New Frames & Inventory Console Features

Revenile · Post by **Revenile** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:33 am

First off (new player to the series here) I want to thank Vice personally for making the best space game I've found in recent years (tried X3: TC but dang that game is waaaaay to complex for it's own good). I made a blog about my dream space game, and most of the points I made, this game has. In fact the only one missing is my personal suggestion to this game.

We have ships that can sustain life in space forever basically, they can shoot to the farthest stars in seconds, and destroy each other, yet is there not a single scientist who thought "maybe the pilot would like to play his own music?" My suggestion, an MP3 player, similar to how GTA does it, an optional "frequency" or something that allows the user to have their own music playing. Small (And probably dumb) idea, but I'd use the feature.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:37 am

Hi and welcome Revenile.

That music feature is already in the game. Check out the "ModKit" on the games website.
(http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmerce ... nloads.htm)

It explains how to add your own music tracks.

Hope to see you out there in MP.

Revenile · Post by **Revenile** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:02 am

Ah most exellent, I'm pleased to hear this.

Post by **DaveK** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:37 pm

Spoiler Alert

Line up from a distance with the green markers and move forwards - not ever so skillful

Close your eyes and head blindly at the station and you bounce off (thats what shields are for after all). With a station permitting 360 degree access how can you actually hit it if you line up a few hundred meters out?

Or . . . lock onto the station in the nav screen, set compass to zero and pitch to zero and jump - you can virtually cruise in as you slow down from the jump.

Before the inevitable - "but that makes it so easy" . . . why not? Landing on terra firma is hard because gravity is pulling you down and you have to go fairly fast for wings to provide enough lift. Hence it's harder to land in cities than in stations.

Shields can take a hammering from the racer trying to get by you or from a hostiles beam, laser and missiles or if you blow up an asteroid and get beaned by one of the fragments - if they can't then we are in trouble in races and in fights and asteroid clearance. Shields can take a lot of hammer - clipping a station (still can't see how

) is a mere nothing in comparison. Anyway, the humilitation should be sufficient "punishment"!

:P:P:P:P:P:P

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 6:37 pm

You should crash when entering a station at 3000K. Nothing else is just rediculous.
Shield or what else that stops you that fast would send you right throu your cockpit glass and
fix you to the station like a dart on a dartboard with your head buried to your shoulders, LOL!:P

Professor Paul1290 · Post by **Professor Paul1290** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:01 pm

From post: 108055, Topic: tid=7616, author=SeeJay wrote:You should crash when entering a station at 3000K. Nothing else is just rediculous.
Shield or what else that stops you that fast would send you right throu your cockpit glass and
fix you to the station like a dart on a dartboard with your head buried to your shoulders, LOL!:P

You'd probably shatter on impact scatter into a mess of red much to the irritation and discomfort of everyone currently docked at the station.

I can picture a janitor going out in a spacesuit with a mop and a squeegee.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:22 pm

LOL, you just suggested a new type of crew member.

Post by **DaveK** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 9:18 pm

Hmmmm - I always slow down and enter the station at less than 150 (yep, and I don't break the speed limit when I'm driving).

Perhaps a max entry speed would solve some of the issues; >300 and you simply fly through; 200 - 300 and you get fined (the stations restraining field has to use more energy to grab you); <200 and you dock fine

pauses to think . . . . Do you really mean that there are some people who hit a station entrance at 1.5x my maximum speed (StarMaster - C7 engine x5 multiplier)? - reminds me of the question - "what's the last thing that goes through a fly's mind when it hits your windscreen? . . . Ans - its arse!

MMaggio · Post by **MMaggio** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:29 pm

From post: 108059, Topic: tid=7616, author=Professor Paul1290 wrote:
From post: 108055, Topic: tid=7616, author=SeeJay wrote:You should crash when entering a station at 3000K. Nothing else is just rediculous.
Shield or what else that stops you that fast would send you right throu your cockpit glass and
fix you to the station like a dart on a dartboard with your head buried to your shoulders, LOL!:P
You'd probably shatter on impact scatter into a mess of red much to the irritation and discomfort of everyone currently docked at the station.

