The Leylines Beta Version

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AuthorTopic: The Leylines Beta Version
Master Jeweller
Member # 409
Profile Homepage #0
Hi everybody,

it was a long weekend but I finally have what I consider worthy of a beta
version of Leylines. Available for download (windows and linux) on this site:
http://www.liacs.nl/~psimoons/leylines.html

For those who are new here, that's a turn-based fantasy strategy game.
And it's pretty cool if I may say so.

What is new... well, spells, fortresses, new combat system,
city lists and queues, a bunch of new skills and a ton of bugfixes. Oh,
and a tutorial, and other stuff, well take a look anyway.

But. Before the flood of messages starts, let me just tell you that some
things are missing. First, most graphics and sounds are as yet missing
to decrease download size for the beta (many testers appreciate that).
Second, a large amount of units and spells are as yet missing because we're
busy balancing them out. And that's just easier with a small group here
than with a large debate over the forums.

Since this is a beta version, if you play it you can be considered a
beta-tester. Which means that if you find any bugs, please mail them
to me so I can remove them. Also I would like opinions on the clear-
ness and ease-of-use of the interface and tutorial. If the tutorial
is in ANY way ambiguous or unclear, please tell me (as I want even the
biggest idiot to understand the tutotiral IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/smile.gif) )

Also I would like some opinions on the scripting system (hit map editor,
then 'script' and press F1 for help). It should be possible to write interesting
scenarios using this. Feel free to try. If you believe it needs more options
let me know. If you can do cool stuff with it let me know - making a map is
easy but making a script is so much more interesting IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/smile.gif)

Well that's it for now, comments welcome!

--------------------
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heilighthum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng getheilt,
Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Pieter Simoons aka Radiant

Official Crystal Shard and SubTerra webpage
Posts: 798 | Registered: Monday, December 17 2001 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #1
I downloaded the Leylines beta and found some bugs,one of them is fatal:

1.Incredible loading times between main map,city screen etc.The game loads difrent menus like the city screen 5-10 seconds.

2.The magnetic edges bug.In some menus like unit screen where you view unit's stats and city build menu,the edges are "magnetic" to mouse cursor,i.e
if you move the cursor to the edge of the menu,it will get stuck to the edge,but it can be pulled out.

3.The "Diplomacy" button doesn't appear at the menu that contains "armies" etc. buttons
in tutorial.Possibly intentional.

(And now:FATALITY!)

4.Tutorial is unwinnable.At one point of tutorial,i'm obviously supposed to press to "garrison" button at the city menu,but the button is shaded out,making it impossible to push it,and making the tutorial unwinnable.

I could have posted you this as Email,but the bug number four is quite nasty and i just wish to save time of fellow betatesters.

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
Shaper
Member # 517
Profile #2
Bugs also:

The tutorial is also unwinnable for me: when the enemy scout appears, I can't right-click on it.

And in the script help file, you don't actually say how to make the script take events in the game and make them into results in the game, or when and how the script will execute, and stuff. Plus, I think you overlook that most people don't know much C: maybe you should consider 2 levels of coding, one at RM2K level, similar to the AoE2 editor, and a more advanced option for more advanced users...

-E-

--------------------
Let them eat cake!

Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially.
Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00
Warrior
Member # 3096
Profile #3
quote:
Originally written by XYZ:

[QB]3.The "Diplomacy" button doesn't appear at the menu that contains "armies" etc. buttons
in tutorial.Possibly intentional.[QB]
It is; the option is only available for multiplayer play. However, a grayed-out button would look better IMO.

And while we're at it: the tutorial window can hide some parts of the game. Try to find a good place for it.

--------------------
You go in, You go out, Repeat if necessary. - The Official Moron Guide For Sex

Be disgusted! (Not really)
Posts: 103 | Registered: Wednesday, June 11 2003 07:00
Shaper
Member # 517
Profile #4
I don't think it hides any necessary parts.

And there would be little point in a grayed-out button that remains grayed-out for the whole game...

-E-

--------------------
Let them eat cake!

Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially.
Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00
Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
Profile Homepage #5
I had the same problem as Omelette with the tutorial. Am I doing something wrong, or...

In addition, I hit a registration barrier when changing the map size in the editor. Isn't it a little unconventional to have such things in a beta version, being as how registering beta versions is typically impossible? IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/tongue.gif)

I love it appearance-wise. Once the tutorial works I'll be more able to tell how it is in gameplay terms.

BTW, good job on the tutorial -- nothing really breakable that I could see on it [besides the enemy scout bit, which currently stops it for me], and really thorough.

