tbg10101 1230417614|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Other » Hey Devs for this Game
Thanks for the interest in the game!
Recent Forum Posts
tbg10101 1230417614|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Other » Hey Devs for this Game
Craig Macomber 1229548309|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Other » Hey Devs for this Game
Like Matt said, I don't think we could make it browser based. We may eventually make some parts of it available to web browsers (live stat reports, checking you messages, whatever). Things like real time 3D space combat (you can move your (3D) fleets in any direction in 3D, not just 3D graphics on a 2D map) and 3D plant, and exploring planets and the galaxy would simply not work in a browser. Think google earth (3D) not google maps (2D browser based). We will have physically 3D mountains and hills on our planets.
Regarding cities however, you play at a higher level than city design. As the leader of an interstellar empire, you wont have time to design all of your (likely hundreds) of vast cities. Only their functions, not their designs have importance. I would like to have 3D procedural cities so you could zoom in and look around, but that is hard and not necessary so if added, it will come after the initial release.
I like to consider my planets 4D. True 3D because you can zoom ring in on them from the solar system and see mountains and such as you explore, but also 4D because they change over time. They have will have seasons, ice ages, and other weather patters which effect vegetation, as well as slow changes to the continents themselves.
Anyway, thats my plan. Progress has been slow lately, but in various versions we have already had (uncontrolled) ships move in 3D, and had simplistic 3D planets.
Matt R 1229526096|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Other » Hey Devs for this Game
The will likely never be browser based. That is because our goals simply exceed what browser based games can offer.
By 3D we mean that this game is… well… 3D. The FG galaxy is completely 3D, meaning that our solar systems orbit around the center of the galaxy created a three dimensional galactic disk. Inside of these solar systems planets operate in the same way. When you have a ship, you can move it in a any direction, not simply on a 2d plane. Planets themselves are 3d spheres as well, not 2d planes like most other games similar to FG. When you zoom in on a planet, you will zoom in on a part of the sphere as you go closer and closer to the planets surface.
I guess its kind of hard to explain, but just everything will be 3D.
Paladinofwar 1229524371|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Other » Hey Devs for this Game
Anyway, this looks pretty cool. You got a player in me when it comes out. This is pretty neat. I have a few questions though. Will it ever be browser based? And When you say 3D does that mean you can fly around in a space ship and visit other planets while you build you planet in a city-building format? I'm not quite sure on that point. You say battles happen in 3D, so you can move them around and stuff?
Paladinofwar 1229524370|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Deleted threads » Hey Devs for this Game
Anyway, this looks pretty cool. You got a player in me when it comes out. This is pretty neat. I have a few questions though. Will it ever be browser based? And When you say 3D does that mean you can fly around in a space ship and visit other planets while you build you planet in a city-building format? I'm not quite sure on that point. You say battles happen in 3D, so you can move them around and stuff?
Crazy C 1228800033|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
Yes, but they would learn a valuable lesson in the process. Realistically, it is very possible for entire nations to go bankrupt and fall apart, like the Soviet Union did in the 1980s and early 1990s.
tbg10101 1226522854|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
if players want to crash their economies, let them…
hmmm. maybe that is too cruel…
Craig Macomber 1226296202|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
Yes, people do lots of counterintuitive things, especially when they are only counterintuitive if you focus on the long term. However, be aware that almost everyone goes into debut to buy a house, and many do so to buy cars, and some do so to buy sacks (credit cards!).
Which regulations? There was an era of deregulation small government economics on both sides of Clinton. Regan did a lot of it. Go look it up, Regan has his own stock market crash and Savings an Loans Crisis nearly identical to the present one related to his tax cuts and "trickle down economics" (Somewhat or greatly depending on your bias) related to the repeal of New Deal reforms put in place after the great depression. A repeat of his mistakes caused the current savings and loans crisis.
Phenoca 1226293225|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
Wait - that's counter-intuitive; why buy a house that you cannot afford? If I myself do that, and get into debt, then I will be depressed once I found-out what I've done.
and not looking back to the great depression to see why the regulations that they were removing were in place
Which regulations were those?
we can simply let players suffer the consequences of their actions.
You mean resource-production will not be sustainable? But then a player can disband their colony and inhabit another planet! Or does this take resources also?
Regarding development:
I'll publish the docs.
Matt R 1226204644|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Planet Tool Design Delay
No worries, Craig. With most of the project team held up in recent weeks, its good that you're making progress at all.
