duh, expansion pack.

call it "smithed union" roflz.

I think those Vasari are just going mad... and their just running from that disease or whatever is causing it.

Yeah i didn't think size 7 was that big...sorry. no im not from SupCom forum. I mean yeah three races is the standard. Obviously you people would only want limited options. Well then i guess in the game that i want to make wouldn't sell. The game i want to make is a space real-time. Similar to this except i've been thinking it up for the last six years. My game will have about 15 different playable races spanning the enitre Local Group of galaxies. If three is plenty, then 15 should be just fine???

Please respond on how you think a space game with 15 unique races with their own conflicts sounds? Im writing a BOOKS about it as well.

Thanks.

Like an over-eager amateur who'll never actually do anything. Fact is, 15 is way to many. As has been stated elsewhere, the more races you have, the more balance you have to do. And on top of that, the learning curve gets more difficult as well -- at an exponential, rather than geometric or linear, rate. Books with 15 races might be pulled off, but I doubt it (there may be 15 races, but they won't all be involved in the plot). A game? No way.

I hope I haven't been too blunt.

odd, theres an almost identicle post over there...


there have been games that have incorporated many races succesfully, but it takes a LOT of time and effort.

Oh? Please name them. Highest I've ever seen is 4 races for War3... Unelss you count C&C general's use of "general" sub-races, which makes for 12... 3 distinct races with 4 similar sub-races each.

Not exactly races, but factions that play pretty differently. Seven in the Dawn of War series:

Space Marines
Eldar
Chaos Space Marines
Orks
Imperial Guard (Winter Assault)
Tau (Dark Crusade)
Necron (Dark Crusade)

Well, too bad I've never played warhammer. I wouldn't look quite so stupid.

Yeah, but 1) The SM and IG are both humans 2) SM and CSM are basically the same thing 3) most of the factions do play the same.

First off, i forgot to mention it takes place over FOUR games

1. Four Races-ground
2. Eight Races (total)-space/ground
3. Fifteen Races (total)-space/ground
4. Eight Races-ground

Learning Curve would be easy: difficulty settings-rates the race on difficulty of playi

I could probably take out like six races that don't do with the plot but have their own problems (more the merrier though.

The Books also don't have 15 races in them at once. The one i've written so far (191 pages woot-its my graduation project too) has 8 races (5 are primitive and rely on war monsters to win, three are advanced [including Humans]).

Yes Dawn of War has seven, Battle for Middle Earth II; RotWK also has seven.

Speaking of DoW, has anyone noticed on some city maps, that there are power lines. I doubt they will use them in the year 40,000!!

Also, this goes to Ron Lugge - i will do something...i've already made about 150 models of the Ships on Computer Aided Design. Although CAD is not used for game-making, i have nothing else and I'm only sixteen so nothing is realistic yet. So my parents and family and friends are quite impressed. In these days its hard to be different in games so im shooting for overhwleming options. That's unique... 15 or so playable races. A few races are also minor races that stand no chance against a major power but gives an added gameplay option. Ron Lugge- please respond.

1) Which is why I said factions, rather than races
2) Not too sure about that. Certainly doesn't feel the same to me when I attempt to play Chaos Space Marines. Mileage may vary on this.
3) Debatable. Differences may often not be as pronounced as they are between the three races in Starcraft, but I personally wouldn't use the same tactics playing Imperial Guard as I would Space Marines.

Of course thats impressive. But it doesn't get you anywhere near a game. And I've seen way to many, very professional looking, open source games drag on forever... or just fall apart... to ever be impressed by one person with what appears to be a shaky grasp on the English language. Not to say that you don't have a better grasp than you appear to have: only that you don't have the casual grasp on it that most of them have been required to develop. (Which, obviously, will interfere with your book idea, if not the game). Don't forget, your text is the only way you have to communicate. Using proper language and the recognized grammar and spelling is the only way you have to make a good first impression. And it definitely helps your ideas look more impressive.

Speaking of the book, if your interested I'm more than willing to help you develop your prose... I've gone through multiple English classes, my grasp of the language is excellent, and I've recieved a fair bit of training in writing myself (I'll link some of my very early work for you to see... remember, this is years old, my newer works appear to be offline atm for some reason: Invasion By Betrayal. Keep in mind thats my first piece of writing, and I haven't updated that particular site in a long while, but its still a good point for you to start at...Edit: Bleh, the prose in that thing is horrible... where is TDL when I need it, lol!)

