[ShivanSpS]

Well I think that my dream is too see a continuos Freespace universe... that may sound hard to make, but... today I think something that can be made which the current engrine...

Well first of all... 1 Mission Map per system... yes, they cound be veryyy long... but a few things...
1) The Radar should be not target anything that is out of the 15.000km Range, anything betrem 15.000-30.000km should be see in radar but not targeted. The IA should ignore anything out of the 15k range...
2)Planets, nebulas, suns and everything else should be an object, not a background... so in this way you can reach them and enter-out of a nebula...
3)Modify the Jump-drive system (I think this could be the hardest of all).... the ALT-J could still as a fast jump-out to a "Base" or something previusly selected by player, but remember that the in-system jump should not end the mission and send you to a debriefing, that has to disapear... The Jump system should be managed by coordinates, the same that you see in fred, so if you jump to a X cordinates the jump should charged and send you to that coordinate, and add a system map in-game, so you can select a position and jump there if you not know the coordinates... The In-game map could the same thing that you see in fred.
4) Going to other system... well, if you have a Intersystem drive, them go and enter the node, and add another fast access jump key combo... no know... ALT+I? that check if you are inside the node if you did, their send you the other system, the game the only had to do is to load the MAP corresponding to the next system...
5) Using the last i think that can be made something else... if you select anything that have a Hangar, in the comm add something to request permission to land, if their granted, you had to go to the hangar and enter there, using the same way of the "intersystem jumps", when you enter the hangar, the game start to load another map, that can be a "hangar map" that everyship should have one, a Hangar map should be nothing more than a mission map, which briefing... this map not going to give you a mission, just a welcome, repair you ship and ream it, that by now... the details can wait, just imagine the posibilities...


That all, by this if their can be maded you can make a continuos living universe, of course, later could add some other things, but as already say, the details can wait.

Just imagine what things can be make having a universe like this as a basic base...

[Goober5000]

Right.  Are you volunteering to code this?

[ShivanSpS]

I dint have the knowledge for that 

But, anyway I just a idea... the continus living space is not imposible.

[FireCrack]

Have you played the independance war series?

[ShivanSpS]

Have you played the independance war series?

no why?

[starfox]

I-War 2 Edge of Chaos close follows what was discribed at the first post (IE, More open ended universe)
It' a fine game  , but my joystick unfortunately is plastic crap.....

[phreak]

yea, that stuff is mostly IW2, X, or Freelancer territory.  You're better off playing those since FS2 is setup to be mission based as opposed to free-form.

starfox: I changed around the keyboard controls to make it somewhat more simple to fly without a joystick.  If you want, i can send you the config file.

[starfox]

Thanks phreak, I'd love that....
 

[ShivanSpS]

yea, that stuff is mostly IW2, X, or Freelancer territory.  You're better off playing those since FS2 is setup to be mission based as opposed to free-form.

You can be sure that no one of that get even close to mach FS2...

X series, well... the combat is boring... good universe, and fleet control, but the combat is boring and there is a lot of things that their should learn about capitals ships fighting and balacing...

Freelancer, LOL, not even remember that, one time I get sleep in the MIDLE OF A COMBAT! xDDDDDDDDDDD

And there is no mod to fix that, you can belive me... some people try to mod X2 and X3, and add the Freespace ships... but that is the easy part, there is no way to convert the X combat to a Freespace combat... I have no idea if this has been tried in Freelancer, but not matter I very sure that is not the same... That is why if that the only mean is to use the FS engine... maybe someday...

P.D: Freespace is not an "opposed to free-form" the problem is that the moment when FS2 is under developing the idea of a free universe has imposible which the computers speed of that era.... in 1999 is very common a 400-500 MHZ CPU which 64MB RAM... and is imposible that a 500MHZ CPU can hadle a living universe....

But anyway, I not telling to try to create a Free-living universe, even in this idea the FS should still managed by missions, but  thinking well, is a little imposible whiout a lot of coding ....

