This is an attempt to remake a great game with the same title released in 1997. While the gameplay was fun it didn't get enough attention so it's time to change that.
It's basically an RTS taking place on islands in the sky. You have to build bridges to approach resources and enemies while building different kind of cannons to secure your position. The core gameplay is relatively simple but the strategies available are really complex. Here's how the game looks like
You can also download the original game here for free: http:www.netstormhq.com/download.php?list.10 The bridge system is pretty much done and I've got everything in my head about how to continue it so all I need is free time now but I could use anyone's help with making the different cannons in data editor and who I would need the most is a modeller to create the different type of bridges.
If you have played this game please post your ideas about how certain things should be implemented or if you would like to help me with making them (you get credit of course). I'm also considering making a random island generator part later on but only after the more important parts are done.
Keep to some of the original ideas, but also expand on some.
The original game was a bit messy, so try to keep it clean if your using the same idea.
Maybe orient the design of the game, to be more focused on laying out bridges?
This means, it turns from a "tower" defense kind of map to a RTS map that focuses on pathing and defense to outmaneuver your opponent's base.
Maybe if used in multiplayer, the goal is to design and protect roads/paths that reaches and cuts off your opponent's space, as you cannot build roads that isn't connected to your own HQ.
Building should cost minerals, and HQ should provide income over time. Maybe building additional structures can provide income, but there can be prerequisites to meet, like how far away it needs to be from the HQ and other supply structures.
My ideas:
A road system that allows players to plot out square paths in space, by making use of a "tool" which is a "road" ability, which can allow players to drop a road next to another road. These roads are typically blocks.
For a twist, make it like Tetris and have the pieces of blocks randomize?
When laying out turrets, for defensive or offensive purposes, you should be allowed to drop them on top and next to roads, so long as it attaches to a road.
Maybe have lots of small units being produced from your HQ platform, that roams around using an AI?
This will turn it into more of a "economic" warfare since you don't have full control of the units, only what you produce for them to walk on your roads.
Soldier units will have multiple types for different orders maybe. When units comes into contact with an enemy, they should become locked in a "gun" battle, like with marines, except the roads limit the range and limits of the ai units to attack each other. This is where making multiple paths comes in.
Turrets have ammunition, and it takes 2 shots to kill a unit. Different turret has different strength and weaknesses but just start off with a standard one.
Possible to have air units in the game, as a "special" ability to randomly attack another player's structures/roads/turrets, as they can't attack ground units.
Unit ideas:
Soldiers - Focuses on reaching the opponent's base, and destroy structures/hq/enemies.
Guards - Patrols your roads from incoming enemy Soldiers.
Workers - Gathers resources(?) and/or repairs roads and structures.
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
I like the the one of enforcing aggressive play by providing resource for outposts that's definitely needed.
I also intend to use randomized roads and a small cost for roads so you cant just connect to the enemy in seconds or spam roads.
About the stalking AI I'm not so sure, it would need a really well implemented algorithm to use bridges properly, but I will surely make moving attacking units not only cannons. These will be weaker but you can control and different classes sound good, maybe some units for bridge blocking etc..
There are air units that can mine, as for attacking units, well that needs balance testing. But I don't want much randomness involved in the game, the more skill the better.
Also need a good way of countering bridges, so building 200 and cornering everything isn't enough.
You know when you're in that situation where you vaguely remember a storyline, picture or certain part about a specific story, game or song, but can't recall exactly what story/game/song it was and end up never quite figuring it out? That's exactly what happened to me about ten years ago - I had seen a screenshot of some random awesome game where you built bases on islands floating in the sky. That memory was far from enough to find out what game it was though, so I never did learn.
Now, ten years later, I find this post. It's a bit too late for me now to check out a game I found awesome back then, but you just accidentally completely solved one of my life's mysteries. =P
As for your map - how is it coming along? I'm curious now.
I'm pretty much done with the core elements now bug fixes and content need to be added like cannons and custom models.
I was also searching for this game cause I really liked it back then and I actually found it while talking on the sc2mapster irc. I didn't know the games name but managed to make a miraculous google search on it somehow and found it xD
You can make this very effective in a multiplayer game, by using large maps and many many islands to allow players to take over...
In the end, it might be extremely efficient if you can make a mod and implement it with official maps that you could come up with.
Not yet, it's impossible to create cliffs on the fly right now unfortunately. But the cliff outlining is automatic and I'm planing to make automatic islands with terrain deforming but that requires thousands of actors that I'm not sure how will work online, so for stability and equal chances for players I'm sticking to this right now until I have a playable version.
I have an original copy of Netstorm and I played a lot of games where it wasn't patched by people who dumbed it down.
When experience and Rank mattered.
The question is how are you going to deal with Experiance and Rank? and knowledge. If you can make it save a character that you can bring from multiplayer to multiplayer, that would be good.
