Battlezone 1

The 8 bit map files use 127 colors for object skins, the rest is reserved for planets and 1 for kroma key.

If 16bit map files have only 4096 colors... thats not anywhere near 16bit.
But i'm not a coder, so i'm not exactly sure how that all works.

hey,

there are lots of different formats for 16bit colour, the one BZ uses has 4096 colours because it only uses 12 bits for colour and 4 for alpha.

and yea, 24bit tga processing is an undocumented feature of bzact

Just thinking in terms of other games, such as bf1942 and netstorm and a coupla others they get away with having really powerful gun turrets/bunkers by giving them a weakpoint such as a limited firing arc which is how actual bunkers got taken. Either that or if you had a really powerful gun turret that could only fire for so long before shutting down to cool. That was its at least vunerable to swarms of scouts.

Hmmm, maybe giving the towers more power to kill would balance out the game more.

Towers are to easily beaten by straffing and timing. Maybe extendind their shooting and detection range from the 200 meter mark to 250-275, basically forcing the opponent to truly negociate the obsticale would be an option...

How about havng the Towers activate like the Howies? So the player could tell the towers where or who to shoot at. That is, if an object wasn't picked up automatically... hmmmm

options

Options....

and so little time!

Strattips: Howies take out the cute mods from safe distance anyway. Instead of modding the towers/powers, build a miner and tell it to where to mine B)

Gt`s have been neglected to reinforce the notion of the value of strategic play. But the essence of BZ strat is security of your base and the ability to tempt your opponent to come out and face you on the field. This ensures a long and satisfying game with little chance of losing your main security; your precious base. With this in mind, more straters would emerge to play lengthy games that would be immune to rushes by egotists: only the serious minded straters would play, enhancing the BZ experience.

Compos you've been Battlezones #1 basesitter as long as I remember. What you do is headstart in sync-off games and use 90% of your scrap on defense. After that you go out to lay 5 mines outside your base, then go home for reload. You should be glad your opponents do different, if not games would never end. I've never ever seen you attacking and you always leave before the game is over.

Most strategy maps allow several possibilities to defend against typical resrushing. You don't even need to headstart or have extra ordinary DM skills.

Thanks for let me test your defenses since '99. But I had to add this to what you, personally, believe is the essence of Bz strategy, or what it is that ensures satisfying gameplay. As for enhancing the Battlezone experience, as you say; what about enhancing skills?

Great fun, not cheap. Sniping is part strategy.

It`s odd that Jon is so puffed up regarding his self proclaimed skills. This game should not discourage new players from stratting. Quickly defeating the newbie sends them to the DM to forever remain or stagnate in the lobby for fear of once again facing the skillful Jon. With an impenetrable base, equiped with gun emplacements, performing as they should, the new player would stay there; testing his skills as need be; rather than vegetating in the lobby. And that`s what the game needs: more players who are not discouraged by the laughs of the skillful who gleefully take out all of the newbies hard work of base construction, with the puffed up skills of those similar to Jon`s.

Some people can certainly discourage new players, but it's not the game itself that is "discouraging" them.

I wasn't talking bad about you or your game. It's about your suggestion to mess with the guntowers to suite your personal playing style. I actually never laughed about your game. I didn't even laugh when you started talking about "the serious minded straters". But such statements are being analyzed. So it is.

So it is!. But the pleasure in victory is palpaple; this is demonstrated by your urge to give advice. Skill is your reason de atire: the meaning of your gaming; not to be lessened by your criticisims of a player such as I who you consider unworthy of being a member of your exclusive class; unless I were to strive for skills similar or adequit of mention by the observations you have made of my gaming styles of the past.

Make no mistake, I am engaged in BZ strat for the joy of the exercise; not the demonstrations of my skills per se. I like to build; I don`t like to be skillful in what is intended to be a rewarding experience.

If BZ was what it was originally intended, the game would attract players, not advisors. So it is.

I guess I have to watch the battlezone intro again. And read the storyline. I may have forgotten what the game is about. I'll go find out at Wiki's if gaming could have anything to do with competition.

But 1 thing is 110% certain; without the possibility of losing or winning, no one would be playing this game, or any other game.

You do not participate nor play battlezone strategy the same way as most others do. But I'm the first one to say that it's good to have you here.

Don't take my advise if you don't like it. But my call is not to provide you modfriendly opponents either.

Btw why you took out my rec over the top when I was a newbie? That was the only time you ever attacked me

I don't like the way your dog looks at me :unsure: