Random Question

TGS · Post by **TGS** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:14 am

Hey all there has been a really weird/silly question on my mind since the day I bought Evochron Alliance and now even Legends that has sort of plagued me as I've played.

We all know how you can go planetside and dock at planets or even just fly around mine whatever. But one thing I've always noticed that has bugged me and I'm not sure if its just me or my configuration or even an unintentional bug that noone has brought up.

When you go down to a planet that has an atmosphere I've noticed that you can still see space celestial object's even when you're docked at the "city" you can still see the celestial object's. Which for me as odd as it sounds really detracts from the feeling of being on a planet. Especially when I can see in the skybox the station overhead that is in space. Whether it be "night" or "day" on the planet is irrelevant I can still see things in space. I'm not referring to the target's either. I'm talking about things like planetary ring's nearby stations stuff like that. It's very bizare.

I guess one of the reasons I've brought it up is that there is a particular planet side screenshot that comes up during my game's loading that looks particularly beautiful (I'd actually love to find out which planet that is) with cloud's and a blue sky and it looks really good.

So I'm wondering if it's just me... my configuration or if it is an unintentional bug or if it's just the way the game is and I have to accept it lol.

Post by **Vice** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:28 am

In most planet atmospheres, that is the way it is intended to be. Certainly subjective though. I generally expect to see large objects nearby in close orbit, whether through a light haze of a thin atmosphere where no texture detail can be seen, or reflecting at night where details can be seen.

TGS · Post by **TGS** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:22 am

Oh okay. Makes sense I suppose. Though I guess it's just hard for me to imagine a station being that... big if that makes sense. I guess I would expect it to be much smaller when viewed from that distance. I don't know if that would be possible. It would aid the "perception" of a distant object even if in reality the distance isn't that great.

I suppose I'm just knit picking I guess. I know you can't make planet's to scale. But it would be awesome if the game could be made in a way that at least makes you feel as though when on a planet you're on a "big" world by making stations or other object's appear smaller.

Zero 1 · Post by **Zero 1** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 1:30 pm

As long as were on the subject of random questions.. Gas Giants, such as Jupiter, how come they have solid surfaces? Not really a complaint just curious, maybe a programming limitation at the time? Do you have plans for the next game to have them? Perhaps you could have stations in the atmosphere like a "Cloud City" kinda thing..

I still smile at the fact that I rate this independent game right up there with my favorites like Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Phantasy Star Online.. etc. Keep it up Vice, your awesome!

Post by **Vice** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:24 pm

Gas Giants, such as Jupiter, how come they have solid surfaces? Not really a complaint just curious, maybe a programming limitation at the time? Do you have plans for the next game to have them?

Yup, mostly a design limitation. Stay tuned for future gas planets though

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 6:48 pm

Those big stations, as seen in orbit from a planet's surface, reminds me of an episode of TOS ... only, in EL, the "cloud city" looks more realistic.

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:46 pm

Yep, a Gas giant is just like a big soap buble in space, poke it with a dry finger and it will pop...LOL...

TGS · Post by **TGS** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:53 pm

DON'T POP MY BUBBLE! I love bubbles. They rule. Ah *goes into childhood memory...* oh wait where was I? Oh yes. Things are too big. Stations the size of the death star? No thank you! Seeing one of those from orbit makes me think A green laser and a booooooooooooop sound is gonna occur and the planet the city and my poor little ship is gonna be blown to bits. It's horrifying it really is. Especially those roundish death star with a head looking stations. Those things freak me out!

By the way speaking of that... it would be awesome if there were destroyable object's on planet's. Fortresses/Bases and missions oriented around them. Perhaps also add space to surface bombardment weapons as well as surface to space weapons. That would be awesome.

Perhaps even planetary shields? I know I'm probably going off track again as I tend to do. It would be awesome if planet's had more... purpose to them. Maybe have missions where you have to subdue a planet or 'section" of a planet and have various local non-space fighters and bases attack you while you try.

On that note... anyone ever remember the battlecruiser series? Or the one I'm thinking of that I bought Universal Combat? God that game sucked. Had so much potential but was so buggy and for the most was executed very badly. Also the creator was arrogant as all hell. I'm glad Vice isn't like that.

