Unnamed WC Privateer type game

W

Waxman

Spaceman
What made the original privateer so good and what changed that turned Privateer 2 into a just okay game? I have been thinking on this subject, and I have come to a conclusion;
1. The story, Not a huge change from the rest of the game when in story mission mode. Universe went on with or without you. Everywhere did not stop everything when you were on a story mission. Universe was not scripted in other words.
2. The best was easily attainable. Best ship, best guns, best missions.
3. Nerfing was kept to a minimum. Their were times when you were jumped by enemies and destroyed in seconds, that was not often but it did happen, You could do something about it though. Nothing ruins a game more then when you finally get in position to introduce your weapons to an enemies engines but when you pull the trigger not much happens because the AI determines your level is to low to do proper damage to the enemy.
4. Universe was even, everything was available everywhere. Even commodities. (Except at pirate bases)
5. Universe seamed more real. running into an asteroid could ruin your whole day.
6. Tradeing was a way of life not a might as well aspect.

The advances of privateer2 I liked.
1. Ability to hire an AI wingman.
2. Ability to hire an AI cargo ship

So I plan on making a new Privateer style game that keeps all the best from both games, and a little freelancer thrown in as well. I would like everyone who wishes to help, even those who do not feel as though they can do much.

Once I get the website up I will reply to this topic and give the address, for now if you would like to help or have any questions feel free to e-mail me at wax@mercnetstudios.com or reply to this post
 
The WC Pioneer team is actually working on a fan game just like this. You should check out the work Joel, Howard and Brad have done the past few years. They are still working on it, but from the image and status reports they've put out over the years I think it will fit most of the profile you've outlined.
 
I have looked into those projects and am awaiting reply. I decided to start from scratch for now. since those games require other games to run it seams a little counter productive. Since I want this to be a game made from fans of the series, the fans get to decide on the name.

Let me hear those wonderful ideas. Keep in mind this is a privateer style set in the timeline after the Nephilem.

Here is a little snippet from the story

That was the last of them, They were as thick as frozen molasses.
"All ships, report status" said (Name not decided) let's call him blue alpha
"Green 2 here, ship flyable, only slight damage, can't say the same for the pilot though."
"Baker 1, three ships down."
The reports just kept coming in, some flights were relatively intact and some were just simply gone.
"Lots of ships gone. but we did what we needed to do" blue alpha mumbled to himself "Okay, time to return to the barn. All flight, RTB" he said over the radio...

2 months later blue alpha was looking at the landing site on his home planet, the colony wotld of Tem'Vega 9.
No longer in Confed he felt lost. for the first time in his short adult life he did not have an objective or even rules to go by, he was on his own. He just stood there waiting for someone, anyone to come tell him what to do. He has no home, no family, he volunteered to make the first Human/Kilrathi colony world his new home and he realized he lept before he looked.
"You look like you need a drink, flyboy."
He turned to see who was talking to him. Nobody there. "Get a grip, now I'm hearing voices"
When he turned around his eyes locked onto a street vendor. "I'll ask him where a pub is, everyone has to start somewhere".

As he approached the bar he saw a ship dealer pamphlet. He picked it up and thumbed through it while he sipped his drink. No longer his life he thought. He tried to push it away and find a help wanted section of the colony newspaper. He must have flipped right passed it, he could not find it anywhere. Unable to focus he decided to get gutter crawling drunk, yeah that was a good idea.

Flashback to his days in the Academy. Okay you worthless mutant maggots, on your feet,Welcome to the first day of the rest of your Pathetic puny lives. When you are done with your time here, you might have a future, if the Nephilem or some other rocket Jockey doesn't introduce you to vacuum first. We are here to make sure that don't happen.

He had no idea why that particular memory came to mind but hey who can explain anything.
He suddenly realized that he was a pilot, trained to fly, to fight, and to survive in space. He was no land lover. He did not need to conform to society to find a home. He had one He was who the Universe needed, now it was time for the universe to be who and what he needed, and if it couldn't, then the universe could go to hell.

He put down his drink and grabbed the pamphlet. That first DI had no idea he was so right They had trained me to be a soldier for the rest of my life.
 
So the outline goes like this

It takes place directly after the Nephilem conflict.

Confed was running the military at over 100% financially and now that the
threat is over they are cutting military funding by 60%, and like most
governments they are cutting the lower needs, like front line soldiers and
lower rank officers. In order to remain in power the government officials
have established the first Human/Kilrathi colony world. they have given all
present military members an early retirement package who wish to go to this
new colony and call it home. They have decided that they can give the new
colony no support and thus save money.

The Kilrathi, on the other hand, have no home world anymore, so they give it
all the support it needs.

Your main character is one of those pilots given the early retirement and
buys a ship, an old hellcat, he then chooses to escort a ship of supposed
Kilrathi food stuffs, instead it was engine components for the kilrathi
fleet. This violates the Terran/Kilrathi peace agreement. (An agreement that
states the kilrathi were to stop building warships and also they were to
turn over the ships of war they had) But your character does not care. Some others do care, care enough to report this to Confed high command.

After a long deliberation, it is decided to form a peace treaty enforcer
squad. Your character is drafted much to your dislike and given orders to
seize the new Kilrathi fleet...

Storyline stretches to about 100 missions, do not worry, the storyline
twists to a gameplay that suits Privateers.

I will bring back the Mercenaries guild and the merchants guild.
I will make the merchant life prominent again.
I will bring back the mission computer.

Since Confed is so panicked about money I will have a population that flies
even old old ship like the hornet, scimitar, raptor all the way to newer
ships like the vampire and wasp, and who can forget the classic Privateer
Ships, I will have some new ships as well. All the Kilrathi ships from all
games and some new ones as well. They are rebuilding the Empire after all
 
that was some good reading
Detailed.
Do you know of a universe grid for the entire Galaxy of WC
I do not wish to step on others toes.
 
I have written a backstory timeline, t is not perfect far from it infact but as time progresses and I get critic from others it will be close. I will amend the MercNet Studios website to link to this new info.

Oh the characters name is Balion Iturus, Born on Earth, age 34, Son of a military family, mother was a ground pounder and father was a fighter pilot.
 
Looking forward to the first glimpses of your new project Waxman. Not really too knowledgeable on programming yet but I will gladly be a cheerleader and use my website to get the word out. Once you have a website up or maybe I can assist in that :)
 
take it from someone with experience, whatever you make, make sure you have damn good mission/level editing tools. At the end of the day if you don't have tools your mission designers/artists can use, you'll have a technically great but in practice useless engine.
 
Waxman said:
I have looked into those projects and am awaiting reply. I decided to start from scratch for now. since those games require other games to run it seams a little counter productive. Since I want this to be a game made from fans of the series, the fans get to decide on the name.
Click to expand...

There are already quite a few made by fans of the series from scratch that do not require other games to run:

Flight Commander
Privateer Gemini Gold
Privateer ASCII
And the unreleased Pioneer.

Good luck with your own project.
 
Thank you

right now I am still writing the story, so no codeing tools are being utilized. Was gonna use Visual Studio. 3d max or rhinoceros for the 3d part. Photoshop for the texturing , and something like sandbox for the level making.
 
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