Ashes Afterglow TC - closing the vault

[baddude1337]

For repopulating mops, how about having the opposite enemy type? Say a map is mainly raiders, have mutants spawn on the second visit, and vice versa. Reflect them moving in on territory after it is cleared. Will keep the variety of encounters in the levels fresh that way IMO.

[RKD]

I think the clash here would be though people who like to leave a town depopulated, ie being happy that the kill counter reads X/X to the positive when they leave a map

I'm one of those . Even then, I think the extra monster spawning can still appeal to even completionists. Just make sure they are in fair places.

Imo, this could work if the spawning points of these groups are predetermined. Let's say you complete a map with a truck on it. Later on you need to go back to said truck. Spawn whatever monster group you want either in the way to the objective, the map entrance or around the objective. If, instead, they spawn in random places, no way I'm tracking down that one bastard who decided to appear in the other side of the map (or in a hard-to-reach spot).

Maybe include a mini-boss there (like a bigger recolored version of an already present monster), just to spice things a bit if it isn't a hassle to do.

[june gloom]

I think this is more noticeable with the fact that returning to maps is encouraged, such as the key hunt for the trucks in Atlanta. I think the clash here would be though people who like to leave a town depopulated, ie being happy that the kill counter reads X/X to the positive when they leave a map, and to not have to return later to make sure they missed anyone.

Of course it makes a more lived-in world to have enemies repopulate locations, I don't want to alienate those players who like to be completionist with their genocide.

Interested to hear all your thoughts on this matter. Though in the future I am veering toward having scripted reinforcements spawn in when the story invites players returning to cleared out areas.

I think the best option is to tie it to scripted events. For example, sprinkle in a few new ambushes in the subway tunnels as you move back through them, or even drop them in areas that you wouldn't otherwise revisit unless you were secret hunting. And not just whole packs suddenly just showing up in big open areas, but random singular enemies wandering common paths. Bonus points if there's some way to show how they got in, like a previously closed shutter door being now open (similar to the mall level in Ep 1) or a broken window. Even better, those newly opened monster closets could be entry points to new areas, perhaps small rooms with items or whathaveyou, incentivizing re-exploration.

The other option, have new enemies just filter in over time regardless of what you do, would ultimately result in a losing war for resources as your ammo expenditure is likely always going to be more than you actually get back from drops. While this certainly sounds fun and in keeping with the theme, I think the completionists would be annoyed more than anyone else.

[Plasmazippo]

Interested to hear all your thoughts on this matter. Though in the future I am veering toward having scripted reinforcements spawn in when the story invites players returning to cleared out areas.

I am very on-board with making reinforcement spawns "plot-scripted". Jimmy's Faithless has reinforcements 'porting in immediately every time you revisit a map, and it gets overbearing quickly.

[camper]

The other option, have new enemies just filter in over time regardless of what you do, would ultimately result in a losing war for resources as your ammo expenditure is likely always going to be more than you actually get back from drops. While this certainly sounds fun and in keeping with the theme, I think the completionists would be annoyed more than anyone else.

In this sense, the role of the .45 revolver (and shotgun 12-gauge) with black powder should increase. After all, rifle brass from .308 (of which there should be a lot) in theory can be converted to .45 and reloaded again (and again, and again) in a handicraft workshop. Therefore, these ammunition should be cheap. Black powder is also available, because it is made from charcoal from a tree or shrub, sulfur mined in mines (somewhere in the subway) and saltpeter from bio-waste products. A revolver is not as sensitive to ammunition as an automatic weapon. Colt Navi, for example, generally allows you to reload a drum without a cartridges. IMHO, this is the perfect post-apocalyptic firearm.

[Ihavequestions]

Going back to Afterglow Sterilized with the Ashes Monsters and Weapons packs, I'd like to note that there is a strong bias towards .45 ammo whereas the normal Afterglow has a bias towards 9mm ammo (playing Sterilized on UV, Apocalypse otherwise). The game plays quite differently for this reason. The revolver comes to use much more often, but getting to use the SMG is a rare occasion, and you run out of ammo quickly.

Any chance this could be fixed for the next update? Or is it supposed to be this way?

[AmissaAnima]

Hello peeps i ain't sure if any of you has the same issue while playing on the latest version as i do, You see while randomly playing through Ashes Afterglow 1.10 i come across a sound that sounds like a drill of sorts ending with a classic doom unf sound, This is happens around various maps randomly but usually inside buildings, If i need too record this sound or provide more information regarding this please let me know.

[Plasmazippo]

In what maps does this happen, Amissa? I've just started playing on 1.10, and so far I haven't heard anything like that in the Atlanta hub so far (discount the Gap and the secret location from this assessment, haven't gotten to those yet).

[EnriksD8]

This was actually one of my planned features (maps that repopulate over time), but it ended up being relegated to a *later* feature and never implemented.

Top tip: when a Dev decides "it's fine, we'll figure it out later" they are lying.
They will never figure it out later.

