| Author |
Status Update... |
Faustus
Marshal
Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 2748
From: Austin, Texas
|  Posted: 2002-10-01 19:10
Just an update where I'am with everything concerning the shipyards...
Basically, the proper implementation of shipyards requires a very significant amount of code to be added before they are ready, the more I work the more I'm realizing how much code...
Basically, I've come to the conclusion that the old method of how star systems are stored persiantly needs overhaul to facilitate 2 goals...
firstly, each single server needs to be able to provide clients with FULL information on any other star system in the game.
Second, we need a more secure and better way to store everything instead of the currently system which basically writes the entire state of the star system to the disk every 30 seconds.
Thus... I have started the implementation/design of a database to store the entire metverse by individual objects. The server that uses this database is also called the "UniverseServer" ... this server would provide a central INTERNAL connection point for all the game servers.
All this means, is alot of work needs to be done yet... so don't expect shipyards in beta anytime this week. Also it's looking like player ran metaverse servers are going to go bye-bye at last, because the demands are getting too much.
However, I'm considering fixing a minor with the current alpha version, and releasing this more stable code now while holding back the shipyards for the next version.
-Richard
[ This Message was edited by: Faustus on 2002-10-01 19:11 ]
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Lith Ragond
Cadet
Galactic Navy
Joined: November 25, 2001
Posts: 1854
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:19
sounds good faustus, and seems you have your work cut out for you (like you didnt already). but get everything in alpha, minus shipyards, into release. ESPECIALLY the COB fix, i am getting tired of warning and kicking people.
also, it sounds like this will add a heavier load to the servers. please correct me if i am wrong.
[edit] faus take note
ok about the mass stuff... uhmmm... faus, dreads are going to be even slower now, this means they are going to be even easier to kill.
Faus, they DESPERATLY need more/stronger type of armor.
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Protector of Sol, K'luth/Human Hybrid
[ This Message was edited by: Lith on 2002-10-01 19:23 ]
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Deleted
Cadet
Joined:
Posts: 0
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:25
Keep up the good work bubba, I'm happy to get out there and play test it 
Slaught
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Hell Bender
Grand Admiral
K'Luth Revolution
Joined: April 30, 2002
Posts: 117
From: Knoxville, Maryland USA
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:26
I agree, do what must be done Faustus!
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Baali
Cadet
Joined: June 04, 2002
Posts: 94
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:28
I have to agree with Lith wholeheartedly...as I am not an ADMIN or MOD, I don't expect my opinion to matter much, and shant whine or complain. Dreads and stations are WAY to slow....they need heavier armor, and or more 360 degree slots.
As for the shipyards, I would much rather have a stable server, than a new toy. What use is it if i can't use it?
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Jim Starluck
Marshal
Templar Knights
Joined: October 22, 2001
Posts: 2232
From: Cincinnati, OH
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:28
I agree. Release everything but shipyards and give the Dreads more armor. 
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NightDragon
Cadet
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 893
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:31
Sounds okay with me
Just as long as you get teh shipyards in the next patch =p
(if you dont thats fine too =) )
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Griff
Grand Admiral
Joined: January 08, 2002
Posts: 347
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:34
Well seeing the Alpha list grow daily it makes it a better idea to break it down and do the Shipyards on the next release.
We dont want you overworked 
It seems you got a sizable job ahead of you, and from what you have said the shipyards are the beginning steps to a facelift ,which i like, just want you do take youre time. 
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Crow
Cadet
Joined: August 18, 2002
Posts: 29
From: Orlando, FL
| Posted: 2002-10-01 19:44
Actually, I'm starting to have the opinion that shipyards won't be such a wonderful thing as the game stands today. I already think it's odd that you get to pick from any ship in your storage when you get killed or sd and not have to start back at your home gate. This really just makes the meta-verse more like FA, rather than giving it the feeling of a large expanse of space. The new jump drives almost eliminate the necessity to develop supply lines. Adding the ability to just spawn anywhere you have a shipyard, even deep within enemy territory, well that just completly removes the strategy that should be required for deep operations behind enemy lines. It is so easy to cap a planet anywhere in the MV. This is demonstrated daily. And with the ability for even large combat fleets to just jump into a far reaching sector without concern for support, capping a planet and allowing their entire faction to spawn there, well what is left to do?
I know this is not a strict RTS game, but to completly remove strategy from the MV just reduces it to a large FA server. There is something to the feeling of places just being unreachable without real supply lines.
Ships shouldn't be able to jump several sectors without refueling. If you run out of gas, you should be stuck, not just have to log off and relog fully fueled in your home sector. If you die(or sd), you should have to travel from your storage facility, wherever that is located (currently home gate).
Please think about this. I really liked the MV when I first joined. It seemed so large, and I had to think about every jump, where it would leave me and if I would have enough gas to get to the nearest friendly planet or gas giant. Having to call on my fleet to come save me when I had gone too far. All those elements are gone even now.
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Zurai {RIP R33}
Cadet
Joined: December 28, 2001
Posts: 835
From: Orlando, FL
| Posted: 2002-10-01 21:24
Quote:
| Adding the ability to just spawn anywhere you have a shipyard, even deep within enemy territory, well that just completly removes the strategy that should be required for deep operations behind enemy lines. |
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You make it sound like you're just going to be able to build a shipyard on any old planet. You're not. They require 20 population or so and a LOT of materials, as well as a long building time (according to the interview with Faustus). The only planets that can really support 20 population are terrans, oceans, and ice planets, and those are pretty rare. Give the man a little credit, hey?
As for holding off on shipyards - that's fine for me. I really have a lot of reservations on the mass changes though, because that is going to KILL dedicated carriers until the mythical fighter changes that we've been promised for 6 months now come out. The carrier dread gets almost +20 mass from this change and that's going to make it even more of a sitting duck than it already is. I suggest NOT putting such a drastic weight on fighter bays UNTIL we get the new fighters, and then weighting the bays by the type of fighter, if at all possible.
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Hitman23
Grand Admiral
Joined: March 22, 2002
Posts: 585
From: WoW
| Posted: 2002-10-01 21:25
I do not think that anyone here would have a problem with this release going out without shipyards. It has so many fixes that have stopped people from playing as much (ie; getting stuck in gates).
Take your time and do the shipyards right, we will be happy playing the game with the current fixes. It could be like a snack before dinner. =)
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Gideon
Cadet
Joined: September 14, 2001
Posts: 4604
From: Oregon, USA
| Posted: 2002-10-01 21:25
So, as to the question you are asking Faustus.
If the two flaws with the Arming Range are fixed so that we can actually remove the COB rule, the I think publishing what we have without the shipyards is a good idea.
It would allow us to get past a sticky point with the COB rule, and will fix the stability problems with traveling in the MV.
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Varz zZz zz
Cadet
Joined: March 16, 2002
Posts: 702
From: East Coast, USA.
| Posted: 2002-10-01 21:27
I can wait. No problem.
The previous posting makes a good point too.
VaRz
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Gideon
Cadet
Joined: September 14, 2001
Posts: 4604
From: Oregon, USA
| Posted: 2002-10-02 01:39
Got an observation on a couple of things:
1 - The "mythical" fighter upgrades. I understand your cynecizm(sp?). Truthfully I would feel the same way, except for what I have seen recently. I can't vouch for what has come before this current dev team came together. However, since the new dev team has come on board, I have seen the docs for the new fighter doctrine (courtesy of Tael, everyone give him a major "Thank you."). Not just a wish list, but stuff actually written in for actual code values. So, this is finally coming. Particularly since Faustus has finished with his extremly important work. Stuff that is in the "background", like enhanced communications between client and servers, goes mostly unnoticed. However, this is by far the hardest and most time consuming type of work that is done.
2 - Jump Drive speeds. To me, the Jump Drive speeds feel just about right. Having a range of two or so systems in a cruiser seems logical, and feels appropriate. What is happening is that the MV is small. Very small, in fact. If the MV was scaled for the Jump Drive speeds, we would have at least double the ammount of systems in between each home system. However, the player base in the MV just isn't there yet. Perhaps if people wern't presteging in the FA server, we would have good reason to redesign the MV map...
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Zurai {RIP R33}
Cadet
Joined: December 28, 2001
Posts: 835
From: Orlando, FL
| Posted: 2002-10-02 02:09
I didn't mean mythical in that it is pure fantasy; I know it's not. However, as far as I know it's nowhere close to the implementation phase where Faustus is actually coding any of the new fighter interface or AI, and being a coder myself I KNOW that's going to take a while. I don't see the value in ruining carrier ships for a month or two minimum just so they can possibly be balanced when the new fighters eventually come out. Even then, I have reservations with the size of the nerf to the fighter bays - a carrier dread takes *57 seconds* to accelerate to full from a dead stop and has only slightly more manueverability than a station. The new fighters will have to be incredibly powerful to balance that out fully.
All I'm asking for with regards to the fighter bays, however, is a stay of sentence. Give them a reasonable mass *for the current version* right now, then change the value - which SHOULD be as easy as changing a #define value in an include file - when the fighter changes go in. I'd say a fair value for them now would be in the 0.2 to 0.5 range - somewhere between pcannons and PCMs.
Aside from that one little complaint, I have no problems with the current build minus the shipyards being released (well, once the two COB exploits are removed).
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