Hard Light Productions Forums

Hosted Projects - Standalone => The Babylon Project => Public Development => Topic started by: Flipside on February 23, 2009, 04:08:51 pm

Title: The Future of TBP
Post by: Flipside on February 23, 2009, 04:08:51 pm
Well, now that it has one, in the hands of the fans, I would suggest those who wish to see TBP continue to grow discuss matters here.

My own suggestion, for what it is worth, is what was suggested by someone else earlier on, which was a kind of MediaVP set-up for TBP, where ships can be updated, repaired, and possible even upgraded/replaced at a later date by the members on a rolling system, go for future friendliness first and see where things go from that point.

This could be done in two ways, a Mod or a Patch, personally, I think a Mod is a better idea, since it means you can have both versions installed on the system so you can pick and choose, if you want to play on the original engine with the original TBP then you can, if you want to play Multiplayer with the newer content, you can.

I do know that people are already working on fixing some of the more problematical ships in the game, I'm sure they will chime in here, but I thought I might as well try to encourage people to talk about it and get enthused, the entire recent debacle has left an unpleasant aftertaste, and the best way to deal with it is some optimism.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: captain-custard on February 23, 2009, 04:14:13 pm
personally being fairly useless at modding etc i cant offer much help but i agree a multiplayer mod would be good

if there is any way i can help please pm me ,


good luck
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on February 23, 2009, 04:17:11 pm
Details on this are still in the works.  For now just follow the rules thread and you will be OK with whatever is decided.  

It takes Vid and myself a little longer than normal to work details out since we are basically on different 12 hour shifts. 
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Flipside on February 23, 2009, 04:25:17 pm
Well, mainly I'm just trying to get a feel for what people want to get from the project, there are, for example both reasons for and against HTLing up the models in a rolling release system, especially things like texture upgrades can slow down the system, so for ships like the Starfuries, opinions may differ on the idea of HTLing it, many of those particular problems can be solved using a Mod system, to allow the player to pick and choose depending on the computer specs etc.

Goober said to discuss it here, but if there's already something in the works, I'll wait until there's some kind of announcement about it, not sure if I read your post right.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on February 23, 2009, 04:34:50 pm
Well as far as HTLing stuff that most likely isn't what we have in mind.  People are welcome to do it but we ask that you follow the rules to maintain full backward compatibility.  0rph3u5's HP Auroras are a good example of how to do things.  You can drop them in and as a FREDder can choose whether to use them for your stuff.  You release you mission/campaign and along with a mod.ini choose what to use.  What makes it into the multiplayer validated stuff is what we will mostly be discussing.  Again we will be detailing all of this as soon as we can. 
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Flipside on February 23, 2009, 04:58:22 pm
That's the general idea, same as the VP, I'm not suggesting that be the goal of the update, the whole MediaVP idea was initially formed from a post by Vidmaster in my original thread:

Quote
Still, discussing what will be part of the mentioned mod should benefit a potenially released 3.6.10 upgrade mod. I like to compare it to the mediaVPS mod for FS2.

And one by yourself as well:

Quote
Mods are fine.  I have even stated a willingness to have a MediaVP style mod that would both contain fixes and new material.  It would also be validated for multiplayer.  It's something I wanted to put off for the future (Like 3.7) when more ships and the new pilot file code was implemented but if we have to start it sooner then I don't have a problem with it.

So the primary job of the mod would be stability, then later people can discuss what to do beyond that.

Anyway, thanks for the update, and I'll wait for details.

Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on February 23, 2009, 05:25:44 pm
Vidmaster got the "mediavp" idea from me.  He misunderstood what I had in mind which led to some of the delay in the announcement.  It is only like the mediavps in the fact it will be validated content for multi the way the mediavps will be one day.  It's not meant as an upgrade or anything.  Yes we are discussing adding some new content but as we are already over the ship limit for multi I don't think you'll be seeing any major content for awhile.  The whole upgrade concept is one of the things we want to avoid.  It's individual or group content verified for compatibility and dumped into one directory that's all.  Doesn't mean it's any better then any other content out there it's just validated for multi.   
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Flipside on February 23, 2009, 05:33:46 pm
Fair enough, that was the primary goal of this entire ordeal in the first place. Beyond that point, it's actually getting to the point where I don't particularly care to be honest. No offence to either you or Vidmaster, you've both been great, but it's been such hard work just to get this much done that, to be honest, anything the fans do beyond that is between them and whatever kind of TBP authority is in place.

Sorry if that sounds a bit snotty, it isn't intended to be.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Vidmaster on February 24, 2009, 02:34:29 am
Vidmaster got the "mediavp" idea from me.

