path: root/design/notes.txt

tasks: (date)

[ ] implement aoe (issued on 02:03:21)
[ ] implement knockback (issued on 02:03:21)
[ ] implement stun (issued on 02:03:21)
[ ] implement armor reduction (issued on 02:03:21)
[ ] implement battery damage (issued on 02:03:21)
[ ] implement healing beam (issued on 24:02:21)
[ ] implement battery recharge beam (issued on 24:02:21)
[ ] implement net hud and minilobby (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement brain behaviour (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement lobby cost constraints (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement edit unit directly (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement persistent settings ini (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement explosions (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] design 3d units (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] design 3d map tiles (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement 3d units (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] design component sprites (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement sound (issued on 18:02:21)
[ ] implement component aoe bonus (issued on 02:03:21)

[x] migrated to cmake env (issued on 01:03:21, done on 02:03:21)
[x] implement stats hud view (issued on 18:02:21, done on 25:02:21)
[x] implement fire animation (issued on 18:02:21, done on 24:02:21)
[x] implement move animation (issued oyn 18:02:21, done on 24:02:21)
[x] implement army hud view (issued on 18:02:21, done on 22:02:21)
[x] implement naming template and army (issued on 18:02:21, done on 22:02:21)
[x] implement cost function (issued on 18:02:21, done on 20:02:21)
[x] implement end of battle condition (issued on 19:02:21, done on 19:02:21)
[x] implement battery calculation (issued on 18:02:21, done on 19:02:21)
[x] implement component levels (issued on 18:02:21, done on 19:02:21)
[x] implement rm unit (issued on 18:02:21, done on 18:02:21)
[x] implement armor calculation (issued on 18:02:21, done on 18:02:21)
[x] implement augment calculations (issued on 18:02:21, done on 18:02:21)
[x] implement augment hud view (issued on 18:02:21, done on 18:02:21)


bugs:

[ ] symmetric integration (found on 18:02:21)
    (on army movement and fire, equal armies should fair equally)
[ ] cross pc net broken (found on 02:03:21)

[x] ip text edit rect too small (found on 02:03:21, done on 02:03:21)
[x] cannot modify level of first aug (found on 02:03:21, done on 02:03:21)


testing:

[ ] write test suite (issued on 19:02:21)
[ ] hud states/flags/input interactions (issued on 22:02:21)

[x] armor calculations (issued on 18:02:21, done on 02:03:21)


balance:

[ ] balance components (issued on 18:02:21)


view from 18:02:21 to the end:
    game is make templates, assemble for army, fight other army
    multiplayer up to 2 ppl
    armies, templates and settings are persistent
    


details:

test suite:
    automatic common test cases
    is it necessary? yes

implement fire animation:
    istantaneous: shot fxs and explosions are with their own timing
    get an fx module -> bullets, damage, aoe explosions
    spawn fxs at evenly spaced times throughout the turn
    uneven salvo? (small random delay?) -> maybe
    bullet travel <= time btw last shot and start of next turn
    calculate target position by interpolating
    when needed spawn explosion
    what is a bullet? sprite? line? -> for now a line
-> done
    

implement move animation:
    interpolate from prev turn to current turn linerarly
    modify unit.pos? do it in gst_render.
    order of operations: m0, f0, m1, f1, m2, f2, ...
    transitions: m0->m1 while f0, m1->m2 while f1, ...
    at turn k: 
        k-1 m and f have to be available
    at time t, timeof(k-1) < timeof(k) < t:
        t is between k and k+1
        render animated position from m(k-1) to m(k), fire f(k-1)
        need army snapshot from k-1 and from k
        the one from k is the current state at t
        the one before has to be saved somewhere -> army position buffer
-> done, little testing

implement naming army -> done
implement naming template -> done

implement stats hud view:
? stats have to include individual weapon cooldowns and damage, what to do
    either put all as lines in stats (clean, but ugly)
    or modify the components directly (messy)
    or have the components hold both values, with mouse over showing the chain of effects
! components hold both values, stats screen is for stats only.

