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Supreme Cmdr
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HOO YAAA!!! We be getting there.

Right on SC, the Sub is Killer!! and the box cover, well, that is extremely nice!!!

Good job!! I am looking forward to seeing the new manual!!

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I will probably include a poster in the strat guide, along with the full poster sized color galaxy maps I have planned for it. Of course, the regular maps will be in the printed manual, as they were in the printed BC3K v2.0x manual.

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Guest rtoolooze

Can't wait to get my hands on the manual and Strat guide. Nice read by the way. (Beta forum seems like a ghost town lately. Guess thats a good thing. Shows just how stable the game really is )

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"And since the game already has very strong single-player, if the multiplayer kernel is not impressively bug-free and provides high performance for 56K dial-up and broadband gamers alike, rather than kill the game by releasing it with less than stellar multiplayer, I will release it without multiplayer."

I was really looking forward to multiplayer and joining a fleet once the game was released. That has pretty much been the focal point of any realtime discussion I've been in concerning BCM. Is there another way to approach this? Perhaps a public multiplayer beta test or _something_ we can do to help?

"With BCM, features such as the ability to send a boarding party to NPC ships/stations (in much the same way they board your ship), the dimension jump feature (which allows you to jump into a parallel sub-space dimension within the game universe), manual docking and the ability to dock inside a station bay doors (all stations were created with fully functional and animated bay doors which open/close) won't make it into the game."

In my opinion the above features would make this game that much better. Any chance you will add these features in after the game has been released and you are back from Vacation? If there really is a GOD now would be a great time for some divine intervention.

"Other than that, all features that I had in the BCM design docs, with the exception of the work-in-progress CTAS system, orbital flight dynamics, first person combat, are implemented and working as designed."

Orbital flight dynamics YES! =) Sulu take us into a low orbit and break out the contraband.

"The entire game is now 100% DirectX 8 compliant and sporting all the bells and whistles (apart from the mostly useless DX features) that are needed to keep the graphics kernel on the cutting edge. We've implemented vertex buffers, hardware Transform & Lighting, among other kick-ass high-end features."

Assuming were talking about vertex shaders with Geforce 3 being the only card currently supporting this via hardware will we take a performance hit on the other cards or is it just something Geforce 3 users will be able to utilize. Also I was wondering if Direct 3D Hardware Transform and Lighting was enabled in the first demo?

"A lot of people having been talking about the screen shots from the new terrain engine and the new game play options that it presents. Let me tell you this, if you think the released shots are good, just wait until you actually play the game."

I must say that terrain engine is looking far better than I ever thought it would. I can't wait for the second demo episode to have a look and hopefully it not only looks good but runs as good on high end systems.

"With that, here is the first public showing of a new unit from GCO. This is the Legionnaire submarine. It is 1000' long x 125' wide x 82' high"

OMFG I want one That looks and sounds PHAT.

"In addition to the new terrain engine, all the external textures have been updated to match the realistic sizes of the planets. In the previous BC title, all the 75+ planets and 145+ moon spheres had a diameter of 200km"

The screenshots look amazingly detailed. I can see why some would wonder if bump mapping was used. Are some of those planets using 512x512 textures or bigger?

"One of the decisions I recently made, was to hire an author for the final BCM print manual. I simply cannot find the time to do a complete BCM manual and work on development."

Thats probably the best news I've heard yet. I don't know how many printers I killed printing the BC3K manual heh. I still have that dictionary around here somewhere. This will be a complete professional bible that I can study on my low orbit coffee breaks right? I can't begin to stress how much a complete full manual means to me.

"I will probably include a poster in the strat guide, along with the full poster sized color galaxy maps I have planned for it. Of course, the regular maps will be in the printed manual, as they were in the printed BC3K v2.0x manual"

If that's true I will definantly be buying the strategy guide.

Also I just wanted to say the final box art looks excellent and I can't wait for the full game. Here is to hoping multiplayer makes the cut!

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Kurt

quote:

I was really looking forward to multiplayer and joining a fleet once the game was released. That has pretty much been the focal point of any realtime discussion

I've been in concerning BCM. Is there another way to approach this? Perhaps a public multiplayer beta test or _something_ we can do to help?


I know that the multiplayer is something everyone is looking forward to, but the fact is the SC is doing the exact right thing.

Once Bitten Twice shy, if it ain't right, the SC is going to have all kinds of interesting comments from some of his detractors, which I don't want to see. No person has ever been under so much pressure to get a program just right and bug free. The SC will release when he thinks it is ready, and I have no idea if he will do a separate Beta for the Multiplayer, but that is his decision to make, and in all honesty I don't think he's ready to shake down a new crew. It won't get done any faster by adding a bunch of people to the beta team, but again, it is the SC's decision to make.

