TSCavalier Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 Greetings all! A disclaimer: I am a complete newbie to this game. I had downloaded various versions of BC3K demos in the past but always got winded climbing the learning curve. I've been lurking in these forums for a while now, though, and couldn't help but think I missed something since there is a lot of passion out there for this game. So... recently I downloaded the demo for UC... now I'm addicted... so I decided to actually buy the game... installed the 2.0 patch... now I'm a convert. Now to the point of this post: Again, being a total newbie... I've been searching around unsuccessfully for a "map" of sorts for the interior of your battlecruiser. I understand that your crew moves around from location to location, and certain events can occur on your ship to cause problems getting a crewmember from here to there. Does a map of sorts exist that shows the connections between locations in the ship? All I'm talking about here is a box/line flowchart-style layout... like, to get from the cargo bay to the bridge you have to travel between areas X, Y, and Z. Remember the old Zork-map days? I'm in the process of Reading The Fine Manual so I might find the answers myself so please ignore me if I'm totally clueless. Thanks for reading!
DennyMala Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 First of all, WELCOME ABOARD MAN! Now to get to the point... sorry but no such map in the manual and never heard of it... ...although this could be a valuable addition to the appendix file... Someone can help?....SC...?
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 No such map exists, only my early sketches of all the deck locations. No, I don't plan on spending time collecting them, scanning them and all that nonsense. At the end of the day, they add nothing to the game and are useless within the scope of actually playing the game.
TSCavalier Posted May 14, 2004 Author Report Posted May 14, 2004 I suppose the reason that I ask is that while skimming the manual (which is not with me at the moment) I found that you can be boarded by baddies... and when it happens, it is prudent to send marines after them and to move your AE around the ship to avoid getting got. Also, if damage occurs in certain parts of the ship, it may prevent your crew from getting to where they want to go (or run away from). I also read where your crew can get hungry and all crowd the mess hall... or make long lines to the medbay. All of these crew dynamics sound awesome! Even if it is just in the form of a crew listing in PERSCAN. I'm just wondering how much of an impact this facet of the game (one of many) has on actual practical gameplay. Like... I've already experienced sending myself (AE) to a fighter and flying around a bit. I loved the Star Trek-ian feel of that ("Number One, you've got the bridge!") when I found out that I can't very well drive the battlecruiser when I'm walking around the hallways Does it really matter what the layout of the ship is? Or is it just a "status" of sorts for each crew member?
TSCavalier Posted May 14, 2004 Author Report Posted May 14, 2004 OK! Thanks for the response SC. I was typing my post right before you responded with yours. So, there are gameplay elements there with regards to crew locations... but the actual layout of the ship doesn't matter. Got it.
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 quote:Originally posted by TSCavalier: Does it really matter what the layout of the ship is? Yes it does. If it didn't, it wouldn't be in the game and you won't have in-ship movement.
TSCavalier Posted May 14, 2004 Author Report Posted May 14, 2004 I'm confused. quote:At the end of the day, they add nothing to the game and are useless within the scope of actually playing the game. -SCYet quote:If it [ship layout] didn't [matter], it wouldn't be in the game and you won't have in-ship movement. -SCSo, a map showing the ship layouts would add nothing to the game, but there are gameplay elements that depend on the layout of the ship. In other words, the layout is important, but the map (explanation) of that layout is not? I'm not trying to be sarcastic (though it might sound that way). I'm just learning. [ 05-14-2004, 11:04 AM: Message edited by: TSCavalier ]
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 Which part was unclear? OK, let me rephrase it. You have a car. It works. You know how to drive it. You don't need to know how the engine works in order to drive that car.
Guest Shingen Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 Since you can only really send people to a destination, and can't really designate how they get there, knowing the actual layout of a BC is irrelevent.
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 Exactly. You know Shingen, we need to make you an ambassador to n00bies. Or something.
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Shingen: I don't think so. LOL!! Why not?
Guest Shingen Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 What happened to Cmdr Nova? Wasn't he the n00b ambassador?
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Shingen: What happened to Cmdr Nova? Wasn't he the n00b ambassador? Good point. And funny you should mention that because now thats what I want to know.
TSCavalier Posted May 14, 2004 Author Report Posted May 14, 2004 Ok, a gameplay scenario. Insurgents board my battlecruiser and they are currently located in the cargo bay. They are on their way to the bridge. I am on the bridge. I decide to leave the bridge and hide in the medbay under a chair. Everybody has to actually travel through the ship to their destination. Is there ANY chance of me encountering the Insurgents? Would we meet in the hallway? Can I guarantee my safety by choosing a certain path through the ship? If so, I would think the ship layout would become important. Wouldn't it? Otherwise, it's simply a "status" (refreshing every 15 seconds, no?) where you are [here] going [here] and there really isn't an in-between. You just have to make sure that you and the baddies don't go to the same place (or *do* go to the same place, in the case of the marines you send after the intruders). And yes. I am n00b. Hear me roar. --------- By the way, gameplay discussions like this are great (even when initiated by a n00b). It's how, via these forums, I ended up learning what the game really was all about (instead of trusting some reviewer that played the game for all of 10 minutes). My personal game-buying pattern is to not just read some hastily scribbled review, but to also find out what both the fans and detractors say about a game. With UC... I listened to the fans on these forums talk about their gameplay experiences. The passion that I saw, and the unprecedented support by the SC, lead me to buy and play a truly unique and deep game. Kudos. All of this and I haven't even left Earth and the surrounding area. I haven't even scratched the surface. I can't wait to see what else is out there.
Guest Shingen Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 quote:Otherwise, it's simply a "status" (refreshing every 15 seconds, no?) where you are [here] going [here] and there really isn't an in-between. You just have to make sure that you and the baddies don't go to the same place (or *do* go to the same place, in the case of the marines you send after the intruders).Perscan has always been a "status" display. It only monitors where everyone is. If you have intruders onboard, sending you AE running around the ship isn't a good tactic for survival.
Supreme Cmdr Posted May 14, 2004 Report Posted May 14, 2004 quote:Originally posted by TSCavalier: If so, I would think the ship layout would become important. Wouldn't it?No. It is irrelevant because you can't send your AE to specific sections of the ship other than the locations exposed to you via the Tactical computer. Even IF you could (and when you could), it would still be pointless because there are no guarantees that he would.... (1) Make it to the location, e.g. if a route is blocked due to in-ship damage (2) Not be intercepted (by intruders for e.g.) while en-route to the location. So, you knowing where the Medibay (known location) is, in relation to bulkhead #3 (unknown location) becomes a moot point. And no, its not just a status that is refreshed every 15 secs. Every AI tick the status, location and a bunch of other things are updated. In the case of the location, you just happen to know - at that instant - where the person is. It is a valid location that exists on the ship. For more info, read the game appendix. In UC, there are 106 possible locations on a ship. And not all ships have that many nor all of them.
TSCavalier Posted May 14, 2004 Author Report Posted May 14, 2004 Understood, SC. Thanks again all for taking the time to answer my questions and being patient with a n00b.
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