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Future

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Alex:
Hello everyone

So, so sorry for all the radio silence. I'm back on it now. As Rudolf posted in another thread, we've been approved for the USA on PSN, and are this >|< close to the EU one too. Now is the time to look to the future.

What we want to do is release the new version on PC and Mac and Linux. That'll take some time as we have to rewrite the interface to support mice.

The main problem with this though is modding and compatibility. The game has more features and is nicer and more polished than the current version, but it is less moddable by default because C# has a really good reflection system that really helps the Lua stuff. In C++ we have to do it all by hand and so the functionality for Lua has been reduced only to that which we needed to make the game work. Also the change of language has meant that many parts of Lua levels have to be changed syntax-wise (not a problem but it means that levels won't work out of the box as it were). Many of the user-made levels won't work even after this due to the lack of support for Lua commands.

Obviously this isn't a good thing as I don't want to blow up this community and lose what's been built over all this time. So in order to preserve that, and make it so I don't have to spend the rest of my days adding mod features for the game as they turn up, I am thinking of taking the existing C# version, stripping out the music and levels, and leaving it as a free download version that can only run user-made levels. I am additionally considering opening the source to the game, although that is quite a scary thought esp. for Linux.

Anyway I wondered what you guys think as this is all heavily based on speculation and it would be great to get some real opinions.

Aino:
Open Source would be great for me, cause I wanna see how to build your own game in C# >.<

But it all sounds great, we can still play the maps we've made and play the new one :D

Alex:
The Wuwei framework that the game's based on might not be opened, it depends on other people.

annikk.exe:
Hi Alex, congratulations on the approval :>  I'm surprised you're not taking a holiday now!

With regard to custom levels.  I have always suspected that custom levels would not work with the new version.

My feeling is that for our work to be worth anything at all, you have to be able to play the levels in the main game - the one that everyone will be buying.  If custom levels only work with an "enthusiast" version of Eufloria it will mean our levels get downloaded less.

I would ideally like to have as big an audience as possible for levels.  So I would personally prefer if it was still possible to write levels for the main game.  Even if the number of commands we can use is severely limited, I'd still prefer it I think, especially if you will eventually add some of the most powerful commands to the new version.

At the end of the day, the community has taught itself how to program in Lua.  If we are given a new/different set of tools, even though there are less tools than previously, we'll figure it out and make awesome stuff.  :>  That way we are also generating more content for the actual game, adding value to it..

So yes.  I'd rather work with the new version and all its shortcomings, if that's possible... :>

./textwall

annikk.exe:
Ok, actually... I have a few questions about modding in the new version...

Will it be possible to make custom levels in the new version?  (however basic they may be)
Will levels still be written in lua?
Can you give some examples of commands that are unlikely to be supported?  Will DrawSprite still work?  What about Asteroid:MoveTo and MoveBy?
Though you did say you don't want to spend the rest of your days adding modding features, do you have any plans to eventually add commands that level designers can use?  Or is that it - what comes in the final release is all we'll ever have?


Just to reiterate that I want to make levels for the latest version of Eufloria, pretty much regardless of any restrictions.  The open source idea sounds cool but I am mainly interested in making levels for the version of the game that will be played by thousands of people.  :>

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