SC

quote:

"With BCM, features such as the ability to send a boarding party to NPC ships/stations (in much the same way they board your ship), the dimension jump feature (which allows you to jump into a parallel sub-space dimension within the game universe), manual docking and the ability to dock inside a station bay doors (all stations were created with fully functional and animated bay doors which open/close) won't make it into the game."

Kurt

In my opinion the above features would make this game that much better. Any chance

you will add these features in after the game has been released and you are back from

Vacation? If there really is a GOD now would be a great time for some divine intervention.

SC

quote:

And I know for a fact that hardcore

BC gamers are an intelligent and highly advanced group, therefore, even if there is a glitch we missed, they probably know work-arounds and/or won't waste the time to return it, knowing that, as always, I'll be around to fix whatever problems I missed. Its not like I have ever abandoned my games and not supported them, post release, like most other companies these days.

I think that that answers your question, but just in case, here's what I think.

If the SC has the time, he will do the same thing he did with BC3K, add the things that he didn't have time to do before it went Gold. IF, he feels that it would indeed add a dimension to the game, and won't take a whole lot of time on his part, because I know for a fact he has some other things in the works after BCM and GCO are released. Read some of his interviews that are out there and you will see what I mean.

The fact is, the SC will NEVER finish this game, he will release it, but he can't help himself, he will add more when the time and inclination hit him!! What those things are, well, look above!! lol and others that you haven't even thought of!! So watch for the patches, because after GCO is out, you will probably see some.

The SC has a dream, and BCM is REAL close, but I doubt it will actually be up to what he really is dreaming of.

It is definitely up to my standards,IT IS MY dream game, but the SC is a perfectionist, and he is the ONLY one that really knows what he wants, so watch for them thar patches!!!

[ 04-16-2001: Message edited by: Jaguar ]

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Guest rtoolooze

Remember, Just because multiplayer might not make it in when BCM is released does'nt mean it will never be in there. It may have to come in a later patch. Combat Mission had to go the same route, but multiplayer finaly came out in a patch. If it don't make it in the initial release, that just gives us more time to learn the game. No other game has such a strong single player experience than the BC series. Also, GCO will be here one day, and when that day arrives, God help us as we will never get to sleep!!!

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Guest Dennis Greene

quote:

Originally posted by Kurt Meyer:

"This will be a complete professional bible that I can study on my low orbit coffee breaks right? I can't begin to stress how much a complete full manual means to me."

We'll do our best, I would say the strategy guide will be your bible instead though, while the manual will be an excellent diversion during coffee breaks.

[ 04-17-2001: Message edited by: _shadow_ ]

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That is great news. Microprose used to do a great job of manuals on their old flight sim games like f15 and f17a. Come to think of it even some of their strategy games had really good manuals. Railroad Tycoon for example. They all came with them paper back manuals that had the short but wide pages. They pretty much all came with a complete manual which was pretty beefy. I also remember the Falcon 3.0 bible wow that thing was massive. I used to study it all the time when I wasn't playing. When I bought BC3K and pulled out the little tiny 20 page manual I was pretty dissapointed. Especially with a game as complex as BCM. This game deserves a good manual. Anyways that is really good to hear.

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quote:

A public multiplayer Beta test is not the issue. BCM is absolutely the most complex game I've seen. Now, if I wanted to release standard fare multiplayer, thats what it would end up being. I would think that as kick-ass as the game is, why would we just want run-of-the-mill multiplayer. To do it right, it has to support at least 99% of the single-player features. I dont' know about you, but pure dogfighting does not interest me in the least. My on-going multiplayer plans, involve a heck of a lot more than that. Now considering that I am supporting multiplayer in space and planets, simultaneously..well, think about that for a minute.

You are absolutely right. Pure dogfighting does not interest me either. I do realize the complexity of what your trying to do and how hard it would be to tie it togeather with a single player game nearing the end of development. Not only that but the required resources to host even a peer to peer server in a game this complex would be very high bandwidth included. I just thought you had a much smaller scale multiplayer design from the beginning for BCM. It would definantly be smarter to approach it from an online multiplayer only persistant universe perspective right from the beginning for countless reasons and at the same time would end up being that much better. I just wish this was GCO coming out this summer instead becuase that is what I really want.

