2006-01-06 02:29:15

Hi all

or CX;

I was wondering if we do know for sure that BT and this guy

they're making the AI thing. Also, will there be a time wen all blind

players test out these features?

Thanks.

2006-01-06 05:37:37

I only

know it's been suggested to the guy who runs the game by one of the pr.ring

staffers. He's in the CC with me, that's how it came about. If I hear any

more I'll let you know, but for now we can only wait and see what the guy

says.

I mentioned this on here specifically because I wanted to see if

anyone had opinions on what could be useful for when I'm talking to this

pr.ring staffer guy, or anyone else relevant. He suggested a more concise

version of the contacts command and a non-graphical version of the damage

display on the status command. One thing I'm thinking is a IFF command,

identification friend or foe for those who don't know what it stands for.

I'm thinking you type IFF followed by the two letter designation for the

target and it tells you whether it's a confirmed friendly or not. I'd

hesitate to have it declare a target hostile, since I know at least all

contacts on seismic sensors only come up as hostile for some reason.

I

was thinking that since I've had contact with this guy, quite fortunately,

it might be easier for me to get opinions from you guys rather than either

me winging it on my own and not considering everyone else, or everyone

having a free for all directly to the guys at the Frontier mux and them

getting swamped and annoyed with us. Feel free to swamp the topics here,

I'm more than happy to wade through it. I wouldn't ask the guys at the mux

to wade through it personally, I don't want to rock the boat if they're

kind enough to consider alterations.

I'm not trying to set myself up as

a representative or something, I just thought that since I'd already been

spoken to about this matter it would be as easy for me to get some feedback

here.

cx2
-----
To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2006-01-06 14:22:38

Well,

if only anyone else was interested...

I bet since you put "mux" in there,

people just automadicly get away from it.

Well, I defonately think we

should have an autopilot. Something. Of course, we'd love to have a cleaned

version of contacts, and perhaps maybe a [E] in front of hostels. I mean, I

especially we should have an auto-chase in ground units; however like

autopilot for all units where I could specify coords. However yeah,

auto-firing is stupid, I don't think we'd need that. Heh, that's probably

noone else is interested, cause it's not automated...

2006-01-07 03:31:11

Firing

is already pretty automatic anyway, grin. Pick the target and it tries to

hit it.

I don't even know the difference between a mud and mux quite

honestly. I just thought having the game tell you something was an enemy was

a bit much because of seismic sensors, all contacts that are only seen by

the seismics are apparently shown as hostile. I thought it less confusing to

state that a target was definitely friendly, and let you use your judgement

with the rest. Even the sighted players get in a bit of a mess when they use

seismics.

cx2
-----
To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2006-01-16 08:59:20 (edited by cx2 2006-01-16 15:43:29)

Okay,

the guy who runs the Frontier Lands battletech mux is trying to arrange a

meeting with me on the site's teamspeak server and would like me to have a

list of general concerns ready. I'd like to ask anyone here, including

Orin, who has played the game to put in here suggestions of what they find

difficult on what the guy called "a day to day basis when playing the

mux".

It's going to be mid-week some time apparently, so sooner rather

than later would be preferable. Not trying to be pushy, just want people to

get their opinions voiced.

Edit:
Incidentally, this is nothing to do

with the staff at the mux but I'm thinking of making an unnoficial guide

for playing the mux with a screen reader and putting it up on the web space

I got from my ISP. If any new features become available, particularly ones

that result from discussions with the people there to make life easier for

us screen reader users, I'd naturally add them as soon as I am comfortable

enough with their usage.

cx2
-----
To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2006-01-16 22:57:33

Hmm,

this is tuff..

In ctols: The abillity to see what vertical level you're

at, it doesn't tell you when trying to be at a certain level, etc.

The

abillity to autopilot to coords; I find it difficult to navagate manually

around obsticles. There should be an option to have manually navagating, but

when we wanna get somewhere in a hurry this option should be available.

I

think there should be the abillity to chase in all units (autochase) that

is, and tell me in real time when I'm in range of my locked target for

easier knowing how to fire; for example if I'm out of range from my target

and I do an autofolow or go to it manually, it shouold say, "you are now in

range of this target." or something so we actually know it's in range. All

these options I want for vtols accept vtols, but vtols for the vertical

thing, though.

