Citadel - System Shock Fan Remake

[6747802f11ef5RocketMan]

If you want to do any "legacy" support testing, I have XP

[6747802f120acJosiahJack]

Been working on the grid puzzle code.  Works mostly.  Did you know there are 3 different types.

Having trouble with coming up with an algorithm for flowing the power though.  Pockets of power get trapped currently.

[6747802f1222cJosiahJack]

Ok.  Looks like I'll be using a 4-way floodfill algorithm using a queue (as opposed to a stack).  Before calling it, I'll reset the grid puzzles powered[] states to zero.  Seems to be best suited for arbitrary sized grid, arbitrary start point, and arbitrary end point.

Node types:
Off (blank)
Standard (x or +)
And (takes two adjacent powered cells to set powered state to true)
Bypass (acts as a + by always letting power through)

Now for the interesting part of setting the node images correctly so that power lines only connect the powered adjacent cells.

Crap this game is complicated. 

[6747802f126aadertseha]

Been working on the grid puzzle code.  Works mostly.  Did you know there are 3 different types.

With "3 different types", do you mean what kind of side effects are possible? Then there would be even 5.
Documented here: https://github.com/inkyblackness/ss-specs/blob/master/levelObjects/09_Panels/levelPanelEntry.md#block-puzzles (under paragraph "Puzzle Layout")

By the way (talking about complicated): After I figured out the different side effects, I also saw that the cursor changes shape and color, so you can deduct just from that what kind of puzzle you're dealing with, without touching any node.

[6747802f128baJosiahJack]

I mean the 3 different types of nodes. 

The puzzles have different side effects, yes, corresponding to chess rules (loosely):
Pawn(none): only flip state of clicked node. (1 node)
King: flip state of adjacent nodes vertically and horizontally (up to 4 nodes)
Knight: flip all 8 adjacent nodes, including diagonals.
Rook: flip state of all nodes horizonatally and vertically across puzzle (up to 10 nodes]
Bishop: same as rook but only diagonally (up to 8 )
Queen: combination of Rook and Bishop (up to 18 nodes changed at once)

Note max width and height used is 7 and 5 respectively.  Max node changes shown not typical due to puzzles having multiple Off state nodes, And (takes 2) nodes, and Bypass nodes (user can't change, acts as +).  Actually if you include the off state, that makes 4 different node types.

Interestingly, the game only uses Pawn(none), King, Rook, and Bishop.

Side note about cursor colors: yes cursor can change colors and types within puzzles, normal hud usage, for different weapons, and when near mouse movement points in the edges of the view.  The cursor code for Citadel does not yet include this (currently uses green crosshair at all times).

Also, colors of individual grid puzzles' node outlines can vary such as gray, blue, and green.  Again, complicated.  This game is so great for that I think.

[6747802f129b4RocketMan]

This is going to be the shit.

[6747802f12bafJosiahJack]

Just finished adding dynamic object pooling for useable items.  Whenever a useable is dropped, it automatically finds any deactivated objects of the same type on the level and reactivates and repositions them for tossing.  If it can't find any free objects it Instantiates a new one, one of the only times an Instantiation will ever occur in Citadel.  This could occur if the player goes around emptying enemies or crates and throwing all the items on the floor.

This works well with the saved game since any items picked up are never actually deleted, only deactivated.  Loading a saved game takes milliseconds since it merely reverts active states and positions based on unique object ID's.

Oh and I've updated the MFD so that it can remember the last used tab for a particular function.  This lets you customize where you want to see which information and then your rig remembers it for you.


A further note on Pooling:  re-using deactivated gameobjects means that I can avoid Destroy()ing gameobjects.  This avoids Unity's automatic Garbage Collector that frees up memory.  Why is this good you ask?  Because Garbage Collection causes a spike of poor performance while Unity cleans up memory which can cause lags at random uncontrollable times.  Minimizing garbage collection ensures smooth lag free framerates at the expense of minimal memory increase.  I'd always trade bytes for frames for you all.

[6747802f12d0aJoin2]

Garbage collectors ftw...except Unity's, by the sound of things.

The more I hear about Unity the more I'm dissuaded from pursuing anything with it.

[6747802f12e5bJosiahJack]

You have to be willing to make everything from scratch...almost.

Oh and baked lighting is broken for the most part.  No way to make the baked results match the realtime lighting.  This makes the WYSIWYG principle which is supposedly a core Unity feature useless.  Baked results always end up brighter even uf you disable bounces and GI amd all that Jazz.  Even so, your 3D model must be flawlessly made or else you will get black streaks in random places.  There can't be any such thing as a shared UV.

[6747802f130f1Olfred]

Unity just have this whole flair of something someone build in a garage.

[6747802f132b7icemann]

From the Kickstarter's I've backed which went with Unity - The majority had to make many of their various systems for things from the ground up.