--------------------
In a word, gay.
--Bob the Impaler

Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
BANNED
Member # 2064
Profile #6
Radiant,did you create this game all on your own?

--------------------
Don't expect the expected
expect the unexpected
if you expect the expected
I expect you will remain unexpected.
Posts: 775 | Registered: Friday, October 11 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #7
quote:
Originally written by General Custer:

I love it appearance-wise. Once the tutorial works I'll be more able to tell how it is in gameplay terms.
What on earth you smoke?The game has the most horrid usage of AD&D ripoff graphigs i have ever seen,(same aplies to the Crystall Shard webpage)and the begining music...But they're neglible
things,even though for me it is for some reason a PITA.I'm sorry to say all this,but you make games,i play them and i say what is wrong with the game.

Edit Redux:Ok,they may not be AD&D ripoffs,but they certainly look like ones.And i mean menu graphs,not unit graphs that are obviosly BoE ripoffs IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/tongue.gif) ...

[ Monday, June 30, 2003 12:35: Message edited by: XYZ ]

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
BANNED
Member # 2064
Profile #8
I think the graphics are fine.

--------------------
Don't expect the expected
expect the unexpected
if you expect the expected
I expect you will remain unexpected.
Posts: 775 | Registered: Friday, October 11 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #9
quote:
Originally written by Order Mage:

I think the graphics are fine.
I think they are realy,realy tasteless.They make the game look like a bad piece of art.

Edit Redux:Tadaa!I expressed myself in english!Yay you!

[ Monday, June 30, 2003 12:56: Message edited by: XYZ ]

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
Profile Homepage #10
You're not looking at the work of a professional here. The graphics are very good for the budget Leylines is being created on.

--------------------
In a word, gay.
--Bob the Impaler

Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #11
quote:
Originally written by General Custer:

You're not looking at the work of a professional here. The graphics are very good for the budget Leylines is being created on.
Edit:Okay,they're not professional,but,but,but...AARGGHH!!!...I give up,accept my defeat and suffer the picture of half-naked elf...

[ Monday, June 30, 2003 12:58: Message edited by: XYZ ]

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
Shaper
Member # 517
Profile #12
I was under the impression that these were interim graphics. And you didn't see the earlier versions, when the Pegasus Rider was a griffon, and the Pioneer was a battering ram...

Oh, and how are the menu graphics stolen from AD&D? AD&D isn't a computer game, it's a set of books for a paper-based game...

-E-

--------------------
Let them eat cake!

Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially.
Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #13
quote:
Originally written by Omlette:

Oh, and how are the menu graphics stolen from AD&D? AD&D isn't a computer game, it's a set of books for a paper-based game...

-E-

Menu pictures look like AD&D fanart and that is bad. I would rather look at solid gray color than some friggin drow. But that is only my opinion,you can like them. I'm pretty sure there are other people who dislike those graphics,or at least would if they would see them.

Edit:But that is irrelevant,afterall they're not work of a professional,and i must suffer my defeat and live in agony while i betatest the game. Only reason i am worried is that the bad usage of graphigs started at SubTerra and hasn't changed a bit...

[ Tuesday, July 01, 2003 00:51: Message edited by: XYZ ]

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
Master Jeweller
Member # 409
Profile Homepage #14
Wow, twelve replies in one day! IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/smile.gif)

XYZ -> 1. Try turning 'details' off in the config panel from the main menu.
Also I'd like to know your system specs.
2.This is intentional and I haven't had any other complaints yet, I
wonder what other people think?
3.Oops
4.No it's not. The tutorial window reads 'OR click on the map in
the top-left corner' Try that.

Omelette -> Admittedly the script docs are somewhat lacking. What
do you mean by RMK2 and AoE2? I understand that those are games but
I haven't played them.
The scout bug is unfortunate. However by that point you should have
seen enough of the tutorial to try a scenario and play it.

Dacovind -> I haven't noticed the tutorial window hiding anything important.
It it does, what exactly? (and this may be a matter of low-res vs.
hi-res screens)
Gray or missing buttons are a matter of taste I guess.

Custer -> Yes, that's a bug.
However you can still play scenarios.

Order mage -> Yes.

XYZ -> The graphics are used with specific permission of their
authors. They're fantasy-based. D&D also happens to be fantasy-
based but the fantasy-genre predates D&D by some decades at least. You
might as well be calling every portrait you see in a museum a Rembrant-ripoff.
As a side point most good fantasy art and stories aren't even remotely
related to D&D; try Exalted, MERP, RuneQuest and GURPS for some other
fantasy RPGs, or good authors like Lackey, LeGuin, Vance and Zelazny.

