I am thinking with the new BuildSettings interface in Build 14 Alpha 7 Plus, we should do some thinking on how we want to handle the game's toggles. At the moment all BuildSettings have been changed from #defines into interface settings, some with succes and some causing some irritation. Especially the change of the starting ship options from #define to interface has been met with much apprehension, because this actually made it harder for modders to test their ships. So the question is: Which options should be #defines (changable in Notepad) and which ones should be interface toggles.
Personally I think that the mod on/off toggles should be in the interface so that these can be turned on and off depending on the player's liking and in mid-game. On the other hand, any options that could be considered cheating (starting level, starting ship, etc.) should be put in #defines in InternalSettings.h. Finally I think it is somewhat odd to be able to select your allowed selection for the character and ship model choices in the BuildSettings (Advanced Options) interface. After all: Why should the player first choose his available choices, only to choose one of them afterwards? Why not just choosing once instead of twice?
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A little side-trip here: The Choose Character Interface. I think it would be nice to make two interfaces for this:
1) Choose Profile
2) Custom Character
The first interface would replace the current Choose Character interface. In this interface, the player has the choice of several pre-defines characters. Each character has its own model, ship, type, nation, name, etc. For example there would be "Jack Sparrow, Pirate, Adventurer", "Jack Aubrey, England, Military, ship: SloopBrig HMS Sophie" and "Horatio Hornblower, England, Social Climber, ship: Cutter2". Each character would have his own pre-set parameters and each character would start the game at a different place. Jack at Tortuga, Jack Aubrey at Redmond and Horatio Hornblower at Antigua. Each character would have a somewhat different backstory and the tutorial would reflect this. For example with Hornblower, Malcolm Hatcher would be replaced with Sir Edward Pellew, who prepares Hornblower for his first command as midshipman of an English Cutter. Also the navy characters would start with a Letter of Marque.
For those players who don't want to be limited in their choices, the second interface would be available. In the Choose Profile interface there would be a "Custom Character" button which will open an interface where you can set all the parameters for your character yourself like in the current interface. The difference would be that here you have available (almost) al character and ship models from the game, similar to the current selection in the BuildSettings interface.
This would give beginning players the ability to choose from several different and interesting characters, while giving advanced players full control over their character.
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This brings us to my last topic: useless settings. I think there are some toggles that can simply be removed altogether. Examples would be:
<b>USE_PROPER_TUTORIAL_DECK:</b> Why would anybody want to use the wrong cabin when the right cabin works just as well?
<b>ENABLE_BUILDINGSET:</b> If you don't want to use it: Don't. Why bother turning it off?
<b>ENABLE_BLACKSMITHMOD:</b> If you don't want to repair your weapon: Don't. Of course turning off the WEAPONSMOD would turn the blacksmiths off as well.
<b>ENABLE_TAILORSMOD:</b> Why would anybody not want them? You don't HAVE to visit them.
<b>ENABLE_NOSAVEMOD:</b> Don't talk to the monks if you don't want to use this mod.
<b>GREATER_OXBAY:</b> Turning off the Greenford Maltese Knight Abbey? Are you CRAZY???
So my question is: Do you think there are useless toggles that could simply be removed to make the code simpler and make the amount of available options less confusing for the player? And if so: Which settings do you consider useless?
Personally I think that the mod on/off toggles should be in the interface so that these can be turned on and off depending on the player's liking and in mid-game. On the other hand, any options that could be considered cheating (starting level, starting ship, etc.) should be put in #defines in InternalSettings.h. Finally I think it is somewhat odd to be able to select your allowed selection for the character and ship model choices in the BuildSettings (Advanced Options) interface. After all: Why should the player first choose his available choices, only to choose one of them afterwards? Why not just choosing once instead of twice?
===================================================
A little side-trip here: The Choose Character Interface. I think it would be nice to make two interfaces for this:
1) Choose Profile
2) Custom Character
The first interface would replace the current Choose Character interface. In this interface, the player has the choice of several pre-defines characters. Each character has its own model, ship, type, nation, name, etc. For example there would be "Jack Sparrow, Pirate, Adventurer", "Jack Aubrey, England, Military, ship: SloopBrig HMS Sophie" and "Horatio Hornblower, England, Social Climber, ship: Cutter2". Each character would have his own pre-set parameters and each character would start the game at a different place. Jack at Tortuga, Jack Aubrey at Redmond and Horatio Hornblower at Antigua. Each character would have a somewhat different backstory and the tutorial would reflect this. For example with Hornblower, Malcolm Hatcher would be replaced with Sir Edward Pellew, who prepares Hornblower for his first command as midshipman of an English Cutter. Also the navy characters would start with a Letter of Marque.
For those players who don't want to be limited in their choices, the second interface would be available. In the Choose Profile interface there would be a "Custom Character" button which will open an interface where you can set all the parameters for your character yourself like in the current interface. The difference would be that here you have available (almost) al character and ship models from the game, similar to the current selection in the BuildSettings interface.
This would give beginning players the ability to choose from several different and interesting characters, while giving advanced players full control over their character.
===================================================
This brings us to my last topic: useless settings. I think there are some toggles that can simply be removed altogether. Examples would be:
<b>USE_PROPER_TUTORIAL_DECK:</b> Why would anybody want to use the wrong cabin when the right cabin works just as well?
<b>ENABLE_BUILDINGSET:</b> If you don't want to use it: Don't. Why bother turning it off?
<b>ENABLE_BLACKSMITHMOD:</b> If you don't want to repair your weapon: Don't. Of course turning off the WEAPONSMOD would turn the blacksmiths off as well.
<b>ENABLE_TAILORSMOD:</b> Why would anybody not want them? You don't HAVE to visit them.
<b>ENABLE_NOSAVEMOD:</b> Don't talk to the monks if you don't want to use this mod.
<b>GREATER_OXBAY:</b> Turning off the Greenford Maltese Knight Abbey? Are you CRAZY???
So my question is: Do you think there are useless toggles that could simply be removed to make the code simpler and make the amount of available options less confusing for the player? And if so: Which settings do you consider useless?
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" border="0" alt="modding.gif" /> too many options.
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" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" /> It's on? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
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" border="0" alt="24.gif" /> ).
" border="0" alt="me.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />
" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />