TerranUp16
New Member
Well, I've barely even just begun and the new is good already =)
Currently, I've got race selection and unit selection systems in place, and will work on getting the hero selection in place soon.
I've also got the unit spawning system up. All of this is w/triggers atm, but by 1.0 it will all be JASS (can't wait til then; I already know of plenty of ways to use JASS to make this much more efficient). Currently though, the triggers are running efficiently. I've created my own system for spawning units (different from Frenzy's, which is what most people use) that better fits BW's needs, but that is also, ultimately more efficient.
Now, for those of you who don't know what the fuck BW is, I'll fill you in:
Initially, BW was a groundbreaking footmen wars map, though I must admit I was inspired by Footmen Frenzy, mainly due to their unbalances. It allowed players to select from 50+ heroes, and allowed players to choose not just one unit for their army, but duos. The map also introduced some other groundbreaking features, but the duos were the main attraction. Not only did the map support duos, but it was also army-based instead of hero-based. Thus, heroes fell into a support role, and not a "dominate all" mode.
The map received massive accolades and a 95%+ approval rating from those who played it. However, the map never made it out of the beta stages, and never got any circulation. I didn't push this at that time, as I had intended to wait for the 1.0 version. Well, I got distracted with GTW and never released that 1.0 version.
The time has come for me to get back to Balance Wars. Partly, because it's an excellent concept, an excellent map, and because we're all tired of DotA. Mostly though, it will offer me a chance to test extensively the base for the Guard Wars map for GTW. The Guard Wars will be a map similar to BW, but it will come with GTW, and use GTW systems, as well as receive some other goodies that BW won't have (like, GTW units, which definitely fit the basic concept of BW better than the WC3 ones).
However, Balance Wars will not be returning as it once was. It's getting totally rebuilt from the ground up. The first few beta versions will be using triggers, but I plan to recode everything into JASS as soon as I learn it (and I'll begin learning soon). Anyway, the basic concept still remains the same, but the overall design has evolved greatly. One of the big things that the original BW lacked was a tier system. I'm not a huge fan of the Frenzy tier system, but it sufficed for that particular map. I generally prefer to offer players a greater selection of units in order to breed a higher level of strategy, and much deeper depth. This time around, players will start out at Tier 1 with a choice of 4 units per a race (16 total ) to make their army. Players don't necessarily have to have two different units. Players can double-up on one unit if they wish. At Tier 2, two more units become available. Tier 2 units will not be "better" (I define how good a unit is by balancing both how often it spawns and its power; so, even if a unit is better 1on1, it will not necessarily be better overall, b/c it will spawn slower), but they will offer the player a more diverse choice. Generally, the higher one goes in the tiers, the longer the spawn times, but the more powerful the unit. New units is only one reason for upgrading to the next tier. Anyway, at Tier 3, two more units will become available. So, by Tier 3 you'll have 8 faction-specific units to choose from to create your own duo.
Here's the Human tech tree so you can see what I'm saying:
Tier 1 Choices- Militia, Militia Archer, Footman, Rifleman
Tier 2 Choices- Militia, Militia Archer, Footman, Rifleman, Swordsman, Archer
Tier 3 Choices- Militia, Militia Archer, Footman, Rifleman, Swordsman, Archer, Knight, Spell Breaker
Now, these won't be the only units available to a player. Players will also have access to all the other units from their faction. I term these units "support units". Why? They essentially offer support. Generally, these units are your Priests, Mortar Teams, and Gryphon Riders. These also vary by tier. So, by Tier 3 all Human units would be available to the Human player. Support units are bought as usual. You pay for each one you buy. Support units in BW though, unlike in other footmen wars games, will play a large role. For example, bases will not heal (though you'll still be able to go to the center to regen mana). This vastly increases the importance of units such as Priests. Also, abilities for support units may vary by tier. By this, I mean that at Tier 1, the unit might be able to cast only one ability. At Tier 2, a new ability may become available. At Tier 3, all abilities would be available. Essentially, the tiers will take over the job of the caster upgrades (ex- Priest Master Training). So, by going to Tier 2, it's like automatically researching Priest Adept Training. Also, support units will help to even the battlefield against enemies. Units in BW will not be immune to weaknesses and strengths. Each unit will have its own strengths and weaknesses. This is partly why I would deter players from getting "two of one unit" instead of getting two different units for their army. For example, the Rifleman has a very strong and effective attack, but its affect against a Footman is marginal, b/c the Footman has a perpetual Defend (Footmen start with Defend on, and feel no detriment from it; it is more or less a bonus of the unit). Players will need to compensate for this.
