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Flying into planets?

The general place to discuss MOD''ing Freelancer!

Post Sun Mar 13, 2005 8:37 am

Flying into planets?

A quick question for people who are able to modify the game. Is there a way to provide planets than can be flown through ie atmospheres? I seem to recall one of the later Elite games did have that feature. Just thought it might be good fun to be able to fly down and over a planets surface, after all you can see the surface from up above.

Keith

Post Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:42 am

I dont think its possible, I believe its hardcoded so that you blow up when you fly into the planet. Also, the surface file (.SUR) of the planet makes it so you cant fly in too far, you bounce off if you fly at it really fast. If you got inside the planet you'd just see a large sphere anyway, you wouldn't fly over the surface of it. It's a pity that there is no planetary flight but there's no way to fix it. Though I suppose a good system builder could build a planet-system that is similar to planetary flight.

Post Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:54 am

I supose Parabolix is right.
But it is very interesting his final proposition...
Let us think...
Let us think...


http://www.lancersreactor.com/t/i/lusitania.jpg

Post Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:58 am

I'm thinking that maybe it could be done by using a planet .sur file scaled up (using antons tool) with things built inside...its very doable, but tough, and alot of work.

Post Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:17 pm

To stop yourself dying when you fly into a planet, just find the planets death zone in the system.ini folder and remove all the damage (or make the zones smaller so that it doesnt go outside the planet model )

That way, you can fly right into the planet, without any damage done (apart from the very small amount gotten when hitting the planets .sur )

Post Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:50 pm

The only way I could think of making this would simply be of making Docking Rings JumpGates and making so each planet has its very own system with a Warriors of the Sky-type Architecture. Would be cool, but a lot of work.

Bases could be in there and would have like 1 feature each. 1 is Ships Dealer, one other is Bar, etc...

Post Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:19 am

Ok thanks anyhow. I guess the artwork would be too much, but it would be nice to be able to fly down and actually land on the docking bay. I know you wouldn't expect FS type graphics, but even if you had to folllow a set route that would be good.

Perhaps in a later version - if one is on the cards?

Keith

Post Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:35 am

Friendly Fire...that is a VERY cool idea!!

Shame...If only someone were making a mod like that *hint*

Post Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:46 am

1. You need the images of the way down to the planet, would take lots of time making those, especially if its going to work on multiple planets.

2. You need to either make the Docking ring invisible or just keep it

3. You need to change the atmosphere files

4. and last but not least, you need to think if its worth making it.

Think about it, i meen yeah i'd love this MOD if it existed, but.
And thats a big BUT, you need to add so much to one planet, and try to make it look like FL graphics, the Atmoshpere needs to be deleted so that you can fly down, plus that you haveto change so that yo come closer (perhaps the atmosphere is like some kind of cloud) so that you come out of the cload and see the next bunch of images showing the planetscape.
Also, if you would want some kind of Docking down there you could add an invisible docking ring that streches through out the whole planet, that makes it look like you just fly down.


Im waiting

Liam 'shadow505' O'Neill

Post Mon Mar 14, 2005 12:49 pm

Well, if we ever have a working SUR exporter, I shall be happy to figure out how to build planetary surfaces that are more than just gigantic planes with the occasional island

I've built working CMPs of large surfaces before (we're talking 30K across or larger), but I'd need a custom SUR to go along with that, to get this working properly in the game engine- otherwise there would be lots of problems with things not colliding correctly with the "ground", ect.

In additon, the Radius of the object also prevents the AI from spawning within it, at least as observed thus far, but only in SP. This may or may not be true with a custom SUR file.... we shall just have to wait and see.

Post Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:09 pm

my theory on this one...

re-allocate the docking ring to be a form of jump-gate which basically shunts you over to a hidden system (which does not appear on a galactic map)

then much alike a dyson scape create a plane for the ground,, and invert the vertices on something like a nomad dome shield shaped model...

paint that model with a sky texture etc and then export it - marry it to its sur and this creates your bounding box and skyscape.

its alot of work and testing, but a clever moddeler/scripter could conceivably do it.

edit:

alternative number 2 would be to alter a starsphere to look like a cloudy sky - but still use a nomad dome shield sur to keep peeps from wandering too far

Edited by - [HoTaConQUesT on 3/14/2005 3:10:44 PM

Post Fri Mar 18, 2005 6:25 pm

I have an idea for this one... Everyone remembers the Dyson Sphere in endgame...what if someone did something to that effect? That might work...

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