Dev. Journal: Ihmhi (2009-01-08)

FF_Team · 01-09-2009, 03:20 AM

I thought it was high time that I wrote out one o' these dev jernal thingies.

Being the P.R. guy can really suck sometimes. My job is poorly defined, but the basics of it are to work with community involvement, try to keep the front page fresh, and try to work out deals to get the game into the headlines. Basically, I have to keep FF in the spotlight and keep the community involved and interested in playing.

This means my job as a dev is probably one of the most ambiguous and difficult to gauge success on. Why are more people playing - is it because of a video we released, word of mouth, or just a fluke? And if it was something we DID do, how can we repeat it for future success?

The most aggravating thing of all is all the stuff I've seen. Every dev and tester has seen what amounts to probably half a dozen or so maps in the works and on their way ready to release for some future patch, but it would sort of ruin the surprise to tell you all about it. But what the hey, I can bring out some info on what *is* in the works without revealing too much.

= - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - =

Team Hunted:
Each side has a civvy and is trying to take out the opposing civvy while protecting their own. It's sorta like CTF, but the flag can run around and beat you with an umbrella.

Point... holding?
Point capture? Holding? Er, uh, basically there's a cap point that you just have to physically touch. There are 2-3 variants of this in various stages of completition with maps scaled for 8 players all the way up to maps scaled where you could play comfortably with a full server. This gameplay style (and the variants) is Green Mushy's love child and it will probably serve to be a fun but basic style of gameplay.

Reverse Flagrun-ish?
Yeah, this is hard to do without giving away map names, and I sure as Hell can't describe the gameplay accurately in a few words. A variant of the above, everyone on one team tries to capture one of four points located at one area. While the points are still contested, a timer is counting down. The timer runs out, and the cap points are reset to uncaptured. Conversely, if all four points are captured, well - the offense scores some.

= - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - =

Please remember that I can't honestly say when any of the playstyles above will come out - they will out when they will out. They might also change a little or a lot from how I've described them here - everything is subject to balance testing and tweaking.

There are other ideas being worked out by mappers all the time in various stages of completion. The ones I've mentioned here are the ones that are being worked on the most and have the most promise for being fun.

A lot of our newer maps make use of round timers, either in halves or the more popular quarters. So an OvD map might have the Blue team playing Offense for 10 minutes and then Defense for 10 minutes - or it might be Offense for 5, Defense for 5, Offense for 5, Defense for 5. This style of switching up O and D has survived months of playtesting and has proved to be a great balancing factor in the game. Having a strong offense won't count for much if you don't have a good defense as well when the Defense half or quarter comes up.

Another shift that has been happening behind the scenes is trying to move away from the standard CTF play of the olden QTF and TFC days. We are by no means abandoning CTF wholesale, nor are we going to be changing existing maps irreversibly - rather, we're trying to have a shift towards OvD. Maps can still be CTF and OvD at the same time - for example, sections of a base could be closed off, and the defender's base would be completely open. Using the round system explained above, each team could dedicate themselves wholly to offense or defense. We've learned a lot from the pickup community, and we believe that this sort of gameplay style will be succesful even on small servers.

But hey, let's say you like standard CTF and don't want to play the OvD sort. Good news - another thing we've been developing is the ability to have multiple Luas for one map. This way, people could say, play Team Deathmatch on 2fort without any concern about flags, or play OvD CTF on Dropdown if there's only a few people on the server. It'd be really cool if this switch could be made while the game is live, but that's something that would probably be implemented far, far down the road - if we could figure out how to do it at all.

I've tried to give you guys some clues as to how things are going, but please remember that we are constantly shortstaffed. We could always use more programmers, mappers, texture artists - if you think you can make a worthwhile contribution to the game, then speak up! If we can use you, we sure as Hell will be glad to put your ass to work.

I hope you've all appreciate this edition of "Ihmhi tries to tell you guys about what the Hell we're working on without revealing too much". Stay tuned for next time, which is whenever the Hell I can think up something interesting to write.

In the meantime, keep your eyes open. 2.2 is nearing completion (how soon until it's done, I can't say). We have some interesting things in the pipeline for both the game and the P.R. front, and we're all very excited to reveal the surprises we have in store.

MonoXideAtWork · 01-09-2009, 04:12 AM

You're great, and we'll patiently wait until things are ready. <3

Demasu · 01-09-2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

It's sorta like CTF, but the flag can run around and beat you with an umbrella.

