They can even do the bounce at spawn if they are not on a start position that is not flat enough.

I have tried smoothing the terrain, but they still veer off course.   So, I am thinking that I will have to use rails to keep them on course.   I would create collision mesh rails and place them on either side of the AT-AT path, about shoulder high,  to keep the auto AT-ATs on track.    The terrain can be smoothed out at AT-AT barge location for a start point.   These would be for effect.  They would not have an ingame role for the Hoth Defense map.  Hoth defense map is infantry focused on the defense of the trenches.

For a map with AT-ATs actively involved then the slope will have to changed so that is more gradual.   That would need to be as a separate map.    The steep slope works well as it allows the attacking to begin on the Hoth defense map at the start, which is needed for a bot defense map.

As for as a map with AT-AT's actively engaged,  the guns will need to be recoded so that they can work effectively as autocontrolled.   Possibly, just adding extra auto controlled turrets that operate independently.    The snowspeeder tail gunner can have an alternate fire mode of an EMP weapon that temporarily disables the AT-AT.    Then set up a destructable objective to protect, such as the ION generator.    The major battle would be in snowspeeders attacking the AT-AT's, since the ground turrets are all automated.

I think this is doable, but just don't know if or when I would be able to work on it.  I want to finish adding AI to rest of the maps first.

I'm going to open with something from the NiC forums, and that is a question reference some items that are currently in testing, specifically, for the map Null Sensor Station. I agree that it might be prudent to ship out a minor bug buster for some things we have.

HOWEVER.

They are not fully tested. Due to time constraints from both the Dev team and members of the testing team, we have been unable to get adequate numbers of testers in to fully stress test some items. It may be possible to get some of these minor fixes checked through and shipped in time for the campaign but its a big if.

To do it, we need testers. No commitments, but just for a week or so some stress testers to really blitz this as hard as we can would be good.

So, want to get this minor bug fix out? Post up to stress test and I'll make a custom group and have it setup to night to get testing asap ready for a patch.

You will however need to be able to meet the following criteria:

1) Regular activity in First Strike (if you cant find time to play you probably won't be able to find time to test!)

2) Use of IRC, we use it to discuss aspects of the mod and arrange testing. THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT

3) Regular forum posts, all feedback needs to be left on the forums so it can be traced back.

4) Maturity. I dont mean you got to be over a certain age, I mean you got to be able to act like an adult! You will be representing the entire dev team and be expected to set an example of fair play etc while in public games.

A headset and mic would also be benefitial, we have a vent channel for testing to make communication a little easier. Not critical though.

XFire is another good thing to use, we have our own testing group there so we can paste up testing times etc. Again, if you use forums and IRC then XFire isnt essential.

Finally, not all that apply will neccessarily get a look in, if you dont then please do not be offended. It may be that we get more applications than we expected and is not a reflection on any member of our playing community.

So, if you want to apply, send me a pm with your name, location and timezone, First Strike soldier name (so we can check stats and see how much time you got in game ) and why you should get a place.

Oh, and just in case the PM system decides to play up, send me an email with the same stuff to derek(numbers-ninesevensix)at hotmail.com

**APPLICATIONS WILL CLOSE ON FRIDAY 15TH MAY**

Thanks!

http://www.xfire.com/screenshots/rsfang … 29be1e.png

Please note that although the map isnt far off its still WIP. there are tweaks needed all over the place, and things like vehicle spawn times etc need too  be adjusted based on feedback. Commetns on the look of the map are much welcomed, in particular the lighting, is it too bright? One thing i will note is the trees  are not final, they will be replaced with much better more random trees.

I look forward too reading your comments...

Notes: This map is very much a WIP map currently as the terrain isn’t finalized and since this is a mine it will have a top so you can’t see the sky. You will notice a lot of floating objects, stretched terrain, seams in the textures etc. These are not important at this stage, no need to point them out.

What to focus on:

-Kit layouts-Please comment on what you like and don’t like and what you think will work for this map. I do not want sniper rifles, mortar guns or otherwise long range weapons that will encourage camping. This map is more about direct combat close to med range, infantry only.