Edit: If anyone is wondering why I don't have any recent work available, I've been trying to shift my work out of fan-fiction and into my own worlds, thus making it "publishable"... I may consider changing my mind if more Sins lore (read: enough to actually work with and not have it suddenly rendered inaccurate) is released. Especially if, say, the Devs are interested in some help creating more back story or atmosphere or just a little bit of publicity via a free (or not so free) competition... )

Edit: We Also Serve Here's a link to another, more recent story, though the link is actually to a WIP thread... the "final copy" of it was supposed to be on the associated tdl.diabloII.net website. Which is down. Sorry. Edit: Flip to page "5" of the thread and search for "

I know it doesn't get me anywhere near a game because I'm only sixteen years old. I'm still in High School. Since I have nothing else feasible that's what I do. I know when I get into the corporate world, I'll see the reality of game-making. But I have no clue. I will adapt to whatever needs to be adapted to. Most likely the number of races will be cut down. But however, I would still rather have more now and nothing later. I have never been to any conventions so I have no background other than playing games and wanting to make them.

With my book, it'll probably sometime before I even think of getting it edited/published (since I'm only 16). I did sumbit a seven-page children's book to ING banking company. It was a competition to write a child's book about money. I met all the requirements and submitted it. My parent's loved it. I also would say it could be a runner up if it does not win. I probably won't even know for a few months whether or not...

You said I have a shaky grasp on the English language. Do you think they teach anything in school anymore English-wise. My mom has taught me more. I learned more in a SAT prep-course than I did in three years of High School. I didn't capitalize and used abbreviated words (could-cud) just because I didn't think it was so crucial. This is a game forum, not a job application.

PS: What was with all the "Edits:....?"

Better than reposting, which annoys some people .

If you read closer, I said you appeared to have a shaky grasp. There is no reason to drop the the caps / punctuation in a sentence, as they don't slow you down. At least, they haven't slowed me down ever since I learned how to type properly. And since this is an online forum, the only manner you have to present yourself is with your text. Therefore, a few basic things to present a proper appearance is quite reasonable... especially since it makes people a lot less likely to skip your posts in frustration because they have to work to understand it.



Try AP English(AKA: College English available to high schoolers), much, much better than "college prep" (AKA: High school level) English. And, once you hit college you can take your local equivalent of English 1A and 1B (some school label it differently) which is basically reading and writing at a college / professional level. I don't have any of the essays I wrote still around, but the reason I have such an easy grasp of writing dates back to those three classes.

But, before we go any further down that road, let me point out that I am a little bit more anal-retentive than most about such things. I've literally been reading books since second or third grade. I was reading on an adult level since fifth grade. As a result, I have a much harder time dealing with non-professional text than most do. "cud" and "could" are two totally different things, and I have a hard time distinguishing. And I don't see what a cow's cud has to do with the fact that you could do something.

[offtopic] I doubt Phalnax811 is a senior, maybe a junior. Mostly it's seniors that take AP English, at least at my school. The rest is Honors or Academic. [/ontopic]

As an extensive RTS player, I am going to list my favorite RTSs from greatest to least.

1) Warcraft 3
2) Command and Conquer 3 (their online play stuff is a pain to set up)
3) C&C: Red Alert (1st RTS I played... still have it for PS1 and compy)
4) Homeworld/Homeworld 2
5) SupCom (the units are all the same/gameplay takes too long)
6 and below) pretty much everything else...

edit @ Ron: I agree. Proper spelling and grammar is the only thing that shows intelligence on a forum. I wrote trash fiction when I was younger, too. Nothing became of it Later, I discovered the horror of analyzing boring stories and being forced to read To Kill a Mockingbird.

Edit edit @ Phalnax811

Just be warned: Custom skins does not equal a good game, a balanced game, a well played game, a well programmed game, a popular game, or a unique game. Some games with custom skins are total trash, imbalanced, or just absolutely horrible in every way possible. Also, there are free programs that can be used for 3D modeling (I think they're free). When you go and do something, look at what other people are doing to see the challenges ahead. Also, when making game models, remember they're not static, and that each model will need to be animated for EACH light, beep, and flash in the game. Regular skins are alot simpler, since they just cover the unit frame.

