Hard Light Productions Forums
Hosted Projects - Standalone => Wing Commander Saga => Topic started by: MatthTheGeek on August 24, 2013, 10:18:23 am
-
The release
Simply put, this is WCS ported to Freespace Open.
This only an early alpha release, as there are still a few bugs to iron out (for example, capship warpout deceleration), a few minor features that haven't been re-implemented yet (for example, different HUD for each ship), and some easy improvements that could be made over the original (skippable dialog, some well placed checkpoints) - but it is 100% playable from start to end, for both the Prologue and the 50 missions of the Hermes campaign.
I would appreciate bug reports, ideas for (simple) improvements that could be made, and any support from anyone interested in helping me polishing this.
The intent
The main goal is to turn WCS into a new way to attract people into the FSO community, just like Diaspora is. As long as WCS runs only on a separate engine, players are much less likely to ever discover what they're missing here. And if they do discover it through WCS, they are going to have negative bias toward it due to their experience on an outdated and closed engine.
The second goal is to bring back multiplatform and multiplayer support to WCS, as well as allowing modders the full range of FSO features they've been missing for the past year.
If anyone modding WCS wants help converting their mod to WCSOpen, I would be happy to oblige.
Installation
Unrar the WCSOpen folder in your WCS Folder. Copy-paste a recent FSO exe in the WCS folder (you need a full install of WCS, preferably patched) and use the launcher of your choice to select WCSOpen as a mod.
This was tested on the latest BP builds from here (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=83318.0), but it should work on any recent FSO build.
Important notes (in no specific order)
- If your wingmen get stuck at the exit of the hangar at the beginning of a mission, go away from the carrier (use time compression if necessary), they should get unstuck eventually. Missions usually do not progress until they have properly taken off.
- Some missions feature extremely large asteroid fields that will reduce performance very sharply if you use shadows. You can still use a shadow-enabled build to play these missions if you disable shadows (command line '-shadow_quality 0').
- I still need to do a pass on all missions to remove some unused WCS flags that will pop up a lot of (skippable and non-fatal) warnings in debug builds. You are advised to play with release builds until next release.
- Longbows tend to get very stuck in hangars when exiting and especially when landing. I have increased the radius for end-mission triggers in those missions, but I may have missed some. Feel free to report if you get major issues with them, and try to land from the back of the carriers, as you will have less distance to cover to reach the trigger zone.
- Because we're limited to 4 secondary banks, some symmetrical banks got merged for ships that had too many banks.
- Time compression was re-enabled
- CBrief anis were temporarily disabled because of this issue (http://scp.indiegames.us/mantis/view.php?id=2910)
Download link
Mediafire (http://www.mediafire.com/?dd7u6zpgt6k999e)
I will get this hosted on FSmods.net once I get to something a bit more polished.
TODO list, for those interested (in no specific order)
- Do a pass on all the missions to remove all the flags that make debug cry me a river
- Ship-specific HUD
- Fix the diaspora-like Missile/Gunpoint preview HUD
- Fix the capship warpout deceleration
- Try to find why we get skybox seams
- Fix the missions with Longbow landing issues
- Dialog skip
- Checkpoints where needed
- Find why you can't scroll down in command briefings
- Implement flaming debris and piercing effects
- Fix the position of external secondaries
- Reduce the size of extremely large asteroid fields for better performance on shadow-enabled builds.
- Some secondaries have no preview in loadout screen
- Check if loadout selection is not broken
- FRED a few proof-of-concept multiplayer missions
- Use collision groups to make sure wingmen don't get stuck when exiting carrier at mission start
- Use framebuffer cloaking effects
-
Thank you, Matth! I've been waiting for this for a long time now!
-
Wow, you got it to run on trunk? I'm impressed. On my end I made a custom build just to parse the new flags'n'stuff ^^. In any case, this is awesome!
