IC Forum Archive

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

It's been a while since I last released a game, so here I am! It's called Zombie City Tactics, and it's a turn-based strategy game based on the Zombie City games. You can download the FULL VERSION, with 100 maps, here:

Zombie City Tactics v1.1
New in v1.1:
-Mouse wheel zooms in/out
-Various map balance changes
-Kill counts for individual units

I'd LOVE to know what features people want to see added. Feedback! Feedback!

Screenshots:

mechanori · Posts: 623

As usual, very well done. I'd still like to see some presentation, though! Get an artist!

Sleil · Posts: 4

Playing this. It's fun and well done so far :D Don't have any suggestions yet, will say so if I doooo.

Dark Age Iron Savior · Posts: 3148

1. End turn needs to be on a second key for WASD scheme - maybe space or X or something?

2. Showing the name/type of a unit when the cursor is over it might be desirable.

3. End map stats (number of [unit X]'s lost, number of zombies killed, etc) might be neat if implementable

I'd suggest new units, like a sniper (3-space/long range soldier, but has an upkeep, maybe?) or a trap-maker or something, but I'm not sure I'm really playing the game right in the first place, and such a thing would probably upset the balance. I'm also tempted to ask for items, like flares or something else to divert the attention of the zombies for several turns.

I can probably think up more things if I keep toying with it....great work so far, though!

GrimSweeper · Posts: 530

It might be nice to have a fastest time for each map.

I don't like to throw in core gameplay suggestions (it throws existing maps out of balance-whack), but it makes me uncomfortable to see a 2 move unit yet nary a 2 attack unit. Maybe not buyable; rather a special character like the VIP.

In fact, I really enjoyed the types in Zombie City 1, even though you didn't interact with them. The werewolf especially.

I want to say more. I don't like to push my ideas onto somebody else.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Dark Age Iron Savior wrote:

1. End turn needs to be on a second key for WASD scheme - maybe space or X or something?

2. Showing the name/type of a unit when the cursor is over it might be desirable.

3. End map stats (number of [unit X]'s lost, number of zombies killed, etc) might be neat if implementable

I'd suggest new units, like a sniper (3-space/long range soldier, but has an upkeep, maybe?) or a trap-maker or something, but I'm not sure I'm really playing the game right in the first place, and such a thing would probably upset the balance. I'm also tempted to ask for items, like flares or something else to divert the attention of the zombies for several turns.

I can probably think up more things if I keep toying with it....great work so far, though!

1. I deliberately put the End Turn button far away from the core controls. Accidentally reflexively ending your turn sucks.

2. Implemented in the next version. Along with names!

3. Adding all sorts of items and special units and all that would both upset the balance and take away from the purity of the game concept.

GS: I'd consider Werewolf, but there's no day/night cycle, so it woudln't really work too well.
Also, that was Zombie City 2. ZC1 was basically a 3D version of the original Zombie Infection Simulator.

I'll probably throw in post-map specs and time records. Not bad ideas.

GrimSweeper · Posts: 530

Hm, then I had the numbers jumbled about in my head. You should name the Zombie City games more obviously! :p

Special Units would be good for when you're running out of ideas for map concepts, sure. It could also be used as incentive to unlock the other maps. Not so much for the human side, but rather fighting say the behemoth Frankenstein's monster.

Sleil · Posts: 4

There's some bug that when pressing Z causes your past 2 units to reverse their moves. I haven't discovered what causes Z to reverse 2 moves instead of 1, but I'll find out for you soon.

Edit: Okay, figured it out.

1) Move a slayer 1 space, so he still has one space left to move.
2) Move any other unit.
3) Move the slayer another space, so he has no more moves left.
4) Pressing Z will revert numbers 2 and 3.

If you do 1, then 2 twice, then 3, and hit Z, it will only undo the last step 2. As in, if you move a slayer 1 space, then move two militia units, and then move the slayer his last space and press Z, it will not undo both militia, but just the last one you moved.

Edit2: A zombie unit that has on/off invisibility would be kind of cool and awesomely annoying. As in, every other turn, it is invisible (unless you are within 2 spaces away). It would just be an annoyance since it'd be easy to forget about.

dessgeega · Posts: 3317

"special units" are kind of a cheap way to artificially extend gameplay. i would end the game at the point where you'd need to introduce them (but that should be obvious i guess).

i've completed the first two stages. it seems very slow and methodical, but that's because i tried to conserve units. i could have possibly cleared the stages faster if i'd burned through my units, replacing them immediately. but then there'd be no asymmetry between the zombies and the humans.

