<FOMD> Freelancer of my dreams. Work in progress (permanently).

[lIceColon]

I have some suggestions based on my perceptions on realism.
So, instead of having a system that has multiple disporportionate planets, you could make each system centered on a single, realistically sized planet, the map would be kinda like that of Sins of a Solar Empire. The star, instead of being in the center, would instead be in the great distance (perhaps painted on the background or 9999k away and non-selectable) Perhaps you could even coordinate the location of the star and graphics of each system so that multiple systems will appear to be orbiting the same star.
Due to the large planets, you can have trade lanes which mostly exist for the purpose of taking you around the planet and as well as to and from moons.
Gates could exist to take the ships between planets as well as other key locations.

but turning becomes hardcore

Perhaps you could make it so that all maneuvering (aside from adjusting orientation in drifting) consumes energy or fuel (eg. power core) in some way? Maybe slow the ship down in maneuvering to show that the thrust is being diverted around to emulate drag so that the ship can act like an aircraft without being in air?

Work hard on it, I look forward to being a complete noob on your demo

[Swallow]

Thought of that already. But so far objects fade and disappear at the distance ~500k...
But I would find out the way.

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Swallow]

This is what I mean:

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Swallow]

Well, the engine of Freelancer is far way too limited in case of spacebuilding. It is more of a combat simulator for sure, though not a perfect as well.

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[lIceColon]

I just tried a tiny little bit of Evochron Mercenary, and from my first impressions, it (at least the vacuum "flight" mechanics seems almost perfect for the kind of realism some are looking for. How hard could it be to port the flight mechanics of mercenary to freelancer?

A bit off topic and not really helpful to your cause, but the way I currently cope with the unrealistic scaling in game is that instead of recognizing the game's graphics as an in-rp reality, I interpret it as a graphical representation on some console, so a large planet is represented by a small round sphere, because really, realistic space combat (and what most of modern air combat already is) is basically shooting your target before you can see it, so distant ships are enlarged to be visible so you don't have to rely on specks in the distance.
I also think of the length measurement in terms of ms-2, so going at a speed of 400 automatically becomes acceleration of 400, a distance of 1000 is actually a distance requiring 1000ms-2 to reach, etc. A weapon of 600m range would also actually be a weapon that has 600ms-2 of acceleration, so the actual range would be much further away etc. An acceleration of 0ms-2 could be ignored as due to the vastness of space you must be constantly accelerating (and perhaps decelerating at the appropriate time of the journey) to get somewhere. Its not perfect, but to me at least it makes it much more believable, and allows the game to be realistic without its graphical representation being realistic, and without its players to have the skills of rigorously trained astronauts.

edit: to come to think of it, ms-2 is still too little. Perhaps ms-3 so that the engines are constantly spooling up.

[Swallow]

Well, as I might mention before, I worked with Orbiter, so I believe I could imitate the spaceship behavior with what we have at the moment.

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Swallow]

Next on list are scaled down vessels. Let see, how good in relation it might work.

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Swallow]

Screw the scaled down vessels, I just found out another concept.

Two, actually.
1. "System" is being turn into a planet, with gate and stations on the orbit, star is moved into a starsphere (meaning that it will become a decoration like the nebulaes). Planet will be made of custom mesh and hi-res texture. All universe could be set in one stellar system or in different ones. No tradelanes.

2. The way the Fishlabs did in GOF: Planet and sun are turned into decorations (starsphere). Possibly animated rotating planet in starsphere.
Gaming space is recreated with space (itself), Big station, gate, field, nebulae.

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Chuba]

but..but... but i like stars already as they are i like to dive into them 8l

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[Swallow]

Feel the angst!

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj