On May 28, 2005, at 2:04 PM, David White wrote:
I think that currently the single player version of the game is easily
feature-complete enough for 1.0. The main things which could be
improved are more animations/graphical effects as Jetryl supports, and
campaign server improvements, as turin suggests.
However I don't think either of these things are necessary for 1.0.
They could be added after 1.0 though.
The sprite/particle engine I have been muttering about will finally
allow us to exceed the original Command & Conquer games in graphical
quality - it will allow things like smoke, and sparks to be emitted by
specific units and interactions. I plan on coding this myself, though
I'm going to need a good shot of help to familiarize myself with
SDL/C++ Standard Library coding.
As Dave has said, these would be best for post 1.0.
More animations creates more work for artists to do in animating
things. Considering the lackluster response since I implemented
animated deaths, I am not optimistic that we could complete extra sets
of animation in a short period of time.
Walking animations would also be a good target to ignore until after
1.0.
In terms of content such as graphics, music, and sounds, I am more
flexible. They don't have the capacity to de-stabilize the game. I
think that for instance, if freim finishes his new terrain in time, we
can include that. New music and sounds would also be highly desirable.
Completing all animations is something we would definitely want.
Now, in terms of adding new units, these are my thoughts:
- adding level 3 units to existing factions, such as the Drakes is
fine, since I don't think it changes the balance that much.
Because of the schedule you outlined, I think I'm going to focus on
finishing/adding all the new units as fast as I can - in fact I may try
to get them all in before the next release.
After that we really won't need any new units in the core factions. I
may/may not do this with all the graphics in place, but I assure you
they will get done eventually, and I'll try to get them all done before
the release. I think it is important to *finish* that aspect of the
game - to complete our unit set so we can start balancing some of the
less stable races, like the dwarves and the drakes.
There are less than a dozen units we need.
I think we really need to rectify the Classic era somewhat - Default &
Age of Heroes are fairly good, but classic could use a bunch of things
- for one thing, it could use an analogue to Age of Heroes.
My method of balancing units is usually not to have an 'open forum,
all in' approach. I think this is counter-productive. I prefer to ask
the opinion of a few people who I perceive to be knowledgable in the
area, and then make a decision based on that. I would REALLY love it
if there was a developer who people trusted to make balancing
decisions.
If I were to trust anyone to be able to perceive the subtle effects of
balancing changes, it would be Elvish Pillager.
Some things which I think we really need for 1.0, which can be done
'safely' in that they will not de-stabilize the game:
- better documentation in the help system
As certain sprites reach their final stage, I'll start updating any
pictures in the help system with the new ones.
I should also lean on Elvish Pillager to start producing some general
racial strategies - he has a few in the wiki, but needs to finish a
complete set if we want them in.
- better sound effects
This is something I have long been considering doing, as "foley art" is
a skill I need to have, and one I suffered from not having quite a few
times before.
Why the heck not - I'll start sometime this month.
- work on bug fixes, including cosmetic cleanup and making the game
acceptably fast in all areas
Yes, one of the big issues we currently have, outside of multi, is in
how slow our help system is.
Remember that 1.0 can be seen in some ways as a starting point, not an
ending point. After 1.0 is released we can more confidently add
dramatic new features.
Indeed. I plan on it.