All roads lead to Rome. (Or should that be Cinderfall?)

[Hotwingz]

Hello everyone,

 

In the "Player generated content" thread the idea of roads came up. Some ideas whent back and forth leading to a really good idea for a gameplay element.

 

I should mention it was a group effort and the people who contributed to the idea know who said what. Trying to condense the idea for a dedicated thread I came up with this.

 

Picture a sqaure element. On all 4 edges we have 2 sockets. As explained in the GDC meet up video, the engine element had an in and out socket. I suggest the same for this road element.

 

1 socket takes power in, the other out.

I think with this set up it could be a very interesting addition to the game. The idea is that you link up these road elements to a power source. This in turn activates the passive buff provided by the road element.

 

It could also be used to connect power between settlements for example.

NQ could add a passive speed or fuel efficiency buff to the road element. Just let your mind wonder about all the gameplay that would emerge from this element.

 

Ever wondered how you would find your victims as a robber? Trade convoys would naturally gravitate to using these roads.

It would lead to all sorts of interesting gameplay. I'm more interested in the immersion it would provide but every player archetype would find some use in these roads. It would also create additional industry and opportunities to create commerce.

 

I'm not sure what the use would be for the out socket. But I think most if not all elements will work with these I/O sockets. So I wanted to keep the element within established design.

 

Feel free to add your own ideas, critique or scenario's to this thread. Or perhaps just your support for the idea.

 

Thank you for your time.

https://board.dualthegame.com/index.php?/topic/10871-player-generated-content-how-to-bring-cities-to-life/page-1

[Anaximander]

Why... would anyone... need a road element? Are voxels too hard to combine together? Is modular copy-pasting a really hard task? Should the Devs add a hollowwed out box Element because people can't bothered making heir own hollowed Voxel constructs? It's a voxel-based game. Elements are supposed to fulfill Mechanical roles, not replacing voxels.

You want a road? Build said "square element" by hand, then save it on a blueprint, calculate the amount of resources between the points, and start building it with an actual vehicle that will track the path with the resources on it and people planting the road square voxel constructs ahead of it. Beyond that, you see the problem with "speed buff" or "fuel efficiency" right? It flips the bird to anyone who made a conscious choice on buying a vehicle based on its fine-tuned Lua scripts for optimal fuel consumption. 

And finally, HOVERCRAFTS. You know what they don't need? That's right. Roads. You might as well add traffic lights for airplanes on those roads. 

So, you can get a modular voxel template system of road pieces, and create a city's streets that way, cause quite frankly, there are many more smart ways of ambushing people than "i'll wait for them on the road people travel on".

You know how I will find my victims? On a trade-hub. I will scam said victims out of their money. No road elemnt requierd. And some times, I will just scam them by price fixing a monopoly and robbign the lazy off of thier money that way. No roads required.

"But what about the wilds? How will your intercept people there?" by being patient and waiting for people on am ining site to do thier job, then ambushing them and stealing the truck for myself with my buddies. Same deal with factories. There's really no need for roads, let alone, road elements. Use voxels.

Voxels are :

1) flexible

2) come in all sorts of materials

3) can be painted

4) can be smoothened to have crazy designs and even rails sculpted out of them

5) can actually be rendered from orbit, something that 3D mesh objects can't do in-game (as of the videos NQ showcased.

 

 

 

Finally, let me quote Doc Brown : "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need no roads".

[Hotwingz]

Finally, let me quote Doc Brown : "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need no roads".

Yes I have heard that before.

 

I really dont see an issue with having such an element. The idea is that the element would encourage people building and using roads. There is a difference between a cosmetic voxel road or a functional element that could be used to build roads.

 

Its a bit strange to see you react so strongly against it. Concidering you want people punished for jumping and running in cities.

 

Though I understand the idea doesnt appeal to everyone.

[Warden]

A road is still useful, even if the vehicle itself has no physical contact (or not a direct one anyway) with the ground, but is relatively near it - aka hovering.

 

It provides set traffic lanes and can separate vehicle traffic (ground based) from pedestrians, for example. It also adds that urban feel compared to just having, I guess, dirt between the buildings or 'dirt roads' basically. It can also provide structure or order in traffic if you apply lanes and directions.

 

Ships would be treated as helicopters in that sense, they just go straight from A to B etc.

 

While you can ignore roads for installations or small towns, I'm guessing the larger things become and the more people go to a place or through it, the more you benefit from some form of road or traffic system.

 

I'd bet large cities, if we ever get to see them in DU, will likely use roads as we know them, or some similar system to regulate ground based traffic a bit. As for trying to regulate air based traffic... I think that will likely be too tricky without any assistance from the game such as being able to designate traffic lanes and whatnot to keep airspace somewhat structured.

 

Time will tell.

[Anaximander]

A road is still useful, even if the vehicle itself has no physical contact (or not a direct one anyway) with the ground, but is relatively near it - aka hovering.

