About this:
http://www.ut99.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2577
well, I won't do this "new" weapon pack anytime soon, at least not until Shadow releases his SDK to produce it (mostly due to graphics and physics requirements so it can look minimally good in the end, plus it would take a damn lot more time to produce than what I first thought of, while with the SDK it may take less than half of that time).
In the meanwhile, I decided to start working in the other old weapon pack of mine (this one) and do a new version (instead of a Nali Weapons II Final like I claimed before,
I will do a Nali Weapons III):
- since most weapon models and effects will be completelly remade from scratch (WRE, Flame Tracker, Freezer, Vulcan, The Miner, etc, since they suck really bad visually for me)
- while others will be maintained but highly enhanced, both on skins and the model itself (MultiMissile launcher for example is starting to look more with a laucher rather than a "fish" with a stick [not screens yet since I didn't texture the new parts], BoltRifle won't be changed much since I think it looks rather good already (it was actually one of the 2 only weapons I still like in the pack, since they turned out good at a first attempt, but still will have some more detail);
- not only the weapons, but many projectiles, explosions, etc, will be totally remade from scratch as well, but all this won't take as long as the when the first pack was developed, since the code is already there, it's only about to enhance it and aplly the new stuf in it, since the "core" is already working and is very stable (fact proven during the last months);
- the new version will have that "viewbob" balancing, which all normal weapons have while you're walking, but not currently in this pack (in the current Nali Weapons pack they are almost "static", and that takes out a lot about the FPS and weapon feel any FPS weapon should have);
- still in the weapons improvements, bright overlayers will be there, at least in the 1st and pickup view of the weapon and in certain weapons, but I don't promisse anything for 3rd weapon view, but it's not that important either;
- and still in the part above, a few bright coronas and "lights" will be apllied as well in the weapon itself (after I confirmed that particles can be rendered on canvas at 100% (thanks Rakiayn
), and therefore the weapons should have further details which won't make any impact on the overall performance or functionality);
- also the new nali weapons will have that "hand" this time holding the weapon and maneuvering it (it will touch the buttons from the decoder, hold the weapons and have the full animation of selecting it or store it), but unlike all the weapon packs with no exception I seen to date for UT, this "hand" won't be part of the weapon model itself, instead I will try to make it like in the modern FPS games: the weapon is a model, the hand is another model. That will add the possibility to not render it if you don't want (if you like the weapons view only, like UT2004) or show it, but change it's skin accordingly when you're using either a human, nali, skaarj or a boss model, with the team colors and all, but this is something I am still thinking to make, not something 100% sure to be in the new version;
- the whole crosshair set sucks in the current pack, so basically I will try to do new ones and some of them will be "dynamic" (aiming, lock, etc), the same apllies by anything zoom or painting related (IRPR, UltimaProtos, Nuclear Launcher painter, etc);
- the nukes will get the makeover of their lives, and I might add one or another more;
- I am also planning to add "hand grenades", since currently you have 1 type of grenade that is only fired from the WRE, and I think I should add the possibilty to launch them yourself and to add more types, and perhaps WRE will just have the most powerfull type between them, or a completelly different grenade that can be only launched by this weapon, we'll see;
- the modifiers (for MH) will be totally changed graphically, and perhaps the pickups as well, and the chargers will be taken out and replaced by something more subtile and that actually works much better in a game like this;
- I am thinking to make the ammo animated as well (like, in case of the missiles, it will open you get near them to pick them up);
- and of course, 95% of the bugs should be fixed (the "hang" bug in weapons like Graviton and MultiMissile lauucher will be 100% fixed, guarateed [won't use timers anymore to control rates, since I am either a noob using them or UEngine doesn't like them in its weapon code, so therefore it will be done controlled by animation since it's flawless]);
- there are many other things that will be added/enhanced/etc, but at least you get the idea why a "new version" instead of a "final version".
All this to say what? Basically, this won't take 1 or 2 months only to be done (obviouslly), it will take some time, but in the meanwhile this is your chance (for who apreciates the current weapon pack) to say what you trully think about it's current state, and to sugest any improvements or any other kind of feedback you find necessary to take into account while I develop the new version (bug fixes, gameplay improvements, new weapons, whatever you find necessary to mention).
Of course, in the end this will be just another weapon pack, but at least it should be way better than the current version of it.