PSO Remake

[Glader]

Anti can affect all 4 players. As for Jellen and Zalure, are you sure they work like rafoie? I was under the impression that they were treated as outward moving spheres, but that their starting point wasn't the first enemy targeted, which is what I think you were implying. I thought their start point was the player's location.

It has been a bit since I've gotten time to play PSO and I may be fuzzy on some of the specifics of the mechanics on how each Tech functions. Do the debuff Techs not affect a give radius of creatures around the first targeted or is it based on proximity to the actual player itself? If this is true I will make this update above, it's a good thing I'm not at the point of implementation or I might have gotten that wrong >.<.

Edit: I'm working tonight to get GladNet to the point where I can start working on PSO. I've decided to cut some work out due to what felt like feature creep. It really just needs refactoring, some stuff is UGGGGGLY haha, and the encryption API for custom encryption methods, and the default method, for per packet basis optional encryption. Everything else I've promise about GladNet can sit on the back burner for awhile.

A pic of my rush to develop lol

Spoiler!

[Chrysheight]

It's around the player. You also have some classes that got inherent boost to range. But no. Buffs/debuffs expand outward from player. It'd be a spherical expansion instead of spiral one like Gifoie.

This leads me to ask. Are you keeping all the systems how they are in PSO or improving them? Because some of the newer mechanics would be greatly appreciated. Like lock on, not slowing down around enemies, and maybe photon arts. The last one I don't necessarily care about. But lock on and not slowing down near enemys and traps would be really nice.

[Stealthcmc1974]

It's around the player. You also have some classes that got inherent boost to range. But no. Buffs/debuffs expand outward from player. It'd be a spherical expansion instead of spiral one like Gifoie.

This leads me to ask. Are you keeping all the systems how they are in PSO or improving them? Because some of the newer mechanics would be greatly appreciated. Like lock on, not slowing down around enemies, and maybe photon arts. The last one I don't necessarily care about. But lock on and not slowing down near enemys and traps would be really nice.

I just wonder though, if, say, Hunters get access to both PAs and TECHs, since they could use TECHs in PSO unless they were CAST, doesn't that interfere with balance of classes? I guess we could restrict what TECHs non-Force classes can use...

I'm all for other systems, like lock on and such. Also jumping. I like my jumping.

[Glader]

It's around the player. You also have some classes that got inherent boost to range. But no. Buffs/debuffs expand outward from player. It'd be a spherical expansion instead of spiral one like Gifoie.

This leads me to ask. Are you keeping all the systems how they are in PSO or improving them? Because some of the newer mechanics would be greatly appreciated. Like lock on, not slowing down around enemies, and maybe photon arts. The last one I don't necessarily care about. But lock on and not slowing down near enemys and traps would be really nice.

Okie dokie, I made a note on that page about the debuff techs. I'm not sure what will feel right at the moment. This would require iterations and playtesting to see what is best and what is just nostalgic. Lock on is possible but then it kind of reduces the techer's skill cap for placement and aiming I think for some spells. In fact, I'm not sure I really like the lockon mechanic as it was. Slowing down around enemies will probably go away, it's likely to get the physics sim on the severside out of sync with the clientside prediction.

As for Photon Arts, I do agree melee combat can be stale. It doesn't have a whole lot of depth but I don't know if abilities/photon arts would fit PSO. That's a PSU concept and I wasn't really a big PSU fan. I'll explore ways to keep melee combat interesting.

I just wonder though, if, say, Hunters get access to both PAs and TECHs, since they could use TECHs in PSO unless they were CAST, doesn't that interfere with balance of classes? I guess we could restrict what TECHs non-Force classes can use...

I'm all for other systems, like lock on and such. Also jumping. I like my jumping.

You can read above, I don't think PA would be a good fit. Other things could be done. When it gets to the point where we can mess around with things we can try stuff and see how it feels.

[Stealthcmc1974]

Okie dokie, I made a note on that page about the debuff techs. I'm not sure what will feel right at the moment. This would require iterations and playtesting to see what is best and what is just nostalgic. Lock on is possible but then it kind of reduces the techer's skill cap for placement and aiming I think for some spells. In fact, I'm not sure I really like the lockon mechanic as it was. Slowing down around enemies will probably go away, it's likely to get the physics sim on the severside out of sync with the clientside prediction.

As for Photon Arts, I do agree melee combat can be stale. It doesn't have a whole lot of depth but I don't know if abilities/photon arts would fit PSO. That's a PSU concept and I wasn't really a big PSU fan. I'll explore ways to keep melee combat interesting.

Well, until we can get to that point I'll just keep spitballing ideas. Perhaps not photon arts, but rather a dumbed down combo system ala MGR or DMC (I say dumbed down because PSO is primarily an MMO, not a hack and slash). After all, you combined light and heavy attacks with weapons in PSO, so who's to say we couldn't use this system along with movement for more intricate combos?

But seeing as how the GUI/UI is priority first, this can wait. Speaking of GUI/UI, what did you have in mind for that? Personally I think PSO2's UI in combat isn't half bad, but it is lacking a couple things for me (knowing your MAGs energy level before they can use a PB, stuff like that). Aside from the obvious Party status, subpallete, and radar what else do you think could be implemented into it?

