The biggest change in this playtest compared to our July release is the overhauled in-game interface:
- The RA mod has received a brand new sidebar.
- A new end-game score screen appears once a game is complete.
- The in-game menu now shows an objectives panel in all mods (previously only available in the TD mod).
- New keyboard shortcuts have been added, and the default keys have changed to match Tiberium Wars and Red Alert 3.
The Red Alert sidebar interface has been given a much-needed facelift and a more compact design.These UI changes are still a work in progress, and further refinements will be made before the final release. If you have feedback on the new design then please let us know during this playtest period!The full Changelog lists many of the other improvements, bug fixes, and balance changes that are included in this playtest. A few notable improvements include:
- The lobby now prevents players from choosing colors that are too similar to each other or the terrain.
- Veteran units gain improved reload time and accuracy, and elite units will now heal over time.
- Planes will maintain their distance from each other in a similar fashion to helicopters.
- Several of the Tiberian Dawn campaign missions have been updated with mission objectives.
- A number of small balance changes to the Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn mods.
A lot of work has gone into our new Lua API for scripted maps that was introduced with our June release. This new API offers improved performance, stability, and integrates with the new mission objectives system. If you have written any scripted maps then please use this playtest as an opportunity to port your maps to the new API, and please file a bug if there are any missing features. The old API will be removed in the near future.
Several Tiberian Dawn campaign missions have been overhauled with objectives and other improvements.
Planes no longer bunch together, which makes them much less vulnerable to enemy AA.
The plane bunching thing I think could make a little less space, because that seems to make AA AoE almost useless. Unless you want to get rid of AA AoE all together and just give it high damage.
Granted, turtles are no fun. But complete air dominance is no fun either.
What, I find turtling and air dominance fun.
OpenRA has very powerful AA and expensive aircraft. You still need to find unprotected spots to make good hit and runs without losing everything. This just gives them feature parity with choppers.
Well, if they really wanted a mass-sweeper kind of AA unit, couldn't they up the AoE radius? Though, the way it is in some games where they all seem to fly inside each other is kind of silly.
Also, these larger formations also mean it should be harder for them to find an opening in the enemy's defences they can safely exploit.
I have a couple of ideas. That includes:
- standart waypoint system with primary, secondary and tetriary paths for ground, naval or air units (AI should attack in the back finally)
- system of success evaluation (AI creates a group of units; estimates the value of group; if group kills more units than value of this group or completes AI designated task (example - kill specific unit), then keep current strategic plan or go to next plan; if group is destroyed - find a different plan)
- system of absolute threat evaluation and adjustment for superweapons, airstrikes and counterattacks (unit threat level = cost x threat coef. (most powerful unit will most likely be bombed); threat level of AI group = sum of unit threat levels (most likely be nuked or counterattacked))
- system of "bottleneck" beacons - creator of map marks choke points for AI, where AI can create an ambush, place units in guard mode or forward defensive outpost
- system of frontline defense - markings where AI should concentrate its defensive structures, and knowing the direction of attack AI will finally start to place AA behind turrets
- if system of frontline defense is impossible to implement - system of radial layers should do it (AI will place turrets on, for example, 2, 6, 10, 14 cells from ConYard)
- ability to create unique units in singleplayer missions just by editing it properties (without creating a unique unit in list of units); something like: you add Armor=UniqueArmor to placed standart tank and makes it unique
It is bad that devs only read stuff on github and irc channel.
Good suggestions mate
The third suggestion (threat evaluation for support powers) was actually one of the improvements included in this playtest :)
The other suggestions about baking ai hints into maps have been discussed on and off for quite some time, and may happen eventually if somebody wants to put in the effort to build this.
The AI currently bases it's decisions on fuzzy logic and enemy/own health and firepower whether to attack, rush or flee. Have a look at Github.com
See Github.com for the latest improvements in support power placement. It is not based on threat evaluation, but where to do the most damage.
You can already create custom units in single-player by editing the map.yaml file. See Github.com which adds the mission Monster Tank Madness which changes the armor and weapon stats of the mammoth tanks.
Nice!