With the stage I have reached these days in modding for FS2, I have been thinking there are a few features not in the SCP which I thought might be worth discussing. I'm not sure who has ties to the development team, but anyway, I will mention these.
(01) Ability to have multiple asteroid fields: So you don't have to resort to one large field all the time, you can deploy multiple. It'd probably be prefably for creating strips around places like installations so you can better depots or mining colonies for example.
(02) Animated backgrounds: Things like nebulas that ripple or glow, or maybe planets that can spin (Maybe that's better for making planet models that can spin, but anyway).
(03) New thruster styles: A bit like freelancer, the thrusters have different styles, like the Rheinland's gaseous-like form.
(04) Extended battle chatter for personas: For example, more frequent messages, full use of all messages for each persona, extra messages for when, for example, an allied pilot has an enemy on their rear or several different taunts pilots can scream at one another.
Well, that's all my ideas. I wonder if anyone shares opinions or similar ideas.
#2
01) Multiple fields would be good, and I think they were at some point on Kazans plan for better fields...but that seems to have kinda vanished. 
02) Animated backgrounds in terms of ones that can be triggered by SEXP would be helpful as well. However I'd strongly recommend not making spinning planets with it or anything similarly slow/relatively unimportant, with the reason being that animations devour a lot of resources to display - as each frame must be loaded into your graphics card RAM. Something more dynamic like a rotating planet model would be a lot more practical for that, though even that is a bit silly when basically no one will notice it.
However for stuff like background battles, better supernova or other space phenomena relevant to the plot of the mission, it'd be a great thing to have control over.
03) You can currently specify thrusters on a per ship basis and even give them particle effects, but unfortunately the FS particle system was not designed with that in mind - particles of any sort are horribly inefficient. Until that changes you won't really see anything spectacular with engines.
04) For radio chatter intensive TCs like the SWC and Diaspora, that would be handy, but without the original voice actors to fill out whatever else those existing pilot personas might say, I don't think such a feature would see much use in FS2 based campaigns.
As for my own, well apart from seeing old stuff fixed (particle systems and rendering mainly), I have 4 main ones:
1) In-flight cockpit system.
2) Action Script system - full outline here, but basically it would be a very user friendly interface for what you can currently do through LUA, because as the last couple of years have proven, people just are not willing to learn to code at all to be able to do stuff. There are barely a handful of scripters in the entire community, which sucks because of how amazingly powerful it actually is.
The actionscript system concept is kind of a more limited version that would be somewhere between table editing and SEXPing - ie, for the everyday modder to whom code may as well be magic.
3) A 'turret-fired' submodel animation trigger, so we can at last do awesome recoil. In fact, pretty much all the submodel animation stuff listed here.
4) The long awaited material system which would enable us to make and apply shaders on a per-material basis, allowing many many new awesome effects.
02) Animated backgrounds in terms of ones that can be triggered by SEXP would be helpful as well. However I'd strongly recommend not making spinning planets with it or anything similarly slow/relatively unimportant, with the reason being that animations devour a lot of resources to display - as each frame must be loaded into your graphics card RAM. Something more dynamic like a rotating planet model would be a lot more practical for that, though even that is a bit silly when basically no one will notice it.
However for stuff like background battles, better supernova or other space phenomena relevant to the plot of the mission, it'd be a great thing to have control over.
03) You can currently specify thrusters on a per ship basis and even give them particle effects, but unfortunately the FS particle system was not designed with that in mind - particles of any sort are horribly inefficient. Until that changes you won't really see anything spectacular with engines.
04) For radio chatter intensive TCs like the SWC and Diaspora, that would be handy, but without the original voice actors to fill out whatever else those existing pilot personas might say, I don't think such a feature would see much use in FS2 based campaigns.
As for my own, well apart from seeing old stuff fixed (particle systems and rendering mainly), I have 4 main ones:
1) In-flight cockpit system.
The actionscript system concept is kind of a more limited version that would be somewhere between table editing and SEXPing - ie, for the everyday modder to whom code may as well be magic.
3) A 'turret-fired' submodel animation trigger, so we can at last do awesome recoil. In fact, pretty much all the submodel animation stuff listed here.
4) The long awaited material system which would enable us to make and apply shaders on a per-material basis, allowing many many new awesome effects.
Re: A few imagined future features worth discussing
#3If a planet is spinning fast enough to be seen with the naked eye then its going too fastor maybe planets that can spin (Maybe that's better for making planet models that can spin, but anyway).
#4
Yeah, I wonder what happened to that plan by Kazan. Until then, for those who want to make mining colonies or such, you either have to make a very large field with maximum asteroids. If you were to have an installation in there, you'd have to have something gaurding it 24/7 or really capable weapons. With multiple fields, you could no doubt create pretty nice fields.
For engine effects, I did some experimenting, basically changing the actual bitmap to different styles. I've compared ones from TBP to effects like beam glows and some laser glows. I had some good ones, if only I had been taking screenshots.
As for the taunt triggers and stuff, I've been experimenting on events in a test mission. Basically, I'm trying to make a repeatable event where a random message will be said by the target. Not easy, but I have had a few results.
For engine effects, I did some experimenting, basically changing the actual bitmap to different styles. I've compared ones from TBP to effects like beam glows and some laser glows. I had some good ones, if only I had been taking screenshots.
As for the taunt triggers and stuff, I've been experimenting on events in a test mission. Basically, I'm trying to make a repeatable event where a random message will be said by the target. Not easy, but I have had a few results.
#5
You could always use the no-asteroid box, of courseYeah, I wonder what happened to that plan by Kazan. Until then, for those who want to make mining colonies or such, you either have to make a very large field with maximum asteroids. If you were to have an installation in there, you'd have to have something guarding it 24/7 or really capable weapons. With multiple fields, you could no doubt create pretty nice fields.
#6
Y'see, this is cool but terrifyingly daunting for me. Sooo much work.......As for my own, well apart from seeing old stuff fixed (particle systems and rendering mainly), I have 4 main ones:
1) In-flight cockpit system.
I'm consistently surprised this hasn't already been done, to be honest. i'm surely not the only person who's watched BSG and wanted to shove the recoil action on the Pegasus' main guns into FS.3) A 'turret-fired' submodel animation trigger, so we can at last do awesome recoil. In fact, pretty much all the submodel animation stuff listed here.
#7
From my relatively limited coding experience, designing the system flowchart is pretty much the hardest part after difficult debugging - so when I suggest a feature I try and lay it out neatly. If it doesn't help any coders, then it can help me when I take the time to actually do something useful codewise.
#8
As another future feature my seemingly limitless imigination came up with lately, I was thinking it would be brilliant if there were new ways effects related to subspace and actual jumping in and out.
What I had in mind was the Freelancer effect. I doubt know how many people have seen it or not. But this is how it goes.
Basically, the hole is opened, the fighter goes in and instead of ending the level once through and having the hole close, you get a short sequence which the seemingly-hyperspace tunnel is displayed and all around you. After a few seconds, the screen fades in to white and the transition to the next level commences, although in FS2's case, it would be the debriefing. I have Freelancer currently so I could take some pics if desired to better explain it.
What I had in mind was the Freelancer effect. I doubt know how many people have seen it or not. But this is how it goes.
Basically, the hole is opened, the fighter goes in and instead of ending the level once through and having the hole close, you get a short sequence which the seemingly-hyperspace tunnel is displayed and all around you. After a few seconds, the screen fades in to white and the transition to the next level commences, although in FS2's case, it would be the debriefing. I have Freelancer currently so I could take some pics if desired to better explain it.
#9
I know exactly what you mean, got FL myself, question is can the engine do it. Post a vid if u can showin it or else i could
#10
Design is always best, yeah. Dunno how deep your coding experience is, but what you've laid out is pretty close to a UML use-case scenario (which is a diagram I use a lot).From my relatively limited coding experience, designing the system flowchart is pretty much the hardest part after difficult debugging - so when I suggest a feature I try and lay it out neatly. If it doesn't help any coders, then it can help me when I take the time to actually do something useful codewise.
#11
My coding experience is pretty much just what I learned in a single subject (Embedded C) at Uni. I keep wanting to do more with it, but every time it comes down to a choice between coding and modelling, I always wind up in Blender. :\
I really do want to learn to code properly as well though, so I can give myself more options when modelling.
Incidentally, do you still model anything these days?
I really do want to learn to code properly as well though, so I can give myself more options when modelling.
Incidentally, do you still model anything these days?
#12
I have uploaded a video that demonstrates the Freelancer jump sequence. It may be between jump gates in the actual game, but you get a fair idea anyway of how it works. Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeD4YWhy9QI
Oh, and a thing. I know I got Cerberus: Emergance on my belt as it is, but who says I'm going to work on that forever. I'd love to help test things or come up with some new content. In fact, I have a similar to The Babylon Project in mind.
I would make a total convert for it all, but that's kinda beyond me. Anyways, let's keep discussing some future features.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeD4YWhy9QI
Oh, and a thing. I know I got Cerberus: Emergance on my belt as it is, but who says I'm going to work on that forever. I'd love to help test things or come up with some new content. In fact, I have a similar to The Babylon Project in mind.
I would make a total convert for it all, but that's kinda beyond me. Anyways, let's keep discussing some future features.
#13
A little, most of it abortive. Not anything expressly for FS2, as such- time has dealt some harsh blows in that respect.Incidentally, do you still model anything these days?
#14
A little, most of it abortive. Not anything expressly for FS2, as such- time has dealt some harsh blows in that respect.
Re: A few imagined future features worth discussing
#15*ahem*(04) Extended battle chatter for personas: For example, more frequent messages, full use of all messages for each persona, extra messages for when, for example, an allied pilot has an enemy on their rear or several different taunts pilots can scream at one another.