Now, heroes won't be lost in the mix either. Players will get hero points, which they can spend on new heroes. Everyone starts with one hero point, and everyone is forced to get a hero at the start of the game. Players can initially choose any of the four heroes from their faction. At Tier 2, another hero point will become available. Players can choose to use this now, or save it. If they use it, they can buy another regular hero. If they save it, when they get their next hero point at Tier 3, they'll be able to get a "Famous Hero". Each faction will have two famous heroes. These are heroes from the campaigns pretty much (rebalanced by moi). They are more powerful than a regular hero (but not as powerful a two regular heroes; however, what you lose in max power you gain in micro power; by that I mean that though two regular heroes are more powerful than a famous hero, it requires more micro management to use two regular heroes to their full extent than it does to use one famous hero to its full extent; it really just depends on your preference).
As if all that were not enough, there will also be upgrades. Of course, how could one forget about upgrades? There will be "basic" upgrades that each faction has. These are pretty much Attack and Defense upgrades. Players will be able to research a certain amount of these, and will then need to wait until they upgrade their tier to research more (once you get to Tier 3, there are no research restrictions). Then, there are two kinds of race-specific upgrades. There are also unit-specific upgrades (special upgrades that only affect the unit that you're currently using; if you're using two types of units, there will be two types of upgrades available, one for each type). Finally, there is the Hero Upgrade. This is a general upgrade that upgrades the stats of all of your heroes. This was used in the original BW, and was a great success. It basically allows players to beef up their heroes if they want, but at the cost of not beefing up their units.
Finally, players will have two towers. Tiers will influence these as well. Upgrading tiers will automatically upgrade your towers.
So, that's a lot about the map, and there is still yet even more, but this should be more than enough to offer a very deep insight into the map, and how it will function.
Also, the map is now, currently, ready for some basic, preliminary testing. If you're interested, please pm me.
Also, here is a link to download the original Balance Wars Beta F- Download BW Beta F
Currently, I've got race selection and unit selection systems in place, and will work on getting the hero selection in place soon.
I've also got the unit spawning system up. All of this is w/triggers atm, but by 1.0 it will all be JASS (can't wait til then; I already know of plenty of ways to use JASS to make this much more efficient). Currently though, the triggers are running efficiently. I've created my own system for spawning units (different from Frenzy's, which is what most people use) that better fits BW's needs, but that is also, ultimately more efficient.
Now, for those of you who don't know what the fuck BW is, I'll fill you in:
Initially, BW was a groundbreaking footmen wars map, though I must admit I was inspired by Footmen Frenzy, mainly due to their unbalances. It allowed players to select from 50+ heroes, and allowed players to choose not just one unit for their army, but duos. The map also introduced some other groundbreaking features, but the duos were the main attraction. Not only did the map support duos, but it was also army-based instead of hero-based. Thus, heroes fell into a support role, and not a "dominate all" mode.
The map received massive accolades and a 95%+ approval rating from those who played it. However, the map never made it out of the beta stages, and never got any circulation. I didn't push this at that time, as I had intended to wait for the 1.0 version. Well, I got distracted with GTW and never released that 1.0 version.
The time has come for me to get back to Balance Wars. Partly, because it's an excellent concept, an excellent map, and because we're all tired of DotA. Mostly though, it will offer me a chance to test extensively the base for the Guard Wars map for GTW. The Guard Wars will be a map similar to BW, but it will come with GTW, and use GTW systems, as well as receive some other goodies that BW won't have (like, GTW units, which definitely fit the basic concept of BW better than the WC3 ones).
