SteamWorks

[DiM]

The name "Age of Steam" is already taken...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
i hate you!!!!!!

it's steampunk and age of steam worked perfectly. i'm left with punk and age of punk sounds awful

i guess i'm open to name suggestions from everybody. i'd love it to be "Age of X" where X represents steampunk.

[natty dread]

Sorry

You weren't around when I was making the first 2 of my map pack... when I was making the first map (Orient Express) I asked people for suggestions for a name for the map pack, there was even a vote I think, and people liked "Age of Steam" the best... so I can shift the blame a little...

[DiM]

i snooze... i lose.

i guess i should have copyrighted the "Age of..." when i left the site

would Age of Steamworks be ok?
or perhaps just Steamworks

[natty dread]

Steamworks sounds good.

[rdsrds2120]

Going with the fact that Steampunk metals usually assume brass, and that it lines up with the idea of resources like your other maps, an "Age of Brass" could work.

-rd

[TaCktiX]

Welcome back to mapmaking DiM. If you need any ideas or tips, I've made my own steampunk map present in the sig. The idea itself is sound, and since R&C got an exception to go 6, if you justify it well you should be good.

As cairns said, <overrides> tags make that a piece of cake.

One major mapmaking change is that we now have the authority to make a map supersize if its concept justifies the extra space. Smalls can go 1000x800 and larges can go 1400x1200. So if you could do 8 players with the larger sizes, thats a possibility. I get the impression that you specifically want the map to be 4p, so we'll have to wait and see the full concept.

Process-wise, it's fairly similar to the way it was in 2008-09. Now that you've got a functional draft up I'll be moving Age of Steam over to the Drafting Room after I post this. After you get a Draft stamp it's the same gameplay-graphics-XML you remember. The major difference is that maps quench to Beta status first, leaving you liable to making changes as balance requires, and when all those concerns are handled (~1 month later), quenched for good.

[DiM]

thanks for the input mate. i think i'll stick to 2-4 players and regular map size on this one as there aren't too many territories so far.
i will try to take advantage of that supersize map thing at a future date with another map.
oh, and thanks for moving the map

[natty dread]

R&C got an exception to go 6

Wasn't R&C started when the site was still at max. 6 players? I haven't seen any other map exempted from the 8 players requirement...

[Bruceswar]

R&C got an exception to go 6

Wasn't R&C started when the site was still at max. 6 players? I haven't seen any other map exempted from the 8 players requirement...

No R&C came way after that fact.

[DiM]

V2:
*created the first working image with background art and all that
*terits, connections and legend are only temporary drawings until gameplay is finalized

Click image to enlarge.

[natty dread]

Graphics are nice.

I'd like to see more mechanics in the gameplay. Like, you could have a power source, which moves a cog, which in turn moves a belt which moves some contraption... each part of the machine having a different function and awarding different bonuses.

Also, more territories would be good.

[DiM]

Graphics are nice.

10x

I'd like to see more mechanics in the gameplay. Like, you could have a power source, which moves a cog, which in turn moves a belt which moves some contraption... each part of the machine having a different function and awarding different bonuses.
Also, more territories would be good.

i'm not sure how i could do what you're asking. on the paper i will actually draw a map with teritories with mountains and rivers and stuff. and some terits will be special (ie: the steam will be steam geysers). so it's not going to be a blueprint of a weird contraption where each part is a terit. right now i just have some icons with lines between them because it's only a temporary thing until i get a better idea about the gameplay.
i could come up with more intricate bonuses and perhaps even more terits but keep in mind i would like to make this as a fast to play 2-4 player map with less than 40 terits.

[DiM]

new version
V3.
* redid the terits to better express what i plan to do.
* added baloons ports and various stuff around the map
* changed bonuses and rules (see map legend)
* the number of terits is now 44 but i will surely lower it in the next version by uniting some smaller terits. probably going to drop to 36

Click image to enlarge.

[ender516]

If you are still keen to have an "Age of " name, perhaps "Age of Mechanics" would serve.

[TaCktiX]

I'll disagree on Age of Mechanics. It sounds like a dystopian future where unions finally triumphed and we pay exorbitant prices on oil changes.

[DiM]

i'm pretty satisfied with SteamWorks right now.
i'd appreciate some feedback on gameplay.

[cairnswk]

i'm pretty satisfied with SteamWorks right now.
i'd appreciate some feedback on gameplay.

When i saw anchors and what appear to be different continents, i thought AoM again. I could be wrong, but thought you were aiming for something different.

[Victor Sullivan]

At a quick glance, I'm not entirely confident that you can have an objective be killer neutral, as I believe the killer neutral goes into effect before the objective.

-Sully

[DiM]

i'm pretty satisfied with SteamWorks right now.
i'd appreciate some feedback on gameplay.

When i saw anchors and what appear to be different continents, i thought AoM again. I could be wrong, but thought you were aiming for something different.

graphically speaking there could be similarities and that would not be a problem. after all AoM is placed in a fictive 18-19th century world while Steamworks is placed in a fantasy 19th century. so design-wise surely some things will be very similar. i just add pipes, steam, some cogs, perhaps some blueprints of a weird contraption and voila...steampunk
last night i got the idea to make some floating landmasses in a sort of isometric view and unite them via zeppelins and floating ships. that would truly be steampunk.
the only problem is that i can't possibly fit that into the current map size. so either i get approval for a supersize map or i reduce the number of terits.

i will try to present a different version later tonight.

[DiM]

At a quick glance, I'm not entirely confident that you can have an objective be killer neutral, as I believe the killer neutral goes into effect before the objective.

-Sully

i hate xml destroying or limiting all my plans

[isaiah40]

the only problem is that i can't possibly fit that into the current map size. so either i get approval for a supersize map or i reduce the number of terits.

Well, why don't don't you post one with your ideas, and if people like it, then I'm sure we can approve the extra pixels for it to work.

[Industrial Helix]

We need territory names for this to pass on.

Other than that, balloon has two l's.

And we need a value for how much is lost with more than 1 steam.

[DiM]

We need territory names for this to pass on.

Other than that, balloon has two l's.

And we need a value for how much is lost with more than 1 steam.

i'm currently redesigning the whole map. i'm remaking the borders, rethinking the bonuses improving the steampunk theme by using a historical location (even if it is from an alternate reality). i will post something when i'm finished.
oh, and the map is now 1000*1000px

[DiM]

V4 comes with a big update
Done:
*new terits (40) - a fantasy England torn apart by Evil Dr.DiM (:P) from his laboratory in Oxford.
*new bonuses - (need discussing)
*various artwork
*map is now playable by up to 8 people

to do:
*i still need to add some lines and various artwork on the map itself (some ships, waves, dragons, etc) to make it even more realistic.
*balance gameplay - discuss bonuses
*get permission for current size

Click image to enlarge.

[natty dread]

Does "Engine + 2 steam = loss" mean that you're out of the game if you hold them?

Hm. What if you hold 2 engines and 2 steams, will that cancel the effect of "blown engine" or are you still out of the game?

Either way, I'm not sure if it'll work - the losing condition is coded as a set of territories you need to hold to stay in the game...