Outline SMR 1.6
Moderators: JettJackson, Infinity, Page
Outline SMR 1.6
During the posting and testing on 1.6 some questions have come up. Like where is 1.6 going? What type of game play is it going to be? If you could outline the direction that you are thinking of for SMR 1.6 that would be great.
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
Currently all my goals for it involve the code. I want to get the code to use an object-orientated approach in order to ease all the coding I do, and to put the code in a position where it's easy to move forwards and add new things. So far quite a lot of that has been done, but it does throw up bugs just due to the sheer number of changes behind the scenes hence the needing to test every part to make sure it still works.
In terms of gameplay I want to bring back all the stuff from classic (which has been done by starting with the classic code as a base) along with the best bits from 1.5 - with some changes as they get added I'm sure (for instance mines expiring after a certain time in order to stop it becoming just low level mines).
So basically a mix of Classic and 1.5 with the framework to easily add new features and improve current ones.
In terms of gameplay I want to bring back all the stuff from classic (which has been done by starting with the classic code as a base) along with the best bits from 1.5 - with some changes as they get added I'm sure (for instance mines expiring after a certain time in order to stop it becoming just low level mines).
So basically a mix of Classic and 1.5 with the framework to easily add new features and improve current ones.
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
Good idea, its a lot easyer to create a new class and inherit from the base class. So you can add to the code without messing up what is already working.
Like in the game we have ships, many different types of ships but they are all of type ship. So you will be able to add different functionally to different ships without changing the base ship type. The same hold true for forces you have scouts, combat drones, mines they are all of type forces but each one does something different.
I guess that has been a problem with why many ideas have never been able to try. Each type is heap together in one big messes class. You can't add or change one thing without messing up everything in that type.
Good idea am glad the code is taking a good turn for the better.
Like in the game we have ships, many different types of ships but they are all of type ship. So you will be able to add different functionally to different ships without changing the base ship type. The same hold true for forces you have scouts, combat drones, mines they are all of type forces but each one does something different.
I guess that has been a problem with why many ideas have never been able to try. Each type is heap together in one big messes class. You can't add or change one thing without messing up everything in that type.
Good idea am glad the code is taking a good turn for the better.
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
There weren't any classes in 1.5 at all (well not before I took over), and in 1.2.1 the use of them was mainly limited to easing database access (it held the values and you edited them then just told it to update the database at the end). So whilst 1.2.1 was much better (and hence why I built on top of that and not 1.5) it was still not as nice as it could be.
But the plan is indeed for 1.6 to lay the foundations to be able to do a lot more interesting stuff - all those suggestions that just fell by the wayside because it would have taken so much to add them.
But the plan is indeed for 1.6 to lay the foundations to be able to do a lot more interesting stuff - all those suggestions that just fell by the wayside because it would have taken so much to add them.
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Edgecrusher
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Re: Outline SMR 1.6
Page has given me the engine codes of the game, as well as documentation on the class structure and I must admit that it looks so much better than Azool's code. It's much shorter and I can actually read it without thinking "why on earth would you program it like that" every five lines.
As to the direction the game is taking, it's good that there's a base plan (which I agree with), but I hope the beta-team will be a motor behind the direction we're taking. That's what we're here for, not just to test.
Personally, I would like to build some sort of story into the game. I love some rpg's, not because the game play is so great, but because I am a story person. I already tried contacting Nariis for the storyline so I can weave that into a new edition of the GP, but no luck yet. I feel that if we can let the game go somewhere, people would be here for the game as well as for the story.
Storyline hardly influences game play, as any development can be written into the story. I'd love to see a great NPC support (especially non-attackable ones), but that's it as far as technical requirements go. I am willing to spend time on writing, alone or with other people, so you'd have to come with damn good arguments to shoot this idea down
As to the direction the game is taking, it's good that there's a base plan (which I agree with), but I hope the beta-team will be a motor behind the direction we're taking. That's what we're here for, not just to test.
Personally, I would like to build some sort of story into the game. I love some rpg's, not because the game play is so great, but because I am a story person. I already tried contacting Nariis for the storyline so I can weave that into a new edition of the GP, but no luck yet. I feel that if we can let the game go somewhere, people would be here for the game as well as for the story.
