Forums » Suggestions
OK, so having thought about the issue a while, I've realized what I think will be the best answer for all the wormhole jumping. The suggestions so far have been good, yes, but I think my idea will be far better in the long run.
The problem? We need permanent-ish protection around some wormholes that have pirate trouble. Players just don't cut it because the wormhole becomes unprotected when the players log out, not to mention it being boring to just hang around keeping pirates away. My solution? Put bots in place to protect the wormholes. But DON'T have the bots put there by the developers.
Instead, put devices in place to let the players themselves put bots in place to protect the wormhole.
Allow me to elaborate: provide for player-built bots. These bots could be produced at only certain robotics-oriented stations (I believe I saw a few the other night while playing). They could sell for a very high price, take 2 or 3 cargo slots depending on the size of bot, come in different variations (strength, shielding, etc) and require a special "deployment weapon" similar to the "repair weapon" to deploy them and activate them. They could be repaired using the same "repair weapon" in-game.
What would they do? The basic bots would come in several variations. One would be similar to those that patrol the stations now--just patrol but attack anyone who starts hostile action. Another type could attack anyone that attacks a member of the faction that deployed the bot.
Even better, in addition to the basic types of bots, you could get a "blank" bot--one with no behavior at all....
...wait for it....
...and let the players script them!
I can see it all now. You'd want to avoid having to *write* scripts in-game, so just have a special folder in the Vendetta folder for Script Inbox. Write scripts in some language (say, Lua, or Basic) and drop it in the folder; when you start the game, these scripts get imported in to your station inventory. Each one takes up one cargo slot and can be traded with other players, stored, stolen, etc.
Then, buy a "blank" bot and "trade" the script with that bot (are there cargo trading interfaces in place for other players currently?) Or some mechanism to "apply" the script to the bot. Once applied, that script becomes a permanent part of that bot and controls its behavior.
The scripting interface would be simplistic. The only controls would be those that players have (movement, fire, read the radar, etc.) The script would just have one function to run every second or so to update the state of the bot, and would run on the server for the bot deployed to prevent hacking. It would be very easy for players to write simple defense scripts or such, or to be more elaborate in their design. Of course not all players would want to write scripts, which is where trading scripts or even scripted bots come in to play.
Imagine: a player, or even a guild, that specializes in writing custom bots. Go buy 6 defend-the-wormhole scripts from them, buy 6 blank bots, insert the scripts in, then load all of them into a wraith or some other big bus transport, go to the wormhole that you're having trouble with, and deploy them. Bam, instant protection!
Yes, it'd have to cost a lot, to prevent people from oversaturating areas with bots. But they should cost a lot anyway. It'd be something to work towards, as a guild or an entire faction, to protect the interests of that group.
Worried about them being hunted like other bots? Make sure the script is smart enough to run away and avoid attack unless it needs to come to the defense of others. Scripts, and those who write them, will start getting implicit value associated with them associated with just how good the scripts act.
I think this, frankly, would be a WONDERFUL idea, because it would open up whole other areas that we could only begin to speculate about. Players write bots to go mine minerals for them to complete a mining mission. Players write wingmen-bots to help them out when going bot hunting, or even in PvP fights. Imagine a dozen guilld ships going into battle, only to have the other side with a bus in the back suddenly deploy 6 bots in their defense.
The possibilities, quite literally, would be endless.
We, the players, would be empowered with the ability to literally change the landscape around us in a semi-permanent fashion using mechanisms that are mostly in place already (the bots currently in place have to be controlled by SOMEthing).
I think, in the end, this would by far be the best solution, simply because it not only lets the players develop the solution for THIS problem, but to any other problem that comes up in the future with no additional effort from the developers. I think the frustration right now we're experiencing is that there's no current way in the game to achieve a solution--ANY good solution would require modification of the game. If we had a mechanism to build a solution ourselves, we would.
And life would be good.