Regarding dialogue skips: I've already implemented some in most of the missions, along with some other modifications, feel free to grab them to include them in your mod --> github repo (https://github.com/X3N0-Life-Form/WCS-upgrade), there should be a "download as zip" button somewhere on the bottom right corner of the page.
I've still got the code base for my franken build thingy, but I don't think it's quite up to latest trunk. Karajorma might have something more recent.
*goes to update to latest trunk*
EDIT - code updated to trunk, fresh build in progress.
EDIT 2 - ****ing build errors - will fix that Wednesday
-
Here is my hud_gauges.tbl and scripting.tbl. The hud_gauges.tbl contains HUD layouts for the Arrow, Hellcat, Longbow, Excalibur, Thunderbolt, and Sabre for 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1280x720. The scripting.tbl was adapted to work with standard FSO builds, and it makes the hardpoints gauge work as it did in WCS.
[attachment deleted by ninja]
-
Could you post a specific changelog of features removed from tables and missions? I'd like to get a picture of SEXPs and table options that are not in regular FSO builds. I only know about expanded gun/missile limit (which is, BTW, something that I'd really like to have in trunk).
-
I only know about expanded gun/missile limit (which is, BTW, something that I'd really like to have in trunk).
Multiplayer is the big issue there. It breaks the hell out of it. Loadout is another but that one isn't as bad. I can't remember if WCS allowed you to use the loadout menu with the six gun ships.
-
Yeah, WCS did use the loadout menu for 6 missile bank ships (it only expanded this. Wimps, why stop at 6 if you're doing it? :)). Personally, I'd like the limit to be made as high as possible. Of course, it'd still be constrained by practical concerns, like HUD space and the simple question of "what could 10 gun banks possibly be good for?" (aside from shooting things, that is, but you can do that with just one bank, too. :)). Loadout screen space would probably be the most important issue here, since it's not customizable like the HUD and quite finite in capacity. Still, 12 gun banks and 12 missile ones would probably be doable (while I don't see much use for that many gun banks, 12 missile banks could be used with ships equipped with external missile rails).
While I don't care for multiplayer, others do, so it'd be rather important to make sure the FSO implementation of this feature would work with it. Do you think the new pilot code will help here?
-
I think the loadout rewrite I'm currently working on is more pertinent. :p
-
Found a small bug from autoconversion:
In the mission Demo-03-BG-Hermes.fs2, line 3093, you need to add a "do-nothing" operator, as otherwise the parser will break, like so:
$Formula: ( every-time-argument
( any-of
"TCS Kennedy"
"TCS Warspite"
"TCS Dominion"
"TCS Churchill"
"TCS Highlander"
"TCS Nova"
"TCS Spruance"
"TCS William Travis"
)
( has-arrived-delay 0 "<argument>" )
( do-nothing )
;; ( set-forward-deceleration
; 6
; "<argument>"
; )
)
+Name: Slow down Kennedy BG
+Repeat Count: 1
+Interval: 1
+Team: 0
-
Argh.
Thought I made sure all missions ran before releasing. Oh well. With 55 missions I was bound to miss some :)
Will be fixed in next release.
-
oooooooooooh nice
i SO approve of this!
seperation is bad, this is good
-
If someone were to upload the WCS data in a suitable format, Linux and Mac users could finally play this game!
-
If someone were to upload the WCS data in a suitable format, Linux and Mac users could finally play this game!
technically they can already use wine to do that (:nervous:) BUT native is always better in my book, so hurrah & carry on :)
-
I found something that could be of use. You commented out $Bomb Range Multiplier: in AI.tbl, but I've found an option called $Secondary Range Multiplier:, which does the same thing, except it affects all missiles. Since the only place where this flag is actually used are bombers (which don't fire AA missiles much), you could re-introduce this option. Also, you commented out $Death-Roll Time: in ships.tbl. This option, in fact, exists in normal FSO builds, it's just called $Base Death-Roll Time: there. The details of the implementation might differ slightly (I believe WCS has an override, while FSO modifies the base value), but at 100 milliseconds, there should be no difference. If possible, try restoring those two for the next release.
