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Just a thought........

A few of the key flags would make the tanks look visually different on screen.

There's already a few which do this now, that being a zoned tank(being somewhat seethrough) and cloak where the tank is gone. Tiny, obese, thief, masquerade and narrow.

The one I had at the top of the list would be the shield flag. If the tank looked beefier/padded on screen(3d), and upon being hit the "scales" or whatever would shatter off.

The wings flag. The tank would actually have wings, and the wings would have a similar look to them as a zoned tank? but the tank itself would look normal.

GM flag, the tank would gain some sort of small radar assembly and square rocket launcher assembly on the top, possibly replacing the turrett.

Machine Gun would give a tank two shorter length barrels.

Maybe even the shockwave flag, the turret would disappear altogether and some sort of coil assembly would be there. Or a coil would be added somewhere. I had something on my mind like what you'd see on command and conquer: red alert.(the tesla coils)

Alot of flags and the tank would still just "look normal". Stealth, high speed, rapid fire, bouncy, genocide, invisible bullet.

There's alot of flags that change the look of your weapon, why not change the look of the tank too?

*EDIT* One of the posters, Goodbye2U has mentioned that the conversions be a graphical add on, as opposed to being a partial conversion.

This is a good idea, I think.

This is a fun idea, but it would eliminate the need to identify to see what flag a tank has, which could have some detrimental gameplay effects.

An interesting thought... Would require some client software work, as your client renders your view of other people's tanks, but would not require any server changes.

There is a school of thought that says that the flag you have should be a bit of a secret, but as the poll showed in another thread, a lot of players use the right-click tank identifier anyway.

One of yours that I might change...

MG: A gatling gun, like the nose of an A-10 or the old Army Vulcan

Many tanks could still get a flag makeover:

• ST: Some kind of coating (like real stealth), a smoother, curvier surface, or a jamming antenna;
• V (High Speed): Mag Wheels? A big hood scoop with a blower sticking out of it like a dragster? Chrome exhaust?
• IB: A big silencer-looking thing on the end of the barrel;
• L: Some sinister looking coil around a glass tube;
• SB: A larger diamter barrel?
• Rapid fire... a barrel that looks more like a sub machine gun?
• Geno: Something that gives the tank a much more sinister look
• Agility, Quick turn:

I thought about some, like a blindfold for Jamming, Blind, or Colorblind, but bad flag carriers have enough problems the way it is.

Glad to see others like my ideas. Naturally, they can be debated and modified.

Spazzy:

That was my thoughts exactly. Especially taking in consideration a flag like GM. A visual difference would be very detrimental if experienced players happen to be in close proximity.

This could be better in some instances than having a shot limit. For all those turret whores out there.

Sky King:

I do like the idea of machine gun flag changing the look to having a gatling gun.(though I think dual barrels would be pretty sweet. Maybe that could be used for rapid fire or something)

About some of your others, especially the ST flag, you'd want to have alot of flags that still present themselves as normal visually, especially to take into consideration for those who are actually using the ST flag. That's kind of the idea behind not having labels during normal game play. Helps them blend in.

It's pretty clear if you see a tank in the middle of the sky moving around that it's got wings, but it's another thing if you see a close group of 5 and one of those looks completely normal or has the ST visual set that that's a ST.

But of course all of this is for the devs to decide.

IIRC there was also some discussion about this some time ago in IRC. So why not look into the logs and search for it (I'm to busy (== Lazy)) at the moment.

but the High Speed flag would put rockets on your tank

has anyone thought of how long it would take to do that? (not saying its a bad idea or anything.

It should be relatively easy on something like a GM launcher replacement for a turret. Theoretically it's as simple as replacing one graphic call with another. A good portion of the "conversion" work should already done considering current flags that change looks such as tiny, narrow, and so on.

