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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: Starsector 0.6a (Released) Patch Notes  (Read 553363 times)

Alex

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #495 on: July 28, 2013, 11:57:49 AM »

So based on whats on the notes, having a ship completely change its hull based on a shipsystem wont be achievable?

Possible via ShipAPI.setSprite() and ShipAPI.getExactBounds() (to update the bounds.)


So via these custom dialogs, we can Jump, see the results of the last Engagement (i.e., start a fight at a Station, engage a Station's guards, win, take over, Station loses cargo and / or Blueprints and / or industrial capacity as a result) and a bunch of other stuff?  So a Station can be anything from an ultra-complex smorgasbord of Missions to a simplistic toll-gate for Jumping?  That is really nice!

Yeah, that ought to be possible.

The only thing that's missing is some way to interact with the Stations other than blowing them up.  I've always wanted to see "space cities" that we could fly around in and talk to mobs and static things.  IDK why, really- the idea of traveling around a city-like thing has a lot of appeal for whatever reasons.  The idea of having a battle in one, dodging static elements and engaging huge defenses is really fun, though!

I guess that could be executed via a Mission, but I presume we can't do Dialogs in Missions... or can we?  And does Neutral work as a SIDE yet, so that non-combatants / third parties can be in Missions yet, even if only via custom AI?

No dialogs in missions, no. Neutral doesn't work as a side, and it's not really likely to at any point. It's only meant for asteroids and such. Although, with custom AI, you probably could pull that off, though I can't say, off the top of my head, how the normal AI would react to "neutral" objects attacking it. Probably not well.

But you could definitely code up a mini-game where you're a guy walking around the station, using the custom ui panel stuff. Not that that's even remotely the same :)


Also, one of the biggies that's not in the build; is there going to be an official method for allowing the AI to engage Stations and Planets yet?  Can Stations and Planets be treated like a Fleet object so that they can have ships like a normal Fleet? 

I don't mean any "smart strategic AI that decides when this would be smart", don't get me wrong, just the basic mechanics? 

This is one of those things I've hesitated to kludge into my mod for some time now, largely because I'm looking forward to a standard method.  The references you've made to "creating Outposts" suggests that Stations are no longer perma-objects in the gameworld... how does that work?

Just to be clear, outposts aren't in yet, and stations work as they do in 0.54.1a. Planets, at least, I wouldn't expect to act like "fleets" at all in terms of combat, so that's not likely to happen. Station combat, I haven't thought about - will have to consider it carefully at some point.

With the way combat works on the campaign level, though, you could fairly easily change the battle depending on whether it's near a planet or a station, and you could also have autoresolve take that into account.


Alex I love you. I've said that a lot before, but now I love you a lot more. Like, a whole lot. That's a considerable amount of love.

Is... is that even possible? :D

Is there a way to set a certain background on a per-star system basis? Like, you might have one system exist in normal space, and have a generic starry background, but another nearby system might be in the middle nebula and have an appropriate background.

Yeah, there is a method for that. Note that there's only one video memory slot for star system backgrounds (and a separate one for hyperspace), so any transition into a star system with a background different from the last system you visited triggers the background being loaded from disk. I think that'll work fairly well if star system backgrounds are organized by area - it'll only have to load when you enter a new "region" of space. It'll work less well if backgrounds are just randomly assigned for the sake of being different.

Oh, another question: can you jump a fleet by using the interaction dialog plugin? Go to a station>Click "Warp me outside of the universe">dialog closes, you're outside the universe.
Subsequently, can AI fleets be jumped to other systems without actually going through a jump point? Script>on arrival>warps fleet outside universe.

You can do that. There's a SectorAPI.doHyperspaceTransition() method if you want all the bells and whistles. Alternately, you could just remove the fleet from one LocationAPI and add it to another, calling SectorAPI.setCurrentLocation() if appropriate (i.e. if the player's fleet is in a new location). doHyperspaceTransition() takes care of all that.


Hyperspace jump point/gravity well generated by the star can only be used if you have a high navigation skill, places the fleet in a random location near the star

Is there any other way of interstellar travel? Because if not, navigation now becomes a must-have skill. Which is the same as a no-choice skill. Which means there's no reason for it to be a selectable skill at all, to limit hyperspace access you could just as well tie it to character level. Or am I missing something?
There are jump points from which you can enter hyperspace, so you don't need a high navigation skill.  Right now we have no idea is there will be any restrictions on it, or where it will be.

Right; it's just the star's gravity well that requires high skill. Other points don't. I'd imagine a star system only accessible through its star's gravity well would make for a pretty good hideout, though. Assuming there's actually a way out!


Edit: Will be flux effect moddable to?

Maybe at some point, wasn't planning to touch it now.


Quick question about this: looking through the class its clear that it expects a PlanetAPI from dialog.getInteractionTarget(). But how does the game know to send that to this plugin when planets are clicked? Is that something we have to register or is it handled behind the scenes (and sorry if this is a dumb question, modding has changed a lot and I haven't really wrapped my head around how a lot of the new plugin stuff works)?

There's a new plugin system that determines which plugin is chosen for specific entities based on priority. Look for CampaignPlugin in the patch notes. :)

Right, more specifically CampaignPlugin.pickInteractionDialogPlugin(SectorEntityToken interactionTarget). Since that's actually instantiating the plugin, it can make sure that the target is of the right type.
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xenoargh

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #496 on: July 28, 2013, 01:01:45 PM »

Quote
With the way combat works on the campaign level, though, you could fairly easily change the battle depending on whether it's near a planet or a station, and you could also have autoresolve take that into account.
OK, so does that mean there's now a Campaign-level event that we're able to use to adjust the outcomes for AI-on-AI battles?  If so, wonderful, that makes dynamic diplomacy much easier to work on.

