T.a.c.t.

This is T.A.C.T. [V_0.2], an engine for a real-time strategy/tactics game in the works.

V_0.2 Features:
-Mouse Control
-Max Unit Cap
-Money System
-Control Point System

As of yet, the latest version does not have code comments, but some controls are printed when the world is run. It is essential that the mouse is tuned to the Mouse Marker - mouse speeds and the size of the world's play-box affect the Mouse Marker sensitivity, so try and mess around a bit until it fits (shouldn't prove to be too difficult). In later versions, I will implement an in-game Mouse 'tuner'.

Possible idea/question - could it be possible to create drag boxes? That is, if you click the mouse, then, holding it down, drag to another point, where you let go is one corner of a box (the other one is where you first clicked). All the objects within the box are selected. This isn't essential, and is probably very difficult to implement, but it is just a possible feature that could be in the engine.

~Upcoming Features/ Plan for future Versions~ [In rank of importance.]
-Enemy AI [implemented in v0.3]
-Unit Combat
-Collision detection
-Base H.P.
-Different types of units
-Terrain
-Pretty textures/effects/U.I.
-Intro/Menu

Take in mind that this is a very early version of the game engine, so do not take it too seriously.

However, comments and criticism are very welcome and encouraged. (The more criticism, the better )
Thank you.

*EDIT* T.A.C.T. v0.3 is OUT; PLEASE LOOK TO THE NEXT POST IN THIS THREAD TO DOWNLOAD IT.

T.A.C.T. v0.3 has hit the shelves (of the Alice community)! T.A.C.T. is a real- time tactics genre engine.

v0.3 Features:
- Comments wide-spread throughout the entire code to provide clarity for you and me :]
- Mouse-marker calibration to adjust it to fit the movements of your mouse perfectly! ('W' to increase sensitivity, 'S' to decrease; can be done during run-time)
- Enemy AI! The Red Army can now: buy units, capture CPs, and react to your units if they precariously stumble across their path.
- The CP stat system has been revamped (due to a flaw noticed after Enemy AI became functional)
- Minor changes and fixes...

The new code that notices the amount of CPs controlled by your army and adjusts the in-game stat box is slightly clunky.. Suggestions would be welcome, because I'm almost sure there must be a better way to do this.

Next upcoming feature: Unit Combat

Please, if you have a minute or two, check it out and comment. Opinions and suggestions are always helpful.. and so is criticism!

Thank you.

*EDIT* Due to a lack of any response or interest towards the project, as well as my newfound admiration of Adobe Flash ActionScript, this project is currently on hold. If anyone would like me to continue work on this, please inform me.

*RE-EDIT* This project is back online. I am currently working on the combat system, as previously mentioned. The next version should be out sometime next week.

This is pretty cool. It has some neat functions in it. The tuning could be fixed up a bit. I had to decreases sensitivity a couple times to get it matched with my mouse

[zonedabone]

I think that this is better than anything you can do in flash. A few suggestions:

• have to dot auto-calibrate to the mouse when you click the center. This would be easy to do with the programming you have used already.
• It was hard to position my character in the right place to take a base. Do a bit of work on that.
• There should be a screen when you finish capturing all bases that congradulates you, then uses a function to exit alice. (It's been done)
• There should be a bit of delay from when you capture a base to when you start earning money. This would make it sso when posession alternates quickly, no money is gained.
• Adding a bit more depth to the game might be good. How about the dots fight when within a certain distance? You might make it so that a dot has to destry a base to take it over. Some HP would be good.
• Like you said, a menu makes a game professional.
• If you do the HP idea, items to restore HP could be added. This could lead to effects on units such as poison or confusion.
• A multi-level game could be used. Make another level and link them. Twice the levels - twice the fun.
• I agree that higher quality graphics should be used. This would add realism and make the game all around better.
• The current help menu format is good. Istructions could be moved to the main menu, but all the dialouge stating actions is good.
• If you have oponents fight, you'll have to make it possible to deploy more than 3 units. This can be done as long as you limit the number out at any given time.

All in all, a lot of improvements to be made, but still the best game on the forums!

Originally Posted by zonedabone

(1) I think that this is better than anything you can do in flash.
(2) .... the best game on the forums!

I tend to disagree with the first point but am in qualified agreement on the second.

Disagreement - With something of this quality, you are better off with Flash, since you can actually export it to someone without having to ship all of Alice with it - and you are developing skills with a commercially accepted tool.

The first hopefully will change with Alice 3.0 - but it still will remain a teaching tool, not a commercial application (the right choice for a university, IMO ).

Also Action Script is very object oriented (really more so than Alice 2.x) so it's a nice thing to learn. And when the "real OOP" (hopefully) Alice 3.0 comes out, the skills you pick up with Action Script should be helpful there also.

Qualification - I doubt that I've actually played more than a quarter of the games posted, even the big ones.

Originally Posted by Ch0pStickS

This is pretty cool. It has some neat functions in it. The tuning could be fixed up a bit. I had to decreases sensitivity a couple times to get it matched with my mouse

Thanks :]
I agree that the tuning is a slight pain.. However, you must understand that the mouse is different from system to system- everything from mouse sensitivity options to hardware components affect the speed of that little cursor cruising across the screen.

If you have an idea of how the tuning could be improved, please inform me. The only temporary solution I found is to include controls that raise or lower the sensitivity.

Originally Posted by zonedabone

I think that this is better than anything you can do in flash. A few suggestions:

• have to dot auto-calibrate to the mouse when you click the center. This would be easy to do with the programming you have used already.
• It was hard to position my character in the right place to take a base. Do a bit of work on that.
• There should be a screen when you finish capturing all bases that congradulates you, then uses a function to exit alice. (It's been done)
• There should be a bit of delay from when you capture a base to when you start earning money. This would make it sso when posession alternates quickly, no money is gained.
• Adding a bit more depth to the game might be good. How about the dots fight when within a certain distance? You might make it so that a dot has to destry a base to take it over. Some HP would be good.
• Like you said, a menu makes a game professional.
• If you do the HP idea, items to restore HP could be added. This could lead to effects on units such as poison or confusion.
• A multi-level game could be used. Make another level and link them. Twice the levels - twice the fun.
• I agree that higher quality graphics should be used. This would add realism and make the game all around better.
• The current help menu format is good. Istructions could be moved to the main menu, but all the dialouge stating actions is good.
• If you have oponents fight, you'll have to make it possible to deploy more than 3 units. This can be done as long as you limit the number out at any given time.

All in all, a lot of improvements to be made, but still the best game on the forums!

Thanks for the slew of suggestions!

1) I considered the mouse-calibration at the beginning of my post.. If I think of a better way, I'll try to implement it.
2) Shouldn't be too difficult ;] Already have an idea of how to accomplish that.
3) You must understand that the game is still in an early version, and I haven't even set down the final objectives... it might be destroying the enemy's base, or holding some CPs for a certain time! So it might come later.. about exiting Alice, do you have a link to a post or thread about that? I'd be interested.
4) I could add a timer.
5) It's going to come.. depth's on its way (can't promise when, though )
6) I could make it sooner if you wish, although it was way down my list of priorities.
7) I doubt I'll get as deep as afflicted states, but HP is very likely to come in a later version.
8) Making multiple levels is not something I have yet managed to do in Alice. With the approach I'm taking with this world, though, it might be as simple as shifting around some CPs, and possibly, terrain. Don't worry though, it'll be on my mind.
9) Ah, graphics. The problem is that you cannot (easily) create anything yourself in Alice. I have to use pre-built models that are already in the gallery, as I have no experience in 3D-modeling. Would you have any suggestions as to which models you'd like to see in this world?
10) I'll keep it, as it adds to the 'commander' feel. It might come as an in-screen text-box, though, to not have the 'separated' feel it does now.
11) Once combat is implemented, and units will be able to be 'destroyed', there will most likely be more than three units per army, possibly even different types of units (slower but more power, fast 'scouts')

Finally, thanks for the praise, though I would most likely have to disagree that this is the best game on the forums. Not to say that I am not aiming for a great game, but it is still far from complete, and I have seen plenty other 'professional' games by authors such as Madden.

Once I fix all the current problems, implement all the suggestions, this game might be aiming for the title. As of yet, there's still a lot of work to go...

Originally Posted by DrJim

I tend to disagree with the first point but am in qualified agreement on the second.

Disagreement - With something of this quality, you are better off with Flash, since you can actually export it to someone without having to ship all of Alice with it - and you are developing skills with a commercially accepted tool.

The first hopefully will change with Alice 3.0 - but it still will remain a teaching tool, not a commercial application (the right choice for a university, IMO ).

Also Action Script is very object oriented (really more so than Alice 2.x) so it's a nice thing to learn. And when the "real OOP" (hopefully) Alice 3.0 comes out, the skills you pick up with Action Script should be helpful there also.

Qualification - I doubt that I've actually played more than a quarter of the games posted, even the big ones.

Having personally experienced Flash, I would have to agree with DrJim. It is a great, versatile programming environment, and, although with a very different approach than Alice and a higher learning curve, it produces superior results with, sometimes, even less effort. Being a widely accepted format is just another great plus.

Having tried out Alice for quite some time did indeed help me pick up ActionScript easier, and although I had to devote my entire last week to it, I have managed to master the basics of AS 2.0 . However, I am now faced with the challenge of advancing higher, to the relatively new AS 3.0, which supposedly comes even closer to Java. I am still speculating over when to breach into new territory.

So I would like to apologize that I didn't work on T.A.C.T. over the past two weeks. However, getting comments and so many suggestions is urging me to return to the project. A project that I could already imagine being made in Flash in a much simpler way.. But accomplishing the same task in Alice seems almost to be like a challenge to me :] I have to think of workarounds to accomplish things that Alice won't voluntarily do...

I cannot promise when I will get the next version out, as I have a lot of things going on: school and life, just to mention a few And my free time is often split with either picking up a book to continue reading or sitting down to churn some mathematical brain power and learn some more programming. Flash is just more exciting at the moment than Alice, but I'll continue this.
I can promise that :]

So thank you for all the responses, and please don't hesitate to post more!

Sorry for the huge post

Originally Posted by JustasM

I have a lot of things going on: school and life, just to mention a few.

And don't forget the opposite sex - they are even more interesting (and confusing) than programming.

[zonedabone]

This program will wait for the mouse to be clicked, then exits the world. It's not a conventional code. It uses a recursive method to force Alice to abort it. This works on my computer, but who knows about everyone else. Use this recursive method, as some can completely abort alice!

Originally Posted by DrJim

And don't forget the opposite sex - they are even more interesting (and confusing) than programming.

Hah!
Thanks for the tip!
I'll keep an eye out for those..

Originally Posted by zonedabone

This program will wait for the mouse to be clicked, then exits the world. It's not a conventional code. It uses a recursive method to force Alice to abort it. This works on my computer, but who knows about everyone else. Use this recursive method, as some can completely abort alice!

Yes, it seems to work on my computer too. The only thing is that it is a rather unconventional approach to end your program with an error... I might see if I can create a loop back to the menu without exiting the program..

[zonedabone]

Originally Posted by JustasM

Yes, it seems to work on my computer too. The only thing is that it is a rather unconventional approach to end your program with an error... I might see if I can create a loop back to the menu without exiting the program..

This is meant to exit the simulation. It would be easy to go back to menu.