but I can't help but spit out ideas
anyway, firstly, if I understand correctly, the battle engine of the game is yet to be done.
1. What if I told you that I know a guy who coded a engine that looks like it could put EVE online to shame? I could ask him if he would be willing to give it to BOTF2.
2. The engine that is being made - will it support glowmaps and glows
*explanation*
GLOWMAPS - basicly a copy of the normal texture, but completely black except for those parst that are supposed to glow (engines, windows, bussard and stuff). When applied in-game it makes the ships light up nicely
GLOWS - a set of very small maps, each containing a sphere of a different color. These maps are plastered on small planes on specific poins on the ship and tehy allways face the camera.. and they can go on/off in sequance... basicly blinking light.
they can be handeled differently than this, but this is the standard.
--
About the shiplist. I would reccomend hte following steps:
1. Go trough the Downloads section at armada modding, check the 3DMax files section and ask for permission for anything you like. there's a lot of very good stuff there (I made the Norway and Saber by using d/l ed models as reference)
2. Go trough the Armada 2 downlaods and if you find a model you like, e-mail the creater if he can send you the mesh.
This should speed up the process of bulding up the whole shiplist.
---------------------------
Also, I'll post here and example of how I tihnk the ship file should look. Here's a sample file for a ship from Freespace 2:
$Name: GTD Orion
$Short name: TCap
$Species: Terran
+Tech Description:
XSTR("For over 30 years, the GTD Orion class was the largest ship in the Terran-Vasudan armada. Over two kilometers in length, bristling with dozens of death-dealing turrets, the Orion is as awesome in repose as it is in battle. All GVTA Orions have been retrofitted with the latest anti-warship beam weapons, as well as flak and AAA turrets for dealing with fighters and bombers. The Orion's cavernous hanger bays easily accommodate more than two dozen fighter or bomber wings.", -1)
$end_multi_text
$POF file: OrionAdv.pof
$Detail distance: (0, 3500, 8000, 16000 )
$Show damage: NO
$Density: 1
$Damp: 0.2
$Rotdamp: 1.5
$Max Velocity: 0.0, 0.0, 18.0
$Rotation time: 150.0, 150.0, 150.0
$Rear Velocity: 0.0
$Forward accel: 20.0
$Forward decel: 10.0
$Slide accel: 0.0
$Slide decel: 0.0
$Expl inner rad: 100.0
$Expl outer rad: 2400.0
$Expl damage: 400.0
$Expl blast: 6500.0
$Expl Propagates: YES
$Shockwave Speed: 600.0
$Shockwave Count: 4
$Default PBanks: ()
$Default SBanks: ()
$SBank Capacity: ()
$Shields: 0
$Power Output: 100.0
$Max Oclk Speed: 8.0
$Max Weapon Eng: 100.0
$Hitpoints: 110000
$Flags: ( "capital" "big damage" "in tech database")
$AI Class: Captain
$Afterburner: NO
$Countermeasures: 0
$Scan time: 2000
$EngineSnd: 138
$Closeup_pos: 0.0, 0.0, -2000
$Closeup_zoom: 0.5
$Score: 1000
$Subsystem: Turret01a, 3.0, 3.0
$Default PBanks: ( "BGreen" )
$Subsystem: Turret02a, 3.0, 3.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret03a, 3.0, 3.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret04a, 3.0, 3.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret05a, 3.0, 3.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" "Terran Huge Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret06, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "TerSlash" )
$Subsystem: Turret07, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "TerSlash" )
$Subsystem: Turret08, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "AAAf" )
$Subsystem: Turret09, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Bgreen" )
$Subsystem: Turret10, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "AAAf" )
$Subsystem: Turret11, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "BGreen" )
$Subsystem: Turret12, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret13, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret14, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "TerSlash" )
$Subsystem: Turret15, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Standard Flak" )
$Subsystem: Turret16, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "AAAf" )
$Subsystem: Turret17, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Standard Flak" )
$Subsystem: Turret18, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret19, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Standard Flak" )
$Subsystem: Turret20, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret21, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret22, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "AAAf" )
$Subsystem: Turret23, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "AAAf" )
$Subsystem: Turret24, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret25, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: Turret26, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Standard Flak" )
$Subsystem: Turret27, 0.625, 2.0
$Default PBanks: ( "Terran Turret" )
$Subsystem: RadarDish01, 2, 0.0
$Subsystem: RadarDish02, 2, 0.0
$Subsystem: RadarDish03, 2, 0.0
$Subsystem: navigation, 5, 0.0
$Subsystem: communication, 5, 0.0
$Subsystem: weapons, 15, 0.0
$Subsystem: sensors, 5, 0.0
$Subsystem: engines, 35, 0.0
$Engine Wash: Default900
$Subsystem: fighterbay, 0, 0.0
------
So for BOTF2 it could be something like this:
#ShipName: Galaxy
#ShipType: Heavy Cruiser
#Model File: Galaxy
#Description: (" Blah, blah")
#Impulse speed: 5
#Turn rate: 6
#Acceleration: 3
#Explosion damage: 1000
#Explosion radius: 200
#Shields: 2800
#Shield_Recharge: 28
#Hull: 1600
#Cost Dilithium: 1000
#Cost Duranium: 1000
#Cost Crew: 700
#Mantainance Cost: 50
#Produced at: Large shipyard
#Tech_Bio: 6
#Tech_Weapon: 6
#Tech_Energy: 6
#Tech_Propulsion: 6
#Tech_Computers: 6
#Tech_Construction: 6
#Upgrades to: Galaxy II
* * *
more stuff
***
#Weapon_1: (Hp1, 2, 3, 4 ,5 ,6 ,7 ,8 ,9 10, 11, 12 ,13 ,14 15)
+ Phasor X (damage 85, beam)
#Weapon_2: (Hp 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
+ Photon Torp (damage160, torpedo, maxshot 4)
Weapon_number: (HP - list of HP's for the weapon)
+ Weapon name (damage done, weapon type, fire arc restriction, max number of shots per turn)
