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In #nova, I was playing a game of Anagrams with Pikeman (Who was cheating, I'll add) when I came up with 'One Evolves Capacity' from Escape Velocity Nova. From this anagram lobster got an idea, and it was a good one (Though none of what I have just said is relevant to the idea, except crediting lobster)
Would it be possible somehow for an organic ship like the Polaran ships to 'evolve' into larger, better ships somehow? I cant see a way but then I'm not a developer, and I figured if I put it here, I'd soon get my answer. IT could be a very good plug-in feature if it actually worked, and could be good for future plug-ins and the like.
So, basically, I want to know if it can somehow work?
Steelix
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Not only could you use organic, evolving ships as the reasoning, but if you have a (mechanical) frigate, let's say, over time you could reason that as a Captain of the ship you would be tweaking and adding things to it that would make minor improvements that wouldn't count as upgrades (edit: by that I mean outfits and weapons). This would reward the player for sticking with one ship, like a fighter, for a long time. It would be even better if you could integrate it so certain storyline missions became available in the upper "evolutions" of certain ships, as well as graphical changes in the appearence of the ships, or, if you wanted to make it even more complex, different branching evolutions depending on what races you do or complete missions for, the reasoning being that if you have a Federation ship and you are doing a lot of work for the Polaris, you are going to add Polaris technology to your ship, for instance.
This would be good for a plugin that didn't have a lot of ships, and instead you started out with a template ship, such as a fighter, frigate, freighter, etc., all of which have base attributes that are always holding (agility for fighters, cargo for freighters, etc.), but get more complicated and allow more ship customization through mission decisions as the player interacts with the Universe.
Or you could -- to throw another idea out there -- have a race of energy beings who have one basic ship, and which later evolve into different varients depending on your desires. Or you could do it the other way entirely -- have ships degrade over time through wear and tear. This would add a degree of realism to the game, and if you wanted to counterbalance it, you could have it so although they become weaker and weaker, they become antiques and thus more valuable as time goes on, challenging the player to survive as long as possible in a failing ship to reap more credits at trade in.
There are a lot of possibilities...I could probably go on.
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(This message has been edited by Lobster (edited 01-02-2004).)
Quote
Originally posted by Lobster: **Not only could you use organic, evolving ships as the reasoning, but if you have a (mechanical) frigate, let's say, over time you could reason that as a Captain of the ship you would be tweaking and adding things to it that would make minor improvements that wouldn't count as upgrades. This would reward the player for sticking with one ship, like a fighter, for a long time. It would be even better if you could integrate it so certain storyline missions became available in the upper "evolutions" of certain ships, as well as graphical changes in the appearence of the ships, or, if you wanted to make it even more complex, different branching evolutions depending on what races you do or complete missions for, the reasoning being that if you have a Federation ship and you are doing a lot of work for the Polaris, you are going to add Polaris technology to your ship, for instance.
Or you could -- to throw another idea out there -- have a race of energy beings who have one basic ship, and which later evolve into different varients depending on your desires. Or you could do it the other way entirely -- have ships degrade overtime through wear and tear. This would add a degree of realism to the game, and if you wanted to counterbalance it, you could have it so although they become weaker and weaker, they become antiques and thus more valuable as time goes on, challenging the player to survive as long as possible in a failing ship to reap more credits at trade in.
**
He far surpasses me in explanation and theory
(quote)Originally posted by Steelix: **He far surpasses me in explanation and theory:D
------------------ (url="http://"http://blog.evula.net/Lobster/")My Blog(/url) :: B&B; Directory back up soon, I swear. **
Originally posted by Steelix: **In #nova, I was playing a game of Anagrams with Pikeman (Who was cheating, I'll add) **
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that would kick ass, though i wonder if it would be limited to just nova. i'm sure it could be done in escape velocity, but that would mean mainlining the ship, getting a new one every few thousand miles (but it would be the same each game), so to say.
however, you could make the updates into mini missions, and upon completion, the ship could change. these missions could easily be turned down, avoiding updgrades not wanted.
might take a lot of mission/bits, but it might be done.
was i confusing?
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Originally posted by Lobster:
Originally posted by Steelix: **He far surpasses me in explanation and theory
Tilesex**
The ideas excite me a little too much...
