Nice to see some results. Want to see more, want to see more. When you get round to it, might want to think about widescreen support, i can give you a link to the bits that you need for that and walk you through adding it in

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Yes, full widescreen support to push the hud out to the sides would be great. I've got it running in 1920x1080 thanks to adoxa's JFLP patch, but the hud is a bit awkward centralized as it is.
I've seen another mod (Nightstalker's universe) where they managed to get all resolutions into the game options somehow - I'd like to know how that was done.

Seeing we brought adoxa into the conversation, (never a bad thing to do), one of his little plugins is called Hudshift, available here:

http://adoxa.3eeweb.com/freelancer/plugins.html

Follow the ultra simple instructions and it works. Nightstalker used exactly the same method. I've been doing it this way for a while now, works in every resolution i've tried so far

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Cheers Gibbon, I had already found this after you mentioned widescreen previously and I have it implemented, and as you say, quite easy to do

The other thing I was studying in Nightstalkers mod was the use of DirectX9 and Bloom effects for the graphics, but I have not got anywhere with this as yet.

As for general progress on the mod, well as you you probably know with this game, you think you are almost there, and then you find something that requires a hell of a lot more work than you initially thought. This time it's population zones, patrol paths, encounters and the like - which are quite picky when it comes to pirates and fugitives - i.e. there needs to be a pirate base or jump hole involved, and my mod had neither pirate bases nor jump holes (because I didn't think I'd need them for the first version) - oh well, this has had a positive effect though - I have pinched an idea from Nightstalkers mod - the hyperspace systems in the B5 area - I am doing something similar, but calling it 'Witchspace' - the domain of the Thargoids No planets, stations or bases, just jump holes to and from 'normal' space - these witchspace systems will fit in the gaps in my universe map and provide dangerous thargoid and pirate infested shortcuts across the map.

The upshot of this is that I am now compelled to hide these jump holes to witchspace in asteroid fields and nebulae, which in turn helps direct me to create further 'obscured' areas within normal systems in which to hide pirate bases (basically if there is a witchspace jumphole and it's hiding nebula/asteroid field, I can put the pirate base near to the jump hole (around 10km away), if there is no witchspace jumphole and nebula, then I choose an area where there is no jump gate to put the pirate base, then I can implement patrol paths and tradelane attacks as well as the usual ambient pop zones. Remaining 'empty' areas of systems can then have asteroid/debris/mine fields or nebula created at random. (randomised sizes of zone, position (to a certain extent), content (i.e. size & density of rocks), encounters and so on).

Because I am generating the majority of the content of this mod programatically, it's just a case of getting the algorithm right and then my generator process goes off and does all the work

Lots to do...

A word of caution with bloom. Not everyone like it. There's nothing worse than having something like that forced on a player. While i appreciate for some it's a good thing, also be nice to be able to turn it off. To this end, why not let players decide?

The easiest route, especially if you have a more modern nVidia card is to do it through the nVidia control panel. Not only can you enable fx like this through there, i have anti alias and all that nonsense cranked right up, game looks completely different. At least that way players add their own fx, and you don't have to worry about coding it all in as the graphics card does it all for you. Food for thought.

Like your updates, be very interested in the finished product.

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A quick update,

Witchspace systems are complete, and all jumpholes to witchspace are 'obscured' by nebulae.

Encounter Zones are now well underway. I have the zones configured for those around bases, and at junction points between trade lanes working - they need tweaking in terms of numbers (too many spawning at the moment). Following similar patters I am now going to add zones around jumpgates and jumpholes - should have these completed today.
Next will be the tradelane zones, and then the background ambient zones - then finally I can add in patrol paths.

Once all that is done, I can then start thinking about bulletin board missions and destroy vignettes.

Once that is done, I will effectively have a workable game - still with bits missing (like base NPCs), but enough of a game to let people have a go and do some beta testing.
We are looking at around June 14th or soon after for a release.

Whilst the mod is in it's first beta, I can finish off all the nice bits, like rotating stations.

Anyone interested?

New development video:

Pythons, pirates, Witchspace & Thargoids

Thargoid encounter at 4:00, use of the deadly Quirium Cascade mine at 8:30

Hope you like.

One of adoxas little addons is something called random jumpholes, allowing for misjumps going from system to system. Something like this would be ideal imho for an Elite based mod like yours.

http://adoxa.hostmyway.net/freelancer/plugins.html

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Had a quick look at that - I'm not entirely sure how to fit it in with everything else I've done so far, so it may be I do it for v2.
Also found quite a few other useful looking plugins on his page, which, if I'd found earlier would have made my life a lot easier (especially the engine/powerplant classes and extra ship classes). Anyway developing version 1 is a great learning experience for me, and I want to have a working 'game' sorted pretty soon. I can learn from all my mistakes and produce a 'killer' version 2 (with all the bells and whistles I wanted) for around September this year.

Anybody still here?

yup

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Hey You! Check out The UnderVerse by Team RIP
The RIP Team Forums

Yes, still here, and although not worked on the project for some months now, it is not forgotten, just a bit dormant.

I will be returning to work on it at some point, don't know when though sorry.

Yup me to , I Still pop in now and then .

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RECON


Player Characters -: RECON

Boo!

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http://FreelancerCommunity.net
http://UnderVerse.us

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