Storyline hardly influences game play, as any development can be written into the story. I'd love to see a great NPC support (especially non-attackable ones), but that's it as far as technical requirements go. I am willing to spend time on writing, alone or with other people, so you'd have to come with damn good arguments to shoot this idea down
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
I agree storylines can add lots of fun to the game. But Page recoding with OOP is more fun to me. I see it opening up lot of new ideas. Like take planets, yel they have changed, you have more to them but not in the direction that I think would add some fun unknowns too it. Like I think it would be cool if like say at random x level the planet owner gets a message from the planets building crew. "During the excavation for the new turret we found an entrance to an underground cavern would you like us to stop the building or cover it up and continue building?"
If the planet owner continues the build then the entrance is lost forever. But if he stops the build he can then go to the planet and enter the caven. Since the air quality is so poor within the caven he has to take along a air supply. So he now has x time to explore the maze if he can find the end before the time runs out he gets some alien item. It can be some random item like maybe a faster shield regenerator for his ship or maybe a manned turret for the planet.
Anyway OOP opens up lots of new things.
If the planet owner continues the build then the entrance is lost forever. But if he stops the build he can then go to the planet and enter the caven. Since the air quality is so poor within the caven he has to take along a air supply. So he now has x time to explore the maze if he can find the end before the time runs out he gets some alien item. It can be some random item like maybe a faster shield regenerator for his ship or maybe a manned turret for the planet.
Anyway OOP opens up lots of new things.
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
any sm'ers remember arm wars?Edgecrusher wrote:Personally, I would like to build some sort of story into the game.
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
I'd love this, a story built into the game would be really interesting and keep people wanting to come back for more :PEdgecrusher wrote:Personally, I would like to build some sort of story into the game. I love some rpg's, not because the game play is so great, but because I am a story person. I already tried contacting Nariis for the storyline so I can weave that into a new edition of the GP, but no luck yet. I feel that if we can let the game go somewhere, people would be here for the game as well as for the story.
Storyline hardly influences game play, as any development can be written into the story. I'd love to see a great NPC support (especially non-attackable ones), but that's it as far as technical requirements go. I am willing to spend time on writing, alone or with other people, so you'd have to come with damn good arguments to shoot this idea down :)
I'm also willing to add stuff to help with the storyline if it's needed, which does include the NPCs, although it would require a bit more work before it's at a stage for them to come in.
Re: Outline SMR 1.6
Just so you know, I feel the same way, I'm sure we all do who are in the beta team for a long time now.I hope the beta-team will be a motor behind the direction we're taking. That's what we're here for, not just to test.
Use The Force(s)!
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Edgecrusher
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Re: Outline SMR 1.6
The NPC support I think we need does not involve NPC's that can actually fight. They only have to tell a story, give out missions, and so on. If you give them newbie turns, then you can always let them fight as well later on in development.
The real trick here is to allow someone to edit the story without having to edit the code, as in the old code, all missions were hard-coded. I am thinking of something close to the GP editor position, but then a story editor. That would be a lot more work, I admit.
I got the storyline so far from nariis now, and though it is nice, it is all retrospective, that is it is all background story. I'll keep working with her on that and hope we can write something new together. Anyone who wants to contribute or think with us is of course welcome.
One short comment on Freon's idea: what you're proposing is a game within a game. You could also make planet busting result in a third person platform\shooter game, but this is SMR, and we don't even have a decent layout, let alone the ability to compete with other game types available on the commercial market. So good idea, but I don't think it's going to happen.
The real trick here is to allow someone to edit the story without having to edit the code, as in the old code, all missions were hard-coded. I am thinking of something close to the GP editor position, but then a story editor. That would be a lot more work, I admit.
I got the storyline so far from nariis now, and though it is nice, it is all retrospective, that is it is all background story. I'll keep working with her on that and hope we can write something new together. Anyone who wants to contribute or think with us is of course welcome.
One short comment on Freon's idea: what you're proposing is a game within a game. You could also make planet busting result in a third person platform\shooter game, but this is SMR, and we don't even have a decent layout, let alone the ability to compete with other game types available on the commercial market. So good idea, but I don't think it's going to happen.