 

It provides set traffic lanes and can separate vehicle traffic (ground based) from pedestrians, for example. It also adds that urban feel compared to just having, I guess, dirt between the buildings or 'dirt roads' basically. It can also provide structure or order in traffic if you apply lanes and directions.

 

Ships would be treated as helicopters in that sense, they just go straight from A to B etc.

 

While you can ignore roads for installations or small towns, I'm guessing the larger things become and the more people go to a place or through it, the more you benefit from some form of road or traffic system.

 

I'd bet large cities, if we ever get to see them in DU, will likely use roads as we know them, or some similar system to regulate ground based traffic a bit. As for trying to regulate air based traffic... I think that will likely be too tricky without any assistance from the game such as being able to designate traffic lanes and whatnot to keep airspace somewhat structured.

 

Time will tell.

Yes, because the quintessential pinnacle of immersion in a video game world is "stuck on traffic".

[Warden]

#realism #stuckintrafficevenhere #dualtrafficjam #immersionatanycost

[Anaximander]

Yes I have heard that before.

 

I really dont see an issue with having such an element. The idea is that the element would encourage people building and using roads. There is a difference between a cosmetic voxel road or a functional element that could be used to build roads.

 

Its a bit strange to see you react so strongly against it. Concidering you want people punished for jumping and running in cities.

 

Though I understand the idea doesnt appeal to everyone.

I guess you suggest that people need roads to jump or run? Or you suggest that perma-sprinting will affects combat mechanics as much as road tiles would. Spoiler alert, it won't.

 

The problem is that many in the community miss the mark by a mile on Voxels. You are supposed to use them to build roads yourself, instead of having the devs take time out of other features, to develop a road that can curve on a certain ratio on every given occasion.

 

You suck at math and can't figure out how to build a curving road? No worries, others don't suck at math and will build them in cities.  Just stop asking from the Dev to prefab things like "road tiles". Take time out of your day to build them yourself. That's the point of that voxel engin the devs have going for them. It even has copy-paste.

 

This ia a dominant problem in the communtiy, the Lazy Factor. People wanting cool stuff without even trying to build them themselves. And ROAD TILES out of all things, are not even hard to build.

 

And no, Hovercrafts do not care about roads. Neither do VTOLs. JC flew for a moment or two with that hovercraft on the GDC stream, so you can see, those hovercrafts can easily be tuned to fly.

 

I barely doubt people will need streets inside cities, as I can see the virtue of building cities with interconnected bridges on each floor in a lattice, rather than citiy streets and all that jazz.

[Anaximander]

#realism #stuckintrafficevenhere #dualtrafficjam #immersionatanycost

IGN circa 2022

 

"Most immersive MMO ever. Join IGN as we discuss the traffic jam gameplay of Dual Universe."

[Hotwingz]

Who talked about curves on every ratio?

I talked about a simple rectangle/sqaure. Compared to a lot of other ideas in this section its really not that extravagant.

 

 

Look Twerk as far as I know you, you are a nice kitty. But at least try not to call everyone else stupid for having different ideas.

 

Your feedback has some good points, but you are missing the point completely about the road element. Its not about being too lazy or too stupid to use voxels for it.

 

Its asking for an element that would support additional gameplay.

[Anaximander]

Who talked about curves on every ratio?

I talked about a simple rectangle/sqaure. Compared to a lot of other ideas in this section its really not that extravagant.

 

 

Look Twerk as far as I know you, you are a nice kitty. But at least try not to call everyone else stupid for having different ideas.

 

Your feedback has some good points, but you are missing the point completely about the road element. Its not about being too lazy or too stupid to use voxels for it.

 

Its asking for an element that would support additional gameplay.

I called the idea lazy, not stupid. Do not confuse the two or put words in my mouth. And don't act like that when people inject logic in your idea.

 

And no, you can't have "high speed roads" and have 90 degree turns. That's not how smooth cruisng works. That's not how anything works. If you suggest "two cities will be linked with a straight line, then you should go ahead and put those traffic lights for airplanes on that road, cause guess what, that's what airborne vehicles are good for, to bypass roads and obstacles on the ground.

 

Unless you think Roads will tunnel through mountains - better ask for a Tunnel Element ASAP, cause god forbid people build a hoolow cylinder and mod it to be a tunnel - and you also assume that no obstacles will be in the path of the two cities.

 

Guess what else doesn't care for cities or mountains on its path? Airborne vehicles.

 

I can keep injecting reasonign and logic, but I will be content with leaving this dead horse as is.

[Hotwingz]

I called the idea lazy, not stupid. Do not confuse the two or put words in my mouth. And don't act like that when people inject logic in your idea.

My apologies, I didnt intend to do that.

 

I didnt suggest anything beyond a simple road element. No tunnels or anything else fancy. It was just something I thought was cool. I just dont agree that road tiles with a function is lazy.

