Good suggestion or waste of time?

[dogscoff]

I'm currently developping a shipset (finally got off my arse and decided to contribute something to the community=-). Anyway, here's the deal:

My shipset is fairly "modular" so there shouldn't be too much extra effort involvd in creating extra ship sizes. I therefore intend to create some "spare" images for devnullmod's extra ship sizes, corvette, super dreadnought, prospector etc.


I believe the existing vehicle_sizes text file would allow these extra images to be used in the current Version of the game, but implmenting them would mean that any shipsets *without* the extra images would become unusable.

My suggestion is this: Could MM allow the relevent text files to accept these images, but use a default for any races which don't have them. For example:

Ship size:= supr destroyer
Image used:= super_destroyer.bmp [destroyer.bmp]

This would use the super_destroyer.bmp image if available but default to the destroyer.bmp image if it wasn't. You gt the idea. I'm thinking this would be either really easy or really hard for MM to implement.

Any other ship set creators ever been tempted to create extra images?
is this a good idea or a cosmetic waste of Aaron's valuable time?

Ideas?


(BTW, any AI ppl looking for graphics, I'd be more than willing to subcontract the AI work=-)


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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[zen.]

Seriously, I was just thinking the same thing Last night!!!! I like to put custom images in often, and was just wondering the same about a shipset I plan on making in the future. I use Devnull's sizes, too, and different 'looks' or classes of ships would be great.

I would kind of assume it shouldn't be -too- hard to implement a line like that, because the theory is along similar lines as the way it currently looks at Mod paths...and we all remember what it was like -before- there was a path.txt, right?

In related news, Last night I was replacing some of the facility pics with ones from http://www.mankind.net (blasphemy, I know), and realized that there are a LOT of facility pics that aren't utilized. I know the same story could be said of other pics in the directories, but I hadn't checked the facilities directory before...it was like a mini-Christmas.

I SO appreciate that MM planned ahead and threw in so many extra slots and extras in general.

zen

[Baron Munchausen]

Dogscoff, the game ALREADY works the way you want it too. Any image not available in a specific race directory will be looked for in the "racegeneric" directory. This is what the neutrals use already. If you install images for these extra classes in the generic directory first, you can go ahead and use the ship sizes in your customs sets. If the AI builds any of these classes, it will use the generic images.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 25 May 2001).]

[dogscoff]

Thanks Baron. I thought of that, but it means some empires will be flying around with "out of style" ships from the gneric directory. It would be nice if you could change the order of default so it went race_corvette > race_frigate > generic_frigate (for example)

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[Atrocities]

Hey, what is your impression of Mankind? I have been kicking it around from sometime, and wonder if its worth the $ to play. An input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[dogscoff]

I have never played Mankind. Sorry.

Any takers on the AI modding? My graphics set is progressing slowly but surely. It doesn't have to be a Rage-killer AI but I'd like it to have a bit of personality. I can do the AI_general and the speech / shipnames files, I just need someone to do the clever bits=-)



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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[zen.]

Atrocities: I haven't played Mankind either, but it looks cool. I'm really impressed with their unit portraits, and the in-game engine looks clean. I've been dabbling with trying it out if I can find the time while job-hunting. You can download the program (~17MB) and try it out for free; there are some limitations is all (16 units in your empire vs. infinite number being one of them).

dogscoff: What is the theme of your shipset? No, I'm not volunteering for AI (damnit Jim, I'm a graphic designer not a programmer! ), but I spent the weekend working on a shipset based on just the Taiidan side of the original Homeworld game. I'm just waiting for permission to use the troops/weapon platform graphics from the Addisian shipset. It's mostly going to be eye candy for the players; they can copy whatever AI files they want into it.

zen

[dogscoff]

*heh*... Well the theme is Space Vikings. It's all hand pixelled in paintshop pro, so some of the perspective is imperfect and I haven't even started on the colouring yet. (I have nearly all the portraits done in B&W) However it's coming along, and I will probably be ready to start colouring this week.

Anyway, I was thinking loyal/ honourable warrior race (trustworthy allies but unforgiving enemies) with emphasis on heavily shielded, close range ships and fighters. No special tchs, but extra movement and high combat bonuses. Perhaps they could use boarding parties and troops as well, but I don't think the AI does these very well.

If I remember I'll post some preview pics on my webspace tonight.

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[zen.]

"Vikings in Spaaaaaace!"

heh heh...I like it! Although IMHO you should bag the whole warrior thing and make them pillaging berserkers who give swirlies to the Rage on the weekends.

zen

[dogscoff]

I'm really looking fwd to doing the speech file as well. Might get me into trouble with any Scandinavians who see it though=-)

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "