combinations of Upgrades:

what can the units do fully upgraded.

7 upgrades

Speed

HP

Weapon Fire Speed

Missile Speed

Missile Range/missile life

Missile HP should this be one? I can have missiles regenerate -1 hp over a certain duration, and increase that duration with range. If a missile has a lot of hp, it will go very far...+range means very very far. And won't be destroyed as easily.

Everything doubles. So thats lvl 0 X2 = lvl 1 X2 = lvl 2 X2 = lvl 3

So 1X2 = 2 X2= 4 X2 = 8.

Or +2 +2 +2 = 7.

Or +1 +1 +1 = 4

Using a system of 3 levels that is in equal increments. Then we just find out how much speed =1 damage. 2 damage, 3damage, 4 damage.

How much range = 1, 2 ,3 ,4

The first time, it doubles. thats no good.

1, 1.5, 2.25, 3.375, 5.06

Still this is not right, as you get further, your upgrades so more. This can be used to be uber.

3, 4, 5, 6 now it get's weaker. Or does it?

Perhaps number do not matter as much as testing. Finding out exactly how much range = how much damage.

So upgrades are still a dilemma.

I will try to figure it out here.

3 weapons... Different upgrade chains, weapon upgrade that is.

This includes, weapon max speed. weapon range, all controlled by the mover. They do not have to be connected to the weapon, or do they?

If each player has a different weapon for the program to target, then i will only("only", suuuuure.) need 6 weapons for 6 players.

But can I edit the mover for a weapon?

Basically a trigger just for the mover. Or for the unit that is the mover.

I may have to set a different mover for each player's unique weapon. Because supposedly Blizzard says you can not edit movers.

So first we must make a new unit(which has movers)...hmmmm let's try something else.

What if we made different units. So...

All the upgrade combinations, are represented by a single unit.

Thats 5X5X5X5X5X5X5 I believe. 78125 I believe...hmmmm...

So movement speed for unit and hp for unit are upgradeable, I believe, if not I will have to use armor, booo armor. You will make my game strange with your ability to remove damage. If I have an armor of 5...and you try to deal 3 damage to it...nothing will happen at all...That's no fun.

No...I will have a shittonna hp...and your 3 damage won't mean as much, but it still matters.

Only have to make 5 of each...and have it used by all players...or maybe a max level of 3 for each upgrade would be better. It means more to the players when they upgrade. so That means 4 levels. lvl 0, and then 1, 2, and 3.

How many units? let's see. 2 upgrades are doable.

3X3X3X3X3 = 243...manageable.

Let's see what we can do with upgrades.

I believe I can use variables in interesting ways.

y=2x+1 for example could be a unit upgrade. It's music without the positive attachment to sounds.

Since we can modify a units weapon unit, missiles, we can use a variable, given to the missile when it first appears, so that a trigger will change missile speed. Perhaps...

This means that all weapons will use the same type of missile. But different weapons...perhaps 3, will use different types of missiles.

We have WEAPON, UNIT, WEAPON UNIT, MOVER, MODELS, ACTORS, etc that make up a unit and its weapon.

So, hp, speed, and unit mover might be down. Upgrades are actually great...once I get the hang of them. Pretty much any upgrade can do anything...by selecting unit, behaviors, effects, etc.

UpgradeX

Type: Effect.....of Unit, weapon...etc

Object: Banshee - Backlash Rockets (Damage).....or the Unit, or weapon, weapon UNIT, etc.

Field: (here you select "Amount")..... or speed range etc

Operation: Multiply

Value: 1.5

Upgrades allow me to edit all parts of the unit. I think it should work. Range, acceleration, speed, damage, life, all editable.

Not I just have to create lets say 3 weapons, each with 3X7 upgrades = 21...X3 So 63 upgrades...accross 3 different weapons. And I can up the ammount of weapons the players can choose.

Nice.

You can also SET MOVER!!! So I can make multiple movers if I need to. 3 for each weapon.

Or I don't have to make them different weapons...just change the mover on the weapons!

"It seems all the other creatures are heading for the surface. Go to the surface or rest?"

This shows the two modes that exist during a certain time. You can either go into a fierce survival mode which may reap many rewards, or heal a portion of HP(10) and explore some more.
This mechanic will turn the tide of the battlefield by weakening the strong, and strengthening the weak. But only superficially. Because although the strong are losing HP fighting/surviving missiles on the surface, they may also gain nutrition to level.
But if your HP is low, there is little chance you will gain any benefits from going to the surface.

Failing on the surface can put you back, because you will be too weak to venture out of your nest.
What are your options? Perhaps units should regenerate life very very slowly. 10 HP every exploration round. Unless you find something to heal you, you will be too weak to for the next round, but perhaps you will have enough life when the next next round comes.
So failing on the surface puts you out of "Surface Adventures" for 2 minutes.

Players that do succeed will probably also have lost a lot of HP, but have gained 2 or 3 Nourishment. Compared to the average 1 nourishment when exploring.
Another benefit of going to the surface is finding out who is going to be injured for the next round. You can tell your ally to take out the weak king.

