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Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: xenthorious on December 29, 2004, 04:18:41 pm

Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: xenthorious on December 29, 2004, 04:18:41 pm
MMOFS (Massive Multi-player On-line Flight Sim).

FS2 is rather powerful.  FS2_SCP extends the power by almost double, if not greater.  But on-line support, before and after SCP, seems to be week.  Here's the part that bothers me:

In FS2 and FS2_SCP, the game works mission based, from 1 to a number which is incremented by at least 1.  This means if you fail a mission, you do not really decrement back into mission 1.  Why is this so important?  If we have any interest in making FS2 MMOFS compatible, players must be able to return into entities which they originated from.  FS2 does not support this.

There is also another draw back to FS2 not decrementing missions.  If I wanted to design an arena, and not necessarily a MMOFS, I would have to focus FS2 into one mission (which isn't very productive because it seriously limits all effects I may want to add to the game).  In my case, I may want an arena based on three mission entities; home for team 1, home for team 2, center.  The game starts at center, objectives must be met.  Which ever team meets the objectives first, wins the mission and completes entity "center".  Assuming team 1 was the winner, FS2 would then load entity "Home for Team 2".  Now new different objectives must be met.  Assuming team 2 won; mission would end, and the entity "center" would be reloaded.  Assuming team 1 met the objectives, entire campaign was completed, server would restart.

The above can not be done because FS2 does not support decrementing into a previously completed mission.  As a one player game, this would not be important, but as a multi-player game, I feel this is vital.

Back on the subject of a MMOFS, 3rd party server software could be created to load more then one mission at one given time.  If FS2 supported both incrementing and decrementing mission loading, it could sent data to the server to initatate the request for a player to enter a mission.  Triggers in the mission controled by the server could allow multi-player support for that mission at active time.  When all players leave, the mission could still be enabled thanks to 3rd party software, and tirggers in the mission would allow players to re-enter the mission within the scope of what FS2 can handle.  In addition, ships with AI and status flags applied to them, could be carried over from one mission to another fully under supervision of the 3rd party software.  This would need to be a seperate project of it's own, but if FS2 does not support decrementing, there is no reason to start the project, and no interest to design FS2 to support MMOFS nor interest to design software to promote FS2 to support MMOFS.

That's my 2 cents, anyone agree/disagree?
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Kazan on December 29, 2004, 09:23:04 pm
the FS2 engine is completely and utterly unsuitable for MMOFS - forget it
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Drew on December 29, 2004, 09:57:05 pm
try ferrium




:P
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: xenthorious on December 30, 2004, 01:07:07 am
Quote
Originally posted by Kazan
the FS2 engine is completely and utterly unsuitable for MMOFS - forget it


Okay, what about mission decrementing?  In FRED, there is no way to setup triggers to revert to a previous mission...
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Liberator on December 30, 2004, 01:22:04 am
There's never been a need to.  FS 1&2, to me at least, have been less about flying around blasting shivans and whatnot, and more about telling an epic story.  In such an enviroment, there is no need to go back a mission, unless you let to many wingmen die in the previous linked mission.

That's the most wonderful thing about FS, the story gets better with the telling, and it's a story that has been left unfinished for far too long.  

How many other games(besides a couple of RPGs and a certain RTS franchise that I won't mention) can boast that?
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Flipside on December 30, 2004, 07:55:15 pm
Hmmmmmm... Well, the thing is about SCP is that it is also a tool for creating 3D space combat games, or at least, that's the way I see it at the moment, since, until Ferrium is further along the road, it's all I have.

I don't think it would be hard for coders to allow a replay of a previous mission, in fact, I'm not certain since I don't work with the Fredding side much, but you should be able to to that already using the campaign tree?
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Anaz on December 30, 2004, 08:20:39 pm
yes, you could do it with a campaign tree. Have a primary goal for each branch, have the goal trigger when they press alt+j and are in the specific node that you want to have. Then for the mission branch have it use "is goal true" or whatever to go to that "system-mission".
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Drew on December 30, 2004, 11:20:37 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Liberator
There's never been a need to.  FS 1&2, to me at least, have been less about flying around blasting shivans and whatnot, and more about telling an epic story.  In such an enviroment, there is no need to go back a mission, unless you let to many wingmen die in the previous linked mission.

That's the most wonderful thing about FS, the story gets better with the telling, and it's a story that has been left unfinished for far too long.  

How many other games(besides a couple of RPGs and a certain RTS franchise that I won't mention) can boast that?


i got hooked on FS2 because of the beams.
and the gameplay kicked ass.
the storyline just capped things, because it really wasnt that nerdy.
Title: FS2_SCP, MMOFS & decrementing limitations.
Post by: Grimloq on January 02, 2005, 06:11:43 pm
*is confused*

WHY do you want freespace to be a MMOFG? its utterly and completely incompatible! besides, MMOGs are stupid anyhow... (ive played em, wasnt impressed)