Also, is it possable if I can come to this meating? I

wonder if at a time when I'm at school?

2006-01-17 11:40:52 (edited by cx2 2006-01-17 16:42:14)

I'm

still waiting to find out when. The catch is I'm running on GMT here, I'm

in Britain. I'll see what they say though.

If you type .ss it gives you

your location, the third digit is your height. Not ideal, but one of the

suggestions from Shabui Shima, the pr.ring staffer who suggested this to me

and KM in the first place, was a cleaned up version of the status command. I

suspect the range thing would be a bit awkward, all of the messages I get in

the game seem to be specific events that occur whether you're informed or

not. I don't know how much extra processing would be involved in checking

range regularly.

Some of my major concerns are contacts and finding

coordinates for bases and warps. I don't know what they'd think, but a

lockbase and lockwarp command might help getting around, acting to target

the appropriate hex so we can get brearings and ranges as if it were a mech.

As for the contacts, maybe a cleaned up version with bearing and range

instead of hex references, this would probably help some of the sighted

players too. Keep the old contacts command though, for when you need to use

the contact reporting macro. Perhaps the IFF command I thought of before, to

tell you if the target's friendly or not.

Aside from that, perhaps have

the contact and hexme macros included in the basic set the game advises you

to load. A text description of the map somehow would be nice too, I've been

trying to think of a way to automate this but haven't come up with

one.

I've noticed we've had one or two different opinions on exactly

what's needed, specifically how much automation to include. Whether you're

there at the meeting or not I'll probably be suggesting that they put in

some of the most essential changes that would let us drive mechs, with

autopilot if possible and having the ability to effectively navigate

manually as a preferred option, then leave us a little while and review the

situation later. We haven't had much chance to use mechs yet, and we'll

probably be able to decide exactly what is and isn't needed better once we

get a bit of experience with basic functionality available. We need to be on

tjhe same page with this, so to speak, otherwise we'll just end up

confusing them. Here's what I consider essential:

Navigation, preferably

manual with autopilot available if possible or as an

alternative
Friendly/enemy target identification made easier
Improved

contacts display
Accessible damage status display
Description of

map

Feel free to make suggestions to this list, they were asking for a

list of the things we find difficult on a day to day basis with the game

anyway.

Edit:
I've just realised. To be there you'll need to set up

team speak client, can you do that at your school? I've noticed Americans

refer to college as school so I don't know esxactly what you're referring

to by school, but I know the secondary school I went to (a mainstream one, I

could see at the time) had locks over the floppy drives and did the usual

blocking exe downloads trick. I hope it's not an issue, I just wouldn't

want to get you frustrated over why you can't connect if it's not

possible.

Edit 2:
Aside from the instructions on the mux site for

setting up teamspeak there's a radio button in the add server dialog marked

registered. This needs changing to anonymous. Also where it says to right

click in the server list you first need to go to connect in the menu, and

you'll need to use your mouse emulation (I used jaws cursor). Once

connected there'll be a tree view in the main window with two lobbies, 3030

and frontier. Either use mouse to double click on frontier or use the

application key when on it and select to go to that channel. Try connecting

and let me know if it works.

I'm guessing from you saying you use Monkey

Term you're using Window Eyes?

Edit 3:
Just adding things as I think of

them. I don't really see a reason to add a "in range" message, I don't see

it as useful. You *really* don't want to be firing at maximum range, so

you'll have to check the range manually anyway. Your target number will be

about 13 or 14 usually, and given that this is rolled on two dice it's

impossible. In a vtol, other than the h7 with the ac2 (not the h7A with the

ac5), you'll only get one shot per pass because of recycle time and you

need to make it count. In a mech you'll just create heat without having a 

realistic chance of hitting, and in any unit you'll draw attention to

yourself without being able to do damage. I don't like firing unless the

bth is at least 10, preferably 9 or 8, and that's for long range fire. For

medium lasers and srms on mechs I prefer a bth of around 6 or 7. We really

just need to focus on screen reader specific issues, I don't see this as

screen reader specific.

cx2
-----
To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.