Mr. Business · Posts: 1530

Conserving units is a waste of time, really. Militia are basically just zombie fodder pawns.

vision · Posts: 472

This is a lot of fun.

I mostly ignore my militia and simply advance soldier walls ever so slowly toward generators, then at the last second I throw a slayer in there to finish the job. So much for going for broke.

Time limits (or in this case, turn limits) are never really my thing, so I don't think I'll play any maps with that feature.

Nice game here, professor! I'll add suggestions as I progress through the game.

Sleil · Posts: 4

vision wrote:

This is a lot of fun.

I mostly ignore my militia and simply advance soldier walls ever so slowly toward generators, then at the last second I throw a slayer in there to finish the job. So much for going for broke.

Time limits (or in this case, turn limits) are never really my thing, so I don't think I'll play any maps with that feature.

Nice game here, professor! I'll add suggestions as I progress through the game.

The maps that are timed force you to play in a certain style, which is fun, because usually you don't play in that style. Like "Rush" or whichever that has a 15 turn limit. Some people play like you and just advance their soldier wall, but some people like Mr. Business just rush anyway. However, on other maps with VIP's, Mr. Business may be forced to use a soldier wall.

Give the time limit maps a try anyway :D Every map is fun so far.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Coming in the next build:
-Post-map statistics. So far, I've got units built (of each type), units lost (of each type), kills, energy generated, energy spent, turns taken (it records your fastest times, too) and undos taken. Anything else I should throw in here?
-Mouseover being data. When you put the cursor over a being, it displays their name, type, health, and moves.
-Changing the 'unmoved unit' arrow from white to black.

BUT... I'm not going to release it until I have all maps created. I'm willing to take volunteers for mapmaking assistance.

vision · Posts: 472

Sleil wrote:

The maps that are timed force you to play in a certain style, which is fun, because usually you don't play in that style. Like "Rush" or whichever that has a 15 turn limit. Some people play like you and just advance their soldier wall, but some people like Mr. Business just rush anyway. However, on other maps with VIP's, Mr. Business may be forced to use a soldier wall.

Give the time limit maps a try anyway :D Every map is fun so far.

Yeah, I realize the turn-limit maps force strategy (or "tactics"), instead of mere patience. I did get through Rush after a few tries, on about the 13th turn. It's a relief once completed, but I don't enjoy it nearly as much as, say, finishing map #8, "over the walls", with a huge, slowly advancing army of nothing but cheap militia.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Okay, I'm almost done with the next version, but I'm stuck in a bit of a rut... I have 91 maps done, and I'm out of ideas for new ones. Anyone care to muck around with the map editor?

Please?

GrimSweeper · Posts: 530

Sure! How many do you need?

Mr. Business · Posts: 1530

9 more. Btw, prof, I'll see if I can make 2-3 more, but I'm more or less out of ideas for the moment.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

FINALLY!

Zombie City Tactics v1.0 has been UNLEASHED onto the internet, with a whopping 100 maps! Yay!

If you have v0.8 already, I reccomend deleting all the old files before extracting the new version. You'll lose your progress either way, so don't sweat that. If you really want to keep your beaten levels, there IS a way to do so, but it also opens up an avenue to DIRTY CHEATING, so I am gonna put it in spoilertext:
Before you upgrade, make a note of every map you've cleared. Then, after you upgrade, go into data/maps/all.dat. Look for the names of each map you beat, and replace the '0' after it with a '1'.

Link to new version updated in the first post.

Mr. Business · Posts: 1530

It's lovely to see it in a complete release, finally!

Hey Prof: has the color of the slayer been changed at all? It looks vaguely different.

Monthenor · Posts: 455

Hey guess what. Now we're not getting any work done at my job because of fucking zombies. Just great.

Professor_Scissors, I think my manager wants to have a word with you.

exodus · Posts: 385

really like the new release.

I wish the slayer could shoot like the soldier though...or at least destroy zombies in both moves instead of ending its turn whenever it kills one. I find that my slayers die really quickly, and aren't worth the cost of making. If it had the capacity to kill double the zombies, or kill one and escape, that would be much more useful to me. So I guess that's my suggestion.