Vendetta is already an amazing game, and has the potential to outshine any other MMORPG out there. I think this would be one big step in that direction. It's an idea I always wanted to implement in my own game, but I think Vendetta would be the perfect environment for it.
Who's with me???
--mcn (out)
The problem? We need permanent-ish protection around some wormholes that have pirate trouble. Players just don't cut it because the wormhole becomes unprotected when the players log out, not to mention it being boring to just hang around keeping pirates away. My solution? Put bots in place to protect the wormholes. But DON'T have the bots put there by the developers.
Instead, put devices in place to let the players themselves put bots in place to protect the wormhole.
Allow me to elaborate: provide for player-built bots. These bots could be produced at only certain robotics-oriented stations (I believe I saw a few the other night while playing). They could sell for a very high price, take 2 or 3 cargo slots depending on the size of bot, come in different variations (strength, shielding, etc) and require a special "deployment weapon" similar to the "repair weapon" to deploy them and activate them. They could be repaired using the same "repair weapon" in-game.
What would they do? The basic bots would come in several variations. One would be similar to those that patrol the stations now--just patrol but attack anyone who starts hostile action. Another type could attack anyone that attacks a member of the faction that deployed the bot.
Even better, in addition to the basic types of bots, you could get a "blank" bot--one with no behavior at all....
...wait for it....
...and let the players script them!
I can see it all now. You'd want to avoid having to *write* scripts in-game, so just have a special folder in the Vendetta folder for Script Inbox. Write scripts in some language (say, Lua, or Basic) and drop it in the folder; when you start the game, these scripts get imported in to your station inventory. Each one takes up one cargo slot and can be traded with other players, stored, stolen, etc.
Then, buy a "blank" bot and "trade" the script with that bot (are there cargo trading interfaces in place for other players currently?) Or some mechanism to "apply" the script to the bot. Once applied, that script becomes a permanent part of that bot and controls its behavior.
The scripting interface would be simplistic. The only controls would be those that players have (movement, fire, read the radar, etc.) The script would just have one function to run every second or so to update the state of the bot, and would run on the server for the bot deployed to prevent hacking. It would be very easy for players to write simple defense scripts or such, or to be more elaborate in their design. Of course not all players would want to write scripts, which is where trading scripts or even scripted bots come in to play.
Imagine: a player, or even a guild, that specializes in writing custom bots. Go buy 6 defend-the-wormhole scripts from them, buy 6 blank bots, insert the scripts in, then load all of them into a wraith or some other big bus transport, go to the wormhole that you're having trouble with, and deploy them. Bam, instant protection!
Yes, it'd have to cost a lot, to prevent people from oversaturating areas with bots. But they should cost a lot anyway. It'd be something to work towards, as a guild or an entire faction, to protect the interests of that group.
Worried about them being hunted like other bots? Make sure the script is smart enough to run away and avoid attack unless it needs to come to the defense of others. Scripts, and those who write them, will start getting implicit value associated with them associated with just how good the scripts act.
I think this, frankly, would be a WONDERFUL idea, because it would open up whole other areas that we could only begin to speculate about. Players write bots to go mine minerals for them to complete a mining mission. Players write wingmen-bots to help them out when going bot hunting, or even in PvP fights. Imagine a dozen guilld ships going into battle, only to have the other side with a bus in the back suddenly deploy 6 bots in their defense.
The possibilities, quite literally, would be endless.
We, the players, would be empowered with the ability to literally change the landscape around us in a semi-permanent fashion using mechanisms that are mostly in place already (the bots currently in place have to be controlled by SOMEthing).
I think, in the end, this would by far be the best solution, simply because it not only lets the players develop the solution for THIS problem, but to any other problem that comes up in the future with no additional effort from the developers. I think the frustration right now we're experiencing is that there's no current way in the game to achieve a solution--ANY good solution would require modification of the game. If we had a mechanism to build a solution ourselves, we would.
And life would be good.
