Jump to content

...where the hell is everybody?


Supreme Cmdr
 Share

Recommended Posts

First ever, never-before-seen surface pics.

The PTE surface engine, designed for large planets, hasn't seen much of an overhaul, compared to rest of the game. And this is primarily because it is the fastest engine of its kind there is out there, has no restrictions on size and you don't have to use some humongous bitmaps to generate the terrain, thereby closing everyone in (ala Tribes et al). The PTE engine allows you to fly, drive, run for miles and for hours. The major differences in the BCM revision PTE-II is the use of a new bitmap formats, rendering performance increases, lighting etc. In multiplayer I doubt that anyone is going to be standing around gaping at the scenery when you're driving a vehicle at 50 mph while some idiot up on a hill is taking potshots at you with a high performance sniper rifle.

heh, talk about wide open spaces. btw, thats an Elite Force Marine, wondering where the hell his vehicle is. or who nicked it?

2 of the pics are in 1280x480 size, showing the really crazy screen resolutions you can set in BCM, if you're got the graphics power.

www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo068.jpg

www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo069.jpg

www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo070.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks good SC biggrin.gif And Yes, I do and will have the graphics power to run BCM in all of its eye-candy glory tongue.gif

TTFN

------------------

Commander Gallion

GCV Graf Spee

*1st Squadron, *Corsair Wing

Stationed, *Starbase Cerberus

"Run Silent, Run Deep"

ICQ# 29486270, EST (GMT-5)

=Wraith Fleet=

Second in Command, Wraith Fleet

Bushi of the Dragon Council

[This message has been edited by Gallion (edited 07-02-2000).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fine looking pic's! Just one more reason to either get up off floor and look more or get up and get in car! Flipping coin in about 10 minutes, when I can logically recognize which is heads and tails!

Great job Gang! biggrin.gif

------------------

Rattler, Insurgent One

Commander-In-Chief,

Insurgency

Official Tester,Battlecruiser Series

[email protected]

ICQ 12894104

"Still Kickin' after all these years!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks quite nice SC, I do have a few questions though. Wil there be shadows, ex. the marine will he cast a shadow.

------------------

Cmdr. Antilles

Spectre Fleet

Spectre Starstation

ICV- Eclipse

Chief Security Officer

Learning is not compulsory... Neither is survival.

[This message has been edited by Eclipse (edited 07-02-2000).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, the engine supports projected shadows as a CONFIG option. As well as dust, blood and a whole heap of other particle effects.

One of the tier based aspects of BCM is that you can't just drive or fly any vehicle without the requisite EP or AI points. So, starting off as a grunt, like this poor guy, though you can pretty much drive a vehicle (each base has a limited number, so its a first come, first serve dealie) assigned to a base, you can grab a vehicle (if there is one) and make a beeline for the enemy's base, flatten it (if you can) and gain enough EP and AI points to learn how to fly vehicles like the PAS. Then, the higher you go, you can pretty much learn how to fly/drive just about anything. Of course, if your EPs get lowered (eg you kill a harmless caste or such, which then has the cops looking for you]), you lose those priviledges. heh, can you imagine breaking into a hostile base, stealing one of their vehicles and getting the hell outta there? Only to have them (humans or AI) come after you in low flying aircraft while you're peeling across the terrain at breakneck speed? Yep, you can do that too.

One thing that concerns me about multiplayer is this business of player killing. I was going to make harmless castes invincible but that would ruin it. So, I've decided to just do what we currently do. You get a bounty on your head (similar to being up for courtmartial) which can be picked up by any player or NPC, regardless of whose side you're on. It would be like painting a bullseye on your arse. I think this will deter PKs. Of course, if they're good, they'll just kill the NPC cops, mercs or humans, who come after then. If anyone can survive a planetwide bounty, then, he deserves to keep playing I think. Of course, if you can't even buy a can of soda on Earth without every two-bit hood trying to collect, you can just hop the next shuttle off the planet and go to Mars or some other planet. And if you've really done good and you can actually fly interstellar craft, well then; you're going to be hard to catch.

Even though am trying hard to make BCM open to all players, am also mindful that I don't want to ruin the freedom that the BC series is notorious for, even in multiplayer. And with GCO building upon this premise and due out next year, if this concept is ruined in BCM, then it will impact GCO quite heavily, I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shadows and dust smile.gif any chance osf a few pics with them turned on?

------------------

Cmdr. Antilles

Spectre Fleet

Spectre Starstation

ICV- Eclipse

Chief Security Officer

Learning is not compulsory... Neither is survival.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:

One thing that concerns me about multiplayer is this business of player killing...If anyone can survive a planetwide bounty, then, he deserves to keep playing I think...And if you've really done good and you can actually fly interstellar craft, well then; you're going to be hard to catch.

I like this. What you're saying is that people can play the Assassin caste, if they're good enough! Murder, Inc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eclipse, no requests please. I release stuff as I see fit. Just sit back and enjoy the view, OK? Good.

Steve, go spend some time in my dev diaries and you'll find your answer to caste selections.

[This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 07-02-2000).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that's what I call WIIIIIDEscreen

*gets out deck chair and shades*

"Time to catch some rays!"

biggrin.gif

------------------

Cmdr. Ben Zwycky

GCV Svoboda, ISS08

Adjutant to the Fleet Commander

ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer

Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration

Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon

ISS Fleet Homepage

GCV Svoboda Homepage

"Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

ICQ:72897748

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those are more great shots, SC! I do have a question. Will there be clouds in the sky?

