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Messages - Mark

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226
Ahh sorry, that was an error on my part. I am literally in the process of adding those keys to the templates (for turret firing arcs).

There will be one file per ship.

Ships are grouped into mods, and each mod will then be enabled/disabled in the game.

Basically our own missions and campaign will be a mod, which can be enabled/disabled. :)

227
We will be using these Spaceship Templates for all of our ships, so everything which defines a spaceship in UNION will be editable in these files.

228
Thanks!

We will have detailed documentation for release, but I am more than happy to share more info now. :)

What would happen if we put "weird" values for some of these? For example, setting "PowerWheelRotation": 12.6."MaxPowerOutput": 999999
The system would be positioned at 12.6 degrees on the Power Wheel (0 degrees would put the system at the very top of the power wheel, 45 would be top right, 180 would put it at the bottom etc.), and reactor's max power output would be 50 (the maximum allowed value).

What would the game do? Crash? What's the max number for each value?
Entering values outside of the minimum/maximum/allowed values will invalidate the template and an error containing the issues would be shown when the game is launched (it would not crash, but that ship could not be used). If you join a server which uses the ship, you will be prevented from connecting to it (an error will tell you that this is the issue).
The minimum/maximum/allowed value depends on the setting. We will have a wiki with a detailed modding section which describes the settings, and their min/max/allowed values.

What are Classes in the Systems? Is it better to have a higher or a lower class? How far do the classes span? 0 to 10? -10 to 10?
The class of a System dictates the maximum equipment class that it can support. A Class dictates an equipment's power requirement and performance range. The number of classes is not yet set in stone, but there will likely be 4 or 5 classes.

I'm not a JSON expert, but why are TurretMinXRotation and the 3 following keys not in quotation marks?
These are decimal numbers. In JSON numbers are written without quotation marks.

How many equipment types can a ship have? Is there a minimum amount? Can we delete the Systems node completely? Can we have two Systems nodes?
Equipment types are: Turret, Sensor, Shield, Torpedo, Engine and Cruise Engine.
Spaceships can have between 1 and 16 Systems, you can add and remove them at will.
There can be 1 to 10 Reactors, and up to 50 ReactorConnections.

How many characters do you allow for the value of "Name"? What about characters? Are they stored and showed ingame as UNICODE?
The Name value will be limited to 30 characters, as they have to fit into the UI. All text is in stored and displayed as UTF-8, we will be adding a localisation system at a later stage but all language characters are supported in the game.

What happens if we remove or add an axis from "LocalPosition" and "LocalRotation" node?
This would be an invalid value, causing the template to be invalidated.



229
Development & Discussion / [Progress - 9th March] Spaceship Templates
« on: March 09, 2016, 05:59:02 PM »
Hi all,

I finished the pause system on Sunday, it allows the Captain to pause the game's simulation while still allowing all of the ship's systems to be interacted with.

I have intended to work on the armour system after that, adding the armour condition display to the Engineering UI, but decided to put it on hold while I implement Spaceship Templates.

The spaceships in UNION are modular, but up until now configuring those modules has been hardcoded into the game. That meant you had to modify the source if you wanted to change or add a spaceship, which is important for modding the game. I decided that before I made more changes to the spaceship system I would move spaceship definitions into external editable "Spaceship Template" files.

I has initially thought I would use the XML format for these templates, but XML is so a verbose and difficult to read, so instead I have opted for the JSON format.