Vendetta is already an amazing game, and has the potential to outshine any other MMORPG out there. I think this would be one big step in that direction. It's an idea I always wanted to implement in my own game, but I think Vendetta would be the perfect environment for it.
Who's with me???
--mcn (out)
Interesting......
i like it!!!
i like it!!!
sounds great...but why do i wanna buy a bot to defend you or anyone else? I mean I'm not afraid of pirates...if i owend my own station or sector i'd like some bots protecting it, so the idea of person owend bots is good...just not real practical at the moment...
Ooo, nice... Maybe higher-end bots could have rewritable memory or something (ooo, vulnerability!)?
CreeBarney, believe it or not, there are still a few altruistic people left in Vendetta... :P
CreeBarney, believe it or not, there are still a few altruistic people left in Vendetta... :P
I think that could be abused so badly... I mean, what if someone scripted their bots to go fly into enemy territory and do their griefing for them. On top of that, not everyone knows Basic (or wants to know basic), so what do they do? Writing an entire combat AI I would assume would take a lot of time and effort to write. Using Vendetta as an example, they've been writing and improving theirs for the last TWO YEARS, and it's pretty damn good. I'm guessing (as I do NOT know Basic, and have no INTENTION of learning Basic) that it would take someone proficient in Basic at LEAST that long to write something that came close to being as effective as the bots that are currently in Vendetta.
I mean, (again, this is just a guess) you have to detect whether the bot is getting hit or not, who it's getting hit by, how it's going to evade the next shot, how it's going to attack an enemy, how it's going to generate an intercept solution that won't just send it flying around in circles, how it intends to manage energy use, how it adjusts for whatever weaponry a player is using, will it know whether to repair when it gets damaged, will it know to repair AFTER it kills its target player, how do you prevent it from attacking friendly players, how do you prevent it from getting lost in a system, how will you prevent it from smashing into asteroids while it fights, how will you prevent it from smashing into asteroids as it patrols, where will it patrol, what its flight path will be, how close to a potential griefer does it need to be before it attacks, does it go after a potential griefer before said player attacks a new player, or do it go after the griefer after it kills the player, does it save the names of known griefers, and the list goes on and on.
Of course, it could be less complicated than this, but I don't really see how. A player would probably have to spend more time out of the game coding their new bot AI than actually playing, when Vendetta already has a good bot AI already implemented. I know that I just wouldn't bother.
I mean, (again, this is just a guess) you have to detect whether the bot is getting hit or not, who it's getting hit by, how it's going to evade the next shot, how it's going to attack an enemy, how it's going to generate an intercept solution that won't just send it flying around in circles, how it intends to manage energy use, how it adjusts for whatever weaponry a player is using, will it know whether to repair when it gets damaged, will it know to repair AFTER it kills its target player, how do you prevent it from attacking friendly players, how do you prevent it from getting lost in a system, how will you prevent it from smashing into asteroids while it fights, how will you prevent it from smashing into asteroids as it patrols, where will it patrol, what its flight path will be, how close to a potential griefer does it need to be before it attacks, does it go after a potential griefer before said player attacks a new player, or do it go after the griefer after it kills the player, does it save the names of known griefers, and the list goes on and on.
Of course, it could be less complicated than this, but I don't really see how. A player would probably have to spend more time out of the game coding their new bot AI than actually playing, when Vendetta already has a good bot AI already implemented. I know that I just wouldn't bother.
"I mean, what if someone scripted their bots to go fly into enemy territory and do their griefing for them."
Let them. Chances are, those bots won't be coming back, and they definitely won't be cheap.
Let them. Chances are, those bots won't be coming back, and they definitely won't be cheap.
It's an interesting idea, for sure (I may even have a system spec for something similar lying around. Me and Chris B. talked about this at length some years back..), but it's (in my humble opinion) not really Vendetta and it sure as hell ain't roleplaying.
