The overlay applications idea/speculation thread!

[Arisaya]

This thread isn't for asking George about overlays, but more to simply brainstorm up uses for overlays that we can all use [and perhapse even standardize across mods]

For now, we'll assume that we can apply overlays via script, something like:

shpAddOverlay &ovOVERLAYUNID; gSource; args(?)


So, I was thinking that....

1) We can do advanced ship orders! For example, want a ship to go to a particular location?

Code: Select all

...
(setq Ship ...)...
(setq Pos ...)...
(shpAddOverlay (&ovOrderGoTo; Ship; Pos)...

And that overlay, ovOrderGoTo, takes the Pos argument, then spawns a dummy "station" at that location, then orders the ship to dock with it, then checks the distance between the ship and the dummy station, and then, below a certain number of light seconds, it orders the ship to wait, and deletes the dummy station. The ship is then ready for new orders.

2) The obvious: doing an attack effect. No real explanations needed for this.

3) The other obvious: item enhancements/damage! But what's great, is that now we can DEFINE what sort of damage the damage is. And we might even be able to have a damaged item apply a debuff, like a broken patchspider damaging your hull.

4) Custom damage systems: Something Betel and I both dreamed up separately, but yes, it should work! Now we can have more than just 16 levels of damage types, and even re-arrange them to our liking.

5) Special shield/armor functions: your imagination is the only limit (as far as I can see)!

[Betelgeuse]

there are many cool things that can be done

1. Sets. Sets are basically groups of items that would give you an overlay. This would allow different items to interact differently. A current example of this is Carbide Carapace.

2. Dynamic items. Basically items that could grow or degrade with certain conditions. Those conditions could be things like kill so many enemies with the weapon or get hit with kinetic weapons or even one that starts off strong but gets weaker over time.

3. Visual aids. Devices that would help by pointing out things to the player. Example of this would be a targeting laser that would just be a simple line showing where your shot will travel or a asteroid sweeper that causes asteroids with ore in them to glow.

4. Unique ships. Ships can start off with overlays allowing them to have advantages and disadvantageous that other ships can't duplicate.

5. Overlays that check for conditions. These overlays are there to check if certain condition is met. A interesting use of this would be for an experience system to allow you to barter better or make the power use on powers less. (closely related to dynamic items)

6. Conditional buffs/debuffs. Overlays that would do things depending on other conditions such as if you have a cpu the hacker overlay is less effective.

combining these would make for some interesting stuff.

[Arisaya]

Fully moddable cyber-attacks, cyber weaponry, and cyber attack resistance, possibly even with different "cyber attack types" that could function in a manner not too different from a damage system

A truly advanced targeting system, with about every bell and whistle you can think of

A fully fleshed out main-computer [complete with upgrades] for your ship

A way to integrate characters and etc more fluidly into the game (we can store data in our overlays, remember? Now just use your imagination)

[Arisaya]

oh, and how could I forget...

changing ships... (What a whole bunch of people have been waiting for)

(IMO, changing ships would be bad for overall game balance)

But on that same tangent, we could also do visible player-ship (and even non-playership) upgrades!

[Arisaya]

Oh, and an extention of what I was saying about advanced orders...

Fleet battles! (now correctly functioning)

I guess I'll wait to re-script those till 1.0

[Hatsuya Kanzaki]

Might as well make a METEOR unit [Gundam Seed anyone?] attachable on playerships, and actually my METEOR system was a bunch of Star Light Breakers or the Steph-thing weapons.

[Arisaya]

I'm assuming a second docked deployable ship is what you mean? That can already be done.

[Hatsuya Kanzaki]

I'm assuming a second docked deployable ship is what you mean? That can already be done.

More likely but it will be primarily used to fire God-forbidden weapons like the *cough*facepalm* Star Light Breaker *cough* or even the Stephinian weapons at full power.

[Arisaya]

Unless you're god mod making or totally rebalancing the game, I wouldn't see why you'd want to do that.

However, it should be possible.

[Betelgeuse]

just thought of something

timer overlays: overlays that act as timers that can go through gates (when put on the player ship)

[Betelgeuse]

illusionary ships

a ship that appears to be a different kind of ship. Changes back on destruction or counter-measures.