Author Topic: Badspot: will you keep working in Blockland?  (Read 18240 times)

With RTB going down have all the files transferred into workshop. With a large amount of content to begin hopefully more players will be encouraged to make stuff seeing some of the possibilities.

Badspot

  • Administrator
this will never happen if you leave torquescript like the way it is.

So your proposal is for me to rewrite the entire scripting engine, then the next few years explaining to everyone why they need to rewrite all their add-ons?  Be honest - is your head literally in your ass right now?

So your proposal is for me to rewrite the entire scripting engine, then the next few years explaining to everyone why they need to rewrite all their add-ons?  Be honest - is your head literally in your ass right now?
No my proposal is that you should add more functionality to your scripting engine.

Blockland is a great game just the way it is. I will continue to play after development is gone.

No my proposal is that you should add more functionality to your scripting engine.
Can you elaborate on how this can actually be done?

Can you elaborate on how this can actually be done?
ACTUAL LISTS
Making strings be able to have the null character
UDPObject
Fix the bot driving
Allow us to create classes.

That would be a nice place to start.

badspot, what are some new features you are working on?

ACTUAL LISTS
Making strings be able to have the null character
UDPObject
Fix the bot driving
Allow us to create classes.
In addition to these: int64s and doubles.
I seriously think those two would take all of a day to work into the system.

Explanation for crossing off lists: there are countless addons that work specifically off of the premise of how arrays work in torque.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2014, 04:29:25 PM by Ipquarx »

where user generated content feeds back into the game with little or no input from me

As others have mentioned, improvements to the scripting engine would really be a good idea. With more things possible, users would be more encouraged to and be more likely to develop more large community customizations and new features.

Right now the truth is that Blockland makes too much money for me to ignore it.
Glad to know Badspot still loves us.

I think the torquescript VM needs a facelift altogether. There's lots of things you could optimize.. right?

Psuedoarrrays as they are currently are fine
I agree with ipquarx about dp integer support

I guess I've been saying that for years but it's still true.  I guess that means I have to make workshop go. 
I forgot this part too
I don't see how workshop will encourage people to mod. Why not make the Add-Ons section a bit more organized? Have subsections for the types of Add-Ons and maybe get a couple more trusted moderators (Greek2Me, Port, people who have been around here for a long time and know what is bad and what isn't) to moderate Add-Ons only. Please keep in mind that not everyone wants to use steam.

I forgot this part too
I don't see how workshop will encourage people to mod. Why not make the Add-Ons section a bit more organized? Have subsections for the types of Add-Ons and maybe get a couple more trusted moderators (Greek2Me, Port, people who have been around here for a long time and know what is bad and what isn't) to moderate Add-Ons only. Please keep in mind that not everyone wants to use steam.
While this would be a good idea, I don't see why we can't use steam workshop at the same time as this. We could also have those "trusted moderators" moderate the workshop too if that is at all possible.

Naturally, Blockland is not as engaging for me to work on as it used to be (what were you working on 10 years ago?  Is it still entertaining for you?) - but I would still like to improve it.  I'd like to get the game to a slightly more self sustaining place, where user generated content feeds back into the game with little or no input from me.  I guess I've been saying that for years but it's still true.  I guess that means I have to make workshop go.  
except that everyone else is motivated for improvements to come, and have tons of things that they would like that can't be done in add-ons. you're the only one with the source code and it pisses people off when we're stuck relying on updates that never come.

  • WaterPhysicsVehicle class
  • Helicopter Class
  • packet size increase (playertype downloads corrupt because more than 1kb of animation names)
  • .ifl download support
  • vehicle physics improvement
  • turn the terrain mission editor into a brick terrain mode. make it so you can use brushes to sculpt terrain out of a 4x4, 8x8, or 16x16 cubescape plane.
  • setNodeColor for items
  • can we even remove/move the groundplane?
  • more images slots/ability to mount multiple images to one slot
  • environment zones
  • water improvement (still no waves!)
  • buildable vehicles
  • technics bricks/moving parts
  • moving objects support (if I stand on a moving platform, I should move with the platform)
  • better light effects ie spotlights
  • raise projectile speed
  • better light effects ie spotlights
  • raise projectile speed
  • player turn limit (like 45 degrees for mounted turrets) and player turn speed cap
  • projectile collision models
  • increase brickcount
there's tons of things you could fix/add to the game. those are just SOME ideas of things that would improve the game. what I hate most is how you guys say things like this:
Quote from: kompressor
What about using new engine?
We can't afford to not put out updates for 18 months while we rewrite everything. We can make incremental changes and get big improvements in the short term. Killing interiors + terrains is a big step towards a brighter future. Bigger than buying a copy of Unity.
I want to see these changes that are "bigger than buying a copy of Unity". Did you actually mean these things, or were they said to convince people into thinking V21 actually brought hope to the game? I thought interiors and terrain slowed down development. Now it just seems likes its the developers slowing down development. There is so much more that can be added and improved, this game has so much potential. I just hate to see it stuck at what seems to be a standstill.