Author Topic: New Feature: Shield Generators  (Read 6095 times)

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Offline Goober5000

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New Feature: Shield Generators
I have added shield generator subsystems to the FS2 source code.  When all generators on a ship are destroyed, its shields will cease to function:


Now you can do stuff like this:


HEAD builds and a sample mission can be found here:
http://fs2source.warpcore.org/exes/shieldtest.zip
I've modified the Akheton to be a shield-piercing weapon, so you can just fire away at the shield system and watch what happens when its strength gets low.

To make a shield system on a ship, create a subsystem with "shield" in the name.  "Shield", "Shields", and "Shield Generator" will therefore all work.

No, I don't know why some of the hud gauges aren't appearing in this build.  I'm guessing it's a bug either taylor or I introduced during the past day or two. :nervous:

 

Offline neoterran

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Looks cool  :yes2: and it will make for new mission designs !!!
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Offline taylor

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
No, I don't know why some of the hud gauges aren't appearing in this build.  I'm guessing it's a bug either taylor or I introduced during the past day or two. :nervous:
Yeah, that one is me.  It's a known bug in some of the code I just committed, but it appears to be Windows only, which is why I hadn't tracked it down yet.  It will be worked out before the night is over though and a fix added to CVS.

 

Offline Taristin

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Now thats dedication!

Do the shields get weaker as the subsystem gets more damaged? :D
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Offline neoterran

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
yeah, its' like he's getting paid or something  :lol:
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Offline jr2

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
... wow!  now, to immediately ask for more :p (soz!)... does it have support for more than one shield system?  ie, in the screenie Goob posted, if you only took out one of the SD's two shield generators, do the shields recharge at half speed, and then if you destroy the other, cease to function?  Also, as Taristin said, do they work like the weapons and sensor subsystems on your ship?  ie, as the weapons system gets near critical damage, you start having misfires, as the sensor system gets near critical, it starts acting like your being hit with EMP.

:D  ty alot for the work though.

EDIT: just remembered - what about shield storms?  :nervous:

 

Offline brandx0

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Bad editing of the movie combined with an assumption made by games that everyone jumped on board with... Those things aren't shield generators...

Alas, I digress
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Offline jr2

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
... but I was always told by me Star Wars-freak friend of mine that they were!  (and he had all the books-!)

 

Offline jr2

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
http://www.theforce.net/swtc/towers.html#globes
:p Ur right, maybe I just dreamed he said that... :nervous:

 

Offline JGZinv

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Thanks Goober for the new system... it will make things more interesting  :)
« Last Edit: February 12, 2007, 01:57:35 am by JGZinv »
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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
nope, you didn't. It's fooled many, including the creators of Empire at War, and many other Star Wars game makers.  Still, I love the idea, and the point the picture was intended to bring across is well taken.
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Offline Goober5000

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Do the shields get weaker as the subsystem gets more damaged? :D
Try it and see. :p

does it have support for more than one shield system?
Yup.  You can have more than one shield generator just like you can have more than one engine system (or weapon system, à la Inferno's Sol Gate, or sensors, or comms, etc...).  The game code takes care of that internally.

Quote
Also, as Taristin said, do they work like the weapons and sensor subsystems on your ship?
Yup.  If the overall generator strength is above 50%, shields are at 100%.  If it's below 50%, shields decrease logarithmically to 0.  Also, if the generators are below 30%, the shield isn't 100% reliable. :D

Quote
EDIT: just remembered - what about shield storms?  :nervous:
Huh?

Those things aren't shield generators...
Yeah, officially, they're sensor globes.  Bor-ing.  Unofficially, everybody knows what they are. :p

 

Offline karajorma

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Points to 3 pages of discussion as proof that they don't.


I'd rather see the shield behaviour as FRED definable so that you could have shields which decreased linearly, logarithmically or not at all based on what you want though.
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Offline jr2

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Quote
EDIT: just remembered - what about shield storms?  :nervous:
Huh?
Um, I've heard that when you damage a shield system on a Star Destroyer enough, (or maybe that was if it was hit with a planetary ion cannon, I can't remember), a shield storm erupts for a while, and the shields on a Star Destroyer become visible.  See the opening cutscene in X-Wing Alliance...

  

Offline JGZinv

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
It's not really a shield storm as much as the effect was intended to show
the electrical discharge or "frying" of components as the energy raced along the
hull... not the shield.

You're referring to the effect just after this scene....
http://www.emergentchaos.com/images/05-nov/ion-cannon.jpg

Of which I'm fairly sure you can see the same effect duplicated in the Gungan
land battle at Naboo in EP 1. The blue orbs caused the little electrical effect as well.

So really - it's not the shield, it's a hit effect on the actual structure being attacked.

The ion cannon on Hoth was supposedly similar to a ISD or comparable ship to ship ion cannon
from what I've read. Just with a much greater distance. If memory serves - that ESB scene -
the ISD took 3 or 4 hits to be disabled and the ion bolts had no visible effect when hitting/passing through the
shield system.

However, besides the ion cannon vs. hull "ion storm" there was a part in one of the Xwing books
where Wraith Squadron had made a hole in a ISD's bottom generator dome - and there was an energy
discharge or "lightning" effect mentioned going on amongst the components within the hole.

I think the "shield hit by laser/ shield hit by ion cannon" temporary electrical storm was probably something else seen in the game
cutscenes as well.... simply again for effect.
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Offline Taristin

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Do the shields get weaker as the subsystem gets more damaged? :D
Try it and see. :p
Can't. Still waiting for ATi to take off their dark helmets and get OGL to function properly in Vista.


Quote
Also, as Taristin said, do they work like the weapons and sensor subsystems on your ship?
Yup.  If the overall generator strength is above 50%, shields are at 100%.  If it's below 50%, shields decrease logarithmically to 0.  Also, if the generators are below 30%, the shield isn't 100% reliable. :D
See? Was that so hard? :p
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Offline Nuke

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
another feature i always wanted, yay!
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Offline Black Wolf

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Cool. Can think of a few cool places to use this.

*Avoids inevitable SW shield generator/sensor dome argument.*
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Offline Topgun

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Re: New Feature: Shield Generators
Remember when Bob made that Diemos that had a shield?