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Saved PCG content

#1
This got me thinking, since ships, buildings and factions are created pretty much by RNG through a seed does this mean that all the PCG content is saved locally in some data file (JSON, XML etc). If so I am presuming then that the possibility for user to share factions is actually quite possible. If the data file contains the various variables that make up the unique content it would be very easy for users to post interesting factions they have encountered and let others implemented them in their universe. Think of Spore.

On top of that, if the above assumption is true then the possibility of an external faction editor also sounds fairly doable. As great as PCG content is it does suffer from common problems such as inconsistency and lifelessness which for some can be a real deal breaker. Some sort of external editor could be thus used by people to add a bit more concrete factions for their world.

So......is my first assumption right are all generated content saved locally :)
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Re: Saved PCG content

#2
If this is true you could then go in and modify things to your liking, Like add a ton of money to your account. I am sure people will create mods that allow you to edit the file. :D

Also this would allow us not only share factions but planets, ships and pretty much anything that is generated.

I could imagine a forum section for sharing stuff that you take from the files. :)
Limit Theory - The most beast looking Space Sim.
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Re: Saved PCG content

#3
Yep, I imagine that you could figure out how to "edit" and share some of the content. Some of it will be easier than others. System backgrounds, for example, will be super easy to hot-swap and share. Same story for pretty much all the textures and models in the game. Things like factions are less likely, because they won't be represented by single files. But textures and models will, so I imagine you could share ships and such!

EDIT : Although, it does bring up some technical issues that I will have to think about. For instance, replacing a ship with another that has less hardpoints could easily confuse the game...it will look at the savegame and see that some NPC has 6 guns but the ship only supports 4. Anyway, I'm not going to think too hard about supporting such situations at release time, as it only adds to the number of edge cases that I have to take care of. But I'm sure creative people will be able to come up with ways to play tricks on the game engine :)
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Saved PCG content

#4
i had already considered sharing ship but never considered things like diting my save... things like money and faction relations i hadent considered. oh well if others are going to do it might as well do it better and make it a planned feature once the games closer to the finished product. something along the lines of a 'gods handbook editor' XD.
If I've rambled and gone off topic im sorry but i tend to be long winded as you might notice if you stumble across my other post XD. thanks for reading.
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Re: Saved PCG content

#5
Dadalos wrote:i had already considered sharing ship but never considered things like diting my save... things like money and faction relations i hadent considered. oh well if others are going to do it might as well do it better and make it a planned feature once the games closer to the finished product. something along the lines of a 'gods handbook editor' XD.
Those things will be significantly harder to edit than the assets. The assets you can just swap out by renaming files, but money and faction relations are stored in a binary format in the savegame, so you would actually need to use a hex editor. I'm sure someone will figure it out, but it's not nearly as straightforward, so "cheating" in that way won't be completely trivial :)

I mean, not that it really matters, being a single-player game and all.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Saved PCG content

#6
Usually open ended games tend to get modded and "cheated" on more than other types. In my opinion it is a good thing since it allows a larger amount of re-playability. After sending hundreds of hours exploring several galaxies you will start to want and try different things.

Take Minecraft for example. It is a open ended game and has got modded hugely. Once you get bored of playing the vanilla survival you add some new mods on and start all over again.

The PCG content just adds a very interesting way of being able to change your game.

EDIT: A example is you could start out on a new galaxy with a extreme amount of money, get the best ships and weapons straight off and see how much damage you can inflict on the poor factions.
Limit Theory - The most beast looking Space Sim.
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Re: Saved PCG content

#7
StevoIRL wrote:
Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:29 am
This got me thinking, since ships, buildings and factions are created pretty much by RNG through a seed does this mean that all the PCG content is saved locally in some data file (JSON, XML etc). If so I am presuming then that the possibility for user to share factions is actually quite possible. If the data file contains the various variables that make up the unique content it would be very easy for users to post interesting factions they have encountered and let others implemented them in their universe. Think of Spore.
Speaking of Spore; this week marks 10 years since Spore was released.

Here's a compilation of interviews with Spore developers looking back on what it was like working on this unique game.

Note: I've also attached a couple of rare images showing the larger, more complex and better integrated game that Spore was imagined to be -- before the internal arguments over "game versus simulation" that reduced its scope.
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