Weekly Update #28

Battlescape
21

So its random at the start of each new match which team has what resoruces and holds X parts of system space and surface assets.

How will the start up of each game go, will orders have to be given to players from the game or a player commander? on how to deploy. Some protecting, some attacking mining and cargo ship lanes and on surface of planets and moons. Gas giant and Asteroid bases as well?

How will we all ‘know’ we must work as a team. Apart from losing through being disorganised. This part is a hard thing to pull together for online gaming with players who might not know each other. And running/flying around as lone wolf pilots, not being part of the team match.

Team Communication

How will players communicate all this at the start of a match. Will there be in-game VOIP comms and text chat ? Will there be lots of official Discord rooms to use, auto assigned to each match - i.e. with a commanders channel to issue orders to small groups or leader of small groups. Or same but with teamspeak?

I’m guessing by game launch Discord will be the thing of choice for VOIP.

Will the game have a few different text chat languages at launch, or will this be just English to start with. Maybe different language Discord rooms available for games created in non English speakers.

I would really like to use VOIP for I:B matches (English speaking). And also would love to see a ‘radio’ effects plugin for Discord emerge soon, now they have released the plugin API.

To add to that ‘Battlestar Galactica’ viper to battlestar comms radio effects vibe we heard in the re-imagined 2004 TV show. (ring modulation and single sideband radio effects)

Sort of like this example here (most likely done with crosstalk teamspk plugin)

  • I like to use the teamspeak plugin called Crosstalk to add in radio effects to everyone’s voice (not my own), with a little work can give you BSG radio effects. (ring modulation and single sideband radio voice effects)

But a Discord plugin that does the same, maybe more…would be real cool to have.

And have been trying to get the developer to take a look at doing the same for Discord. The Discord devs told me it would be possible now they released the plugin api… but the Crosstalk dev is not ‘yet’ keen to look at this. I continue to lobby him.

Main Crosstalk (and Beta) plugin on Github *always install from github for latest version.

1 Like
22

If it does end up on Discord, let us know :slight_smile:

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23

I have been lobbying the Discord devs to create their own VOIP effects plugin. And also the Crosstalk dev.

I think in a year or so, Discord will be the go-to VOIP program for windows and web. I think only the windows program will be able to have the VOIP radio effects.

For I:B matches, we have 3 options, in-game coms voice and text chat. Or moving to Discord with official channels and rooms. or teamspeak. I vote Discord.

3 Likes
24

I just wanna show how easy it’s to make this statement PC and remove any unintended misleading.

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25

I guess the lesson to be learned from NMS is managing expectations? :stuck_out_tongue:

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Perfect opportunity to remind people about the Infinity Community Discord Server

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27

We won’t be building our own VOIP solution and haven’t spent much time looking at how easy it would be to integrate various 3rd party solutions. It’s likely going to remain low priority for us until the very end of the development cycle since everybody seems to be getting along fine using the public Discord channel.

We’re only guaranteeing support for English in chat and the UI will likely not be localized in any other languages until after the game ships to retail if at all.

4 Likes
28

I have a question because I can tell your planning to add water but my question is how will ships behave when entering underwater? would only some small ones be able to get under the water? Mainly because it would be a cool way to sneak up on a base with like a fleet of tiny ships under the water.

Also if added then how to I upgrade my pledge and also would kickstarter pledgers be able to upgrade to larger kickstarter pledges like $2500? Also are the bullets made of a type of plasma? Or 100% electricity sense they only cost energy.

Mainly that ship looks very cool, would it have a spawn point for players? lol I have bad timing I was typing this when you posted, just 5 minutes earlier would have been better.

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My only thought here is how are players brought together to be on the same side, and know which roles/ships to use. Is there a commander or team leaders. How will this all work so that sides work as a team.

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My Crosstalk VOIP Radio Effects Plugin for Discord idea, up vote if you like it.

edit new url:
https://feedback.discordapp.com/forums/326712-discord-dream-land/suggestions/15848755-crosstalk-voip-radio-effects-plugin-for-discord

2 Likes
31

Good point about water, that’s something I haven’t seen mentioned. I don’t think that ships should be able to go underwater at first because it would necessitate underwater visuals, which the devs haven’t done yet. I think that ships should be able to go underwater eventually though. They’re shielded and can withstand the pressures of the gas giant’s upper atmosphere.

The engine has already showcased water and oceans before. In some videos on the Inovae channel, and I believe people have modded oceans on the prototype (?) If so, it should be easy to find out how ships currently behave underwater. I’m probably remembering wrong though.

The easiest solution would be to either not have water in the first versions of the game or include oceans and rudimentary visuals at first.

32

Our current plan is that once a ship collides with the water it will die - you won’t be able to fly underwater.

We weren’t planning on allowing pledges to be upgraded to the $2500 tier, the max is $500, but we could certainly reconsider.

There are bullets, which are physical projectiles like any other bullet, and there are blasters which are an energy weapon that we haven’t finalized how to classify the type of projectile. It could be a slug from a rail gun or a ball of super heated plasma - it’s still under debate.

The NPC hauler will not be able to spawn players.

3 Likes
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You should sometime try making it so certain ships like the intercepter can survive underwater and maybe all for a short time and while in the water go very slow. Also I think you can tell by my username that I really like the plasma ball.

Also how big is the hauler? because it needs to be resistant to capital ships so they cant easily destroy it.

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I’m curious as to why this is? Through all the trouble of building a seamless solar system and it stops at the surface of an ocean. Is the reasoning performance based? Visuals(lack of art)? Or is it for gameplay flavour? Sneaking up underwater creates unique tactics that could further differentiate I:BS from competition while adding fun gameplay.

4 Likes
36

Ultimately it’s due to the lack of resources to properly build compelling underwater gameplay. There’s a reason that oceans are currently disabled by default - we haven’t had time to properly finish them up and that’s just for the above water portion.

We simply didn’t raise enough money.

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37

Not yet anyway.

Glass half full :slight_smile:

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38

I thought that with the hype train following space sims, especially ones with vast scale or procedural content would boost I:B’s funding and popularity. It didn’t really (or at least not to the level that we would have liked). I guess it’s not that surprising considering that other space sims had popular franchises or reputations already.

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ok here’s piramide of thruth and answers for all questions what happens here inside in little picture

maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.jpg1500×1159 594 KB

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41

The ones with access to the prototype can see for themselves by activating oceans.
They look alright from above and in certain positions.
But underwater it’s like there wasn’t an ocean at all. Currently it is just a layer that doesn’t even block light.
It also is quite unoptimized. It would be quite the effort to add more fidelity while making it acceptable GPU resource wise.
Also, like Keith said, if you make yourself all the effort adding gameplay for people to have a reason to go there would be the right way.
I think it’s alright.

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42

Speaking of underwater, UNIGINE 2 does a pretty good job with it…

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