I think this is more noticeable with the fact that returning to maps is encouraged, such as the key hunt for the trucks in Atlanta. I think the clash here would be though people who like to leave a town depopulated, ie being happy that the kill counter reads X/X to the positive when they leave a map, and to not have to return later to make sure they missed anyone.

Of course it makes a more lived-in world to have enemies repopulate locations, I don't want to alienate those players who like to be completionist with their genocide.

Interested to hear all your thoughts on this matter. Though in the future I am veering toward having scripted reinforcements spawn in when the story invites players returning to cleared out areas.

You can make it like Abysm where the enemies will respawn after the player triggers a linedef. Of course, to prevent frustration and have the respawns make sense, maybe only a few enemy types would/should respawn. For example, Pitfiends especially in areas where it is dominated or primarily populated with Pitfiends would respawn/repopulate after the player exits their territory. And, again, to prevent frustration, the Pitfiends that do return would be around 1/10th or 1/5th of whatever Pitfiends were originally in that area.

The same could be applied to other enemy types such as Haunts and Gas Bags.

I'm not sure how it could be implemented well and not screw over the balance Afterglow has, but it can be done.

[Ihavequestions]

Hello peeps i ain't sure if any of you has the same issue while playing on the latest version as i do, You see while randomly playing through Ashes Afterglow 1.10 i come across a sound that sounds like a drill of sorts ending with a classic doom unf sound, This is happens around various maps randomly but usually inside buildings, If i need too record this sound or provide more information regarding this please let me know.

Pretty sure you mean the revolving gate sound that can be heard when you enter or leave a subway station through one of those revolving gates.

[AmissaAnima]

In what maps does this happen, Amissa? I've just started playing on 1.10, and so far I haven't heard anything like that in the Atlanta hub so far (discount the Gap and the secret location from this assessment, haven't gotten to those yet).

I'm quite deep in my playthrough so i can't exactly recall every location the sound happens, But i intend to do another playthrough after this one and i'm wondering if you need the map name or the exact location where the sound happens or both?

Hello peeps i ain't sure if any of you has the same issue while playing on the latest version as i do, You see while randomly playing through Ashes Afterglow 1.10 i come across a sound that sounds like a drill of sorts ending with a classic doom unf sound, This is happens around various maps randomly but usually inside buildings, If i need too record this sound or provide more information regarding this please let me know.

Pretty sure you mean the revolving gate sound that can be heard when you enter or leave a subway station through one of those revolving gates.

That's not the sound i'm referring to unfortunately.

[Plasmazippo]

Map name should be enough. From there I can take a deeper look with noclip and a level editor.

[mac420666]

Can we have something like a charging giant shiny black rhinoceros bug to fight against?
have you guys watched nausica?
Maybe it could fly too and its weakpoint is exposed when it takes off, it would try to charge you at high speeds and it would apply high knockback if it hits you, when if takes off it will hover in place and then try to pick you up with the little hooks in its legs, maybe this could be separated in two bugs, the rhinoceros and another one that flies something like a huge locust, have you guys played metal slug? (Not defense or Attack those are not metal slug games)
The enemies there where always interesting, fun and good looking. There are mutant insects,mutant zombies, mutant Plants, aliens that look like mutants and more.

Mutants: https://metalslug.fandom.com/wiki/Mutants
Giant Hunter Walker: https://metalslug.fandom.com/wiki/Giant_Hunter_Walker
Flying Parasite: https://metalslug.fandom.com/wiki/Flying_Parasite (these one could be just a sprite change to get raiders where there would be none, working with

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Matangos

for example)
Monoeye: https://metalslug.fandom.com/wiki/Monoeye
Ring lazer Mecha: https://metalslug.fandom.com/wiki/Ring_Laser_Mecha (robots in military facilities or Anomalies Maybe??)
Tiny Ufo: https://metalslug.fandom.com/wiki/Tiny_UFO (these ones reminds me of Gasbags)
???: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/metal ... 0410100303
Anomaly or something : https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/metal ... 1215224918

Plese check this out.

[june gloom]

Reposting from the DarkDoomZ thread per Caligari87's suggestion:

I've run into a nasty bug. I was using the mod with Ashes Afterglow and at some point -- after the biodome level, I think, or after talking to the Baron, it was around then -- everything got much darker, and attempting to fiddle with either the mode or preset thrusts the entire map into darkness and any further changes do nothing. I can make changes via pre-gain and post-gain, but it's not perfect. Minimum lightlevel never seemed to do much of anything, but it does nothing now.

ETA: A little testing shows that my one save from before the Biodome has the same issue, it was just not immediately noticeable (though I do remember having to change the fog setting from 0 to 8 because the Biodome was just a white mess otherwise) and that if I start a new game the issue isn't present.

I suspect the issue was caused by the fog in the gas tunnels, but I'm not currently able to verify that right now.

[Plasmazippo]

↑ The thread in question.