CUV Bot code implimentation

Is this OK?
a) The Cuv bot will not be summoned if there is a CUV player on your team. Instead, a team-only message will be generated, automatically, to notify your CUV teammate that you need service. (This is meant as a convience, because you can use the same key to call for help in any situation.)

b) the code limits the usage of Cuv bots and you cannot call one if there are more than 6 players in the game.
This is where I'm really indecisive.
The idea behind this is twofold:

a) a CUV bot never runs out of ammo, it can always load you 100% because it 'virtually' goes back to base after each repair. That could be construed as unfair if one team has a player CUV (who has to return to base after 5 reloads) and the others use Cuv bots? On the other hand the cuv bot can not deploy gunstars.

b) If there are more than 3 players per team you should have allocated one of them to the CUV roll anyhow! This seems to dictative and forces a specific game play strategy on the players?

Not having a limitation could however totally unsurp the reason to have/use player CUVs at all?

Cuv bots and Player CUVs have the same repair function:

Repair of a ship is dynamic, depending on the no. of times the player has docked to a CUV. (thats reset if the player docks at base)

Any other options, or adjustments you can think of?




Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Originally posted by MajorTom

a) a CUV bot never runs out of ammo, it can always load you 100% because it 'virtually' goes back to base after each repair. That could be construed as unfair if one team has a player CUV (who has to return to base after 5 reloads) and the others use Cuv bots? On the other hand the cuv bot can not deploy gunstars.

Well, but when each team has 3 players and one choose an Auto CUV, the other a player CUV, the team with the player CUV have one warrior less and the CUV has to reload instead of the Auto CUV. That are two disadvantages for the non-auto-CUV team and I'm not sure if the GunStar will neutralize these.
Maybe the Auto CUV should fly back to the base too, when he made 5 reloads.

The fact when the team is bigger than 3 players that they have to allocate a player CUV is fine 'cause it forces to an interesting tactical way.

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~Buda5 Designer & Scripter
buda5.firstones.com

Originally posted by Roi Danton

Well, but when each team has 3 players and one choose an Auto CUV, the other a player CUV, the team with the player CUV have one warrior less and the CUV has to reload instead of the Auto CUV. That are two disadvantages for the non-auto-CUV team and I'm not sure if the GunStar will neutralize these.
Maybe the Auto CUV should fly back to the base too, when he made 5 reloads.

I think the gunstar functionality neutralizes the 'one warrior less' issue?

How would you impliment the virtual return to base for the Cuv bot? If you make the player wait an additional time period (say 2 minutes) the 5th time he calls a Cuv bot that would be unfair too? Because, theoretically a good Player CUV would have returned to base and reloaded in the meantime if the player had normal luck.
Should we perhaps make the wait-time random and the chance of having to wait fairly low?

The fact when the team is bigger than 3 players that they have to allocate a player CUV is fine 'cause it forces to an interesting tactical way.

This is our decision, and it seems an interesting tactical way to us because we thought up the idea in the first place, but is it really interesting for the players...? Does it confine them too much to one specific strategy?

Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Originally posted by MajorTom

How would you impliment the virtual return to base for the Cuv bot? If you make the player wait an additional time period (say 2 minutes) the 5th time he calls a Cuv bot that would be unfair too? Because, theoretically a good Player CUV would have returned to base and reloaded in the meantime if the player had normal luck.
Should we perhaps make the wait-time random and the chance of having to wait fairly low?

I don't know how the source code for the CUV is, but can't you let fly to & dock the CUV on the Base like the normal Player does with a simple counter variable (after 5 reloads)? So it seems for the player the AI CUV would fly back to reload (of course, the reloading of the AI is the same like it currently is)

Originally posted by MajorTom

This is our decision, and it seems an interesting tactical way to us because we thought up the idea in the first place, but is it really interesting for the players...? Does it confine them too much to one specific strategy?

No, I don't think so b/c they could choose IF they want to use the player CUV at all (they can reload on their Home Base too, right?)
But that could only be cleared out with many test runs.

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~Buda5 Designer & Scripter
buda5.firstones.com

I don't know how the source code for the CUV is, but can't you let fly to & dock the CUV on the Base like the normal Player does with a simple counter variable (after 5 reloads)? So it seems for the player the AI CUV would fly back to reload (of course, the reloading of the AI is the same like it currently is)

No, that won't work, To reduce load on the server the Cuv bot is spawned as he is summoned. edit: And then destroyed when he's finished. He 'virtually' always goes back to base after servicing someone.
a) If you let Ai hang around it always gets into some kind of trouble and the monitor code would be too heavy on the server

b) due to several reasons, (some beyond our control) normal bots attack the Cuv bot relentlessly and that would distract them from the player too much

Maybe the answer is: spawn the Cuv bot at a random distance between the player who called him and that players base? The distance could be more but not entirely dependant on the number of times a player has summoned a Cuv bot?

Iwar2 Multiplayer Fan Site

Originally posted by MajorTom

Maybe the answer is: spawn the Cuv bot at a random distance between the player who called him and that players base? The distance could be more but not entirely dependant on the number of times a player has summoned a Cuv bot?

Good idea. Or respawn always at the base (but thats not good if he has to fly too long to the player -> reason (b) you said). So the more the player calls the CUV the more far away the CUV will be respawn on the line between player and home base (including a random factor).

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~Buda5 Designer & Scripter
buda5.firstones.com