Stealing is another mechanic, though it is risky. A player's nest will slow down an enemy heavily,
and if a player returns to their base, while a burglary is in progress...the will be able to deal a good ammount of damage to the theif as he/she sluggishly tries to escape from the nest.
Range will also come in handy when stealing. Less running is required to exit. Damage will also help as will speed and all other stats. Stealing should be more beneficial than exploring for Nourishment, as well as a good way to slow an opponents progress in leveling.
Stealing a nourishment should take long enough that the player could be in danger. The player who's base is empy could either be on the surface, or in the field...so the time it takes to steal should be a equaled to the average time it could take for the player to return.
I'm thinking an average of 20-30 seconds might be perfect. And if the player is skilled in damage, perhaps 12. The player's ally could also come to stop the burglary. But the damage is done, and the theft can continue from where it started next time if the nourishment has not been used.

Switching between UI and no UI:
No UI means that the player does not know who is stealing from him, and there is a chance here or she will get lost. UI is necessary for upgrading. But chatting is still possible.
Perhaps UI only exists at the bases. So far there no reason not to implement this.
Players should start at their bases with UI, and when they leave their base, they lose UI.
Players will need to develop a keen sense of direction and memory in order to navigate the world.
There is only 1 type of egg for raising your pet. But how you raise it will determine what it does.
Pets have to ability to get as strong as players.

Pets: How will they level? Perhaps they gain experience on the surface. The longer they last, the more exp they gain. Per second. They start very weak, but can regenerate life faster.
For example, just 5 seconds will level a pet when it is extremely weak and level 1. Chances are a level 1 will die in about 10 seconds...due to slow speed and little HP. So each second on the surface matters. This is also very fun seeing a weak and worthless unit, grow to the ranks of the strongest. Their growth rate is fast...as we have decided...

Direction!

So I have decided to pair XY + XY,
YZ + YZ,
and ZX + ZX together.

All units will look the same at first. And the only way to find your enemy is to enter their nest.
You are tunneling in a dead animal, and it is composed of buildings that give you nutrition for upgrades, buildings that give you +12 health, buildings that give you eggs of creatures(pets) you can hatch and train, buildings that hatch creatures that attack you(To help level your pet).
When you enter an enemies nest, you lose movement speed...and so it is disadvantageous to fight in your opponent nest, but sometimes nessisary.
Pet eggs must be hidden on the map or at your nest while they incubate. Opponents may try to attack your pet, and kill it before you can train it. You must place it somewhere safe and/or guard it.

Stats can improve by proportionately to eachother, and of your original stats...
example... 1/3
HP = 15...upgrade gives 5 for 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 . and another will give you 3 for a total of 15.
Damage could start at 3, then 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Speed...there must be a speed range...if the base of speed = 8 for all players...then missiles that travel at 8 will give little challenge...but can still hit you if you are not careful(at all). Therefore, missiles max speeds should be 9, while unit speed = 8. But the missiles lifetime is short.
Missile Life times should follow hp. Lifetime of 15, then then 20, 25, 30, 35, 40.
Missile range also improves sight radius. It means more shots...and a long range invulnerability.
Should follow 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40
Range = weapon range and sight radius. When the game starts, your sight radius + range are small.

Getting Lost!?

So there are 3 parts...
I have found a way to remove all UI, so that the mini-map is gone.
I set the camera to roll slowly, so that you may lose track of which direction is up down or whatever.
The camera is following the position of your unit...so you can't look around...only move your unit to explore.

So now, you can get very very lost...with no compass and few clues to get your bearings.

An idea would be to have the entire map blocked with different buildingss(representing dirt/rocks/plants/bugs). As you tunnel your way through the dirt you get different goodies...health, parts for units...each building drops different things but not always. For example a healh building could be 1/4. Parts building could be 1/5...depending on how often you come accross them. This will make it so that you don't HAVE to kill the health building if it is out of your way...it's only a 1/4 chance.

Perhaps X rocks/dirt can only be destroyed if you are half X. So YZ will not beable to break them.

As your tunnels get intersected by other tunnels, getting lost becomes more and more easy.
Buildings must be facing random directions, not their defaults, so they can not be used as compasses.

You start at the portal/door to your home. If others want to come to your base and steal your items, they will need to tunnel to you. But of course they have no idea where you are.
Buildings can be made to regenerate life, with starting hp 1, but then a maximum hp of...maybe infinate. So that at the start of the game, tunneling is easy and fast. But later on, you realize those tunnels you made at start really mattered, the dirt around the tunnels will last now that buildings take a whopping 5 seconds to kill. It is like the dirt around your tunnel became stone.

Players should also be able to create buildings to block tunnels or confuse others. For example buildings that look like X buildings or Health buildings, but are really just empty. No one will ever know you made them...and you can confuse an enemy into losing his/her way home.
But this means returning the UI to the players, so they will no longer be lost.