On the positive side - Once you have a working system in place for something you can then re-use that for other projects later. Much like straight up coding projects. You tend to have a FAR greater hold on things when you do them yourself also.

[6747802f136f8JosiahJack]

Unity just have this whole flair of something someone build in a garage.

Ya that's a fair assessment.

...You tend to have a FAR greater hold on things when you do them yourself also.

This! 

I would argue that is what makes Unity great.  It gives great flexibility, even if it comes at a cost.

[6747802f139efZylonBane]

Isn't Unity the engine that doesn't natively support freeform terrain? Kind of a problem for a game set in a space station.

Having trouble with coming up with an algorithm for flowing the power though.

The puzzle grids are so small I don't see why you wouldn't just use a brute-force algorithm:

clear all cells to unpowered
do {
     iterate over entire grid, powering cells connected to powered cells
} until (no new cells powered)

[6747802f13badGhoul_RUS]

Woah. I just jumped on this SS series train, and what am I seeing first? The remake of the original, that almost complete, will feel like an original, but more comfortable for the new players (at least it seems that way). I simply cannot wait till this will be released! I still have so much to see and feel with this game. I'm glad I joined now, looks like it's the best times for SS series, from what I can tell!
P.S. Also, I have a question in regard of weapons model. How do they look like? I sure hope it's not just some pixels in bottom of a screen, but a full weapon model (with hands preferably)

[6747802f13ce7RocketMan]

I've come to trust Josiah's judgement on this project so I'm sure he'll get it right.  IMO the weapons in SS were rather underwhelming, as you said, just being a little sprite at the bottom of the screen.  I don't think anyone has any particularly fond attachment to that, since most of the time you couldn't even see the damn thing with all the interface crap in the way. 

[6747802f13de7JosiahJack]

Stars have been updated, and now they rotate. 

[6747802f13ef1RocketMan]

But do they twinkle?  That's important 

[6747802f13ff5JosiahJack]

Oddly...yes!

[6747802f1412dVegoraptor]

But... but, atmospheric refraction... in space...

[6747802f14250ZylonBane]

Well you are looking at them through dirty windows.

This is actually something else Citadel could improve on-- in SS1 all the "windows" were just empty portals into space. Citadel could visualize them somehow. A blue tint, reflectivity, bloody handprints, that sort of thing.

[6747802f14672JosiahJack]

But... but, atmospheric refraction... in space...

No the twinkling is a result of the eye having difficulty focussing on a timy point of light, even more so when there is light polution such as near cities or large space stations.  Also, the rotation of the space station causes focus to be more difficult.

Good point ZB...I think perhaps some subtle effects combined with actual window thickness would alleviate the holes in the statuon appearance they now have.

Speaking of which, on to the problem of Saturn outside the window.  Assuming Citadel to be in stationary orbit around Saturn, an altitude of 52797562m is estimated.  Based on the height of Saturn from pole to pole of 108728000m, an angular size of 91.7deg can be obtained.  This means, that for the 2hrs it takes Citadel to complete one revolution at 0.05deg per second (looks nice), a solid 30.3min of that time would have Saturn fill the entire view out one side of the station.

There are two options I can think of:
1)  Increase Citadel's orbital altitude to make Saturn more visually appealling with the excuse of needing more acceleration for the mining laser to have efficient effect or some such silliness.

2)  Increase the station's revolution speed...and number of barf bags on board.

I'll probly end up just making Saturn somewhere in the pleasant realm of an angular size of ~65 or 70deg.  One other note, based on the altitudes of Saturns rings, Citadel in stationary orbit is only at an altitude 11% past the starting altitude of the rings so regardless of where I "move" the station out to it will definitely still be within the altitudes of the rings.  Perhaps distortion via space dust could explain why Saturn appears smaller than 91deg.  Anyhow, geeky fun.

[6747802f14af0ZylonBane]

No the twinkling is a result of the eye having difficulty focussing on a tiny point of light...

Err, that's the first time I've ever heard that explanation. Most explanations are pretty much this:
http://earthsky.org/space/why-dont-planets-twinkle-as-stars-do

[6747802f14c3aJosiahJack]

I've always been nearsighted so could just be me, but thought I read that somewhere.  Might just be why staring at a star makes it seem blurry/fade in and out.  Anyhow, you still have the soon to be reasonably thick glass windows providing refraction (and protection from rogue space dust).

[6747802f14d9aJosiahJack]

Side note to you die hard fans out there, in the series, Citadel is described as having an L6 orbit.  This is clearly a fictional orbit.  L refers to a lagrange point, of which there are only 5 defined for a two-body system.  Unless the future updates their terminology for Lorbits to include all lagrange points sequentially for a given system, L6 is clearly fictional and provides no further insight for accurate positioning of the station (ahem, well positioning of saturn outside the station that is, it is a matter of appearance).