Call for volunteers: merging Allegiance into FS2

Catch-all for all development not having a specific forum.
Post Reply
KGJV
Posts: 1474
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 7:00 am
Location: Transilvania

Post by KGJV »

The plan:

what: porting Allegiance into the FS2 multiplayer system

how: FRED2 (mission editor) + scripting system of FS2 + coding (C++) what is missing to achieve this goal.

who: for now, we're 2 , one member from the Blue Planet Multiplayer project and me.

If you want to participate plz post here. You'll be contacted directly. No specific programming skill required for now, just good knowledge of Allegiance to 'feed' the FS2 guy.

Also if people having good knowledge of both communities could give some tips (stuff & politics & how to avoid dramas), that would help too.

EDIT: We cannot be hosted here. We have moved to http://thegamersoffice.com/AFSMOD
Last edited by KGJV on Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Image
Spunkmeyer
Posts: 2013
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:00 am
Location: Contact me regarding: CC, Slayer and AllegWiki.

Post by Spunkmeyer »

KG,

What does "FS2 multiplayer system" imply exactly? I understand it means using FRED and the scripting system for Alleg, but is there more? I guess I'm trying to figure out if it means plugging FS2 stuff into Alleg code base, or the other way around.
Last edited by Spunkmeyer on Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.


Want bigger games? Log on to play at the official game time: 9pmET/8pmCT/7pmMT/6pmPT every day of the week. Also Saturdays 8pm UTC.

SP4WN
Posts: 1634
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:00 am
Contact:

Post by SP4WN »

Lol Spunk, first point is about plugging allegiance into the fs2 system.
Clay_Pigeon
Posts: 3211
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:00 am
Location: my pod

Post by Clay_Pigeon »

I'm in. I'm not a professional programmer, but I do have some programming experience. My C++ knowledge is tragically out of date, however. I'm also a fairly low-drama kind of guy.

I've been toying with this idea for a while. FS2 is a well-supported and mature platform. The challenge is faithfully preserving elements of Allegiance that I feel are important to quality gameplay, such as

1) Alleg physics, including particles. This is what makes dogfighting challenging and interesting.
2) Some analog of our core (.igc) system, which is vital to allowing experienced players to balance and fine-tune game rules
3) I couldn't think of a third thing without saying something stupid like "our signature/scan range" system.
Last edited by Clay_Pigeon on Sat Jul 30, 2011 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." -2 Cor 12:9
"Never know how long I've waited, anticipated your smile pressed against mine." -Running
Spunkmeyer
Posts: 2013
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:00 am
Location: Contact me regarding: CC, Slayer and AllegWiki.

Post by Spunkmeyer »

SP4WN wrote:QUOTE (SP4WN @ Jul 30 2011, 11:58 AM) Lol Spunk, first point is about plugging allegiance into the fs2 system.
Hence my question, what is the FS2 system? I said I'm FS2 clueless.

If he is talking about writing Alleg for FS2, using FS2 as the engine (which is how Clay perceived it), that's a big project. Trying to figure out the scope. That's different than using FRED and FS2 scripting for Alleg.
Last edited by Spunkmeyer on Sat Jul 30, 2011 5:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.


Want bigger games? Log on to play at the official game time: 9pmET/8pmCT/7pmMT/6pmPT every day of the week. Also Saturdays 8pm UTC.

MatthTheGeek
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:46 pm
Location: France

Post by MatthTheGeek »

Hello there, I am the FS2 guy KGJV was talking about.

The idea here, as far as I conceive it, is to try and port the Allegiance gameplay into the FreeSpace Open engine, first by emulating it as closely as possible with the current engine, and later by filling the necessary gaps in the code. I don't know exactly to what extent Allegiance is moddable, and how far you guys improved the source code, but as far as I understood, you are stuck on a license that is more restrictive than ours. FSO has a fairly large and crazy active community, the engine is almost daily improved, but our own multiplayer community has been fairly reduced over the years, so this is a good opportunity for both sides.

If we manage to raise enough interest on both the FS and Allegiance communities, I am pretty sure we can come up with something pretty close to the Allegiance gameplay into the FSO engine. Many concepts can be implemented more or less directly with the FSO engine as it is, and the rest surely can be emulated with scripting and code additions.

I have an excellent knowledge of the FSO engine but very limited of the Allegiance gameplay. Which is why I'll need your help, especially for those of you that'd know both FS and Allegiance, so I can look up what features need to be implemented, which ones I can do with the engine as it is, and which ones will require coding.

Also, do you guys have an IRC channel or something ? A live talk with active members of your community could help speed things up a bit.
Spunkmeyer
Posts: 2013
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:00 am
Location: Contact me regarding: CC, Slayer and AllegWiki.

Post by Spunkmeyer »

Matt, thanks.

That may be the best way to go... Allegiance source has been released hastily and never been in a very maintainable state and that's turning off many potential coders, I'm sure, not to mention a lot of friction in just getting stuff out there. The license hasn't been an issue AFAIK, at least not within the community.

OK, sign me up, although I'm fairly clueless about FS, I can probably get up to speed fairly quickly. I should be able to answer all your questions regarding Allegiance though, quickly and in detail too.


Want bigger games? Log on to play at the official game time: 9pmET/8pmCT/7pmMT/6pmPT every day of the week. Also Saturdays 8pm UTC.

Adaven
Posts: 1958
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 7:00 am
Location: Greater Ozarks

Post by Adaven »

Merging with the FS2 engine should give us several of the "wishlist" items that have been floating around for years. Better graphics and the ability to target specific subsystems on ships comes immediately to mind.
raumvogel
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2003 7:00 am
Location: My lawn
Contact:

Post by raumvogel »

Do they even have a community that still plays? I have yet to find an active website or game download.
Image
SP4WN
Posts: 1634
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:00 am
Contact:

Post by SP4WN »

Oh forgot to say il help, but my coding is extremely limited.

Maybe there will be some other elements down the road I can help with more.
Post Reply