Current Priorities

Well, I only got two of the five priorities done from the previous build; however, I think it is time to do another set of priorities.  The screen transition process has a decent start; the trigger manager is in a decent format.  Unfortunately, I'm sick of programming the trigger manager; so, I'll put the trigger manager off to side for awhile.

The major point that really irks me at this point is the lack of focus on the capital ships.  I need to address that issue before picking the trigger manager up again.  I need to figure out what functions the capital ships will play in missions and how they will impact the gameplay.  This is my first priority.  It's just something that has been sitting on the back burner for too long.  The goal in this step is to get a fully scripted battlestar and basestar into the game.  While getting capital ships integrated into the trigger manager won't happen in this step, the goal is have the system ready and fully operational for integration.

The second priority is to polish the HUD.  The transition screens introduced me to the GUILayout options available in Unity.  I want to convert some of the HUD to utilize these options.  In addition, I need to figure out how the alternate view will work in the game.  Currently, you can hit the "Shift" button to get to the alternate view, but it is nowhere close to being in a playable format at this point.  Part of the HUD overhaul will be fleshout this alternate view.  There is a strong possibility that I will have redesign some models to accommodate the alternate view; however, I'll get to that when I get to it.  I will probably release another build at this point; I anticipate it being build 2.61.

Third, I need to flesh out the trigger manager.  It's currently in the most basic form.  It only accepts a linear progression in a mission.  I need to add different trigger types to make the game more playable and user friendly.  This includes a delete trigger and possibility an "if-else" trigger.  I'll flesh out the options for the trigger manager after I stop being sick of dealing with it.  This will be a major step in getting the game into a more playable format.  In addition, capital ships will be implemented into the trigger manager at this time, and I will be looking at restructuring triggers to make them more database friendly.

Fourth, I will need to redo the first two tutorial missions with these new features.  The tentative plan is to have a "finalize" tutorial #1 and #2 mission at this point.  The goal is to make these missions "dummy proof" and adaptable to player mistakes and deviations.  This will represent a major restructuring of the game and will probably warrant a different build number, 2.70. 

Fifth, I will finish up the basic flight series.  I anticipate a total of five tutorials in this series.  The first one covers the basic flight operations.  The second one covers landing on a battlestar.  The third one is a quick run around the block where the player travels to each waypoint and lands the fighter.  The fourth mission will be a pre-test of the final.  The instructor will run the player through the final exam.  It will represent "hand holding" the player through the final.  The fifth mission will be the final.  In some ways, it will be more similar to an actual mission in that the instructor will limit her interactions with the player.  Each additional tutorial will represent a slight change in versions: 2.71, 2.72 and 2.73. 

My general rule is to complete three of the five priorities before reprioritizing again.  That means the fourth and fifth priority are subject to change at this point.