------------------

Cmdr ShoHashi

Spectre Fleet

Commanding Officer, PreComm Crew, StarStation New Frontier

ICV Aries

ICQ 484321

[email protected]

"Attack With Effectiveness"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest aramike01

Yowza!!! More great shots! biggrin.gif

------------------

Cmdr. Michael Kristophers

Spectre Fleet

Commanding Officer, Spectre StarStation

ICV-Intrepid

"You won't get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know what the Dev Diary says, I was just acknowledging that playing an Assassin wouldn't be much fun if you couldn't have players killing players.

Some questions: Will PTE surface engine generate random terrain or will it re-generate the same terrain if you revisit the same spot twice? Is the terrain linked to the terrain visible from space? Since you used elevation data to map the Earth, do you use the same data when generating the terrain in the PTE surface engine?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, clouds will be in. They aren't in yet because J hasn't done the maps yet.

Oh OK, Steve. Sorry I misunderstood you the first time. Yes, you're right - playing as an assassin (or a merc) won't be much if you couldn't have PKs.

The PTE has never generated random terrain. It is a height map tile based system that generates topology data from the high res GBM used to map the external planet surface. If you have the GBS you can load up MapEdit and see how its done.

oh, pssssst!!, wanna see an AX25 in flight? See the poor sod in that PAS craft get ripped in half and blown right out of his seat? heh btw, thats me there after I crashed landed a perfectly good Canlon armed transport en route to the kill zone.

www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo071.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo072.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo073.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo074.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo075.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo076.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo077.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo078.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo079.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo080.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo081.jpg www.3000ad.com/pics/bcm/photo082.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW... I'm speechless....

------------------

Cmdr. Andergum

Spectre Fleet

Pre. comm. Cmdr. New America StarStation

ICV Gummy 1

Official tester of BC3K the series...

Long live the Insurgency!

ICQ # 215323

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest aramike01

My goodness, I have to agree with Gum. Totally speechless! smile.gif

------------------

Cmdr. Michael Kristophers

Spectre Fleet

Commanding Officer, Spectre StarStation

ICV-Intrepid

"You won't get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah well it was worth a shot biggrin.gif. Nice pics, I'd hate to be the pilot smile.gif

------------------

Cmdr. Antilles

Spectre Fleet

Spectre Starstation

ICV- Eclipse

Chief Security Officer

Learning is not compulsory... Neither is survival.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guess thats what happens if you play chicken with a rocket, I'll have to put that down into my book of things to try when I get my hands on the game wink.gif Man do those pics look sweet kudos to the SC and his team!

------------------

Commander Yazin Re'trat

Spectre Fleet

CSO Dakoit Starbase

ICV Lightspeed

ICQ:4292414

[This message has been edited by Friez12 (edited 07-03-2000).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hee hee, BOOM! smile.gif

------------------

Cmdr. Parias

Spectre Fleet

Chief Engineer, Starstation Destiny

ICV-Galatae

ICQ:1293359

Staff member at HardNews

"Next time you're passing by and feel like dropping in, keep passing by untill you get to a river, and THEN drop in." -Jake Logan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest aramike01

Heh, don't say that! Can you imagine a BC sequel made in 6 or 7 years? The way tech advances now, it'd would be...

Just realized that no adjective can be used to describe such a game 'cause they can all already be used to describe BCM! wink.gif

Heck, if a picture's worth a thousand words, these suckers are the Holy Bible!

Btw, SC: careful with those stunts, now. We need you alive! biggrin.gif

------------------

Cmdr. Michael Kristophers

Spectre Fleet

Commanding Officer, Spectre StarStation

ICV-Intrepid

"You won't get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole!"

[This message has been edited by aramike01 (edited 07-03-2000).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I LIKE I LIKE I LIKE!!! smile.gif

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Schacher:

I like this. What you're saying is that people can play the Assassin caste, if they're good enough! Murder, Inc.


Hehe, this will be like GTA in the year 3000! biggrin.gif

------------------

Commander Robert Martin

GCV-Dark Knight

Prime Fleet

S26 Commander, Beta Wing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually Cruis.In, there is no bridge per se anymore. ie, no bitmap. Its all a virtual HUD system that I will do last. Right now, am just relying on the info that was there before, until I find time to sit down and do it. This is why when I take shots from the HUD, I usually filter out most of the info because I don't want people getting the wrong impression that am going to be using the old system. Because you can control pretty much any craft, vehicle or station, I have to come up with something that will be universal, even for the first person marine.

I have a lot of these minor things that I will do last. Right now, am in the clean up that darn PTE phase biggrin.gif because so far, everything has been about space. Now that I think the specialFX are down pat (heh, the first time you see the cloak, shield, hyperjump and motion blur fx, you'll die), I have to start tweaking them, in BCM implementing them where needed (engines, reactors, missiles etc) etc.

The final stages of development are usually the most crucial. With a good 4 months or so to go, I'm going to cram in as much as I can. Even if we don't get on the shelves for Christmas (I ain't releasing this game until its perfect, because I have a lot riding on it) which was never a target anyway, there will be a multiplayer demo, substantial enough for you guys to play thru the season until we wrap.

Hang in there. Its gonna be worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...