But one such as the wings conversion I suggested, where the tank would have wings, and the wings look like a phantom/phazed tank might require more work.

part of bzflag (to me) that makes it so appealing is the simple graphics. w/ simple graphics, my not-so-decent graphics card can easily handle them. However, if they get 2 complex, as demonstrated by some of loumans verrrry textural maps (churchyard, desktop), my computer, and possibly other peoples, lags awfully.

I REALLY like the idea, i dont know how taxit it would be on the systems tho.

(PS does anyone feel the same way I do, about the graphics I mean?)

How 'bout the option to turn it off, then?

I saw this thread a while ago, I like the idea.

This idea will never happen....well with the current devs. Sorry to burst your bubble. This is due to the fact that bzflag was created to be a simple, open source game. The things you are talking about would require major client changes and taking away from the game's simplicity.

this is a copy and paste from jeffm's topic on general board guidelines

1. Don't bump old threads. Basically, if it's off or at the bottom of the front page, or hasn't been posted to in a while (couple weeks) we're already done with it. Make a new topic if you have something to say about the subject. Topics are cheap.

i read through the entire first 3 posts before i realised i had read it before.

sorry, i am not trying to be mean, i hope i dont come across as mean, just some friendly advice

bzflaginator
actually we've been thinking about it.

bzflaginator wrote:This idea will never happen....well with the current devs. Sorry to burst your bubble. This is due to the fact that bzflag was created to be a simple, open source game. The things you are talking about would require major client changes and taking away from the game's simplicity.

Eh? This wouldn't mess with the game's simplicity that much. The gameplay would still be the same; only the looks would be different.

And I like the idea!

exactly, with the visual differences you wouldn't need right click except fro MQ.

Right click is mostly only good for MQ anyways. That and finding campers from a distance (doesn't always work).

I actually like the idea of these 'changes' But we don't need to completely deface the tank.

Some out there are a little outrageous, and if the devs put something tath everybody hates, chances are they will remove it.

Maybe for the people who like challenge of having to use right-click, we could have it so the changes are noticable but not too drastic a change from the "normal" tank. It should at least be an option, though that would of course mean making two models for every flagged tank.

Why not have the graphical changes as model add-ons?
An example:
When someone gets GM,the rocket launcher is added to the tank(NOT the tank model changes)
If he drops the flag, the add-on disappears.
The basic tank model doesn't change, something is just put on top of it.

Anyone like this idea?

Goodbye2U wrote:Why not have the graphical changes as model add-ons?
An example:
When someone gets GM,the rocket launcher is added to the tank(NOT the tank model changes)
If he drops the flag, the add-on disappears.
The basic tank model doesn't change, something is just put on top of it.

Anyone like this idea?

very nice idea, G2U.

Yeah that would work well.




Very well.

I can try and make some
I'll use Win XP's tank models to demonstrate.
I apologize if it seems as if I'm taking over the idea.

EDIT: I dunno how to save renders, how do you?

I like the idea.

JeffM2501 wrote:actually we've been thinking about it.

By thinking about it do you mean:

-What about changing what a tank looks like with a specific flag.
-Why not? / Let's talk about it later

OR

-What about changing what a tank looks like with a specific flag.
-NO WAY!!!

whispershadow wrote:part of bzflag (to me) that makes it so appealing is the simple graphics. w/ simple graphics, my not-so-decent graphics card can easily handle them. However, if they get 2 complex, as demonstrated by some of loumans verrrry textural maps (churchyard, desktop), my computer, and possibly other peoples, lags awfully.

I REALLY like the idea, i dont know how taxit it would be on the systems tho.

(PS does anyone feel the same way I do, about the graphics I mean?)

You bring up a very valid point, however there's nothing that says that it has to be graphical intensive.

Changing the tank to a tiny one isn't a big deal, changing to narrow isn't a big deal, neither is any of the others. Obese and so on.

*EDIT* The models I posted were merey to give an outline of what the tank might look like in the BZflaggish kind of way. I don't expect an actual tank in play to look *LIKE THAT*. :-P

In other words, the bottom half of the BZtank would stay the same just add on the top half.

Just wanted to clear that up.