Docking!

[Von Adder]

As stated in previous posts on the other SG forums, don't forget the docking mechanic/mattes this time!

My only beef with the other SG's was the hideous 'splash' you're docked with a blurred picture of your ship stuck somewhere in space!

Remember guys when it comes to docking think Freelancer! Or dare I say it Star Citizen or Elite Dangerous!

[Tal Maru]

Elite dangerous docking is the best

[probe]

It might get boring in the end so don't know if it's even a wishful feature. But I kinda liked back in Wing Commander where one had to request for permission to land before doing so. Something that's also in E:D (but that's due to the "parking" mechanic. Something that's perhaps a bit too close to E:D or uninteresting in the long run IMO). But Wing Commander did it right IMO. Just ask for permission, get it and aim for the right side (ie landing pad).

Maybe just for "neuttral" stations if it's something that doesn't get too boring (in which case it serves no purpose. But perhaps somebody could solve that with a mod so people had a choice).

I know it can seem kind of tedious but personally I find small stuff like that to enhance the immersion for me in the game (immersion is such an overused word but I'm gonna throw it in there anyways).

I know this is sort of a repeating discussion about docking cutscene or not. IMO it doesn't necessarily have to have a cutscene at all. If it should have one it should atleast be skippable when you don't wanna see it for the umpth time.

[Geek]

I strongly disagree.
Repetitive animations would detract from the game.
Even the immersion fans will ask for a way to skip them.

[danijel]

Let's go over this topic, bullet-style! :P

• Docking cutscenes - yeah, I want them implemented, but NOT without the ability to skip them. Forcing players to look at them each and every time is a big no-no. This also means, they're not of the highest priority.
  
• While docked visuals - We're playing around with an internal dock. You go for docking, cutscene goes (skippable! :D), fade to black, hangar loads, you see your ship inside the station. The original idea was to have this only on your HQ, but we've since started considering making it default for all stations. The emphasis is still on considering ;).
  
• Requesting docking - If you're trying to dock on a station for the first time, you'll likely be required to go through the whole procedure. If you're coming for the nth time, you'll simply use the Quick action button. Or if you prefer, you'll still be able to do all of it manually: hail station -> request docking.

[probe]

It wasn't as much the cutscene I was hoping for as the ability to request docking. But what Danijel says sounds pretty great. I'm am well aware that cutscenes might be a sort of timesink as many players, myself included, would skip over it.

I actually liked the simplicity of what was in SG2 as one (that'd be me) docked over and over and a cutscene each time would have been annoying. Perhaps the docking visuals could just be a simple looped animation (like E:D on stations. Same animations looping but just that gives some kind of "feeling").

[Zenoslaf]

Originally posted by Von Adder:

Remember guys when it come to docking think Freelancer! Or dare I say it Star Citizen!

I don't see why not. And planetary landing through planet's atmosphere. We will just send you our account number so you can send us 90 million $ and 300 employees and it will be implemented.

Although I still think that capital ships don't land on planets often, shuttles do. USS Voyager landed like three times in 7 seasons. Docking is another thing. But Danijel explained that part. :)

[Brat Corrections Officer]

As long as it's skippable, I agree that a docking cutscene would be pretty cool. Though I more interested in the skippable part >.>. If that's a script I might have to learn how to do all the cutscene scripts just to find ways to use it! Err, sorry, i may have got over excited again

[danijel]

Originally posted by Ryouchan - Fear Not Opposition:

As long as it's skippable, I agree that a docking cutscene would be pretty cool. Though I more interested in the skippable part >.>. If that's a script I might have to learn how to do all the cutscene scripts just to find ways to use it! Err, sorry, i may have got over excited again :htshocked:

It's a script thing :). Cutscenes were pure scripts in SG2 as well. We've just upgraded the camera system for Warlords. Well... Kele upgraded it single-handedly actually. And we're still missing the skippable part...

[Brat Corrections Officer]

Kele is a beast getting all that upgraded. I should really have learned the camera scripts, but I was too busy doing weird things lol. Maybe I'll take some time to figure out the SG2 camera scripts just to have the knowledge =3

[danijel]

Originally posted by Ryouchan - Fear Not Opposition:

Kele is a beast getting all that upgraded. I should really have learned the camera scripts, but I was too busy doing weird things lol. Maybe I'll take some time to figure out the SG2 camera scripts just to have the knowledge =3

There's plenty of time for that ;).

Oh and I hope to have the new modding site up and running within a month. We'll then gradually fill the site up with articles on specific topics over time. The site won't have just modding-related stuff, but it will be very useful for modders. It will be more technical oriented. I'm sure cutscenes will find their way onto the site with some practical examples :).

[Von Adder]

Originally posted by Zeno - Gemini Warlord:

Originally posted by Von Adder:

Remember guys when it come to docking think Freelancer! Or dare I say it Star Citizen!

I don't see why not. And planetary landing through planet's atmosphere. We will just send you our account number so you can send us 90 million $ and 300 employees and it will be implemented.

Although I still think that capital ships don't land on planets often, shuttles do. USS Voyager landed like three times in 7 seasons. Docking is another thing. But Danijel explained that part. :)

The cheque is in the post!

[Von Adder]

This kind of thing..maybe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZzjMxG4RLM

[probe]

@ Von Adder

I see where you're coming from and I would love seeing something like that too. But making 75+ ships interact in interior as well as exterior scenes is a bit of a stretch for a small team like LGM that relies on one time payment and not a monthly subscription. So I personally feel gameplay triumphs over animation/cutscenes in that regard.

And I have no clue wheter stations will actually be that big compared to ships in Warlords (looking at SG2 it wasn't massive structures dwarfing the ships in any way. Not in any way that allowed for interior movement anyway).

This is completely my own opinion and can't speak for what's planned. But let's wait and see.

[Von Adder]

Originally posted by probe:

@ Von Adder

I see where you're coming from and I would love seeing something like that too. But making 75+ ships interact in interior as well as exterior scenes is a bit of a stretch for a small team like LGM that relies on one time payment and not a monthly subscription. So I personally feel gameplay triumphs over animation/cutscenes in that regard.

And I have no clue wheter stations will actually be that big compared to ships in Warlords (looking at SG2 it wasn't massive structures dwarfing the ships in any way. Not in any way that allowed for interior movement anyway).

This is completely my own opinion and can't speak for what's planned. But let's wait and see.

It's not inconcievable even for a small team. Something like the landing and docking sequences from Freelancer (skippable) would add so much more immersion to the genre. I know LGM are a small group of chaps, but hey Roma uno die non est condita.!

[probe]

I'm guessing that meant "rome wasn't build in one day"? (I should know. I both had Latin and Italian for 10 months at school but well.... paying attention and all that).

For me the ideal docking "scene" (if sizes are to be measured by SG2's standards) more like a shuttle leaving a ship and moving to a station. So the ship doesn't dock but stays in orbit of the station while the crew docks and enters via a shuttle. That's just my imagination though.