I will have to spread that around now. Thank you.

Ihmhi · 01-09-2009, 04:24 PM

The dev who was making this map has actually informed me that the VIP in those maps is not actually the Civvy. I don't know why the Hell I remembered it like that.

I've subsequently informed him that I should probably stop drinking.

BlisTer · 01-09-2009, 05:11 PM

indeed you should, one of your paragraphs was already "revealed" in the previous dev journal

Junkhead · 01-10-2009, 09:04 PM

Question: Why isn't the dev team more open with the community about what's in the works for FF? I understand that surprises are good and all, but it seems to be making the PR for FF really difficult. Personally, I'm finding it hard to get psyched up for 2.2 when there's not even a screenshot or anything of the new version.

I'm sure you guys are doing a great job behind the scenes though, keep it up!

BlisTer · 01-10-2009, 09:47 PM

Check my dev journal for screenshots on an upcoming map. Rest of the changes are mostly code tweaks etc, so hard to make pics

Junkhead · 01-10-2009, 10:25 PM

Could you please post some kind of change-log? Or at least a very brief list of changes? Oh and your map looks excellent BlisTer, seriously dude, that's some good stuff that I look forward to playing on.

Ihmhi · 01-13-2009, 09:19 AM

We're working on it. One of my aims for patches is to have some kind of preview package (hopefully a video) out 3-14 days beforehand to build up buzz.

If you know of people who are skilled with making videos, we could use another staffer to crank some out for promotional and instructional purposes. Only apply if you have a portfolio on hand and can supply some samples of your work.

[AE] 82694 · 01-13-2009, 10:02 PM

Change log

More class balancing
more map optimization
More bug fix's
more more more more.

Junkhead · 01-14-2009, 11:53 PM

Could you please be more specific =( I mean, are you guys switching to the OB engine? Is there anything wildly different from 2.1?

pF · 01-14-2009, 11:56 PM

OB would be the next big upcoming patch (3.0?).

Ihmhi · 01-15-2009, 08:17 AM

Aye, the next patch.

trepid_jon is practically doing the OB conversion solo. He went to school for games and programmin' and shit like that, so even if he's liquored up on Steel Reserve we're confident in his ability.

Skanky Butterpuss · 01-15-2009, 08:06 PM

hes always liquored up on something.

and he would suck a homeless guy's dick for some steel reserve. true story.

and thats why we love him

Foxtrick · 01-15-2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junkhead

Could you please post some kind of change-log? Or at least a very brief list of changes? Oh and your map looks excellent BlisTer, seriously dude, that's some good stuff that I look forward to playing on.

I agree.. its the same old problem, here. I check the website on a daily basis out of habit. Always have even after I stopped playing. If theres anything to read I would, I bet its the case for alot of people.Theres a couple of nice little additions on the forum-side in the last three months but its more of a secondary thing I'd look at..

Back on topic though.. news posts like yours are pretty awesome and should be a good model that people should aspire to. It'd certainly inspire me and give greater interest

Credge · 01-15-2009, 11:41 PM

I do believe a change log will be released shortly before or at the same time as a patch. I think almost all of the patch stuffs is ready to go, but that's all I'm going to say about it.

However, I will give a completely vague idea of what to expect.

Reworked Heavy Weapons Guy
Reworked Pyro IC damage
Fall damage changes
Nailgun push changes
New Maps
New Game modes

It's pretty good stuff for the most part.

Firefox11 · 01-16-2009, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Credge

Reworked Pyro IC damage

No more uber damage IC?

As a Pyro player, I approve of this change.