-Ziplines-Right now they are not the final weapon that you will see in release it is just a prototype so try it out and see if you find any problems with it. Right now you can shot as many ropes out as you want, and you can deploy quite a few of them. This will not be the case in the final version, you will most likely only be able to deploy 2 at a time which means you have to get it right on, and you will only be able to fire 3 lines max. This is to prevent spamming.

-Flag layout and general terrain layout-Any issues with 16 to 32 players in this area? Are there enough ways to get to flags , will there be too many camping problems etc. Think about gameplay for this map and comment on potential issues. Do not focus on visuals unless it will affect gameplay.

That’s about it really, good luck  and have fun!

Note that the map is currently very WIP, with blank portions of terrain, no objective mode gamemode set up (it's a regular conquest map as of now), and no lightmapping. Water is so-so too, if even visible. All this will be changed, in fact the map has already progressed quite a bit from the uploaded version.

Things to comment on:
- Terrain layout. How does it look and feel, what concerns do you anticipate gameplay-wise, and so on. The densely forested area below the ridge will be off-limits.
- Gameplay, gameplay, gameplay! There's a million ways to fix the map if it becomes unbalanced one way or the other. I want to know what you think. Should Rally Point CP's be moved? Should Rebs be allowed to cap them? Should they affect ticket drain? Should the kits be slightly changed somehow? Etc. etc. etc.

Couple of notes:
- Infantry classes may be modified slightly for balance and gameplay.
- Any speeder bikes on the map are for exploration only, and won't be there in the final release.
- The Mortar Freerunners will be stationary and their mortars will fire automatically into the distance (and the driver position will be unavailable). Their aft guns will be accessible, though.
- The Combat Speeder will very likely either be a static or not there at all. It's there pretty much only to explain how the Rebel infantry got there along with the Freerunner.

1st, a couple of things Id like to point out concerning how the map is setup.

- The Out of Bounds area
I have made the Out of Bounds area very restrictive for this initial test, to try and help keep the testing session focused.

- CP's
For keeping the testing focused I have given the Beach CP to the Imps. It will be rebel controlled in the normal map.

- Models
I'll be making all new Mon Cal models for buildings, bunkers, beach defense's etc. The imp watchtowers are there more for helping me with the scale of the hilltop than anything.
There will be plenty of cover and I will be looking at creating some trees which have more mid-level coverage , the palm trees in the map atm wont be the majority, as you get more inland there will be more normal trees, tho I will be added some sea-life type alien urchins and stuff to make it look more star wars-y.

- Vehicles and paths.
There will be obvious vehicle paths, for tanks etc. The area in a straight line between the Beach and BunkerHill(primarily infantry combat - with air support) wont allow large vehicles to pass, to get from the beach to the bunkerhill area you will need to exit the beach towards the left hand side. As said, this will be made obvious later.

Now, what I am hoping for is feedback primarily concerning the area between the Beach and the BunkerHill. So feedback concerning

- the flow of the terrain,
- heights - is the hill to high? etc
- is the hill top to small in diameter?
- does the hilltop need to be made less steep at the front?  , distance between the 2 CP's
- and more general feedback like does it play well infantry-wise?

That kind of stuff is what I am looking for mostly, but any other thoughts and ideas are welcome.

Concerning the map and its features, itll be a combined arms map, where air support will be key to victory. There will be 4 main battle areas - each with a different focus.

1. Beach CP
Normandy-style invasion. We alll know the idea here.
Note: Auto-Turrets placed in appropriate places will stop imps from passing over or around the beach. The imps will be taking the beach to disable the autoturrets.

2. Bunkerhill CP
This area will be more focused on infantry. Tanks etc wont be able to make that much of an impact on this battle, but air superiority will be key.

3. Mon Cal Outpost CP
Will be situated in a clearing. Troops will be relying on Tanks for this area. There will be some cover for troops, but not too much. The team who better uses their vehicles will most likely win this particular stage. Air Support, again will play a large part.

4. Mon Call base and Com.Tower  CP
This area will focus on all aspects of warfare.

So, there you have it. Hope it helps you out. Enjoy testing!