Escape From Zombie Island 2 ready for public consumption

[KingArthur]

Ok Zombie fans, we need some fodder, sorry I mean testers to give the game a quick once over with a fresh pair of eyes.

Anyone can volunteer; just PM me with your email address.

 

[Vuldacon]

This Test Play will be the Final testing before the Game Release on June 1st...
Testers: It will be helpful if All Factions are played so perhaps you can post what Faction you are playing in order to be certain each Faction is played.

 

[Cloner4000]

I will play the authority first. I will give a brief report by tonight. What kind of notes are you looking for specifically? I think it would be really helpful if the tester have a fews focus points to look for, so as we know what to do.

 

[Cloner4000]

I play in this setting
15A-Most Agg. Authorities
I am about 6 turns into the game so far

I like the extra hp for all the characters. Makes them a lot more sturdy to offset the increase stat of all the character. The basic stat is all change so expect some surprise.
Although now the king/hero units appear to be a bit underpowered. Some are even actually weaker then other buildable units. Generally while the king unit's stat doesn't change, all the others did so it feels kind of weird there.
The Sated King Zombie is the city makes is very hard to capture it in the early stage. My whole military base Troops make a attempt at capturing it but I hardly make a dent.
On the other hand SWAT are now the realy kickass. There bombard ability makes them second only to Snake which have 3 movements. They have surpass O'Connel in terms of usefulness and attacks.
Their range two is very deadly I was able snipe at a lot of zombies before they can get to me or enemy defending. I was able to capture bank after about 4 turn of constant bombarding by all the swats. I lose one swat in the attack.

I didn't encouter any bugs so far. I suggest thoguh we need to do something to the hero units. Or perhaps that's the way you want them to do it? Maybe the heros could have higher bombard and range to set them apart.

The hospital have no troops guarding making it possible to have zombie nurses in the game.
I saw the old vet moving, they look really cool.

 

[Vuldacon]

Cloner4000... You already have the New Upload? Great.
Just look through the Civilopedia so you can see the many game changes such as Units, Key and Minor Locations and what they all do. This will help you play by understanding these changes.
Than Simply play a Game on Level 12A with Normal Aggression and see what you think. IF you see anything that is incorrect, not working properly or that needs adjusting...we would want to know about it.

There should not be many things, if any, that require change because all Factions have been played many times. I have not had a chance to play since I have had to work on several units and add them so that and anything that was not caught is the main reason to test now with different "eyes".
Any Feedback is of course welcome too.

I will tell you all this...I set up a way for the Human Player to save Sam Hammer when they play as any Human Faction. Sam Appears on the North East corner, west of Sales and Marketing on turn two (IF you do not prevent this by placing a unit there at the start of the game). IF you let the Zombies move Sam there on there First turn by keeping the Area Dark and Undiscovered and you run your Free Unit, that I placed for all Factions, toward that Area (on the Street) on turn one, you will be able to rescue Sam Hammer on turn 2 immediately. The Company should use the T-800 and move it to the Skyscraper above the Sewer Guard to the right of Sales and Marketing on turn one. Turn two...walk the T-800 West and Sam will be on a Skyscraper there. This is the Reason why the Units you will see pre-placed on the North side of the map have an extra Move. It allows you to save Sam on turn two IF you do it correctly.

IF you play as the Authorities, you will immediately see that the Hospital does not have any unit inside. There is a way to save the Hospital when you play as the Authorities but I do not want to spoil the Fun for anyone by directly stating the Best way. I have no doubt that all will figure it out easily.
If you are not playing as the Authorities, the Hospital will have units inside due to the Default where the AI Gets x number of units depending on the level played. The Zombies that are placed outside the Hospital will capture it on turn one in general and Zombie Nurses will start "Graduating" from the Zombie Nurse School.
Use your own strategies and how you think it best to Play any Faction to Win.

The Last thing I will say is Do Not Waste Time and by all means, build the Needed Key and Minor Locations. Hint: Some increase your chances of Great Leaders...generally it will help you to anticipate what you will build so you can prepare for it or save a Great Leader for the Job.
The Champions are VERY Worth gaining from a Great Leader because they can "Shoot" with Bombard Settings and that may just save your "Bacon" when the Other Very Mean Zombie units start coming...beware and Good Luck

 

[odintheking]

Hey, I want the update!

 

[Vuldacon]

odintheking... did you send King Arthur your address? He is handling the Upload and putting together the "Tester Group" since he has High Speed and it is faster for him to upload.

 

[Cloner4000]

Now try with the said setting with survivors....post laster.

 

[Virote_Considon]

Files recieved.

Now, do I go to college today?...

 

[Vuldacon]

Files recieved.

Now, do I go to college today?...

Virote_Considon... I don't know...can you get credit for "Graphics/Animation Research" or perhaps a study on Strategic thinking?

I do also want to tell you Testers that the game will require more time to play to the finish than before... You might not go to college tomorrow either

 

[Vuldacon]

On the other hand SWAT are now the realy kickass. There bombard ability makes them second only to Snake which have 3 movements. They have surpass O'Connel in terms of usefulness and attacks.

Cloner4000... That is a good good point concerning Hank O'Donnel. His Stats are the same as the SWAT but he has a lesser "Bombard" and it is Defensive Bombard so he does not "Snipe". The SWAT and Other Units that "Snipe" are powerful when used that way because you can Take out the Zombies before they can reach you so no loss or injury. I did not want so many units with this ability because the game would then be far too easy. Because Hank O'Donnel is a one of a kind Unit, I do agree that he should have better Stats than even the Powerful SWAT...Should Hank O'Donnel have "Bombard" with the ability to Snipe like the SWAT or should he be given stronger Attack/Defense instead?

The Hospital is set correctly so the Zombies will gain it unless you play as the Authorities because then you can prevent it from being captured. There will continue to be Zombie Nurses throughout the game because Mutant Zombies Enslave them and Zombie Nurses Enslave Zombie Nurses.

Concerning the "King Unit"... There are many King Units in the game because they are not meant to be Built and this setting is to accomplish that.
What King Unit do you see that is set with low Stats? Most have very high Stats and they were changed along with all other units. Look at King Arthur and all of the Leaders for each Faction for example.

Specifics like Hank O'Donnel help more than general statements so any issue can be addressed where needed.

 

[Spacer One]

KA: I never got the files, or a link to them...I sent you both my emails, and you said they were sent...but I got nada

 

[Virote_Considon]

Should Hank O'Donnel have "Bombard" with the ability to Snipe like the SWAT or should he be given stronger Attack/Defense instead?

I'd say his Attack/Defense should be increased.

Anyway, after playing a little today:
Random Civ (Survivors)
-I've noticed a lot of units have a RoF for defensive bombardment. Unfortunatley, the added RoF does not come into effect for defensive bombardment, as far as I know
-The Script.txt for the techs is all wrong. "Revenge of The Nerds" has "Do It Yourself", "Here Boy" has "Species Jump"...
-I'm loving all the new additions!
-The Graveyard is now much harder to take!
-I just trapped a Zombie leader
-Those bats keep killin' my workers!
-The Old Timer's great! "Get Back! Get Back!" As is the Spunky Kid!
-The Zombies have Mutant Zombies by Noon DAY 1!!! Do they start with any?
-2 PM Day 1, Freddie gives me a great leader after slashing 2 zombies in a row (his only 2 all night! )
-The same hour, the zombies took Mr. Tokugawa's house! Conviniently, Arthur and Hannible had been chased there from the Graveyard (there wasn't enough space for them in the Rushmobile), and the Rushmobil arived 2 hours later with Vuldacon and Mr. Tokugawa!
-Noon Day 2- the Hospital is mine!
-10PM Day 2- I capture the Graveyard after a several hour siege! At least they couldn't have it til' midnight!
-8AM Day 3- I now own the Fast Food Joint!
-Noon Day 3- Rev. Simmonds produces my second Hero at the Fast Food Joint (via bombardment )
-I'm loving the atmosphere!

To end, I thought I'd show you this early Screenshot. As you can see America some deity surely favours us

 

[Synobun]

Yes, Lara Croft "Tomb Raider" is "Natasha" with the Company.

I made a new palette and adjusted the animations for the BMW that la_dav made a while back...it is the Company Car.

Just completed the "Super Coupe" unit. It is the Car produced from "Mike's Auto Shop" at the Garage. I will be uploading it soon. I also remade the Death for the Barracuda to improve it.

The Car that was used as the Previous "Rushmobile" is now set as the "Motor Car" that is produced at the City Car Park.

Cars cannot be built in the game now...they are all produced at Key Locations. All Factions have transportation from the start of the game and all Human Factions can capture any of the Key Locations to gain the Troop Trucks, Super Coupes and Motor Cars. This provides the ability for a player to gain more transportation on both sides of the Island no matter what Faction is played.
...So the cars are now completed.

I expect "Badass Hannibal" will be completed before the Release but "Flamin' Hannibal and the Pyromaniac units for the Survivors and Farmers will probably be added after the release as Updates along with a New Monster Zombie.

We will see about getting the Game Uploaded for the Testers as soon as possible. The Game Release date of June 1st appears to be On Schedule

My birthday! Now that'll be a treat.

 

[Cloner4000]

the the king unit that are a tad bit weak are Prom Queen, Miss Tokugawa, Hanks, Chief of Secruity(Well he keep dying when computer plays it) Some of stat similar to the buildable units thus they did not really seperate themselve from others. It could also be that I just have incredibly bad lucks while attack with Prom Queen and Miss Tokugawa, both are redline to 1hp only attacking 1 reg. zombies.

King Arthur are incredibly powerful!!! Although I lost Vuldacon when Nuclear Zombies attack me >< I think I just need to realize that rush from first few turn won't work that well since there is not a crazy amount of sated Zombies

 

[KingArthur]

Most king units have a certain lifespan of usefulness, then their role is to die in horrible yet interesting ways for the sake of the storyline - perhaps sacrificing themself for the greater good

But seriously this is true, the only really good king units who will keep you alive in the late mid and end game are those with bombardment ability: Manbot; M1 Mech; King Arthur...

