1.1.02 Release

Let me start off by saying: this is definitely one of my more ambitious releases, so while it fixes several bugs, I'm sure it will add a few new ones in there somewhere.  When I get a burst of creative energy I have to let it go for a while, and at this point I had to force myself to make another release before going deeper into changes.  There's some stuff in here I've wanted to do a long time, and others I've only thought of recently.  As I get better and better at programming, more and more things feel much easier to achieve, which only means good things for everyone. :)

Changelog since 1.1.00:

• Updated online database and PHP code to track game statistics for possible future ladder system, or at least to view statistics
• Detonations
• Now hit buildings once, instead of once for each cell covered
• Buildings
• All buildings will now only continue to produce while they are not under attack
• Ordos
• Now have Trikes
• Raider
• Now a distinctive unit (you'll see)
• Enhanced to be even faster and lighter
• Deviator
• Now has a multitude of possible effects versus ground units, including (get ready) the ability to permanently convert enemy units to other factions (at a very low percentage of course).  Buildings can still only suffer the power-down effect
• No units are immune to any of these effects now (previously Alliance units were immune)
• Harkonnen
• Devastator destruct now does 250 damage down from 300
• Starport
• Premium for purchases is now set at static 25%
• Harkonnen cannot purchase Trikes
• Ordos can purchase Trikes
• All factions can purchase Infantry
• Harkonnen and Ordos can purchase Troopers
• Alliances
• Death Hand damage reduced to 350 from 400
• Spacing Guild now reduces Starport premium to static 5%
• Fremen Warriors now gain +25 damage vs Foot units, instead of +15
• Carryalls
• Carryall speed is now directly affected by the weight of the unit being transported
• General top speed has been slightly increased about 7%
• Upgrades
• Most upgrades have had their costs increased to reflect the new higher map Spice totals
• Armed Harvesters is now an Upgrade that changes all future produced Harvesters
• Interface
• Clicking on a single unit previously selected will now cause all units of that type within a short range to be selected
• Edge-scrolling is disabled while the dragbox is active
• Other minor graphical improvements
• Fixed bug with Death Hand damage application
• Fixed bug with dragbox being able to select units off-screen
• Fixed bug with Formation and Retreat level buttons when units are selected, preventing their use
• Fixed bug preventing Observers from seeing Foot units in Crags

1.1.00 Release

Whee!  Mainly a bugfix release (noticed some things weren't working during recent testing) but some new things also.  Most importantly, there are many changes to visibility control that you should pay a lot of attention to.

Changelog since 1.0.99:

• Some units are now "Stealthy".  This include Saboteurs, Trading Posts, and any Foot Soldier inside Crags while not in combat.  This was already coded in the past but due to a bug was not working properly until now.  Stealthy units cannot be seen or targeted normally unless an enemy unit moves within one cell of them, or they fire at an enemy or take damage.  Stealthy units show a dark circle around them when they are normally hidden.
• Saboteurs have obviously been fixed as a result, and are now as I intended them to be, which is a very stealthy infiltrator that can loiter inside enemy bases and also do serious damage to buildings at just the right time.  Be sure to keep it out of weapon range against enemies or it will open fire out of self-preservation.
• Trading Posts behave similarly in that they cannot be seen unless a unit moves right by them.  They also no longer have a weapon, so they are difficult to find.  They can still be seen while in construction however.
• Foot Soldiers get important benefits from this patch and will now have a far easier time making surprise attacks from Crags.
• vAutoOrder now cannot be enabled when vShiftAdd is disabled (too hard to deselect units)
• Guard Turrets have damage reduced to 5, but now have a small Area of Effect that helps damage Foot Soldiers, and are FAR more effective against groups of them.
• Improved area-of-effect operations
• Observers should see all units now
• Walls are now defensive structures that provide no range bonus (doesn't really concern the player)
• Fixed bug with Mentat providing info on units illegally
• Fixed bug with selecting buildings of size 1
• Fixed bug causing crash after losing a game (stopped automatic switch to Observer for now)

1.0.99 Release

More back-porting of routines I'll be using in my next project.  This time I've rewritten the interface to consolidate "Expert" and "Classic" modes, so there is only one major interface now.  It operates very much like other RTS games now (especially Starcraft 2, which I'm pretty sure everyone will be playing for a long time).  I've still retained some of the things that I personally prefer.  Apologies to all veterans in advance for making you re-learn the system again. :)

Changelog since 1.0.97:

• Replaced "Expert Mode" option with "Shift-Add" and "Auto-Order" separate options, and consolidated all other interface methods into left-click-focused system
• Pre-Spice Masses now appear only after 2 minutes of game time
• Devastators bumped back up to slower rate of fire to accentuate strengths/weaknesses
• Combat Tank damage increased to 35 from 33
• In-game chats now have better visibility
• Reinstated viewport rectangle in Zoom mode
• Clicking on the Tip Box now causes it to cycle
• Fixed bug preventing custom maps from loading
• Added some code underneath for future improvements

1.0.97 Release

Ok, now you may be surprised at how I am releasing new versions lately.  But, I've decided D2TGP will be my new testing ground for trying out routines and techniques before deciding to use them in my next project.  So, from time to time I'll be back-porting new features or making larger changes.  For instance, I'm currently researching new network libraries, so you might see a version of D2TGP in the future with improved network functionality.
I had the chance to observe a couple games recently, so the following changes are based on what I've discovered.

Changes since 1.0.96:

• Doubled all Spice on the map in terms of field density (map running out far too quickly)
• Nearly doubled chances for Pre-Spice Masses to form
• Added edge-scrolling
• Observers in net games can now Chat
• Reduced Devastator fire delay and Damage slightly (too slow)
• Reduced fire delay for Trike/Raider/Quads by 10% to up their damage potential
• Increased fire delay for Flak Trikes by 33% to nerf them slightly
• Fixed some graphic glitches
• Fixed a large issue causing network games to crash when map was generated

More big news (and Ninja Release 1.0.96)

First of all, the new version:
Over a couple hours to relax this weekend, I found a few things I wanted to bring "backwards" into the TGP project while I've been working on the total re-write.  The end result is a small release with some minor updates and corrective balance changes.

• Performance enhancement with target-finding should make large battles run more smoothly
• Added new unexplored area graphics
• Rocket Turrets no longer home on ground targets
• Guard Turrets now home
• Gun Turrets, Tanks, Siege Tanks, and Devastators have increased damage and slower ROF (33-50% proportionally)
• Fixed scaling issues with some sprites
• Fixed an issue with Harvesters calling for a new Carryall when being attacked by more than one worm

Now, the big news is that the "re-write" of D2TGP is not technically going to be a re-write.  Instead, it is going to be an all-new RTS platform, on which you will be able to play D2TGP using a separate installed package.  This also means you'll be able to develop your own games for it or your own versions of D2TGP.  I am building the engine with as many options as I can fit inside it so that many different kinds of games could be made.  Everything about a particular game will be controlled by INI files, and new sounds and graphics can be included.

However, I'll warn you right away that I intend to sell this Engine as a product for $10.  I'm not sure how I would distribute it, but Steam looks like a good idea for many reasons.  I'll keep working on it until I feel certain it's worth the price.

So, this effectively marks the end of this project in programmatic terms.  The next incarnation of D2TGP will have many more features (in line with the demo video and other aims) and will just be a free mod for an upcoming RTS engine.  Some time next year I'll start up some community and blog pages dedicated to the new project.

Thanks for all the support and participation, and please continue to enjoy the latest release and join the forum discussions.  I won't be visiting that often but I'll still keep an eye on things.

- Drackbolt

Direction Statement

After a lot of testing of new code and ideas, I've reached a conclusion about what I want to do with D2TGP:  Starting now (actually as of a week ago), I am completely rewriting the project.  I'm doing this because I'm tired of all the legacy code from my earlier project and all the things missing that I've learned since then.  Many of these things are basically impossible to change without the code having been written differently in the first place.

I've thought about (and tried several times to be honest) back-porting some of the new ideas I have to the latest version of 1.x, but it just wasn't feasible.  Adding 3d zoom means a whole new interface is needed to handle changes in visibility and control.  Adding waypoints means I have to rewrite the entire input system to use queues of orders, which means I should add dynamic groups and rewrite pathfinding code, which means the AI need a rewrite also, etc.  It's gotten to the point where nearly everything will need to be touched.

I am now 100% sure I want to rewrite the whole thing, and doing so will allow me to build in the follow features from the ground up:

• Multithreading for massive battles
• Dynamic unit grouping and subordination ("flocking")
• Network lock-stepping
• Total Object-Oriented structure
• Generalization to separate RTS engine from D2TGP game code completely
• Clean easily readable code for my own benefit

You won't be seeing anything new this year; I can pretty much guarantee that.  As for when next year, I'd imagine Q1, possibly going into Q2 depending on life circumstances.  Please don't ask for a better ETA. :)  I think just about everyone knows I'm a workaholic so you can bet I'll be putting almost all my free time into this.

So for now, please continue to enjoy the last release, and have patience for bigger and better things.  Also, feel free to become a donating member at the forums, to help me buy all the Mountain Dew.

-Drackbolt

Version 2.0 demo video

A quick preview of what I've been (and will be) working on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG7JK3IkHW4