Anyway. There certainly will be people who dislike any graphics.
And the current graphics (besides being a lot more atmospheric
than solid gray color; if you like that play NetHack!) are about
the best I can do for my budget (which is essentially zero). So
I will stick with them for now. If you check the screenshots you'll notice
there's lots more of them in the menus.
(and yes I would like isometric pics for the units; however anybody
who knows where to find them should give me a line)

For people interested in fantasy fanart check http://www.elfwood.com/ for
instance; Personally I think that the Leylines graphics are better
than most of the pictures on there. But that's imho.

--------------------
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heilighthum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng getheilt,
Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Pieter Simoons aka Radiant

Official Crystal Shard and SubTerra webpage
Posts: 798 | Registered: Monday, December 17 2001 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #15
quote:
Originally written by Radiant:

Wow, twelve replies in one day! IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/smile.gif)

XYZ -> 1. Try turning 'details' off in the config panel from the main menu.
Also I'd like to know your system specs.
2.This is intentional and I haven't had any other complaints yet, I
wonder what other people think?
3.Oops
4.No it's not. The tutorial window reads 'OR click on the map in
the top-left corner' Try that.

1.Pentium II 333mhz,64 mb RAM(i think),Windows 98.
And this wormbox runs AoW 2,so i don't think that it's my machine.But it's possible too.
2.Intentional?It's higly annoying that you have to yank the cursor out of the edges.
3.---
4.Didn't see that...

And i'm honestly sorry for any personal insults regarding the menu pictures. Afterall, i'm rude,sick,red,depraved loudmouth bastard.

Edit:And this far the only fantasy art i have liked has been the various pieces of art in AoW(Age of Wonders)series...Yes i am freak...And a nitpickin goldeye. IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/tongue.gif)

[ Tuesday, July 01, 2003 01:51: Message edited by: XYZ ]

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2570
Profile #16
Found yet again more possible bugs(this is the last time i post here,unless something fatal comes up)

1.Long loading times between menus,but this problem is only one time in a for every menu.

2.When the event menu(Yaddalandia has constructed
Pikeman menu)comes,an image of the mouse pointer stays at the place where it was before menu popped up.

3.Magnetic edges of several menus.

4.At some cities you cant assing workers.Intentonal?

5.Tutorial bug,can't clik the enemy scout.

And a non-bug issue:

Minor (spell) should be requirement for the Major version of the spell.

Btw,i like when it strats to snow at the game.

--------------------
Speed and power!
Galaxies explode!
And Kekkonen shall descent to punish us all!
It's armageddon,it's armageddon!
It's the Day of Kekkonen!

"But Dirt Dragon rulz 0k.Dirt Dragon would HäX0r HAL 9000 in 10 seconds if he would get a keyboard!!!!111111YAY DITR DRAONG RULZ 0K YAY LOL OMG WTF!!!!!!11111"

Join our *wonderfull* "party" at The Club of All!

Join our *lovely* Cult at Dominions X!

Iä, Iä my brother...
Posts: 166 | Registered: Sunday, February 2 2003 08:00
Master Jeweller
Member # 409
Profile Homepage #17
333 MHz is a bit low-end so that would explain the game running slower
on your computer. A difference is that AoW stores all data as BMPs (or
libraries thereof) and Leylines uses JPEG compression. Which is
slower to load, and more so on slower computers.

You can't get workers in some captured cities. This is intentional,
but will be explained better in the future.

If the magnetic edges are so annoying I'll see what I can do about
them...

--------------------
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heilighthum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng getheilt,
Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Pieter Simoons aka Radiant

Official Crystal Shard and SubTerra webpage
Posts: 798 | Registered: Monday, December 17 2001 08:00
Warrior
Member # 3096
Profile #18
quote:
Originally written by Radiant:

Dacovind -> I haven't noticed the tutorial window hiding anything important.
It it does, what exactly? (and this may be a matter of low-res vs.
hi-res screens)

Ex: When i got to build a building/creature, the "smithy" option was partly hidden. However, i noticed the window is randomly placed so it may take a few tries to get it.

And my resolution? (1024x768)

--------------------
You go in, You go out, Repeat if necessary. - The Official Moron Guide For Sex

Be disgusted! (Not really)
Posts: 103 | Registered: Wednesday, June 11 2003 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3096
Profile #19
Another bug:

1. When all spells have been researched, the "please select your first spell to research" keep popping up at each turn. Oopsie?

