Questions of versions and timing

[Kael]

Would this allow so-much-wanted glowing swords when they are enchanted?

I doubt it. The problem is that to do that sort of work you would need to add a glowing sword to every unit in the game that could use it, then make it invisible. With all the units we have it would be a ton of work for a very minor effect.

I could see using something like that in Civ RPG where you are dealing with a smaller group of "player" units. But we will probably never go through all the modeling work to display equipment on units.

 

[Grey Fox]

I doubt it. The problem is that to do that sort of work you would need to add a glowing sword to every unit in the game that could use it, then make it invisible. With all the units we have it would be a ton of work for a very minor effect.

I could see using something like that in Civ RPG where you are dealing with a smaller group of "player" units. But we will probably never go through all the modeling work to display equipment on units.

Trust me, I'll do that if it's possible and if I have the time, energy and/or manpower to implement it.

 

[TheJopa]

I doubt it. The problem is that to do that sort of work you would need to add a glowing sword to every unit in the game that could use it, then make it invisible. With all the units we have it would be a ton of work for a very minor effect.

I could see using something like that in Civ RPG where you are dealing with a smaller group of "player" units. But we will probably never go through all the modeling work to display equipment on units.

Ahhh, I see, I misinterpreted that it would allow to change parts of unit graphic (Like adding imp to whatever unit you please as a separate entry, or making any unit transparent, transparency being an added effect, or adding glow where weapon should be... Such mechanism would only need 1 extra graphic for glow, 1 for imp... But nevermind me)

 

[TheJopa]

Trust me, I'll do that if it's possible and if I have the time, energy and/or manpower to implement it.

What I'm wondering- if such thing was added, how much would it overload the game? Say it's done for melee only and not for warriors.

 

[Kael]

What I'm wondering- if such thing was added, how much would it overload the game? Say it's done for melee only and not for warriors.

There are actually already units that sort of do this, workers. Workers have a variety of equipment that their model displays or doesn't display based on the situation. The only difference is we are trying to have that situation be the existance of a promotion instead of an animation.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I would like it if at least Orthus's Axe, Spellstaffs, and a few other yet-to-be-added objects could be added to their graphics.

Is it necessary for unique features to be added to all the units that can get the promotion, or could you just have the unique graphics for a couple of them even though many more could get the promo?

 

[Kael]

I would like it if at least Orthus's Axe, Spellstaffs, and a few other yet-to-be-added objects could be added to their graphics.

Is it necessary for unique features to be added to all the units that can get the promotion, or could you just have the unique graphics for a couple of them even though many more could get the promo?

You could just do a few if you wanted.

 

[Kolath]

Will you be implementing advanced start in shadow or ice?

 

[Kael]

Will you be implementing advanced start in shadow or ice?

Oh yeah, forgot about that. That will probably go into shadow.

 

[QES]

Both, full details here: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=229557

Here are 10 off of the top of my head:

1. Improved AI (even if there was nothing else I would upgrade just for this).
2. Fix for the MAF crashes.
3. Firaxis added a lot of FfH functions to the main game (quick combat for spells, preffered religons, hidden nationality, help tag, feature attack bonus, dynamically adjust unit strength, support for dynamic leader switching, etc).
4. Civ specific unit art. Bringing the unit art definitions into the SDK allows us to play with them (I could, for example, change a units art if it becomes undead, gains an imp, etc).
5. Simplified formation and Lsystem.
6. Events and quests.
7. Modular XML will make life so much easier for those who want to mod FfH.
8. Mod specific interface.
9. Diplomacy options that players can opt out of.
10. Espionage.

Its no coincidence that we have been waiting for "Shadow" to add diplomacy, quests and espionage functions to FfH. It also probably makes sense why we haven't invested much work on hidden nationality and AI work.

We've always planned for FfH to be on BtS (which is why we never considered moving to Warlords). I just didn't expect BtS to be as cool as it is when we origionally planned it.

Wait a minute...

This looks like to me - that the Firaxis team not only likes the FFH team, but seemingly has taken the ideas and literally created an expansion FROM it.

Would there even be a BtS without FFH? It strikes me that everything this team (and community) hath implemented (or desired) for FFH2 is being implemented for BtS.

I think that's awesome, and quite the compliment, if true. BtS looks like a "vanilla" overhaul of Civ IV, derived directly from Fall from Heaven 2.

-Qes

 

[Kael]

I think most of what you are seeing is just that great minds think alike. I did create a "Modders Wish List" when BtS began, but I didn't do it because I wanted the stuff for FfH (I already had most of the things in FfH). I did it because I thought other modders would want to use those features. Some of the things in that list ended up in BtS, some things didn't.

Impaler was a huge bonus too. That started in this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=192744. Where I was pushing for modular XML functionality. Impaler and I started talking about it so I requested Firaxis grant him access to BtS and the rest is history.

So although we were definitly very privledged to be able to offer ideas for BtS, we were just a part of a large group of talented people. In my opinion Blake and Impaler did more to make BtS what it is than I did.

 

[Grey Fox]

And opening up a game for this kind of modability is the best thing a developer can do to evolve their game.

They might have something like 1600 professional man hours put into their game a week, but when you compare that to the at least maybe hundreds of thousands of man hours put in by amateurs modding their game, they have to come up with something good.