Gemini Gold: Second Overhaul Coming (February 20, 2006)

KrisV

KrisV

Administrator
The Gemini Gold team is working on another set of updates that will bring the game closer to the original Privateer. John Cordell has this announcement for us:
We are currently working on the next upgrade for the game and have already included some really nice stuff. Major goals are to bring back all the original base computer interfaces, polish the base interiors and get rid of various balancing issues.

Since this is a lot of work you still have to wait quite some time before it is done. Besides, the game's graphic engine gets a major overhaul which causes a delay. While time passes by I will show you some neat stuff out of the current development version...





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If you have any suggestion, question or just want to help then head over and establish a Link to New Detroid's Communication Network.
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Pictured left to right: a title screen, a Perry Naval base hangar and a Quine, a digital assistant used by many privateers.

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Original update published on February 20, 2006
 
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Second overhaul comming ... but slowly.

We need a lot of time to adapt the vs engine for the next version, also vs will be upgraded with Ogre and nobody can say right now what this means for the Privateer project, the worst case would be a major delay until 2007.
 
If it's going to take them a year, why don't you just not worry about the engine change and continue with Gemini Gold separately as you have so far?
 
John Cordell said:
Second overhaul comming ... but slowly.

We need a lot of time to adapt the vs engine for the next version, also vs will be upgraded with Ogre and nobody can say right now what this means for the Privateer project, the worst case would be a major delay until 2007.
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I'm with chris on this one. I saw a screenshot of a tarsus in this Ogre engine and it looked like absolute crap. It looked like the thing was all shiny plastic and most of the detail definition was lost. That leads me to believe that if you implement Ogre now, you will need to go in and redo all the textures (or the part that adjusts specularity, radiosity etc) before you could even think of making another release. So maybe it would be good to release all the intended changes in an intermediate release minus Ogre and work on the ogre stuff for a later release if you so desire.
 
Why do i take care of Ogre?

Because of the vs Ogre engine change there is nobody who wants to develop the current engine further, which is needed for things like:
- variable font sizes
- auto scrollable text for fixer's mission description
- improved look for planets/jumpholes
- video cutscenes
- loading screens
- menue interfaces like the start screen
- a Privateer Nav Computer

I don't want to release now a version with nicely redone base interiors and crappy looking interfaces which would pretty much ruin everything. The last versions of Gold were only released that early to "fix" the remake and offer a much more painless alternative for the Privateer fans. The next release will still not be perfect but a lot closer to Privateer without athmosphere breaking graphical glitches.

About the Ogre screenshot - do you really think i will make the game look like this? Yes? No... No... :)
 
John Cordell said:
About the Ogre screenshot - do you really think i will make the game look like this? Yes? No... No... :)
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I don't think its a problem with ogre. I think its a problem with the way the old textures might display without a bunch of tweaking. After switching you might need to change the reflective properties of all the textures/ spec maps/ bump mapping etc. Is it the model or is it the engine making everything that isnt supposed to be curved all curvy?

screenshot_21.jpg
 
AD said:
Is it the model or is it the engine making everything that isnt supposed to be curved all curvy?
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Good question. I am not familiar with the ogre version of vegastrike yet. It will be available for development somewhere in August.

Bob:
It is another quine, your model isn't textured yet ;)
 
So when this Ogre thing comes out, are you basically having to recreate the mod? If this new thing is 6-12 months out, why aren't you just implementing the stuff you have planned in the current Vega Strike? I understand the newer version might have benefits down the line.. but not why you're just not working on other stuff in the current setup.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
You have to register Vega Strike?
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I think thats a thing from the site the picture is from originaly, not something to do with registering vega strike.
 
So when this Ogre thing comes out, are you basically having to recreate the mod?
As far as i know i have to convert the models and ship stats that's all.

If this new thing is 6-12 months out, why aren't you just implementing the stuff you have planned in the current Vega Strike?
I try. Most base interiors (like Perry hangar) are redone by now, but the recreation of interfaces needs a lot of coding. The mission computer is already done, but can only use the small standard font which does not look too bad but also not right at all. With Ogre it can easiely be changed - with VS it can not, because VS only supports 2 font sizes, a very big one and the small one we currently use, also it is not possible to apply the big one exclusively to the mission computer (only to the whole game).

I understand the newer version might have benefits down the line.. but not why you're just not working on other stuff in the current setup.
Actually i do - on a lot of stuff, but the chance of another release before Ogre is quite small.
 
John Cordell said:
Bob:
It is another quine, your model isn't textured yet ;)
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Aw :( Are you going to use it at all?

Also, could you please credit me and LVXOCCTLA for the Perry and Paradigm? I don't think we ever received any from any of the Privateer projects.
 
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