A Path Beyond Read this before asking about unimplemented units

[Pushwall]

Something I've had to parrot here quite a few times is the sentiment that, for APB, "major development is over". This does not mean all development is over, but it also means we're not completely overhauling the game anymore like the full Beta, Gamma and Delta releases did. Here's a more thorough explanation:

• I'm satisfied with Delta as it stands, minor bugs/balance issues notwithstanding.
• The majority of the playerbase seems to be satisfied with it too.
• Many of the things left to implement from Red Alert are either MASSIVE timesinks, impossible to balance, or impossible to implement period due to engine limitations.
• I have already spent a ridiculous amount of my free time just fixing Delta up to its current state by myself, because throughout 2015 more and more members of the team either wound up with too many real life issues to contribute much, or they just vanished entirely. The dev team is pretty much down to me and ChopBam at this point and nearly everyone else here is busy with their own projects.
• I really shouldn't be pouring so much time into this since I'm not getting paid for it. I've enjoyed developing it, sure, but I can't really make it my life.
• I'm not about to start charging people for this game that has always been free. Especially since the only work I've actually done on it was optimising the balance and tweaking other peoples' maps, and oh yeah, there's copyright issues too.
• Therefore I am pretty much just here to maintain the current game by fixing bugs and balance problems, and maybe fixing up a few more maps and features that we actually have most of the framework for, because anything bigger is not a good use of my free time.

So before pitching your ideas, ask yourself how long you think it would take for one person to do, if you would like to spend that much time doing it, and if it would be worth it. If not, you should probably think smaller.

 

However, even the simplest-sounding undertakings might be stopped by the engine's limitations, and if that's how it is, then that's how it is.

I have an idea that will make this gameplay feature more true to Renegade/Reborn/Red Alert!
This game is not Renegade or Reborn and is not trying to be. As for Red Alert it was a very flawed game mechanically, tank spam ahoy. Many of its nuances don't translate well to FPS either. APB is more about borrowing RA's setting than its gameplay, though we do try to emulate it in the few places where it's both reasonable to do so and the engine allows us to do so.

I have an idea on how to implement a Red Alert unit/power that isn't currently in the game!

There's all sorts of reasons why these things aren't currently in the game:

• You'd better have a model and texture for it already, or know someone who can do them, cause if it's not on this list then that's most likely the primary concern, and for many of the things on this list it's just one of many concerns.
• Helicarrier: This would be really boring to play as. At least in the similarly unarmed MGG you're right in the action and get to crush people... Plus we don't have a model.
• Parabombs: Basically a nuke that wouldn't even one-shot buildings, and we lack a complete Tu-16 Badger model.
• Attack Dog: Spies are definitely not powerful enough to demand a hard counter - plus limitations in how we can mask their identity make them easy enough for players to detect without dogs anyway. If people come up with ideas that'd make the spy more useful, and the scripts team are able to implement them? Then I'll consider it.
• MCV: APB isn't SimCity. I'd rather not double the length of matches just to make people grind up their bases. The unit itself is ingame already (though it is one of the oldest and ugliest assets that we still have...) but it's only there as an objective unit for custom maps, it can't deploy.
• Tech Centres: Bases are big enough as they are without more massive structures of dubious purpose. Also, currently lacking the team tech centre models. We may be able to use the NBNW neutral tech centre CMDBob made as an objective somewhere though.
• Chronosphere/Iron Curtain: While we do have a Chronosphere model, and we may have some feasible scripting logic lying around for it, we don't have a model for the Iron Curtain (only a "destroyed" prop) - and for balance reasons we'd have to introduce both superweapons into the game at the same time.

I have an idea for a new map/new take on an existing map!

Go ahead and get a discussion started! Just be aware that the further your map idea deviates from standard AOW gameplay, the more likely you are to run into things that either can't be done without jumping a ridiculous amount of hurdles, or just flat out can't be done... or for the map to just not be well-received as has been the case with so many other maps that have deviated greatly from standard AOW gameplay. Also, developing each map is a pretty big time sink.

I have an idea to fix this overpowered/underpowered unit or Allied/Soviet biased map!

Go ahead and get a discussion started! There's probably a bunch of ways of solving it with a bunch of them being quick and easy to do. Or maybe there's something about the units/maps involved that isn't immediately obvious that I or another regular will be happy to explain.

I have a bug to report!
File it in the bug tracker.

 

Thank you for your understanding