What is to expect for the next version?

JonathanD · Post by **JonathanD** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:44 pm

I'd like to suggest something that I would find useful... based on what you just said this may well be the best time for something like this.

When playing with models/scaling, I'm thinking it would be kinda useful to be able to load up an enviroment where you could see the model in the game engine without anything moving. I'm drawn back to a scene in one of the star trek movies where they fly round the ship in a little shuttle thing to look at it. Something like that where you could load a half dozen ships in the engine and fly around them would make scaling a good bit easier to do... unless there is already some simple way to do this?

Post by **klauss** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:25 pm

Funny.
That's basically my ad-hoc system viewer.
I guess we could keep it... load a system + a ship of your choice (the choice thing isn't done, it's hardcoded, but can be done simply), and fly an invisible camera around inspecting the models.

It would need some refinement, though, if we decide to keep it (needing a rebuild to change the position/orientation of the ship isn't funny).

Post by **hellcatv** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:58 am

ideally that would just be a mission loaded by the engine--and that we could get the minimal data loaded in a situation like that so the load times were instant...
the only problem with using the engine to do this as it stands are all those animation files that load at the beginning I think--keeping 2 graphics engines up to date for a viewer as well as the engine is kinda silly--we should keep one but figure out how to make it load quickly when necessary

rockstar · Post by **rockstar** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 3:30 am

Hell yeah, a model viewer...

Zeog · Post by **Zeog** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:43 am

Cross connection:
This thread develops a concrete specification of such a model viewer. It also states that such a model viewer mode is currently available via the "mission/test/modelview.mission".

Draken Stark · Post by **Draken Stark** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:21 am

So.. About when is the next projected release date?

Post by **hellcatv** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:29 am

Obligatory spaceballs quote:

When will then be now?

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 10:53 am

hellcatv wrote:Obligatory spaceballs quote:

When will then be now?

YOu ought to be more carefull. Guys who have seen the movie might understand this as "now is now", or, it's available now... which would kind of surprise me

Draken Stark · Post by **Draken Stark** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 10:03 pm

"It's a new kind of VCR. It records while we film!"

I own Spaceballs on DVD, but we seem to be getting off topic.

Are there any projected release dates for the next version or beta?

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 10:21 pm

hellcatv wrote:
When will then be now?

I guess this ought to answer your question...

Or, in other words, the quality managment team will take a closer look at future plans as soon as the first paychecks reach the team...

Post by **klauss** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 4:06 pm

IIRC:

Dark Helmet: When will then be now?
Sandruz: Soon...
DH: How soon?
(interrupted)

Nur-Ab-Sal · Post by **Nur-Ab-Sal** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 4:36 pm

MamiyaOtaru wrote:The rebalancing is probably the biggest change to the gameplay.

Does this rebalancing include the following wishes:

1. The number of cats are reduced to the count in the old game.
I mean the frontier is in North Clarke, but now I think it is in South Potter.

2. Not more than one mission goal at one point.
If you have to search for a group of enemies in one system (you have more than one mission) and the system has at least as much points as you have missions, don't let all groups be at one point.
I had once three missions in Pollux, each of them told me to hunt a Talon ship with three til four comrades, and all there at one point. I only saw red.

3. There is a maximal number of random enemies at none mission points
I don't think it is a good idea to have four cats and four Retros at one point hunting you. I don't dare to go to XXN-1927 or Oxford anymore because it is in most cases not worth to go there.

4. The price for a mission is a hint for the difficulty of a mission.
There are Clean Sweep missions for about 90k credits which have no or only few enemies, and there are Patrol missions for 7k with four cats at most of the scan poitns.

Update:
Wow, new record. The confed fixer in Castor wanted a detailed scan of the Castor system (two points), probably cats, for 178k, and there was not a single ship there, not even friends.

It would be nice.

Shade and sweet water!

Stephan

Solon Halwinder · Post by **Solon Halwinder** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:45 am

As I recall, the Spaceballs thing went...

Helmet: How can there be a videocassette of Spaceballs: The Movie? We're still in the middle of MAKING it!
Sandurz: That's true, sir. BUT, there's been a new breakthrough in home video marketing! Instant Cassettes! They're out in stores before the movie is finished!

Post by **klauss** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:26 pm

Although I ROFLMAO'ed with SpaceBalls, I did have a point in my last post... and just edited it to clarify it a tiny wee bit more (I don't want to be all that clear, you know).

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 8:07 pm

But we wanna know! We wanna know!

buuhuuuuhuuuuhuuuu

I can't stand this pain no longer!!!!!!

I wanna know!!!!!

(crying and screaming)

wannnaaaaaa know!

buhuuuuuhuuuuuuu

BTW, this ought to be irony

Halleck · Post by **Halleck** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:15 am

A thought on the "switching engines" topic (before the thread became a spaceballs quoting contest)

When vega strike was first being developed, I don't think that there were many viable and stable open-source engines for it to rely on. Also, if I remember my history correctly, hellcatv had already written the first version of the game (and engine) as a wing commander clone before deciding to make it open-source. The current engine (graphics and all) grew out of there.

