Command & Conquer: Afterglow - A Detailed Look At The Rules- Part 3

Command & Conquer: Afterglow - A Detailed Look At The Rules - Part 3

Command & Conquer AfterGlow: The Post Release Development Center

A DETAILED LOOK AT
THE RULES - PART 3

Purpose

This is the third section where we will dive into the RULES.INI file and take a look at the keywords which are used to describe units and structures. We'll also take a quick look at Overlay Objects.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?

The long awaited "vetran unit" system is controlled by these few keywords. Basicly, the more a unit kills the higher in rank it can go. In Tiberian Sun there are two basic levels "Vetran" and 'Elite". In game they are visually indicated by visible bars and stars. With increasing rank the units gain firepower and often new abilities. Note that only those units which can kill other units can become vetrans. For example, it should be possible to create an "elite" Harvestor by running over hundreds of infantry.

Elite designated the new primary weapon when the unit is at "elite" veteran status. The default is the same as the normal primary.

EliteAbilities is a list of elite abilities to grant when the unit reaches "elite" status, these are cumulative with the veteran abilities and the default is "none". These abilities include: "FASTER", "STRONGER", "FIREPOWER", "SCATTER", "ROF", "SIGHT", "CLOAK", "TIBERIUM_PROOF", "VEIN_PROOF", "SELF_HEAL", "EXPLODES", "RADAR_INVISIBLE", "SENSORS", "FEARLESS", "C4", "TIBERIUM_HEAL", "GUARD_AREA" and "CRUSHER".

Vetran designated the new primary weapon when the unit is at "vetran" veteran status. The default is the same as the normal primary. This is an undocumented and untested keywod.

VeteranAbilities is the list of veteran abilities to grant when the unit reaches "vetran" status. The default is none. See EliteAbilities for a list of the choices. This keyword is unused in Tiberian Sun.

Along with the lines in each unit's code block, there are several global settings in the [General] section which control how the vetran system works. These include the following:

VeteranRatio specifies the multiple of self-value that must be destroyed per level to increase veteran status. The default is "10.0".

VeteranCombat is the damage increase factor that the unit get when it is a veteran. The default is ".25".

VeteranSpeed is the speed increase factor that the unit gets when it is a veteran. The default is ".30".

VeteranSight is the sight range increase it gets when the unit is a veteran. The default is "0.0".

VeteranArmor is the armor increase it gets when the unit is a veteran. The default is ".25".

VeteranROF is the rate of fire (ROF) increase it gets when the unit is a veteran. The default is ".20".

VeteranCap is the maximum veteran level that can be obtained. The default is "2".

InitialVeteran says if the initial forces start off as veterans. The default is "no". This would simulate you taking your best units from mission to mission.

IF YOU BUILD IT

These keywords allow structures to create other objects, such a units or aircraft. The Tiberian Sun engine is much more open in this regard than the earlier C&C games and allows some very interesting options. Also included are a few keywords which control where you can build structures.

Adjacent is the distance allowed to place this buildings from other base buildings. The default is "1". In Tiberian Sun this value normally ranges from "2" to "4".

BaseNormal says that this structure can be considered for building adjacency checks. The default is "yes". Deployed units, walls and many defensive structures have this set to "no".

ConstructionYard designates that this building is a construction yard. This keyword is used as a flag to satisy prerequisite lists and may also be used to help the AI find targets.

ExitCoord is an undocumented keyword that specifies where a new unit arrives. It asppears to use WestWood's Lepton unit of measurement, and uses a three number (x,y,x) value. For example, the Nod Hand uses "0,0,0", while the GDI Barracks uses "-64,64,0". It is possible that the center of the structure is used as the "0,0,0" reference point.

Factory designated the type of object that this structure can build. The choices are "InfantryType", "AircraftType", "UnitType", "BuildingType" and "VesselType" (unused in Tiberian Sun). The default is "none". WestWood could have easily extended this by adding "LightUnitType" and "HeavyUnitType" to bring C&C closer to thier Dune model.

