[MatthTheGeek]

The release

Simply put, this is WCS ported to Freespace Open.

This only an early alpha release, as there are still a few bugs to iron out (for example, capship warpout deceleration), a few minor features that haven't been re-implemented yet (for example, different HUD for each ship), and some easy improvements that could be made over the original (skippable dialog, some well placed checkpoints) - but it is 100% playable from start to end, for both the Prologue and the 50 missions of the Hermes campaign.

I would appreciate bug reports, ideas for (simple) improvements that could be made, and any support from anyone interested in helping me polishing this.



The intent

The main goal is to turn WCS into a new way to attract people into the FSO community, just like Diaspora is. As long as WCS runs only on a separate engine, players are much less likely to ever discover what they're missing here. And if they do discover it through WCS, they are going to have negative bias toward it due to their experience on an outdated and closed engine.

The second goal is to bring back multiplatform and multiplayer support to WCS, as well as allowing modders the full range of FSO features they've been missing for the past year.

If anyone modding WCS wants help converting their mod to WCSOpen, I would be happy to oblige.



Installation

Unrar the WCSOpen folder in your WCS Folder. Copy-paste a recent FSO exe in the WCS folder (you need a full install of WCS, preferably patched) and use the launcher of your choice to select WCSOpen as a mod.

This was tested on the latest BP builds from here, but it should work on any recent FSO build.



Important notes (in no specific order)

• If your wingmen get stuck at the exit of the hangar at the beginning of a mission, go away from the carrier (use time compression if necessary), they should get unstuck eventually. Missions usually do not progress until they have properly taken off.
• Some missions feature extremely large asteroid fields that will reduce performance very sharply if you use shadows. You can still use a shadow-enabled build to play these missions if you disable shadows (command line '-shadow_quality 0').
• I still need to do a pass on all missions to remove some unused WCS flags that will pop up a lot of (skippable and non-fatal) warnings in debug builds. You are advised to play with release builds until next release.
• Longbows tend to get very stuck in hangars when exiting and especially when landing. I have increased the radius for end-mission triggers in those missions, but I may have missed some. Feel free to report if you get major issues with them, and try to land from the back of the carriers, as you will have less distance to cover to reach the trigger zone.
• Because we're limited to 4 secondary banks, some symmetrical banks got merged for ships that had too many banks.
• Time compression was re-enabled
• CBrief anis were temporarily disabled because of this issue

Download link

Mediafire

I will get this hosted on FSmods.net once I get to something a bit more polished.



TODO list, for those interested (in no specific order)

Code: [Select]

- Do a pass on all the missions to remove all the flags that make debug cry me a river
- Ship-specific HUD
- Fix the diaspora-like Missile/Gunpoint preview HUD
- Fix the capship warpout deceleration
- Try to find why we get skybox seams
- Fix the missions with Longbow landing issues
- Dialog skip
- Checkpoints where needed
- Find why you can't scroll down in command briefings
- Implement flaming debris and piercing effects
- Fix the position of external secondaries
- Reduce the size of extremely large asteroid fields for better performance on shadow-enabled builds.
- Some secondaries have no preview in loadout screen
- Check if loadout selection is not broken
- FRED a few proof-of-concept multiplayer missions
- Use collision groups to make sure wingmen don't get stuck when exiting carrier at mission start
- Use framebuffer cloaking effects


[LordMelvin]

Thank you, Matth! I've been waiting for this for a long time now!

[X3N0-Life-Form]

Wow, you got it to run on trunk? I'm impressed. On my end I made a custom build just to parse the new flags'n'stuff ^^. In any case, this is awesome!

Regarding dialogue skips: I've already implemented some in most of the missions, along with some other modifications, feel free to grab them to include them in your mod --> github repo, there should be a "download as zip" button somewhere on the bottom right corner of the page.

I've still got the code base for my franken build thingy, but I don't think it's quite up to latest trunk. Karajorma might have something more recent.

*goes to update to latest trunk*

EDIT - code updated to trunk, fresh build in progress.

EDIT 2 - ****ing build errors - will fix that Wednesday

[Talon 1024]

Here is my hud_gauges.tbl and scripting.tbl. The hud_gauges.tbl contains HUD layouts for the Arrow, Hellcat, Longbow, Excalibur, Thunderbolt, and Sabre for 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1280x720. The scripting.tbl was adapted to work with standard FSO builds, and it makes the hardpoints gauge work as it did in WCS.

