Web play aids

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OneMadOgre
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Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

Because I like to tinker now that my hair is pointy and I don't write code for a living anymore, I've been playing with an interface for the 2E playtest. Got my little section of the playtest map into a SVG graphic. Currently, I'm trying to display class, size, jump lanes, jump lane cost, and the green underneath to show if you can supply that system, the more transparent, the longer the haul. (I am understanding supply as being Census value applied to explored jump lane cost.)

I'm interested in the types of things you'd want to see on your dashboard for the sandbox you'd like to have as a galactic warlord.
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gstano
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Re: Web play aids

Post by gstano »

This is an interesting project. I personally like the effort of indicating your ability to supply a system at a glance. Looking over the playtest rules, you may be able to add in symbols/information about capitals, supply depots (although that is partly in the green supply you show), as well as claimed/contested systems. Sure we can do a lot of this on paper, but an electronic format is very helpful, particularly as I can have a lot of work travel from time to time. There may be specific facilities, like jump gates, that would be important to include.

As for the jump lane costs, I think I lean towards the VBAM method of dashed, thin, and thick lines. However, as settings may vary from campaign to campaign, adding a jump lane cost legend in the image would be useful.

On a completely unrelated note, I am the Group 3 Materants, so good-luck fellow, alternate universe Materant. Your "universe" has the Materants a little better off tech-wise with the Senorian fleet.

Thanks for the post!
It's not as bad as it turned out to be.
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

Played with a little more. Changes...

* Added a background because I wanted it to look like stars.
* Removed jump lane cost (still might be interested in it on non-hex maps)
* Retooled the jump lanes to reflect the quality of the jump lane.
* Put a green underneath the jump lane if support carried through it.
* Added a green halo for systems I control
* Added a red halo for systems that enemy players control
* Added green triangles for friendly fleets.
* Added red triangles for enemy fleets.
* Added a star for capitals.

What I'm still struggling with...
* Not sure how to represent starbases or shipyards, or if I should?
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virtutis.umbra
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Re: Web play aids

Post by virtutis.umbra »

This looks great. What's your datasource format look like? DB tables? Flat text file? Excel?

Yeah starting to add orbital facilities to this display might get to looking pretty cluttered. If you wanted to be able to visualize the presence of starbases/fixed defenses, you could use upper-facing triangles in a row above the down-facing ones for fleets; in this way, the presence of mobile assets and fixed assets together in the same system would display a diamond shape:

Code: Select all

  / \
  \ /
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

I'm using both a JSON file for some of it and a SQL backend for others. It's all just running localhost for now, as this isn't really my game. :lol:

I ended up moving the enemy fleet indicator to oppose the friendly fleet indicator. (Right below and pointed up instead of pointed down.) Maybe a square in the top right space that is colored green for yours and red for not-yours would work.
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Re: Web play aids

Post by mwaschak »

Let me know if you need any SQL help!

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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

too excited to playtest. Spent some more time on this last night. Screenshot is zoomed in the browser.

* Added squares for fixed assets in a system (starbase / shipyard)
* Added grey circles to reflect the relative importance of the system. (estimations on systems not explored yet based on all "7" rolls.)
* Moved the opposing fleet indicator to the bottom left of the system.
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mwaschak
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Re: Web play aids

Post by mwaschak »

That is just fantastic!

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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

I was ill yesterday, so I didn't really play with it much yesterday evening.

Next up however, is the shipyard, giving people a chance to try out new designs and then manage their fleets.

After that, I think a combat simulator.

I have pieces of the combat simulator already, from a similar style game I've tinkered with since I was a teenager, in the long ago, the very, very old times when a teenager could play with Applesoft basic on his spanking new Apple //e.
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

I'm going to try to track my game in the web tool to see how it turns out.
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Re: Web play aids

Post by Emiricol »

Following this project eagerly. THanks for posting these updates. This looks so very promising!
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

Thank you. I am having fun with it, really eager to see how I like it as we move through the playtest. Hopefully once that is done, I'll be close to letting it out of the localhost and on to my server.

I've got the star map now connected to each individual system. I need to put some design effort on the systems, fleets, ship classes, and ship pages. Data models on each of those are up and running. I also have a data model on the jumplanes, and while I can immediately understand how to do it in a web form, I'm trying to teach old dog me some new tricks and move out of Classic ASP and into MVC. My hair has been pointy for 10+ years, so it's almost like learning to code all over again.

I also really want to get some combat simulators into it so I can have a better idea of how and why Iron Sky is going to clean my clock when his smartly crafted, well engineered fleets meet my lovingly envisioned, but completely unprepared fleets.
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Re: Web play aids

Post by Iron Sky »

Well, we'll see how it goes in action. I'm still almost completely unclear on how encounter generation works. If it works differently than I'm believing it does, my designs might be far less effective than I believe.

From my analysis and test combats, Stealth and Interception are the most powerful abilities as far as I can see. The only real way to combat them is by having Stealth and Interception yourself.

Least powerful (traps, in powergamer nomenclature) are PD and EW because there are other abilities that do the same thing for "cheaper".

Not sure on fighters or not. They are much harder to analyze, especially not knowing combat duration and/or the ability to retreat from combat. Longer duration, more useful fighters are, shorter duration less useful...
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Web play aids

Post by OneMadOgre »

had the day off today, so I decided to teach myself some more.

Star Map as it is now.
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Zoomed into my region.
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Here is the current star detail page.
stardetail.png
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nimrodd
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Re: Web play aids

Post by nimrodd »

Looks great, but I noticed one jump route missing between Yill and Hagor (to the right of Cycept).
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