[Snail]

Just make sure non of the new HUD elements are on the same space as the pause label.
To have the ability to take a break and check each gauge in peace does sound like a good idea to me.

Press Alt-pause instead?

[Qent]

At the risk of sounding like even more of a fanboy, I had honestly been preparing for disappointment because you wouldn't beat R1. Good job.

[Kolgena]

Is this still FSO? Wow.

[crazy_dave]

Wow ... I was writing up a list of gameplay features that I would like to see in my ideal BP WiH and having a hub world with persistent squadron management was something I considered but thought too far fetched for the FSO engine. Then I read this post. How are you guys implementing this in the FSO? I had no idea it could do something like that! Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I'm just starting to get into Freespace there is probably much I don't know about far this open source engine + FRED can go. I know you are talking about the persistent squadron management feature might be cut, but even having the interaction with people as you described would be an amazing leap forward in immersion. I am impressed by the other feature changes you mention as well. That people on their own have taken WiH and made tactical mods of it I think speaks volumes to the quality of work you guys did. Kudos all around!

[The E]

Doing a hub world is actually rather easy. By using variables to track where in the campaign the player is, and by using a hand-hacked campaign file (FRED's campaign editor can't handle loopbacks). If you look at it in the campaign editor, it'll look like this:


As for the squad management, that's again an application of variables. It's not that hard, if you have a bit of programming experience.

[crazy_dave]

Doing a hub world is actually rather easy. By using variables to track where in the campaign the player is, and by using a hand-hacked campaign file (FRED's campaign editor can't handle loopbacks). If you look at it in the campaign editor, it'll look like this:

As for the squad management, that's again an application of variables. It's not that hard, if you have a bit of programming experience.

I guess my question is how are you guys doing the UI for interacting with other characters in that world and squad management? Perhaps I've let my imagination run away with me, but from what Gen Battuta was saying I was sort of seeing the hub world as the inside of a ship with you walking into a rec-room or briefing room and talking to other characters and squad mates. But I thought that was beyond the capabilities of the FSO engine which is understandable since it is a space-flight sim. Is it a comm list that you bring up in the hub world and you then have dialogue options?  If you can't say too much about the UI and hub world as not to give away plot points I understand. But I'm interested in how you guys are handling the UI.

[Satellight]

...I was sort of seeing the hub world as the inside of a ship with you walking into a rec-room or briefing room and talking to other characters and squad mates.

Starlancer-menu style ?

[Destiny]

I wanna admit 'STEALTH ONLINE' sounds very cheesy. Maybe Active Stealth or something. Passive stealth is much more reliable though, like the Pegasus. I wonder what the technobabble is going to be.

[General Battuta]

Doing a hub world is actually rather easy. By using variables to track where in the campaign the player is, and by using a hand-hacked campaign file (FRED's campaign editor can't handle loopbacks). If you look at it in the campaign editor, it'll look like this:

As for the squad management, that's again an application of variables. It's not that hard, if you have a bit of programming experience.

I guess my question is how are you guys doing the UI for interacting with other characters in that world and squad management? Perhaps I've let my imagination run away with me, but from what Gen Battuta was saying I was sort of seeing the hub world as the inside of a ship with you walking into a rec-room or briefing room and talking to other characters and squad mates. But I thought that was beyond the capabilities of the FSO engine which is understandable since it is a space-flight sim. Is it a comm list that you bring up in the hub world and you then have dialogue options?  If you can't say too much about the UI and hub world as not to give away plot points I understand. But I'm interested in how you guys are handling the UI.

It'll be a regular space mission with ships floating around.

[crazy_dave]

Doing a hub world is actually rather easy. By using variables to track where in the campaign the player is, and by using a hand-hacked campaign file (FRED's campaign editor can't handle loopbacks). If you look at it in the campaign editor, it'll look like this:

As for the squad management, that's again an application of variables. It's not that hard, if you have a bit of programming experience.

I guess my question is how are you guys doing the UI for interacting with other characters in that world and squad management? Perhaps I've let my imagination run away with me, but from what Gen Battuta was saying I was sort of seeing the hub world as the inside of a ship with you walking into a rec-room or briefing room and talking to other characters and squad mates. But I thought that was beyond the capabilities of the FSO engine which is understandable since it is a space-flight sim. Is it a comm list that you bring up in the hub world and you then have dialogue options?  If you can't say too much about the UI and hub world as not to give away plot points I understand. But I'm interested in how you guys are handling the UI.

It'll be a regular space mission with ships floating around.

Aye, that seems reasonable (and still quite nifty) - I am looking forward to it.

[PsychoLandlord]

I'm curious as to how you plan on justifying the hub experience, seeing as how I highly doubt anybody will just let Noemi fly a fighter around whenever she wants.

If the hub environment ends up being something like one of the UEF fleets, maybe it will be something like "every hub visit is ostensibly Noemi being assigned to Close Patrol" or something like that?

[Snail]

I'm curious as to how you plan on justifying the hub experience, seeing as how I highly doubt anybody will just let Noemi fly a fighter around whenever she wants.

If the hub environment ends up being something like one of the UEF fleets, maybe it will be something like "every hub visit is ostensibly Noemi being assigned to Close Patrol" or something like that?

It's explained.

[General Battuta]

I'm curious as to how you plan on justifying the hub experience, seeing as how I highly doubt anybody will just let Noemi fly a fighter around whenever she wants.

If the hub environment ends up being something like one of the UEF fleets, maybe it will be something like "every hub visit is ostensibly Noemi being assigned to Close Patrol" or something like that?

There is a justification.

[PsychoLandlord]

I'm sure there is, since rule 1 of telling a good story in gaming is to not let gameplay render your story nonsensical. That was in fact, a thinly veiled attempt at drawing out more info. 

[-Norbert-]

Apart from patrols it could just be sitting around till the "jump in" signal for the next mission comes, or just returning from a mission, training flights, escort for an important ship coming or going, participating in some kind of ceremony (like flying honor guard at a space funeral).
And I'm sure there are many more justifications that I couldn't think of in the two minutes it took to write this post

[crizza]

So...we get overhauled vasudan assets?Nice

[rscaper1070]

That Typhon makes me wonder if R2 will coincide with the release of the new mediavps.

[General Battuta]

That Typhon makes me wonder if R2 will coincide with the release of the new mediavps.

Given that neither project is quite sure when it'll be done yet, it would be a lovely coincidence.

[Flak]

So, the Typhons are going to be buffed up like the Carthage?

[MatthTheGeek]

The Carthage is a one-of-a-kind ship, the other(s) Orion in service in the GTVA didn't receive half her upgrades. I don't expect most of the remaining Typhons to have similar improvements.

I've been hearing things a long time ago about using the Typhon as a hugeass torpedo boat...