I can picture a janitor going out in a spacesuit with a mop and a squeegee.

Actually, the janitor up here on Remula One is kept quite busy. Especially after one of Gorf's pitstops. Our janitor suggests that "Gorfburgers" are not entirely digestible and have a tendency to coagulate in the pipes!

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:58 am

ROFL.........I was wondering about that strange smell.....thanks for the Odorous update.....

:P:P:P:P:P

Nigel_Strange · Post by **Nigel_Strange** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:43 am

LOL, you just suggested a new type of crew member.

Actually, I am thinking new mission type. Instead of cleaning the dust off of solar panels, you could...well, you get the idea.

Jack Dandy · Post by **Jack Dandy** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 9:11 am

EDIT: Crud, double post.

[Edited on 6-4-2011 by Jack Dandy]

Jack Dandy · Post by **Jack Dandy** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:33 pm

We should also see Miners mining, or at least have more of them appear near asteroid fields, with appropriate cargo ready for pirating! And maybe some fights that break out between the Navy and the Rebels. Would make the world seem more "alive".

Also, in further response to DaveK's comment about challenges being bad-
Remember, it says so in the features:

Evochron Mercenary is a freeform mercenary space-sim that focuses on 'lone-wolf' survival gameplay.

That's why I really want to see this applied better.

Also, i'll repost some ideas Gh0stwizard had, which would work great for the game IMO:

1. In addition to information about systems, you can add information about each planet, its political system, weather conditions, etc. Some players like it.

2. Information about the universe, the game can be presented as a story. It is well done in his time with the Elite. It was a small book, which is immersed in the game world. At this moment I know only one story about Evochron - History of the SW3DG Universe, is it official story? If yes, why I can't find it on starwraith site ?

3. To the existing missions, you can add random missions, which will seek the assistance of a player. They should not happen very often, should not be repeated exactly, but should make the player liable in the game world. For example, it is necessary to save the merchant from the attacks of robbers.

4. Encounters should be interesting. The latest version of the classic Elite have added patrols, clusters of ships miners, fighting various ships between each other. Them interesting to watch. This created the illusion of a living world.

5. Need a serious intervention in the current economy. In the Elite except trade and mining could make money destroying other ships. To earn its first 10,000 credits have to play at least 15-30 hours. For comparison, a good combat laser cost more than 15,000, and the new ship was worth several millions. Where to buy the ship had to fly in real life, 2-4 months. In Evochron to earn the first million need 10-20 hours. Moreover, next 2 million have already extracted for 5-10 minutes. You just have to find one system with a high price (usually high tech systems) and one or two other low (low tech systems). The ship is the average price of 5 million. Everyone knows that. In my opinion, this is wrong, the game is not challenging. Such easy money discourages engage in trade. I, as a player, can only learn game situations related to trading, but no more. After 40 hours of play, it remains for me to fight and explore the universe, just for the beautiful scenery. If you reduce the difference between the prices of high-tech and low-tech system is 10 times smaller than now will be interesting to engage in trade. Or go through a large price increase for weapons, ships.

Post by **DaveK** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 5:57 pm

I didn't say that challenges are bad - I said that some routine things don't become good or better simply because you make them harder. If you want a landing challenge then try a stormy planet (legit because storms blow you aroiund and gravity requires you to move forward to maintain wing lift). You could make a space docking harder by having stations spin like in 2001 - A Space Odessy or Elite but I would think that you could forget successfully surviving long enough in a hostile zone to actually complete a docking. In Elite the local Police Viper force protected everyone within a certain radius of the station - but docking very quickly it became boring, then irritating - a "must have" upgrade was a docking computer. Still it is legit because artificial gravity (do we have equipment for it in Evochron?) can be simulated but a rotating station. But making docking harder doesn't make it more sun - boring, boring, boring - because you do it so often and it is long winded.