--------------------
You go in, You go out, Repeat if necessary. - The Official Moron Guide For Sex

Be disgusted! (Not really)
Posts: 103 | Registered: Wednesday, June 11 2003 07:00
Shaper
Member # 517
Profile #20
A bug: the gold calculation is wrong. The commerce, wages, maintenance and corruption show up OK in the mirror, and are respectively added on and taken off each turn, but the displayed income is wrong, so while it says I'm getting 9 per turn, I'm actually losing 1 per turn, because my wages paid plus my maintenance are 1 greater than my commerce. This confused me greatly, and irritatingly led to the collapse of my mine.

You might think of putting 'buildings required' in the description of units in the tech tree.

-E-

--------------------
Let them eat cake!

Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially.
Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00
Master Jeweller
Member # 409
Profile Homepage #21
Dacovind -> no, the window is not randomly placed.
It does cover 'smithy' when running in low resolution (800x600)
but that's not important for the tutorial.

Research bug noted.

Omlette -> noted.

--------------------
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heilighthum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng getheilt,
Alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Pieter Simoons aka Radiant

Official Crystal Shard and SubTerra webpage
Posts: 798 | Registered: Monday, December 17 2001 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 48
Profile #22
I found another bug:

In the map editor, a Rank 3 unit (e.g. Great Ballista) will appear as a Rank 2 unit (e.g. Heavy Ballista) when you check the group details of a specific hex. IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/eek.gif)

But when you right-click on the specific unit in the group, it shows up as a rank 3 unit (in this case, "Great Ballista").

(I hope this makes sense IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/smile.gif) )

EDIT: Please check your PM IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/smile.gif)

[ Wednesday, July 02, 2003 08:59: Message edited by: y0d1n2a3 ]

--------------------
"Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.-Luke 23:34
Posts: 329 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 48
Profile #23
Sorry for double posting, but I found a few more bugs:

1. The "rank 3 unit appearing as rank 2 when viewed as a group" bug also occurrs in the game: when you right-click on an enemy group and when you attempt to cast a single-target spell (e.g. Might of Giants).

2. In a city, if you change the unit that you're currently training to another unit, you get 50% extra construction points instead of losing 25% IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/biggrin.gif)

3. The "Destroy City" option should be darkened out when you don't have enough militant units in the city.

4. Not really a bug- is there a way to destroy a building in a city with a monolith without bringing the ballistae in IMAGE(The Leylines Beta Version_files/biggrin.gif) ?

5. Problems with saving a game: Let's say there's have a saved game named "GAME1." If I clicked on GAME1 before pressing the save button, the game should be automatically saved to that file. But this doesn't always work. If you clicked on another file (such as autosave) before clicking on your saved game (GAME1), the game may prompt you to type in a file name.

6. Loading a saved game may fail if you opened the map editor before returning to the main menu.

7. Weird behavior of moonpaths: I found an enemy city with moonpaths around it. Obviously, I couldn't use them (checked with my ballistae). Now here's the funny part. I destroyed the city, and now the moonpaths are usable: the hex's description changed from "Foothills (slope, 4 moves)" to "Foothills (slope/moonpath, 2 moves)."

8. Game balance issue with galleons:

-Will there a way to prevent (or at least have some kind of defense against) naval bombardments (i.e. a fleet of 6 war galleons bombarding a city)? I found this strategy to be too useful (with only a single galleon, I can destroy a fleet of 6 sailing ships in three turns or a group of 3 knights, 2 pikemen, and a mage in a city in 5 turns).

(Theoretically, archers, mages, and wizards should be able to hit the ships from one hex away...)

Perhaps you can also add some kind of hitting/damage/evading disadvantage for ships in port (since they are blocked and can't go anywhere).

--------------------
"Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.-Luke 23:34
Posts: 329 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Shaper
Member # 517
Profile #24
Massive, lethal bug:

When I have 12 buildings, the only units available are Pioneer and Scout, and the only buildings available are the 5 monoliths. If I click either Pioneer or Scout, it gives me a ludicrous number for the amount of days until completion, although it only takes one day. If I click a monolith, then click the button to close the window, it deletes it from the build list. I have a saved game, if you want to see it.

Not so bad bug:

When I attacked my opponents' last remaining city, they gained 4 swordsmen and a priest out of nowhere: they literally appeared one by one in a combat that started off with my invading army against one Ranger.

Objection:

The combat system, although it obviously involves more strategy now, is still quite opaque, particularly the choosing of formations. I think it would be easier if one could drag-and-drop units into position rather than clicking them and hoping that they go to the right place...

Note:

I won with a score of 2422. Is that good?

-E-

--------------------
Let them eat cake!

Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially.
Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00

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