Author Topic: A WoD dev blog  (Read 421358 times)

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Offline -Norbert-

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Bleeding Cordi ships? Where do I have to sign!

 

Offline Spoon

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Alas, no. Not that it wouldn't be cool, but it's not possible to define impact effects based on the type of species that it hits.
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 
You're really hitting that Macross level of firepower across the board.

 

Offline LoneFan

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You're really hitting that Macross level of firepower across the board.
That would be wonderful and challenging standard to follow. :)

 
The standard by which dakka is judged by. ;)

 

Offline Spoon

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Hoping I can reach and live up to that standard!


Let's do a transparant development update. I mean, this is what you wonderful backers have pledged tens of thousands of moneydollars for after all, jpg's of ships and the most transparant development in the history of the gaming industry.

A gazillion months after the release of episode 1 later, where are things at currently?

Assets wise, things are looking pretty good, with two models in queue to be textured. And the remodelling of the Hertak capitalships still pending. Once all of these have been added, there's little work left on this front for any future episodes. Almost all of the aliens have had their ship models updated in some form, providing a decent amount of variation to shoot at. 



Player flyable ships are plenty as well, with 10 unique terran ships plus 6 variants. And 4 unique CSA ships. (Not all of them pictured here)

Which should help keep the game varied and fresh over the episodes. As you unlock more options to wreak carnage with!

For characters, it's a bit more work left, with four characters that I still have to start on for episode 2, and several characters that still need some degree of work in Emofuri (headani's and VN portraits). Then after this upcoming releases, there's still a few more characters I plan on adding, so there's still some long term effort to be put into this. (A better artist would probably get this done in less than two weeks, but alas, its just me. )

Currently it's already over 240 apng's for 16 characters, coming in at 1.78GB. By my conservative estimate, this number will easily end up reaching 300.

WoD's soundscape has also been much improved, now fully utilizing all of the nice new sound code that has been added recently. Now sounds won't be excessively culled anymore, and sound effects that would repeat a lot, like shield impacts, are now a lot more varied.

As for the actual meat of the game, Missions.
Progress on these have actually only started kind of recently, several of the missions of episode 1 have been reworked/replaced in some form or another. Making the campaign a bit more straight up, 'fly&gun' and a bit less 'gimmicky'. Which I believe is generally more what people want&expect from a campaign (Not to mention that those kind of missions are also significantly easier to make). In addition to reworks, there have also been two extra missions added to episode 1.
Axem has been working on redoing the mission to ambush the Contravention, the mission has become a bit more straightforward and much more cinematic, and ends in a cool final showdown with Ophelia. Really happy with how it has turned out.


As shown here, Axem has also put some effort into replacing a lot of the big asteroids previously used in WoD. (and considering how many missions seem to take place in the proximity of Asteroids, thats a good thing indeed.)

Episode 2 is roughly 30%ish there in just raw missions. Now 30% may seem like it's not really coming along quickly, but it's not the missions I'm personally concerned about. Missions are relatively quick to create (unless you construct absurdly amazingly complex missions like seen in JAD). It's the visual novel segments that I'm more worried about, there hasn't been that much progress made on them yet, outside of converting the episode 1 ones to the new file version format (which is kind of dumb busy work, but has to be done). There's still a lot of words still to be written. Which then have to be checked&edited by someone.
In addition to that, the backgrounds for the VN parts also still need to be done. Work work.

So when's a release realistically to be expected? As is common in gamedevelopment, its often hard to gauge how long things will take. (Amirite Croberts?) Especially since my motivation to work on things kind of ebs and flows. Some months progress is rapidly made, others... well, not so much.
April maybe? Who knows.
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 
Episode 1 was originally released in April too, so if you manage to release it on the 4th of April it would be a straight 3 years, nice and round.

Also

"Nukes Left : 1" Oh my...
[19:31] <MatthTheGeek> you all high up on your mointain looking down at everyone who doesn't beam everything on insane blindfolded

 

Offline Commander Zane

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It's always exciting to see new stuff pertaining to WoD. The ships are turning out great too, there's even a CRF Caliburn.

 

Offline LoneFan

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Given all the factions and that in universe each faction has a fleet composition, by faction, how is the games capital ship count looking.
 :doubt:
And how many ships can custom WOD support?
« Last Edit: November 11, 2017, 03:28:54 am by LoneFan »

 

Offline Spoon

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Given all the factions and that in universe each faction has a fleet composition, by faction, how is the games capital ship count looking.
On average each faction has 2 or 3 capitalships, terrans a few more. Roughly 25ish capships total, give or take
And how many ships can custom WOD support?
Same as regular builds: http://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/Engine_limitations

Episode 1 was originally released in April too, so if you manage to release it on the 4th of April it would be a straight 3 years, nice and round.

Also

"Nukes Left : 1" Oh my...
Yeah, thats what I was thinking too.

Man... it's been three years already? (I'm suprised anyone is still left)

It's always exciting to see new stuff pertaining to WoD. The ships are turning out great too, there's even a CRF Caliburn.
The CRF have named their Caliburn variant the Excalibur. Can't have enough sacred swords.
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Commander Zane

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  • Spoot Knight of Anvils
Man... it's been three years already? (I'm suprised anyone is still left)
Boi I ain't simply walking away from WoD.

 

Offline LoneFan

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And how many ships can custom WOD support?
Same as regular builds: http://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/Engine_limitations

That's 500 entries! Just wow, I remember way back being frustrated with a 150ish ship limit. Now there is plenty of room to grow. Just damn, way to go open source team.

 
That is why we no longer have Inferno builds. They just aren't necessary anymore.
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

Offline AdmiralRalwood

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That is why we no longer have Inferno builds. They just aren't necessary anymore.
Yes and no; it's not so much that there weren't Inferno builds anymore as there weren't non-Inferno builds anymore; Inferno builds became the new standard (and then the ship limit was doubled from that new standard of 250 to 500 for 3.7.4).
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Codethulhu GitHub wgah'nagl fhtagn.

schrödinbug (noun) - a bug that manifests itself in running software after a programmer notices that the code should never have worked in the first place.

When you gaze long into BMPMAN, BMPMAN also gazes into you.

"I am one of the best FREDders on Earth" -General Battuta

<Aesaar> literary criticism is vladimir putin

<MageKing17> "There's probably a reason the code is the way it is" is a very dangerous line of thought. :P
<MageKing17> Because the "reason" often turns out to be "nobody noticed it was wrong".
(the very next day)
<MageKing17> this ****ing code did it to me again
<MageKing17> "That doesn't really make sense to me, but I'll assume it was being done for a reason."
<MageKing17> **** ME
<MageKing17> THE REASON IS PEOPLE ARE STUPID
<MageKing17> ESPECIALLY ME

<MageKing17> God damn, I do not understand how this is breaking.
<MageKing17> Everything points to "this should work fine", and yet it's clearly not working.
<MjnMixael> 2 hours later... "God damn, how did this ever work at all?!"
(...)
<MageKing17> so
<MageKing17> more than two hours
<MageKing17> but once again we have reached the inevitable conclusion
<MageKing17> How did this code ever work in the first place!?

<@The_E> Welcome to OpenGL, where standards compliance is optional, and error reporting inconsistent

<MageKing17> It was all working perfectly until I actually tried it on an actual mission.

<IronWorks> I am useful for FSO stuff again. This is a red-letter day!
* z64555 erases "Thursday" and rewrites it in red ink

<MageKing17> TIL the entire homing code is held up by shoestrings and duct tape, basically.

 
Let me rephrase that. This is why we no longer have separate Inferno builds. Because they all are now.
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary and those who don't.

 
Damn it Spoon, my hype levels are now at unsustainable levels. :P

 

Offline Bryan See

  • Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
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Given all the factions and that in universe each faction has a fleet composition, by faction, how is the games capital ship count looking.
On average each faction has 2 or 3 capitalships, terrans a few more. Roughly 25ish capships total, give or take
And how many ships can custom WOD support?
Same as regular builds: http://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/Engine_limitations

Episode 1 was originally released in April too, so if you manage to release it on the 4th of April it would be a straight 3 years, nice and round.