All I am saying is that with a 360 degree access a space station with a landing bay that is massive compared to your ship is (as it should be) easy to dock at (as it should be) - the station wouldn't be popular if it had to hose a significant proportion of its potential clienetelle off the bulkheads!

Can't disagree with your first quote in your post above - just that it requires thought to create challenge that is fun to play with
1: You can already find politics and economy and such on the Nav map - you can find the weather by going there - you can create your own "Rough Guide to Evochron" if you wish - and some people prefer that!

You might even be able to sell it in the game - sell the dowmload link - though I think that you will soon appreciate the media industries hang up about ripping copies off

2: several people have written stories set in Evochron - great for colour and feel of the place - hopefully more stories will appear. The original Elite book (The Dark Wheel" was similar - it gave a feel for the place but not much detail because finding out is where its at.
3: Love the idea!
4: I wonder how long it would be fascinating to watch AI miners at work? Not worth pirating them - would have to go to an asteroid field to see then. Seeing more ships land and leave stations would create that immersive feel, rather than just seeing ships jumping in and out and hopefully with a small code overhead since they already cruise around a system
5: I see where you are coming from, but hours of trading to afford minor upgrades can be a drag - OK you get far more hours of "play" - but is it really far more fun? - back to the harder = better or is it? question. Changing the IMG so that the container location can only be used once might help - but if you feel strongly about the unlimited money pot, then just use it once. The biggy is the location of the secret planet in Pearl - For those who want to be able to relax in a world away from the real one where you work your butt off to earn a crust, the trade route is good - for those who want the hard life in the game as well as real life - don't use the trade route!

Actually my first million took a lot more than 20 hours - winning a race took 5 hours. But then I came to merc work late in life, and have limited fly time!

Personally, 40 hours of training, learning and getting set up is fine (in fact I wish I had managed it in such a short time) - then I can get down to exploring, creating my own storyline in my head (good imagination - poor story telling skills

) and basically enjoying the game. I might even dabble in combat - but ta the moment I'm stuck in the IMG contract to protect a ship until it can jump away - I think I'll have to hire a fleet!

I think that there are other ways of making the game interesting and in a way that is optional for those who find it interesting now. Improvements should be optional and not just "harder" either - they shoud be better or different. But the optional bit is paramount for me.

perhaps the economy can be tweaked as you would like to see it by having rarer element ores at fewer locations, hidden or lost artifacts that are hard to hunt down but are worth a lot of money. Someone has already mentioned goods at prices related to the planet / system's main product rather then a system wide price, Perhaps a bounty hunting contract could be added - all might appeal to someone (different someones?) but leave "we happy few" to continue to enjoy the game as it is and dip into the improvements we find interesting

Great discussion though!

:P

Pastro · Post by **Pastro** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:15 pm

A base to store containers. Hire a transport ships.
And games are saved only when you arrive at your home base.
As in the i-war2.

Ravenfeeder · Post by **Ravenfeeder** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:13 am

From post: 108113, Topic: tid=7616, author=Pastro wrote:A base to store containers. Hire a transport ships.
And games are saved only when you arrive at your home base.
As in the i-war2.

Why would you want to store containers?

Why hire a transport ship - to do what?

In EM we don't have a "home base" as such. Or, are you referring to a station that you may be doing missions out of?

If we didn't have a manual save; what would happen when you got destroyed trying to enter a black hole - where would you respawn?

...................

If Elite and I-Wars are so good, why are you all playing EM instead?

IMHO, EM is the best darn space sim ever. Yet, there's a lot of your trying to turn it into other games!!!!! It's like the unemployed lad who won the lottery: "hmmm. Will this affect my benefits"!

Post by **Marvin** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 2:01 am

What Raven is trying to say is that the "Save" option has been beaten to death. And Alt +F9 won.

Jack Dandy · Post by **Jack Dandy** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 3:34 am

Saving at pre-determined places serves to raise the tension and make the player more alert about his decisions and piloting.

