From primis1@yahoo.com Thu Mar 23 19:00:24 2000 Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 11:45:34 -0800 (PST) From: Rik Kyser Reply-To: hellfighter@lists.best.com To: hellfighter@lists.best.com Subject: HFML NEWBIE FAQ v1.5 (Part 1/2) HELL FIGHTER MAILING LIST FAQ v1.5 Thursday, March 23/2000 Written by Patrick Stewart, Rik Kyser, and Sev Sections in round brackets (like this) denote unchanged content. Sections in square brackets [like this] denote changed content. Sections in asterisks *like this* denote added content. 1.0 List Questions (1.1) Are you getting my posts? (1/10/00) (1.2) How do I turn on/off digest? (2/21/00) (1.3) How do I unsubscribe? (2/21/00) (1.4) Why am I getting so much/so little email? (2/21/00) (1.5) Can I post HFBs to the list? (2/21/00) (1.6) Can I post binaries to the list? (1/10/00) (1.7) How many people are on the list? (2/21/00) *1.8* The list is sending too much mail! (3/23/00) 2.0 Developers and Development (2.1) Who is the development team? (1/10/00) (2.2) Can I be on the development team? (1/10/00) (2.3) Why is the page updated so rarely? Why doesn't Skant post? (2/8/00) (2.4) Release (2.4.1) What is the current version of Hell Fighter? (1/24/00) (2.4.2) When is the next version coming out? (1/10/00) (2.4.3) When is the final release date? (1/10/00) (2.4.4) How much will the final version cost? (1/10/00) (2.5) Why are there no graphics for unit X? (1/24/00) 3.0 Game Issues I (3.1) Is Hell Fighter single-player only? (1/24/00) (3.2) What are the overall goals of the game? (1/10/00) (3.3) Why are there only standalone battles? Is a campaign mode planned? (1/10/00) (3.4) What is the Nie Device? (1/10/00) (3.5) Why do the Wyvern's omni thrusters not work? (1/10/00) (3.6) Are there after-battle reports? Where? (1/10/00) (3.7) Where is 'base'? (1/10/00) (3.8) Why are carriers so 'sticky?' (1/10/00) (3.9) Is there a tactical map? (1/10/00) (3.10) How the heck do you edit HFBs? (2/15/00) 4.0 Game Issues II (4.1) 3SF? TAS? (1/10/00) (4.1) Why are you guys talking about all these aliens? (1/10/00) (4.2) Why are there only humans in the game, then? (1/10/00) (4.3) Who are the aliens, anyway? (2/21/00) (4.4) What about Stepping Stone? (1/10/00) (4.5) When are the other races going to be added? (1/10/00) 5.0 It'd Be Cool If Hell Fighter Had: (5.1) Customizable ships (2/21/00) (5.2) In-game repairs (1/10/00) (5.3) Respawn (2/21/00) (5.4) Disabling weapons (1/10/00) (5.5) Better AI/Command control (2/21/00) (5.6) Frag counts and pilot records (1/10/00) (5.7) Multiplay servers (1/24/00) (5.8) A strategic port (2/21/00) (5.9) A better HFB editor! (1/24/00) (5.10) Hybrid races (1/10/00) (5.11) Horrible munch (2/12/00) -=|1.0 - List Questions|=- These are general questions about the mailing list itself that have been asked quite a bit. -=1.1 "Are you getting my posts?"=- To subscribe to the Hell Fighter Mailing List (HFML hereafter), you send a message to hellfighter-request@lists.best.com with subsingle In the body of the message. "subsingle" can also be "subscribe;" see sections 1.2 and 1.3. But anyway, if you've done this, and followed the instructions that are automatically sent to you by the mailing list afterwards, then yes, we're getting your posts. [-=1.2 "How do I turn on/off digest mode?"=-] Digest mode is when the mailing list sends you a bunch of emails that were posted over a given time period (typically a week) all in one large chunk instead of as seperate emails. Some people like this, some find it bloody annoying. If you followed the instruct- ions in 1.1 and sent "subscribe" in the message body, you have been subscribed in digest mode. If you send "subsingle," you are getting emails in the normal mode. This was apparently the fault of the administrators at Best, who believe digest mode is the one true way that everyone should use. Generally, people disagree. If you're getting the wrong mode, it's simple to fix - just unsubscribe and resubscribe in the mode you want. You can actually do this in the same message by using unsubscribe subsingle or unsubscribe subscribe in the message body to hellfighter-request. [-=1.3 "How do I unsubscribe?"