additional SOD options

[Ozymandias]

posted on January 12th, 2008, 4:21 pm

Last edited by Ozymandias on January 12th, 2008, 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Request 1: SOD variation

I was thinking the other day about having a pirate race in A2, one problem is though that pirates aren't likely to have each ship look identical so basically I was wondering if one of two things (or both) could be added to the patch project.

1) Would it be possible to have the ability to have a ship have more than one SOD and the game would pick one at random (sort of like the ship name) ie

basename = piracru1.SOD OR piracru2.SOD


2) Would it be possible to add a command node to the game for use with modelling that would say either this part or that part is used, so you could have a basic ship SOD but then variations in ships would be added on top with command nodes attached that would tell the game to pick one or the other.

I suspect the first would be easier to do, the second I did have an idea about if you decide to add the idea, the borg command node only apears when certain conditions are met, perhaps its possible to do this with other nodes.

Request 2: Race Specific elements

Would it be possible to have borg hardpoints aswell as Borg hull parts and textures, in other words it would give ships assimilated by the borg extra weapons, so you have a hardpoint borghp01 and in the ship file you have the weaponcode to say that BBPhas uses the hardpoint borghp01.

Also on that note the possiblity for other race specific sod parts and textures would be nice, so if the klingons steal your ship they smear it with there logo and possibly to combine it with the idea above add a couple of klingon weapons.


To be honest im trying to think of examples involving stock races or similar but I have a few things I wish to try that would make good use of these additions involving non-stock, and perhaps even non-space races 

posted on January 12th, 2008, 7:05 pm

I definitely like the idea of when other races capture your ships they change appearances slightly. That would definitely be cool 

posted on January 12th, 2008, 7:59 pm

yh those ideas sound good but i dnt think that the hp one will work or b possible but the extra addons in appearance who knows dnt see y not

posted on January 12th, 2008, 11:30 pm

To be honest I don't see why anything would not work if they had the time to do the modification, as essentially what they're doing is adding bits into the game adding a new function like that just takes time and effort. but of course time is the biggy, so I'm not hopefull it was just an extra Idea, something I have always wanted.

posted on January 13th, 2008, 1:07 pm

1: yea, i am working on something similar
2: not exactly the way you thought, but already possible in fleet operations' current dev version...

[Anonymous]

posted on March 5th, 2008, 10:47 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on March 5th, 2008, 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

just thinking for the etra hp's to be added afta assimulation couldnt you add the weapons onto the odf file but put the weapon name in the techtree needing the main station
(eg


//akira borg phaser
weapon "fbcruise1"
weaponHardpoints = "hpb01"


fbcruise1phas.odf 1 bbase.odf
)

posted on March 6th, 2008, 12:11 am

just thinking for the etra hp's to be added afta assimulation couldnt you add the weapons onto the odf file but put the weapon name in the techtree needing the main station
(eg


//akira borg phaser
weapon "fbcruise1"
weaponHardpoints = "hpb01"


fbcruise1phas.odf 1 bbase.odf
)

Would work to a limited level but what if you don't have the Borg base, or you capture one as the feds neither is the effect i want, I want it to rely on what actual race you are, so if the feds capture a borg outpost all there ships shouldnt suddenly get borg weapons, and if the borg loose they're outpost, all they're ships shouldn't suddenly loose the ability to shoot.

It was a nice idea though.

posted on March 7th, 2008, 9:10 pm

I am thinking along thoughs lines but in a totally different direction. I'm shooting for more advanced damage efects. Things like blown off hull sections and warped pylons. Is this possible now or do the SODs and damage stuff need to be upgraded? In this I am not refering to a destroyed ship but one that's heavaly dammaged.

posted on March 7th, 2008, 9:21 pm

That would be really neat 

posted on March 8th, 2008, 9:51 am

I am thinking along thoughs lines but in a totally different direction. I'm shooting for more advanced damage efects. Things like blown off hull sections and warped pylons. Is this possible now or do the SODs and damage stuff need to be upgraded? In this I am not refering to a destroyed ship but one that's heavaly dammaged.

hmm, it may be possible. we do have this great lod system that no mod developer never used anyway. it allowes to include various versions of a vessel into a single sod if i got this right. i think it should be possible to disable the whole lod system or lod system for specific vessels to make use of that feature as degress of damage a vessel has received. i will put this on todo

posted on March 8th, 2008, 11:50 am

The original insperation for this comes from Interplays KA where they had some really advanced damage effects for its day. No Star Trek game I've played since has ever come close to anything that good. I don't know if looking at that program would help but I thought I would mention it just in case. I also know that BC has the closest thing to the KA system. I don't which from a programing standpoint is better But KA looked better with the explosions and chunks of ship flying off.

posted on March 8th, 2008, 9:24 pm

I think that idea 2 could be done with some complicated odf modding so say you are borg and you capture a ship the ship then transformes (using the ship replace command) and it makes it into a ship almost exactly the same just with some diffrent weapons and you just make it so only the borg can change it (or what ever race you want) the only thing is that you would have to do it manualy I dont know how you could have it done automatically.