Monthly Topic Rotation
This Term, coined by Gnome, refers 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 apposed 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 we might make fun of you for rehashing old topics, expecially when they aren't forgotten so much as we're 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.
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.
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.
Also, there's the problem of the world stopping at a rather steep drop.
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.
Multiple transport load sharing via cable hooks
Seriously WTF, this isn't even a good idea, why does this keep coming up?
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.
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...
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.
