Physics of objects, other ideas
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:40 pm
The new meshes are great for adding visual appeal, but for things like
terrain they have a problem - you can't drive on them very smoothly (fixing this might make maps much more playable). So I've been thinking about how to use the new power in the map files in ways that would improve play, and a few ideas popped up.
One thing that comes to mind would be to allow map objects to move. Think, by analogy, of a minigolf course that has revolving doors so that you have to time your putt - map objects could oscillate allowing entrance/exit from structures, or allowing firing from camping positions. Maps could mutate over time, with buildings rising as if being constructed, or decaying as if weathered by time. (When I first heard that objects would have 'physics', this is what I thought it meant - that the objects themselves would move.)
It would also be good if the current physics that may be attached to objects (to affect tanks) could also affect shots (maybe with a distinct shot physics driver). Then one could build objects that would spray shells out at random reflections, or retarget ricochets in some way.
It might also be very useful to have world weapons be able to respond to tank positions - say, after you drive into an area, the world weapon counts down for a certain amount of time before going off. Or world weapons could be triggered by a shot - e.g. hit the target and a big SW goes off.
Finally, on yet another topic, I wish the acoustic environment were richer. Tank engines (changing with speed, as in the old Battlezone), objects with associated sound (imagine the hum of machinery near a building), and so forth would be neat. (Think of the loud French music blaring towards the end of Saving Private Ryan). Waterfalls and rivers could have appropriate sound, as well as wind in the trees. Falling frogs could splat.
This might go as far as affecting play - for example, instead of SEER there might be a HEARER, so that when a STealth tank gets close a tone with increasing pitch indicates the distance - you still can't see the tank on radar, but you have some indication that something is there. A bad flag might be WHISTLE, where people hear you. DEAFNESS might be another bad flag.
terrain they have a problem - you can't drive on them very smoothly (fixing this might make maps much more playable). So I've been thinking about how to use the new power in the map files in ways that would improve play, and a few ideas popped up.
One thing that comes to mind would be to allow map objects to move. Think, by analogy, of a minigolf course that has revolving doors so that you have to time your putt - map objects could oscillate allowing entrance/exit from structures, or allowing firing from camping positions. Maps could mutate over time, with buildings rising as if being constructed, or decaying as if weathered by time. (When I first heard that objects would have 'physics', this is what I thought it meant - that the objects themselves would move.)
It would also be good if the current physics that may be attached to objects (to affect tanks) could also affect shots (maybe with a distinct shot physics driver). Then one could build objects that would spray shells out at random reflections, or retarget ricochets in some way.
It might also be very useful to have world weapons be able to respond to tank positions - say, after you drive into an area, the world weapon counts down for a certain amount of time before going off. Or world weapons could be triggered by a shot - e.g. hit the target and a big SW goes off.
Finally, on yet another topic, I wish the acoustic environment were richer. Tank engines (changing with speed, as in the old Battlezone), objects with associated sound (imagine the hum of machinery near a building), and so forth would be neat. (Think of the loud French music blaring towards the end of Saving Private Ryan). Waterfalls and rivers could have appropriate sound, as well as wind in the trees. Falling frogs could splat.
This might go as far as affecting play - for example, instead of SEER there might be a HEARER, so that when a STealth tank gets close a tone with increasing pitch indicates the distance - you still can't see the tank on radar, but you have some indication that something is there. A bad flag might be WHISTLE, where people hear you. DEAFNESS might be another bad flag.