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Official Ideas/Progress thread
What Does It Do?

Starcraft: D-Automation is going to be a tool for automating most (if not all) triggers that go into making a defense map. The general idea is for a person to create the map, run D-Automation, select their options and the basic triggers will be automatically created for them. Don’t get your hopes to high; this isn't going to automate the entire process. The user will still have to create the map, lay down some locations and balance (balancing the map may be an added feature in the VERY DISTANT future). Ideally it will leave the mapper to do very little and allow them more time to add 'eye-candy' or other neat effects to their map. As a long time map maker myself (around 50 or so never completed ) I usually get a great idea for a defense map but get burned out on it halfway through writing up all the mundane triggers. So this tool is mainly going to be used by my team to give us more time to focus on adding some cool stuff to our defense maps.

As of now, this tool is in its alpha stages. I have only begun to create the interface of the tool. So far I have created only about 40% of the tool. This is mainly due to the fact that I am running out of things to think of to place in the tool. The main purpose of this post is NOT to introduce the tool, but rather gather up all ideas that have been used in a defense map and incorporate it into the tool. I am also looking for feedback about what is there already.

Basically the whole tool is going to be broken down into several sections. Please, suggest something, but make sure you read the descriptions of what I already have in place. So now, I am going to break down each part of the tool and explain how it is going to work.

Economy Tab:

How will the economy be run?
The user will get to choose what type of economy they want. As of now, there are 8 options

CODE

- # Kills = # Minerals
- # Kills = # Gas
- # Kills = # Civilians
- # Kills = # Gas AND # Gas = # Minerals
- # Kills = # Gas AND # Gas = # Civilians
- # Kills = # Gas AND # Gas = # Minerals AND # Minerals = # Civilians
- # Kills = # Minerals AND # Minerals = # Civs
- Mine (# Minerals = # Civilians)


My reasoning behind this is that each selection has its advantages and disadvantages. Having several different ways to run the economy will allow for the greatest flexibility. For example, if you choose # Kills = # Civilians, you free up all the resources (gas and minerals) for the players which allows you to use them for something else. Once the user selects an option and fills in the blanks, they are confronted with 4 extra possible features.


• Civilian Conversion
  This is basically to cut back on the amount of units on the map and to make the 'buying units' area less crowded. While I realize that simply only allowing 1 unit to purchase other units is the 'best' way to do it, it still presents the problem of tying up resources (kills, deaths, units owned, minerals, gas...etc). So, let’s say that 10 kills will get you 1 civilian. 1 civilian is represented as $1. You want to buy a 'special unit' or a 'hero' unit and it costs 20 civilians (I know that’s a bit extreme but try to follow along here). Placing 20 civilians on or around 1 beacon (just as an example) in an already crowded area of the map can be frustrating not only for the player, but the other players as well. So, this option will create a trigger that will 'upgrade' all 5 of their $1 civilians into a $5 medic. The same thing happens to the medic. After 4 medics have been created, the player will get a $20 zergling. Keep in mind that all of the variables are completely customizable. It will also calculate change. For example, say you use a $20 zergling to buy a $2 unit. It will kill/remove the $20 zergling and create three $5 medics and 3 $1 civilians.
  
  
• Minerals Given Per Round/Wave
  This is pretty much self explanatory. At the start of each new level (Round) a player can get a designated amount of Minerals, Gas or Civilians.
  
  That concludes all I could think up when it comes to the economy of a defense map. Any other ideas and feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.

Setup Waves/Rounds Tab:

Before going into to much detail about this I must first tell you of the differences between Waves and Rounds. A round is the FIRST group of units created (which also indicates the first level or a new level). A wave is simply the same units coming repeatedly. For example, let’s say that Level 1 consists of a group of 5 overlords. The first 5 overlords indicate a ROUND (or level 1). How many times you want the 5 overlords to come is based on WAVES. Waves simply indicate the amount of times the 5 overlords will go down the path. You are capable of setting several options:

CODE

- # of Levels (How many DIFFERENT units used)
- # of Waves (How many times the same units will go down the path)
- # of Units in both the Rounds and the Waves.


After configuring those options you will then get to choose two more options:
- How they come (should be self-explanatory)

CODE

- 1 at a time - Fast
- 1 at a time - Slow
- The set # configured above
- Amount of units doubles each WAVE
- Amount of units doubles each ROUND
- Amount of units triples each WAVE
- Amount of units triples each ROUND
- +1 Unit each WAVE
- +1 Unit each ROUND


There is also an advanced feature that I am adding to it that allows 4 different options:

CODE

- CR + CR -1
- CR + CR - 2
- CR + CR - 3
- CR + CR - Random


CR stands for Current Round. Just think of the + sign as meaning that it's sent with the next level. However, there are discrepancies. Obviously, CR - X has to be greater than 0. When it's not, the units go down the path as usual. However, when CR - X is greater than 0, that level will also come with CR. For example, if you used CR + CR - Random, a random number is chosen (the number is less than the CR). So at level 5 let’s say that the random # of 2 has been randomly chosen, that will simply mean that level 2 comes with level 5. While doing this may seem impractical and give the players too much of an easy way to "get rich" its purpose is be used in a map such as tarpit d for example. Where overwhelming numbers are more important than how many hps a unit in any level has.

