As a long time FPSC user, i also want all the improvements cited by the folks, all those enhancements and gameplay possibilities.
Indeed, i think FPSC already has all those "eye candy" effects, with the use of shaders and high resolution models.
My list of features i want to see in FPSC 2 (this is just my opinion):
- First of all, i think TGC SHOULD stick in developing FPSC in Dark Basic Pro, because this language is a lot easier compared to C++, and we have a huge amount of modders who dominates dbpro and this can help a lot to people add new cool features
- I think TGC should use a better culling system, like the new Dark Occlusion, from which i have seen, it can occlude even parts of models (polygons). I already tested, FPSC cull entities, not polys, i mean, if you have a character entity behind a wall, it will be ocluded, but if you go and see it there, even if you close the camera view to lets say, just a part of the character (arm), it will show all the polygon mesh. And this feature of Dark Occulison, which occludes just polygons, is awesome.
- FPSC should stick on what it is, a First Person Creator Shooter. I think TGC should not make it a "All Kinds of Game Creator", because it loses the focus of the engine. For those who want to create a car battle game, they should go for Dark Basic Pro.
- However, there is nothing wrong with the user has a choise to chose a 3rd person camera view, and even driveable vehicles. Off course that we will not be making a Need for Speed in FPSC, but just basic driving system like the old Battlefield 1942. P.S: I think FPSC already is capable of doing this with the new scripting commands, just need to be perfected more.
- I think is very, very, very important for a good framerating that FPSC uses the LOD (level of detail) System. But this should me something most simple than in Source Engine Games (Half Life 2, in example), where the model must be "compiled with all the lod meshes". I think that it should be something like this. You have a folder to your custom character. So you export all the LOD versions of your character from inside 3dsmax (in example). The character is the same in all 3 LODS (in example), it has the same animation, but the number of polys is lesser on each LOD. So in your entity folder you have something like "my_character_LOD1.x", "my_character_LOD2.x", "my_character_LOD3.x". So the engine will look inside the folder, and search for this naming convention to find all LOD models for your entity, and according the distance of the player from this model, FPSC will load the corresponding LOD model. It should be something very simple for the user.
- I think a new shader feature should be created to simulate body damage. This could be done with custom textures, however, to be real, this should be done with shader. If the character gets shot in his chest, then this shader would overlay a blood splat above the character texture in the chest position, and so on for the other body parts.
- Dynamic shadows for characters is already achieved by using bond`s shader, but it would be cool have dynamic shadows for normal entities and all game objects.
- I think the scripting system on FPSC must, and needs to stay as it is, simple, easy to learn, and very agradable to work. I think TGC should not change the FPI Scripting System. It is already perfect as it is, just always add new commands and conditions.
- I think TGC should improve the lighting system in FPSC, to make something like in Leadwerks engine. I sthink the lights should have more options, like in example, spot lights, omni lights, directional lights, shadow color, shadow volume, shadow intensity, in resume, a more customizable lighting system
- About the particles system (decals), i think we should have an option to have more frames of animation and not only 16 frames. I have a lot of After Effects Particles Effects that i tried to export to fpsc, but it did not work, because the AE particles have more than 30 frames of animation each one.
- I think that the FPSC Segments Editor and Make Entities from X-files should be integrated in the FPSC UI, and should come already installed with FPS Creator.
- And also FPSC should have an own Particles Editor, in where the user would import the images sequences that compose the particle animation, and then export it as a decal
- FPSC should have an internal model viewer for both character entities and weapon entities. So the person can see how his character will look in game, without having to test in game. This should be like Half Life 2 Model Viewer, in which you see the character and it`s animation sequence (preview).
- FPSC should have a weapon creator in which you can visually adjust HUD position, fire range, and all the weapon sepcs without having to waste time inside testgame. There is already a commercial application created by sequoia games who does it, whoever as this will be a new FPSC version, i think it should come with all things that a person needs to create a FPS Game.
- Also, it should be created a kind of achievment creation system. Model Pack 54 already has it, but as a FPS game, i think the marjority of FPS games have a kind of mission objectives system, so i think the features of the achievment system created in Model Pack 54 (and also RPG Mod), should be included in FPSC 2. I think the way achievments work in Model Pack 54 is already perfect, but it should be included in FPSC 2.
- Also is essential an Options System. I tried too much the GUI-X9 but never could make it work. I think the options should be easy to set up, with menus and such.
- I think the Menu System in FPSC should have support for animated swf files (flash files), so this way we could create animated buttons very easy inside FPSC. I think the scripting system in FPSC should be able to "read" the animations frames inside swf files, so we should not use the Flash Script, but we would just only create animations in flash, and the script control should be done in FPI Script. In example, if player put mouse over a button, fpi script would tell the swf file to move to frame 50 and play the animation, something like this
I think those are the marjority of features that i, personally, would like to see in FPSC 2.
Cheers for all,
007.
Goldenye 007 N64