[ShivanSpS]

Ok not a Oficial continuos universe, that as already say, could be hard to code...

But what about to add a  funtion to Fred?

-"END-MISSION-> Load xxx.fs2", "Force Jump-> Load xxx.fs2", "If player Jump Out-> Load xxx.fs2" ((the player ship, wing, weapons, missiles, damage and everything should the same that in previus mission (I already see this in some FS1 retail mission so is posible or already implemented )). the "Load xxx.fs2" should be also avalible in debriefing, so, a mission maker can select what is the next mission acording to the result of the previus one... Basically you can create a campaing, but whiout create a camping, because you will no know what is the next mission.
Which only this you can create the whole universe thogether, and manage the next jump using nav points... and its also have a great multiplayer playability (if the join in-game works ).

-Allow that a mission should not have a briefing... not even a red alert one, just load and you are in-game, that is great to make the "Return to Base"...

To give you an example:

1) Alpha and Beta Wings finished an atack against a Cruiser, the mission is over, "Command: This mission is finished, Jump back to base", Player: Alt+J, when the image where the player enter subspace finished, the mission ends and Load another map, when finished loading the player, Alpha, beta, Which the damage, weapons, and everything as their are when the player jump out apear in this other map whiout a Briefing, or red alert message, where their have its "base" "Base: Alpha, Beta your are clear to land, Well Done" and their manualy land and finally finish the mission, officialy this should be "If player Jump Out-> Load xxx.fs2", the manual land dont need anything, just a waypoint in the hangar and when the player is close, end mission, nothing more.
The only problem is to save the data of the previus mission.... that going to be needed for the debrief Text.... and even the data on the fighters... if all back, damage, and everything... Maybe a Temp File?
Lets see: Maybe a Export mission data? The mission maker can make the debrief text in he previus mission and...

The mission:
>Command: This Mission is finished jump back to base
>Export: Ship Data to: xxx.xxx
>Export: Debriefing data to: xxx.xxx
>"If player Jump Out-> Load xxx.fs2"

The "Return to Base" Mission, whiout briefing, and anyting, just finished load and their are ingame:
>Import: Ships data from: xxx.xxx
>Import: Debriefing data from: xxx.xxx
>(oficially the player enter in-game at this point)
>Base: Good Work, you are clear to land.


Even this sound hard to make...

[karajorma]

P.D: Freespace is not an "opposed to free-form" the problem is that the moment when FS2 is under developing the idea of a free universe has imposible which the computers speed of that era.... in 1999 is very common a 400-500 MHZ CPU which 64MB RAM... and is imposible that a 500MHZ CPU can hadle a living universe....

Ummm. I know I'm getting long in the tooth and all but have you not heard of Elite? If the BBC could run a freeform universe I see no good reason it couldn't be done on the PC.

made a decision to make a non freeform universe in order to serve their plotline better. Not having a freeform universe means that the mission file is Alpha and Omega of mission design so the mission designer knows exactly what will be present in any mission and can do a much tighter job of scripting the mission.

[Black Wolf]

Exactly. Adapting Freespace to Freeform means almost entirely accepting the loss of either balance or storyline, or both. You simply can't have both these and a mission editor that works like FRED.

[Flipside]

Agreed, I remember once, a good few years ago, we were having a 'what if' chat about the idea of a Sandbox or MMO version of Freespace. The idea would be fun if implemented right, but it is a completely different game.

The reason the performance on X get's so shoddy is because of terminal over-scripting, the computer runs once through the script of every ship in the universe per cycle, so, as the universe fills up, the game starts to 'pulse', which gets annoying. This is a risk of auto-micromanaging games. I always felt Egosofts biggest mistake was making the sectors tiny. Had they made them full solar systems with scattered manufaturing facilities and traders moving between them, rather than all packed into about 40km2, the game would have felt far less restricting.