My wishlist.

[GrOuNd_ZeRo]

REQ: Compiling custom weapon models code + suggestions
http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1377

Requesting some features, some simple, some more complex.

Aircraft repair pad pseudocode...
http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1452

Suggestions for Airbases, aircraft types as well which is important to mod devs.

I also request the following to be changed/implanted:

-Larger texture files larger than 2048x2048, currently, all textures are stored in one 2048x2048 image, should be large enough for OTA with some custom units or a mod with a few custom textures, but any major mods with alot of custom textures need bigger files, esspecially since TA:Spring is 3D, more detail will be needed in units.

i'll mention some more, probably already mentioned in the other topics above, some are from other forum members as well.

-C&C style Scatter function hotkey, Preferred as (X).
-OTA mouse interface, could be changed to right button interface like in OTA.
-Customizable explosions which I heard will be supported soon.
-Alpha Texture Mapping (ASAP)
-Bump Mapping (in time)
-An AI that builds and fights (just adding this for reference sake, know it's in progress)
-Tile Based map editor, Generals style which also supports importing custom landscapes straight out of Terragen.
-Paralyzer weaponry
-proper LOS weaponry for Gauss Guns and other projectile weapons that fire in a flat angle.
-Customizeable models for ballistic weaponry, Missiles and LOS weapons.
-Upgrade/research menu system for units, when the upgrade is complete, it will read a file with upgrades and builds the units with those upgrades, if the model is changed, this can be pointed out in the upgrade file as well.
-unit tag for Mortar style weapons.
-More support for FPS mode with better targetting, more mobility like going in reverse or strafing, tanks could just move their chassis to the direction of the strafe while the mouse points the turret and will remain fixed on where the mouse is pointed, also support for switching between weapons would be nice, when you press 1 for example you can toggle weapon 1, etc, support for commanding units in FPS mode will also be a great addition, FPS mode is one of the most exciting features.
-Improved LOS that displays on screen like OTA, unexplored area's could be either greyed out or dark, explored area's will appear in normal color and brightness, unexplored will remain dark.
-Edges of the map blend with darkness so the edges of the map don't look so odd, like most RTS games out there, this has no priority, but would be nice.
-Support for Bridges, Roads and other layer based texturing.
-an FBI tag that makes units bleed? for infantry based mods, blood color would be nice too so you could have aliens with green blood for example.
-Lava and Acid map support.
-Added scripting language for complex scripts, I.E. ZW's transport scripts for SWTA and TA:WD, this has little priority right now, but for later.
-support for deformable terrain that includes the texture changing from grass to dirt and so forth.

I could probably mention more, but these are some that I think are the ones i'd like to see most.

I encourage other members to add their wishes, this could act as a reference to users who also have wishes for their mods and units.

So mod, if you like to make this sticky, it would probably be a nice place for inspiration? this will make all those loose and random suggestions pile up in 1 thread instead of a 100

[Gnomre]

Lava and acid is possible as of 0.50b2, get with the times See the Lava and Two Hills topic in the Maps forum.

I'll tack on a couple suggestions. Basically, I'd like to see far more data defined on a per-unit basis in the unit FBI files:

-Make the gamedata\sound.tdf information definable in the unit's FBI file. Any entries in the FBI would override sound.tdf info for that unit, but for legacy compatibility's sake keep sound.tdf file support there.

-Same for moveinfo.tdf

-Give the ability to merge the download TDF files into the FBI. I can see many situations where it'd be more useful to have them as seperate TDFs, though, so leave support for that in.

-Give a category for the labels on the buttons in the GUI for units in their FBI. Something like:

Code: Select all

[BUTTONLABELS]
	{
	specialbuttonlabel=D-Gun;
	attackbuttonlabel=Attack;
	guardbuttonlabel=Defend;
	movebuttonlabel=Move;
	etc..
	}

This way you could customize units that much more.

-Make a tdf file or something that controls what "Metal" and "Energy" are called, and make it replace all instances of those words in the game with the words in the tdf. This is for mods that use "Oil" or "Minerals" or "Power" or whatever instead of E and M.

Oh, another:
-Arbitrary FBI tags that can be called from the script. Let's say a modder wanted a transport that ONLY picks up infantry, but he can't do it the normal way (groundplate size) because he also has small tanks, and he can't do it by height like zwzsg does (let's say either because the engine doesn't support it, or because he has a non-infantry unit that is the same height). He could put in a random FBI tag of his choosing, let's just say "infantry=1;" here. Then in the transport script, it's go something like:

Code: Select all

if(unitid.FBILoadTag.infantry == 1) {
	..transport loading animations here..
	}
else {
	sleep 50;
}

I don't know the function name for loading information from the FBI file offhand, so I just put "FIBLoadTag" there. Basically, it'd load the information from the tag "infantry" from the current unit's in-game unit ID (assuming that's how Spring works), and if it's set to 1 it'll load the unit normally, otherwise it won't. Of course, if the unit lacks the tag, it defaults to 0.

