Monthly Topic Rotation

"Monthy Topic Rotation" is a term coined by Gnome referring to the fact that people keep coming into the forums and posting messages on the same subject. It seems that as Spring becomes more popular, more new people keep coming up with the same ideas and questions... think of this as the "Is your idea original?" FAQ as opposed to the "real" FAQ.

Now in some situations it's okay to repost on the same topic, if it has been only mentioned before in other people's topics or if you make reference to the fact that it is a known issue you are addressing with new ideas... but that doesn't excuse you from the list. One way or the other, the community might make fun of you for rehashing old topics, expecially when they aren't forgotten so much as people are bored of talking about them.

The Topics

List of Generic Topics with brief discussion and list of topics posted on these subjects for quick reference:

OTA Style Music

Requests or Suggestions that the engine include music playback, especially music that changes depending on what kind of action is happening in game. Associated with requests for a sound track of any kind or asking for a link to get the orriginal TA Soundtrack in MP3 format.

• Soundtracks.
• Original TA music
• TA Style music
• Music Player code
• Is original music needed?

As a subnote, many of Spring's pre beta members have been working on code to get the music working, while yet others have spent time studying other games and their setups. Current thinking is of a THE SIMS style, where you can specify your own music.

Raise/Lower Terrain

People suggesting or requesting some kind of better control over deformable terrain or some king of terraforming unit. Often associated with people posting pictures of cool effects they have achieved through the use of the current "blow a big hole and then restore to the desired surface" method.

• Raise/Lower Terrain?

Camera Angles

suggesting changes to current camera angles, popularly related to the inability of the rotatable and FPS cams to go outside the map boundries, making it difficult to see units close to the edges of the map.

• The #2 item on my wishlist

Also, there's the problem of the world stopping at a rather steep drop.

• What is good, and what is bad

The New GUI

Anything related to how bad the current GUI is, suggestions for features that already exists but users do not know about because they are barely documented, or simply threads asking for or about the new GUI.

• New GUI questions
• New GUI testing
• Wheres the new gui?
• re: about the newGUI

Multiple transport load sharing via cable hooks

Seriously WTF, this isn't even a good idea, why does this keep coming up?

• Transports

Mobile factories

• Rise and walk, or how my factorie grew legs (and wings too).
• "Build pads" for units
• air based factories for FF

Rotatable buildings

Partly, Spring's pathfinding and collision assumes buildings align themselves with the map; no-one's made any detailed claims about how much code this would affect, other than 'lots'.

Even if you stick with 90 degree rotations, there's still figuring out the controls for rotating a building.

• The #1 item on my wishlist

Day and Night

Wouldn't it be pretty to see a tank's headlights in the dark? Even prettier would be to have a dynamic sun to go with it. =) Watch the mountain's shadows lengthen...

• Reviving the request list
• Day and Night
• how about night and day
• Gameplay idea: Night

Fog of War, Line of Sight

Particularly when in 'possession' mode, people unconsciously assume that their unit can see further than it can, typically to how much terrain they can see.

Some have suggested using FPS-style line of sight.

And there's 'building memory', seeing greyed^Wfaded out versions of buildings when the originals aren't in line-of-sight anymore.

Some find being able to see the whole map, but only being able to see units in their line of sight, somewhat disturbing.

FPS mode hud/movement changes

Lots of people don't think the FPS mode implimentation is being all that it can be. They love to make forum topics about it.

• Regarding the FPS "gimmick"

Game lobby moderators

A well known issue. People always seem to request it...

• Client moderators
• We need moderators