Howdy all.
I'm starting this thread to bounce ideas around about a method I am trying to create. This is not so much for any plug-in in particular, but rather to serve as a resource for people who wish to use something similar in their own plug-ins.
Here is the goal:
"Begin in a ship flying around a normal syst. Land on a planet. Be moved to a new syst that is set up to look like a planet's surface. Be placed into a new ship, made to look like a land vehicle (like, for example, a car). Adventure around the planet, visiting locations that can be interacted with (like, buildings or a spaceport). When finished, leave the 'planet's surface' and return to space, with the same ship and outfits present prior to landing."
Here's what I'm thinking:
1. Set aside a bunch of control bits, say 1000. The actual amount will vary depending on the number of ships and outfits in your plug-in/total conversion.
2. Map out these control bits. It needs one bit per ship, and one bit per outfit. You also need a seperate bit for each number of outfit, if you can have more than one. For example, if you can have 4 'widget shields' max per ships, you'd need a bit for one shield, a bit for two shields, a bit for three shields, and a bit for four shields, or four bits total.
3. Make the normal system, with a normal planet spob. Put the ship there.
4. Upon landing, the player sees the normal planet screen.
5. Make a mission that starts when you enter the Bar. Give the player the choice to move out onto the planet or stay in the spaceport.
6. If the player chooses to head out onto the planet, set the control bits for the player's current ship and configuration. I'm sure this isn't as easy as it sounds. It would require setting about 20 bits in one statement, is that even possible? I haven't tested yet.
7. Once the player's current ship and configuration are "saved", use the Mxxx or Nxxx operator to move the player to the "planet" syst.
8. Use the Hxxx operator to change the player's ship to the ground vehicle type ("But Uncle Owen...!").
9. Use the Txxx operator to change the ship name to something fitting.
10. Ok, creating the planet syst. Let's make a planet of islands in a blue sea. Set the background color for the syst to a pleasant blue, and the Murk value negative (this hides the starfield).
11. Make large spob graphics that look like islands. Make smaller spobs that look like buildings, and set the station flag so they show on top of the islands. Place these around the syst to create the world you want.
12. Heh, make something interesting to do there.
13. One of the buildings should be a spaceport of some kind. When the player is ready to leave, they 'land' on the spaceport. Entering the Bar, they are given a mission choice to leave.
14. If they choose yes, use Mxxx or Nxxx to move them back to the original system.
15. Check the control bits for the ship type they had, then use Hxxx to change the ship type. Use Dxxx to remove all the default items that come with the ship.
16. Check the control bits for the outfits and use Gxxx to give them to the new ship.
17. I have no idea how to set the name back to the original.
Ok, so there's my broad overview of how I thought it could be done. I'm sure some of these steps are tricky to do in practice, especially step 16. However, I don't see any show stoppers...
... so that's where you all come in. Anyone seen any thing I've said that simply are not possible? If so, are there other ways of doing it? Are there better, simpler, or less intensive ways of doing any of the steps?
The goal, as always, is to make the experience immersive to the player, and not remind them of the number-crunching going on behind the scenes.
Take it away, folks!
Peace,
Luck
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