I wonder if they're using A*, or D*, or what...
Supreme Commander
- Thread starter Mendel
- Start date
hoom
Veteran
1900*1200 on a custom map at the max size the map editor can handle, 3 Banzai AI, 5000 max unit size, at least 3 buzzsaws & 20+ Intimidators firing continuously, over 1000 aircraft.
Its not just the path finding.
Its the path finding + physics + UnitAI + whatever else is calculated per unit * number of live units.
Given that the game can run up to something like 8000 units at a time, we're running into the sorts of numbers that Ageia, NV & ATI are talking about for Physics simulation of debris sprites in FPSes but being done constantly by CPU.
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Well I think they might have gone a bit too far in these physics calculations, if they really are so complex. I don't see it in the game, honestly, and I'm not sure that it affects gameplay all that much. Other than hugely negative effects upon processor demand that scales like exponentially. Heh. What, are we supposed to be giddy that we get to wait a few years before a processor exists that can handle the massive scale battles advertised all over this game?
On the other hand, I see things like retarded turrets and units that can't lead targets. That UFO is especially sad in that respect; it will chase mobile ground targets across the map and never hit them. I had a UFO follow a monkeylord halfway across a 20x20 map; following right behind blasting the ground. Quality coding there. At least they fixed up the horrible command-response lag where I would have units that wouldn't respond to orders for minutes.
I had 3 monkeylord spiders get stuck on a ridge. They just stood there walking in place. Also, I had a Commander on a transport that got blown up mid-air. He fell onto a raised plateau area. Other transports would not pick him up because they refused to land in this area. There was plenty of land around, too. Oh coolness. lol. I miss the old TA KBot ability to climb steep terrain. What a lame way to lose your Commander.
Check out the analysis of the game by this fellow who came up with the Core Maximizer:
Multithreading with multicore - an indepth look at SupCom.
Core Maximizer tool - version 1.01
On the other hand, I see things like retarded turrets and units that can't lead targets. That UFO is especially sad in that respect; it will chase mobile ground targets across the map and never hit them. I had a UFO follow a monkeylord halfway across a 20x20 map; following right behind blasting the ground. Quality coding there. At least they fixed up the horrible command-response lag where I would have units that wouldn't respond to orders for minutes.
I had 3 monkeylord spiders get stuck on a ridge. They just stood there walking in place. Also, I had a Commander on a transport that got blown up mid-air. He fell onto a raised plateau area. Other transports would not pick him up because they refused to land in this area. There was plenty of land around, too. Oh coolness. lol. I miss the old TA KBot ability to climb steep terrain. What a lame way to lose your Commander.
Check out the analysis of the game by this fellow who came up with the Core Maximizer:
Multithreading with multicore - an indepth look at SupCom.
Core Maximizer tool - version 1.01
Rainbow Man
Veteran
Yoyur enthusiastic use of processor codenames is impressive - but is giving me a headache because I don't know what they mean!
Anything that shoots that does not either hit instantly (beam weapons) or homes in (missiles/torpedoes) will most likely miss a moving target save by pure luck.
No wonder it's called "the eternal war"; they can't bloody kill each other.
The monkeylord isn't even very fast.
Btw, speaking of monkeys, I attacked a fatboy with 4 lords. The fatboy shot down half of them before the monkeys were even in range to fire their primary weapon. How sad.
I also loved that time I was busy building an advance base from which to bombard the enemy and a UFO came flying in and suicided right into my defense shield. It died from AA fire when almost right on top of my little base and fell to the ground and sploded. Then my commander sploded too. As did the rest of my artillery base..
That was certainly teh win.. Ouch.
The movement code for the lords is fucked. If they have to walk a long way around an obstacle (such as a ridge that's too steep for them to walk down) they often just stand there and do nothing like a giant metal dumbass. If one lord is blocked by others it often also decides not to follow orders at all.
Ow.
I miss I can't pick up enemy builders with my transports anymore. I used to do that in TA and then fly them back home to my base so I could build the enemy's units too in addition to my own.
I generally started out as Arm because thei rcommander walked faster and could set up an early base quicker. Then I built core defenses because they were generally more effective (though less accurate initially until they became veterans).
Peace.
Except for the experimental units, all the other ones are about the same for all sides. Is there a mod that makes them all more interesting?
As it is, you can either use lots of gunships, experimentals or simply bombard them with artillery. Most everything else is too much rock/paper/scissors and fairly ineffective against well-defended bases.
As it is, you can either use lots of gunships, experimentals or simply bombard them with artillery. Most everything else is too much rock/paper/scissors and fairly ineffective against well-defended bases.
Yeah the game is really very cookie cutter with respect to each side. The only really noticeable difference between each is the experimentals. Apparently UEF turrents suck worse than others tho, if you want to look at that as a difference. Heh heh. I haven't verified that tho, friend said it was so.
I have to say one bit of praise for the game though. The automatic transport unit ferrying is absolutely amazingly awesome. Just designate a spot where you will put units to have your selected transports ferry to another spot on the map. It's so incredibly faster to amass a large ground force on the other side of a huge map because of this. It took me a awhile to figure out how to set it up tho.
I have to say one bit of praise for the game though. The automatic transport unit ferrying is absolutely amazingly awesome. Just designate a spot where you will put units to have your selected transports ferry to another spot on the map. It's so incredibly faster to amass a large ground force on the other side of a huge map because of this. It took me a awhile to figure out how to set it up tho.
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
It is very clever and well worth reading up how to do it in the manual (it is fairly essential in some levels). Even the way you get multiple transports to help (select transports and then click on the first one doing the ferrying to "help") and all of a sudden you have a fleet of transports shipping your land armies across the sea. Very nicely done indeed.
very interesting tidbits on how to code the game. It's been a while since I played Supreme Commander FA. I played it for 30 hours or so on Steam, a great game, as good as the original TA but more modern. I had some intense battles. That being said, I played it again a bit more recently and the engine is capped at 100 fps -previously I played it on a 60Hz monitor-
Another entertaining video from the FAF guys - this time with Art Manager Mike Swanson. Tons of interesting stuff discussed again. Another developer with loads of experience. Procedural generation, raytracing, '90s LucasArts, NVidia, UE5, Dungeon Siege movie, etc..... 
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