The next set of options are for locations and triggering purposes that have a minor impact on the map, such as how many locations the units move to before the end of the path, which players are computer players and which starting spawn locations belong to which computer player.

And last but not least, my personal favorite, Level Templates. By looking at the choices available you can get an idea of what it does. Basically it just sets up each unit for every level. The code I am going to use for this part is going to be 'smart'. Meaning that if you choose "Randomize Air Only", it's not going to send
Matriarch Queens as the first level (if your not familiar with them, they are pretty much the fastest flying unit). This 'smart code' is going to be in effect for all of the level templates I have listed.

As of now, the remaining tabs of this tool are in the works. There are ideas being pitched between my team and I that sound almost too good to be true (for us anyways). The remaining tabs we have left to finish are:

Build Structure:

This will control whether or not to make triggers for marine bunkers, ghost bunkers, lurker bunkers etc... It will also allow for the player to change buildings into units (if you have ever played 3-line D you should know what I mean). As of now, we only have 5 options there. We would greatly like to expand this list and add new unique bunker types. We find it difficult, however, to come up with these ideas for the simple fact that most of our ideas would require its own location for each bunker .

Heroes:

This is quite possibly going to be the most unique part of the entire tool. Here we will present a list of options for users to select, based on which types of heroes they want to use in their map. And when I say heroes I am not talking about the conventional heroes that you’re probably thinking of. Just as a taste of I am mean.....Imagine a Mutalisk, it costs 5 minerals to morph it into a guardian and it takes around 15-40seconds to morph, during the time it is morphing scouges will appear and 'lock-on' and attack the enemy units automatically.


CODE

+=List of heroes to be implemented=+
- Mutaragon
- Zealot Healer
- Queen Bomber
- Lurker Ling

At this point and stage, we can see this tool actually becoming something that our team will use the hell out of. There is just one thing that bothers us....forgetting something or passing up the opportunity to implement unique and crazy ideas into the tool. This is ultimately the purpose of this post. Please keep in mind that it is not supposed to work 100% correctly and clicking the create button does nothing at this point in time.

We are looking for feedback and help. Please review what we have so far and tell us what you think. Should we add something? Should we remove something? Is something not crystal clear? Let us know. Hopefully this will just turn into a very large ideas thread to help us fuel our imaginations to improve the over-all functionality of the tool.



Required2.0 .Net Framework

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Yes. Dear god yes. Ive wanted this for forever. Thank you, and i know this tool is going to rock when its all finished.

For an option:
Put a checkbox and a scroll option that a certain number of players or a specific player must be in game for enemies to spawn at a place/how many will spawn at the place.

Player 2 brings 0 units to anywere, spawn 0 units at player 2 spawn. Like that.

Edit 2: Create file isnt working, is it supposed to be? Where is it exported? I have it on desktop and im getting nothing.

Hehe, I think your getting too excited . I stated in the second to last paragraph that the create file button does nothing atm.

As for the .Net Framwork you need, I am going to edit my first post to include it.

this sounds cool!! Cant wait for a release to test it out!!

Something like this has already been made http://www.staredit.net/index.php?download=4486

Good luck anyway tho on it

So very different in so very many ways. Right off the bat, Trigger Defense-2 seems to create 1 trigger for what you want (which is either a hero selection or a 'set up level' type of thing). That tool is only a small portion of what I am making...very small. And to be honest, that other tool requires to much work to get all the triggers you will need .

Oh my! This will totally be better than doing it the old fashion way. This'll take a huge chunk out of the effort, and then I'll be able to focus more on balance and things like that.

When do you think it'll be finished by anyways?

Hey, when you're done, maybe you could make one for those "madness" type maps and other game types.

Alright well than gl with this maybe you could stem this off into other branches of map types after this

I am going to try my hardest to finish this before the end of next month.

I love you.

Thank you, I can't believe I forgot to include that .

I am still on a shortage of ideas. I would like all the help I can get. The more ideas I get the sooner I can complete this thing.

Are you going to generate it into a trg file?

During the Alpha/Beta stages the tiggers are most likely going to be in a normal txt file. You will just have to copy/paste the contents of the trigger .txt file into either SCM2 or Starforge map editor. I am not sure on the differences between the two trigger editors but it really doesn't matter I can make then for both if thats what my team wants.

-EDIT- Once again I am at a crossroad at this point. I really can't decide if I should allow users to use the individual tabs independently (by creating separate trigger files) or require them to fill out all the info the tool asks for (and create 1 trigger file).

When it gets closer to being completed I will probably either generate them into trg files or look into making it a plug-in for SCM2 but don't hold your breath .