I've seen other projects that have had similar problems... for instance, the ur-quan masters project wrote a library for themselves called mixSDL, because SDL_mixer was not up to snuff at the time when they needed it (however, SDL_mixer has greatly improved in my understanding.)

Zeog · Post by **Zeog** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:06 am

If I might add something else that's perhaps going to change with the next release:
There will be some new hi-res cargo graphics I've been modelling. I'm not done though. There are some 30 models to do and I've just started.

Comparison pictures:
Engine 1
Cargo Expansion
Jumpdrive
Missle Lauchner

I'm afraid that the final pictures in game won't be much bigger...

Halleck · Post by **Halleck** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:39 am

These look great! Perhaps they will only be a small improvement now, but they will be good for the future- I'm sure that resolutions are going to increase.

Post by **klauss** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:24 pm

Looking great.
Make sure you post the models somewhere, not just the pics, so that in the future they may be re-rendered if necessary.

TJ01 · Post by **TJ01** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 7:19 am

Thanks for reintroducing the missile launchers. It was far too unbalancing to be able to destroy talons right from the start by buying Friend or Foes and firing two of them in rapid succession.

I haven't checked whether this was the case or not in the latest version but XXN-1927 used to be 'safe' for merchants, i.e. there would never be pirates, retros or kilrathi at either the base or the planet, thereby making it completely safe for cargo runs (except during bounty missions of course). I know this is not Privateer Gemini Gold but it would be nice to reintroduce a safe haven in the game.

In any event, thanks a lot to all those who have contibuted to this fabulous remake.

Draken Stark · Post by **Draken Stark** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:10 am

I would still like to see some 3d renders of the bases like on the astroid. Maybe even have a character that you can control to move around the bases in a rendered version instead of a still pic...

Perhapse a choice in options could be between a rendered snapshot to be like the original menus and a rendered movement that alows you to move a character to choose what you want to do by moving to a spot... I believe that it would be nice to do something more in a base other than watch how cool it looks and be able to get cooler views... I'm also talking about a 3rd person view and a 1st person view. If your interested on what I'm trying to say please read the very bottom of the post with a *.

Besides I'm sure you guys are happy to have a new engine and may end up a little tired with script editing. A little artistic creativity may be apealing.

Also, Please!! Please! please!!! make the center less sensitive when your trying to go straight using "inverted control mouse". Three pixels away from the center should be good for goint straight.

*It would be cool to accually go into an elivater down to the bottom of detroit and just walk to wherever you want to go to and click on it to interact. Look at the sites like what the city looks like from the landing pad. Look at the traffic zoom in the air and ect. I really believe that it would add to the feel that Privateer is alive and interactive.

John Cordell · Post by **John Cordell** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:57 pm

Draken Stark wrote:I would still like to see some 3d renders of the bases like on the astroid. Maybe even have a character that you can control to move around the bases in a rendered version instead of a still pic...

Perhapse a choice in options could be between a rendered snapshot to be like the original menus and a rendered movement that alows you to move a character to choose what you want to do by moving to a spot... I believe that it would be nice to do something more in a base other than watch how cool it looks and be able to get cooler views... I'm also talking about a 3rd person view and a 1st person view. If your interested on what I'm trying to say please read the very bottom of the post with a *.

I doubt you will see that in the next version or even in your lifetime ;)
Btw. the base interiors are all 3D renderings just in a very poor resolution.

Draken Stark · Post by **Draken Stark** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:13 pm

Too true... However I mean rerender it real time that way it'll be usable in any resolution and increase the appeal of the current bases in comparison to the space flight. It currently seems very pieced together and not very symmetrical in the transitions. Could you at least include some kind of "landing" cutseen for the bases in both space and in the landing pads?

Sorry if there are misspellings or if it's a little hard to read. I'm in a rush right now.

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:21 pm

IIRC the new engine OGRE will allow cutscenes...

About the 3D bases... there are no people with time to design and render new high resolution 3D pictures of the bases... I guess you see where this is heading...

Post by **klauss** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:48 pm

There will also be the possibility of point & click 3D bases from the start. The problem is, who will be modelling them? And texturing them?
It's not just engine support, it's content creation as well.

There will also be walkable interactive bases as well (not that hard once point & click is working). But... I say again, each step requires an enormous amount of work to create more content for it. The scene described in new detroit is the master of examples at spending months of work in eye candy... I wouldn't say it's completely unwarranted, but it is indeed a lot of work for low-priority content. And then you'd be forced to spend that much doing the other bases, or it would be utterly out of place.

So... eventually, you'll be able to do it, if you wish. I wouldn't hold my breath while waiting for someone else to do it, though. I wouldn't stand either. I wouldn't stay awake, even.

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What is to expect for the next version?

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