Battletech: Legacy (Help wanted!)

[SpikedHelmet]

Welcome, freebirth, to Battletech: Legacy. Aka Spring MechCommander Project.

What is Battletech: Legacy?

BTL is an ambitious project by Flozi and myself to create an awesome Mechrobot game on Spring in the Mechwarrior universe.

Orly? Will it be like a MechCommander 2 remake?

Well that's the idea, but Spring kind of caters to more towards mutliplayer competitional environment than any kind of singleplayer. But if there is a means, we'll try to find a way.

Why are you making this thread? Fuck off.

Kill yourself. No but really, what we need is some help. Flozi and I have been working on this for months, but neither of us have the time (in Flozi's case) or consistent attention span (myself) to devote the lengthy development it requires. Our skillsets are also complementary, and neither of us can really do it without the other -- Flozi codes and programs sorcery and magic, I model and texture.

What kind of help do you want?

What we really need are people interested in helping out, to take the workload off us. Biggest (in order), however, are:

• Lua GUI/Widget (Visual)
• Sound Effects
• CEG
• Animator
• Lua Code (subject to Flozi's evil whim)
• Voice Acting
• Texture Artistry
• Modelling
• Singleplayer Code/Implementation

What kind of specific shit are you doing?

BTL is an ambitious project that, to my knowledge (which is hilariously limited I admit) we are doing (and trying to do) things that haven't been done much before. Things like a comprehensive Mech heat system, environmental effects, individual parts destruction on units, crazy scripting standardization and unconventional gameplay design.

If you feel like challenging yourself and being a part of something new and incredible, this is the place!

If you are interested, post here or send me a PM, or contact me on Steam: zveroFAST

[smoth]

What do you expect the ui to cover I am not signing on all carte blanche.

Also havevyou seen the work I am doing for color schemes? Does it interest you?

[gajop]

I can do the singleplayer, but I need an idea (or even more concrete stuff like a script) to create anything: preferably start with something rough or small first.
I've played all the good mech warrior/commander games, and I've read a bit about about the BattleTech universe on various wikis, but I'm not a BattleTech guru, I can only make a singleplayer creator or specific singleplayer content with it.

[SpikedHelmet]

What do you expect the ui to cover I am not signing on all carte blanche.

Our biggest GUI ~plan~ right now is a system to display interactive infocards for all units (players won't have many units) that display a bunch of information on the unit.

Basically this: http://i.imgur.com/cURmqbF.jpg a tidy display showing graphical representations of various specific information such as unit health, health of body parts, and weaponry. And "interactive" in the sense that I would like players to be able to click on each weapon to turn them on or off, individually.

Also havevyou seen the work I am doing for color schemes? Does it interest you?

It does, but at the same time it seems daunting (and would require me to redo some textures :>). The problem for me personally is, if I were to do something like this, I don't know where I'd stop. I wouldn't be satisfied with just choosing colours. I'd want to have an assortment of different camouflage and colour scheme designs and it would increase any potential texture workload exponentially

I can do the singleplayer, but I need an idea (or even more concrete stuff like a script) to create anything: preferably start with something rough or small first.
I've played all the good mech warrior/commander games, and I've read a bit about about the BattleTech universe on various wikis, but I'm not a BattleTech guru, I can only make a singleplayer creator or specific singleplayer content with it.

That's something I'd give artistic license for. The Battletech "universe" is large and expansive enough that you can pretty much pull off any "story" you wanted. Generally speaking, the traditional Mechwarrior gameplay experience involves players stomping around in giant mechs fighting large numbers of much weaker but varied shit, with some random objective like "kill this building" or "capture this base" or "escort this unit" or "ambush this enemy convoy" thrown in, while progressively introducing the player into different aspects of the game.

Then around the halfway mark, the Clans show up in their big powerful mechs, making a melodramatic entrance as mysterious outsiders come to conquer the Inner Sphere.

[PepeAmpere]

What kind of help do you want?

What we really need are people interested in helping out, to take the workload off us. Biggest (in order), however, are:

• Lua GUI/Widget (Visual)
• Sound Effects
• CEG
• Animator
• Lua Code (subject to Flozi's evil whim)
• Voice Acting
• Texture Artistry
• Modelling
• Singleplayer Code/Implementation

So you need everthing, hm?

[FLOZi]

So you need everthing, hm?

All help is appreciated but;

• Lua GUI/Widget (Visual)
• Sound Effects
• CEG
• Animator

Are the key skills we either lack or have a real disinclination towards.

[smoth]

What do you expect the ui to cover I am not signing on all carte blanche.

Our biggest GUI ~plan~ right now is a system to display interactive infocards for all units (players won't have many units) that display a bunch of information on the unit.

Basically this: http://i.imgur.com/cURmqbF.jpg a tidy display showing graphical representations of various specific information such as unit health, health of body parts, and weaponry. And "interactive" in the sense that I would like players to be able to click on each weapon to turn them on or off, individually.

these are pretty doable. would take a bit to get the weapon functionality working quickly. One of the biggest issues I have is the spring interface between widget and gadget for synced commands.