Originally posted by Steelix: **Well you were! **
Originally posted by Steelix: **You idiot. And for those wondering, Tilesex was an Anagram I came up with of myself, and then I made it my nick for a short while.
And what a nonsensical, yet alluring anagram it is!
Originally posted by Pikeman: **
Pikeman the Cryptic - Petty Prick Machine
Just another SteelAnagram
Ignoring the stupid images Pikeman is posting...
it damn well is possible. After a certain period of time, a cron activates that changes your ship. Everything Lobster mentioned (that I bothered to read)is possible, but after a certain point, while possible, the things you were suggesting would drive one of us insane.
In other words, it looks good as a future mrxak challenge.
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Um... yeah... I have no idea what you are bantering about....
But I do know a thing or two about plug development.
Your evolving/organic ship design is fully doable and not really that tough. There's an NCB to change your ship while preserving your outfits, Exxx, if I remember off hand (I've used it alot, I should know!). So, just make a series of ships, give them the same graphics, but subtly (or not so) tweak the values between them so that the ship "evolves".
Controlling the evolution can be done any number of ways, including, but not limited to: A. as a reward for or simply part of a mission; B. by buying an outfit (ala Pokemon! :)) C. by using crons. If you want to promote staying with the same ship for a long time, crons are the way to go- your ship will just gradually improve with use.
Which brings me to a second way of doing this: by using invisible outfits. Each outfit would give you more ability: raise your speed/accel/turning, upgrade your sensors, increase your capture rate, whatever.
Both are pretty simple, and are not mutually exclusive. If you wanted, you could easily combine them.
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Originally posted by orcaloverbri9: **it damn well is possible. After a certain period of time, a cron activates that changes your ship. Everything Lobster mentioned (that I bothered to read)is possible, but after a certain point, while possible, the things you were suggesting would drive one of us insane. **
That you bothered to read?
sniffle sniffle
Originally posted by orcaloverbri9: **Ignoring the stupid images Pikeman is posting...
...In other words, it looks good as a future mrxak challenge... **
Just ignore our little game. And it cant be a futire mrxak challenge, It's lobsters idea and were already discussing it here.
orcaloverbri9 - Braver iColor9
Originally posted by Masamune: Which brings me to a second way of doing this: by using invisible outfits. Each outfit would give you more ability: raise your speed/accel/turning, upgrade your sensors, increase your capture rate, whatever.
Which is why invisible outfits are your trdemark...
Originally posted by Lobster: **That you bothered to read?
sniffle sniffle**
I went back and read the rest of it, it's just that whenever people throw out ideas, my mind starts figuring out ways to implement them and with all those complicated ideas it's like telling my mind to burn in hell.
Hehe.
(This message has been edited by orcaloverbri9 (edited 01-02-2004).)
Originally posted by Steelix: **Just ignore our little game. And it cant be a futire mrxak challenge, It's lobsters idea and were already discussing it here.
I think he means that mrxak will be challenged to implement evolving ships into a plugin into the future...now let's have a good laugh at his expense.
The problem here is with the way crons work. Cron's a and b each go off 60 days after the player buys the right ship. So player buys a ship, Cron A starts to start keeping track of howlong he has bought the ship. Player buys a new ship, cron B starts to keep track of how long he has had the ship Cron A fires, so the game thinks the player has had the first ship for 60 days, even though he changed ships earlier. I would kill for an NCB set string to halt and destroy a cron. Almost everything I think of as new and interesting features has to work around this maddening limitation. -Az
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Originally posted by Masamune: **Um... yeah... I have no idea what you are bantering about....
I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't in #ev3 and making Anagrams. As for your idea, I forgot about that, but it would be better if during time if you had a Polaris ship for example it would grow extra weapons or get a larger and more curved and the like, as though the ship were growing up. That would be a nice addition
Masamune - Amuse Man
Originally posted by Lobster: I think he means that mrxak will be challenged to implement evolving ships into a plugin into the future...now let's have a good laugh at his expense.
Um, no...I meant The mrxak Challenge.
Originally posted by Lobster: **...now let's have a good laugh at his expense.
It sounds tempting but I think I'll pass.