Perhaps 1 round of tunneling/getting lost, and then 1 round of exploring the tunnels.

The problems are, how can you interact with other players, besides the one you are trying to kill. Maybe you are after the same buildings, and that could cause some sort of conflict. Or maybe visiting someone's base give you a reward of some sort. Or stealing from someone's base can benefit you. Or you don't know what XYZ combo someone is until you check their base.

I still like the idea of XY and XY having to be partners, though they first have to find eachother and reach lvl 15 or so before they can ally. And your odds of running into a base and having it be your partner are 1/5. I like 1/5. It means you will intereact with many other players.
Should it be a triangle where XY must kill YZ must kill ZX must kill XY? In battles, there is always one team on offense, and one on defense/maybe offense too.

There must be randomly generated, and perhaps after the map has had enough tunnels carved, a fresh new map should generate to keep things interesting.

Pitfalls: Tunneling should not take long, or it should be exceptionally fun. But then again, mining minerals isn't fun, but getting minerals/money is. And tunneling will be more like opening presents while on an plane to Seoul, Korea.

The game as a whole.

The game as a whole in my mind.

Hours, 3 of them, make a Day. During 1 of these Hours, you can choose to compete for Xs, Ys, and Zs.

RE-EDITED - Perhaps the competitions are based on survival. The room itself will try to kill you much like a boss battle. There can be computer controlled missiles, enemy units(including melee units), portals, ANYTHING that will make it challenging and fun. The survival competitions last 20 INTENSE seconds. That are so beautiful you cry. Or atleast I do.

Shields represent your hit-points and do not regenerate, but when your actual life is damaged, you are teleported out of the room/competition. This makes it so that a unit doesn't die and can keep his/her upgrades. This trigger is simple and possible.
So let's say you have 10 life(shield) and 3 life. All missiles only do 1 damage to your life, so after your HP(shield) is gone you can take 3 hits and then you will die forever. Then you will lose. And you will be angry because you love this game and J.M.


Don't forget that your opponents can also try to knock you out. Players who survive get first pick of the Xs, Ys, Zs. Invincible SCVs spawn for each player and its a race to gather a X, Y or Z. But not too much of a race if you did well. Players who got teleported out must pick after, and may be unlucky.
Should the winnings be different for each competition?


The other 2/3 Mode!

Perhaps a kind of exploration.

One idea:

The landscape is blocked with many 1hp destructile buildings so while you run you create a path. But if an enemy comes near you, your missiles will naturally fire at them or their missiles... and you will not beable to shoot out a path. You must take the path you already made to get home.



You are basically digging tunnels like a worm looking for goodies in the soil. Digging around rocks and other natural mazes.

What are you looking for?

Parts for your second and third units. Maybe the dirt buildings have a 1/30 chance of dropping either XY, XZ, or YZ.

So buildings that drop Xs and Ys exist in one region, Xs and Zs exist in another...and Y and Z yet another. This will pit you with your rival. And when your rival dies...you can get much stronger and help your ally.

The pacing of tunneling should be relatively quick except in key places.

The maps can rotate out by creating them with locations...so maybe every Day(3 Hours) the level is new with randomly generated goodies. This will also make it so you can steal, if you can tunnel to someones base. By Hour #3, bases are very accessible.

It will be bizarre seeing tunnels made by other players. The landscape will look alive because it has a story.



I think these ideas have a lot of potential. Especially to be fast paced. I think an Hour should last around... I'll test it in my mind with a stopwatch.
Ok. Around 20 seconds could be perfect! A countdown clock is necessary!!! So intense! And After 20 seconds...you start to ask Is it over yet? We can test this some more and find some perfect number... but I think there is something VERY special around 20. Something universal even or ADHD. Either one makes me happy.
This means that a day is around a minute. And a 10 minute game is 10 days.

But it will be hard to kill someone in 20 seconds, even with a teammate. Thats ok, because getting Xs, Ys and Zs can take an extra 10 seconds. 30 seconds could be enough to kill someone.
I also think that players should recover 1/2 or 1/3 of their hp automatically at the start of each Hour.
Healing costs nothing, but requires you to be careful.

Let's make a game that calls for you to be good at everything. Defense and Offense. Offense can't be your only defense. I hate games like that where defense doesn't matter at all but still exists.

Fun Mechanic?

So instead of having players who are good constantly take the lead I have a new mechanic.

Units get stronger and stronger due to upgrading. Until they reach their cap. Perhaps 6-12 upgrades or so. This is considered maturity. Now that the XY YZ team is at their strongest, their strength starts to deplete(perhaps max hp and speed). Their units begin aging, and they must beat their rivals before they get too weak.

The only problem is what forces a player to make the final upgrade? They could just use 5 upgrades and fight forever.
hmmmmm
Perhaps finishing your Units is beneficial in some way.
Ah, you are allowed to Ally. So now the game would change a lot. The first two people to Ally would have the first start to defeat their enemies before they are ready. But as they become weaker the other teams ally, and will die later. A battle between the old and young.
Youth/Stength versus Position.