=-] This happens a LOT on the mailing list - someone subscribes, loses the instructions, forgets how to unsubscribe and goes ballistic at the HFML. These usually happen in clusters of three or four victims. You do NOT send the unsubscribe instructions to the mailing list address! This will only show a post from you saying "unsubscribe" in the message body. That's kinda useless. If you want to get off the list, send an email to hellfighter-request@lists.best.com with "unsubscribe" in the body of the message. That's it, that's all. Fine. Leave us then. :( A note to newbies: The instructions the list sends you when you first subscribe are there for a reason. You should keep them someplace in case you forget. [-=1.4 "Why am I getting so much/so little email?"=-] The HFML is a very dynamic mailing list in terms of traffic. It can go months with a bare handful of posts, weeks without any. On the other hand, it can get vast numbers of posts in a day when something interesting happens, though it rarely goes higher than a hundred. Discussion generally centers around Skant's discussions of new features/plans for future versions, or Jace's revealing more information about the game's settings. Right now, the mailing list is in a quiet time, likely due to a number of Real World issues for the various posters such as midterms and work. Also the list traffic tends to drop off a bit once Spring comes around (hey even HFies like sun). If the list is too quiet for you, it couldn't hurt to post a bit. See if some discussion can get going, but don't just complain about the silence. -=1.5 "Can I post HFBs to the list?"=- Not only is the answer "yes," but "please!" We're always willing to run through new HFBs that anyone builds, whether they just want to play them, or pick them for accuracy, or whatever else one may think of. You don't need to compress them or anything; you can just toss the HFB itself into a message. Patrick Stewart is trying to get some created HFBs to put in an online collection of battles. This collection (or what it has so far) may be picked up at . There is, of course, no problem with anyone setting up their own archives for their stuff if they so wish. [-=1.6 "Can I post binaries to the list?"=-] No. The HFML is not a binary list; this is quite strict. Do not post zipped anything, graphics, executables, viruses or physical objects to the mailing list, as it will annoy many people. If you have something you want people to see, it is best to either ask if they want it and send it privately to folks, or upload it to a web or FTP site and tell people where to get it. While you're at it, don't post in HTML either. Many email clients cannot parse HTML. [-=1.7 "How many people are on the HFML?"=-] The number rarely gets mentioned on the list. The last time it came up, the count was 144. This was some time ago, however, so it would presumably be considerably larger now. On the other hand, the count of that 144 that regularly post is much smaller, on the order of fifteen to thirty. *-=1.8 "The List Is Sending Too Much Mail!"=-* There has been an increase in newbies to the list lately who complain that the list is too spammy. "Everyone stop posting, my inbox is getting spammed!" has become more and more common of a cry. First and foremost, know that the HFML is a discussion list and has more in common with a newsgroup (if anyone even knows what those are anymore) than a list where you get a weekly update or something. The list has been this way for years and I seriously doubt it is ever going to change. Also, anyone can set up their email to filter HFML mail into its own folder if it is cluttering their Inbox -- even free web-based accounts like YahooMail! and HotMail support filters. As alluded to in section 1.4, the traffic on the list is quite dynamic and can change dramatically in a day or even a couple of hours. Sometimes weeks will go by with only a few posts. On other ocassions the list has been known to generate well over 50 posts in a day. Longtime list members don't even bat an eye anymore if they open up their email to find 50 messages from the list -- so you've been forewarned. -=|2.0 Developers and Development|=- Who is behind this game, anyway? -=2.1 "Who is on the development team?"=- Hell Fighter's "development team" is not a team, per se. It is simply two supposedly-average people who had an idea, thought it would be cool to wrap a game around it, and began working on it as a hobby. Skant, aka David Peterson, is the guy who writes the code and generally makes the game exist. It gives him something to work on codewise that isn't a job or a chore, and also gives him something he can count as experience towards employers. He has the final say of any submissions or changes in the game. Jace, aka Brian Harp, is the art director, as well as the moderator/maintainer of the HFML nowadays. Along with being an amazing artist, he designed the histories and cultures of most of the races, most notably the Dz'Isu, one of his favorites. Jace tries to make sure the events and objects in the HF universe ("HFiverse") are coherent and believable, and also tries to keep the concent on the mailing list friendly or productive. -=2.2 "Can I be on the development team?"