Scripting questions, for mod feasibility

The only scripting in existence is for modding abilities and the like -- you can't use it for map-making. There is no single player campaign, and the scripting you'd need for that isn't available. (Certainly not to players, anyway)

Thanks Ron,

I was hoping that the scripting would be robust enough to allow the community to mod in there own campaigns.

The reason I posted this is because some of the developers post seam to indicate that robust campaigns could be made using scripts to drive events and modify the players experience.

Not currently, no. But what we do have is a very robust form of "sandbox" mode which creates what they call an "emergent campaign".

What can you do with in game scripting?

What are its current limits?


Thanks

There is no in-game scripting.

I was hoping there would be something in the mod tools about this, is there really no way to script any kind of game event or cut scene?

There isn't a campaign, remember? They didn't code that stuff in.

Well... Here's hoping that they add scripting to map making at some point in the near future.

Hey KilsonX,

1. Through scripting can I take the players units and move them to a new map?
1b. Can the status of the first map be saved and reloaded by the script?
2b. If so how many sub maps would be possible?

At the moment, there is no in-game scripting in the way you are thinking about. It may well be added in a content update later though.

2. Can phase lines be turned on and off through scripts?

(See above) You can make a fully connected map, which is pretty much the same thing as not having phase lanes. You'd probably want to turn off "show connections" in the user interface though.

3. Through scripting can in game customization be implemented? *
2b. Can abilities and bonuses be added by the script? *

I'm not sure what exactly you mean by in-game customization, but pretty much everything in the game can be customized. Not scripted, but customized. And yes, that includes abilities, bonuses, UI, ships, planets, etc.

4. Can movies or Still images be used to convey a story?
5. Can the game be paused while giving the player a choice?
6. What are the Game over options? -- So if I wanted a player to lose if a certain ship dies or station?
7. Can planets be made to move? - Say simulating an orbital pattern.
7b. Are binary Systems possible?

Most of these things would require scripting, so they fall under "may be added in a content update". Orbiting planets won't be possible (it was originally in but banished for being not fun to play with). I want to make a binary system myself, and nearly had it all working but something else took priority.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Psugar,

Well there goes my Idea. . . all twenty two pages. . .

"crys"

Well as soon as I go pick up my copy from a local game store I will start bugging you all to put in map scripting. . at most once a day. . or per hour . . . or per minute which ever comes first. . .


For # 2 I wanted to isolate players from part of the map, Till a certain event occurs.


For # 3 What I was thinking of is for the Player to make a persona such as a Capitan where they would pick ability's Such as +attack + accuracy + speed +ect. . and Link it with there flagship. And a name for there Capitan- So if they moused over a ship it would say "Ship Name, Ship Capitan"

So that the story had something to focus on. Also for Story wise. Such as "The Dreaded Pirate Capitan Bloodeye sends his regards" and allow the player to track Bloodeye down to tell him in person( through missiles and Gauss rounds) just what they thought of his impersonal response. (Have it so that if a ship dies with a Capitan the captain dies too)


Well . . . No Binary systems . . . But just think of the fun of having to battle in between two stars as it was the only Safe/Fastest route through a system.

And how cool it would be. . .


Thanks again for your response Psugar

Makes me wonder why it took so long to produce the game in the first place. There's no single-player campaign. There's no scripting in it. It's basically an engine where you can move your ships around in small areas linked together. Ships shoot at eachother. 15 arch-type ships with cosmetic differences and minor differences. It all comes down to moving a group of them into another group of an enemy and let them battle it out. Research changes a couple of values of these ships and planets.  

We've been nagging through the entire process of the development that we would want some personality into the game. What we have now is nice looking planets, okay looking ships, and a template for a game that you would actually START to build a game from.

Well I think what they did was make the game engine run really really well. Next we just need to bug them (The Developers) After all the Nerf crys and O'No's get done. .

One thing Im going to change is the balance. . .

And this game looks ripe for a storytellers fun time in space.

I was really looking forward to having ingame scripts. . . But We can always bug(nag, pester,annoy, bother) them to put it in. .

I grasped what you was trying to do, with scripting, and my heart started beating happily. Then when I learned that there was no scripting in there, it stopped. They got a long way to go with the game yet, but in the end it should be something really cool.

I guess if they plan to do a Expansion and maybe with a Campaign then there will be scripting possible, at least it makes sense to me, but i think it's to early to speculate.

How many peoples work at IC?