Weapons Kick

[Omni]

We also need weapon sounds and weapon impact sounds for the myriad of weapon combinations now in the game

Well I can't say for certain what the future holds, but in an ideal world each combo will not only have its own weapon firing and impact sounds, but also its own variant particle system. Some would vary more than others, of course, but the visual differentiation is just as important as the audio. It's a bit tricky, though, since the combos can vary in ratio. It'd be odd if slaving a single cannon block to a massive cannon drastically changed how it would look and sound. At the same time, at a 1:1 ratio, it'd be odd if the look and sound were the same as a non-hybrid cannon.

On top of that we need weapon sprites to cast light on nearby objects

Lighting in StarMade is handled in a way that doesn't lean as easily towards light-casting. Particle effects can simulate a sort of "light" for an impact, but aren't really the same, I know. The only lighting that is calculated continuously is the light and shadow from the sun/star; all the rest is calculated once on chunk load and kept, only recalculated if the chunk has a lighting update. (A light turns on or off, for example.) Then again, a quick omni light with no shadow casting might be possible, but issues such as lighting interiors incorrectly may make that not worth it. (Heheh... "omni" light.)

 

[Proxima_Centauri]

@Omni
Are actual explosions and/or shock waves planned for missiles and explosive blocks? That would be a lot of fun...

 

[jath]

I want a cannon to feel (in visuals and audio) like you just launched a big piece of solid matter out of your ship at high velocity, and when that big piece of solid matter hits, I want it to look and sound like you just hit it with a massive artillery shell. In other words, deep bass, loud booms and satisfying contact visual effects such as explosions. Which, there's no sound in space and not nearly as much in the way of explosions, but Rule of Cool. (So long as they're not overdone.)

I think you mean "anti" matter... lol

As for no sound in space, that's not entirely true. If the weapon brings its own atmosphere into the vacuum, such as at the muzzle of a gun, or an explosion (anti matter will explode on contact with regular matter) there will be some degree of sound. It won't travel the same way it does in an atmosphere though, it won't be a sound wave so much as a sound blast (because the thing transferring the noise is the released matter traveling at high speeds), but it would transfer through hulls and into suits quit fine.

Lighting in StarMade is handled in a way that doesn't lean as easily towards light-casting. Particle effects can simulate a sort of "light" for an impact, but aren't really the same, I know. The only lighting that is calculated continuously is the light and shadow from the sun/star; all the rest is calculated once on chunk load and kept, only recalculated if the chunk has a lighting update. (A light turns on or off, for example.) Then again, a quick omni light with no shadow casting might be possible, but issues such as lighting interiors incorrectly may make that not worth it. (Heheh... "omni" light.)

Before working too much more on lighting effects, please give us personal flashlights... they are sorely needed. Perhaps they can come from the wrist PDA? There's got to be a button free in astronaut mode...

 

[MossyStone48]

I always appreciated freespace's "get clear or die" mechanic. In WC if a big ship blows up no big deal. In FS if you are too close you become a secondary explosion.

 

[jath]

right, but only with the bigger ships.

 

[Omni]

I think you mean "anti" matter... lol

I think the "anti-matter" part of the cannon concept has been removed, just leaving them as "cannons". Not that we're specifying the exact details; you can imagine them as any kind of cannon you like.

As for no sound in space, that's not entirely true. If the weapon brings its own atmosphere into the vacuum, such as at the muzzle of a gun, or an explosion (anti matter will explode on contact with regular matter) there will be some degree of sound. It won't travel the same way it does in an atmosphere though, it won't be a sound wave so much as a sound blast (because the thing transferring the noise is the released matter traveling at high speeds), but it would transfer through hulls and into suits quit fine.

Haha, true. The "no sound in space" thing is somewhat of a misconception. (I was hoping someone would call me out on that. ) In truth, exactly how "sound" (vibrations in matter) is really handled in space/a vacuum isn't important for the game's mechanics. For the sake of gameplay and the general comfort/familiarity of players, it's probably best that sound is just handled as we are used to. (Through air and other volumes of matter.)

Before working too much more on lighting effects, please give us personal flashlights... they are sorely needed. Perhaps they can come from the wrist PDA? There's got to be a button free in astronaut mode...

While I can't make any promises and, as I said, the lighting system doesn't lean toward dynamic lighting, I agree that a flashlight would be nice. Hopefully it'll be possible/added in the future.

Also, that thing attached to your wrist is known as a Fabricator. It is wired into your nervous system and manages all astronaut-based manipulation and storage of blocks, as well as a myriad of other important functions for any StarMade astronaut.

 

[WaffulMann]

Yes. Fire all your turrets backwards to gain maximum velocity. Love it.
This would add another whole layer to ship buildings as small ships can no longer have massive weapons because kick.

 

[Omni]

Especiall small ships that are mostly just a big gun with thrusters i want to be very hard to fly. trying to shoot and move should be pretty frustrating unless the ship is balanced correctly. either the building tones back the weapons some or the make the ship bigger to handle the kick.

@Omni
Are actual explosions and/or shock waves planned for missiles and explosive blocks? That would be a lot of fun...

Yes. Fire all your turrets backwards to gain maximum velocity. Love it.
This would add another whole layer to ship buildings as small ships can no longer have massive weapons because kick.

I'm not sure whether or not any recoil for weapons will be added. Similar to how the thrusters can move you in any direction with an even weight distribution regardless of where you place them, much of the way the game is designed is for fun over realism, and I'm not sure recoil would contribute to the general fun.

