A Mod that changes beam colors.

[Gamel]

I believe we can do this. already. in game soon.


#confirmed

it's over 9000......

btw, this means i can change not just the color, also the shape of explosion in the future builds, right?

 

[Omni]

I like the direction that Schine has been taking things lately, and this is a prime example of that. Instead of coding in specific features and only appealing to those who wanted those specific features, one could create frameworks and foundations so that nearly anyone could turn the game into whatever they want.

Oh, and yes, I agree with custom particle effects being a server-side thing.

As I said in the Modding and You thread in the main Mods forum, "It is my personal hope that we can make StarMade as moddable as possible. If you wish to live out your fantasies in space, I want to give you that opportunity."

In my eye, StarMade isn't about giving you our vision of a sci-fi universe, it's about giving you a place to make your own. Whether done directly through gameplay choices, done with internal tools or done by modding files externally, the universe should be yours, not ours. In multiplayer, it should be a combination of the admin's preferences and the actions of the players.

it's over 9000......

btw, this means i can change not just the color, also the shape of explosion in the future builds, right?

Being that I would go insane without the ability to change the shape of explosions as that is one of the most basic concepts of particle systems, I think you can safely assume yes.

 

[NinjaStarMade]

Think I heard schema say this is done in the dev/hotfix during the Q&A you just place a colored light next to (or linked to?) the weapons computer.

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

Think I heard schema say this is done in the dev/hotfix during the Q&A you just place a colored light next to (or linked to?) the weapons computer.

Yes that was mentioned in the live stream. I'm not sure how I feel about this, I like constructing my core rooms in a specific way and that doesn't include random lights next to the computers. I'm sure there is a more elegant way to accomplish this such as just having a color option in the weapons tab.

 

[Omni]

Yes that was mentioned in the live stream. I'm not sure how I feel about this, I like constructing my core rooms in a specific way and that doesn't include random lights next to the computers. I'm sure there is a more elegant way to accomplish this such as just having a color option in the weapons tab.

I also have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it has intriguing intuitive qualities. That's generally what most of things like these are designed for. On the other hand, "intuitive" implies easy to figure out, and who the hell is going to think "If I strap a red lightbulb to the side of my gun, maybe the bullets will turn red!" A dropdown menu might be a little less immersive, but it also might be more... not retardedly random.

On the other hand, perhaps when light blocks are attached to weapons/computers they could change to no longer cast light and look like they're contained in something that attaches to the weapon? But all of it seems rather arbitrary. The greatest benefit is perhaps requiring you to actually have a physical block to change colors, rather than assuming all weapons have some sort of weird rotating set of lens to alter the color like stage spotlights or something. That would mean color changing would require some sort of actual change in the construction, an actual alteration in the ship, which I do find interesting.

Might make more sense if you had to attach crystals to the weapons/computers, as if the crystal was serving as a lens. (Even if you could attach it anywhere, because having to put them on the front of weapons would be extremely annoying.) Of course, missiles and cannons don't go through lenses and change color, they mostly just explode on them, so it's still a little bit of a stretch to apply this to the entire weapon system universally.

Not sure what the best balance would be to create the best and most entertaining gameplay. I imagine it could be figured out over time if necessary.

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

I also have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it has intriguing intuitive qualities. That's generally what most of things like these are designed for. On the other hand, "intuitive" implies easy to figure out, and who the hell is going to think "If I strap a red lightbulb to the side of my gun, maybe the bullets will turn red!" A dropdown menu might be a little less immersive, but it also might be more... not retardedly random.

On the other hand, perhaps when light blocks are attached to weapons/computers they could change to no longer cast light and look like they're contained in something that attaches to the weapon? But all of it seems rather arbitrary. The greatest benefit is perhaps requiring you to actually have a physical block to change colors, rather than assuming all weapons have some sort of weird rotating set of lens to alter the color like stage spotlights or something. That would mean color changing would require some sort of actual change in the construction, an actual alteration in the ship, which I do find interesting.