In my HS, pre-AP started Freshman year, and actual AP started Junior...



Eh, ok, but I did not like their micro focus.


I really didn't like the click-fest approach to this game... and the fact that SupCom had zoom ruined me for this game the instant I tried the demo. Well, the instant I heard about it and starting poking around TA enough to bump into a little thing called "Spring".



Yeah, I loved that game!



The only time I ever tracked down a copy of that game, they wouldn't take my debit/credit card because of a freaking typo somewhere in where I spelled my name. I kept trying -- even went and dug up some of the bills from my bank to get the spelling off those! -- but it never worked.



Well, I love it.



Hey, I like To Kill a Mockingbird. Along with most of the other stories I was forced to read (Invisible man sucked, but 1984 and Brave New World were both worthwhile, as was Earth Abides and Good Earth...).

I have found a review where the reviewer made an error while reviewing Mockingbird.

The quote at the top of the page said. "A Heart-warming story of prejudice and racism"



Same here, accept fo the pre-AP thing, in my opinion anything that is before an AP class IS pre-AP.

And in any case, the class is way easier then college courses. Over 80% of all students entering college are at least 2 years behind in reading and writing skills.

And according to statistics the children of an immigrant family(1st, 2nd maybe 3rd generation) have higher SAT and ACT scores in the area of English then native speakers. Also the majority of AP test scores above the score 3 come from minorities.

There are quite a few statistics related to APs in general and they are in no way correlated with success in college.



Then, no one really shows intelligence on this forum. I havent seen a post that does not have grammatical errors withing it(okay fine I have, but those were really short posts). Even your all-so-enlightening statment has grammatical errors.

I mean your missing a period, you have two unnecessary commas. Come on!

Intelligence can not be shown on a forum, even personality is at times hard to decipher.

I can riddle a post with the most eloquent words I know and make it perfect through editing. But, that wouldnt make me smart, it would make me stupid. First off, I would have wasted precious time. Second, I wasted precious effort. Third, I showed stupidity in letting myself care about how complete strangers view me.

In the end, intelligence, if it is ever shown at all can not be defined in any narrow definition.



And a lot of people dont, so stop preaching.

same for me, and many other people lugge, but that doesnt mean you really need to be an ass about how he writes.
I for one think the effort is both respectable and interesting, it may not turn out to be an amazing game in the end, but consider how many people it takes just to make one really good game (sit through the credits of any game you chose.)

although phalanx you might want to see if you can get assistance inside or outside the interwebs.

pre-AP is just a way for a school to look more impressive, I think he's refering to honors classes.
for me honors classes started in 6th (for math and foreign language) 8th (for english and history) and 9th for everything else, 10th started AP (science) 11th AP Eng and US history (and foreign lang if you wish) and finally AP Calc and everything else is in 12th

true...

well considering that college is meant to be the "next level" its not tailored to high school, additionally consider that most college English courses are for English majors.

an elegent expose on futility emp.

everyone has their preferences, I thought KaM was a scam, but I personally like the novel A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood which (I believe) most will tell you has a rather difficult and quirky narrative.

Eh, that is actually an accurate, if misleading, phrasing. Of course, the fact is the heart-warming part comes from how some oppose it. And its not all sun-shine and light, but at least it shows the light as "dominant", as it were.

Eh, that was basicly AP prep -- and, in essence, an honors class, too. I don't remember if it had the GPA boost, but it was (significantly) harder than the regular classes, almost as hard as the college level English classes I took.

Perhaps you misunderstand us. There is a qualitative and important difference between a clearly legible post (which while it may contain the occasional lingual error is at least based in proper english) and something jotted down with no concern for the rules of the language. Given that your writing is the only way to make an impression, its important to use it to read well. People not only give more weight to better written pieces, but have a distinct tendency to skip any post (or at the most skim it rather than read in full) that is in any way difficult to read.