-
Very interesting, i will test it. Thx Matth. :)
-
I'd like to report that the loadout selection for the Thunderbolt is broken as I cannot select either the gun or missile banks on the ship's panel in the loadout screen.
-
I got that problem too, was already on the to-do list. It's not the only part of the interface that's broken, you also can't scroll down in command briefings. Haven't had a look at that yet.
-
I got that problem too, was already on the to-do list. It's not the only part of the interface that's broken, you also can't scroll down in command briefings. Haven't had a look at that yet.
This is due to the WCS data missing the 2_commandbriefb interface files. Scrolldown support in CB's is a FSO addition.
-
Today I learned, WCS ships got no debris. Hence flaming debris script don't do dothin'
I be sad panda now.
-
It'd be great if there was a way to generate a hulk model of the main, with -destroyed models used where available and a special "damage" overlaid on the regular model via shaders (sort of like Team Colors work). WC3 and 4 both used hulks like that.
-
MatthTheGeek, if you haven't already, could you post your work to a github repo so people can collaboratively work with you on WCS_Open?
-
Let me a week of Christmas break and I'll get back to this.
-
MatthTheGeek, if you haven't already, could you post your work to a github repo so people can collaboratively work with you on WCS_Open?
That would be nice. I'm not very fond of github, but I think I could add my edits there. There isn't a lot of this, just re-enabling some features Matth disabled, because I found that they are implemented in SCP, but with a different syntax.
-
Thank you! This is going to make my job of porting my models back over to FS2 much easier! :yes:
Edit: I noticed a couple of things, probably not related to this.
My framerate got halved, and when I look at the star it really tanks.
Also $show weapons doesn't seem to work.
-
Dunno what's going on. Could you run debug and post your FS2_Open.log?
-
Here you go. Nothing seems to stand out... it reports loading the weapon models ok.
[attachment kidnapped by pirates]
-
Just noticed this.
Gash Dekker approves.
-
I wonder if I have more issues than just that, I can't even use track view (pad enter). :nono:
-
Strange. I see nothing wrong with the log... Maybe someone more versed in this stuff could help.
-
Well found the eye tracking problem, I didn't have an eyepoint setup in the pof model.
-
Well found the eye tracking problem, I didn't have an eyepoint setup in the pof model.
Nope that didn't solve the problem... also is the HUD kinda messed up?
Edit: and another weird thing, I've got four temporary glowpoints on the wings, but if I move my ship just right those glowpoints are in front of me, as if they don't move from their original location... weird
-
That sounds like an oldish SCP bug - maybe try using 3.7.2 RC3?
-
That might have been the culprit for the glowpoints, not sure what is wrong with target tracking, I had it working for a while then it quit again
-
That might have been the culprit for the glowpoints, not sure what is wrong with target tracking, I had it working for a while then it quit again
Nope, they're still there, just a bit weirder now, also when I look directly at the sun/star i get a horrible bloom. I wonder if the skybox/shader conversions need to be fixed.
(http://i.imgur.com/BzFNV9M.jpg)
-
Sweet Jesus, I come in with like 3 boxes of pizzas and the whole place is like it's on fire.
-
In mission 3 of the prologue, if you get shot down by one of the pirates while trying to torpedo the frigate(Pretty likely considering Alpha 1 provides no cover whatsoever) the mission will go to the normal victory debriefing and you'll be able to proceed. Getting shot down anywhere else has no unexpected results, you just die. I don't remember if there used to be a special debriefing for getting shot down in that exact point, but it's a pretty weird bug. Occurred on both RC2 and a recent nightly.
I'd attach a log, but getting to that point in the mission on a debug build would be pretty hard considering how much it whines all the time.
EDIT: same thing in the 7th mission of the main campaign(Vega 2), getting killed while trying to defend fort crocket leads to a "mission won" briefing and you're able to continue.
-
*Moves "Pick WCS Open back up" up a notch on the TODO list of doom.*