Might make more sense if you had to attach crystals to the weapons/computers, as if the crystal was serving as a lens. (Even if you could attach it anywhere, because having to put them on the front of weapons would be extremely annoying.) Of course, missiles and cannons don't go through lenses and change color, they mostly just explode on them, so it's still a little bit of a stretch to apply this to the entire weapon system universally.

Not sure what the best balance would be to create the best and most entertaining gameplay. I imagine it could be figured out over time if necessary.

I'd be fine if it just used the connection system in game, that way you can just hide lights/crystal in the floor or something, or just select one of many colored lights already on my ship. I would still prefer just to set it up from inside the weapons tab though. We already have it, and can adjust the stats of the weapons at will so I don't see why it would be too much of a stretch to just adjust the color as well. Being able to set the color as a function of the computer will also allow small fighters to change the effects as they have to use their space much more efficiently than larger ships.

 

[Reilly Reese]

Simply make the weapons comp have a single storage slot where you stick the light in! :D

 

[Commodore]

I would much prefer to see different colors based on the combination you are using. I.e. Laser = green, Laser + Cannon = red, Laser + laser = yellow, laser + missile = blue, laser + pulsator = orange.

 

[Blodge]

Simply make the weapons comp have a single storage slot where you stick the light in! :D

Yes! This is a great idea. While I would be most happy with the simplicity of choosing the colour from a list within the Weapons Computer, being able to slot the Computer feels much more intuitive. You could even slot a computer with more than one Plexlight at a time to combine colours and get new shades

 

[Omni]

Simply make the weapons comp have a single storage slot where you stick the light in! :D

...that's actually an extremely elegant and simple way of doing it. Good thinking. Not sure what a final implementation of weapon coloring might be, but this method would certainly take care of the problem of random lights needed to be placed on the ship or being able to flip colors at will like the rotating lens thing I mentioned. I would lean towards requiring crystals rather than plexlights to make it a little more complex.

If in the weapon's GUI panel there is a "color crystal" slot, that would actually be INCREDIBLY intuitive. It'd tell you the possibility is there and what kind of thing you need for it while still requiring you to work a little to make what you want. To new players, it'd be another small and satisfying challenge to get a crystal and put it in the block for the first time, seeing the reward for your effort.

 

[Reilly Reese]

Just make sure you credit me with the idea if it goes live

 

[towerbilder]

Well, that'll come with the new weapons system being implemented. Beam weapons are instant travel. (Like an actual laser.) Mix them together and you get plenty of variations. Here was the old graph from the first news article about it:

In other words, trust me, you'll have plenty of new fancy things to play with. If you want lasers or want big explosive projectiles (rather than little pew-pew projectiles, as you put it), you'll have that option. The game is sorely lacking in epic explosions at the moment, which is something I plan to change with the new particle systems.

Personally? Looking forward to rapid cannons, charge lasers and swarm missiles. Not because I expect them to be abnormally strong/overpowered, just because I think they'd fit my play style. Of course, experimenting with all different kinds of weapon types will be amazingly fun. Long range weapons ought to be quite fun... heheheh.

I'm looking forward to outfitting turents with proximity charges I think that will increase effective Ness and look amazing but of course the looks are partly up to you.

 

[Blodge]

I'm looking forward to outfitting turents with proximity charges I think that will increase effective Ness and look amazing but of course the looks are partly up to you.

Do you mean have a mine-laying Turret? Or one that self-destructs if an enemy gets too close to it?

 

[towerbilder]

Do you mean have a mine-laying Turret? Or one that self-destructs if an enemy gets too close to it?

No one that shoots blasts out that go of when near the target

 

[Reilly Reese]

One that shoots when an enemy enters a certain radius. That would be useful for ambushes I suppose.

 

[Blodge]

No one that shoots blasts out that go of when near the target

Ah right. I presume that kind of thing would come under either Flak Cannon or Sleeper Missiles in the above chart? Not 100% sure as some of the descriptions are a bit open to interpretation. I'm keen to find out what a Tsar Bomba does, though

 

[Blodge]

One that shoots when an enemy enters a certain radius. That would be useful for ambushes I suppose.

Maybe Proximity Pulses would work that way?