I'm sure this would kill the balance, but it'd make the most sense for killed humans to turn into zombies. At that point you'd need another powerful human unit though.

I also support the idea of a sniper unit. I think it could work like this - the sniper unit has one shot, up to three spaces away, then after that turns into a regular soldier.

I haven't played too far in, but checking the readme, it seems like it might get exceedingly difficult after new zombie types appear. Not sure yet.

[edit]
p.s. going to link shortly...

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Monthenor wrote:

Hey guess what. Now we're not getting any work done at my job because of fucking zombies. Just great.

Professor_Scissors, I think my manager wants to have a word with you.

Hahahaha. Where do you work?

exodus wrote:

really like the new release.

I wish the slayer could shoot like the soldier though...or at least destroy zombies in both moves instead of ending its turn whenever it kills one. I find that my slayers die really quickly, and aren't worth the cost of making. If it had the capacity to kill double the zombies, or kill one and escape, that would be much more useful to me. So I guess that's my suggestion.

Any changes to the unit set at this point would OBLITERATE the balance of the game. I like slayers just how they are - If you're attacking a horde, use militia. If you're on the defenseive, use soldiers. If you're trying to take down a generator, push forwards decisively, or grab huge buckets of territory, you build a slayer. Everything is situational.

exodus · Posts: 385

I mean...I'm going to talk about it on the front page. you know, of this website.

MAKE ME A SNIPER

:(

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

You are?! Whoa!

I'm gonna be e-famous again!

Monthenor · Posts: 455

professor_scissors wrote:

Monthenor wrote:

Hey guess what. Now we're not getting any work done at my job because of fucking zombies. Just great.

Professor_Scissors, I think my manager wants to have a word with you.

Hahahaha. Where do you work?

IT'S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY

Zombie time is getting pretty bad. I mean really, co-workers start noticing, skip lunch bad.

Mr. Mechanical · Posts: 1890

Just saw this got front paged so I figured I'd give it a shot. I really enjoyed Zombie City III by the way, though I'm not a huge fan of strategy games so I always held off on trying this one out. However it is quite entrancing once you sink into it a little. I've only beaten two stages so far but I like it quite a bit.

Great job guys!

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Extra thanks to simoniker for frontpaging this when Brandon forgot!

How many more game do I have to release before I'm an internet celebrity?

Mr. Mechanical · Posts: 1890

At the very least three more so I think you have your work cut out for you. Though you've got quite a good start!

Don't forget your friends at insert credit after you get famous and start developing Zombie City: Revival for the Xbox 360, okay?

Krabjuice · Posts: 114

Guys, that first mission is kicking my ass.

Krabjuice · Posts: 114

Oh wait, I can make things.

Krabjuice · Posts: 114

First mission done, guys.

So, uh, what good are soldiers?
Ah, I see.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Krabjuice wins at TRIPLE POSTING ACTION

Zombie City Tactics has also made waves at GameSetWatch and Kotaku.

New positions I realized I needed:
Area designer: There are gonna be a LOT of areas, and they need to play towards making the fight against the zombies both challenging and exciting. Also, sewer system.
Scenario/script writer: I can't write worth a damn, and this game is going to need an interesting, well-executed story to break up the endless zombie battles.

Krabjuice · Posts: 114

Eh, I'll do something so long as I get fame and fortune.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

Not with that attitude you won't!

Krabjuice · Posts: 114

Heres the thing: I have no idea what sort of detail your engine is capable of producing.
Could one convey a vivid and colorful perspective of a long festering zombie infection using your engine? Is your storywriter going to have the freedom to tell the story without mechanics getting in the way? Are your mappers going to have a powerful landscaping tool so that their creativity won't be hampered by inaccessibility?

Are the two going to get along?

I'll say that without a bit more light on the subject, I can't willingly devote myself to either position.

GrimSweeper · Posts: 530

! !!

!!!

You've seen my efforts in map making, so if you can stand the doldrums with inspired work scattered through-out, I'm your man!

Also, I could very likely manage descriptive text and the like, but I'm not as sure about my skill.

thecalamitouskid · Posts: 117

On the Level Speed and Stealth sometimes a person will mysteriously die and then it will take two moves to go on that spot. Is this because of some secret kind of invisi-zombie or just a glitch? Oddly enough, a slayer can land on it if they have both moves, so I doubt it's a zombie. So yeah.