 

Its really not that big of a deal, there is plenty in Dual Universe to make people happy. And its fine for people to disagree or dislike ideas posted here.

 

I for one will enjoy DU as is.

[Zamarus]

Well depending on how the hovering works building flat lanes maybe help the stability of the vehicles, other than that roads would just be there for the looks of it i guess.

[ostris]

Falstaf i honestly feel like your entire post went right above twerks head....

[mrjacobean]

Just want to remind people, roads were made for pedestrians and the horse and cart, THEN cars. In addition, whilst we have the tech to fly it doesn't mean we should use it all the time.

 

 

Have pathways AND landing pads through cities to allow for people using intra-city air shuttles (for long distance and fast travel) and those who just walk (because it is a small distance or there is not enough room to park).

 

Roads should not give stat bonuses as they are already better than navigating the urban off-road on foot. There should also be no need for a highway between cities as you can fly and no one will walk between them willingly.

 

Ground vehicles will handle better on smooth terrain, so if you are using a speeder to get to places you would follow the lay of the land (or a flattened dirt path). It is also easier and more fuel efficient to build a hovercraft than an aircraft.

 

I agree with twerk that roads should be voxel constructs rather than elements, as they don't need a bonus since their benefit is their flatness. However, just because you can fly does not mean you should. A hovercraft is better than an aircraft at cargo carrying (of the same size) through a local area (up to 100KM-ish) due to it's fuel efficiency and higher capacity, but in long distance travel the aircraft wins due to it's speed.

 

On a final note, roads are a legacy of the past. We are building a new civilisation, don't just copy what was there before without thinking about its consequences.

[Anaximander]

Well depending on how the hovering works building flat lanes maybe help the stability of the vehicles, other than that roads would just be there for the looks of it i guess.

Stability's a Lua function and how well a hovercraft is scripted. That's the point of the market, to weed out bad or lesser on quality of scripts vehicles. Roads don't matter when you hover 10 meters above the ground. Scripts do.

[Lethys]

I certainly would never use roads because there is no need to do so. There's no benefit in using it and it even has drawbacks (bandits, no straight line so it's longer).

 

And as twerk said: you can build a road tile yourself and save that BP for later use. Or, if that involves cores, just use painted voxels to make those tiles appear as roads.

 

I don't really see the need for such tiles because to me they're already there and you can already build a road network with streetlights.

[Zamarus]

Stability's a Lua function and how well a hovercraft is scripted. That's the point of the market, to weed out bad or lesser on quality of scripts vehicles. Roads don't matter when you hover 10 meters above the ground. Scripts do.

If thats exactly how it is (10 metres or whatever) which means bumps doesn't matter then as i said secondarily roads would just be for looks.

[Warden]

How will you enjoy roadkills ... without a road?

 

 

 

#dualroads #trafficjamnow #roadkill

[Anaximander]

How will you enjoy roadkills ... without a road?

 

 

 

#dualroads #trafficjamnow #roadkill

By lowering the hovering altitude? O.o

[Warden]

Is it still a roadkill without a road, tho? Seems wrong to me.

 

What would it be called then, however? Groundkill? Dirtkill?

[Hotwingz]

Hahaha.

 

I actually feel both sides are equally valid in their arguments.

Although I would like to see roads connecting cities, its entirely valid to say that in a future with hovering vehicles it might seem a bit redundant.

 

Like I said for me its more about immersion.

 

And if its just a cosmetic element then it is pointless to introduce. I only offered up the idea to make it an active element because it would introduce some extra spice.

 

Its the same idea as guns. Its not because it exists that you have to use it. But it could be useful in some situations.

[Caprikel]

Why an element for roads? That would just be limiting and boring. Why not a special material that makes vehicles that travel over it go faster. That way there would still be the incentive for roads without having a weird road element.

[Dreamstar]

A road/pathing tool could be nice. to define an automatic travel path for vehicles or something, since scriptable vehicles for buses or trains might not be possible currently.

define automated altitude to hover.
layout the direction of movement and stitch together a path, whatever said road(s) looks like.

[Lethys]

You can't send something via script to some other city because you need to be near the construct for the script to work.

 

But some kind of autopilot would work - I'll make sure all those afk autopilot users will lose their ship then

[Warden]

A train could work in such a fashion. Like an advanced version of the Minecraft ones, but basically as some sort of construct type fit to work on some kind of attached (rail) system.

 

It would be automated unless you want to hire train operators or have small "do it yourself trains" to get to various locations on rails or limited ways. Then again, even if automated completely via script, someone would be near or in it as it operates so I guess the point still stands.

 

It would be amusing to send back and forth "drones" between two areas, though. In the end, it depends on the distance where things stop operating when no player is around. Will it be within one KM? A few? Regional, planetary?

 

Now we got from roads to rails.

 

Better not "de-rail" this thread. Ehehehe...eheheh...

 

I better leave before the pitchforks come again...