[attachment deleted by ninja]

[Dragon]

Could you post a specific changelog of features removed from tables and missions? I'd like to get a picture of SEXPs and table options that are not in regular FSO builds. I only know about expanded gun/missile limit (which is, BTW, something that I'd really like to have in trunk).

[karajorma]

I only know about expanded gun/missile limit (which is, BTW, something that I'd really like to have in trunk).

Multiplayer is the big issue there. It breaks the hell out of it. Loadout is another but that one isn't as bad. I can't remember if WCS allowed you to use the loadout menu with the six gun ships.

[Dragon]

Yeah, WCS did use the loadout menu for 6 missile bank ships (it only expanded this. Wimps, why stop at 6 if you're doing it? ). Personally, I'd like the limit to be made as high as possible. Of course, it'd still be constrained by practical concerns, like HUD space and the simple question of "what could 10 gun banks possibly be good for?" (aside from shooting things, that is, but you can do that with just one bank, too. ). Loadout screen space would probably be the most important issue here, since it's not customizable like the HUD and quite finite in capacity. Still, 12 gun banks and 12 missile ones would probably be doable (while I don't see much use for that many gun banks, 12 missile banks could be used with ships equipped with external missile rails).

While I don't care for multiplayer, others do, so it'd be rather important to make sure the FSO implementation of this feature would work with it. Do you think the new pilot code will help here?

[karajorma]

I think the loadout rewrite I'm currently working on is more pertinent.

[The E]

Found a small bug from autoconversion:

In the mission Demo-03-BG-Hermes.fs2, line 3093, you need to add a "do-nothing" operator, as otherwise the parser will break, like so:

Code: [Select]

$Formula: ( every-time-argument
   ( any-of
      "TCS Kennedy"
      "TCS Warspite"
      "TCS Dominion"
      "TCS Churchill"
      "TCS Highlander"
      "TCS Nova"
      "TCS Spruance"
      "TCS William Travis"
   )
   ( has-arrived-delay 0 "<argument>" )
   ( do-nothing )
;;   ( set-forward-deceleration
;      6
;      "<argument>"
;   )
)
+Name: Slow down Kennedy BG
+Repeat Count: 1
+Interval: 1
+Team: 0

[MatthTheGeek]

Argh.

Thought I made sure all missions ran before releasing. Oh well. With 55 missions I was bound to miss some

Will be fixed in next release.

[fightermedic]

oooooooooooh nice
i SO approve of this!
seperation is bad, this is good

[karajorma]

If someone were to upload the WCS data in a suitable format, Linux and Mac users could finally play this game!

[niffiwan]

If someone were to upload the WCS data in a suitable format, Linux and Mac users could finally play this game!

technically they can already use wine to do that () BUT native is always better in my book, so hurrah & carry on

[Dragon]

I found something that could be of use. You commented out $Bomb Range Multiplier: in AI.tbl, but I've found an option called $Secondary Range Multiplier:, which does the same thing, except it affects all missiles. Since the only place where this flag is actually used are bombers (which don't fire AA missiles much), you could re-introduce this option. Also, you commented out $Death-Roll Time: in ships.tbl. This option, in fact, exists in normal FSO builds, it's just called $Base Death-Roll Time: there. The details of the implementation might differ slightly (I believe WCS has an override, while FSO modifies the base value), but at 100 milliseconds, there should be no difference. If possible, try restoring those two for the next release.

[Luke]

Very interesting, i will test it. Thx Matth.

[SpardaSon21]

I'd like to report that the loadout selection for the Thunderbolt is broken as I cannot select either the gun or missile banks on the ship's panel in the loadout screen.

[MatthTheGeek]

I got that problem too, was already on the to-do list. It's not the only part of the interface that's broken, you also can't scroll down in command briefings. Haven't had a look at that yet.

[The E]

I got that problem too, was already on the to-do list. It's not the only part of the interface that's broken, you also can't scroll down in command briefings. Haven't had a look at that yet.

This is due to the WCS data missing the 2_commandbriefb interface files. Scrolldown support in CB's is a FSO addition.

[MatthTheGeek]

Today I learned, WCS ships got no debris. Hence flaming debris script don't do dothin'

I be sad panda now.

[Dragon]

It'd be great if there was a way to generate a hulk model of the main, with -destroyed models used where available and a special "damage" overlaid on the regular model via shaders (sort of like Team Colors work). WC3 and 4 both used hulks like that.