Planets... or billiard balls?

Wydraz · #1 September 25th, 2003, 05:32 PM

Sounds like an interesting idea. Maybe you could even have cities on the planets that launch missiles! Too bad you won't be able to land, tho.

[ September 25, 2003, 16:39: Message edited by: Wydraz ]

Alpha Kodiak · #2 September 25th, 2003, 07:08 PM

Ok, here is a crazy idea that you might think about. Since the game is 2D, perhaps you could model ground combat. Make the backdrop look like you are on the ground and let planets become buildings or terrain features. Mod a vehicle that looks like a tank and has tank like manuevering qualities. I'm not sure if it would work, but if you are really looking for ground combat, you might be able to pull it off.

If anyone remembers the old board game "Ogre", just imagine you are in control of a massive combat vehicle with lots of weapons and set the game up to swarm you with small units.

clark · #3 September 25th, 2003, 07:29 PM

I bet you might be able to do something like that if you linked it as a [warp point] transfer to another map (notice how it loads a 'map' when you enter a warp point). Position the [planet-warp] wherever to warp you to the new map. not sure how you would handle the conVersion to a new ship type to manuever on the [planet map] though...

Wydraz · #4 September 25th, 2003, 07:49 PM

Uh, let's not get to wacky here. I've been making my own skyboxes, and I can tell you that turning it into the surface of a planet just won't work. At best you will feel like you're floating high above the surface of a cube-shaped world.

Because the skybox is tiled, there is no way to split the sky in half (it is a giant cube that surrounds you, with each side using a background tile four times, and a secondary 'feature' tile in the center). So at best you'd either be hovering above the ground plane, or you'd feel like you're inside a box.

I was thinking more along the lines of having a super-scaled planet, and hiding a space-sation inside; or for that matter making a huge space station that looked like a planet! It's weapon hardpoints could look like cities on the planet's surface.

[ September 25, 2003, 18:52: Message edited by: Wydraz ]

clark · #5 September 25th, 2003, 07:56 PM

Hover tanks?

Nah.

I have DO... i wonder if there could be a way to mate the two games so that a [portal] (like the warp point) would transfer you to that map type for ground combats. If that was the case, you would be able to have space combat in the SF engine, then ground combat in the DO engine... which would allwo for the creation of multiple cities on any planet... multiple battlescapes... perhaps SF II or SEV could run with this idea...

Alpha Kodiak · #6 September 25th, 2003, 08:33 PM

I suppose you could go to an all black background, activate the grid and think of it as "Battlezone" on steroids, but I guess there are other things that would make better mods....

clark · #7 September 25th, 2003, 08:41 PM

Anyone know if there are 'cloaks' in the full Version? I'm thinking of something that prevents others from seeing you, or locking onto you with their targeting while on- you can't fire either until you turn it off...

Ship boarding would be nice, but from the demo, it dosen't look possible.

I also wonder if there might be a way to mod in gravity from planets and suns... or blackholes... which pull you in