Play as all n teams in singleplayer: Fork of Lix 0.10.17 for Flopsy

[Simon]

Hi,

Here is an experimental version of Lix. Edit 2024-01-14: Removed the attachment. All of this is now in the stable 0.10.18.

This allows you, when you start an n-player map in singleplayer, to control all n teams.

Put the attached executable into an existing Lix directory. Start an n-player map (from levels/network/) from the singleplayer browser. You'll play with lix in n different colors for the n different teams. Whenever you hover over a different color of lix, the skills in the panel change to that team, and you can assign skills to that lix.

This cannot netplay; it fails to connect. I gave it version number 0.10.−17 to distinguish it. Keep a regular current Lix 0.10.x around for netplay.

I hope that this is helpful for Flopsy to illustrate his multiplayer strategy guide with screenshots.

In the long term, I'd like to include this feature in the normal stable releases. It's not only useful to stage multiplayer screenshots; it's a useful feature on its own: We can playtest n-player maps with this and see the correct spawn timings, correct hatch orders, ..., as it would be in real multiplayer. But it's too early for me to call it stable: Behind the scenes, this has lot of assignment code changed to allow switching the local team. I'll have to playtest it several times and sand a few more rough corners. Still, I release this ASAP as experimental because Flopsy has a lot of time over the holidays and asked for this feature. Here it is. Merry Christmas.

-- Simon

[Flopsy]

Thanks Simon, you delivered on your promise. This will be very helpful to me

[Simon]

<Flopsy> Ok, the experimental -17 crashed when I tried to assign a skill during a replay being played back
<Flopsy> the application closed with no error

Thanks, good find, that's an important case. Most likely, I want to allow such assignments. Either way (allow or disallow), I should fix the crash.

-- Simon

[Simon]

Attached is experimental version 0.10.−18. Edit 2024-01-14: Removed the attachment. All of this is now in the stable 0.10.18.

This fixes the crash on assigning during a multiplayer replay. Assignments during replay playback go to your player number for that color, or, if you aren't playing that color, to an opponent. Such assignments cut the replay for all players. Also, during solobattle or during multiplayer replays, the color-switching hovering code should now find better lix under the cursor than in 0.10.−17.

This still can't netplay, it's an experimental version with a negative version number component.

Meanwhile, I'm testing netplay of the new assignment code (that I have in these experimental builds -17 and -18). Actively battling looks good: You can only assign to your color, and the cursor doesn't open over other teams' lix. I'll have to test observing still. Ideally, observing behaves like solobattle without clicking: You can hover over different colors and the panel will show you that team's skills. You shouldn't be able to assign as an observer.

Next week, if we don't find new bugs, I'll release this −18 as a stable 0.10.18.

-- Simon

[Simon]

Flopsy asked: How's testing of 0.10.−18 coming along?

The 0.10.−18 looks perfect in netplay for the active players. Can't select lixes for the wrong team, cursor won't react. Seamless interaction with 0.10.17 and earlier. Haven't yet tested that it assigns to the correct player ID in a team game. But it should, according to how I read the code.

Observer mode: Good, not perfect, but at least no regression. You can't observe different teams.

I think I'll release this after I've tested a team game with >= 2 players per team.

I'm not in release mood today; it should happen within 1-7 days unless some severe bug appears.

-- Simon