You could easily drop a few government bots off in the relevant sector for a few weeks (hell, even have them go in shifts for added bonus) until there's actually enough of a playerbase to take care of it or the problem goes away.
(While I agree that it's better to balance the game so stuff like griefing doesn't happen, this is one thing that should take care of itself in the longer run as more people play..)
You could easily drop a few government bots off in the relevant sector for a few weeks (hell, even have them go in shifts for added bonus) until there's actually enough of a playerbase to take care of it or the problem goes away.
(While I agree that it's better to balance the game so stuff like griefing doesn't happen, this is one thing that should take care of itself in the longer run as more people play..)
I'm not sure it exactly falls outside the realm of roleplaying. Skirts the edge, perhaps, but it's really just an advanced form of crafting, really. Whether it's Vendetta or not, obviously I'm not the best person to decide, but I don't think it's a stretch to say it's part of roleplaying at least.
Also, I understand what you mean by the issue taking care of itself when more people start playing. But then, when the userbase grows larger, by necessity at some point more systems will be added, which will create the problem again. I'm not saying it *can't* be handled by what's in place currently, only that such a system would open up new opportunities for players to handle such problems in new and creative ways.
As for the not-wanting-to-learn-Basic comment, I agree, not everyone would want to, nor would everyone, hence why some "crafting" specialists or guilds would spring up that *are* proficient in doing such, just like any other form of crafting. And simple AIs wouldn't be that hard to script, really. Yes, if you want something uber-intelligent, it would take a lot of work, but a simple defense bot wouldn't be hard at all.
Now, with all this, please note: yes I do think it'd be an amazing idea, and I'd *love* to see it implemented, but if the devs decide it's not true to the spirit of Vendetta, then I'm not going to argue. This, as an amazing of a game as it is, is still their baby, and trust me when I say I fully understand everything that goes with that.
Also, I understand what you mean by the issue taking care of itself when more people start playing. But then, when the userbase grows larger, by necessity at some point more systems will be added, which will create the problem again. I'm not saying it *can't* be handled by what's in place currently, only that such a system would open up new opportunities for players to handle such problems in new and creative ways.
As for the not-wanting-to-learn-Basic comment, I agree, not everyone would want to, nor would everyone, hence why some "crafting" specialists or guilds would spring up that *are* proficient in doing such, just like any other form of crafting. And simple AIs wouldn't be that hard to script, really. Yes, if you want something uber-intelligent, it would take a lot of work, but a simple defense bot wouldn't be hard at all.
Now, with all this, please note: yes I do think it'd be an amazing idea, and I'd *love* to see it implemented, but if the devs decide it's not true to the spirit of Vendetta, then I'm not going to argue. This, as an amazing of a game as it is, is still their baby, and trust me when I say I fully understand everything that goes with that.
"I'm not sure it exactly falls outside the realm of roleplaying. Skirts the edge, perhaps, but it's really just an advanced form of crafting, really. Whether it's Vendetta or not, obviously I'm not the best person to decide, but I don't think it's a stretch to say it's part of roleplaying at least."
I'm equally not in the position to say whether it -is- Vendetta or not, hence the IMO. As for roleplaying.. Well, allow me to rephrase. It doesn't encourage roleplaying. It encourages you to solve problems by automation rather than figure out ways of solving them by working them out with others. I think it's that aspect of roleplaying that most MMORPGs are sadly overlooking (Yeah, even though they have cooperation for a cause, it's most often for the reason of slaying the <insert evil monster here>, rather than solving some non-combat issue within the frame of the game universe). In addition, it encourages quite a large meta - or offgame, if you so wish - element (programming) which definitely doesn't go hand in hand with the ingame. In my book anyhow - ymmv. Gygaxians would probably disagree.
Why the issue will take care of itself - it's a symptom. Nip the cause and the symptom goes away. Nipping the cause can be done ingame by annoyed-enough-players, or if some mechanic is broken (too easy for griefers to get away), by fixing it.
