[Shivan Hunter]

Since I'm bored of writing dialogue for my campaign atm, I'm doing a small mission about the SCP. Basically, you're escorting the GTCv FreeSpace Open through the Asteroid Field of Bad Code, fighting Noobs and Bugs along the way. The waypoint path has 5 points, which I'd like to correspond to pivotal moments in the design of SCP. For instance, the first would be the release of the FS code. One might be the implementation of normal maps.

So what do you coders think? Make suggestions for single waypoints, or even for all five of them. The number could be lowered to 4 or raised to 6 if necessary, but 5 seems like a good number to start with.

[Solatar]

I'm no coder, but a few things that were really cool in their day:

Enabling HTL - I think the Fenris was the first HTL ship in-game

Multi-docking, just because it had been declared "un-doable" for so long.

Plenty more, I just don't want people to forget all the 'early' work that went on in favor of all the new awesomeness that's come out.  IN addition, there's probably a lot of 'insider' stuff that's been changed to optimize the engine.

[chief1983]

Don't forget the Reign of Taylor.  He pretty much has been credited with reorganizing the entire project into just about what it is today, to my knowledge.

[Mongoose]

Hell, as far as I'm concerned, having legitimately-stable official releases was a huge step that's taken place over the past few years.  I remember when I first started using the SCP, around 3.6.7 or so, when the most recent "official" build crashed almost every other mission load.  You had to go with a specific "Taylor's build" to get any serious playing done.

[Galemp]

1. Source code release: Birth of the project.
2. Glowmaps: The first significant graphical upgrade.
3. Hardware Transform and Lighting: Vastly increased polycounts to free the imagination.
4. Cross-platform support: Bringing FreeSpace to Mac OSX and Linux.
5. First release of the Media VPs: Consolidating all the community's work into a redistributable and maintained package that grows and develops alongside the code and can be used as a dependency for future projects, as well as setting the bar for future mods.

[Trivial Psychic]

Now here would be an interesting one, though it would require this to be an actual MOD.  Have aspects of the mission alter to correspond to the introduction of the features.  For example, use a ship.tbm to add the older original ship models to start with, then when you reach the introduction of HTL, use ship-replacement (or is it model replacement, I can't remember) to swap them out for the hi-poly ones, or start out with the old model with no specular and no glowmaps, and then enable them as you go.

[Shivan Hunter]

...that is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I'm totally doing that. :O

So, what about other stuff? What kind of enemies should I include, for one thing (For instance, I was thinking maybe an SF Astaroth called SJ Derek Smrat pretending to be a Sath...)

This could turn out to be an interesting mission.

For reference, when exactly was the code released? And when (approximately) were the listed improvements released?

[Scourge of Ages]

Perhaps including the major released/partially released TCs and mods. Throw a few Vipers, Starfuries, Auroras, etc. in there. Eh?

[castor]

The pxo replacement code! Buggy, but amazing job nevertheless.

[Aardwolf]

I thought glow points came before glow maps?

[Shivan Hunter]

Glowmaps would be a much more important change though- it's the first improvement to the textures themselves, and led the way for shinemaps and normal maps. Later on if we get a material system, glowmaps will be called the first step. Glowpoints don't really do much- A ship would look fine without glowpoints, but would look crappy without -normal, -shine and -glow maps.

[Aardwolf]

...and the no-longer-supported -height maps!

You forgot Poland?

[Scooby_Doo]

...and the no-longer-supported -height maps!

You forgot Poland?

Well technically aren't they still supported for parallax mapping (not as just bumpmaps)?

My list:

1.) the source code release (duh)
2.)HTL
3.)glow AND normal map support
4.)multiangle turrets
5.)ummmmm profit???

[The E]

Well, the code still supports it, and the shader still do ... stuff ... with them...

[louthelou]

This seems like an appropriate thread, not wanting to waste a new one on this...

I came across the "new" FSCP site last night while searching for a space sim worth playing besides X3, and I just want to say:  THANK YOU!  After some futzing to get it working properly (had to use the wxLauncher; the launcher installed with the Automated Installer at first would not detect an OpenAL device (thus no sound besides the text2speech), then the launcher started crashing at load after I used an OpenAL wrapper), I have to say that I am impressed.  I've been looking for an updated Tie Fighter-type game for a long time, and this fits the bill perfectly.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  

P.S.  If only ships behaved according to Newtonian physics, the game truly would be perfect in my eyes.

[Scooby_Doo]

Ohhh #5... while technically not part of FS2 but PCS2 is a major step ahead.

[chief1983]

P.S.  If only ships behaved according to Newtonian physics, the game truly would be perfect in my eyes.

You might look at I've Found Her, I believe they have a system much closer to Newtonian.  Although there are several amazing campaigns and mods for FS2 that bring it much closer as well.

[Kosh]

P.S.  If only ships behaved according to Newtonian physics, the game truly would be perfect in my eyes.

You might look at I've Found Her, I believe they have a system much closer to Newtonian.  Although there are several amazing campaigns and mods for FS2 that bring it much closer as well.

It is actually a full newtonian system, they just did something with the starfury's control scheme to make it slightly easier to fly, otherwise it would be impossible to control effectively. All other ships are not like that IIRC.


I'd also add that an important point in SCP history came when it no longer randomly crashed. I recall builds from 2003 and at least some of 2004 to be rather notorious for the random CTD, at least with me.

[redsniper]

Specular lighting.