To give you an idea of what these Spaceship Templates will look like, here is a snippet of the work-in-progress file:
Code: [Select]
/* UNION Spaceship Template v0.2a */
{
"ClassType": "Frigate",
"ClassTitle": "Kite",
"HullIntegrity": 6540,
"Parts": {
"Reactors": [{
"PowerWheelRotation": 0.0,
"MaxPowerOutput": 9
}, {
"PowerWheelRotation": 60.0,
"MaxPowerOutput": 9
}, {
"PowerWheelRotation": 155.0,
"MaxPowerOutput": 9
}, {
"PowerWheelRotation": 205.0,
"MaxPowerOutput": 9
}, {
"PowerWheelRotation": 300.0,
"MaxPowerOutput": 9
}],
"Systems": [{
"EquipmentType": "Turret",
"Name": "Forward Turret",
"PowerWheelRotation": 0.0,
"Class": 3,
"LocalPosition": {
"X": 0.0,
"Y": -1.185,
"Z": 0
},
"LocalRotation": {
"X": 0.0,
"Y": 0.0,
"Z": 180.000015
},
"HullSectionIndex": 0,
TurretMinXRotation = 270.0f,
TurretMaxXRotation = 0.0f,
TurretMinYRotation = 215.0f,
TurretMaxYRotation = 145.0f
}, {
"EquipmentType": "Sensors",
"Name": "Sensors",
"PowerWheelRotation": 22.5,
"Class": 3,
"LocalPosition": {
"X": 1.05,
"Y": 0.365,
"Z": 1.35
},
"LocalRotation": {
"X": 0.0,
"Y": 0.0,
"Z": 315.000031
},
"HullSectionIndex": 0
}, {
"EquipmentType": "TorpedoLauncher",
"Name": "Rear Torpedo Tubes",
"PowerWheelRotation": 47.0,
"Class": 3,
"LocalPosition": {
"X": 0.0,
"Y": 1.16,
"Z": -2.635
},
"LocalRotation": {
"X": 0.0,
"Y": 180.000015,
"Z": 0.0
},
"HullSectionIndex": 0
}],
"ReactorConnections": [{
"ReactorIndex": 0,
"SystemIndex": 8,
"DefaultPower": 2,
"MaxPower": 9
}, {
"ReactorIndex": 0,
"SystemIndex": 9,
"DefaultPower": 2,
"MaxPower": 9
}, {
"ReactorIndex": 0,
"SystemIndex": 0,
"DefaultPower": 2,
"MaxPower": 9
}]
}
}

Everything, from the systems on the ship to the models and textures, will be configured in these Spaceship Templates.

Thanks for reading!

Mark

230
Development & Discussion / Re: Devblog 3?
« on: March 09, 2016, 08:55:03 AM »
Thanks man.

The big issue is that for every new visuals element I add, I have a lot more coding to do. And showing code isn't fun for anybody. :)

I will post the latest progress report when I get some time later today.

231
Development & Discussion / Re: Devblog 3?
« on: March 09, 2016, 07:00:38 AM »
Hi Grey,

We decided on Monday (recording night) to delay the DevLog for a week. We have made good progress, primarily the new pausing system, but we didn't feel like that was enough (visually) to justify a video. By next week we should have armor indicators added to the Power Wheel, so that will help.

We were afraid that people would get bored of the videos if they didn't show some new visuals.

I am really glad you are looking forward to it. :) If we delay it in the future I will post here to let people know.


Thanks!

Mark


232
Thanks Blaze.

I reconfigured the email server and now the mail will no longer go to Spam by default.

233
Also, please add a message saying that the game is paused (in Pause Mode?). This doesn't exist in Artemis, so we're often unsure if the game froze (which happened to me a few times) or if it's really paused.
Absolutely, our focus in UI design is feedback, feedback, feedback.

On a side note, it seems like I've stopped receiving mails when a new forum topic or post is made... Weird.

I think that the mail is getting caught in your spam filter, can you confirm? This is due to a misconfiguration on the server, I'm working on it today.

234
I really like that suggestion. I think that pausing in a multi-player-ship game would need to be a done using a voting system, where one Captain calls a vote to pause and all other Captains must vote yes for the pause to happen.

Thanks!

235
Hey all,

I have nothing visual to show today, because my work over the past week has mainly been on adding the ability to pause all simulations in UNION. I have the pausing itself working, and am in the process of adding the ability to the UI.

I'll get into the details in a minute, but first I wanted to explain why this feature exists and that is singleplayer. We believe that UNION should be a rich experience for anyone who wants to play it solo. In UNION any empty roles (stations, in Artemis speak) will be filled by AI crew members (this can be disabled in the game options). These AI crew members can be given simple orders by the Captain, like plotting a path on the navigation map and ordering the Helm to follow it, ordering Helm to orbit a target, ordering Tactical to lock or fire on a ship, or ordering Engineering to go to Silent Running mode etc.

At any point a player can jump into any of these AI controlled roles for full control, then leave it again and allow the AI crew member to take over.

This is not meant to replace multiplayer, but to exist alongside it. At any time a person playing singleplayer can invite other players to join their game as crew members. It also serves as a nice training platform for new players.

So back to pausing. Pausing is only available if there is only one player-crewed ship in the game, so if a second player-controlled ship joins then pausing is no longer available. Pausing can also be disabled in the game settings.

Only the Captain can pause the simulation. I say "pause the simulation" because the crew can still interact with all of their UIs, changing and tweaking all of their systems. While the simulation is paused Engineers can reconfigure power, use coolant, reassign Technicians, Tactical can modify weapon groups, lock new targets, and so on. Obviously none of this has any effect on the simulation until it is un-paused. This pause functionality allows a single player, or a minimal crew, to manage a whole ship.

I realise pausing could be used as a crutch for a crew, removing urgency, but that is their choice. We will recommend in-game that pausing is disabled in cooperative games.

Oh also, speeding up the simulation is not feasible for us as it would require a lot of extra work to implement and support. So the speeds are normal and paused.

I'd love to hear your opinions.

Thanks for reading!

Mark

236
Development & Discussion / [Fiction] Without A Scratch
« on: March 04, 2016, 09:49:25 AM »
View original post.
Quote
Just a little tale from the frontlines to give you some more insight into the world of UNION.

Sparks still flew from overloaded power conduits on the command deck, but it was clear that the battle was coming to an end. A Game of Chance had taken significant damage during the encounter - one whole bank of directed energy weapons had been knocked offline, and Helm Officer Marriat was complaining of uneven maneuvering thruster output - but the tide of the battle had turned when a well placed torpedo shattered the enemy's forward shield generator. Apparently unable to get it back online, the Centauri Alliance frigate had turned tail in the hopes of using their rear shield array to cover a hasty retreat. However, this slashed their ability to direct fire towards Chance, as most of the weapons systems were mounted with their arc of fire covering either the front or sides of the vessel. Recognising this, A Game of Chance’s captain had ordered all power diverted from their own shields to weapons, seizing the opportunity to land a crippling fusillade of fire on the enemy ship. The result of this now filled the view screens, as the enemy ship listed helplessly, atmosphere venting in icy plumes from a dozen holes across her hull. Lieutenant Kalt was even now negotiating terms of surrender with the surviving CA crew - UNION policy dictated granting full amnesty to enemy combatants, both out of humanitarian concerns and a desire to encourage a willingness to surrender among the enemy.

Within moments, Kalt had finished both his negotiations and local scans, indicating no further threats in the vicinity. Lifeboats from the crippled CA ship were quickly being directed to an aft docking port. Tactical officer Bedford was already en-route to meet them, with a unit of marines in tow. The ships would be scanned carefully for explosives, then the occupants brought over in small groups to minimize the security risk. If Bedford had her way she would likely have left the CA lifeboats for their own people to find, but that simply risked these same spacers crewing some other enemy ship down the line, which was not something UNION command was willing to risk. The alternative to capture was to blow the lifeboats out of the sky, and while this had been floated as an idea more than once, Bedford knew things weren’t so desperate that UNION would put aside its ideals in such a way. At least, not yet.



Within seconds of the Captain signaling permission to leave battlestations, Chief Engineer Spalding was off the bridge and scampering down the access shaft to the main engineering decks, moving with a speed rarely seen since his days working the power conduits himself. Moments later, the captain was hot on his heels, leaving the rest of the somewhat stunned bridge crew alone on the command deck.

“What’s wrong with them?” Asked Helm Officer Marriat, as soon as she judged it safe to speak freely in the captain's absence. “We just kicked CA ass up here, and the ship barely took a scratch!”

“Check your notifications, Marriat.” Suggested Kalt, his face stoic. “It wasn’t flagged as high priority for you, so you may have missed it.”

Marriat scrolled down through the flashing multi-hued notifications until she found the one Kalt had referred to, blinking pale and translucent on her display.

“Oh no…” she whispered.



