Upgraded tanks

[Crallion]

I thought it would be a good idea to upgrade the tanks a bit. Make them look a bit more realistic. That would enhance the gameplay graphics a lot and its not a very difficult change, seeing the outcome.

[Bambino]

http://my.bzflag.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=12234

ducktape
the code is in the 2.99 branch so it will be part of 3.0 when it ships. I am currently working on the specifics of HOW the client will handle the swapping of them. At the very least you will be able to change the model that is show for all tanks on your display.

This specific tank model will not be part of the game, since it can never be open sourced.

[blast]

I believe that code was removed from the development version, so at this point it is not likely going to be in 3.0.0.

[JeffM]

it wasn't removed, it was disabled. We'll work on that after 3.0 is released.

[Crallion]

Cool

[fluffy mcduff]

why not have a library of tanks included, and players will be able to choose which one before they play? that way their tank model won't have to be sent out to every player. either that, or players can have an option to turn off the downloading of other player's tank models. or the tank model s embedded in whatever map you are playing.

[joevano]

I believe, choosing which tank model will be used will be a client side feature. All tanks will look the same for a given player, but the tank you are seeing will not necessarily be the tanks that your opponent is seeing, as they may have a different one selected.

[fluffy mcduff]

alright, here is my full idea, not a brainstorm:

3.0 will have a library of tanks included, which is not changeable. if it were changeable, tank models would have to be sent over the interwebz, and people could just make an empty file, so they are "permanently cloaked". before playing, the tank model would be chosen from the menu, along with the callsign, the email, and the server. then, you would see a variety of different tanks, which would add a degree of interestingness to the game. new tank models could be submitted through the forum, to be included in the next version of bzflag. but the choice of tank could be overrided by the server, forcing a tank type, or a tank file would be included in the server, and that would be the only way the tank would be different from the preset list.
this opens up all kinds of interesting mapmaking oppritunities, like an AVP map, where one team is the aliens, and one is the predators, and the tank designs are the aliens and the predators

whaddaya think?

[JeffM]

that has always been the general idea. The logistics behind getting valid tank models to players is a little more complex, but is mostly similar to how we handle images now.

The code that does this in bzflag still needs work before it can be activated in a release version. It will not be in 3.0.0