Spaceman Equipment.

[RoyalWolfe]

General apology if this is in the wrong forum heading.
I really didn't know weather to post this in general discussion. or here? as we already have the gun and helmet items, it is somewhat already in the game. so if this does become more in proper discussion for general discussion I will urge a moderator to move it there.

things are going to be changing soon.
I have been extensively told that the Dave model does include the ability to make attachments to it. this is so we can add equipable items in the future, and Calbiri has also further explained, that they do intend to let Dave take off his suit. Why would he want to do so? Well, do you really think astronauts sleep in their spacesuits? No they do not. For several reasons, the suit is bulky and uncomfortable, it also will deplete its air supply as long as it is left on, and lastly they can get damaged while the wearer is unnecessarily, using it in an area, that doesn't actually need it. This isn't how it works in the game, but we also know that will change eventually as well.

So what does all that mean?
Well, with these two bit of information, we can already begin to speculate what is going to need to happen soon. we will need a way to manage equipment. that doesn't really need a suggestion thread. it is undeniable that such will be happening. the simple logistics of the game simply makes this a necessity. I'm not telling schema how to make his game, on the contrary I'm simply pointing out the logical inevitability of this being needed. period. nothing more than that, it just has to happen.

So, in preparation for when it does, why don't we try to help him out a little bit, by start speculating how that process will likely take shape. It firstly means a new G.U.I. , or Generated User Interface, pane is going to be needed. Again this isn't telling schema anything he doesn't probably already know. This new tab will need to handle all of the new equipable items they will be adding.

So then, what will this thing end up looking like?
So now we need to start speculating on how that new equipments tab needs to work. to do that we need to figure out what it will be doing. we know that we already have a gun, and a helmet. so those will need to be slotted somehow on this new tab. so how will that have to work? well there are few options at this point, so things can finally get to where schema can choose from a variety of options.

option 1
one option is the simplicity of function. This option is akin to some other games, you may note them without me needing to even name them here. In most of them however, they use a simple paper doll format. the basic rendered picture of your character, with his equipment rendered accordingly to how they are placed into square slots either on the side of, or over on top of, the picture. in the case of armor, the slots usually are made up, of four or more slots. The number can depend greatly, upon how much items the developer intends to put on the model. and this also can vary upon the items type, and worn location. which will usually end up covering the paper doll from head to toe. This is usually how basic the equipments model can get.

option 2
sometimes, for equable items such as weapons, these can be up to two slots that cover one for each hand of the character. There are however, other alternatives, one is like we have now, we simply place our useable items on the little bar at the bottom of the screen. this is likely already how schema intends to do it, based on how it already works that way now. this way takes the two hand equipment slots off of the equipment tab. I have personally seen this done two different ways.

Dual hand wielding model
One way is to have two sets of slots, in the very center of the square slots on the bottom center of the screen, one is equipped for the right hand, and the other for the left. from a player standpoint, this could make it easy for players to adapt their play style according to how they like to role play a bit, by having their character be able to mimic their own predominate handedness. It also lets from the developer standpoint allow for dual wielding. this also opens up the possibility to combine up to two useable items, together, in according to their usage. now this system can get little complicated. But done well, it can be the best way to handle things for a more varied gameplay model.

Analog slot equipment model
this method is pretty much as it is implied to be. It just makes you put items in slots on your equipment bar and use them just by interacting with items, and objects in the game. it is not the ideal way to do things. It limits the player greatly, and somewhat for the developer as well. It basically is putting tools on the slot bar, and lets you only use one at a time. this also means that all the tools can only do one thing, and that one thing period. this isn't due to developer shortsightedness, it usually due to code limitations this system is usually just very stubborn. tools cannot directly interact at all. another draw back to this is that it also does make items rather difficult to organize, because anything tends to be dumped into the equipment slots, and take up precious screen space.

 

[PseudoGold]

If I'm honest, the suit that dave wears actually looks fairly slim-fitting compared to what we presume is his actual physique. Plus, this is the far future with large amounts of exploration into space and of course spacewalks. By now, spacesuit technology would've evolved up to a point that you basically have a suit that fits like a glove and can be quickly taken on and off, as well as being used for extended periods of time.

However, these ideas make a lot of sense. People can make it so they have a basic jumpsuit/whatever and a custom spacesuit. This will make RP a lot more interesting, but currently Schema needs to focus on the more important things such as the new weapons system and finalising the new planets.

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

I highly doubt we will be able to slap random junk to our astronaut and I have not heard about being able to remove the space suit (which wouldnt need to consume oxygen just for being worn). They specifically cannot allow for fully customized equipment as it could be abused, so the method as to which we can build weapons and tools is still unknown. We may get a gun editor similar to how we build ships just on a tiny scale, add the weapons, power, ammo etc...

Also I would like to see removable "power armor" which would be cool if it could use a customized skin like the player model but the model itself would have to be static.

 

[RoyalWolfe]

as far as concerns of delay happening I can put those at ease a bit.

\This will make RP a lot more interesting, but currently Schema needs to focus on the more important things such as the new weapons system and finalising the new planets.

the following is a quote verbatim of what calbiri said when others said this

I know you guys think the game needs X before Y. your opinions toward such are not schema's. he has stated himself that he will do things as they need to be done and not by your perceptions of such. this is a long term goal oriented change, but all of this is going to happen.
(I will also admit that this was in response, to a blanket of topics, not just the equipment tab)

calbiri told me all this in the old website chat a long time ago. the inventory system is going to be needed after the planet oriented gameplay is settled, he said it would probably be about when the finalized crafting system, and faction base point system, come out. he did not say that that was definite or assured either. he also did not say anything about how inventory equipment would work either so all of my ideas may not be what he eventually chooses to do either. i just felt like sharing how i look at it so others can elaborate.

 

[Visitor]

Despite being proponent of the equipment and going without it/with it modified, I can say myself that it doesn't have to be priority. However, I'd like for people there to be incentive to go suit, or at least helmetless, for suits to be a tool, not just part of the fluff of a character model - which actually was why I was entertaining the whole idea at all and why I am bothering you people with some oversized posts.