Recently our weekly updates haven’t exactly been in sync with planned delivery dates however we hope this can be made up by the reveal of our Battle System and how it is going to evolve as we get deeper into development.
This update will discuss the battle system in a little more depth than the video explains, I will be talking about how Halo units can be used in the system, all our networks that are used for news so you can follow us and finally some talk about the expected testing opening month - February.
Battle System
So to begin with, let's talk about our new battle system! In case you haven’t seen it already we released a video which is an early implementation of what we are doing for auto resolve battles. We recommend you check it out but keep in mind it will change over time!
Assuming you have seen the video I will explain what's happening chronologically. To begin with you would go the fleet section which is effectively a page, listing all the players by rank - so a leader board however there are options for you to interact - currently it will be player profile, message, and battle. Future options will include trade etc.
There are now two options we have here. The first is that you select the units you want to go into battle with - with a better reward for less units. The second is all units are sent in. During testing and to begin with we will only be doing the latter. As the page loads you will notice the map (randomly selected) and a status box.During this loading period the server is preparing your units and your opponents for battle.
For example skimming out any units you may have that are out of action or dead. It then spawns them on our battle map on their side in random locations and then starts duelling units against each other which in turn runs our battle resolver. As this is happening dynamically the server sends down both cosmetic and important messaged which will influence the illustrated units.So for an example - when you see an ODST move towards a Spartan that is because currently in the code running on the server those units are engaging each other in battle. They can move around a bit and whilst this is happening the battle continues.
Eventually if neither wins they will return to spawn where they may be called into battle later on. If a unit is put out of action it is removed from the map and placed underneath.I can't stress enough how dynamic our system is as all units battle at the same time and the battle map illustrates the progress and status of that. I intend to eventually have more displayed on the screen such as health and damage dealt etc.The battle ends with a winner having the best ratio of kills. We are aiming to bring something new and enjoyable to the Halo universe whilst still maintaining the lore and canon of the franchise.
In addition it’s worth reiterating that this is just one component of a much larger system. We are keen to hear people’s ideas so please comment or contact us. In addition to what we have already said we want to add we also know we want to build in a squad system and multiple units again multiple units. All in good time though.
Social Networks
A quick shameless plug for the social networks that we are on and sites of interest - we would greatly appreciate if you not only followed and connected to us through all these Medias but also shared us! Here they are:
UNSC Warfare Twitter
UNSC Warfare Facebook
UNSC Warfare Google Plus
IndieDB UNSC Warfare Page
UNSC Warfare Thread on Halo Waypoint
UNSC Warfare Thread on 343i Community Forums
UNSC Warfare Thread on FCWARS
Testing.
It is fast approaching and it sure has taken its time; we have met many a stumbling block on our journey however in the big picture this has all been a benefit and will eventually help deliver something far greater. The estimate to start in February is currently about 75% accurate and by the end of next week we will be a little bit more certain. So be ready to receive an email!That’s all for now regarding UNSC Warfare.
We hope you enjoyed the update – so come back soon, and follow us and contribute ideas or comments! Thanks!
