Origin not coming back, nobody going to make a new game: SO WHY DONT WE!

[milo]

If we were to make a new game, how about realistic dmage effetcs. Like if a torp hits the side of a ship the explosion blows of pieces or blows out the other side. The lights on that section would go out and you'd see a big hole.

Real-time mesh deformation on arbitrary models of the kind you are describing is a difficult problem. Essentially, the game would have to include the boolean-subtract operation from a top-end 3D modeling package. You would need to consider the incidence angle of the blast, the type of weapon, and the size of the ship (or ship component) that is being damaged.

You would need to handle the case where the "hole" subdivides the original mesh into two or more separate pieces (e.g. the hole is through the struts supporting the warp nacelles on the USS Enterprise), each of which would have to obey physical modeling. You might need to consider which ship systems were in the pieces that were destroyed or cut off. Again just to provide an easily visualized example, presumably the Enterprise would not be able to use warp drive after having both warp nacelles chopped off.

It really opens up a very large can of worms for a very small "ooh-ahh" factor.

The other things you mentioned - starting hull fires or smoke trails, generating particle bursts of shredded hull plating at the point of impact (and the point of exit), turning off window lights or adding damage decals - are a small matter of programming to code and don't require a lot of art or computer resources.

And when you shoot at a fighter, for instance: A Epee, if you put enough shots into that wing, the wing would come off.

This is much easier, and can be done with pre-computed separation points. This is what Starfleet Academy and Klingon Academy were doing four or five years ago, and it is also a common feature of WWII combat flight sims. Personally I think it looks kind of silly to see a B-17 bomber loafing along with half a wing and the tail shot off.

 

[overmortal]

It really opens up a very large can of worms for a very small "ooh-ahh" factor.

Actually, since you just pointed out the damage factor, that would bring a whole new aspect to the game. Attack a weak structural point, and you might blow the ship in half. . . or, a lucky shot from a funny angle might have an unexpected result . . . eventually, it'll go to that, if these games continue at all.

 

[milo]

Yes, but you can do all of the things you mention without computing arbitrary mesh deformation, either by using precomputed separation points or other techniques that I described in my post. It's just the graphical hole-cutting that is too difficult to bother with.

eventually, it'll go to that, if these games continue at all.

Possibly. But not in the near future. There are too many other things to spend money on that give a better return for the investment.

 

[overmortal]

Eh, true, but we can all dream, can't we?

 

[Kazan]

There are already talented people off their butts making new stories and content as you describe. The Vega Strike engine has been in the works for years. None of your idea is new, your best bet is probably to do a little research about the WC editing community and find out where you can help out.

i know, i have CVS write access to vegastrike - and i have made a few commits - make file shit - no offense to reflection - but i hate that engine

 

[Kazan]

damn leave a thread unattended for a couple days while you're busy IRL ---

Now I remember why i stopped posting here a while back - between the people with their heads up their butt, the people who just want to create problems, etc.

oh FYI: I consider origin DEAD - They haven't made a decent game since WCP/SO - and it was pale in comparision with WC1-4, and privateer 1

Chris ROYALLY fucked up with the movie -- like I want to hang him

Erin ROYALLY fucked up with Privateer 2

the whole nephilim thing was ok, but they played up some things too much - and THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER KILLED BLAIR.


Hence - Origin is dead to me, with the way Erin and Chris were going at the end, and now the fact that Origin hasn't put out one lick of good gaming since ... when was prophecy? 1997!?

I can probably attribute all my bitches about Origin to the fact that Extreme Assholes bought them out.

(For those of you who love ultima and are about to complain: i don't care what you think of that game)

 

[TC]

I can probably attribute all my bitches about Origin to the fact that Extreme Assholes bought them out.

I'd respond to the rest of your "points" but it's nearly time to go to sleep and this one's just insanely wrong...


As I hope you're aware, EA has owned Origin for most of the Wing Commander series' lifetime... Wing Commanders 3 and 4, for example, which you appear to think are good, were released under Electronic Arts management.

Also, you'd probably have less problems with people who have their 'heads up their butt' or 'just want to create problems' if you were slighty more civil in your phrasing.

 

[Kazan]

I'd respond to the rest of your "points" but it's nearly time to go to sleep and this one's just insanely wrong...


As I hope you're aware, EA has owned Origin for most of the Wing Commander series' lifetime... Wing Commanders 3 and 4, for example, which you appear to think are good, were released under Electronic Arts management.

