Trash Talk - RiOT Derelict Dissident - Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:32 am Post subject: RiOT Derelict
Derelict has been my pet project for a significant amount of time. An old new server with the aim of giving a somewhat unexplored aspect of gameplay the emphasis it deserves - capital ships. A handful of other servers have offered capital ships as a gameplay option in the past, but few if any have made it the focus of gameplay. Derelict aims to make it just that.
Designed for team-based organized gameplay in coordinated fleets, Derelict is centered around a team's solitary Carrier, and supporting Strike Craft and Frigates. Each team has a limit of one Carrier, and two supporting Frigates. The rest of the team participates by playing Strike Craft, namely Fighters, Bombers, Scouts, and so on. Capital Ships are powerful, yet vulnerable. If left unescorted, a Capital Ship may fall prey to enemy Bombers, but if properly flanked, Frigates and Carriers are a formidable foe. Strike Craft always spawn in an isolated safe zone, and must attach to either the Carrier, or one of the two Frigates to enter the game, ensuring that the action will always be where the fleets are. This encourages coordinated play and larger-scale clashes. Ships are even scaled to accurately depict a flying fleet. Strike Craft are half the size of a normal Subspace/Continuum ship, while the Carrier could eat a regular Subspace/Continuum ship for breakfast.
The game is played as a glorified powerball game. From the beginning, Carriers must race to the center of the map ('race' is used loosely, Carriers are powerful, but sluggish), and retrieve the powerball. They cannot, however, extract it themselves. They require a Scout to retrieve the ball and bring it to them. No other ship but the Scout and Carrier may carry the ball. Once the Carrier has the ball, however, it must be protected by the fleet from the enemy's Strike Craft and Capital Ships as it advanced towards the enemy base to score a goal. Assuming this is accomplished, the Carrier approaches the enemy base, and then must provide covering fire for the fragile scout to score a goal with the ball.
To encourage conflict across the large map, the game also has a territorial aspect, though, admittedly, this is perhaps still in development. Still, capturing territorial flags scattered across the map will certainly increase your score.
At lower-population levels, the game reverts to 'Skirmish Mode,' where Capital Ships are disabled, and teleporters open up in the safe zones. In Skirmish Mode, which activates only when both teams have less than four players, solitary Strike Craft fight on a small scale around the map's center base.
Think that's an accurate description. Currently, the zone is practically completed and run-capable. At this point, I'm simply looking for players to help me balance out the various ships. Since each ship is a veritable class, and there are numerous odd-job ships ("The Leech," for example), balance is incredible important. Feel free to stop on by if you see it up, I'd appreciate it while I fine-tune the arena.
Oh, and here's a map.
Hope it isn't too big.
Head on by!
Purge - Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:58 am Post subject:
The zone looks nice, but I'm not too fond of the settings nor the very small ships. Doesn't look like anything's unique, but it's better than nothing.
Dissident - Tue Aug 02, 2005 2:02 am Post subject:
The Strike Craft are small to make the Capital Ships seem large. I'm hoping that if I can get a fleet-scale battle going, the graphical effect would work right. If not, I'm not terrified by the idea of modification.
I've made a game that I would like to play. I'm not going to say I haven't assimilated a wide range of ideas from other gaming experiences I've seen, but it's the synthesis of these ideas that makes Derelict something different.
1stStrike - Tue Aug 02, 2005 2:29 am Post subject:
It could have some potential if you do things right.
Dissident - Tue Aug 02, 2005 3:07 am Post subject:
You guys seem to know your stuff (though, I'll admit it's also a tad intimidating). Any specific advice? I'm trying to make this all I can, since this really is a server I'm making because I want to play on it too.
Maverick - Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:40 am Post subject:
Well its fun, you thought about it very well. Only problem is that (even with skirmish mode), the map is way to big for people to have any fun with.
Other point is, why have a ball flying around if no ship can grab it? Its moving quite fast, it takes a hard time to get close to - discovering your ship can't grab the ball at all.
For the rest it looks ok, but needs alot of people.
50% Packetloss - Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:01 am Post subject:
Isn't derelict the Mugatu campain in zoolander? "You can deralict my balls."
Btw, I'm an ambiturner.
Dissident - Tue Aug 02, 2005 2:00 pm Post subject:
The ball is just for Carriers (Lancaster), and for the Scouts (Spiders) to take out of the center base and give it to them. It's a teamwork thing.
Shrinking the map is an option I'm considering.
Bak - Tue Aug 02, 2005 3:31 pm Post subject:
If you have a bot controlling when it's Skirmish Mode and when it's the other mode, consider putting doors around a small area and changing the settings when it's Skirmish Mode so that the doors turn on and the players spawn inside the bounds, thus making the map smaller when there's less people (kinda like powerball, but I doubt the Ekted patented the idea).
Dissident - Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:39 pm Post subject:
Did that, thanks. Now in Skirmish Mode, there's a walled off box in the middle of the arena for the Strike Craft to duke it out in without straying too far.
Cyan~Fire - Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:17 pm Post subject:
Yeah, definitely make the map smaller, but it looks pretty sweet. Kinda reminds me of starcon... I loved that arena.
Bak - Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject:
Looks good, although I hope you can get enough population to get it into the other mode. If not consider making it a subarena of a (popular) zone.
Black Dracula - Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:22 pm Post subject:
yeah looks cool (MIGHT be a little to big but maybe not) ill come check it out sometime so cya then