Since I know Netstorm well and am often annoyed by the dumbed down versions that NSHQ are disbuting, I offer my assistance.
I'm not entirely sure how experience worked I wasn't a big netstorm player at all just tried it for a glimpse back then. But I am against giving any kind of advantage to players with more experience, as for achievements, visual extras, well that is doable and may be implemented depending on the success and feedback of the map. But still at this point it's impossible to prevent people from cheating by simply changing their local text file where the saves are stored.
Well experience worked like this in True Netstorm.
As you are probably aware all players start the game with the knowledge of Sun Disc Thrower and Sun Cannon, and a randomly selected generator.
Each time a player sacrifices an enemy priest He had the choice of gaining knowledge (A new unit) or upgrading his alter, and should he choose one of those (instead of a boost of money), he effectively gains an experience level.
However even a level 7 could be an equal match to a level 43 player because of the strategic choices made at the beginning of the game.
Because even if you have the knowledge, it doesn't matter if you don't have the workshop space, and if you manage to squeeze 3 workshops on your island (it won't get you all units BTW), it's incredibly hard to defend your temple. And opting for aligned units means you need to constantly build generators, and take nearly twice as many levels to gain, and they all have critical weaknesses compared to the much cheaper, more versatile sun units.
All in all, It means it's a strategic choice which knowledge you choose to get, and which knowledge you choose to put into production game, to game. Being a higher level means you have more options it doesn't increase your chances. (Default settings in the original Netstorm were 2000 SP per geyser, not 3000, giving sun users a much stronger chance against those that use primarily aligned units.
However from what I saw in your video.....The first thing you need to do is either decrease the size of your islands, or massively increase the size of your temples and workshops. You can probably fit more than 8 Workshops on a single island on your map, a level 43 player would be able to bring all his unit types into productions. The important thing to remember that in the original Netstorm island space was a greater valued resource than storm power.
Great work :) Its a good mix between ns and sc :D Good luck with the work ur doing :)
Ive been playing ns for over 13 years now, its the best game I have played as far as mutliplayer games go and RTS :) The only thing that sucked about ns was the ranking system, and currently players who have maxed out there level dont really need to kill other players anymore - hence games ending in draws when a winner looks imminent.
As for the new changes in ns, there have been some old players who have been put off ns because of it, however the majority of changes have worked very well. THe current beta patch - not actually being worked on atm :P - will also make ns much more interesting :)
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Edit: Some screenshots from the latest build, got the sun barricade done as well (thx to Phaos for the beam help:p)
Progress update galery:http://img801.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=ss1y.jpg
Here's my progress so far
This is an attempt to remake a great game with the same title released in 1997. While the gameplay was fun it didn't get enough attention so it's time to change that.
It's basically an RTS taking place on islands in the sky. You have to build bridges to approach resources and enemies while building different kind of cannons to secure your position. The core gameplay is relatively simple but the strategies available are really complex.
Here's how the game looks like
You can also download the original game here for free: http:www.netstormhq.com/download.php?list.10
The bridge system is pretty much done and I've got everything in my head about how to continue it so all I need is free time now but I could use anyone's help with making the different cannons in data editor and who I would need the most is a modeller to create the different type of bridges.
If you have played this game please post your ideas about how certain things should be implemented or if you would like to help me with making them (you get credit of course). I'm also considering making a random island generator part later on but only after the more important parts are done.
http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/netstorm-islands-war/ (map page)
Keep to some of the original ideas, but also expand on some.
The original game was a bit messy, so try to keep it clean if your using the same idea.
Maybe orient the design of the game, to be more focused on laying out bridges?
This means, it turns from a "tower" defense kind of map to a RTS map that focuses on pathing and defense to outmaneuver your opponent's base.
Maybe if used in multiplayer, the goal is to design and protect roads/paths that reaches and cuts off your opponent's space, as you cannot build roads that isn't connected to your own HQ.
Building should cost minerals, and HQ should provide income over time. Maybe building additional structures can provide income, but there can be prerequisites to meet, like how far away it needs to be from the HQ and other supply structures.
My ideas:
Unit ideas:
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
I like the the one of enforcing aggressive play by providing resource for outposts that's definitely needed.
I also intend to use randomized roads and a small cost for roads so you cant just connect to the enemy in seconds or spam roads.
About the stalking AI I'm not so sure, it would need a really well implemented algorithm to use bridges properly, but I will surely make moving attacking units not only cannons. These will be weaker but you can control and different classes sound good, maybe some units for bridge blocking etc..
There are air units that can mine, as for attacking units, well that needs balance testing. But I don't want much randomness involved in the game, the more skill the better.
Also need a good way of countering bridges, so building 200 and cornering everything isn't enough.
It's ironic.