Yet another edit!
-Let modders sort 3DO files better. Let us put weapon models in one directory, corpses in another, and "live" models in the current main one. It'd make it far easier to keep track of what's what that way.

Those are all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Buggi]

Many of those requests are cosmetic Gnome.

Oh, and the one request I'm 100% against is units bleeding. These are bots. We don't want to lose sight of the main core.

A damage engine would be nice. If a unit is very damaged it should do more then smoke.

Also, SY does have a custom unit format planned, no idea what it has, impliments or uses. Wish they'd release something on it to get feedback before it goes final. (This includes a new scripting system...)

-Buggi

[Gnomre]

Yes, they are, but they would certainly make things easier and more versatile. Take custom units for example; many of them are restricted to using the OTA click, OK, move, etc sounds (in OTA, of course) because it'd be too much hassle for an end user to deal with sound.tdf files for multiple units... if something like that is defined on a per-unit basis, it makes modding much simpler and opens more doors.

Just because it's their own engine doesn't mean it should be hard to mod for.

[edit] Damage engines, as you put it, are already entirely possible with scripting. Simply check the unit's health from the script, and if it's below a certain percentage, disable a piece. If you're really determined, you can detect the angle the shots came from and disable accordingly. This is all with the current OTA script engine

[AF]

Oh, and the one request I'm 100% against is units bleeding. These are bots. We don't want to lose sight of the main core.

xml unit defs as suggested by buggi in soem other thread
GAIA player
Definable Lightsources & textures on the infinate
Inbuilt Threat matrix with borders and necessary implementation for use within scripts of entering high threat zone.

[GrOuNd_ZeRo]

Oh, and the one request I'm 100% against is units bleeding. These are bots. We don't want to lose sight of the main core.

You misunderstood me there, I meant, an FBI tag that you can says if a unit can bleed or not, like infantry you expect to bleed in modern warfare and star wars mods.

Currently, there are little ways to make a unit appear to have blood, besides the corpse model.

I didn't say that Peewee's should bleed now, just that human/alien/biological units should be able to bleed.

Some other issues:

-soundtrigger=0; support, for machineguns, sounds could easilly be replaced with single shots instead of a sequence of shots, but the Spring engine doesn't make it sound right and in the right RoF.
-Invisible bullet support, for firearms mainly, not completely needed but would be nice to have, otherwise, I could make some bullet models instead.

I was playing Lava and two hills the other night and I didn't see my units get damaged as I expected, but they did not cross the lava so, point taken, I wasn't too sure if this was supported or not and I haven't memorized what new features have been introduced in 0.5b2

[Warlord Zsinj]

Units are too small to see blood. The only time you would see blood is when a unit is killed, and when it is lying dead on the floor.

Both of those are already possible, using custom explosions (blood spatter) and custom wreckages (blood covered body), respectively.

EDIT: Although death animations are necessary for units who aren't killed by massive explosions.
For example, if my SWTA infantry is blown apart by a big explosion, sure, the transition from unit-wreckage is hidden. But usually, infantry are killed by small laser fire. In the current spring, units just disappear when they die. This looks rather silly, so some sort of scripted death animation linking the killed unit with its wreckage visually is necessary.

One option is to make it that infantry don't leave wreckage, so that you animate the infantry dying (you'd have to make a couple of different animations, such as, blown into the air death, heavy weapon death, light weapon death, etc), and then just sink the body below the ground as part of the animation. That way the animated death doesn't have to link up with where the wreckage is, so you won't see a unit stumble and die, falling to the ground, and then jumping to where the wreckage should be.

[GrOuNd_ZeRo]

Actually most models sink into the terrain or get disintergrated, I have seen corpses of units before.

Both of those are already possible, using custom explosions (blood spatter) and custom wreckages (blood covered body), respectively.

Not in Spring right now...we have to wait for custom explosions become available, I just though it would be neat if infantry units would draw a puddle of blood that becomes part of the ground textures similary to scorch marks if or when those will be included.

other things such as animation/corpse to be used kinda of scripts would be nice if for example a unit dies from fire or high explosives but this is not a priority at all...

[Min3mat]

Improved LOS that displays on screen like OTA, unexplored area's could be either greyed out or dark, explored area's will appear in normal color and brightness, unexplored will remain dark.

press 'l'

-OTA mouse interface, could be changed to right button interface like in OTA.

This would confuse all playing it atm. although a choice between L/RClick would be nice

-support for deformable terrain that includes the texture changing from grass to dirt and so forth.

I don't think that this is possible nor needed hell i doubt many people would even want this!
Nice List though.