[Glader]

Well, until we can get to that point I'll just keep spitballing ideas. Perhaps not photon arts, but rather a dumbed down combo system ala MGR or DMC (I say dumbed down because PSO is primarily an MMO, not a hack and slash). After all, you combined light and heavy attacks with weapons in PSO, so who's to say we couldn't use this system along with movement for more intricate combos?

But seeing as how the GUI/UI is priority first, this can wait. Speaking of GUI/UI, what did you have in mind for that? Personally I think PSO2's UI in combat isn't half bad, but it is lacking a couple things for me (knowing your MAGs energy level before they can use a PB, stuff like that). Aside from the obvious Party status, subpallete, and radar what else do you think could be implemented into it?

Yes, what works in a single player game can be considerably hard to implement in a networked setting. Single player games have the luxury of using information they have on screen to determine results. In a networked enviroment the complexity goes to the point where you have to async handle an action request, predcit the result and pass a message to a server which forwards it, handles it and sends a response back. Things that are trivial in single player become really hard to do in a multiplayer game.

I mentioned GUI/UI because it's the easiest thing to work on for me as a programmer while not also taking time away from writing the serverside and doesn't require things that currently don't exist to exist. I've not thought about UI enchancements too much. Possibly some information about creature health may benefit some players. I think it may be best to try to open up the UI/GUI to scripters so that people can built addons on top of the GUI. Potentially exposing some of Unity's GUI stuff and clientside information to write to a GUI through a scripting language. Who knows at the moment though.

[Stealthcmc1974]

Yes, what works in a single player game can be considerably hard to implement in a networked setting. Single player games have the luxury of using information they have on screen to determine results. In a networked enviroment the complexity goes to the point where you have to async handle an action request, predcit the result and pass a message to a server which forwards it, handles it and sends a response back. Things that are trivial in single player become really hard to do in a multiplayer game.

I mentioned GUI/UI because it's the easiest thing to work on for me as a programmer while not also taking time away from writing the serverside and doesn't require things that currently don't exist to exist. I've not thought about UI enchancements too much. Possibly some information about creature health may benefit some players. I think it may be best to try to open up the UI/GUI to scripters so that people can built addons on top of the GUI. Potentially exposing some of Unity's GUI stuff and clientside information to write to a GUI through a scripting language. Who knows at the moment though.

On the positive side, at least PSO (should) be still instanced so that limits how many users you have making their individual requests to the server in a combat area. It would be way more problematic if it was an open world I feel. Would you be implementing a way for solo players to not have to go through the server for combat requests and such (i.e. offline mode?) And I like your ideas about how to handle creating the GUI. Well, hopefully you'll have all the GladNet business sorted soon.

[Glader]

On the positive side, at least PSO (should) be still instanced so that limits how many users you have making their individual requests to the server in a combat area. It would be way more problematic if it was an open world I feel. Would you be implementing a way for solo players to not have to go through the server for combat requests and such (i.e. offline mode?) And I like your ideas about how to handle creating the GUI. Well, hopefully you'll have all the GladNet business sorted soon.

In lieu of studying I'm working on finishing the last feature GladNet needs to be ready. This feature will prevent packet forging for sensitive requests such as trading. Without this very senestive requests could be forged and then processed as if they were the user.

Sadly, it's not wise to have every server application be publicly facing and connected to. Instances will be connected to the gameserver and player's will be connected to these instances through the gameserver. They won't have a direct connection to instances so any request will be sent to the gameserver and then forwarded. As for message reduction, there is a concept called interest management which slightly mirrors what you're talking about. In an open world mmo it would be absolutely critical to handle this efficiently. In PSO not too much but will still be done of course.

It is not possible to create an offline mode where no server is verifying actions. It is too easy to cheat. Nothing can stop someone determined clientside.

[Stealthcmc1974]

In lieu of studying I'm working on finishing the last feature GladNet needs to be ready. This feature will prevent packet forging for sensitive requests such as trading. Without this very senestive requests could be forged and then processed as if they were the user.

Sadly, it's not wise to have every server application be publicly facing and connected to. Instances will be connected to the gameserver and player's will be connected to these instances through the gameserver. They won't have a direct connection to instances so any request will be sent to the gameserver and then forwarded. As for message reduction, there is a concept called interest management which slightly mirrors what you're talking about. In an open world mmo it would be absolutely critical to handle this efficiently. In PSO not too much but will still be done of course.

It is not possible to create an offline mode where no server is verifying actions. It is too easy to cheat. Nothing can stop someone determined clientside.

Too bad. I enjoyed Offline Mode on my Dreamcast. Oh well.

[Chrysheight]

Well the thing is, you can make Photon Arts viable. Make them like techs. Not a just something that uses PP and is melee. You know? Other than that, I agree no offline. You could also give a better combo system. Things I would like to see though is easier weapon switching and stuff ala PSU/PSO2. Incorporation of such features isn't a bad thing if done right.