Wing Commander Flat Universe

I see the Hornet in the demo flying "above" and "below" some of the asteroids, implying that the asteroids are not all in the same 2-D plane
Click to expand...

As my brother said before I do, we are "old school". Meaning that GamePlay is priority one for us. We like the idea of flying under or above asteroids - mines but it, by any means, must not complicate the gameplay.
The debates between family continue, for the time being.

the MaslasBros
 
Excellent work!!!

For what it's worth, I think that the flying above and below may complicate gameplay. It seems to interfere with the Flat Universe idea (at least to me). I think that breaking the 2D wall should be used sparingly.

Are you familiar with

The Planiverse
Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World
By A. K. Dewdney
http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~eroberts/courses/soco/projects/2005-06/planiverse/index.html​

The author explores a 2D world and how it might work.

Again, Excellent work!!!
 
As long as we get some kind of visual indication of whether or not an object is on the same plane with us (and thus a collision hazard or something to shoot at).

Oh, I have read the Planiverse--very nice book.
 
Are you familiar with

The Planiverse
Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World
By A. K. Dewdney
http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~eroberts/courses/soco/projects/2005-06/planiverse/index.html

The author explores a 2D world and how it might work.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the update. No, I haven't read "The Planiverse" but I'll certainly do. I am curious, how did I miss that?
A very good explanation on dimensions gave the "incredible" Carl Sagan on the Cosmos TV program:

some kind of visual indication of whether or not an object is on the same plane with us (and thus a collision hazard or something to shoot at)
Click to expand...

This idea is still on the table. However, in my opinion, visual indication means "a helping device" and if we choose something like this then the gameplay balance turns more to "arcade style" which is not our goal for this game.
Don't take us wrong, but we want to see pilots to crash and burn on the asteroid field. Just like it used to happen, after a long mission, in WC1, WC2 and Privateer.

the MaslasBros
 
Well a non-visual indication would work as well. :D

But seriously, either we should be able to tell whether or not we can safely let the asteroid pass "over/under" us, or else the speed and density of the asteroid field needs to be such that it is reasonably possible to just dodge them all. Players should not have to trust to luck. Yes, you should have to keep alert in order to dodge the asteroids, but there shouldn't be many situations in which the only likelihood of surviving is hoping that the oncoming asteroid is one that will pass above/below instead of hit you.
 
Players should not have to trust to luck.
Click to expand...

Well our intention is not to make asteroid fields impossible to negotiate. On the contrary, the balance we want to achieve is that flying at normal speeds should allow an aware pilot to fly untouched through any asteroid or mine field in the game. On the other hand however fighting through asteroids should be a dangerous deal. Even more so through mines.

Now based on that premise we are trying to figure out whether we can actually put asteroids on multiple planes without making the game too hard or we should turn to the simpler solution which means all asteroids/mines are positioned at the same plane and thus what you see is what you should avoid. Trail and error is the way we are moving at the moment. Now a non-visual indication is not a bad proposal at all!
 
Hmmm, perhaps a "whoosh" sound at the last second for an asteroid that is going to pass over you instead of striking? (but only plays if it is going to "almost" hit you--not if it's passing to the left or right) Or conversely, the sound plays for one that IS going to strike you? The thought is that a sufficiently alert player would have just enough time to dodge upon hearing the sound, but a less-than-alert player is better off just trying to avoid it in the first place without waiting for the confirmation of "is it going to hit?" I do seem to recall that in WC1/2/Privateer, you would get a whooshing sound when an asteroid "almost" hits you.

Anyway, if the asteroid field is of a density and speed such that it is practical simply to try dodging them all, then that would make the "some asteroids pass over/under you" mechanic an interesting addition without making it something that players must master in order to pass the mission.
 
Yes it is not a bad concept but we will have to thoroughly test it before we give out something like this. At the moment, and since our space mechanics are completed, we have turned our attention to weapons (we are at a very good point with them also). After we have concluded weapon mechanics we will finish cockpit and avionics (radar, targeting etc.) and create a full testing area with dummy targets, asteroid field and mine field and that's where we will finalize the asteroid negotiation thing. After that we will move to other stuff such as AI and mission scripting.

Keep in mind that we want this testing area to be the first playable part we will release to the public and thus "use" the community both as consultants and as beta testers, improving things based on your feedback.
 
Dear WingNuts,

We are very happy that you voted for us for 2013. This is a real proof that you enjoy our work us much as we do. We keep up progressing with steady steps and believe us when we say that 2014 will be a lot more FUN than the last year.
Υour support and enthusiasm, is the raw material of our creativity.

yours,
MaslasBros.
 
Dear WingNuts,

The new Destiny's Way issue is published, you may visit http://flatuniverse.solsector.net/dway.html in order to download it or read it right away from your browsers. Also, stay tuned with us, because during the following days we might give you some news that you most definitely like.

Enjoy,
the MaslasBros
 
Last edited:
Hey guys,

We've got several updates on the project. Now let's see:

1. Space flight and physics. Check (even though that's old news)
2. Guns and Blasters. Check (We can very easily simulate anything from laser blasters to the steltek gun and most of those are already done)
3. Shields. Check (Both technically and visually)
4. Capacitors and generators. Check (Every system drains from the powerplant and we have already planned for matter antimatter engines. Dragon anyone?)
5. Damage modelling. Check (Subsystems damage, collision detections, shield scrubbing etc. all in working order)
6. Star system modelling. Check (We have 7 star systems ready with more coming soon. Soon you can find them on the website).
7. Spacecraft. Check (Several ready. We are adding more everyday)
8. Space Station interior design. Check (The bar for the base is ready and we are moving to the other areas)

ToDo:
  • HUDs and VDUs (Work has already started...)
  • AI
  • Multiplayer
  • Mission Editing

Last but not least...

We have enlisted the help of one of the “famous” guys from this place to help us with the spaceship design. Who is it? Well check the following gameplay trailer video to find out....


or on our website:

http://flatuniverse.solsector.net/opps.html
 
Last edited:
This looks beyond gorgeous. You guys are doing really outstanding work.

I thought those looked like Klav's models! Nice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top