I have started the Beta 4 Release candidate on the beta4-rc branch. I consider this a wise move not to delay it much longer because of all the new features and the critical Beta 3 clearing flag bug. The following is a list of features that where not completed for Beta 4 on the original to do list.
If people agree, I can certainly implement specific items into Beta 4 by popular demand, because I am cutting off quite a few items. The major ones have been completed, including the new priority system for buildings and the new no-workers explanations, which makes the game much more intelligent. I just want to allow enough time to gather general opinions on all of the fundamental changes, like the gameplay changes and such, before we release 1.0. The following are mostly extra's as far as features go.
Random Maps
- Add the ability to play custom and YOG games directly from random maps
Tutorial, Campaigns and Scripts- Add new hooks so that map scripts can respond to simple gui events (the tutorial will be more interactive this way)
- Add the ability to reload a special save-game with a new map script
in campaigns (this allows the persistent building placement for
tutorial for example)
- Add new tutorials to explain the use of things such as the overlays, advanced techniques like farming, and more
- Add a system so that maps can come bundled with extras, specifically
extra translations for the map script but possibly graphics or music
-
Improve the hilight system to be able to hilight only specific building
type, level and under construction and be able to hilight, only certain
skill levels on units and only certain teams on both buildings and units
- Possibly finish and implement USL, as branching, loops,
variables and general turing-completeness are desperately needed for
map scripts- If USL implemented, add the ability to set timers on objectives, which would be shown in the objectives screen
-
If USL implemented, add a better system for gathering statistics, for
GUI event hooks, etc... that where not possible with linear SGSL
- If USL implemented, add the ability to set and change the music track thats playing
- Possibly add support to show Theora encoded movies before or after missions in a campaign
Custom and YOG games
- Change the system so that team colors
are no longer dependent on the number of teams on the map, but any of a
bunch of default colors can be chosen
- Make winning conditions more customizable, like selecting the amount of prestige needed for a win
YOG In General- Add the ability to off-load file transfers (such as map downloading) to game routers
- Add a menu to view the ratings of players near your rank, search for players and view their rank and info
- Add more info to be stored on a player, such as last seen
- Add a formal system for registration and password recovery
GUI and Menu's
- Improve the background of the main menu, perhaps a better suited image, or a simple game running between AI's
- Possibly recreate the standard theme of the menu's
In-Game- A new library needs to be used to make VOIP work on any platform, possibly OpenAL or port audio
Sound Effects
- Implement sound effects into the mixer function, possibly implement SDL_mixer or another sound system
-
Have the unit info in units.txt to be able to set sounds to play at
specific animation frames, coming into existence, and dieing
- Have buildings be able to play sound effects as they are initially
constructed, take certain amounts of damage, are destroyed, or are
deleted
- Have sound effects for the GUI events like placing a building,
Game Features
- Add the ability to record and playback games (should be simple enough to implement)
- Add a menu option to start recording right at the beginning of a game, possible for YOG and Custom games
- Serious consideration should be taken to a few wishlist ideas, specifically Gatehouses http://www.globulation2.org/wiki/Wishlist#Gate_House
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Extra cheese comes at a cost. Bradley Arsenault.