Future Project

todays updates:

• UI Icon Set created
• Navigation + Weapon Panel Animations completed
• Landing Pad Hardpoint + Effect created
• Spotlights on Manhattan Cityscape animated (same method can be used to open and close docking bays on stations)
• Manhattan Bar added
  
  
  • three camera modes added for testing purpose
• further structural changes

Todays update (demo link as usual in the first post of this thread):

• re-enabled mouse cursor on 1st person cam of the manhattan bar as soon the game menu is opened
• Changes to the New York System:
  
  
  • Freeport 1 added (for testing purposes)
  • Player ship (eagle) added
    
    • basic flight controls added
    • thruster effects added
    • headlight added (can be tested on the Freeport 1 station)
    • 4 types of weapons added (laser, kinetic cannon, 2 types of missles)
    • damage recognition added
    • missile controls added
    • switch between 3rd person and cockpit camera with "C"-key
  • hostile and friendly NPC spawn added
    
    • basic NPC AI added
• Minor fixes in some scripts

Yes, the flight control script requires changes.
limiting the roll
adding strafing
and reverse y-axis for mouse control

so far i rely on a script that I have downloaded
dunno how hard it will be to rewrite it

Updates:

• FXAA support added
• SMAA support added
• fixed 16:9 aspect ratio on Manhattan Cityscape
• Weather System created
  
  
  • Rain
  • Storm
  • Thunder
  • Dust
  • Sandstorm
  • Snow
  • Snowstorm
  • Clouds

• Ambient Sounds added to weather effects
• thunder effect improved
• normal maps on manhattan bar improved
• docking ring added to New York system
  
  
  • basic docking ring animation created
• post processing shaders added
  
  
  • Bloom
  • Depth of Field
  • SSAO
  • SSAA
  • Motion Blur
  • Color Correction
  • Fog
  • Noise

unfortunatly the webplayer does not show full detail

updates today:

• for testing purpose weather control buttons have been added to the manhattan cityscape
• docking functionality added to the docking ring in New York System
  There is no docking player animation yet but that will be introduced as soon the flight controls have been completed. So for now you have to fly the ship manually into the docking point.
  This docking point is not active until you have requested docking permissions (with the F3 key).
  Docking permission can be requested only when you are in docking range.
  When you enter docking range, the docking button on the top UI bar will turn active. When you leave docking range this button will turn inactive again.
  When you are in docking range and have requested docking permission (F3 key) the right side of the docking ring will open.
  If you have requested docking permission but leave the docking range, the docking ring will close again.
  If you have requested docking permission and fly through the right docking ring, you will be transfered back to the Manhattan Cityscape.

Link is as usually in the first post of this thread.

A few weeks without updates but i simply had other stuff to do.

Todays update is a bit bigger:

• Space Particles updated
  
  
  • particles are limited to emit only around the player in order to increase the performance
  • more variation options added
• Planet Shaders added for
  
  • Earth-like planets
  • Rock planets
• Flight Controls improved
  
  • functionalities removed Mouse button 1 to prepare the controls for target selection
  • primary fire assinged to Mouse button 2
  • weapon switching assigned to spacebar (until we have a loadout system)
  • Y-Mouse axis reversed (similar to FLs Pitch controls)
  • Yaw-axis correctly assigned to the X-Mouse axis
  • Roll functions layed on A + D (WASD controls) or Left + Right (Arrow controls)
• Surrounding area of Planet Manhating created (including Stations, Depots, Tradelanes, Docking Ring, Mooring Fixture)
  (This will server as test environment for additional functionalities and basic game mechanics)
  
  
  • a 16k earth texture serves as placeholder for the manhattan textures (will create custom textures later)
• Badlands Nebula moved into the correct location (still requires alot of work to get its final look).
• Double sided material shader written (for use on shipyards and depots)
• Light settings adjusted
• Headlight intensity reduced

Link to the demo: Unity Web Player | Continuum
(will take a bit to load)

Quote from SilverFox

Looking good.
Hint: You can spin the planet if shoot it

Yes, noticed it... the same problem as in FL.
Looks like im on the right way.... simulating the same bugs.

Quote from Cryzis

Sorry for noticing this thread just now...

I also agree with most of the ideas here, they sound amazing and I was just thinking some of them too.

Anyway, I volunteer to help, I've never worked with Unity before but I'm willing to learn it as quickly as possible and assist.

cool

Update:

• Lighting Mode edited
  This will support multiple system light sources now (suns) and will have a linear intensity falloff. Same lighting method is used in FL.
  Drawback of this method is a less accurate shadow calcultation which prevents realtime shadows being drawn at large distances.
  I unfortunatly see no other way to correctly emit light from suns within the systems.
• New York System Sun recreated
  
  
  • Lens Flare intensity reduced by 50%
  • spherical Sun with dynamic shader added
    
    
    • Corona intensity increased
    • Solar wind added
    • Solar flares added
    • Sun shafts added (god rays)
  • Badlands Nebula improved (still not the final version but alot better than before)
  • Planet Pitsburgh and its Ice moon added
    (texture placeholders = mars + moon -> will be replaced as soon I have detailed conversions of the FL textures)
  • Rotation of Planet Manhattan increased
  • Players and NPCs no longer have influence on the rotation of planets

The new version is currently uploading and should be available in about 30mins.
Same link as usual.