Google Summer of Code 2010
Project proposals
This is the list of project ideas for students willing to work on the Spring engine during the Google Summer of Code 2010. If you wish, you may read our student application.
Limited play area
Estimated difficulty: medium
Current Spring map formats have a hardcoded rectangle geometry; also they provide very limited support for defining aesthetics of the surrounding environment outside the play area.
The new system should allow the map to restrict the playable area to a subset of the global area, possibly adding support for multiple shapes and/or non rectangular shape restrictions.
The restriction shapes should be readable and changeable mid-game through the engine's Lua API. Proper handling of units which are suddenly off-map needs to be implemented.
Sensor handling redesign / simplification
Estimated difficulty: hard
The Spring Engine is currently capable of significant real-world applications in the areas of simulation; a better sensor system could greatly improve Spring's applicability to an even wider range of projects.
Currently there are a number of different "sensor" systems in the engine: LineOfSight, Radar, Sonar, and Seismic, some can be jammed, some cannot. Some respect terrain, and some are always circular.
A new sensor system should integrate the current LOS, Radar, Sonar, Seismic systems, to reduce amount of code per functionality, and eventually add additional features which would be then available for all types.
Preferably this all should also be faster than the current system or a compelling argument/experiment should be made that shows there cannot be a faster system with the same features.
Engine level abstraction of resources
Estimated difficulty: medium to hard
The Spring engine has its roots in being a Total Annihilation clone; even if such intent has been dropped since quite some time, the TA resource system is largely present in the codebase being hardcoded in a lot of critical places.
The old system needs to be replaced, the new one should be flexible enough to reproduce everything that the old system did and be able to imitate the behaviour of most common RTS game titles.
The engine's Lua API to fetch resources will have to be adapted to the new system, and new calls will have to be added to edit it.
GSoC_Engine_resource_abstraction
Basic ingame lobby
Estimated difficulty: hard
All existing Spring interfaces (lobbies) are either difficult to customize for game developers or have a different look 'n feel from the game itself and require focus switch from the game itself to operate.
A new, Lua scriptable lobby should be implemented with customization and control in mind, possibly integrated with Spring codebase and/or running as a separate process overlaying to the game's UI.
Optionally, the engine's start screen should be replaced and integrated with it.
Smarter pathfinder
Estimated difficulty: hard
Given the Spring Engine's need to routinely handle responsive and bug-free pathfinding and path-following for large numbers of actors, such a project could become a useful showcase and useful codebase for projects needing pathfinders, and could expand the world's understanding of pathfinding and path-following in realtime systems.
Spring's pathfinder uses a 2d grid and is somewhat limited in functionality. A partial/full rewrite should be introduced to add support for navigating using more than 8 primary directions and selectively ignore certain unit types for performance reasons.
Spring's Lua API should be extended to allow game developers to push new nodes/links and be able to alter or delete existing ones (for pathfinder-aware tunnels/teleporting/etc.).
Preferably this should all be faster than the current system, or a compelling argument/experiment should be made that shows there cannot be a faster system with the same features.
More AI interfaces
Estimated difficulty: Medium
The Spring Engine is already a popular engine for academic projects to study Artificial Intelligence, given the Open Source model of development and strong support within the A.I. community. This project could enhance Spring's attractiveness to developers and teachers wanting to explore or teach about A.I.
The Spring engine's A.I. interface supports bindings for multiple languages. Currently C++, C and java are supported, and AIs may be constructed using Lua.
Bindings for more languages and/or virtual machines would be added, to allow broader AI developing audience (for example: Ruby, Perl, JavaScript, Python, D, Go, Mono, LLVM, Parrot).
New Rendering System
Estimated difficulty: medium
The Spring rendering engine uses a lot of FFP (fixed function pipeline) OpenGL functions. This model is becoming deprecated and is generally slower and less flexible than shader usage.
The rendering code should get a complete overhaul using modern graphic programming techniques such as shaders, implement load support for more standardised model formats (backwards compatibility with current available formats is mandatory either through direct load or automatic conversion to the new types) and eventually introduce some graphic enhancing features (bump mapping, normal mapping, multitexturing, etc.).
OpenGL ES 2.0 compatibility should be aimed at where possible.
Reconnect / Host change during a match
Estimated difficulty: medium to hard
Spring's network model implies the existence of a server to host a battle. For various reasons the network link between host and clients can die, so a system should be designed to allow manual and/or automatic switching of the game's host (possibly using an existing player after testing load handling capabilities) and manual and/or automatic reconnection from client side if host remains the same.
