things need no introduction. Sometimes the mere presence of something is enough. Sometimes words would only cloud what would otherwise be a pure experience. Sometimes the heavens take it upon themselves to part and reveal the majestic.

Sometimes I'm just too lazy to write proper introduction. Forget it. Read the links.

I added the new review rule that I mentioned earlier. "The fact that games can be updated means that reviews may become outdated. Reviews which comment on outdated features/bugs will be either removed or edited. (Edits will be clearly labeled as such.) Reviewers will be allowed to submit updated reviews."

I might be too distracted to remember the download, but Acebloke updated Law of the Board. I know I've been mentioning this update for multiple weeks, but check out the link for what was changed and what is being planned.

Traztx posted a meaty blog about his current project, which he is now calling SPLATegy. It's a two-player paintball game with each player controlling a team of AI units. A progress report was also posted. It may take a while to have a release version, but it does look like the game will be placed in this guild. =)

DadGun has a poll involving the interface in War of Syzran. However, it seems that both options might be implemented so only a fool filling out a blog would link to it. ;)

I keep getting 404 errors when I try to update Vexonator's Insurgency. If there is nothing to download and no server to play on, then Insurgency will be removed from the guild.

digitalBYOND may cease operations. Known games to be affected include Flick's Mano A Mano. Flick paid his bills. Some others still need to pay digitalmouse.

The official date of Lummox JR's next Incursion release? "Someday!" ;)

Just out of curiosity, why does the hub page for Palace exclaim "Pure RPG"? =)

While reading that Bandock is still around and working on a game this guild won't have, I noticed Bandock's Text City Simulator. Development appears to have been put on hiatus, there is no download, and I have never played it. Obviously, I felt the urge to link to it to fill this blog anyway. ;)

My new project now has a name that I'm satisfied with. It's called Occupied Forces. I've been making a lot of progress. However, while working on the administrative commands, I noticed that the chat filter commands that I ripped out of PathWrath 2 had runtime errors. (I transfered verbs and used src to refer to vars that I should not have.) I'm going to release a new version of PathWrath 2 next. I'll fix those bugs, remove some unnecessary tabs, and add a tiny deck. (No AI. Sorry, Foomer.) Those of you who want to be made aware of the update more quickly can go download the game. ;)

Got news? There's neither pretty blue eyes nor pouty lips this week. Suck it up!