Space Combat Graphics

[Sim-Mania]

Before I played Moo3, I was playing Imperium Galactica 2. The difference in graphics quality in the space battles from IG2 to Moo3 waw a major disappointment. I was hoping to find out whether the spce combat graphics for Horizan were more like IG2 rather than Moo3.



Also in IG2 before a space or ground battle you could group your ships and ground units in a variety of different formations, again unlike Moo3. Will this be the case for Horizan?

[Ravana]

Alrighty, thanks for what you can give us Zaimat.

Nebulae. Hhhmmm...Think of the possibilities:

<em>'Strike Forces Shantipole and High Guard swoop out of the Baq'Dar Drift whilst Fleet Broadsword proves a tempting target in it's engagement of the blockade of Persis IV.'

As enemy forces are engaged at Persis, the relief fleet is ambushed and destroyed at Merchant Guild NavSat B/17a by Shantipole. High Guard moves on to ravage the staging post at enemy fleet dock "Phobos".</em>[edited]

[Zaimat]

Very nice!

Maybe we should hire you to do the live commentary !

[Ravana]

I'll be too busy playing! Well, initially at least.

Edit: Does anybody recognise the references I've used though?[edited]

[Sobriquet]

[Ravana]

Good guess Sobriquet. However, it isn't a film or television series, so this may have been a bit naughty, and moved away from the original emphasis of our trivia quest!

Still, anybody recognise them at all?

[Zaimat]

No clue.
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Horizon - Lead Designer

[Ravana]

Well, they're taken from two of the earliest sci-fi games around. PnP games that is.

[Zaimat]

Plug and Pray games? Reminds of C=64 games where the 5 1/4 floppy drive would wiz and crank and I'd pray after a minute it would not stop spinning!

pen-and-paper games? I only played AD&D so I'm no closer... <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley19.gif" border="0">
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Horizon - Lead Designer

[Ravana]

Yep, Pen and Paper.

Alright, they're from GDW's "Classic" Traveller, and FGU's Space Opera. As they're games from the 1970's, most people probably don't know them.

I guess that makes me the old boy here... <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley19.gif" border="0">

[Anguille]

When was that thing released?

I am not the youngest either, but the first game i bought was MOO and should have been in 1993-94 (and that's when i got my first computer too)

[Ravana]

1977 for Traveller, and 1978 for Space Opera, if that's what you mean Anguille.

[Zaimat]

Work in progress... Nebulaes for one.

Captain' we are now entering the lumari nebulae, enemy scanners should have a hard time detecting us...

[Edit: No more info forthcoming for a while regarding this while we slave away...][edited]

[Ravana]

You never did give us anymore on the terrain question Zaimat. That's if you wanted to keep this thread on-topic!

[Zaimat]

Doh, I totally forgot this thread. Should start a new one for Space Trivia Sobriquet so not to go OT and we can have some fun. I do like ST6 as well for the fight scenes, probably the most fun in that regard in the movies.

[Zaimat]

The Horizon combat engine uses high quality 3d pre-rendered objects (sprites). So all the space objects (ships, planets, suns, etc) are sharp and colorfully defined on a tilted invisible plane (grid) very much like looking at a tilted chess-board.



In strategic view (on a galactic map):

Ships are part of taskforces and you direct a taskforce, all the ship(s) in that taskforce move together.



In tactical view:

We have not implemented formations per se but you can take control of each ship (on their initiative) and position it the way you want or give ships orders..
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Horizon - Lead Designer

[JosEPh]

In tactical view:

We have not implemented formations per se but you can take control of each ship (on their initiative) and position it the way you want or give ships orders..

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That's Good!

[Ravana]

Will it be possible to "ambush" enemy fleets? I'm considering this in the same vein as Sim-Mania. Whilst IG2's formations weren't too useful, it would have been of great tactical advantage if you had firing arcs and shield boundaries à la MoO2.



Also, it makes sense if you have usable terrain - nebulae, asteroids and such. Elements of the system's map suddenly gain tactical/strategic importance.

[Zaimat]

We have had plans for "terrain" influencing tactical combat but as you can imagine it's one of those things that isn't very high on the priority list. I hope we are able to implement it as it would open up a lot of possibilities.
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Horizon - Lead Designer

[Sobriquet]

We have had plans for "terrain" influencing tactical combat but . . .



Put me down as one who would like to see this implemented. I'd like to experience the extra level of gameplay this would provide.



It would be awesome to hide inside the Multaran nebula or beat the odds and successfully navigate an asteriod field. <img border="0" src= "smileys/smiley2.gif">

(Geek test time. What movie(s) were referenced in the above statement?)
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i am sofa king we todd it