3D Map - Never gonna happen
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I saw that in the game, the universe map has only 2D pos features. Also the system map is 2D, but the system has objects in 3D space and this creates a confusing situation when you are trying to find objects higher or lower then the X,Z position the map displays.
No, I’m not asking you to make souch a feature, I just want to discuss this theme.
Most of the space sims have a 3D galaxy/system map or even a 3D radar. How is it possible that Digital Anvil didn’t even think of making it in their very successful game Freelancer? The game doesn’t even support souch a “massive” thing, and doesn’t have a feature to add it!
What do YOU think about it?
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Never going to happen without MS releasing or someone cracking FL’s source code.
But seeing as how it’s now been ruled that cracking the code of video games is not illegal, the latter might happen.
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Not a chance… There are some features that were planned to be added with mods, but this one can’t be added with mods, only if you build a fully coded file to improve the game(in C# or C++ code), which will involve a very hard work and a big waste of time, and will end as FLAC - an addon you have to pay for.
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In previous games, Digital Anvil did have 3D radars. However, some players found them confusing. I recall reading somewhere that the DA team did try to make a superior 3D radar system for Freelancer, but they decided to remove it and went with the 2D-ish system that you see in the game.
If you think about it, most star systems and galaxies form shapes that are roughly disk-like after sufficient time. A system may be more 3D-ish immediately after a supernova or a collision event. After a while, however, gravity tends to pull everything into a disk.
One of DA’s design goals was to develop a radically new and simplified User Interface for Freelancer, which they did brilliantly. So the 2D radar and nav map are part of that simplification while, simultaneously, they are more “realistic” than the complex 3D systems in other games.
Remember that DA had a decade of experience creating many of the other top space sims of all time (Wing Commander, Privateer, Starlancer). Some of the earlier games had much more complex user interfaces. So DA knew what they were doing when they simplified the nav map and radar.
Way Points and objects on the nav map are placed in 3D, even if they do not look that way on the screen.
So the whole thing works pretty well.
That is just one small example of what I meant when I said that nobody else has achieved the excellent balance that DA achieved with Freelancer.
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Just a side note, i contacted a few of the programmers for FL some time ago asking about earlier versions and if there were any kicking around we could decompile and see what else might be salvaged. No chance of that btw lol
I was told the 3D radar was a great idea but they couldn’t get it working properly for whatever reason so it was removed, never to return. As can be seen from the really early versions of the game, it was there but then deleted and they carried on with what we now have in the final version.
As mentioned, it would require some seriously creative programming to get it working, something even the original developers simply gave up on.
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It’s called “projection”. You see the system from above normally, using shift with that plugin shows it to you from the side.