Craig Macomber 1226199536|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Planet Tool Design Delay
I'm working on a tool to let users design algorithms for generating planets. This concept is complex; I mistakenly focused too much what the planet appears to do, design a planet. This is not what it does, and thus I made a mistake. Currently the planet tool generates a series of layers that are used to generate the textures for the planet. What I need to do is have is a planet that accepts the series of layers that define the algorithm, and use them to texture itself. Basically I need split the cashed information and save it as part of the planet, not a layer, and use data from the planet when generating everything. It will take a few hours of work to fix, so there will be some delays.
NeatNit 1226161967|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Bugs and Issues » Does the Windows version even WORK?
Lol, yeah, and the radiation also pushes nearby planets (for the reason of not having an annoyingly inaccessible star/planet)
Craig Macomber 1226121022|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
Off-topic: Speaking of production… I've just read in Geography class that - believe it or not - humans do not plan long-term
Yep. Thats the cause of the economic crisis (people getting mortgages they would not be able to pay later, and not looking back to the great depression to see why the regulations that they were removing were in place). Thats the cause of the largest issue, overpopulation, and many others. There is evidence that Easter Island acutely had a pest problem (the rats ate the tree's seeds!), so that may be a different issue.
I am certainly interested in the effects, and having some sort of "environmental-activism" feature/tech in FG :P
Don't worry, we can simply let players suffer the consequences of their actions.
I could probably divert more time to the project if I knew where I was needed (ie. critiquing docs)?
You can look at the list of tasks on the dev site main page. Publishing docs might be the best task for you at the moment, tho you can get involved on some of the more complex math if you would rather.
Phenoca 1226120480|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Bugs and Issues » Does the Windows version even WORK?
Thanks NeatNit, and welcome to the forums :)
I edited the downloads page a bit. I think it is more clear now. Big red warning text should do the trick.
LOL.
Good one Craig.
Perhaps if you place a mouse over a planet, it gets a bright aura around it (hmm, caused by radiation from your cursor interacting with the atmosphere of the planet) and you can click on the aura?
Phenoca 1226120076|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Other / Announcements » Site Goes Public!
300 days of inactivity… *Bump*
Phenoca 1226117316|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
Agreed, Matt :)
I could probably divert more time to the project if I knew where I was needed (ie. critiquing docs)?
Regarding Craig's post: Nice thoughts on relating scenery to music. I agree with the shipping prices and tariffs. As for combat stats, where can I read more about your idea? Having a climate-modifier makes sense, and weather/seasons could be implemented once the combat UI is functional.
Off-topic: Speaking of production… I've just read in Geography class that - believe it or not - humans do not plan long-term (in terms of the environment). Expansion is realistically based on living with nature, or over-exploiting it. At our current rate (globally), we will run out of farmland due to salinization, lack of crop-rotation, overpopulation, urbanized farmland, etc. (examples from the past = Rome, Easter Island, and Sumer). I do not know if sustainable expansion should affect gameplay or not. But as an Environmental Sciences student, I am certainly interested in the effects, and having some sort of "environmental-activism" feature/tech in FG :P
Craig Macomber: using it [new technology] in the presence of others makes them more likely to discover it.
Cool! This is a great idea.
The efficiency-bonuses to using the same tech repeatedly is also a good idea :)
Keep us posted on the "full time" opportunity, Matt :)
Working on FG full-time would be really cool, and it would also take a lot of dedication.
Phenoca 1226117236|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Planet Tool Progress
Craig Macomber: I'm glad you like it. It will be much more impressive soon.
That is a big statement Craig.
I struggle to design the simplest artwork (including 2-dimensional stuff), so I cannot imagine you making the texture even more realistic. Nevertheless, I am continually surprised by your abilities, and designing a planet should be fish and chips for you (though the fish may be a sturgeon ;).
Interesting… You are basically going to be "merging" all edges? The reference to bump mapped texture went right over my head, but when I am in doubt, there's Wikipedia!
Craig Macomber 1224884060|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Bugs and Issues » Does the Windows version even WORK?
I edited the downloads page a bit. I think it is more clear now. Big red warning text should do the trick.
Thanks for the feed back. You have improved our web site, and hopefully helped our future reputation. Your comments are appreciated.
NeatNit 1224787568|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Bugs and Issues » Does the Windows version even WORK?
The first impression is most important, so yes I think you should remove it.
Thanks for answering me guys :P
Matt R 1224704888|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Fragmented Galaxy / Game News » Slow Progress
Because this is a purely volunteer-based project, constant extended progress has just been impossible. Since the very beginning of FG its development has gone through up and down stages where we make really fast progress or none at all.
So, the thing to take away from this is that we are simply in a down stage, people are swamped with stuff to do other than FG, and so we need to hold on until things pick up, which they will.