01-09-2009, 03:20 AM	#1
FF_Team Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Nov 1999 Posts Rated Helpful 71 Times	Dev. Journal: Ihmhi (2009-01-08) I thought it was high time that I wrote out one o' these dev jernal thingies. Being the P.R. guy can really suck sometimes. My job is poorly defined, but the basics of it are to work with community involvement, try to keep the front page fresh, and try to work out deals to get the game into the headlines. Basically, I have to keep FF in the spotlight and keep the community involved and interested in playing. This means my job as a dev is probably one of the most ambiguous and difficult to gauge success on. Why are more people playing - is it because of a video we released, word of mouth, or just a fluke? And if it was something we DID do, how can we repeat it for future success? The most aggravating thing of all is all the stuff I've seen. Every dev and tester has seen what amounts to probably half a dozen or so maps in the works and on their way ready to release for some future patch, but it would sort of ruin the surprise to tell you all about it. But what the hey, I can bring out some info on what is in the works without revealing too much. = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = Team Hunted: Each side has a civvy and is trying to take out the opposing civvy while protecting their own. It's sorta like CTF, but the flag can run around and beat you with an umbrella. Point... holding? Point capture? Holding? Er, uh, basically there's a cap point that you just have to physically touch. There are 2-3 variants of this in various stages of completition with maps scaled for 8 players all the way up to maps scaled where you could play comfortably with a full server. This gameplay style (and the variants) is Green Mushy's love child and it will probably serve to be a fun but basic style of gameplay. Reverse Flagrun-ish? Yeah, this is hard to do without giving away map names, and I sure as Hell can't describe the gameplay accurately in a few words. A variant of the above, everyone on one team tries to capture one of four points located at one area. While the points are still contested, a timer is counting down. The timer runs out, and the cap points are reset to uncaptured. Conversely, if all four points are captured, well - the offense scores some. = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = Please remember that I can't honestly say when any of the playstyles above will come out - they will out when they will out. They might also change a little or a lot from how I've described them here - everything is subject to balance testing and tweaking. There are other ideas being worked out by mappers all the time in various stages of completion. The ones I've mentioned here are the ones that are being worked on the most and have the most promise for being fun. A lot of our newer maps make use of round timers, either in halves or the more popular quarters. So an OvD map might have the Blue team playing Offense for 10 minutes and then Defense for 10 minutes - or it might be Offense for 5, Defense for 5, Offense for 5, Defense for 5. This style of switching up O and D has survived months of playtesting and has proved to be a great balancing factor in the game. Having a strong offense won't count for much if you don't have a good defense as well when the Defense half or quarter comes up. Another shift that has been happening behind the scenes is trying to move away from the standard CTF play of the olden QTF and TFC days. We are by no means abandoning CTF wholesale, nor are we going to be changing existing maps irreversibly - rather, we're trying to have a shift towards OvD. Maps can still be CTF and OvD at the same time - for example, sections of a base could be closed off, and the defender's base would be completely open. Using the round system explained above, each team could dedicate themselves wholly to offense or defense. We've learned a lot from the pickup community, and we believe that this sort of gameplay style will be succesful even on small servers. But hey, let's say you like standard CTF and don't want to play the OvD sort. Good news - another thing we've been developing is the ability to have multiple Luas for one map. This way, people could say, play Team Deathmatch on 2fort without any concern about flags, or play OvD CTF on Dropdown if there's only a few people on the server. It'd be really cool if this switch could be made while the game is live, but that's something that would probably be implemented far, far down the road - if we could figure out how to do it at all. I've tried to give you guys some clues as to how things are going, but please remember that we are constantly shortstaffed. We could always use more programmers, mappers, texture artists - if you think you can make a worthwhile contribution to the game, then speak up! If we can use you, we sure as Hell will be glad to put your ass to work. I hope you've all appreciate this edition of "Ihmhi tries to tell you guys about what the Hell we're working on without revealing too much". Stay tuned for next time, which is whenever the Hell I can think up something interesting to write. In the meantime, keep your eyes open. 2.2 is nearing completion (how soon until it's done, I can't say). We have some interesting things in the pipeline for both the game and the P.R. front, and we're all very excited to reveal the surprises we have in store.

01-09-2009, 04:24 PM	#4
Ihmhi [AE] 0112 Ihmhi SJB Wiki Team Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Newark, NJ, United States Class/Position: A little bit o' everythin' Gametype: Also a little bit o' everythin' Affiliations: [AE] Asseater, SJB Straight Jacket Brigade Posts Rated Helpful 3 Times	The dev who was making this map has actually informed me that the VIP in those maps is not actually the Civvy. I don't know why the Hell I remembered it like that. I've subsequently informed him that I should probably stop drinking. __________________ Support FF: Anime: The Thread: Reloaded The one and only anime thread on these here forums. Select the pistol, and then, select your horse.

