Project Update

[leeor_net]

My development computer has officially died. The information on the HDD's is perfectly intact. However, both optical drives failed, the network equipment is friend and the motherboard is slowly withering away.

Unfortunatly, I neither have the time nor the funds to make the necessary repairs... in this case, replace all the drives and get a new motherboard (a total of nearly $500 for what I need it for). So, I've turned off the machine and it's remained in its dormant state for nearly a month. I will eventually move the HDD's from that machine into this one until I can get replacement parts. So OP:MIA is dead in the water. This also explains the lack of updates to the OP:MIA website.

However, once I have a new development machine up and running properly, work on OP:MIA will continue. As I have had time to think about various aspects of OP:MIA's internal coding (as well as aquiring the official 'strategy' guide {and I use the term 'strategy' loosely} ), I've been able to scribble down a lot of psuedo code and design docs describing various parts of the game and how they should work.

I imagine that there are those who are wondering what is happening so I thought I would post something of an update as to what is going on.

[Leviathan]

Thx for the update, shame about your comp, eakk!

Cant you move the HDD to your current comp and work on that one?

[zigzagjoe]

Shame about the failures there.

He said that he was going to move the hd from the failed machine into his current comp but isn't going to work on it anymore until he gets a new dev machine up and running.

[omagaalpha]

ahh that sad this project only reason I continue going to this forum hehehehe

[leeor_net]

Levi, I would work on it on the computer I'm using now... there's only one problem: I rarely get enough time to work on it. I live with my best friend and he and I share the computer. Plus, it's really just too slow for the development that I want and need to do. PhotoShop takes WAY too long to load and the compile process takes forever to do.

Anyway, I will be transporting the HDD's from the old dev computer over to my computer in the office. This way I can get all the information transfered onto ZIP disks.

Also, I'll be aquiring a laptop fairly soon (note aquiring, not buying!). It will be good enough to do some work on. I'm hoping to continue hardcore work within the next month or so.

In the mean time, I've been tinkering with this and that developing a research tree system for the game and several proprietary formats for the game (Namely save games).

[omagaalpha]

sound Like temporatering set back give more time for more detail plans for project

[Leviathan]

Thanks as allways Leeor for working on MIA.

[Tellaris]

It happens, hope you get set up again soon, but until then, PLAY MORE OP2!   =)

[leeor_net]

I've actually gotten back into Age of Empires (AoE) with my best friend. She now lives in Virginia so it's difficult to be able to hang out (I mean, a 7 hour drive is a bit much). So online multiplayer games are awesome!

I noticed how much AoE works just like OP2 in terms of a lack of a build que and whatnot. I'm looking forward to more maps for OP2 using different tile sets.

Which reminds me, I need to slap one together and hand it over to Levi for use in new maps... : B)  

[82-T/A]

I would love to see a remake of Outpost 1.

Where can I get information about the remake? Any new features or just a modern version of it.

Will it still have The Planets from Holst in the game?


 

[Leviathan]

www.opmia.outpostuniverse.net

[leeor_net]

Hey, 82-T/A! I'm glad to see your interest!

For the questions that you had asked, I will answer them in detail here. Information is available in the link that Leviathan posted above but I figured it would be nice to have a personal reply directly from the developer!

I will be using Mars from Gustav Holst's "The Planets" as well as the rest of the entire collection. These will be available as part of the sound track to the game was well as the rest of the sound track for the game (which, contrary to popular belief, is not Techno).

The game is a complete rewrite of the original game. While OUTPOST was a wonderful game in all respects (well, the idea was wonderful), the game itself was never finished. Plus, it was done between 1992 and 1994, before the advent of Windows 95 and DirectX.

OP:MIA is taking the conecepts introduced in OUTPOST and rewriting them into a modern game taking full advantage of the hardware and software abilities within the 32-Bit operating environments (Windows 95 + and DirectX as well as new video cards and sound equipment). OUTPOST:MIA will also take advantage of the networking abilities available today to the common user such as yourself. OP:MIA will add several aspects to the game that were not previously availble such as network play, streamlined graphics, a modern User Interface, full sound track, enhanced graphics displays, full immersion into ones environment through the use of synchronized unit/structure animation, etc.

Also, the Research interface will be much improved allowing providing the user with a more point-and-click interface in a graphical view with full descriptions over the bland and unintuitive interface provided by the original game.

So, much as been done in the way of redesign and graphics. Actually, I have three structures completely ready to be used in the new engine as it's available right now. Network play is something that will be added before the final release of the game. Expansion packs will probably be made for the game. All tools used to create the game will be available for use by others.

I hope I have been able to answer your questions. Should you have any others, please feel free to ask me either by this forum or through e-mail. I can also be contacted via AIM with the username 'outpostmia'.

[Betaray]

if I remember right, in op1 there was 1 or 2 tech upgrades, wich made an advanced version of every building, that looked different

are you doing that as well? becasue if you do, it would mean double or triple the work of building design

[omagaalpha]

lol sure hope he is becausue one think like about Outpost 1. I willing help make buildings in 3d program too if need help

[leeor_net]

Not every building had an upgrade and some only had one upgrade rather than 2. Also, buildings weren't all universally upgraded. If you built a level 1 residence hall, it would stay that way until you built one of the other versions. Plus, research into various things usually only upgraded one type of structure. They didn't all upgrade at the same time (I plan on keeping all of this as it adds a great element to gameplay).

It won't make too much of a difference in terms of building design because they're already done. All I need to do is simply rearrange the orginal graphics and create the compiled building sprites for the engine (yeah, there are sprite scripts which do the building animation as well as various other screen animation). What takes the most time is taking all of the building animation and creating a series of animation frames and then writting a script that includes each frame. Then, I need to test the script. I really should write a small program to do test scripts with. Oh well, that'll happen as the game advances.

Anyway, so it's simply a matter of moving around the original graphics.

[omagaalpha]

that good like that way