=- The answer is probably no. People who sign onto the list are considered to be playtesters, essentially; we spot bugs, suggest new things and talk about the game. Skant and Jace are the only true developers, basically because only they know what they want to put into Hell Fighter, or even if they aren't the only ones, they have some of the better ideas on how to implement it. Skant and Jace will, and quite often, ask for advice on some issues, however; large threads have resulted from Skant asking for ideas with AI and UI, and Jace's request for race submissions sparked a period of discussion that lasted several months. -=2.3 "Why is the page never updated? Why doesn't Skant post?"=- Skant's a busy person. Given the choice between updating the page and working on the game itself, he will generally choose the game. Wouldn't you? Also, Skant and Jace often go for a few weeks at a time without posting or replying to anything. Though this could have any number of causes, I'm not privy to their personal lives and just shrug it off as their having a life at the mailing list's expense. Some people would say that this is wrong; others would tell those people to shove it. -=2.4 Release Info=- People always want to know when things are going to be released. Hell Fighter is no exception. -=2.4.1 "What is the current version of Hell Fighter?"=- Currently Hell Fighter is into the v21 alphas. These are simply replacement .EXE files run instead of the v20.3 executable. V21A3 is the most current alpha, and focusses primarily on making networking function properly. To use this, you must have the newest release of Hell Fighter (which is v20.3) installed on your system. >From there, you go to the Dracova FTP site (ftp.dracova.com/hell) and get hellfighter-v21alpha3.exe. Place this in your 20.3 dir and run from there. -=2.4.2 "When is the next version coming out?"=- Basically, when it's ready. Hell Fighter is developed as a private hobby for Skant and Jace, and code is done for it as they find the time and mindset to get around to it. Skant tends to code in spurts centering around sudden inspirations - he does what he thinks will be the most fun to work on at any given time. When a major breakthrough is accomplished in coding, he generally announces it and gives a couple weeks' rough notice as to when a new version will come out. Don't consider the date carved in stone; more as a general guide saying "Something's going to be out soon." -=2.4.3 "When is the final release date?"=- Skant answered this better than I can: There is no completion. There is no commercial release ever coming. As there is no product cycle, this is not a beta. I have enough plans for Hell Fighter development to last many more years. It's a freeware game, and that's the nature of my development of it. It's my pet project, not a product I'm trying to put out. There are other races out there. Current versions of Hell Fighter model only part of the Terran Alliance fleet. I'm also planning on doing a TradeWars, Elite, whatever merchant trader type game on top of Hell Fighter. Imagine trying to defend that freighter... not because the mission objectives say you're supposed to... but because you've been playing a long time to get the cargo it's carrying... Strategic Hell Fighter games. Hell Fighter Ground Strike (yes, Hell Fighters in atmosphere striking ground targets). Tactical strategies. Many enhancements to AI. I could go on listing the various features that are mapped out in my head for hours. This game will never be done. And yet it is done. The concept doesn't really apply. It's a complete package that just keeps being upgraded. -=2.4.4 "How much will the final version cost?"=- If you havn't realized yet that Hell Fighter is a hobby, and a freeware one at that, yet.. there won't be a commercial release. Hell Fighter isn't going to have a price tag in the foreseeable future. Skant has recieved several offers from commercial groups to market his game. Each has been refused, although the game has been distributed - free of charge or fee - by one company by CD. -=2.5 "Why are there no graphics for Unit X?"