01-09-2009, 05:11 PM	#5
BlisTer Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts Rated Helpful 4 Times	indeed you should, one of your paragraphs was already "revealed" in the previous dev journal __________________ Support FF: untils you cry for the mercy like little shaven squirrel in my eating pot. - deathstriker666

01-10-2009, 09:47 PM	#7
BlisTer Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts Rated Helpful 4 Times	Check my dev journal for screenshots on an upcoming map. Rest of the changes are mostly code tweaks etc, so hard to make pics __________________ Support FF: untils you cry for the mercy like little shaven squirrel in my eating pot. - deathstriker666

01-13-2009, 09:19 AM	#9
Ihmhi [AE] 0112 Ihmhi SJB Wiki Team Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Newark, NJ, United States Class/Position: A little bit o' everythin' Gametype: Also a little bit o' everythin' Affiliations: [AE] Asseater, SJB Straight Jacket Brigade Posts Rated Helpful 3 Times	We're working on it. One of my aims for patches is to have some kind of preview package (hopefully a video) out 3-14 days beforehand to build up buzz. If you know of people who are skilled with making videos, we could use another staffer to crank some out for promotional and instructional purposes. Only apply if you have a portfolio on hand and can supply some samples of your work. __________________ Support FF: Anime: The Thread: Reloaded The one and only anime thread on these here forums. Select the pistol, and then, select your horse.

01-09-2009, 04:12 AM	#2
MonoXideAtWork Pub Allstar! Beta Tester Join Date: Aug 2008 Class/Position: under en kvinna Gametype: Capture the Flag Affiliations: Eternal Order, Must be h4x, Mono's happy funtime. Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	You're great, and we'll patiently wait until things are ready. <3

01-10-2009, 09:04 PM	#6
Junkhead Bacon haxor Join Date: Sep 2008 Gametype: Capture the Flag Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Question: Why isn't the dev team more open with the community about what's in the works for FF? I understand that surprises are good and all, but it seems to be making the PR for FF really difficult. Personally, I'm finding it hard to get psyched up for 2.2 when there's not even a screenshot or anything of the new version. I'm sure you guys are doing a great job behind the scenes though, keep it up!

01-10-2009, 10:25 PM	#8
Junkhead Bacon haxor Join Date: Sep 2008 Gametype: Capture the Flag Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Could you please post some kind of change-log? Or at least a very brief list of changes? Oh and your map looks excellent BlisTer, seriously dude, that's some good stuff that I look forward to playing on.

01-13-2009, 10:02 PM	#10
[AE] 82694 Retired FF Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Change log Change log More class balancing more map optimization More bug fix's more more more more. __________________ I Love GenghisTron . I miss you sooooo Much. LOL.

01-14-2009, 11:53 PM	#11
Junkhead Bacon haxor Join Date: Sep 2008 Gametype: Capture the Flag Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Could you please be more specific =( I mean, are you guys switching to the OB engine? Is there anything wildly different from 2.1?

01-14-2009, 11:56 PM	#12
pF no war but class war Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: big bad berlin Class/Position: Soldier / Scout Gametype: ctf Affiliations: [w~k!] Posts Rated Helpful 3 Times	OB would be the next big upcoming patch (3.0?). __________________ Support FF: Gay And Lesbian Fiction \| Teen Books \| Bath Products

01-15-2009, 08:17 AM	#13
Ihmhi [AE] 0112 Ihmhi SJB Wiki Team Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Newark, NJ, United States Class/Position: A little bit o' everythin' Gametype: Also a little bit o' everythin' Affiliations: [AE] Asseater, SJB Straight Jacket Brigade Posts Rated Helpful 3 Times	Aye, the next patch. trepid_jon is practically doing the OB conversion solo. He went to school for games and programmin' and shit like that, so even if he's liquored up on Steel Reserve we're confident in his ability. __________________ Support FF: Anime: The Thread: Reloaded The one and only anime thread on these here forums. Select the pistol, and then, select your horse.

01-15-2009, 08:06 PM	#14
Skanky Butterpuss Beware the Hammer D&A Member Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: Mar 2007 Class/Position: Sabotaging your shit. Affiliations: :}\|, mimic, /KBN/ Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	hes always liquored up on something. and he would suck a homeless guy's dick for some steel reserve. true story. and thats why we love him __________________ Support FF: Etzell: Skanky Etzell: The Wings are fucking fantastic Etzell: They really are Etzell: But even SAYING that makes me want to vomit

01-15-2009, 11:41 PM	#16
Credge FF Loremaster Beta Tester Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts Rated Helpful 4 Times	I do believe a change log will be released shortly before or at the same time as a patch. I think almost all of the patch stuffs is ready to go, but that's all I'm going to say about it. However, I will give a completely vague idea of what to expect. Reworked Heavy Weapons Guy Reworked Pyro IC damage Fall damage changes Nailgun push changes New Maps New Game modes It's pretty good stuff for the most part.

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