Engine questions

[pujok]

Me and a couple friends are planning to make an RTS game and are looking for an engine. I believe Pyrogenesis will be the one we stick with in the end so I wanted to ask some questions about the modding capabilities. Is it possible to:

• Render 2D sprites into the environment? Additionally changing them dynamically to represent different directions of movement? Similarly to the StarCrafts mod. In case it isn't possible in the current engine, how hard would be to change it?
• Introduce/modify a day/night cycle that affects the gameplay?
• Introduce an experience system?
• Make branching techtrees with incompatible options?
• Have the terrain affect unit stats while being walked on?
• Make units with active abilities and if so how would those be limited (targetting units/ground with an ability, a buff/debuff system etc.)

[Stan`]

Hello @pujok

Thanks for considering the Pyrogenesis engine for your game

1. It's not possible currently. According to @vladislavbelov in this thread, it's not that hard. It's actually a planned feature, there is just no one working on it.
2. It's not possible yet, because there is no hooks between the Simulation and that specific component on the map, but it could be added if someone works on it.  There were some mentions here and there
3. There is already an experience system, where units promote while attacking others. In A24, we will allow building to train their units.
4. There are technologies called paired techs, which can only be one out of two choices
5. That's doable using something we call auras (basically using prepared map you could put special entities boosting or slowing speed), proper implementation is not done yet depending on terrain textures.
6. You'd need extra code for this. Currently it's not supported.

@Freagarach @Angen might help you more.

[fatherbushido]

2 hours ago, pujok said:

Have the terrain affect unit stats while being walked on?

One thing which is not possible anymore is to have terrain movement cost handled by the pathfinder. So if ever you succeed to do something which slow or boost speed of entities, your units will still take a path which doesn't take that into account when automatically tasked.

[Freagarach]

One of the main pillars of 0 A.D. is moddability, thus there are lots of possibities.

A nice reference:

But also e.g. mods like 0abc and delenda est.

2. Might want to take a look at the seasons of done in Hyrule Conquest

6. Attack-Ground see Phab:D1971. (De)buffs, can be seen as aura's and are natively supported by the engine.

 

So I guess only the terrain affecting unit stats is only possible with a hack, and 1. is not possible yet.

Edited May 6, 2020 by Freagarach
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