air interceptions

[inquisiteur2]

Considering the current game state, there may be a an (almost?) easy way to include air interceptions, assuming that it will heavily inspired from
MOO2.

How about creating a simple (for the beginning) rectangle map with dark backroung (or a simple space picture with a nebulae, or simply some stars) and instead of having human and anlien, use ships that fits on single square (for the beginning).

Creating such map would be far simplier than any ground tacital map, there will be only a single level, no cover, and only a background picture.

For instance we could have aliens ships on the right side of the screen and human ships on the left. The only difference with MOO2 would be that it will be automatically in 3d since we have a 3d game engine.

Ships can have two fire modes like soldiers, maybe use the rocket laucher and a heavy machinegun....(the assault rifle will do)

When an ufo interception occurs the games loads the dogfight map, using spaceships as soldiers, and....voila  :shock:  

This is just a rough idea, just to tell that writing a completely new code for ufo interception may not be the best solution.

What ufo folks think about that ?

regards.

[Orngrimm]

I really LOVED the Radar-like interception from the old UFO-games...
Personal oppinion...

[captbbq]

inquisiteur2,

thanks for restarting this thread. I've been thinking this too. The way ufo ai combat is down is just the same as moo2 space combat. Turn based tactical.  all you need to do is (as you said):
    -mod a map
    -shrink down the current md2 files and replace the soldier bodies
and theres your ufo interception.

also: weapon models should be specially made for the ships, the hud should be redesined, some source should be gutted for the intercept (weapons management screen) and of course these mods all need to be called automatically by the program at the appropriate time.

Tell you what, why don't you do this? All the tools are available for free. The map builder, the modeling programs. You don't even need to be a programmer. Make them, switch out the models, under the base\models directory run a test game with them, take a few screen shots of the fun and upload them through the tracker.

This being open source, its not just "you ufo folks", they're already kinda swamped with TO-DOs. Its us too. This way they will be more likely to take your idea, because there it will require less work. If you don't I will, I was planning to do it anyway ;-) but I'm busy with a translation, map and gun modal right now.

PROBLEMS:
   
If you see my post a while ago I thought as you about the black background simulating space. Actually all you need is a transparent ground and the background (infinite) set to a star field. but I suspect the current ufo2map file doesn't support background images in the maps like other games using the quake engine (I haven't seen these in gameplay)

Also, intercepts are going to have to be atmospheric:
   - the in-game chase follows flight dynamics not orbital
   - interceptors and dropships just can't go into space (look at them)
   
fortunately, the game designers have done the ingenious thing of supporting random scriptable maps. Just make scriptable mape templates with really small houses on them. One suburb one city and one country side. Now you have nap of the earth, tactical turn based air combat. Full with tall buildings and mountains to hide behind.

[The Dude]

While everything you described may be more or less easy to do, it would still be boring as hell. Don't get me wrong, in my opinion there is no tactical space-civ (or how ever you might call it) that can top MOO2 until today. But do you remember the early-game fights between two scouts?
The combat system only made sense and fun because of multiple units on each side and LOTS of different ship classes, weaponry, armor and other fancy stuff. It would be quite an effort to implement all this (writing, modeling, balancing, tech-tree...).

If done properly this could be a very nice hybrid, but I question the necessity. There were other proposals to make the interception more interactive such as the old "mini-game" with additional possibility to target different ship areas with different influences on the following ground mission. I think this would be much less time consuming both developing and playing while staying close to the original.

[inquisiteur2]

But do you remember the early-game fights between two scouts?
The combat system only made sense and fun because of multiple units on each side and LOTS of different ship classes, weaponry, armor and other fancy stuff. It would be quite an effort to implement all this (writing, modeling, balancing, tech-tree...).

You are right about that, but at least with this gamestyle there would still be some place for tactics whereas on the basic interception mode you just have to wait and see.

Also, even if it is boring to have only 2 ships batteling, it would get really interesting to have various planes fighting like in MOO2. This has never been implemented in UFO series, and I think that it would be a good improvement. I love the original ufo interception style too, but we may have the opportunity to make something better there without tons of work.

Regarding the possibility to work myself on this game, I have already contributed in some way be translating the website game in french, posting news every week and dedicating a whole section on my former website (www.vision-jeux.com). Unfortunatly my website went down, the game development was shut down, so I stopped. I had a lot of spare time at those days, now things are getting more difficult.

But if somone is ready to work with me on this concept, I think I would have enough courage to do something too.

I will start looking at maps at the end of next week. Why not working together captbbq ? I hope I would be able to do something.

Also, the opinon of Mattn, Werner, Wolf, or Bandobras on that could be helpful as we won't work on it if they think that it don't fits to their goals.

[captbbq]

d@mm!t, I just wrote a long post, which timed-out my cookie, causing me to log in again and thus loose everything I wrote. (not the first time here)

basically:

Dude:
- 8 ships on each side is no prob, will be fun,
- easy to code multiple ships launching
- tech tree hardest things, limited modelling for weapons on ships (can be invisible)

inquisiteur2:
- make it they will come
- I'm used to wasting my time(I'm writing this arent I?)
- easy to say no to a post on a forum
BUT
- also easy to say yes to a working demonstration


lets build it and see if its good

[maw]

wouldn't it be just as easy in C++ to scarf some open source dog-fight code, and do a real time dog fight at interception?

as you point out, doesn't have to be fancy. just have some sort of ability to do some low poly 3d alien ships, then have a screen with crosshairs, maybe simulating a jet tracking, choice of buttons to activate weapons, etc.

could start simple, with a space bcakground... then if you want to get complicated, do a low-res ground for low-level combat.

or make a deal with someone LIKE...

http://www.flightzone.us/english/home.asp

to do a simple rewrite... since he's got everything you want there... and tag it in to UFO. its only 19 mgs.... maw

[captbbq]

maw,

No, that would not be easier. I know because I considered something similar to your suggestion in an earlier post on another thread. However, as a coder in somehting else (PHP, Perl, SQL, client scripts etc... cpp I haven't touched in 6 years) anything that minimizes code and shifts it to modelers, content writers, and mappers is better; as they are the lesser "skilled labor".

On projects like this, coders are the choke point and they are all busy not only tracking down bugs but also writing new features and trying to advance the game.