FreeUnit is a, well, free unit that is given to this building. The example is the Harvester that comes with a Tiberium Refinery. The default is "none". This is a slick way of introducing a small number of "unbuildable" units into the game, such as giving a free Troop Truck with every Barracks or Hand. This keyword will not work properly with infantry, the animation will get out of sync and the unit will appear to "break dance" instead of walking normally.

ShipYard is an unused keyword that designates this building as a ship yard or sub pen. It is unknown if the logic remains in the game. This keyword is used as a flag to satisy prerequisite lists and may also be used to help the AI find targets.

WaterBound says that this building can only be placed on water. The default is "no". No structures in Tiberian Sun use this keyword. It appears to be a carryover from Red Alert and may not function as it did there.

WeaponsFactory designates that this building is a weapons factory. This keyword is used as a flag to satisfy prerequisite lists and may also be used to help the AI find targets.

CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

One of the major advances within Tiberian Sun is the use of lighting. It is possible to give any structure, but not units, a visible glow. The following keywords control all of the details.

LightIntensity is how bright a light this building radiates. The default is zero. The normal range is from ".2" to ".02". Objects that make thing darker have a negitive value for this.

LightVisibility is the distance (in leptons) that this light is visible from. The default is "5000". The range used in the game goes from "3000" to "5000".

LightRedTint is the red tint of this buildings light. The default is "1.0". The range used in the game goes from ".01" to "2.0".

LightGreenTint is the green tint of this buildings light. The default is "1.0". The range used in the game goes from ".01" to "2.0".

LightBlueTint is the blue tint of this buildings light. The default is "1.0". The range used in the game goes from ".01" to "2.0".

There are actually few objects in Tiberian Sun which glow in the dark. These include the many light posts and the Tiberiun "Blossom" Trees. Sadly, because Tiberium is an overlay object, WestWood may not have been able to give it a glow. This "effect" is rather underused and allows many possible changes. For example, the deployed Sensor Array could give off a faint "blue" glow as it worked, or certain weapons could give off a faint glow when powered up.

Another possible use for this would be to create a "Darkon" projector which would create an intense field of darkness. This would create a "poor man's" cloaking device and would be very similar in effect to laying down a smoke screen. You could, in effect, recreate the Red Alert Gap Generator technology, except in this case it would be more complete.

TERRAIN OBJECTS

These include such things as boxes (nine types), ice floes (five types), normal trees (twenty-five types), Tiberium "Blossum" Trees (three types) and a Veinhole Tree. The keywords which are available for these entries include the following.

AnimationProbability is an undocumented keyword which controls how often this object will go through it's animation sequence. A higher number will mean more often.

AnimationRate is the speed in which an object goes through it's animation sequence. The only value used in Tiberian Sun for this is "3".

Immune says that this terrain object is immune to combat damage. The default is "no". Boxes and Tiberium Trees are immune to damage.

IsAnimated is an undocumented keyword which says that this object has animation graphics. The default is "no". Tiberium Trees are animated.

IsFlammable says thet "Forest Fires" can spread to and damage this terrain type. The default is "no". Trees are flammable.

IsVeinhole is an undocumented keyword which designates this object as a "VeinHole Monster". The default is "false".

RadarColor is an undocumented keyword which controls how this object shows up on the radar. The format appears to be "r,g,b", for example "RadarColor=0,192,0".

SnowOccupationBits is an undocumented keyword which appears to control how this object changes appearance when in a "Winter" map.

SpawnsTiberium says that this object spawns the growth of Tiberium around it. The default is "no". Tiberium Trees spawn Tiberium.

TiberiumToSpawn (New For FireStorm!) controls which type of Tiberium, green or blue, that this object spawns. The default is "1" for green Tiberium. If set to "2" then blue Tibererium will be produced.

TemperateOccupationBits is an undocumented keyword which appears to control how this object changes appearance when in a "Temperate" map.

WaterBound says that this terrain is only allowed on the water. The default is "no". Ice floes are, strangely enough, water bound.

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