[Age]

Hello all...

I'm new to this whole Open Source Project thing.. And I'm quite confused on a few things:

1. What exactly IS OSP?
2. I'm noticing quite a few DLs here and there... which one should I get and how do I use it?
3. You people need to speak English

Anyway, any help for the noob appreciated...

--Age

[Ashrak]

http://scp.indiegames.us/content.php?content.4

[StratComm]

1)  I'm assuming you mean the SCP (Source Code Project), which is a community-driven effort to bring Freespace 2 from the quality game that it was in 1999 into the current generation of games through improvements to the source.  You still technically need FS2 to play, though the dependence on the original install decreases by the day.

2)  To be safe, I'd recommend finding the official link to 3.6.5.  There are other more stable builds in some regards, but that one has the most of the more recent features and bugfixes, and there's a good bit of community knowledge on its faults.  It's also the easiest to install from the ground up.

[Scuddie]

Gunnery control, target Age and open firel!

Emergency exits are to the left and rear.  Open them at your own risk, as there is a giant vaccuum outside this vessel.  In case of insurgency or mutany, there are liquid nitrogen guns under your seats, but they're better used as melee weapons because the chambers are filled with napalm.  If you encounter a Shivan, don't worry.  His name is Carl.  Just give him your lunch and slowly back off.  Also, do not speak or look directly at a [V] God, because he will most likely send you to Pepsi Prison!  You have been warned, enjoy your stay.

Anyway, Source Code Project is exactly what it sounds like.  In 2001, Volition released the source to the public in order to keep the community alive.  The people in this forums have done some outstanding work to bring up-to-date technology to a seven year old engine.  Improvements include DirectX 8, OpenGL, massive gameplay improvements, and continuous evolution of the engine.  It's not uncommon to see a new feature every week, and something big is often introduced every month.  I don't have the linkage to any particular threads, but it would be good to read the stickies.

And again, welcome .

[WMCoolmon]

It's freaky to think of how long the SCP has been going on.

I still remember when glowpoints were a new thing.

[Bobboau]

they still are, no one uses them

[StratComm]

Hey, I use them all the time!

All the FS2 terran fighters use them!

YOUR ORION USES THEM!!!:p

though admittedly they'd be easier to use if Styxx's plugin didn't set the normal equal to the location vector.  Do you really want to know how obnoxious it is to manually change a vector value on 248 glowpoints...

[WMCoolmon]

Originally posted by Bobboau
they still are, no one uses them

If POFCS made them show up, I'd use them.

[StratComm]

I'd actually agree on that point.  Glowpoints have seen severely limited usage because there isn't good tool support for them.  Between the max converter and PCS, they aren't too hard to get in, but they take a lot of time and inherently can't be done on a model until it's finalized (since importing them crashes every time).  If the glow chunk wasn't contiguously at the end of the POF file, I admittedly probably wouldn't hastle with them myself.

[Nuke]

indeed, id use more glowpoints if i didnt have to manually re-enter them every time i convert a model. i have extensive plans to use them on ssj dante. all im waiting for is a version of pcs that has a more stable glowpoint editor, or better yet full glowpoint autogen.

[Col. Fishguts]

Originally posted by StratComm
though admittedly they'd be easier to use if Styxx's plugin didn't set the normal equal to the location vector.  Do you really want to know how obnoxious it is to manually change a vector value on 248 glowpoints...

What is the normal for glowpoints good for anyway ?

[aldo_14]

I think it's used to scale the type... um, the 'light-beam' type glowpoints out from the origin, for one thing.

[TopAce]

Originally posted by Age
...
3. You people need to speak English
....

In a forum, we need not SPEAK English. We have to be able to WRITE down things in English. Be precise!

Seriously: If this is a comment on foreigners' language knowledge on this board, you have just now given a very bad first impression for foreigner speakers.  

Originally posted by WMCoolmon
...
I still remember when glowpoints were a new thing.

Was is so long ago?

[Bobboau]

it was like the first thing implemented.

[TopAce]

Oh, I was thinking about the glowmaps, which are not that old.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by TopAce
Seriously: If this is a comment on foreigners' language knowledge on this board, you have just now given a very bad first impression for foreigner speakers.  

I think he was refering to the fact that we tend to talk in technical terms which a newbie wouldn't understand.

That is true but what with it being so long since the experts were new to the SCP it is hard to tell what parts are understandable and which are too hard.

@Age : You'll find lots of good info in my FAQ. If you don't understand anything pipe up cause it means I need to give it a more detailed explaination.

[Bobboau]

they're still prety old, shine maps are still somewhat newish, but getting old, environment mapping is still quite new, though not brand new.

[StratComm]

Originally posted by Col. Fishguts


What is the normal for glowpoints good for anyway ?

They do determine vectors for beam-type glows, but they also determine, IIRC, the direction from which normal (type-0) glows are visible.  (0,0,0) means always visible, but any other value makes them fade out like engines when not viewing from that angle.  At least I think that's what it does; I always just change it back so I'm not 100% sure.

[Age]

What I meant by number 3 was, that you people speak of "Glowpoints", "shinemaps", "sexp's", and such.

But I'm willing to learn all that

[TopAce]

To avoid confusion: SEXPs has no concern with copulation. It's the abbreviation for S-expression, a term used by mission designers, also known as FREDers. Consult the Wikipedia and go to the FreeSpace Lingo section to learn all the important terms we use.

Link:
http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/fsdoc/index.php?pagename=Freespace%20Lingo