It's two rather disparate discussions really - whether or not player controlled/programmed automata is good and how to fix the newbie problem.
I'm equally not in the position to say whether it -is- Vendetta or not, hence the IMO. As for roleplaying.. Well, allow me to rephrase. It doesn't encourage roleplaying. It encourages you to solve problems by automation rather than figure out ways of solving them by working them out with others. I think it's that aspect of roleplaying that most MMORPGs are sadly overlooking (Yeah, even though they have cooperation for a cause, it's most often for the reason of slaying the <insert evil monster here>, rather than solving some non-combat issue within the frame of the game universe). In addition, it encourages quite a large meta - or offgame, if you so wish - element (programming) which definitely doesn't go hand in hand with the ingame. In my book anyhow - ymmv. Gygaxians would probably disagree.
Why the issue will take care of itself - it's a symptom. Nip the cause and the symptom goes away. Nipping the cause can be done ingame by annoyed-enough-players, or if some mechanic is broken (too easy for griefers to get away), by fixing it.
It's two rather disparate discussions really - whether or not player controlled/programmed automata is good and how to fix the newbie problem.
I'm reminded of a MUDder I knew that scripted his character completely... I believed he maxed his level without doing anything more than write the script.
While neat, its not really an MMO thing. Possibly if there are ever Space Stations or such that are player owned, they will have an option of buying/supporting bots. Otherwise it kinda defeats the purpose of people.
While neat, its not really an MMO thing. Possibly if there are ever Space Stations or such that are player owned, they will have an option of buying/supporting bots. Otherwise it kinda defeats the purpose of people.
True, although if I may continue to play devil's advocate:
- There's nothing really stopping a determined player from scripting their character now and doing automated bot killing or the like. For those willing to do so, they'll pretty much find a way either way.
- The purpose is to automate stuff that players would be too bored to do *anyway* (in this example, sit around 24/7 guarding the wormhole). Players don't want to sit and guard all the time, they want to go explore, run missions, etc. Yes, you can have players come to the rescue when needed, but that's simply a *different* solution to the problem. Not better or worse, simply different.
And yes, the only thing I hate about the scripting is that it *does* break the immersiveness to a degree. However, the break is simply because I know how hard it would be to write a decent full-fledged text editor in-game. It's just not worth it. Far better for our esteemed devs to spend time on more worthwhile (and fun, for both them and players) causes.
Another thing: it seems to me that removing the problem entirely of pirates being able to do what they do would defeat the open-ended nature of Vendetta, or at least IMHO what it seems to be: that players can do what they want. If that includes griefing other players, then that's their perrogative--but the players being griefed should have a viable means of responding. Once there are more players in the game, having some "come to the rescue" as it were might become more viable--until new systems are added, at least.
Like I said before, it's an option, a suggestion. One I'm terribly excited about to be sure, but it's still just a suggestion, and as with any such things, YMMV.
--mcn (out)
- There's nothing really stopping a determined player from scripting their character now and doing automated bot killing or the like. For those willing to do so, they'll pretty much find a way either way.
- The purpose is to automate stuff that players would be too bored to do *anyway* (in this example, sit around 24/7 guarding the wormhole). Players don't want to sit and guard all the time, they want to go explore, run missions, etc. Yes, you can have players come to the rescue when needed, but that's simply a *different* solution to the problem. Not better or worse, simply different.
And yes, the only thing I hate about the scripting is that it *does* break the immersiveness to a degree. However, the break is simply because I know how hard it would be to write a decent full-fledged text editor in-game. It's just not worth it. Far better for our esteemed devs to spend time on more worthwhile (and fun, for both them and players) causes.
Another thing: it seems to me that removing the problem entirely of pirates being able to do what they do would defeat the open-ended nature of Vendetta, or at least IMHO what it seems to be: that players can do what they want. If that includes griefing other players, then that's their perrogative--but the players being griefed should have a viable means of responding. Once there are more players in the game, having some "come to the rescue" as it were might become more viable--until new systems are added, at least.
