$Header: /fridge/cvs/xscorch/doc/NOTES,v 1.18 2002/06/17 22:09:08 jacob Exp $
NOTES file for XScorch.
Copyright(c) 2000 Justin David Smith
Copyright(c) 2000 Jacob Luna Lundberg.
This document agrees with version 0.1.15.
!! Please read this document before reporting a bug. This document contains
the current known issues with the game. In particular, if you have ideas
on how to fix these bugs or implement some of these features, we'd like
to hear from you: send e-mail to jacob (a) chaos2.org and
justins (a) chaos2.org.
Also refer to doc/NETWORK for network-related issues, and doc/AI for issues
relating to the computer AI's.
CONTENTS
Immediate Attention
Jacob's Notes on Weapons
Features Not Yet Implemented/Known Problems
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
Balance: Economics unfair, shield strength (Mattias Eriksson)
Network: Packet retransmission!
Handler for SIGPIPE that dumps a line to stdout (xscorch.c).
JACOB'S NOTES ON WEAPONS, ETC. (unchanged since 0.1.15)
!! Read this before you report a weapons bug.
!! Issues listed below are definitely on the board for forthcoming releases.
Notes on XScorch development from Jacob's perspective (largely weapons)
Jacob Luna Lundberg <jacob (a) chaos2.org>
Last modified on 2002.05.24
** Things for Immediate Attention **
These are the features and bugs I plan to work on soon.
* Hopefulls for release soon *
Resolve the rollers-often-detonate-on-impact problem (?).
Make spider phoenix more aware of hills in the way...
Rewrite the AI budgeting system -- what a mess!
Finish teaching AIs to use Shield Sappers.
Document the weapon info struct format.
Animate napalm flames (?).
* Long term stuff *
Weapon creation utility.
Check out porting to WinCrud via gtk (painful) ...
There are in fact several things that need selectable tracking functions...
[Now partially implemented.]
o blasts at tank barrel
o sandhogs underground
o rollers on surface
* Weapon selling/trading in game *
We both have thoughts on this and I think it will happen. Stay tuned...
o To do this we will need `unique' weapons, i.e. eliminate the idea of a `mass
market' with a surplus of weaponry. Might be easy, hard to say `tho.
o `fair' pricing model for custom weapons. Can't have Bob the Destroyer
designing a new weapon with 10000Force destructive, then making it available
for 1$ (would be amusing, though).
** Weapon Explosion Animation **
Right now the only issue here is phoenix vs. selectable tracking.
* separate weapon explosion drawing functions *
(marked by conventions used with weapons list below)
+ (a) circular gradient explosions ("normal" weapons)
+ (b) spread circular gradient explosions (funky bombs)
+ (c) dribbling liquid explosions (liquid dirt, napalm)
- (d) digging (dirt eating) pseudo-explosions (diggers, sandhogs)
(e) spraying explosions (riot charge/blast, dirt charge)
** The Weapon List **
We still have a long way to go creating weapons.
Many will need some degree of specialized detonation function.
These specialized functions are well under way now though...
* weapon list goal *
Those that are fully implemented are marked at the left with a '+'.
Those that are partially (often twistedly) implemented are marked with a '-'.
Note that our explosive radii run about twice those of the original game.
[Name] [Cost] [Bundle Size] Radius-[Scorch]-[XScorch] [Arms Level]
+ No Weapon $0 0 N/I 0 0
+ Baby Missile $400 0 10 20 0
+ Missile $1,875 5 20 40 0
+ Baby Nuke $10,000 3 40 80 0
+ Nuke $12,000 1 75 150 1
+ Leap Frog $10,000 2 30,25,20 60,50,41 3
+ Funky Bomb $7,000 2 80 160 4
+ MIRV $10,000 3 20 40 2
+ Death's Head $20,000 1 35 70 4
+ Annihilator $24,000 1 N/I 200 4
+ The Chaos $5,000,000 1 N/I 200 5
+ The Chaos^2 $9,999,999 1 N/I 200 6
+ Napalm $10,000 10 N/A N/A 2
+ Hot Napalm $20,000 2 N/A N/A 4
+ Black Rain $30,000 2 N/I 20 4
+ Tracer $10 20 0 0 0
+ Smoke Tracer $500 10 0 0 1
+ Shield Sapper $2,500 5 N/I 0 3
+ Baby Roller $5,000 10 10 20 2
+ Roller $6,000 5 20 40 2
+ Heavy Roller $6,750 2 45 90 3
- Riot Charge $2,000 10 36 72 2
- Riot Blast $5,000 5 60 120 3
+ Riot Bomb $5,000 5 30 60 3
+ Heavy Riot Bomb $4,750 2 45 90 3
- Baby Digger $3,000 10 N/A N/A 0
- Digger $2,500 5 N/A N/A 0
- Heavy Digger $6,750 2 N/A N/A 1
- Baby Sandhog $10,000 10 N/A N/A 0
- Sandhog $16,750 5 N/A N/A 0
- Heavy Sandhog $25,000 2 N/A N/A 1
+ Dirt Clod $5,000 10 20 40 0
+ Dirt Ball $5,000 5 35 70 0
+ Ton of Dirt $6,750 2 70 140 1
+ Liquid Dirt $5,000 10 N/A N/A 2
Dirt Charge $5,000 5 N/A N/A 1
Earth Disrupter $5,000 10 N/A N/A 0
Plasma Blast $9,000 5 10-75 20-150 3
+ Shield Sapper $10,000 2 N/I 0 3
Laser $5,000 5 N/A N/A 2
* potentials *
Sticky Air (implement with object land type and tracers)
Sticky Air Disruptor (see above)
Tunnel Tracking (accessory >:)
Teleporter (accessory, chosen, or random location? preference for random)
Jump Jets (accessory, thoughts?)
Popcorn Bomb (weapon, sounds a lot like a funky bomb, hmm)
Dirt tower (weapon?)
Warp Shield (accessory, no idea what this is either)
Teleport shield (accessory, oh, this would be just _too_ fun)
a) you're hit, you're transported.
b) you're hit, weapon is transported >:)
Flicker Shield (accessory, what the heck is this anyway?)
Patriot Missles (weapon, any ideas?)
Plasma laser (weapon, gnifty looking laser I assume)
* special cases *
Rollers are implemented as a new phoenix case (CONVERT).
The Chaos really is mostly for testing. But it is fun. So who knows what the future holds...
And as for The Chaos^2, well ... ask Justin. ;-)
** Networking **
As you can see, the basic structure is going in.
This was the number one most requested feature after napalm.
If anybody out there has experience in this, we'd still love to hear from you.
This release has a new packet engine that will make the implementation of
error recovery much easier. It is also designed for TCP from the ground up,
and it has a testing library (not included with xscorch) that makes debugging
it way easier than the crap that was in xscorch (my crap, my fault ;).
(end of Jacob's XScorch notes)
FEATURES NOT YET IMPLEMENTED/KNOWN PROBLEMS
Economics:
* Free market not implemented
* Greedy scoring not properly implemented
Interface:
* Mouse support partially implemented
Landscape:
* Hostile environments not implemented
Physics:
* Suspend dirt not implemented
* Tanks fall not implemented
These will probably come along soon, now that tank profiles are
implemented == bug with land falling on the tank can finally be
avoided.
* Viscosity does not currently work
This has been removed, because the trajectory functions cannot
currently compensate for the viscosity of air.
* Springy walls are not properly implemented (no damping over time!)
Play options:
* Player Teams not implemented
Players:
* Insanity AI not implemented
Sound:
* Soundtracks are implemented but as yet have no music to play
This causes some "file not found" warnings during gameplay
* Sound effects are still a ways down the line
