Site update, new Stiletto...

[Eder]

I've just updated the site with a a somewhat lengthy progress report, basically the summarized version of all the most important progress reports we have been posting on the forum in the past few weeks. There's a major update on the progress page and half a dozen screenshots of the new Stiletto in action.

Our first screenshots of the anti-kitten missions in the game (formerly the Main Campaign, now, and more specifically, Chapter Two - read the update ) are coming soon.

The Prologue's still set for release "when it's done", but we've been making good progress on the first and second episodes of the main campaign with missions by Tango and Pierre and mission outlines by Quarto, respectively... they're working on this since the coding aspect of the Prologue is practically 100% finished.

 

[Lynx]

Heay that's really cool.

Did ya make a complete new model for the Stiletto, or just retexture it? And the textures look alot sharper now. Are you using higer res textures, or do you just use 256x256 ones more efficient?

Anyway, that's really nice. That is the thing to kick me back into making more voiceovers. I think you should expect some of them really soon, as long nothing and no one interferes(for an odd reason everyone and everthing wants something from me since I'm back)

 

[Eder]

It's a whole new model, based on some renders of the original model which someone from the WCU mod pointed me to. It's a lot more accurate, and has the same number of triangles (wow, I sucked! ). The textures are now two 256x256 images instead of just one (and are also brand new, since they're mapped differently than on the old model).

For the CIC's birthday Stiletto it was two 512x512 textures, but I didn't see so much of a difference, so I stuck to 256 as the maximum size for Standoff textures.

 

[Filler]

enough progress
I want to see some cuts!

 

[Lynx]

When browsing through the screenshots, I noticed a few different looking explosions on those screens with the Frlatha. Is it just my imagination or are those different from the stock WCSO effects.

 

[Eder]

That effect is among the default SO files, but it's not used a lot (it's certainly not the default explosion). It's doubling as our Flak explosion (so in those Fralthra screens, they're where the bullets from the Fralthra's turrets are).

There's quite a bunch of different explosion effects in SO, and the fact that you can scale them however you want makes the repetition not seem so bad (I think that explosion is one of the types of little explosion that comes off a capship's hull after it's destroyed). The Mace's explosion also looks quite nice, but I don't think I have taken any screenshots of it.

 

[Quarto]

Remember, most of the explosions we saw in WCP/SO were green alien stuff... it's easy to forget about the normal fire explosions, because usually when you saw them, it was game over .

 

[Starkey]

That is the thing to kick me back into making more voiceovers.

Eder / Quarto: See?

Great job!

 

[powell99]

It is good to see an update for standoff
BTW: This may sound strange but are there any Standoff Fiction sample floating around anywhere......

 

[Quarto]

Nope. Keep in mind, we don't have the story-like kind of fiction that you saw in UE (and in WC Saga, judging from the sample they released). The only fiction we have are emails - all other character/plot development is done through cutscenes or in-flight comms.

 

[powell99]

Ahh well I still think (No offence to Saga or UE I like them both) Standoff is the best Wc mod yet

 

[overmortal]

Maybe there should be a release of the Intro movie. In another format, of course. I dunno about the rest of the development team, but I thought the intro movie was really cool. Had a very different feel from most WC intro movies.

 

[Starkey]

Is Standoff more or less difficult than UE or SO, in terms of dogfighting and capship strikes?

Will the pirates/retros in the Prologue have capships?

 

[Quarto]

Maybe there should be a release of the Intro movie. In another format, of course. I dunno about the rest of the development team, but I thought the intro movie was really cool. Had a very different feel from most WC intro movies.

Yeah, I love the intro's unique feel (but then again, you'd expect me to, since I made it ). Still, that's precisely why we're not releasing even screenshots of it - that intro's special, and we don't want to spoil the surprise . So, for the time being, the only information I can offer to non-teammembers about the intro is that it's much better than any of the cutscenes I had programmed for UE.

Is Standoff more or less difficult than UE or SO, in terms of dogfighting and capship strikes?

Difficult to say at this stage. The Talons in the prologue are definitely a pain, but that's mainly because you fly the Stiletto so much. Overall, dogfights can also be more problematic because you have so few missile decoys. But I don't think there is a significant difference in the dogfight difficulty between Standoff and UE's Kilrathi missions.

As for capship strikes, that's even harder, because we've had so few occasions to see how these work in practice - especially because we still haven't got the flak cannon properly implemented (waiting for a patch).

Will the pirates/retros in the Prologue have capships?

Yes - you're not just gonna spend seven missions chasing Talons .

 

[Eder]

Yeah, I love the intro's unique feel (but then again, you'd expect me to, since I made it). Still, that's precisely why we're not releasing even screenshots of it - that intro's special, and we don't want to spoil the surprise.

Yup.

I don't think there is a significant difference in the dogfight difficulty between Standoff and UE's Kilrathi missions.

IMHO, it's a bit harder to stay alive in Standoff (quite harder with the Stiletto ) because ships are a bit more fragile. Each hit feels a bit more like an accomplishment, and you can always tell the difference between getting hit by a laser and by a neutron gun. (even Sartha can get nasty if you're out of AB fuel)

Also, each series of missions might be harder to win because it's game over if you let too many of your wingmen get killed. I want people to actually break off from whatever it is they're shooting at when a wingman sends a call for help (even in missions that aren't bomber escort and the like), so this should be an incentive.

Yes - you're not just gonna spend seven missions chasing Talons .

Yup. Variety on the pirates' side is another little surprise we've thrown in. Of the non-surprise ships, I can say that pirates use Tarsus as gunboats/bomber-ish things.

 

[Dundradal]

The ability for you guys to amaze is amazing...am I in shock? I feel like I'm in shock...am I talking funny? wooooh I need to sit down. Kudos to you guys.

 

[gevatter Lars]

Also, each series of missions might be harder to win because it's game over if you let too many of your wingmen get killed. I want people to actually break off from whatever it is they're shooting at when a wingman sends a call for help (even in missions that aren't bomber escort and the like), so this should be an incentive.

Hey great...Wingmans are getting more importend..no longer flighing cannon fodder..now you have to work together.
If the AI is good enough it could realy get interesting.

 

[Eder]

Here's a random screenshot of me testing the patch I sent to the rest of the team about half an hour ago.... It's from the second mission in the prologue, being played at veteran level. So either I suck, or the game's really hard.

Also, notice I had already lost a Stiletto - not a big deal, since I don't have anywhere to land at this point - but if I did, I'd have to continue the campaign with only 5 Stilettos.

Note #1: Screenshot edited on purpose so nobody finds out who did that to the Lionheart! Mwahahaha.

Note #2: Lionheart's comm officer's face is missing because comm videos only show up when the respective speech files are in place, and our voiceovers have been removed from these beta releases until they're a complete package (as I explained on the site a while ago).

 

[powell99]

I dont know what you mean about the Stiletto

 

[Ironduke]

IMHO, it's a bit harder to stay alive in Standoff (quite harder with the Stiletto ) because ships are a bit more fragile.

Even harder than UE...? UE's second mission got me so frustrated, it almost made me deinstall the game. Now I really don't want to niggle, but shouldn't a prologue campaign be manageable to rookies and vets alike? (At least the first, say, 2-3 missions.) I think this would help to open up Standoff to a much broader public.

Also, each series of missions might be harder to win because it's game over if you let too many of your wingmen get killed.

I like the idea, as long as I don't have to baby-sit my wingmen all the time. (Read: If the wingman AI is good enough to handle non-critical situations without requesting assistance every other second. )