However, Balance Wars will not be returning as it once was. It's getting totally rebuilt from the ground up. The first few beta versions will be using triggers, but I plan to recode everything into JASS as soon as I learn it (and I'll begin learning soon). Anyway, the basic concept still remains the same, but the overall design has evolved greatly. One of the big things that the original BW lacked was a tier system. I'm not a huge fan of the Frenzy tier system, but it sufficed for that particular map. I generally prefer to offer players a greater selection of units in order to breed a higher level of strategy, and much deeper depth. This time around, players will start out at Tier 1 with a choice of 4 units per a race (16 total ) to make their army. Players don't necessarily have to have two different units. Players can double-up on one unit if they wish. At Tier 2, two more units become available. Tier 2 units will not be "better" (I define how good a unit is by balancing both how often it spawns and its power; so, even if a unit is better 1on1, it will not necessarily be better overall, b/c it will spawn slower), but they will offer the player a more diverse choice. Generally, the higher one goes in the tiers, the longer the spawn times, but the more powerful the unit. New units is only one reason for upgrading to the next tier. Anyway, at Tier 3, two more units will become available. So, by Tier 3 you'll have 8 faction-specific units to choose from to create your own duo.
Here's the Human tech tree so you can see what I'm saying:
Tier 1 Choices- Militia, Militia Archer, Footman, Rifleman
Tier 2 Choices- Militia, Militia Archer, Footman, Rifleman, Swordsman, Archer
Tier 3 Choices- Militia, Militia Archer, Footman, Rifleman, Swordsman, Archer, Knight, Spell Breaker
Now, these won't be the only units available to a player. Players will also have access to all the other units from their faction. I term these units "support units". Why? They essentially offer support. Generally, these units are your Priests, Mortar Teams, and Gryphon Riders. These also vary by tier. So, by Tier 3 all Human units would be available to the Human player. Support units are bought as usual. You pay for each one you buy. Support units in BW though, unlike in other footmen wars games, will play a large role. For example, bases will not heal (though you'll still be able to go to the center to regen mana). This vastly increases the importance of units such as Priests. Also, abilities for support units may vary by tier. By this, I mean that at Tier 1, the unit might be able to cast only one ability. At Tier 2, a new ability may become available. At Tier 3, all abilities would be available. Essentially, the tiers will take over the job of the caster upgrades (ex- Priest Master Training). So, by going to Tier 2, it's like automatically researching Priest Adept Training. Also, support units will help to even the battlefield against enemies. Units in BW will not be immune to weaknesses and strengths. Each unit will have its own strengths and weaknesses. This is partly why I would deter players from getting "two of one unit" instead of getting two different units for their army. For example, the Rifleman has a very strong and effective attack, but its affect against a Footman is marginal, b/c the Footman has a perpetual Defend (Footmen start with Defend on, and feel no detriment from it; it is more or less a bonus of the unit). Players will need to compensate for this.
Now, heroes won't be lost in the mix either. Players will get hero points, which they can spend on new heroes. Everyone starts with one hero point, and everyone is forced to get a hero at the start of the game. Players can initially choose any of the four heroes from their faction. At Tier 2, another hero point will become available. Players can choose to use this now, or save it. If they use it, they can buy another regular hero. If they save it, when they get their next hero point at Tier 3, they'll be able to get a "Famous Hero". Each faction will have two famous heroes. These are heroes from the campaigns pretty much (rebalanced by moi). They are more powerful than a regular hero (but not as powerful a two regular heroes; however, what you lose in max power you gain in micro power; by that I mean that though two regular heroes are more powerful than a famous hero, it requires more micro management to use two regular heroes to their full extent than it does to use one famous hero to its full extent; it really just depends on your preference).
As if all that were not enough, there will also be upgrades. Of course, how could one forget about upgrades? There will be "basic" upgrades that each faction has. These are pretty much Attack and Defense upgrades. Players will be able to research a certain amount of these, and will then need to wait until they upgrade their tier to research more (once you get to Tier 3, there are no research restrictions). Then, there are two kinds of race-specific upgrades. There are also unit-specific upgrades (special upgrades that only affect the unit that you're currently using; if you're using two types of units, there will be two types of upgrades available, one for each type). Finally, there is the Hero Upgrade. This is a general upgrade that upgrades the stats of all of your heroes. This was used in the original BW, and was a great success. It basically allows players to beef up their heroes if they want, but at the cost of not beefing up their units.
Finally, players will have two towers. Tiers will influence these as well. Upgrading tiers will automatically upgrade your towers.
So, that's a lot about the map, and there is still yet even more, but this should be more than enough to offer a very deep insight into the map, and how it will function.
Also, the map is now, currently, ready for some basic, preliminary testing. If you're interested, please pm me.
Also, here is a link to download the original Balance Wars Beta F- Download BW Beta F