That wasn't me being an ass. Believe me, I'm a lot worse when I want to be an ass. As I stated at the end, I hoped I wasn't being too blunt (AKA rude) -- I frequently have a hard time with that. He wanted input -- in fact, made a second post specifically to ask for input -- so I gave it to him. You'll note that I didn't post my reply -- in effect "ignoring" his post -- untill after he asked for input. I did that because I knew darned well any honest reply would push the limit, because I have a (very) hard time with tact. (re-reading this thread quickly, some things don't quite jive with the way I remembered it... I think I saw his first "post" in another thread, and just threw it in with this one when he asked for a reply here...)

Oh, and if your actually referring to my comments on language, fact is I really do have a hard time even with your writing, and Phalanx's. Go look in another thread where someone told me that his leetspeak meant "no spelling necessary, just use abbreviations" and I thought that was the key instead of the translation. I honestly didn't get it, even though I went back and tried to use the "key" on the string in question. Thats how bad I am.



I've sat through any number of credits over the years. But also consider that it doesn't always take a full-up corporate team -- go watch the credits on SEIV for example.



I think my school deliberately tried to blur the lines for those differences, dunno why.

The quotes are in backwards chronological order, bare with me


It's because many people do not enjoy reading, unlike myself.


You can still read it, can't you? your "all-so-enlightening" statement has spelling errors! haven't (no apostrophe
) and "statment" (statement). Hahaha, my point is that no one is perfect, and I like to make my ideas as legible and easy to understand as possible


It is quite possible. People who are in a rush and too lazy to look for actually answers make posts like: "plz hlep mea wthi thsi"


Is it really that stupid? How about that stranger who became your girlfriend, or that stranger who gave you your first job? You never would have any friends if you never met strangers.


Some people liked it, some people didn't. I really liked it. Each to his own. (oh no, sentence fragment!)


Good graphics and fast gameplay. However, I didn't like how it was just basically mass as much as possible. Not much micro involved.



I really like George Orwell (1984). I never read the Invisible Man!! I didn't think Brave New World was all that great. If it was supposed to be a Utopia, then everyone would be satisfied and nothing would have happened in the first place. Simple logical statement. Dante's Paradiso (not sure if I spelled correctly) Shows a true paradice, no matter where they are, they have no desire to improve, and are satisfied with everything.

Which is the entire point of the story, when you get down to it.

rugge I've taken the same AP classes as you have, I understand that my writing is an abomination but you dont need to go around firing off bombs because it irritates you (and almost only you)
perhaps you should do a little "checking" of your own if you want to avoid sounding like an ass (I guess not your "full blown" ass, but just a little assish all the same)

which "us"?

now see, if that actually was a good game I would know what it is.
my point being: we cant expect greatness where there really isnt the resources for it, we can still congratulate and thank the kid for at least trying.

sounds better on a college transcript.

hey, no no no. take your literature philosophy someplace else.

You aren't reading me right. I have literally read at an adult level since at least sixth grade. I was reading "adult" level novels from grade four. It has nothing to do with me being deliberately picky, I actually have a very difficult time reading you. I have to stop, think and re-read in order to figure out what your saying. And in places (like here) I literally am incapable -- not unwilling, but incapable of deciphering what the person has to say.



You mean if it had publicity worth the paper it wasn't written on, you mean. Its actually a very good series (I don't care for SEV as much, but Space Empires IV is quite good)



Hey, I've spent years learning all about stuff like that. I can't help but spread it around a little I mean, your talking to a guy who passed his AP writing exam, after all.

yes, I have to; its not as rare as you think.
well for me it was fifth grade...

it wasnt exactly like I walked up and pointed, said "mommy mommy I wanna read this", my parents did a little testing to see how far I could read ahead. When they realized I could read material almost at their level (they're both college grads, one an english major) they were rather impressed. (mind you I wasnt exactly understanding the underpinning thematics, if you did congrats, thats incredible)

then you're making me start to think thats a mental issue. my writing isnt a strict grammatic masterpiece, but its clearly functionally sound.

let me clarify this, as it will obviously piss you off:
no you dont have a mental issue (or at least not one I'm aware of). But, if you haven't read enough grammatic garbage to understand what I'm saying, then you need to get out a little more.

see? you're understanding me perfectly.

and I aced mine, but that doesnt mean I want to deal with it again.

ok this is becoming a macho battle, how about we quit it.