Distension Beta Suggestions/Bugfix thread

[gdugwyler]

This is a thread for beta testers of Distension, the TW basing game with saved upgrades and ranks, combining the levelling system of an RPG and the hot basing action you have come to expect from TW for the last 30 years.

During the beta the game is open to all for play, with the understanding that there will be considerable problems and changes, and that acquired stats will not continue on into the public release. However, those that make non-duplicate reports of major and minor bugs in this thread, as well as suggestions that are implemented into the game, will receive points in the public release. The top 3 testers with the highest combined rank in all ships will also receive a sizeable bonus in the public release.

To participate in the beta, join ?chat=distension and ?go #distension when the bot notifies the chat that a test is beginning. After you have played once, you will be PMd by the bot for larger tests. Use the !beta command to the bot when it's online to see the most recent updates.

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BUGS
In order to find bugs, please abuse the bot heavily. Send it things it probably would not expect. Try to slip through various protections. Finding bugs that could be used to cheat are particularly valuable, and you are strongly encouraged to try to cheat in the beta -- not with CE or the like, but by finding exploits. Once you have discovered the extent of the problem, report it here or in a ?msg for a reward in the public release. Twerp, trashed, TUO, wayspace, Jeenyuss and James da Rockah are already earning bonuses of varying amounts for their reports.

SUGGESTIONS
The game is decent so far, but it could be better. Your suggestions are needed to help improve it, and you'll be rewarded in the public release for any that are implemented into the game. Here are some areas to think about:

- Map layout, tileset, and LVZ work. (Note: planning on eventually implementing other bases into the map. Multiple maps with multiple bots is also an eventual possibility.) Both suggestions for it and those that wish to take it on are welcome. In particular there's a lot of information displayed in chat that I'd like to turn graphical/LVZ.
- Ship balance. Ships that hurt at particular levels, that just all in all seem skewed one way or another, etc.
- Special abilities. Haven't seen so many of these used yet (low level still) but when they start being used they'll need some tweaking. Also, suggestions for additional abilities that may not have been thought of yet.
- Flagging system. What could make it more entertaining or balanced?
- Levelling rate. Is it reasonable? Too fast/slow? Give you enough of a taste to keep you coming back for more, without making it too easy?



FUTURE
- Expected beta of at least a month or more. When all ships are in, the game will be running several hours a day, some unsupervised.
- Beta testing will soon include RP bonus multipliers to aid in testing higher levels of ships. This will probably keep slowly increasing as we get closer to the end.

Thanks for the input and to everyone who's helping test this beast.

[Chao.]

I know freedom to leave the team you're on is important, but if the teams get too uneven (say around 5 or more player difference) I would suggest disabling team switching, at least during a round.

[Dameon Angell]

For your upgrades, I like the names you gave them, but perhaps an !upginfo command with translations of the upgrades, or what they do in detail.

Example: Voltron Thrusters - Created by Vox Enterprises, these thrusters will give you some more horsepower under your hood (top speed increase), literally and figuratively. With modern advances in gasoline your ship will be powered by mulched up horses.

[Zingy]

Is this the same distension that qan was working on a while back?

[milosh]

For your upgrades, I like the names you gave them, but perhaps an !upginfo command with translations of the upgrades, or what they do in detail.

Example: Voltron Thrusters - Created by Vox Enterprises, these thrusters will give you some more horsepower under your hood (top speed increase), literally and figuratively. With modern advances in gasoline your ship will be powered by mulched up horses.

I agree with this... i found interpreting the upgrades very frustrating even though the names you've given them are cool. You work so hard to get an upgrade and you don't want to spend it on something that sounds cool but isn't cool. yamean?

[Jeenyuss]

i told dug already that i think an f1 menu explaining the upgrades would be good but i think dame's idea is much better.

[Dameon Angell]

I was just played my old copy of Ratchet: Deadlocked, and all the weapons had a humorous (like all Ratchet games) description to them, but still said how they worked.

[gdugwyler]

Is this the same distension that qan was working on a while back?

Curiously enough.

Re: descriptions I'll agree to the first 10 being described; these are the essentials that are the same for all players. You'll find them in tiletext at A1 currently for the period of the beta. The first 10 upgrades will also be in F1. Doing a longer description on a per-upgrade basis for each ship may be a bit time-consuming, though. If someone wants to take this on I can throw it in, but otherwise I'll just implement something like !upginfo that shows which prize it influences. As for the remaining 4 "special" upgrades, I would like to keep these a bit more mysterious, at least for the meantime. Not all of them are prize-oriented, for one. Perhaps a player would take it on his- or herself to write a guide for such things once they are all known.

Chao, are you talking about disabling team switching so as not to be unfair to the team with the advantage during that round?

[Chao.]

Curiously enough.

Re: descriptions I'll agree to the first 10 being described; these are the essentials that are the same for all players. You'll find them in tiletext at A1 currently for the period of the beta. The first 10 upgrades will also be in F1. Doing a longer description on a per-upgrade basis for each ship may be a bit time-consuming, though. If someone wants to take this on I can throw it in, but otherwise I'll just implement something like !upginfo that shows which prize it influences. As for the remaining 4 "special" upgrades, I would like to keep these a bit more mysterious, at least for the meantime. Not all of them are prize-oriented, for one. Perhaps a player would take it on his- or herself to write a guide for such things once they are all known.

Chao, are you talking about disabling team switching so as not to be unfair to the team with the advantage during that round?

I like the !assist thing, but yes I mean disabling someone on a team with 10 people from jumping to a team who has 13 or 14.

[Ronn]

The weasel is too weak and takes too long to upgrade.

[gdugwyler]

Ah, I see what you mean. I think that was possible (the change from a team of 10 to a team of 14) due to a bug in how assist adjusted army strengths. Hopefully it'll be working now. That is not to say that there isn't a possibility that someone on a team of 10 wouldn't be needed on the team of 14. (Consider a team mostly full of low ranked ships vs a smaller team of much higher ranked ships.)

Are other people experiencing the same thing with the weasel?

[Kim]

I don't think all ships should grow at the same rate. This would give players who spend the time on it to actually cherish their high level weasel after it has levelled up a few times.

[Chao.]

I don't think all ships should grow at the same rate. This would give players who spend the time on it to actually cherish their high level weasel after it has levelled up a few times.

Yeah, I think it was mentioned somewhere already, maybe it was during a test or something - Different ships start out with different strengths, some start out pretty good but "max out" faster than others or improve more slowly, while others start out mediocre and get very strong as time goes on.

[Jeenyuss]

i don't even know how to unlock the weasel.

[Ronn]

Nah I think the weasel is ok actually just without stealth its useless and its going to take a very long time before stealth is available.