WC1/WC2 module?

[spiritplumber]

Since we got pretty much all the WC1 and WC2 models in, how about making related missions?

Off-flight: WC1 had 5 rooms (bar, barracks, score screen, medal screen, and briefing). Total four "fixers" (Shotglass, pilot 1, pilot 2, and plot progression). WC2 for this matter was even simpler as it had the save/load room, the plot door, and the mission door.

In-Flight: the systems were mostly empty with a few asteroids or minefields around.). Not a lot of difference between WC1 and WC2 mechanics wise, except for torpedos and turrets. The in-flight cutscenes can be replaced with mission text in flight. Missions were also very easy in general. All that it would take would be to simulate 1 empty system for WC1 and 2 empty systems for WC2 (since sometimes you need to perform a jump).

This doesn't have to be super precise, for ex. the flight simulator can be dropped (or made to be its own mission series).


just a thought....

[BradMick]

it'd be pretty neat i think. it'd need animations and renders of all the stuff as well as cockpits and what not to be a seriously working version of the two. but very do-able.

[hellcatv]

as I recall we have the wc1 missions 1 and 2 as python scripts sitting around--I bet all the model files are broken though

[Sphynx]

This project has my vote.

[spiritplumber]

What I plan to do is create a special instance of the Bengal carrier, make its "base interior" out of WC1 screenshots, and tie the WC1 missions to that. Won't be 100% accurate, but it should be close enough

[hellcatv]

neat-- I could try explaining to you how I was going around making the campaign missions...

[Sphynx]

I think if you look around, you could already find the models that you need (specifically, if you speak with Eder, and explain what you are trying to do). I think this would be very well received.

[Darkmage]

if you want to remake wc 1/2 I can get all the speech from wc1, aka super wing commander. the whole game has speech, and the missions are identical to wc1

[Silverain]

This doesn't have to be super precise, for ex. the flight simulator can be dropped (or made to be its own mission series).

just a thought....

For basic playability, no, we don't have to be precise.

For true nostalgia buffs, and to create as near as possible the original feel of play, this could be a dangerous statement. As you all are aware of, crius.net forums were very murderous (... abusive... vocal... censorious... whathaveyou) on this.

<opinion>
I lean towards being as close to the originals as possible (e.g. the flight simulator was part of the whole WC1 experience), but I am also realistic enough to realise that other game engines have limitations on what we can do.

Why? Precisely because if someone new to WC comes along after hearing about this great game called Wing Commander, then plays our clone/redux and has a bad experience (because its unpolished, unfinished whathaveyou), it colours reaction to the series as a whole.

As a matter of note: I have KS + addons, Armada, Priv & RF, WC4, Prophecy, SO as well as the fan mods including PR. I like 'em all.

I now regret coining the name Privateer Remake... why couldn't I have typed Privateer Redux.......

[Darkmage]

vegastrike engine should be able to handle a simulator easily, just create a starsystem called simulator that has no jump points. Should be simple enough to make it work.

[spiritplumber]

The same system would be used for missions -- just spawn asteroid fields, etc. as needed. So all you need for WC1 is an empty system (which happens to be named like whatever system you should be in).

WC2 and WC3 would need that empty system, PLUS two systems linked with a jump point, for Broadsword/Excal missions.

Surface missions.... ah, pickle, there. Maybe a REALLY BIG spacestation object simulating Kilrah.

[klauss]

For that to work, actually, there are two ways:

1) A really big planet, Kilrah, with subunits for detail.
2) A really big unit, Kilrah, with all the detail embedded in the mesh. BUT, it may need modifying the engine to allow partial lodding (lodding parts of meshes, and not whole meshes), since I'm not sure how the lod code would handle such big units (where the closer feature may take half the screen, and the farther one be a tiny dot).

So, I would go for 1), which more easily done. But doing the engine modifications required in 2) could be beneficial, if it could be done easily.

[spiritplumber]

Also because once you have the code to correctly handle one planet, you have the code to correctly handle all of them. That's in the far far future though...