Murder Mansion

Well, actually, the zombies are already in the version that's currently released.

They're available through a special variant of the Escape Mode. However, only a BYOND Member can set the option.

See here: http://www.byond.com/members/ SuperSaiyanGokuX?command=view_post&post=105176&first_unread= 1

That post was about a new map (one that will finally be included in this update), but the zombies were already in the game at that point.

As for the revolver issue, it's sort of addressable already, but again, only through a BYOND Member perk. There's a selectable option to limit spawners to one of 4 levels: Unlimited (the current default), Realistic limits (each type of spawner is limited to a realistic number of items; the revolver is limited to 2, the knife is limited to 5, the shovel is limited to 1, etc.), One Per Spawner (obvious), and None (I call this "Red-Handed" mode, because all killing will have to be done with your fists...lol)

However, I think that perhaps I'll stick in a limit to the number of any single item type that you can pick up at a time. Maybe you'd only be able to pick up a maximum of 2 of anything, or something like that.

I like that idea, because I could also limit the AI on what they'll pick up. Currently, they'll gather a collection of stuff if they pass by the spawner multiple times and decide to grab an item more than once. I've seen rounds where my bot will end up holding 3 or 4 knives or bottles, and that's just silly...lol

That depends on the reader. I suppose, though, that if you have to ask then for you it must not be...lol

The AI upgrade was the aspect of this update that I consider to be the most important (and therefore, most interesting), but maybe not?

CodeWeasel22 wrote:

I am happy about it! I didn't know there was Zombies, if I had I'd have long bought a BYOND membership. Aside from the membership I need to buy a MM membership for absolutely everything?

So far, that's the plan. I feel a bit guilty about it, though. Like I'm forcing people to pay out twice if they want the full experience.

But, I do want to help support BYOND's financial standing, so I definitely want to keep BYOND Member benefits in there to encourage BYOND Memberships, but at the same time, I figured, "hey, why not see if I can make a buck or two off of the work I've spent on this over the last 10 years of my life!" lol) Of course, I know that BYOND gets a cut of subscription money, too, so I guess having subscriptions alone (if successful), will help BYOND monetarily. but I still like the idea of giving incentive for Memberships in addition to that.

I was trying to think of a way to better balance the two (give the best benefits to subscribers, and the not-so-necessary stuff to BYOND Members? that doesn't seem quite fair, though; plus I can't decide how to divide that)

The total benefit content (for both) is the following list:

Round options settings (currently for Members)
Extra game modes (Currently for Subscribers)
Extra maps (Currently for Subscribers)
AI options settings (Currently for Members)
Weather selection (Surprise! Currently for Subscribers)

So the general division is that option setting is for Members, while extra content (maps and modes) is for Subscribers.

But I'm still not sure about that. Guess I've got a day to figure it out! lol

But now that I think about it, since some of the option settings given to Members can open new variations of existing game modes (for example, they can turn on Zombie Survival Escape mode, vs. just normal Escape mode; or they can change a Deathmatch round into a time-based round instead of points-based, etc.), then that's sort of giving Members extra content, too.

Ugh.

CodeWeasel22 wrote:

How much is a MM Subscription?

Still undecided. I tend to undervalue my work (for instance, I've done commission artwork or design or whatnot for various people, and I don't ever know what to tell them to pay me; or I don't think I'm worth whatever they tell me they're going to give me) so it's hard for me to come up with something reasonable.

Murder Mansion is not exactly professional level, of course.

I guess I could look at what other games on BYOND are charging for subscriptions and try to use that to get an estimate, but I dunno.

All I know is that I do at least want to have a lifetime option, and a yearly option (maybe even monthly?)

$5 is a measily price for a year long sub, I'd pay that (If I played the game at least I would), and then giving the option of $15 for lifetime also seems fair for this level of work, at least that's my opinion.

La la la.

Ultimately NEStalgia is the full package, it's an entire world to explore and play in, whilst you game, is certainly fantastic, it's an arcade game. I wouldn't warrent comparing those two games for monetary value.

Your game is short, sweet and replayable.

His is large, expansive and you generally keep to two or three characters that you persist with.

It almost feels as if you think I'm putting your project down, personally I'd love to make something that's worth $5 of anyone's money. :(

Heck you could even add in a third option for $1 per month, now it REALLY doesn't seem like a lot, does it?

When is update coming?

But anyway, I just wanted to come in here to share a neat little round I just watched.

(Yes, "watched". For most of my testing, I start up a round, set my guy to AutoPilot, and just watch the bots play out the round. It's actually pretty entertaining itself! Especially when cool stuff like this happens.)

I was playing Escape mode on the Train map. My character had managed to find two of the three items (the Keys and the Part), but the Fuel had been picked up by another bot.

So I watched him travel around the map for a while, hunting for the person who probably had the last item (we knew it was the lady from the red room who had picked up the Fuel, thanks to the fibers she left behind), but he couldn't find her.

He had used the phone to get her location (new to Escape mode; I borrowed the phone output from DeathMatch mode... when you use the phone, the person on the other end of the line tells you where everyone is), and began heading that way. The phone (well, radio, on this map) is in the Engine, and our target was said to be in the Freight car (near the end of the train), so my guy was walking down to that end (via the roof of the train).

Unfortunately, Along the way, as he stepped down the ladder from the roof of the last car, another one of the bots spotted him, and killed him with one shot from her revolver. A kill in Escape awards all of the escape items the victim was carrying to the killer. So, this bot had stolen my Keys and Part!

So now we have two of the items in the hands of one opponent, and the third in the hands of another opponent.

My bot began his quest to get the items, a journey that took him all the way back up to the Engine.

In the meantime, though, the lady from the red room had found and killed the lady that had the other two parts. Now in custody of all three necessary items, I knew she would be heading for the Escape vehicle (an old biplane strapped to the open-air flatbed freight car at the very end of the train).

There was absolutely no way to get to her in time, so I had given up hope.

But then it hit me!

No, not some amazing plan to pull off a miracle win. A lead pipe hit me. Repeatedly. I was beaten to death by one of the other bots (who had been mostly a non-participant until this point)

Oh well, the win is out of reach, so who cares about getting killed?

Then I respawned.

Where did I respawn? ON THE FLATBED CAR AT THE END OF THE TRAIN! And guess who was walking up just as I got there? Yep, the lady in the red dress, making her way to the goal.

She never made it, though. My bot's fists saw to that, and he triumphantly grabbed the three items from her body, and made his Escape!

Oh, yeah.