Proposal: TFTD-like features

[SharkD]

Hi!

First off, I'd like to say I've been watching this game for several years now, and have to say it is coming along wonderfully and UFO:AI is an awesome game!

I noticed the "Proposals" page in the wiki and thought I'd start one of my own. My proposal is the addition of TFTD-esque gameplay on top of the existing terrestrial missions. I'll list the things I had in mind:

1) The player can build sea platforms as bases. These platforms are identical to regular bases, except that instead of hangar bays the player can build submarine bays.
2) Playesr can purchase submarines.
3) Players can use the submarines to reach UFOs that crash into the sea.
4) Underwater battles may occur.
5) Aliens may build underwater bases.
6) Additional alien species exist that thrive underwater.
7) Troops/aliens can have neutral buoyancy and swim up and down as well as laterally.
etc.

Not sure if this has been suggested before, but I didn't see it listed on the wiki page.

-Mike

[BTAxis]

This request pops up with some regularity. All I can say is that underwater missions will not be part of the stock game, because it's not what we want to make. However, it should be fairly simple to expend the game as you describe - all you need to do is waive the restrictions imposed by water (in the code), and make all of the content. I think it's a feasibly thing for a mod.

[SharkD]

Still, the sheer awesomeness of the suggestion is compelling, is it not?

[Surrealistik]

Nothing compels BTAxis except concrete, applicable work, and even that's iffy.

[BTAxis]

In this case we're talking about something we have quite simply decided not to do. You could suggest we add a racing minigame because you think it's awesome, but that's also something we wouldn't do.

[SharkD]

It's possible there are technical barriers preventing this from being done simply as a mod. Here's a short checklist of engine features that I think would be needed:

1) Ability to limit craft *only* to water. Also: routes must be contiguous (i.e. pathfinding between waterways/isolated bodies).
2) Ability to flag items (equipment, etc.) as only being usable underwater.
3) Ability to flag species as only being available underwater.
4) Special, new movement modes.
5) Pathfinding takes the z-index (i.e. vertical axis) into account.

I'll try and think of some more.

[BTAxis]

1) Ability to limit craft *only* to water. Also: routes must be contiguous (i.e. pathfinding between waterways/isolated bodies).

You could waive this. As I recall TFTD's subs could fly.

2) Ability to flag items (equipment, etc.) as only being usable underwater.
3) Ability to flag species as only being available underwater.
4) Special, new movement modes.

True. You'd need new code for this.

5) Pathfinding takes the z-index (i.e. vertical axis) into account.

It's supposed to do that already, I think. We're going to have flying enemies and UGVs, so it better.

[Valis]

I would also add to some items a dual mode. Some items could be usable underwater and above land with different efficiency. Like harpoons could have a bigger range but lower accuracy when fired in an air environment.

This features are nice but I would propose to concentrate on closing the 2.3 release, not plan new features that we do not know if they are even possible to code in the next one year.

[BTAxis]

Can I just repeat that this is NOT going to be part of the project as run by this team in any way?

[SharkD]

You could waive this. As I recall TFTD's subs could fly.

True, but I feel that flying submarines are a bit *too* futuristic. Plus, the added code would also allow for land-based vehicles that suffer from the same/similar sorts of limitations to be added by mod designers.

It's supposed to do that already, I think. We're going to have flying enemies and UGVs, so it better.

Awesome!

[Valis]

Can I just repeat that this is NOT going to be part of the project as run by this team in any way?

If it is not going to be then what are we disusing here? Without the changes in the code it wont be possible to create it as a mod. So far the game does not support mods in this level of involvement into the game engine. If this discussion would have any point then at least the dev team would have to prepare a modular system in the game engine to support new dlls and overloading some features already implemented in such and such way.

[such modular system would be a darn nice feature, maybe it is only a way or reorganizing some loading procedures and explaining it in a manual, :/ I bet it aint that easy]

[BTAxis]

I'm afraid that wouldn't be anywhere near feasible. Code isn't like LEGO, that you can just add or remove blocks from to give it a different shape. Plugins are typically limited to functionality that is self-contained and only interfaces with the core of the program. For example, there's graphics input plugins for emulators, and file format plugins for media players. These things are modular. The geoscape in UFO:AI could never be, because it's at the core of the game.

[Mattn]

technically it should be no problem to do it - once the game modes are stored in dlls - but as BTAxis said already: No from our side

[BTAxis]

Really? I figured it was so deeply embedded into the game that making it modular would be impossible.