The AI does not use king units properly, it will nearly always get them killed off early because it attacks with them when they are redlined instead of healing them. The important thing is what you can do with them.

As for Prom Queen and Miss Tok, they do get injured even attacking normal zombies. I tend to keep them for defensive purposes - zombies won't attack your buildings if they perceive them to be well defended and this buys you time. Of course I also use them to attack any zombies adhacent to a buildings tile and then heal them if neccessary inside the building. Keep playing and I'm sure you'll develop an effective strategy combining all the units.

the the king unit that are a tad bit weak are Prom Queen, Miss Tokugawa, Hanks, Chief of Secruity(Well he keep dying when computer plays it) Some of stat similar to the buildable units thus they did not really seperate themselve from others. It could also be that I just have incredibly bad lucks while attack with Prom Queen and Miss Tokugawa, both are redline to 1hp only attacking 1 reg. zombies.

King Arthur are incredibly powerful!!! Although I lost Vuldacon when Nuclear Zombies attack me >< I think I just need to realize that rush from first few turn won't work that well since there is not a crazy amount of sated Zombies

 

[KingArthur]

I'm working on correcting this now.

-The Script.txt for the techs is all wrong. "Revenge of The Nerds" has "Do It Yourself", "Here Boy" has "Species Jump"...

 

[KingArthur]

Here is the corrected Script.txt file.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Unzip the file which should give you a script.txt file.
2. Put the script.txt file into the Text folder of Escape From Zombie Island 2 Again.

NOTE: This file is for Play Testers only.

 

[Vuldacon]

Virote_Considon... I also believe that Hank O'Donnel should be given better Attack and Defense rather than "Bombard" ...there are enough units with that ability, yet the "special" one of a kind units should have an "edge". I will correct this.

Cloner4000... The Prom Queen could be set stronger (she only has a pistol and is Crazy) but basically the King Units you mention are set strong. In the hands of the AI, they will all die because the AI does not know how to use units "properly" as a Human does. They cannot even manage to hold on to Author for the Survovors. As a Human they will also die IF you fail to take into consideration the game factors and random play settings in the game engine...same for all CIV Games. Believe me, these factors and more have been taken into consideration.

There are game factors that cause stronger units to fall to lesser ones as I am sure you know.
As an example...When play testing, I set the Super Powerful M1 Mech alone in a Building that I just captured. The Zombies and Mutant Zombies Killed it and re-captured the Building because they had Major Hordes to keep attacking and finally Kill the M1 Mech in one turn. This is the Zombies Strongest Factor...Numbers! They now also have Very Strong Units later in the game so prepare yourself and play well. All part of the Challenge.

Keep in mind that we cannot control the Game Engine but have tried to work with it to gain the best end result for game play.
As a Human Player, use your Strategies and skills to preserve units you want to keep such as the Prom Queen and have the game play as you want. This requires that you understand as much as possible about this game. Play and read the Civilopedia as well as take into consideration the Random Factors and what you know about how the CIV Game Engine handles game play in general. You will discover your own approach that will help and please you most.

When setting this game over a period of months and playing many games for all factions...it was important to me to reach a game balance where even on level 12A, Normal aggression, a player could lose yet not likely. The Game should be Fun and challenging even on 12A level.
...be a Smart Human Player Give yourself a chance to discover the additions/changes and the many possible strategies that you can play.

A fresh first time play will not show you all you need to know for any Faction.

I can tell you that when any unit is changed, it affects the game in ways that are not immediately evident. Far more complex than it seems. Get to know the Units you are playing with and when and how to use them...after playing and changing the game many times, there are units and settings that may not be understood or even liked but they were necessary for hundreds of reasons.

Hank O'Donnel, which is a "special Unit" that was not ultimately set with stronger settings than the SWAT for example, should, can and will be altered without a major game play change. Hank was considered as his settings were adjusted, just failed to keep his "special" unit status in mind as I was setting all others I was focusing on at the time. I don't expect anyone to really understand but the "logistics" involved for everything in the game is massive. I am sure King Arthur and I will be held responsible for game factors that we have no control over for example. The only way to really know what has been accomplished is to understand all factors.

Just so everyone understands, the former "Special Units" were kept in the game because they are there, expected and known...not because all are necessary really needed at all.

I also believe that any special one of a kind unit should be special... and not easily killed. It may strike you as "Funny" but if all units are special, then none are, if you get what I am saying.
The King Units that are of importance in the game are all set with Overkill Stats...but that does not mean that they will not be killed off easily IF you play them without careful thought and understanding. Even then the Random play factor can get them killed.

everyone plays a little differently and will want different unit settings to be in the game to suit their personal preferences but please get to know the game play and units first.

Sorry this was long but striving to convey more info here.

 

[Cloner4000]

I got it. It's just that the first time you play it. The whole strategy need to be rethink. I think I am getting a hang of it now. I've actually seem AI Controled SWAT sniping others so that's at least they still know how to do it.