Patch Wishlist

[DeadZone]

Folks, just to let you know Ive been talking with Aaron lately about the possible release of a new patch and it is something he wants to do
Anyway, I offered to compile a list of things we would want to see in the next patch, and he has agreed

So please post any bug fixes/features you would like to see in the next patch and if they are easy enough to do, then he will attempt to do it
(Try not to repeat anything too much as I will putting this list into one and emailing it too him)

Current list


Wishlist


- Able to change names of Ranks

- Make repairable cost per component adjustable

- Able to give advantages for having larger crews (ie. ships with 1000 crew may be able to reduce repair costs/time, or reload time on weapons)

- Able to make a single shield slot cover all around the ship

- Mines can't seem to be placed in maps either randomly or pre-set; allowing that would be good

- ability to change what a store sells, via events or such. And allow for random ships to be stores too (eg traveling merchants) instead of just the ships/bases/etc that are pre-set on the map

- The protection for mission targets introduced in the patch is good, as is labeling targets on the radar map. It'd be nice to be able to turn both off, though. Preferably on a case by case basis..eg escort missions might need it while search and destroy wouldn't

- Asteroid Belt and Nebulae names able to show up on system map if names are given

- HUD image support for multiple sizes and have each one labled seperately and load depending on the screensize Example ControlWin1600.bmp would load when the screensize is set at 1600xwhatever and ControlWin1024.bmp would load when the screensize is set at 1024xwhatever. Also the same thing with the HUDSettings.txt

- The ability to start a mod at the beginning of the game through a seperate shortcut Example: "C:\Program Files\Shrapnel Games\Malfador Machinations\Starfury\StarFury.exe -Peoples Mod"

- This is a longshot but make the UI able to use animated .gif files instead of .bmp format files

- In note to the above, also try and make it so other things use gif/jpg instead of bmp (exception of model textures of coruse)

- Credits (Not money, but where names are given as to who has done wot) editable through a text file

- Cloak ability

- Give option for DisplayStatic.bmp (Shown when you having system failures) not to jump around (perhaps changable in Campaigndata.txt

- Ability to set exit co-ordinates, angle and speed of warp points (eg if a WP is places near a Planet, exit can be set so ship doesnt crash into planet)

- Non-Natural WPs (Basically objects that can be made to act like WPs like a Stargate which allows animation)#

- Being able to set an object as solid or not would be helpful. Currently it seems that mines are not, nebula are not, WPs are not and everything else is. Setting this per object could let the player build jump gate type facilities- right now you can't pass through these objects, you just ram them.

- (I think this one is perhaps unlikely) Make game able to read other types of 3d models & textures (like 3dmax) and as such may allow modders to make models that have animations and much better quality

- All spaceboxes setable in system text files (currently corners uses SkyboxEmptySpace.bmp regardless)

- Notice that there is a stardate when you start, the ability to change in campaigndata.txt would be nice

- Make it so when a new line is entered in Main_DisplayText.txt it is registered (Not paragraph, so it wont leave any gaps, just put on the line underneath)

- More control over restriction type; eg I want to have two different ECM components with different class names but only let the player use one of them. since the "restriction type" field doesn't allow for anything except none or max per ship, maybe convert this field into a numerical one, and components with the same number would be limited to the number on the next line or make it so a component can only go onto certain ships (perhap using a unique id# that is assigned to both the component or ship)

- The final ship explosion only works as a Ring. Intentional or not being able to have a non-ring final explosion would be nice.

- Weapons, if set to target mines, shoot right through them. I'd like to be able to shoot them, and the weapon tonnage structure field that could be used to give them durability. And possibly have anti-mine weapons too.

- Able to assign requirements to Ships (ie. can only buy this ship if of certain rank/experience)

- Able to assign effects to ships/bases, ie. Hull is built from an organic hull, as such, the ability to add the effect of hull regen (I know this can be done via Base Hull regen, but there are effects that cannot be done atm onto ships)

- Able to create slot types (eg. Might want to create a slot that only power reactors can go onto)

- Energy drain on shields when they need to recharge (i.e. when you are shot)

- It also seems many people would like to see the implemention of some sort of multiplayer mode

- A component that acts like a jump drive that can transport you to selected systems at will (but uses a massive amount of power and can only be put on advanced ships)


Bugs

- Some of the events don't seem to work; it'd be nice to have confirmation and/or a fix on which ones do or don't. As it is I don't know if I'm doing it wrong or the event just doesn't work.

- trying to have beam weapons fire on torpedos results in a crash. Torpedos firing on torpedos work fine.

- The "Weapon Explosion Effect Name" line in components.txt doesn't seem to work. Ex: I gave a weapon the explosion type of "Weapon Explosion A". Rather than it playing that type every time it hit, it selected randomly from all the weapon explosion bitmaps, as normal. I tried changing the Specific Type of the explosion, but that just made it not show up at all. Changing the field to an explosion that doesn't exist doesn't do anything, making me think the field isn't being checked at all.

- Point defense weapons still only fire as one if have multiple attached

- Base Armor for ships does not work in Main_StartingPlayerShips.txt, Main_PurchaseShipsEnemy.txt and Main_PurchaseShipsPlayer.txt

- Base Attack and Defence Abilities, Base Hull also appear to have no effect

[ July 21, 2004, 17:29: Message edited by: DeadZone ]