Like I said before, it's an option, a suggestion. One I'm terribly excited about to be sure, but it's still just a suggestion, and as with any such things, YMMV.
--mcn (out)
"However, the break is simply because I know how hard it would be to write a decent full-fledged text editor in-game."
How much would it take to write something like Notepad, but with a line number column to the side?
How much would it take to write something like Notepad, but with a line number column to the side?
Arg! I can see it now, hundreds of poorly scripted bots flying around in circles, crashing into roids, attempting to fight roids and each other, sitting in space doing nothing, jumping from one sector to another, back and forth endlessly...you get the point.
If I were a new player I would leave the game in fits of laughter and go strait to mmorpg.com to mock the devs and trash the game.
If I were a new player I would leave the game in fits of laughter and go strait to mmorpg.com to mock the devs and trash the game.
"I can see it now, hundreds of poorly scripted bots flying around in circles, crashing into roids, attempting to fight roids and each other, sitting in space doing nothing, jumping from one sector to another, back and forth endlessly...you get the point."
Heh, that'd actually be pretty amusing. Perhaps coders could have access to a simulation center?
"If I were a new player I would leave the game in fits of laughter and go strait to mmorpg.com to mock the devs and trash the game."
Well, it'd have to be made clear that they're player-designed bots, not dev-designed.
Heh, that'd actually be pretty amusing. Perhaps coders could have access to a simulation center?
"If I were a new player I would leave the game in fits of laughter and go strait to mmorpg.com to mock the devs and trash the game."
Well, it'd have to be made clear that they're player-designed bots, not dev-designed.
I'd like to see something like that in the game ...
"I can see it now, hundreds of poorly scripted bots flying around in circles, crashing into roids, attempting to fight roids and each other, sitting in space doing nothing, jumping from one sector to another, back and forth endlessly...you get the point."
Well, if they were running into each other or roids, they wouldn't be there long :) And given that they would have to start at a high initial cost, players would be reluctant to spend lots of money on a custom-scripted bot only to have it be stupid and fly right into a roid.
Not that it wouldn't happen, mind you. There would be screw-ups, yes, but so are there in the real world (Mars Observer, anyone?) But in general, the cost would keep people from doing that just for fun and make sure that they are *serious* about the scripting. Which, of course, leaves it again to those who want to specialize in crafting scripted bots.
And as with all tastes, each to their own. Personally, even if such a scenario were to occur, if I came in as a newbie and saw it and knew the game had that capability, I'd laugh first, then think "wow, way cool, I can create my own bots too!"
On the other hand, say you were a newbie cruising from Dau to Azek, started getting grief from a pirate 10 levels above you, just 'cause he feels like it, and suddenly a player-scripted UIT bot comes zooming in to protect you and blow the pirate up (or scare him away, or assist you in the fight, etc.) You have to admit that it'd be way cool :)
I dunno, to me it is at least. Yes, there are some who prefer to be loners. Which is fine, I say let them be, I'm not about to *prevent* someone from being on their own if they want to be. However, I like the idea of sticking together as a faction and helping out "my own kind" as it were. Massively multiplayer games are far more fun to me when I actually get to interact with other players, both enemy AND friend. :)
Oh, and p.s. implementing even something as simple as Notepad *from scratch* is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Trust me, I've done it several times. Granted, I've become better at it, but it's still not fun and it *is* a lot of effort, especially when the moment comes that someone says "gee, that's nice that we can edit scripts in-game. But what about syntax highlighting? Auto-tabbing? Auto-completion? Copy/paste support?" It spirals outward very *very* fast. Now, if we were talking about a 20-person game development staff, that's one thing, but we only have 4 developers who donate time to this project and listen to our suggestions from basically the goodness of their hearts, so I'm trying to strike a balance between coolness, expandability and not keeping them busy implementing one feature for the next two years :)
--mcn
Well, if they were running into each other or roids, they wouldn't be there long :) And given that they would have to start at a high initial cost, players would be reluctant to spend lots of money on a custom-scripted bot only to have it be stupid and fly right into a roid.
