If I may be so bold as to suggest something.
Concerning FRED specifically, I'd like to see some kind of auto-generate feature where
you can specify 2 to 4 points on the world grid, and then have the editor fill it the in between space
with models.
Options:
Selection menu for objects/models
Click to highlight scrolling menu that allows you to select one or more items to be included in the placement.
Randomize locations.
Pretty much what you're thinking.
Custom spawn location.
A menu box where you could specify a generic XYZ amount of distance that is to be applied towards every
object to be generated, that you have selected from the above mentioned menu. IE. X: 5 Y: 0 Z: 0 applies 5 meters
between every generated object on that plane alone. The starting point for calculations would be the center (or a corner)
of the cube drawn as the spawn area.
Frequency Controls.
Essentially a slider bar or a value (1 to 10?) that will tell the system how much of a given object to
spawn. Without this you'll probably end up with all of one item or other oddities. If you want 1 type only then that
can be restricted by just picking one object in the selection menu. Here I'm talking about when you have several objects
selected.
My reasoning for this is that in Tachyon we had fields of crystals, roids, space junk, etc.
The only editor we had was a text menu to place each object by XYZ, with no way of previewing it.
It took eons to make a map with any quantity of objects on a map, much less to align it at all.
FRED is vastly superior, but you largely have to still place things by hand. I'd greatly like to see it made easier
in the case of "Non-Important Stuff" of just being able to say I want a bunch of random NIS "here" and then draw
another box and add some NIS over "there."
Individual stats for each object can still be handled by FRED as it is now, and I'm sure folks can edit by hand
things for little adjustments/tweaking. I'm just looking at this as an option for getting a lot on the map very quickly,
and with the custom placement controls, you should have enough control to make shapes or things when you use
the "generator" more than once.
One example is that you could easily create a perfect formation of many fighters for a cutscene or as if they were "on parade"
showing off military strength. It'd be a lot easier than adjusting every ship individually, or setting up selection groups.