Also, you'd probably have less problems with people who have their 'heads up their butt' or 'just want to create problems' if you were slighty more civil in your phrasing.

i'm tired, im cranky, and im tired of running into trolls

i thought EA aquired origin after WC4 was published... or maybe it was after WC4 that EA started trying to make their decisions for them.... bleh it's been so long that i don't even remember why i attributed all the changes after wc4 to EA.... I had a good reason for it - but i cannot remember it anymore.. hell it was like... 1996 at the time i think..

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Wing Commander-wise, EA bought Origin shortly after the release of Wing Commander II Deluxe -- savvy collectors will note that some copies of WC2D have a normal UPC, whereas some also have EA catalog numbers.

As for EA ruining the universe by buying Origin -- it's a nice idea (that Mr. Garriott likes to prop up these days, apparently)... but it's a load of bunk. Origin would have gone out of business in 1992... and they *certainly* wouldn't have been able to fund games like Wing Commander III and Wing Commander IV without EA's millions of dollars.

 

[t.c.cgi]

Re: milo's discussion of model defformation.

IIRC, doesn't Star Trek: Bridge commander sport exactly what you were describing about deforming meshes and making systems that were in the blown off hull as destroyed?

 

[Woolie Wool]

Ok I am officially sick and tired of hoping for WC to be ressurected. I see a good mods, I still all the artists, missions designers, etc we could ever need to make a good game working on mods for FreeLAncer, FreeSpace 2 and the like.

Why don't we programmers join in, why don't we get off our collective butts and write some code.

In other words: Let's write our own Game Engine, let's start where Origin left us after Prophecy. We have the Talent, we can ressurect it ourselves!
However - let's be realistic and try and create a military one first - it's going to be easier to code. Once we have done that we can attack the privateer like games (and create our own new one)

(theorectically we can use the engine to recreate the origional games too)




as for story line: we try and stay with the spirit of the universe. Perhaps another skirmish with the nephillim... who knows what we could do

Do you really think Origin (or what's left of it) is going to sit on its ass while we abuse its copyrights like that? Ask them for permission first, and if they say no, they mean no. Make sure you've got big money, because they probably will exact a high price for the WC trademark.

There will be no WC6 unless Origin makes one or allows someone else to make one. As a member of the FreeSpace community (unless you're not the Kazan I'm thinking of), you should know about this kind of stuff.

Origin might not be Interplay, but they probably won't take kindly to someone else making a WC game without their permission.

 

[ChanceKell]

I've yet to hear any word from Origin or EA about any WC fan project. There are numerous places (WC Aces for example) that have made up tons of fan fiction and alternate storylines. It's not like these guys are trying to create a profitable game, just another fan project. Just like most fan projects, just as long as they don't make money on it, the corporations that own the copyrights won't complain.

 

[Phillip Tanaka]

Hmmm, maybe EA want to start looking into trying to make a profit from people making Wing Commander fan fiction, art, mods, ect.

 

[LeHah]

Definitely not a big enough fanbase for such items. You'd need a really major, publicly acknowledged series to begin considering such items to turn a profit.

 

[Phillip Tanaka]

Hmmm, if they sued for every cent these people owned, they would probably get a few million. But I don't think EA would stoop to such levels. Assimilation of companies, sure, but not Nazifying their products to the point where you can't make add ons for Sims and whatever. In fact, I'll get onto the skins I was asked for today.

 

[psych]

Hmmm, maybe EA want to start looking into trying to make a profit from people making Wing Commander fan fiction, art, mods, ect.

Not to worry. The WC Aces fucked the timeline so much Origin can't really find any similiarity with their own. Can't sue for copyright over a Border Worlds superfighter when it doesn't exist.

 

[Phillip Tanaka]

Ehehheh...well, yeah, i guess you do have a point there.

 

[Kazan]

yes, i am the FS2 Kazan - and since interplay killed fs and V sold out to THQ i've pretty much given up hope for them as well

 

[Bob McDob]

I've always been interested by the relationship WC fans have with EA vs. that FS fans have with Interplay.

 

[Anxiety]

i will help with the game, although it seems that it has gotten off subject, all i could do is HELP with fiction, i am a descent writer but i couldn't think of anything good by myself, if i am too late, fine, if not contact me, i will see if i can help