Community DLC Suggestion Poll: Week of 2/7

[HellishFiend]

Community DLC voting for the week is now underway! The nominations that receive high amounts of votes will receive high consideration to be DLC in the near future. If a particular piece of content is likely to be out-of-scope for the near future, it will be kept on a list of content we would like to see in the next expansion (Q4 '10). Please note that we may not know whether or not a suggestion will need to be shelved until after the voting.  Also bear in mind that this is Chris/x4000's game and inclusion of any content is ultimately his decision!

The voting will last one week. The next nomination topic will begin on the 14th.

Thanks for your participation!

Feature:
Screenshot Function - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3638.0.html (Shardz)
Steam Cloud Support - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,2868.0.html (Chimpster)
AI Fleet Tactics - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3446.0.html - (I-KP)
AI Command station hacking - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3325.0.html (raptor331)
Retain x number of most recent autosaves - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,293.0.html (Collic)
Patrol Points - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3281.0.html (HitmanN)
Floating licenses - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3565.0.html (deMangler)
Lobby Option: Avoid Certain AI Types For Random Selection - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,252.0.html (Black)
Game mode: EXODUS/Mobile Command Center - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3695.0.html (Voodoomancer)
Destination ETA - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,513.0.html (dumpsterKEEPER)

Unit:
Directional Charging Beam Fortress Emplacement "Iserlohn" - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,1143.0.html (eRe4s3r)
Interdictor Starships - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3533.0.html - (MaxAstro)
Civilian command stations - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3671.msg24047.html#msg24047 (RCIX)

Rebalance/Adjustment:
Leech/Parasite to ignore anti-overkill measures - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3649.0.html (HellishFiend)
MRS Overhaul - http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3709.msg24317.html#msg24317 (vonduus)


To be Added Soon/In Progress:
Unit: Riot Starship (MkI added, player feedback would be helpful)

Rebalance: Special unit re-balance (post triangle change) (in progress, needs player feedback)
http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,3103.0.html

[Buttons840]

I'd like to see overkill measure in general re-worked.  If a ship can fire it should be firing.  I watch an enemy ship fly into my planet and the sentinels fire there shots from great distance and all the nearby ships just watch as enemy ship manages to fire off six shots before the sentinel shots reach reach the target.  Small issue, but while your on the subject please consider this.

I also would like to see MRS become less micro dependent.  It would be nice if the MRS could be put into FRD mode and it would go to the damaged ships itself, while the tugs are also bringing ships to it.  (Although I observe it doesn't repair the ships on the tugs while its moving around.)  There are many solutions, but less MRS micro please.

Also, keeping multiple auto saves seems real easy to implement.  I've considered spending an hour to write my own little script to do this for me.

[Chimpster]

I'm a sucker for new features as opposed to rebalances so screenshot function and Steam Cloud support for me please!

[MaxAstro]

EXODUS mode sounds like fun, although I realize it warrants enough work to be expansion only - if not a completely new game entirely. :p

...And I'll jump on the obvious bandwagon and vote for limited random AI selection.  Although I am concerned that it would make some AI types never get played against, it will still have my vote as long as One Way Doormasters are for some inconceivable reason on the Easier AI list.

[Baleur]

Where is the ingame server lobby option?

[keith.lamothe]

Where is the ingame server lobby option?

In a brief look at the last two nomination threads I don't see something called that.  Which nomination/thread are you talking about?

[HellishFiend]

Anyone else surprised that the lobby option is such a popular choice?  Go figure that one of the most popular suggestions this week doesn't actually involve playing the game. 

[Collic]

Anyone else surprised that the lobby option is such a popular choice?  Go figure that one of the most popular suggestions this week doesn't actually involve playing the game. 

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to vote for things that seem feasible for upcoming dlc. Maybe that's the reason it has so many votes, since it seems like one of the simpler ones to add in ?

[keith.lamothe]

Actually adding GUI elements like that can take a lot more time than you might think, but it is certainly doable.

[I-KP]

Even if it's just a game-external .cfg file edit, REM out or move AI var names, I'd be content.  Granted, it's a bit hackish but if the GUI work is time consuming I expect most people will be happy enough with a simple text file edit job.

[keith.lamothe]

Hmm, that isn't a bad idea.

[Chimpster]

Especially if it means more time to implement Steam Cloud support

[keith.lamothe]

Even if it's just a game-external .cfg file edit, REM out or move AI var names, I'd be content.  Granted, it's a bit hackish but if the GUI work is time consuming I expect most people will be happy enough with a simple text file edit job.

Ok, since this was like a 20 minute thing (most of that making sure I knew what I was doing),so

for 3.031:

Put a disabledaitypes.txt file in your exe's directory (just like altplanetnames.txt) and on each line put one (and only one) AI Type that you want to disable.  These are the codes:

Entrenched_Homeworlder
Vicious_Raider
Fortress_Baron
Sledge_Hammer
Assassin
Bully
Turtle
Technologist_Homeworlder
Technologist_Raider
Mad_Bomber
Feeding_Parasite
Stealth_Master
Special_Forces_Captain
Train_Master
Teleporter_Turtle
Counter_Spy
Scorched_Earth
Shadow_Master
Attritioner
Backdoor_Hacker
Mine_Enthusiast
The_Tank
Technologist_Parasite
Technologist_Turtle
Technologist_Sledge_Hammer
The_Core
Raid_Engine
Alarmist
Camouflager
Experimentalist
StarfleetCommander
ZenithDescendant
Golemite
SpeedRacer
Peacemaker
RadarJammer
OneWayDoormaster
TagTeamer
ShieldNinny
GravDriller

If there's some format error (leading or trailing characters, typos, more than one on each line) it will just silently ignore that line.  You'll be able to tell which AI types are enabled by checking looking at the dropdown list in the new game lobby.  In a multiplayer lobby only the host's disabledaitypes.txt file (or lack thereof) matters, though if the host has an ai type selected that is disabled for a client, that client will see a different ai type listed in the lobby but will see the correct ai type in-game.

So it's not a totally clean solution but it will meet the immediate need and we can see if a real GUI is necessary (or just a fix for the whole "client sees wrong ai type in lobby" display bug).

Thanks for the idea,
Keith

[I-KP]

Christ, I'm never going to remember that lot.  Would it not be easier to push out a ready made disabledaitypes.txt file, listing the below (and presumably edited to list any future AI creations), and allow players to REM/# out the ones that they don't want to see in the random picks? 

Glad it was easy to implement tho!  That's fast.

[keith.lamothe]

The difficulty with it being a whitelist instead of a blacklist is that any new ai types added would be excluded... ah, but if they all START with a REM/# to comment them out, then that will work nicely