MrBlarney · Posts: 133

I just downloaded the game a few hours ago, it's pretty good. Feels more like a puzzle game than a tactics game, but then again the two genres are somewhat linked. The first five levels, I thought the game was a bit slow, but after going though about 15, the game is starting to feel pretty good. Map #10 is still eluding me though... I'm still having trouble setting up formations to eat up those giant zombies, and there's no bottlenecks that allow me to slowly push the horde back. While I was confused at first about how battles operated, I picked it up pretty easily after the first map. The system's simple but utilized really well. The game's really working quite nicely.

Your announcement for Zonbie City Survivors is pretty exciting. I want to ask so many questions about it... like if characters develop based on a leveling system or a skill-based system. I can already see the skill trees that one could take (Combat, Medical, Physical...). The day/night concept sounds pretty good, and it sounds like you've already got a good idea of what you're going to do. I'd like to volunteer to help, but I don't know if I have the time to dedicate to the project. Also, I don't really have all the skills necessary to contribute; I could possibly do character art but to be frank I'm still rather anateurish. I can do pencil sketches, but I suck at inking, coloring, and digitizing.

Monthenor · Posts: 455

professor_scissors wrote:

Scenario/script writer: I can't write worth a damn, and this game is going to need an interesting, well-executed story to break up the endless zombie battles.

SCENARIO: two police recruits and a subway conductor fight their way across a zombie-infested city to rescue the dog of one of the recruits. When the dog is recovered it is in fact a robot dog that transforms into a gun the recruit can use as their ultimate weapon.

Am I hired?

exodus · Posts: 385

I'll do your scenario if you really feel you need one. You may not for this, it might get in the way - but if you want it, I'll certainly do it.

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

CURRENT UPDATED STATUS of my team-assemblage:

ARTISTS: I have two hired for sure, and a number of prospects for a third. Currently not actively seeking more.
MUSICIAN: I have one guy I am almost certainly going to use, and three backups. Currently not actively seeking more.
SOUND: Nothingxs wants to do my sound, but at this point it is way the heck too early to get a sound guy. Currently not actively seeking more.
WRITING/SCENARIO: Got someone, waiting to see if their work is up to my standards. Accepting more, but only as backup alternatives.

So yeah, not much seeking going on right now - that publicity wave got me a LOT of volunteers. I'll let you guys know if anything opens up.

exodus · Posts: 385

note: brandon sheffield is the best.

you should use him because even though he has no time he is awesome and likes zombies.

sincerely,
brandon sheffield

108 · Posts: 2600

zombies in an airport

get the people onto the plane

last battle involves fighting zombies on the runway while the plane takes off; goal is to keepthe zombies back, while getting as many of your guys as possible on the plane while sacrificing the strength of your squad as little as possible

in the end, one of your people will be left on the runway after the plane takes off

the "final battle" is to kill as many zombies as possible while trying to run away, even though you're going to die anyway

et cetera

vision · Posts: 472

108 wrote:

zombies ... cetera

sounds too much like the plot to road warrior.

Mr. Business · Posts: 1530

vision wrote:

108 wrote:

zombies ... cetera

sounds too much like the plot to road warrior.

You make that sound like a bad thing. It's not a bad thing.

GrimSweeper · Posts: 530

So...no Scenario Designer position? Or was it consolidated with the writer position?

If so, then I'll accept backup writer.

I got worked up over nothing. Heh.

108 · Posts: 2600

Mr. Business wrote:

vision wrote:

108 wrote:

zombies ... cetera

sounds too much like the plot to road warrior.

You make that sound like a bad thing. It's not a bad thing.

zombies for god's sake man

exodus · Posts: 385

one more suggestion - I just cleared the 'chess' stage with all area human-occupied (blue, I mean). Might be fun to have an 'all clear' stat in the endgame screen.

Mr. Business · Posts: 1530

exodus wrote:

one more suggestion - I just cleared the 'chess' stage with all area human-occupied

Jeez, I really did make that level too easy :/

professor_scissors · Posts: 1033

exodus wrote:

one more suggestion - I just cleared the 'chess' stage with all area human-occupied (blue, I mean). Might be fun to have an 'all clear' stat in the endgame screen.

The problem is that all this would do would be to encourage the player to almost defeat the enemy, then poke around endlessly scouring territory before finishing the map. EW.

Also someone from the internets might be making a homebrew Zombie City Tactics Advance. Neat!