I'm considering starting up a Kickstarter Campaign of my own...

SQUISHY Y U USE INTERNET EXPLODER.

*blocked*

Because I juuuust now installed Windows 10!

The days of Internet Explorer being bad are long-gone.

Not that I use it personally, I'm far too comfortable with Firefox. But I use all three (FF, Chome, IE) at work (for various reasons), and they're all fine.

But these days, certainly, it's just a kneejerk hate. IE6 is in the past, folks. Start acting like it is.

I'm very interested in this idea. I've got experience with C# and JavaScript (and less experience in some other languages) and would be really interested in working on it. I've also studied AI, and would be capable of implementing some pathing and AI.

I don't make assumptions about your ability or inability to do particular parts of the work, but I think the budget goals you have sound too low. I'd be very interested in supporting this project on Kickstarter, or by investing my time in coding or money in paying for development if it's viable and looks like a good idea.

I hate to sound like a pessimist, but I'm thinking that from what you wrote at the beginning you would only get a prototype that would at best be a good RTS while judged by the standards of the platform - not the game that you really want or envisage. However, that's a good start towards your goal.

The main thing that it seems to me as though you overlooked is the AI programming. If there is to be single player quite in-depth AI is involved. In multiplayer it's probably going to be necessary to have some AI on the units, in PA that would be dox or whatever moving towards their targets, and doing pathing. I'm not saying this stuff would be a show-stopper, but it's something else to consider that's somewhat complicated. I'd be very interested in working on the technical sides of this (such as writing agent and pathing code). It's one area where we have seen during the development of PA that having unoptimized pathing code can slow the game down a lot.

Neural networks are another tool which the AI may use to make decisions. This may not be necessary if it's just multiplayer. For playing against an intelligent computer opponent, NNs are likely to be necessary or at least very useful. Thinking about it more though, it should still be possible to make an AI opponent without NNs.

Can it have an Alpha-Centauri-inspired unit design system?

Players could set up their own unit sets, such as making a helicopter with neutronium armour, a2a missiles and weak a2g lasers. The game would know it needs to be made at an advanced (or neutronium and helicopter capable) factory and it would be fairly expensive but not massively expensive as it's not got particularly powerful attacks.

Yeah, you don't explicitly need a neural network for a functioning AI. That's heading into machine learning territory which is only really worth the effort for a high-grade AI simulation (where the AI is the focus/selling point, such as an adapative AI similar to that employed - simplistically - by games like Left 4 Dead).

Real-time makes it more difficult than a turn-based approach, but a singular agent only needs to observe nearby agents in order to perform an action. RTS AI logic is quite simple anyhow, you simply have a table with weighted values (for each type of AI brain, aggressive, etc, difficulty-level) that is updated dependent on what is currently in-play.

Heck, if you have the game Dawn of War, the AI logic is easily-exposed in that game and heavily moddable. A good starting point at the very least.

Don't tell me... squishy has become a pirate? arr!


You have a cube. Good job. Now make it blow up.

I needed to get the feel for the program before I buy/rent it.

Agreed, but personally I don't like how it's tabs are set up. I think firefox and chrome have better tab systems.

Edit: And all three? What about the very queen of all internet browsers? Opera. <3

I'm not a fan of piracy tbh. I'm going into an industry where I'd rather people not pirate my stuff

Totally understand, and like I said I'm just doing this to get a feel for the program, so I won't be going in blind when I finally get to buying it. ^^;

Companies that size treat piracy differently than games developers do, due to the sheer difference in margin of profit. While I personally shy from it (and flat-out oppose it for games, full stop), companies like Autodesk have mentioned along the lines of "we don't care if learners pirate our stuff, our money comes from corporate contracts/licenses" (paraphrased from a loooooong time ago).

Of course, each to their own.

Autodesk are actually cool in that they do student licenses for their programs that are free, and the same as commercial, and the only difference is that you aren't allowed to make money off them. I wish Adobe did the same thing with photoshop/flash >.<

they might not, but at least Adobe now offers monthly subs for an affordable price.

Not affordable for poor student me

well yea. not affordable for people who can't afford it.

edit: also, for people that don't know, it's about $30 a month for all Adobe stuff.

Are you being for real or are you using the 30 day trial? You made me wonder now... cos "getting to feel the program" doesn't sound like an excuse for pirating when there's a flippin' free trial available.

Thirty days isn't enough :c

Is it freight shipping?

I don't like pirating. 95% of the stuff you need can be done in the free legit version. If you do a KS, then I will not back it, because I will only back things I can fully trust.