A possible way to make explorable planets

[silverleaf]

I know many of us want this feature and is one of the reasons we want the source code, but I'd just like to state a suggestion, think I saw a small trailer in some obscure now dead or near dead mod somewhere + my own ideas. Just saying HOW it can be done, suggesting it is tested.

You can search round moddb for the trailer, its from another server so though dead if I post it here I'd likely bet banzored. :rtfm:


Anyway, the technique (or what appeared to be the technique from what I saw).

The base. Made something like the floor thing of that nomad level where we had to shoot the generators while flying in the trench (ahh... fun running in circles blasting stuff... makes me want to play SP again the 4th time this year). Just that arranged the way we want it to be. The sky will be a little hard to do as you can fly as high as you want, then again can be countered by another floor thing just made to look like clouds. Buildings can be done as well pretty easily I believe. As for falling off the sides, just make formless ocean around it. Or sandy desert. Whatever. Same as in space, it is possible to head off system. Unless you can block it with another giant invisible wall.

How to do this? Replace all dock rings with jumpgates, that jump to this 'planet' system. Where do we land then? A 'base' on the planet. Same deal, approach and dock.

So, it is not about 'can you do it'. Its about weather you want to or not. I'd like it very much and would try help with terraining and stuff and making things look good (about the only thing I can do from experience as a warcraft3 mapper).
Gravity. Well thats a tough one. Lets just assume ship engines can overcome gravity. As seen on planet environments when we land on existing planets, they can. And getting out of your ship is beyond me, sorry. No comment on that.

Sorry if the idea ain't too popular, but I've been led to believe explorable planets was one of the main reasons why we want the source code anyway.

---

Scavengers of the Abyss - A Freelancer Short Story

[NerdRage]

I've already suggested this idea some time ago, i dont know why people don't like it...

mostly because of the lack of gravity, all ejected cargo and dead ship parts just float there unrealisticly, not to mention what happens when you reach the end of the floor model.

but on the other hand it's awesome! on a certain planet you can have many landing places whitch belong to different corporations, maybe even pirate hangouts!

---

[ACER_SPACER]

Since I am not an FL modder, I have no idea how this would work. The thing is that this is a big change and might not make it past experimental stage. I would imagine that it would put quite a strain on the server. That and you would have to find a place on the starmap for every single planet "system". That would cause a lot of headache.

[Exsiled_one]

The big question to put here is priorities. Do we really need dev team to get down on suggestions like this, or are there more prior issues. Having suggestions like this is always welcome but expecting them to live up instantly is unrealistic.

---

<span style="color:#33CC00">I AM GIVING AWAY MONEY TO CREATIVE MINDS*</span>

[silverleaf]

I'm sure there are many people like me who would lend a hand in designing the planets. So that does take the stress off. All they have to do is balance afters. And no one said you needed to do it for ALL planets AT THE SAME TIME...

Plus I'm pretty sure starting with one base per planet, balancing shouldn't take too long. As for making the actual landscape, assuming the layout generator is as easy to use as freespace 2's, then it shouldn't take more than couple hours a planet.

Just make the template, let the fans take care of decorating and other stuff that doesn't afect balance

---

Scavengers of the Abyss - A Freelancer Short Story

[kindred]

Then do that, please. Instead of creating a thousand new threads.

---

Devtonia ; all-or-nothing approach to bias.

[silverleaf]

In fact it can be treated as a PRIZE. Whoever wins the contest gets to design in a reasonable manner manhattan's skyline. I'd do anything within my power to win that.

---

Scavengers of the Abyss - A Freelancer Short Story

[Khellus]

It's possible to create. But it would be too much effort for a null and void Gain. Some other mods have some similar stuff. It's fun for about ten minutes, but you get bored

---

209,200,000 bounty credits earned to date

[silverleaf]

It would just be like more systems. Except planetary. That way I won't get bored with FL so soon. As for floating wrecks... better a glitched planet than no planet.

---

Scavengers of the Abyss - A Freelancer Short Story

[Khellus]

More systems??? How many systems are you thinking...?

Have you explored all of them and mapped everything on any character?

Or were you thinking an "Eve" type set up

---

209,200,000 bounty credits earned to date