Thanks for the input guys... i'm taking everything into consideration...
I've decided to go with my original code in 3DRAD... what this means is:
1- no bump mapped pixel shaded graphics...
2- no spectacular looking reflective water...
3- it'll run on almost anything from a 733 mHz system with a GeForce2 or better (faster systems for multiplayer)...
4- i'll be able to get it out within the next month...
i've given up chasing the DOOM3 look, and settled for graphics that i think will still look good for this genre... i've really reached the end of my rope with delay upon delay, always one problem or the other cropping up with the newer engines... i apologize to those who were looking forward to that... and also for the unnecessary delays when i wound up going with the code and engine i had originally started with...
maybe version 2 will incorporate some of the 'newer tech' stuff... but, right now, i've gotta get this out 'yesterday'... and this seems like the only way to do it...
ok... the first release will be set in WWII, the Pacific theatre, and you will join the game as a officer volunteering for sub duty in the US Navy...
expect a look and feel similar to that of the orignal Medal of Honor... or as close as i can come... and the game will progress along in the fashion, with some open endedness added as to afford some freedom to the path the game will follow... in short, what you do can affect your mission and it's outcome... and that can affect future missions... to a point...
the US will win the war regarless... whether or not you survive to see it though, depends a lot on you and how you mannage your crew...
you'll start the game in sub school, then be assigned to your first sub as a junior officer, and have to work your way up to Exec, and eventually to Captain...
there will also be multiplayer deployments available (it seems to be working ok so far on a lan, i may have to do an online test here soon), where you play either as commander of your own sub, or as part of the crew, commanding your section (as you will have to do in a lot of the single player missions) and having direct control over it...
a lil side note here... this 'crew coop' multiplayer is something i've worked on for quite a while now, and i've gotten something that i think will impart an added sense of realism and immersion to the experience... the idea of a few players sharing duties and coordinating for a successfull attack should be really cool...
i'm streamlining a lot of the old code... taking out a lot of unnecessary and what wound up being boring stuff... (for example, instead of actually taking the first person postion and view of the crewman at the station you are commanding, you will remain at your officer command view and command the station directly from there)... and what i've got so far, should leave plenty to do for everyone, even if there is a full crew (4 players) in a multiplayer session...
the stations are work intensive, simplified recreations of the real thing... and a mistake on your part can doom the sub and it's crew to a watery grave...
so... that's where it's at right now... lemme get back to work...i'm coding and modelling and texturing and testing... i hope to have something soon...
--Mike
|