I think this is one of the top priorities for the SCP. Always have, really. Let's make things a little easier for them. The main issue here is the tracking down and isolation of every reference in the code to three races and upping it to four, then following its dependancies. What things have been hardcoded to a specific race?
- Engine glows/thruster ANIs.
- Flyby sounds.
- Wingman personas.
- Briefing icons.
- Default IFF.
- Name color in FRED.
I'm not sure what else there is, but this is a start. The main problem is that there is so much code that relies upon the assumtion that there are only three races, that new tables, effects and interface art would be required for the SCP build to work. If it's implemented, there would be a mandatory download of a SCP VP.
That's actually something we should have already. All required tables and art, as well as the new interface art for ballistic primaries, scrollable command briefings, the warp pof and glowmaps should be a mandatory part of the SCP.
Once the code is working, we'll need all the stuff to get it to work. Since we have a canon fourth race already, let's call it Ancients. And to keep it as unbiased as possible, the tables can reference the Terran equivalents. So the default Ancients would be indistinguishable from the Terrans, except that you would have an extra set of engine glows and flyby sounds etc.