I "compared" it to mediaVP from FS2. Not stated that we want a graphical update. The point I wanted to stress is that mediaVP doesn't really kill backwards compatibility (most of the time :lol:).
Still, I agree that this post is open to interpretation on a dangerous level ;)
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Flipside on February 24, 2009, 03:39:42 am
Well, I suppose it's up to the modders what they create from this point outwards, all I was really concerned with was compatability, but what exactly are you going to do if the public decide they want to add high poly models as an external mod like the VPs? It's exactly the same as the MediaVP project, to be honest, there is nothing whatsoever that could be done to stop them.

Either way I'm beyond caring now.

Edit: To be blunt, saying 'We want something like the MediaVP, but lacking the one thing that makes it the mediaVP' is pointless.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Vidmaster on February 24, 2009, 06:24:29 am
nothing prevents anybody from making HighPoly models and put them into the game via mod.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Flipside on February 24, 2009, 07:53:47 am
Exactly, which is what I was suggesting, and that suggestion was only made because of the comments made by yourself and Fubar.

Sorry if I sound angry, but I am, IP's attitude was bloody awful, he let me spend a great deal of time typing up something very similar to the idea that finally emerged, at his suggestion, even sent him a PM with the contents of the post in, when he had no intention whatsoever of giving it the go-ahead from the word go, my father is in hospital after a major heart attack, though, in all fairness, no-one knew that, and, frankly, I'm tired of feeling like I'm being led round the houses.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: captain-custard on February 24, 2009, 10:42:32 am
what is the chance (slap me if im talking out of my ass) that there could be a squad wars in tbp or something similar .....

just a suggestion

and as for the new multiplayer 3.6.10 with the changes being made by taylor to the server end will this enable us to have more payers in a game .... without breaking stuff..

then there is only the problem of fredding and balancing those missions and finding the players


Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on February 24, 2009, 01:49:03 pm
@Flipside: now you know how I feel.  After mediating a solution not once but twice it was shot down at the last minute.  Also as Vid said making updates as a mod is no problem.  Just try to follow the rules thread (which I will be updating and posting a copy of in this forum) and everyone's stuff should work well together.  Some of the stuff may seem trivial but in the long run it will be for the best. 

@Andicirk:  Yes there could be squadwar in the future of TBP.  Think we need to wait until it's working decently for FS2 first before we even think about it much though.  I even wrote most of the missions with Squadwar in mind.  Species vs species (Narn vs Centari etc) will most likely not be allowed as there is no realistic way to balance them but I tried to make sure everything was balanced in the other missions. 
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: karajorma on February 24, 2009, 03:46:15 pm
my father is in hospital after a major heart attack, though

Sorry to hear that Flip.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Rhymes on February 24, 2009, 03:55:24 pm
Okay, now that the whole TBP "Situation" is resolved, can we please do one of the following:
A) persuade an admin to put all the relevant threads in Classics.

B) Euthanize the subject now that it's over and done with

C) Return to the matter at hand and continue discussion of the course of further modupdates

D) do all of the above

E) do A and B

F) do A and C

G) do B and C
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on February 24, 2009, 04:10:39 pm
A) nothing classic about the whole situation.

B) Would love too but I have a feeling it will hang around for a bit yet.

C) This is what we should be discussing now lets get on with it.

Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on February 24, 2009, 05:14:31 pm
my father is in hospital after a major heart attack, though

Sorry to hear that Flip.


Same here.  Mistook that to be he was when I first read the post. 
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Bobboau on February 24, 2009, 11:40:36 pm
the only thing I'm really interested in is will the bugs in the current content eventually be fixed by someone maybe.

that's the only really important thing as of now.

a TBP mediaVP would be a good idea IMHO, but is a completely different subject entirely. though it is a subject I think should be discussed. there would need to be some officiating involved in this process, so that they would be online compatible, I believe you can have multiple sets of data be considered and registered as the same as far as multi-player validation is concerned.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Vidmaster on February 25, 2009, 01:17:30 am
the only thing I'm really interested in is will the bugs in the current content eventually be fixed by someone maybe.
that's the only really important thing as of now.

which is the priority, I can assure you that. The rest is just discussion about what the future holds in store.
This "update" mod (name still open) will be done in small steps.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Woolie Wool on February 25, 2009, 09:04:17 pm
After the latest episode of IPAndrews' Drama Circus, I'd like to bring up that I have heard of incidents in music where one member of a band had a very acrimonious falling out with the others and their contributions to that band were left in, even against their wishes. If Dave Mustaine could have gotten his songs yanked from Metallica's first two albums, considering how his hatred of Metallica pretty much fueled his whole career and how he repeatedly complained about songs he wrote being on Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning, I think IPAndrews' chance of getting his way legally if the chips came down are somewhere between infinitesimally small and zero. I see no reason why you should not ignore him.
Title: Re: The Future of TBP
Post by: Vidmaster on February 26, 2009, 01:59:20 am
please don't let this discussion degrade, we talk about the future not the past.