Actual physical gameplay punch and recoil would be more Schema and Calbiri's thing. My job is just to make it look and sound satisfying.

 

[jath]

Also, that thing attached to your wrist is known as a Fabricator. It is wired into your nervous system and manages all astronaut-based manipulation and storage of blocks, as well as a myriad of other important functions for any StarMade astronaut.

I know that, but the word Fabricator isn't 3 letters.

Regardless, I have a house key with a flashlight, surely the fabricator can fit one too? Not to mention play MP3s?

 

[MossyStone48]

@Omni I dig. And I wouldn't want the disruptive nature of a recoil (if one is ever implemented) to be something the servers can't tone down or disable. A server that is a purist fighter arena might turn it off completely.

 

[Omni]

I know that, but the word Fabricator isn't 3 letters.

Regardless, I have a house key with a flashlight, surely the fabricator can fit one too? Not to mention play MP3s?

To mess with your brain, I'm going to put forth the concept that Alt-Tabbing the game and doing anything else on your computer could be instead considered you using your Fabricator for something else. So yeah, it plays MP3s, video, flash games, StarMade.... (...wait, what?)

Believe me, I'd love to stick a flashlight on that thing, or even have a suit attachment flashlight. (As it'd be more steady.) It all comes down to performance, though. It would also stick out strangely if you couldn't see the flashlight effects of other players, so that means one additional dynamic spotlight per player (at least within a certain radius), and that could get really out of hand. (Hmm. Wonder if they could all be combined to a single pass, making the number of flashlights irrelevant... perhaps not, but an interesting idea.)

 

[Crimson-Artist]

hey @Omni

what do you think of adding first person perspectives on our actions? like us seeing our hands in astronaut mode? its becoming very hard to tell when I'm in build mode or in astronaut mode since at times theres absolutely no difference in terms of visual cues.

wouldn't it be cool for us to see us holding our pistol rather then just assuming that you having it selected?

 

[jayman38]

For years, I've wanted to see my feet in fps. Forget everything else. No feet = nightmare mode. :p After I can see my astronaut's feet, hands are fine.

Instead of holding a pistol I'd like to see a wrist device on a fully-spacesuited arm. Different devices (weapons, salvage, marker beam, etc.) would have different textures, but the same model. That might save a little space. Although, realistically, models (even with animations) aren't as resource-heavy as textures. Still it would be cool to have some sort of pipboy-9000-style modular arm device. You could still have hand-held devices with larger equipment, like sniper rifles, personal rocket launchers, and extra-large bulk personal salvagers.

 

[Ithirahad]

To mess with your brain, I'm going to put forth the concept that Alt-Tabbing the game and doing anything else on your computer could be instead considered you using your Fabricator for something else. So yeah, it plays MP3s, video, flash games, StarMade.... (...wait, what?)

Whoa. This has some strange implications... So if I launch a second SM instance while alt-tabbed out of my original session, I just launched SM in SM? And what if my computer has a webcam? My player's face doesn't look like mine, so where do those images come from...

 

[Mariux]

I think the "anti-matter" part of the cannon concept has been removed, just leaving them as "cannons". Not that we're specifying the exact details; you can imagine them as any kind of cannon you like.

Haha, true. The "no sound in space" thing is somewhat of a misconception. (I was hoping someone would call me out on that. ) In truth, exactly how "sound" (vibrations in matter) is really handled in space/a vacuum isn't important for the game's mechanics. For the sake of gameplay and the general comfort/familiarity of players, it's probably best that sound is just handled as we are used to. (Through air and other volumes of matter.)

While I can't make any promises and, as I said, the lighting system doesn't lean toward dynamic lighting, I agree that a flashlight would be nice. Hopefully it'll be possible/added in the future.

Also, that thing attached to your wrist is known as a Fabricator. It is wired into your nervous system and manages all astronaut-based manipulation and storage of blocks, as well as a myriad of other important functions for any StarMade astronaut.

If we had space fighters in real life, it would still be quite practical having some sort of indication that the target you're shooting at is getting hit... So sound emulation would make quite a lot of sense.

 

[Megacrafter127]

If we had space fighters in real life, it would still be quite practical having some sort of indication that the target you're shooting at is getting hit... So sound emulation would make quite a lot of sense.

We already have hit indicators. :P

 

[Omni]

Whoa. This has some strange implications... So if I launch a second SM instance while alt-tabbed out of my original session, I just launched SM in SM? And what if my computer has a webcam? My player's face doesn't look like mine, so where do those images come from...

...okay the webcam part I can't explain. Or even begin to explain. Maybe we're all simulations in a game being played by Dave?

If we had space fighters in real life, it would still be quite practical having some sort of indication that the target you're shooting at is getting hit... So sound emulation would make quite a lot of sense.

"I remember back when the Hawking was based out of Arcturus and I was just a fighter jock. There was this observation deck overlooking the main flight paths. You could watch every ship taxi in and out. When I was alone, I'd turn off the auditory emulators and just... watch them drift by in silence."

 

[Mariux]

We already have hit indicators. :p

I know, and what I'm saying is that it makes sense... Uhhh nevermind...

 

[jath]

What we really need is some indication that we're being tracked by a missile, and posibly a flare or something to reduce our chances of getting hit.

 

[Megacrafter127]

What we really need is some indication that we're being tracked by a missile

Agreed