Not that it wouldn't happen, mind you. There would be screw-ups, yes, but so are there in the real world (Mars Observer, anyone?) But in general, the cost would keep people from doing that just for fun and make sure that they are *serious* about the scripting. Which, of course, leaves it again to those who want to specialize in crafting scripted bots.
And as with all tastes, each to their own. Personally, even if such a scenario were to occur, if I came in as a newbie and saw it and knew the game had that capability, I'd laugh first, then think "wow, way cool, I can create my own bots too!"
On the other hand, say you were a newbie cruising from Dau to Azek, started getting grief from a pirate 10 levels above you, just 'cause he feels like it, and suddenly a player-scripted UIT bot comes zooming in to protect you and blow the pirate up (or scare him away, or assist you in the fight, etc.) You have to admit that it'd be way cool :)
I dunno, to me it is at least. Yes, there are some who prefer to be loners. Which is fine, I say let them be, I'm not about to *prevent* someone from being on their own if they want to be. However, I like the idea of sticking together as a faction and helping out "my own kind" as it were. Massively multiplayer games are far more fun to me when I actually get to interact with other players, both enemy AND friend. :)
Oh, and p.s. implementing even something as simple as Notepad *from scratch* is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Trust me, I've done it several times. Granted, I've become better at it, but it's still not fun and it *is* a lot of effort, especially when the moment comes that someone says "gee, that's nice that we can edit scripts in-game. But what about syntax highlighting? Auto-tabbing? Auto-completion? Copy/paste support?" It spirals outward very *very* fast. Now, if we were talking about a 20-person game development staff, that's one thing, but we only have 4 developers who donate time to this project and listen to our suggestions from basically the goodness of their hearts, so I'm trying to strike a balance between coolness, expandability and not keeping them busy implementing one feature for the next two years :)
--mcn
"But what about syntax highlighting? Auto-tabbing? Auto-completion? Copy/paste support?"
Well, sure, if you add in lots of extra features, it starts to be a pain to code. A simple "enter text, push button to save" setup wouldn't take much to code though, would it?
Well, sure, if you add in lots of extra features, it starts to be a pain to code. A simple "enter text, push button to save" setup wouldn't take much to code though, would it?
Do you support word wrapping, or scrolling? Do you allow copy/pasting text? Sounds like a "fluff" feature but you'd be surprised at how often you use it when writing scripts. Also, where do you save unfinished scripts? Server? Local? Yes, an absolute bare bones implementation isn't *that* hard (I can do it with syntax highlighting in a week tops part time, depending on where it's going) but my other point is that once you open that door, the feature addition requests will start rolling in.
I'm not saying it couldn't be done, I'm just saying that it's a lot of work to support *editing* scripts in-game, which will already by definition be performed only by a small minority of players (compared to those who will end up using the scripts), when that time could be better spent on the feature support itself, or on mission content, or on cap ships, etc. With my suggestion, it'd get the scripting in without having to spend effort on an editor right now, which could always be added later on down the road once other more important features were done.
--mcn
I'm not saying it couldn't be done, I'm just saying that it's a lot of work to support *editing* scripts in-game, which will already by definition be performed only by a small minority of players (compared to those who will end up using the scripts), when that time could be better spent on the feature support itself, or on mission content, or on cap ships, etc. With my suggestion, it'd get the scripting in without having to spend effort on an editor right now, which could always be added later on down the road once other more important features were done.
--mcn
Hmmm, you're probably right. Maybe some sort of "hit 'Browse...' to upload your script" button instead?
Like I said in the past, I am 100% against integrating user-created AI's, bot scripting, or anything of the sort.