Also

"Nukes Left : 1" Oh my...
Yeah, thats what I was thinking too.

Man... it's been three years already? (I'm suprised anyone is still left)

It's always exciting to see new stuff pertaining to WoD. The ships are turning out great too, there's even a CRF Caliburn.
The CRF have named their Caliburn variant the Excalibur. Can't have enough sacred swords.
Not just those were expressed above. The FSO engine build runs on a same single instance - with the window title name "FreeSpace 2".

The window title name "FreeSpace 2" could be a FS2 mod name or a TC name, which in this case here, "Wings of Dawn" (the first HLP original TC game, the second one is being "Shattered Stars", now restarted development).
Bryan See - My FreeSpace Wiki User Page (Talk, Contributions)

Full Projects:
Shattered Stars

Campaigns:
Lost in the Mist - Cyrene vs. Psamtik
FreeSpace: Reunited

Ships:
GTS Hygeia, GTT Argo, SC Raguel

Tools:
FSO TC/Game template

I've been under attack by Tiger Parents like Jennifer Pan...

 

Offline AdmiralRalwood

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Not just those were expressed above. The FSO engine build runs on a same single instance - with the window title name "FreeSpace 2".

The window title name "FreeSpace 2" could be a FS2 mod name or a TC name
What does that have to do with literally anything you quoted? But FYI, yes, a mod table option for setting the window title has been added.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Codethulhu GitHub wgah'nagl fhtagn.

schrödinbug (noun) - a bug that manifests itself in running software after a programmer notices that the code should never have worked in the first place.

When you gaze long into BMPMAN, BMPMAN also gazes into you.

"I am one of the best FREDders on Earth" -General Battuta

<Aesaar> literary criticism is vladimir putin

<MageKing17> "There's probably a reason the code is the way it is" is a very dangerous line of thought. :P
<MageKing17> Because the "reason" often turns out to be "nobody noticed it was wrong".
(the very next day)
<MageKing17> this ****ing code did it to me again
<MageKing17> "That doesn't really make sense to me, but I'll assume it was being done for a reason."
<MageKing17> **** ME
<MageKing17> THE REASON IS PEOPLE ARE STUPID
<MageKing17> ESPECIALLY ME

<MageKing17> God damn, I do not understand how this is breaking.
<MageKing17> Everything points to "this should work fine", and yet it's clearly not working.
<MjnMixael> 2 hours later... "God damn, how did this ever work at all?!"
(...)
<MageKing17> so
<MageKing17> more than two hours
<MageKing17> but once again we have reached the inevitable conclusion
<MageKing17> How did this code ever work in the first place!?

<@The_E> Welcome to OpenGL, where standards compliance is optional, and error reporting inconsistent

<MageKing17> It was all working perfectly until I actually tried it on an actual mission.

<IronWorks> I am useful for FSO stuff again. This is a red-letter day!
* z64555 erases "Thursday" and rewrites it in red ink

<MageKing17> TIL the entire homing code is held up by shoestrings and duct tape, basically.

 

Offline Spoon

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What does that have to do with literally anything you quoted? But FYI, yes, a mod table option for setting the window title has been added.
Oh that's actually neat. The game_settings.tbl just keeps on expanding with nifty new little things.
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Bryan See

  • Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
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And what of Knossos? I don't see Wings of Dawn there.

Plus on the HLP projects page, I only see Diaspora. What about this? Could this be described as the "first original TC, anime-themed"?

What does that have to do with literally anything you quoted? But FYI, yes, a mod table option for setting the window title has been added.
I mean we could have multiple instances of FSO. One is using FreeSpace 2, while the other runs something else.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2017, 01:01:14 pm by Bryan See »
Bryan See - My FreeSpace Wiki User Page (Talk, Contributions)

Full Projects:
Shattered Stars

Campaigns:
Lost in the Mist - Cyrene vs. Psamtik
FreeSpace: Reunited

Ships:
GTS Hygeia, GTT Argo, SC Raguel

Tools:
FSO TC/Game template

I've been under attack by Tiger Parents like Jennifer Pan...