The Engineering deck was in chaos. The initial volleys taken from the CA frigate had been devastating, the extent of the damage underestimated by the bridge crew simply because of how well contained it had been by the ships technicians, operating under the direction of Chief Engineer Spalding. A spray of plasma from a ruptured fuel line had ignited stored supplies a deck below, and only the quick thinking and bravery of a nearby tech had prevented the fire from spreading. That tech was now being placed on a ventilator by medical staff, having inhaled far too much of what were likely quite toxic fumes. Spalding took note that the man would likely need medical attention at a station, and flagged the matter for the Captain to consider before continuing briskly through the length of the deck.

Spalding also noted that elsewhere whole power conduits had been manually rerouted, with meters of ominously sparking cable running the length of one corridor, carrying power from the long range communications array to an aft weapons hardpoint. The quickly installed cabling was clearly being operated far past their rated capacity, but whoever had stuck them in had installed transformers at either end to minimize the still substantial risk. These transformers still bore the branding and burn marks that indicated they had been pulled from a capacitor in a damaged weapons array. Commendable innovating under pressure, thought Spalding, and made a further note to find out who was responsible to mention as much in person. That, and to make sure the thing was shut down before someone was electrocuted.

The worst of the damage was, however, situated to the rear of the ship, near the starboard hydrazine shunt. The highly reactive chemical was a necessary component in the backup maneuvering array, but was also notoriously dangerous, maintained only as a last resort fuel supply should the fusion reactor be knocked offline. The whole thing was a lethal anachronism, in Spalding’s opinion, but the chief engineer also appreciated the need for multiple redundancies, and so had not drained the system as some other ship’s engineers had done. In front of him, wrapped around the emergency shut off, the burned and twisted form of Technician Bradley stood as testament to that lethality. The man had died patching the shunt, just as he was ordered to, likely preventing the whole deck from being contaminated by the highly reactive substance. Spalding was vaguely aware that another technician in a haz-mat suit was attempting to ward him away from the site of the accident, but he pushed by regardless, eventually acceding to having an air filter quickly strapped across his face. He dropped to one knee by the corpse, meeting the open eyes of the dead man, noting the blackened uniform and raw burns across the body.

‘Thank you for your service, Arthur.’ he murmured, in that quiet voice only the dead can hear.

With a gloved hand the chief engineer reached out and palmed the blue eyes closed.

237
Thanks! :)

238
Development & Discussion / Re: [Progress - 25th Feb] Bug Fixes
« on: February 29, 2016, 04:28:01 PM »
Honestly, landing on planets/asteroids is far outside of our scope at the moment. Would I love to do it? Hell ya.

Mining is a possibility, at the very least it can be an option in the mission system.

So many dev teams get carried away trying to do too much, too soon. We would prefer to focus on creating a core game which is brilliant, and then build on that later. We have to choose our battles carefully basically, especially since we are currently self-funding. We would like to run a Kickstarter campaign, but we only feel confident in doing that once we have a large enough following.


239
Hi all,

Last night I finished off some animations on the Power Wheel Presets, the current preset button now "lights up" and a label with the new preset's title appears over the Power Wheel for a second. I wanted to provide clear feedback on which preset had been switched to.

You can see it in action here:



Next up on my development list is Technicians, these are the crew which the Engineer will be assigning to systems on the ship, boosting performance, increasing stability, fighting fires, and repairing systems.


Thanks for reading!

Mark

240
Development & Discussion / Re: [Progress - 25th Feb] Bug Fixes
« on: February 29, 2016, 12:26:42 PM »
Heh, thanks! :)

We went to Inishbofin, a small island off the coast of Galway. It contains three clearly marked "walking loops" (I took the pictures along these). You could do all three loops in a day or two, depending on your speed/fitness.

Here's a map of the island:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~inishbofinisland/pictures/map_official_bofin.jpg

You can find all of the information on getting there, and accommodation, on their webiste: http://www.inishbofin.com/


If you are on a longer trip, and want to do more hiking around the Galway area, then I would recommend The Western Way. It is a trail which starts in Galway (link to info on that part) and continues up through Mayo (link to info on that part). It is close to Inishbofin, so you could easily do both.

Here are some pics from The Western Way trail, I have travelled it and it is beautiful:



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