=- Because there aren't. Graphics in HF are completed on a submission basis. This means that new ones are considered for the game when a third party builds a vessel model (a 3D Studio mesh) and presents it to the list. Many of the units already exist in design sketches done by Jace or myriad other people, but these graphics cannot be put into the game, for obvious reasons. If you want to help out with graphics - either on paper or with a raytracer - then please, by all means contact the list about it. V22 of Hell Fighter is going to be done in Direct3D, with the ship graphics being changed from sprites to realtime renderings. The view will remain the same, but the graphics engine will be changed. The current meshes used to render the sprites in the game are quite complex, some as high as 20,000 polygons, and new, low-poly versions (as in <200, for capital ships and quite less for fighters) will be needed from any artists. For more specific info on what's needed in terms of graphics, go to the Hell Fighter web page ( http://www.dracova.com/hellfighter) and click the "Join the Project" link at the bottom of the side menu. -=|3.0 Game Issues I|=- Some common gameplay-related questions. -=3.1 "Is Hell Fighter single-player only?"=- The Hell Fighter V21 alphas permit multiplayer games. See section [2.4] for details. -=3.2 "What are the overall goals of the game?"=- Currently the goal in a Hell Fighter battle is to live long enough to see the end of the fight. There are no true strategic goals in place yet, though the HFB format allows for mission goals (ie "2000 points to the blue team if that freighter escapes.."). Strat- egic and campaign versions of Hell Fighter will have much more concrete goals. -=3.3 "Why are there only standalone battles? Is a campaign mode planned for the future?"=- Yes! Though somewhat low on the priority list, a campaign setup is quite possible. The problem is, we either have to make way too many HFBs or write the program on our own for the list. For more information in general, see Section 5.8. -=3.4 "What is the Nie Device?"=- A weapon spaceholder placed on the unarmed vessels. Picture it as the Hell Fighter equivalent of a ship screaming "Oh God, please don't hurt me!!" on all frequencies. There is no gimmick behind it and it never, ever does damage. -=3.5 "Why do the Wyvern's omni thrusters not work?"=- The Wyvern originally had the ability to fly sideways, at angles, and all sorts of other incredibly evil things in older incarnations of Hell Fighter. This was disabled somewhere around v17.0 for a limited time. It will eventually be back, and likely in an improved manner. Skant has hinted at the Wyvern eventually being able to circle a target while keeping its guns on the victim. -=3.6 "Are there after-battle reports? Where?"=- Pre-v20 versions of Hell Fighter displayed after-battle reports at the end of a battle. These reports did not disappear after v20, they just stopped being displayed in the game for the time being. The four files are victory.rep (declares whether a battle was a victory or defeat); ship-sum.rep (a summary of which ships survived, and who the others were killed by); ship-dam.rep (damage and hits inflicted on each ship); and ship-wep.rep (accuracy figures for each vessel's weapons). Ship-sum also shows how many kills each ship got. -=3.7 "Where is base?"=- Base is any friendly carrier or station in the HFB. If there isn't one, it's assumed to be a long flight offmap. Just hit escape. -=3.8 "Why are carriers so sticky?"=- There is a bug with the carriers that causes fighters (especially AI ones) to not be able to launch properly. This is due to AI craft not consistently applying thrust when they're launching. Instead, they sometimes cut thrust for the slightest instant - which the carrier interprets as a landing request - and sucks it back onboard. Don't worry, this isn't a permenant thing. -=3.9 "Is there a tactical map?"=- Not since v19, no. It will possibly be put back in later for some craft, namely those with command ability or very powerful sensors. -=3.10 "How the heck do you edit HFBs?"=- Aside from getting a better editor (see 5.9) done, the only real way to edit a battle file is to crack open a text editor and do it by hand. Fortunately, the format is quite simple and hard to screw up. A page of documentation on how to do this can be found at __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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