Or can we just handle it via Autobattle, because Autobattle will include AI-on-AI, not just player vs. AI?  I'd love to finally have a generic method to do this for the AI that's likely to remain stable  :)
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Alex

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #497 on: July 28, 2013, 01:07:13 PM »

There's CampaignPlugin.pickBattleAutoresolverPlugin().

So, not exactly an event notification (I'd still like to add event notifications at some point), but functionally about as good.
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Ravendarke

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #498 on: July 28, 2013, 02:27:09 PM »

ops, just to be more specify: I meant flux venting effect ofc.
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Alex

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #499 on: July 28, 2013, 02:42:13 PM »

ops, just to be more specify: I meant flux venting effect ofc.

Color yes; texture no.
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naufrago

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #500 on: July 28, 2013, 05:48:50 PM »

Right; it's just the star's gravity well that requires high skill. Other points don't. I'd imagine a star system only accessible through its star's gravity well would make for a pretty good hideout, though. Assuming there's actually a way out!

I feel that if you can enter a system, there should be a way to leave it. It would really, really suck to be exploring and encounter an inescapable death trap like that. I have a strong aversion to losing things due to circumstances outside my control. Even if the only way out were an emergency jump that comes with a HUGE hit to your CR (like a flat 30-50% or so) and significant hull damage (anywhere from 10-99% of your current hp), that would be preferable to a game over for something so silly.
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Sproginator

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #501 on: July 29, 2013, 02:15:53 AM »

Yeah good work Alex and team, I'm looking forward to this now :)
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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #502 on: July 29, 2013, 03:45:23 AM »

When will this be realesed??
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FloW

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #503 on: July 29, 2013, 03:52:57 AM »

When will this be realesed??
Some time between now and the end of the universe.

So somebody in "Milliways" can tell you when it will be released, but I'm not sure how to get there and then.
Just a Hitchhikers reference.
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Silver Silence

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #504 on: July 29, 2013, 08:01:27 AM »


The only thing that's missing is some way to interact with the Stations other than blowing them up.  I've always wanted to see "space cities" that we could fly around in and talk to mobs and static things.  IDK why, really- the idea of traveling around a city-like thing has a lot of appeal for whatever reasons.  The idea of having a battle in one, dodging static elements and engaging huge defenses is really fun, though!

I guess that could be executed via a Mission, but I presume we can't do Dialogs in Missions... or can we?  And does Neutral work as a SIDE yet, so that non-combatants / third parties can be in Missions yet, even if only via custom AI?

No dialogs in missions, no. Neutral doesn't work as a side, and it's not really likely to at any point. It's only meant for asteroids and such. Although, with custom AI, you probably could pull that off, though I can't say, off the top of my head, how the normal AI would react to "neutral" objects attacking it. Probably not well.

But you could definitely code up a mini-game where you're a guy walking around the station, using the custom ui panel stuff. Not that that's even remotely the same :)


Give it time and people will create real total conversions where the game's engine is being used for something that's not spaceship pewpew at all. I'll be hella impressed then.
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Trylobot

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #505 on: July 29, 2013, 08:05:23 AM »

So based on whats on the notes, having a ship completely change its hull based on a shipsystem wont be achievable?
Possible via ShipAPI.setSprite() and ShipAPI.getExactBounds() (to update the bounds.)

Holy crap Alex did you just finish making my Star Control II mod possible?!  :-*
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silentstormpt

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #506 on: July 29, 2013, 08:12:35 AM »

So based on whats on the notes, having a ship completely change its hull based on a shipsystem wont be achievable?
Possible via ShipAPI.setSprite() and ShipAPI.getExactBounds() (to update the bounds.)

Holy crap Alex did you just finish making my Star Control II mod possible?!  :-*

Yeah,
Seems like i dont need 2 ships for a certain "mrrrrrrrrrrs" race anymore  :-*
it will take a long time to get the conversations and star map up, will be hacking my way in the old game checking all the solar systems and creating the whole sector on the mod
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Alex

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #507 on: July 29, 2013, 10:03:34 AM »

Holy crap Alex did you just finish making my Star Control II mod possible?!  :-*

The TODO item for this had a "why? SC2 mod" next to it :)


I feel that if you can enter a system, there should be a way to leave it. It would really, really suck to be exploring and encounter an inescapable death trap like that. I have a strong aversion to losing things due to circumstances outside my control. Even if the only way out were an emergency jump that comes with a HUGE hit to your CR (like a flat 30-50% or so) and significant hull damage (anywhere from 10-99% of your current hp), that would be preferable to a game over for something so silly.

Well, yeah. Certainly wouldn't want to just have totally random, "game-over" traps. I don't think you have to worry about that :)
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Vinya

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #508 on: July 29, 2013, 12:09:27 PM »

I actually like that 'Emergency Jump' idea- though I think it'd make sense only with smaller fleets.
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Ember

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Re: Starsector 0.6a (In Development) Patch Notes
« Reply #509 on: July 29, 2013, 12:49:51 PM »

I actually like that 'Emergency Jump' idea- though I think it'd make sense only with smaller fleets.

i would say smaller ships as well such a small group of frigates or a single destroyer
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