Originally posted by Maarschalk
Yep, a Gas giant is just like a big soap buble in space, poke it with a dry finger and it will pop...LOL...

Nigel_Strange · Post by **Nigel_Strange** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:53 am

Random answer: 42.

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:19 am

ROFL.....Hahahahahaha.....

:P:P:P:P:P.....I liked the soapbubble random answer better thou, not just because it was my random answer....

Post by **Marvin** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 6:19 am

Somebody needs to figure out how to do with games what was done with the Internet ... how to stitch it all together. So you could take Evochron Legends and, when you land on a planet, you switch over to Oblivion (seamlessley) ... then, when you climb aboard a ship (docked at one of the sea ports), you switch over to some FPS version of Sea Dogs ... etc., etc. Then you take off and switch over to Celestia and seamless travel to another star system in the Milky Way ... until you want to do a bit of pirating ... then it's back to Legends. Etc., etc., etc.

Karin · Post by **Karin** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:29 pm

Originally posted by Vice
Yup, mostly a design limitation. Stay tuned for future gas planets though

That's awesome!!! The planet descents are one of the main reasons I play this game. I can't wait!

warsign · Post by **warsign** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:30 pm

Roflmao...

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:54 pm

Originally posted by Marvin
Somebody needs to figure out how to do with games what was done with the Internet ... how to stitch it all together. So you could take Evochron Legends and, when you land on a planet, you switch over to Oblivion (seamlessley) ... then, when you climb aboard a ship (docked at one of the sea ports), you switch over to some FPS version of Sea Dogs ... etc., etc. Then you take off and switch over to Celestia and seamless travel to another star system in the Milky Way ... until you want to do a bit of pirating ... then it's back to Legends. Etc., etc., etc.

This would be awsome if it was possible but I see a lot of privacy violations if this were to happen...LOL...

:P:P:P

warsign · Post by **warsign** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 3:05 pm

I know a game developer who can combine fps on planets (like Mechwarrior) and space game with seamless journey to another star system and pirating, hunting, trading etc...(this part is available already)

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 4:10 pm

LOL...we all know him....

TGS · Post by **TGS** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:39 am

The biggest "issue" with game systems like this is that for one they have to utilize a client<>server system. Also they would most likely have to utilize clustering. You'd essentially have to have a server "instance" for each engine... you'd have to build each of the engines within.

Honestly the only real "attempt" I've seen at this is the Battlecruiser series which funny enough I only just mentioned here the other day and the one version I foolishly bought and played of that was the Universal Combat version. It was terrible... required much more of the system than it should have performance wise. Was a tad overcomplicated in certain areas. But the basic premise was that you could "pick" various roles and the game had an engine that supported Ships, FPS, Vehicles, in space and planetary. It had sea vessels as well but due to bugs I could never actually get them working.

Essentially it was a game that tried to be too much. Failing at everything but the "starship captain" role. And the freeform/limitless concept you had in singleplayer did not really translate into multiplayer hardly at all.

Also... too buggy. Far far far too buggy. Take into account that the developer behind this series is similar to Vice in that it's a single developer working primarily on a self-made fanbase. Though he was arrogant as hell... didn't take feedback well took criticism even worse. He'd ban people from his forums (And effectively disabling their CD-KEY's) for saying things he didn't like or agitating him. I came pretty close to that point simply by making a suggestion myself.

Also UC was I think the 4th or 5th version of the game series/game. Similar to how Evochron Legends is the "latest" incarnation of a specific series/engine/development. I think if a major corporation pooled resources and built a game with 3-4 different "teams" developing the engines and one to pull it all together in a single game. It might work. But it would be a very expensive very difficult thing to do and I doubt you'd ever see it realized outside of a MMO subscriber setting anyway.

Originally posted by Marvin
Somebody needs to figure out how to do with games what was done with the Internet ... how to stitch it all together. So you could take Evochron Legends and, when you land on a planet, you switch over to Oblivion (seamlessley) ... then, when you climb aboard a ship (docked at one of the sea ports), you switch over to some FPS version of Sea Dogs ... etc., etc. Then you take off and switch over to Celestia and seamless travel to another star system in the Milky Way ... until you want to do a bit of pirating ... then it's back to Legends. Etc., etc., etc.