You know when you're in that situation where you vaguely remember a storyline, picture or certain part about a specific story, game or song, but can't recall exactly what story/game/song it was and end up never quite figuring it out? That's exactly what happened to me about ten years ago - I had seen a screenshot of some random awesome game where you built bases on islands floating in the sky. That memory was far from enough to find out what game it was though, so I never did learn.
Now, ten years later, I find this post. It's a bit too late for me now to check out a game I found awesome back then, but you just accidentally completely solved one of my life's mysteries. =P
As for your map - how is it coming along? I'm curious now.
Ditto... But mine was about that gladiator game for the windows dos, very very old rts rpg thing.
Here's the automatic cliff edge outliner I made.
I'm pretty much done with the core elements now bug fixes and content need to be added like cannons and custom models.
I was also searching for this game cause I really liked it back then and I actually found it while talking on the sc2mapster irc. I didn't know the games name but managed to make a miraculous google search on it somehow and found it xD
@depthsofchaos: Go
You can make this very effective in a multiplayer game, by using large maps and many many islands to allow players to take over... In the end, it might be extremely efficient if you can make a mod and implement it with official maps that you could come up with.
Bump: added sneak peak vid
still looking for modeller for the bridges and data editor guys for the different cannons
That's really great. Are the island automatically generated?
@vjeux: Go
Not yet, it's impossible to create cliffs on the fly right now unfortunately. But the cliff outlining is automatic and I'm planing to make automatic islands with terrain deforming but that requires thousands of actors that I'm not sure how will work online, so for stability and equal chances for players I'm sticking to this right now until I have a playable version.
Its times like this that make me wish that I had a beta key.
Wow, great game
There is a petty big netstorm community as I know. It will be success if you will get their hearts.
depthsofchaos,
I just wanted to say that Netstorm is one of my favorite games of all time. Respect. I'll be following your work on this project eagerly :D
Wow that's amazing!
I'm just wondering how you made bridges work. It's got to be something with dynamic pathing, right?
@depthsofchaos: Go
I have an original copy of Netstorm and I played a lot of games where it wasn't patched by people who dumbed it down.
When experience and Rank mattered.
The question is how are you going to deal with Experiance and Rank? and knowledge. If you can make it save a character that you can bring from multiplayer to multiplayer, that would be good.
Since I know Netstorm well and am often annoyed by the dumbed down versions that NSHQ are disbuting, I offer my assistance.
Hi. i like this. its great idea to make NetStorm 3D. i'll tell to other players from NS about this project.
wow this looks awesome good work!
@Quirriff: Go
I'm not entirely sure how experience worked I wasn't a big netstorm player at all just tried it for a glimpse back then. But I am against giving any kind of advantage to players with more experience, as for achievements, visual extras, well that is doable and may be implemented depending on the success and feedback of the map. But still at this point it's impossible to prevent people from cheating by simply changing their local text file where the saves are stored.
@depthsofchaos: Go
Well experience worked like this in True Netstorm.
As you are probably aware all players start the game with the knowledge of Sun Disc Thrower and Sun Cannon, and a randomly selected generator.
Each time a player sacrifices an enemy priest He had the choice of gaining knowledge (A new unit) or upgrading his alter, and should he choose one of those (instead of a boost of money), he effectively gains an experience level.
However even a level 7 could be an equal match to a level 43 player because of the strategic choices made at the beginning of the game. Because even if you have the knowledge, it doesn't matter if you don't have the workshop space, and if you manage to squeeze 3 workshops on your island (it won't get you all units BTW), it's incredibly hard to defend your temple. And opting for aligned units means you need to constantly build generators, and take nearly twice as many levels to gain, and they all have critical weaknesses compared to the much cheaper, more versatile sun units.
All in all, It means it's a strategic choice which knowledge you choose to get, and which knowledge you choose to put into production game, to game. Being a higher level means you have more options it doesn't increase your chances. (Default settings in the original Netstorm were 2000 SP per geyser, not 3000, giving sun users a much stronger chance against those that use primarily aligned units.
However from what I saw in your video.....The first thing you need to do is either decrease the size of your islands, or massively increase the size of your temples and workshops. You can probably fit more than 8 Workshops on a single island on your map, a level 43 player would be able to bring all his unit types into productions. The important thing to remember that in the original Netstorm island space was a greater valued resource than storm power.
Great work :) Its a good mix between ns and sc :D Good luck with the work ur doing :)
Ive been playing ns for over 13 years now, its the best game I have played as far as mutliplayer games go and RTS :) The only thing that sucked about ns was the ranking system, and currently players who have maxed out there level dont really need to kill other players anymore - hence games ending in draws when a winner looks imminent.
As for the new changes in ns, there have been some old players who have been put off ns because of it, however the majority of changes have worked very well. THe current beta patch - not actually being worked on atm :P - will also make ns much more interesting :)