Every time I got into a discussion about BCM in IRC the topics "fleets" and "multiplayer" always came up. I just never commited myself to a fleet because I was skeptical that it would even happen. Not because I don't think the people at 3000AD have the ability to make it happen, but because of the fact that BCM is a single player game and also very complex. I was also worried about the netcode which is another big issue. I only offered my services because whether it's just adding decent multiplayer to BCM or creating an entirely new game geared for multiplayer from scratch, there is bound to be LOTS of bugs, issues, and balancing to work out with a game of this complexity and anything I can do to help I would.

quote:

Remember though, that only Interplay decided, at the last minute, not to do a full 120-page printed manual. Once I plugged that loophole in my contract, it required GT and JOAG to do a full printed manual for v2.08 as released in Europe, Australia etc. Only the US release of BC3K v2.0, didn't get a full printed manual. And Take2's v1.0 in 96-97, didn't have a manual to speak of

Thats pretty weak of Interplay to pull that crap. I do remember you saying something about that whole mess a long time ago but I just wanted to make sure BCM would have a nice phat manual I only paid $17 dollars Canadian at the time so it was not a big deal but man did printing that manual and appendix single sided SUCK. I'm not kidding I did have a printer die on me while printing. I think the feeder broke first and then I started hand feeding the bastard paper. Then it just stopped and never worked again. It was a fairly old printer but anyways yeah manuals are good...

[ 04-17-2001: Message edited by: Kurt Meyer ]

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quote:


I was also worried about the netcode which is another big issue. I only offered my services because whether it's just adding decent multiplayer to BCM or creating an entirely new game geared for multiplayer from scratch, there is bound to be LOTS of bugs, issues, and balancing to work out with a game of this complexity and anything I can do to help I would.

I think you missed the point completely.

BCM, like GCO, was designed to be multiplayer from day one.

The netcode was developed and finished almost six months ago.

The current BCM code has multiplayer machinations. Its disabled for external Beta test versions because focus is on single-player - not multiplayer.

I could go on and on..but am bored already and don't like repeating myself. And I don't like people second guessing me.

The issues with my decision about multiplayer are stated QUITE CLEARLY in my dev diary. It is not about implementation. It is not about design. It is not about problems per se. It is that by the time I release it to the external Beta team, WE WOULD HAVE RUN OUT OF TESTING TIME. As such, there will NOT be enough time to catch and fix everything. That alone, could take 1-2 months, easy. To be on track with MP, I should have released it, along with the other builds, back in March as I planned to. I opted to put it on the back burner because it was better to have a working, fully tested and debugged single-player, than a non-working, partially tested and debugged single-player and multiplayer. Also, the testers playing multiplayer, would get distracted and sidetracked. As such, singleplayer testing would suffer and things would get missed.

Multiplayer is just another high-end feature. Kinda like the new terrain engine (which, of course, takes precedence), first person combat (which needs the new terrain engine, even though the FP engine is *finished*) etc. I'd rather release a strong single-player game and then release a multiplayer patch, (which will end up being just a new executable, with NO new content) later, than release both single/multiplayer which are not fully tested/debugged, and get into trouble.

So, my stance is that, anyone who doesn't want to buy the game because it doesn't have multiplayer, is fine by me. But if I know my fan base (and I'm talking about the long time fans, not clueless newbies) like I think I do, it won't matter, regardless.

I DO plan on releasing multiplayer version to the testers as the final phase of testing, right after this major patch (terrain, fp etc) is released, tested and debugged. If we find critical performance, gameplay or bug issues that prevent the game from going Gold at the end of May for a June street date, then I will release the Gold singleplayer, while we continue working on the multiplayer version.

It may not sound like a good plan to some - but I know what am doing. Just trust me on this.

The good thing about all this is that I answer to no-one. However, I too have a company to run, bills to pay and debts to repay. As such, I'm not going to put my personal ambition of wanting to release single/multiplayer and put everything we've worked this hard for, at stake. Multiplayer is just another feature. If it gets cut. So be it. Its not like its never going to go in BCM. Its just that if its not done right and FULLY tested/debugged, nobody is going to have fun playing it.

I hope that diatribe made sense.

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(With apologies to Dr. Seuss, and no offense SC but I can't resist)

I did not like the green box art,

I did not like it, Mr. Smart!

I would not like it in a car,

I would not, could not in a bar.

I would not like it with a shoe,

What I want to see is blue!

I would like blue art in a car,

I would like blue art in a bar.

I would like blue art with a shoe,

I love blue art! Merci beaucoup!

[ 04-17-2001: Message edited by: Joel Schultz ]

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LOL!!!

btw, here is a sneak peek of some more Legionnaire shots am releasing tomorrow - along with the final box art.

These are best viewed on a 32-bit desktop

GCO shots

BCM Box Front

BCM Box Back

BCM Box Bottom

3D box - front

3D box - back

[ 04-18-2001: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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The box shots look impressive. SC, above you mentioned that you might add some stuff into the game depending on how the sales look, what is a good number for sales? Also I read somewhere in the demo forum that the game might be released on 5-26, is that the day it will be in store or being shipped or what?

[ 04-17-2001: Message edited by: Soback ]

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