It does, but at the same time it seems daunting (and would require me to redo some textures :>).

not terribly bad. You would have 4 textures. texture1, texture2, buckettexture, normalmap.

your bucket texture is the only truely new element.

red/green:
+can apply a texture via projection mapping. and and a matrix to adjust it
+color overlay
+specular color and adjustment of specular intensity

blue/alpha:
+color overlay
+specular color and adjustment of specular intensity

The problem for me personally is, if I were to do something like this, I don't know where I'd stop. I wouldn't be satisfied with just choosing colours. I'd want to have an assortment of different camouflage and colour scheme designs and it would increase any potential texture workload exponentially

the textures that are applied via projection are textures in my dir. You just sit down and grind out a bunch of textures via photoshop or ask me to generate you a bunch via my photoshop plugin. there are some things that are not easily done but that is just the nature of projection mapping. This code is heavily in progress code. the actual version in my svn is broken right now because of all the moving around that I have done. Anyway, the biggest issue with it is my current physical health issues. As of right now I am supposed to lay here on my back for the next few days.

does that help explain it?

[Zealot]

I really like mechwarrior / battle tech. Played a lot of the games and the animated series was one of my favourte shows as a kid.


My wife is a trained voice actor, and I have makeshift home recording studio. If you need female voice acting, I could probably arrange it.

I have done a bit of acting myself, but am not very good at accents, so I would be willing to do some too, but I have an australian accent so I dont know if that would be what you wanted.




I also am really into narrative writing, so if someone was working on a single player campaign and wanted me to collaborate in writing the story, I would be keen too.

These are the areas that I have free time and creative headspace to be able to contribute to.

Let me know if you would be interested in any of these areas.

Z

[Forboding Angel]

Sounds you can take from evo.

I could prolly give you a hand with CEGs. Do you have an svn that I can get access to?

Do you prefer things done in patches or shall I ask for commit access, etc?

[SpikedHelmet]

the textures that are applied via projection are textures in my dir. You just sit down and grind out a bunch of textures via photoshop or ask me to generate you a bunch via my photoshop plugin. there are some things that are not easily done but that is just the nature of projection mapping. This code is heavily in progress code. the actual version in my svn is broken right now because of all the moving around that I have done. Anyway, the biggest issue with it is my current physical health issues. As of right now I am supposed to lay here on my back for the next few days.

does that help explain it?

It does and I think I understand. It's just the:

You just sit down and grind out a bunch of textures

Part. I can think of a ton of different textures I'd want to do. Like opening up pandora's box kinda.

My wife is a trained voice actor, and I have makeshift home recording studio. If you need female voice acting, I could probably arrange it.

That would be awesome. Can she do a good Bitchin' Betty voice?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmrp38KjYg

Sounds you can take from evo.

I could prolly give you a hand with CEGs. Do you have an svn that I can get access to?

Do you prefer things done in patches or shall I ask for commit access, etc?

Yeah that would be cool. Do you have Steam? If so, add me up: zveroFAST.

Or I can send you a PM with the relevant info.

And we prefer direct committing any changes.

[smoth]

It does and I think I understand. It's just the:

You just sit down and grind out a bunch of textures

Part. I can think of a ton of different textures I'd want to do. Like opening up pandora's box kinda.

when ever I get tired of adding crate 132412 I generally play with this kind of thing so over time you could add as many as you darn well please

[Zealot]

@SpikedHelmet

Bitchin Betty voice will be easy.

I ran it past her this morning, she said it would be fine. Depending on what accent you want she will just practice a bit in preparation.


Here is a voice reel we threw together a few years back for her agent:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/apn1t2y1cqtlv ... 20Reel.mp3

This is mostly various australian accents as that is what is usually required here for advertising. (The australian public generally don't like american accents in advertising.)

Listening back to it now I think I was a bit heavy handed with the compressors and limiters and the audio quality is not what it could be if more time was spent on it. Anyway there you are.

[SpikedHelmet]

@SpikedHelmet

Bitchin Betty voice will be easy.

I ran it past her this morning, she said it would be fine. Depending on what accent you want she will just practice a bit in preparation.


Here is a voice reel we threw together a few years back for her agent:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/apn1t2y1cqtlv ... 20Reel.mp3

This is mostly various australian accents as that is what is usually required here for advertising. (The australian public generally don't like american accents in advertising.)

Listening back to it now I think I was a bit heavy handed with the compressors and limiters and the audio quality is not what it could be if more time was spent on it. Anyway there you are.

There have been many iterations of the MW Bitching Betty over the years. Your wife can use them for reference:

MW2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmrp38KjYg
More MW2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgojYKuYrd4
MW3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Hs58gqjY0
MW4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_GYljC7XVk
MWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M48rHq5GgQ

At the moment I don't yet have a 'script' ready. There are a lot of considerations I have to make about when and where I can use it.. I don't want to give you something, have your wife record, and then in 3 months realize I need another line. :) But if your wife can run through those and do some samples, we can see what will sound best.

Oh, as for accent: Basic "neutral" American.

[Zealot]

Cool. That should be fine.

Just let me know when you are ready with the script.

I thought it was be neutral american accent. Ill give her a listen. Most of them are fairly similar apart from mw3 which is deeper and a bit quicker. I guess we will probably go with a something like MW 2, MW4 and MWO because they are all pretty similar.