implement cost function:
    oh boy
    cost of a component = c_c
    cost of a unit = c_u
    cost of an army = c_a
    c_a = sum {i=0..ar->uslen-1} c_u[i]
    c_u = sum {comp j} c_c[j] -> maybe unfair, does not consider synergies
        = sum of stats -> nerfs synergies, confusing and hard to calculate
    c_c = sum of abs attributes -> ez but trash
        = basis function of effectiveness of attribute -> cool
    cost of unit is tricky
        if i consider the simple sum of c_c, the augment bonuses are left out
        gun cost 10, better ammo 10, total cost is 20.
        otherwise every unit is calculated ad hoc.
        gun cost 10, better ammo 10, dps is way better so total cost is 30
    -> i'm using the cost by unit final stats, it's better but harder
    what is effectiveness, i have to find formulas
    . effectiveness of a weapon
        + total damage output
        + range multiplies total damage
        + aoe multiplies total damage
        + knockback fixed cost
        + stun fixed cost
        - upkeep as a % of total cost
        - charge per shot required
        - weight as a % of total cost
    . effectiveness of a chassis
        + slots (different by slot type)
        + speed
        + hp
        + weight_max
        - upkeep
    . effectiveness of a battery
        + capacity
        + recharge based on capacity
        - weight as a % of total cost
    . effectiveness of an armor component
        + armor amount
        - weight
        - upkeep
    . effectiveness of an augment
        + all add effects, weighted accordingly
        - weight as a % of total cost
    . effectiveness of a controller
        + base cost by complexity of strategy (so base cost is defined in data)
        - upkeep
    multiplicative constants (buy with weight):
    . 1 total damage per turn  = 2 weight
    . 1 armor = 2 weight
    . 10 hp = 1 weight
    . 100 capacity = 1 weight
    . 1 upkeep = 1 weight
    (they differ in the implementation)
    basis function: (to modulate the increase in cost, double effectiveness, maybe 4*cost, or 70*cost)
    . linear y=x
    . log y=log(x)
    . exp y=exp(x)
    . other maybe?
    cost of a unit: (info_unit_get_cost)
    . sum of cost of components but with the final modified values
    i can also price components based on no bonuses to provide a price gauge -> meh
    i think it's better to focus on the cost indipendently of weight for now
-> done inpependent wrt weight
-> reimplemented for stats introduction

implement end of battle condition:
    i was thinking i can detect the end as no damage is being dealt in 10 turns
    and no movement takes place
    another condition is that the enemy has no units, but it's not necessary.
    end <==> no movement or fire
    have to do transition from battle to editor, done ez
-> done

implement components level:
    could do it globally, every level is +5%atk and +10% cost
    could set each weapon stat as a vector, v[level] is the stat
    what is max level? 5?
    work
    global: just implement the function
    local: that's #components * #attributes * #levels, n^3 operations
    both: local weights, worst of both worlds
    global is a quick solution, but i'm not here to do things quickly, i want to do them good.
    so local is better, but requires to
    . revolutionize every json parser
    . write a lot of numbers
    . design with a lot more variables in play
    before writing 10000 numbers i should design, or autogenerate them
    settled on 3 lvls, autogenerated with python
    missing hud!
-> done, also some testing
    
implement rm unit: -> done, paper note solution

implement armor calculation:
    consider bonuses for damage reduction
    aggregate them and spit out a percentage
    editor remove units funct to make it possible to have a test case
    army has to rebuild grid ref on load
-> done, barely tested

implement augment calculation:
    there are a lot of bonuses to keep track. do one at a time.
    ok add_armor as a malus %
    ok add_damage (only if same damage type weapon) as a bonus %
    ok add_range as a fixed sum
    ok add_cooldown
    ok add_hp
    ok add_speed
-> done, not tested

implement sound:
    partially done, need sound design
    
implement battery calculations:
    every component but the battery has an upkeep
    upkeep gets paid at the end of the turn
    if no charge: no shooting or moving
    weapons that drain energy do so (wow, also what?)
    yellow small text! yay!
-> done, tested briefely, testing is delayed until i write test suite