Starscape Modding survey

[Fost]

Whilst we aren't in a position to work on anything right now (and may never be), we've already had a lot of feedback on modding from people on the board.

There are various issues relating to Starscape's internal architecture that mean adding a modding framework to it is no picnic, but we thought we'd leave this poll running to get everyone's opinions and if the opportunity ever arises to work on it, we'll have your opinions on which to base what we do.

The 'survival type' mod type would be something like that discussed in the above thread:

• Pre-defined player ship.
  
• Predefined enemy ships.
  
• configurable weapons (but doubtful any of the other equipment)
  
• Tool to insert your own sprites in our image format
  
• Tool to pack everything into one pak file.
  
• New option in game to load one of these mod chunks and run it.
  
• Possibly some support for running your own high score table based on the mod.

The last option is pretty self explanatory: you can take the campaign mode and alter that.

[HunterXI]

uh... I cant vote in the poll.

[Fost]

[Bobacles]

The only thing I'd like to try in campaign mode, are a few modded weapons and equipment. Changing the enemies/AI isn't really my thing.

[X-Fighter]

The most interesting mod features missing would be the ability to set triggers for kills, triggers for collections of minerals/parts/datacore amounts, text triggers(to tell the player what's up), and lastly would be sprite changes/weapon alterations.

I'm having trouble imagining anything extremely spectacular the mods proposed otherwise would actually add to the game.

[Fost]

Re Bobacles: You are kind of saying you'd like the mod features of the middle option but in the campaign mode - but I missed that option off for the reason that keeping it in a 'sandbox' environment means there's no need to put in a framework for the rest of the game (which would be a massive undertaking, and is one fo the main sticking points for mod development on Starscape). Also there is a ditinction between weapons (part of the particle system, so more easily scriptable) and equipment (part of the code).

Re: X-Fighter: I'm not entirely sure what kind of event system the middle option would have, but it would be pretty simple - maybe just a list of enemies and the order they are spawned in. Built on that, and depending on the response: text launching (pop up head) stuff might be possible, although the entire system isn't scripted any more so I'm not sure how much of a deal that would be. Generally though I'd say you want to be voting in the last option, because it sounds like you are only interested in altering the gameplay mode and trying to have a new type of game, which wouldn't be changeable with the middle option. (That poll option was actually for you after reading your Unreal post )

[HunterXI]

alright, works for me now... maybe the time limit was reached and I was autologged out? but yeah, I'd be happy to mod so long as we had grounds to do so... not asking for any proggie releases

[X-Fighter]

Well, I'm thinking of something that could be done all in a single map, like survival/instant action goes... most things I've ever been able to mod were able to give gameplay twists that make singular maps more interesting... expanding beyond the simplistic "mine, kill archnids, mine, mine, kill node natives, mine, mine", and possibly giving it storyline.(Visit the space kingdom(probably a modified version of the rescue asteroid, as it's the only thing that doesn't attack you/require detruction in the game), make "areas" within a single map that have significance... "asteroid always respawns here, no matter how many times you kill it" place, "super boss for after you rescue the princess shows up here" area.

That's kind of why I imagine there's a bit lacking in being able to mod starscape at all... there's a severe limit of naturally non-interactive characters, and making the ability for naturally interactive characters to become non-interactive would require too much work.

Being able to mod a whole campaign is way too much work for everyone involved.

(Note that being able to add something to count as a princess, and having a place to return it to would count as part of the potential goals(I'm imagining the space-suit guys as defining the princess, but as for objects that would stand for or be modable for a kingdom/castle to return her too...)

Also note: By interactive, I mean things that are attempting to kill you(pretty much everything), things you can kill(pretty much everything), and things like the Aegis, which actively assists you.
(Perhaps the various types/sizes of asteroids could be allowed to have new sprites... stacked with the ability to make some things "indestructable", might cover it).

Being able to play with the levels of minerals, and have them matter to triggers would be key to making any interesting mods(itempods, datacores, and warpdrive sections included in this).

[Fost]

Yeah, you're still talking about the last option, having everything within one map doesn't really help (much), because pretty much everything you are talking about editing is hard coded.

What we would need to do with Starscape is remove anything like that and reimplement them as scripts.

The medium option allows for people to play with designing weapons and enemies, and altering ship configs. It would need some kind of script system of it's own for when units were launched, but beyond that there would not be scope to change fundamentals about pre-existing gameplay on that map - currently this is programmed in, rather than interpreted from a script. Whereas weapon systems, particles, ship configs and graphics are all in external files, so could be part of the limited mod option as long as they are 'sandboxed in' by it.

[HunterXI]

[Fost]

[X-Fighter]

Or, we really could just forget the whole thing. I really would rather see Battlescape finished. There's really no point in making starscape modable, from what can be done, and the few people who want to mod it so badly that they're demanding source code should be able to write up their own game engines before you'd have time to re-write this one. (If they can't, then they really have no reason to be demanding the source code in the first place...)

[Fost]

[X-Fighter]

Well, my thought process is this: Which is cooler:
1: StarScape being very limitedly modable
2: StarScape getting a huge overhaul to make it extremely modable
3: Moonpod expending efforts to keep producing addicting little games that you end up beating before your CD arrives in the mail because you were willing to forgo things like sleep and food without thinking about it.

#1 seems kind of pointless, and #2 directly blocks #3 from happening. If it's not Battlescape, it's whatever will come after Battlescape.

The best bet is to develop a game with modability in mind before hand, otherwise you're basically going to totally re-develop the game you already made.(In which case, why not just go the last little distance and make it "StarScapeII"?)

[RailGun]

maybe have a short grace pariod after Battlescape to make patches and work on misc. stuff?although i'd rather see battlescape come out first i;d like to see starscape moddablen makenew archnid ships better equipment for tham and larger masses in each zone and probably unlimited enemy cap ships and maybe my own fighter hull + custom weapond like lightning gun and IPCs (ion Particle Cannon, not like the ion cannon) and ion cannon 5, 6 and 7's?

but i'd still prefer moonpod to acheive their greatness manking games than adding a little feature to ONE game that probably and will take awhile to do.

Cheers for Fost, Poobear and the rest of Moonpod!!!