Age of Strategy Forums

I see games where players want an avatar and want to customise them and so on
Look at Forum-Heroes they are very similar to this approach (playing using an "avatar" of yours)

so i thought here (this is big picture only, not a detailed plan)
- we could have a few kind of unit classes (stats) that can be chosen as "avatars" (an archer, a knight, a pike, such like these)
- in account page or something you can chose which type of avatar you want to be, name it, and which skin you need and such changes.
- these avatars would have a default appearance (nice, animated one tough), and they have well defined "fix" stat, eg. a normal knight or something, so they will not be more powerful or anything - only will have a custom look that represents "you". These avatar "classes" should also be similar in power - that will be a hard part (how an archer can compete with a knight? - but we can solve it somehow)
- later as he plays the game (eg. reaches this or that "achievement" - btw are achievements work?) - he can unlock new appearance for the different avatar classes (like a new archer skin, a new archer "arrow" image, a new knight skin, a new knight "select" sound, a new attack sound and so on)
- also some "not game affecting" stats could also change like +2 sight (i could not figure out any other that is not important..)
- also some "balanced" prop changes: eg. if u sacrifice a movement, u can have +1 armor
- finally in any game local or multiplayer you can train exactly one of this Avatar unit (unique for you) and this unit stat and appearance will be the one you have configured. (here important again: there will not be an option to have a 1000hp unit, stats are NOT or able to change very little comparing to normal units)
- this unit trained can die, that will affect nothing, simply you lost a unit, and maybe you can tain it again -or we can make it being able a one-time unit per game.
- these avatar "skins" would be nice, and animating so they are very good to look at
- also these avatars could appear beside the player name in game setup page, and in game pőlayer list too, and maybe in chat too.
- extra: IMPRINTING: we could have some of these "skins" available for everyone (without imprint), but some of them are only available if u have got the "Imprinted" threatment for some gems to be able to get it -> meaning only "hardcore" gamers could get it who solved many campaigns and could get the imprinting (no newbies without campaign experience)

- Rejected idea: earlier i thought of totally free "skin" drawing, but than we would need a "moderator" group for those since i dont want harrassing, or offensive unit images in game, also a bad quality image is also not good.


what do u think?

Hm. I like this idea.
Only few questions:
1. Can we choose some additional parts for image? Like different helmet/different weapon look/different horse/different armor (ofc unlockable)?
2. AoF only: will we be able to choose race of unit and will it be affected by upgrades of chosen race?
3. Can we also choose specific restricted color for avatars?

helmet: would be awesome - but that case it can not be "animated" OR at least i can not imagine any animation that has "irreplacable" parts - tell me if it can be done tough.

AOF: sure, there could be an elven archer, a human archer and so on.

updgrades: i think yes the avatar archer can be affected of some upgrades - naturally it will have stats more similar than the normal archer. it is up to a decision that how the unit class (like avatar archer) will be balanced to normal units.

specific restricted color: what u mean? a team color? different than your team in game?

This is quite similar to generals in Aos

This sounds like a good idea.

Stratego (dev) wrote: ↑Wed Sep 26, 2018 6:40 pm helmet: would be awesome - but that case it can not be "animated" OR at least i can not imagine any animation that has "irreplacable" parts - tell me if it can be done tough.

AOF: sure, there could be an elven archer, a human archer and so on.

updgrades: i think yes the avatar archer can be affected of some upgrades - naturally it will have stats more similar than the normal archer. it is up to a decision that how the unit class (like avatar archer) will be balanced to normal units.

specific restricted color: what u mean? a team color? different than your team in game?

1. We can changing unanimated parts only.
2. Great, because i want to be an elven archer (exactly )
3. We will figure this out.
4. I mean that can i set specific team color for avatar that won't change from my own team color?

And last thing: i think it must be restricted to upcoming "fun mode" (or like that, where forum heroes, unique and legendary units are) so it won't affect campains.

We can make an ui like in rpg games were we select our characters race and form there we should be able to customize somewhat like this.

< HEAD > o
<TORSO> /( )\
<ARMS> l l
<LEGS>

To keep it as simple as possible. I think this are good basics


maybe we could make each arm customizable by its own

makazuwr32 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:23 am

1. We can changing unanimated parts only.
2. Great, because i want to be an elven archer (exactly )
3. We will figure this out.
4. I mean that can i set specific team color for avatar that won't change from my own team color?

And last thing: i think it must be restricted to upcoming "fun mode" (or like that, where forum heroes, unique and legendary units are) so it won't affect campains.

parts: we can not: imagine a unit that moves always in any ways - walks up n down, turns left to right, nkeels down and so on, we can not change anytghing since everything can move - if we stick these to be more animated than current units

color: this means u dont want teamcolored parts of this unit.

fun mode: definitely not, this is a normal unit in stats, so u can build it anywhere. (we can restrict some campaigns tough, by a new trigger)

Gral.Sturnn wrote: ↑Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:34 am We can make an ui like in rpg games were we select our characters race and form there we should be able to customize somewhat like this.

< HEAD > o
<TORSO> /( )\
<ARMS> l l
<LEGS>

To keep it as simple as possible. I think this are good basics


maybe we could make each arm customizable by its own

parts: we can not: imagine a unit that moves always in any ways - walks up n down, turns left to right, nkeels down and so on, we can not change anytghing since everything can move - if we stick these to be more animated than current units

Stratego (dev) wrote: ↑Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:33 am

Gral.Sturnn wrote: ↑Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:34 am We can make an ui like in rpg games were we select our characters race and form there we should be able to customize somewhat like this.

< HEAD > o
<TORSO> /( )\
<ARMS> l l
<LEGS>

To keep it as simple as possible. I think this are good basics


maybe we could make each arm customizable by its own

parts: we can not: imagine a unit that moves always in any ways - walks up n down, turns left to right, nkeels down and so on, we can not change anytghing since everything can move - if we stick these to be more animated than current units

They are not movable parts they will can simply be changed not animated

wat stratego is trying to say is image needs to b whole body to b used in game, if u want suppose different helmet or armor style, it can only b done by making a completely new full body image

Probably the best would be put an img editor like function like map editor in game, but for specifically units, but that would be a hard thing to do in the game...
But sample templates with change-able parts that sounds simple, is more complex to code than it appears... So idk, but about the changeable parts, i would say if we could have the sample units, just make change-able the weapons of them on the first test, then armors and the rest later on.

We can start with alastar and trainee as base, btw wat was the original campaign where they were used?

i thought of a crazy idea: what if i use a 3d engine just for rendering any unit image, and the rendered image would be the avatar "sprite" in the 2d engine.

so you start with a simple 3d model simple textures and weapons, we can make the "animations" too in 3d.
and later some parts of the unti can be
- colored
- or even changed to different (previously specified) objects, like: starts with a short sword, but will be able to hold a longer sword, or an other that has some teeth on the blade and so on.

so the user would see this:
- sleecting the "base" avatar model
- changing colors of parts/skin to anything
- maybe changing textures to predefined textures (on anything)
- OR changing the parts (adding cape, or changing to longer cape, or changing to other kind of helmet and so on)
- and he presses apply: so the engine will render it to a sprite (mabe even the same animations are appplied to the "new" model as the original has, so we dont lose animations.)

seems crazy but cool i think

4th idea seems more like it

4th?

Stratego (dev) wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:52 pm4th?

This

OR changing the parts (adding cape, or changing to longer cape, or changing to other kind of helmet and so on)

Gral.Sturnn wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:12 pm

Stratego (dev) wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:52 pm4th?

This

OR changing the parts (adding cape, or changing to longer cape, or changing to other kind of helmet and so on)

i believe you mean you like this better than chaning only the color.

Stratego (dev) wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:17 pm

Gral.Sturnn wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:12 pm

Stratego (dev) wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:52 pm4th?

This

OR changing the parts (adding cape, or changing to longer cape, or changing to other kind of helmet and so on)

i believe you mean you like this better than chaning only the color.

yes