It's not the biggest problem in the game right now, but I still agree with Pastro

Pastro · Post by **Pastro** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 7:11 am

Just try to give ideas. Tittle says: Things you'd love to see in future updates/games

If you use money in the game business also used the goods as currency.
Businesses or contracts such as: 25 containers of diamonds are exchanged for 5 containers of Antimatter.
That will require keeping a place to save containers and an infrastructure for transport.

I know that this is a different game.

[Edited on 5-6-11 by Pastro]

[Edited on 5-6-11 by Pastro]

[Edited on 5-6-11 by Pastro]

Post by **DaveK** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 7:34 am

From post: 108119, Topic: tid=7616, author=Marvin wrote: What Raven is trying to say is that the "Save" option has been beaten to death. And Alt +F9 won.

Long live Alt+F9

Rush · Post by **Rush** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:24 am

I remapped it directly to F9 only

I still think that the best solution would be a big and weel explained developer/modding kit, so we can develop many independent things we like, and maybe share them to make them the standard in the game.
It's probably not easy to code and involves some major changes, but I like games when you can easily develop your own resourcer like new types of missions etc.

Random idea of the day: different difficulty levels, so "easy" means like it is now and "hard" multiplies the equipment costs x100? And maybe a difficulty level for the effectiveness of our/enemy weaponry and engines to have a harder challenge? So who wants to relax chooses easy, who wants to suffer chooses hard, and we're all happy

Post by **DaveK** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:36 am

looking at the specs and descriptions this might give some people what they feel is missing from EM:

wing commander privateer

Overview:

2669, Gemini Sector, Troy System. The Terran frontier between the Kilrathi Empire and the unknown. Privateer takes you to the seamy side of the Wing Commander universe. In the far reaches of space, you live by no manâ€™s rules but your own. The fringes are populated by a volatile mix of pirates, miners, mercs, cutthroats, and Kilrathi, all struggling to make a life for themselves.

In this open-ended game you can choose from many paths. You start with a rusted scout ship and a handful of credits in your pocket. It isn't much, but the universe is there for you to explore in search for profitable opportunities. Become a patient, law-abiding merchant, a smuggler far away from the normal space lanes, a pirate preying on the weak, or a professional mercenary hunting down criminal scum. Or just do whatever suits you at the time. At the end of the day, itâ€™s all about money and survival. Mostly money.

Are you determined enough to forge your own destiny?

It works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit)

Post by **DaveK** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:42 am

From post: 108134, Topic: tid=7616, author=Rush wrote:I remapped it directly to F9 only

I still think that the best solution would be a big and weel explained developer/modding kit, so we can develop many independent things we like, and maybe share them to make them the standard in the game.
It's probably not easy to code and involves some major changes, but I like games when you can easily develop your own resourcer like new types of missions etc.

Random idea of the day: different difficulty levels, so "easy" means like it is now and "hard" multiplies the equipment costs x100? And maybe a difficulty level for the effectiveness of our/enemy weaponry and engines to have a harder challenge? So who wants to relax chooses easy, who wants to suffer chooses hard, and we're all happy

Some interesting ideas about having an easy - medium - hard setting (as long as you couldn't carry your possessions from one to another!)

Personally I love the image and feel Vice has created for his Universe - I doubt that it would survive a thousand "random" additions by others - Vice works hard to maintain balance and playability. My new addition is a piece of equipment (that is so hard to find that only I have one

) that makes my ship invulnerable and able to jump anywhere in the universe - I also treated myself to the everlasting stealth option and mega death gun - definitely an improvement!

:P

Rush · Post by **Rush** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:52 am

:D:D Yes, you're right, but limitators of some kind could be added to prevent these things

But probably a "mission editor" modding tool could be the most important addon to give more longevity to the game...

Another thing I'd like to do is to modify my military frame, for example color, or by adding a symbol somewhere like in military planes.

[Edited on 5-6-2011 by Rush]

Pastro · Post by **Pastro** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:48 pm

Yes, a mission editor would be fantastic.