$Header: /fridge/cvs/xscorch/doc/NOTES,v 1.37 2004/03/25 16:04:59 jacob Exp $


NOTES file for XScorch.  
Copyright(c) 2004-2000 Justin David Smith
Copyright(c) 2004-2000 Jacob Luna Lundberg.


This document agrees with version 0.2.0.


!! Please read this document before reporting a bug.  This document contains
   the current known issues with the game.  In particular, if you have ideas
   on how to fix these bugs or implement some of these features, we'd like
   to hear from you: send e-mail to jacob (a) chaos2.org and 
   justins (a) chaos2.org.

Also refer to doc/NETWORK for network-related issues, and doc/AI for issues
relating to the computer AI's.


CONTENTS

   Immediate Attention
   Jacob's Notes
   Weapons Implementation Status
   Features Not Yet Implemented/Known Problems
   Waif's Notes on log_accum.pl


IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

   Balance: Economics unfair, shield strength (Mattias Eriksson)

   Network: Packet retransmission!


JACOB'S NOTES

   ** More Things for Immediate Attention **
   These are the features and bugs I plan to work on soon.

   * Hopefulls for release soon *
   Radiator system that reduces your damage by (50 * (1 - p->power / 1000)) percent?
   Make spider phoenix more aware of hills in the way...
   Rewrite the AI budgeting system -- what a mess!
   Finish teaching AIs to use Shield Sappers.
   Document the weapon info struct format.
   Animate napalm flames (?).

   * Long term stuff *
   Weapon creation utility.
   Check out porting to WinCrud via gtk (painful) ...
   There are in fact several things that need selectable tracking functions...
   [Now partially implemented.]
   o  blasts at tank barrel
   o  sandhogs underground
   o  rollers on surface

   * Weapon selling/trading in game *
   We both have thoughts on this and I think it will happen.  Stay tuned...
   o  To do this we will need `unique' weapons, i.e. eliminate the idea of a `mass
      market' with a surplus of weaponry.  Might be easy, hard to say `tho.
   o  `fair' pricing model for custom weapons.  Can't have Bob the Destroyer
      designing a new weapon with 10000Force destructive, then making it available
      for 1$ (would be amusing, though).

   * Notes on code needing comments vacuumed *
      1) Rollers are still getting stuck and falling to the bottom
         of the screen, after which the game locks as they roll
         around down there, never detonating...
      2) Rollers detonate on high-speed impact, even with triggers.
         JDS:  I cannot reproduce this symptom on my codebase after
               doing an audit of the roller code in flight.  It is
               possible that I fixed this during the audit.  Check
               again?
      3) Napalm doesn't spill on high-speed impact, even with triggers.
         JDS:  I left comments in sspill.c about this; I think I
               know what's going on.  Does it only occur when the
               weapon tunnels?


WEAPONS IMPLEMENTATION STATUS

   ** The Weapon List **
   We still have a ways to go creating weapons.
   We need some more specialized detonation functions.

   * separate weapon explosion drawing functions *
   (marked by conventions used with weapons list below)
   + (a) circular gradient explosions ("normal" weapons)
   + (b) spread circular gradient explosions (funky bombs)
   + (c) dribbling liquid explosions (liquid dirt, napalm)
   - (d) digging (dirt eating) pseudo-explosions (diggers, sandhogs)
   + (e) spraying explosions (riot charge/blast, dirt charge)
     (f) beam weapons (lasers mostly)

   * weapon list goal *
   Those that are fully implemented are marked at the left with a '+'.
   Those that are partially (often twistedly) implemented are marked with a '-'.
   Note that our explosive radii run about twice those of the original game.

        [Name]                [Cost] [Bundle Size] Radius-[Scorch]-[XScorch] [Arms Level]
   +    No Weapon                 $0             0        N/I          0        0
   +    Baby Missile            $400             0         10         20        0
   +    Missile               $1,875             5         20         40        0
   +    Baby Nuke            $10,000             3         40         80        0
   +    Nuke                 $12,000             1         75        150        1
   +    Leap Frog            $10,000             2   30,25,20   60,50,41        3
   +    Funky Bomb            $7,000             2         80        160        4
   +    MIRV                 $10,000             3         20         40        2
   +    Black Market MIRV    $15,000             3        N/I       ~100        4
   +    Death's Head         $20,000             1         35         70        4
   +    Annihilator          $24,000             1        N/I        200        4
   +    The Chaos         $5,000,000             1        N/I        200        5
   +    The Chaos^2       $9,999,999             1        N/I        200        6
   +    Napalm               $10,000            10        N/A        N/A        2
   +    Hot Napalm           $20,000             2        N/A        N/A        4
   +    Black Rain           $30,000             2        N/I         20        4
   +    Mr. Napalm        $3,000,000             2        N/I        N/A        6
   +    Tracer                   $10            20          0          0        0
   +    Smoke Tracer            $500            10          0          0        1
   +    Shield Sapper         $2,500             5        N/I          0        3
   +    Baby Roller           $5,000            10         10         20        2
   +    Roller                $6,000             5         20         40        2
   +    Heavy Roller          $6,750             2         45         90        3
   +    Riot Charge           $2,000            10         36         72        2
   +    Riot Blast            $5,000             5         60        120        3
   +    Riot Bomb             $5,000             5         30         60        3
   +    Heavy Riot Bomb       $4,750             2         45         90        3
   -    Baby Digger           $3,000            10        N/A        N/A        0
   -    Digger                $2,500             5        N/A        N/A        0
   -    Heavy Digger          $6,750             2        N/A        N/A        1
   -    Baby Sandhog         $10,000            10        N/A        N/A        0
   -    Sandhog              $16,750             5        N/A        N/A        0
   -    Heavy Sandhog        $25,000             2        N/A        N/A        1
   +    Dirt Clod             $5,000            10         20         40        0
   +    Dirt Ball             $5,000             5         35         70        0
   +    Ton of Dirt           $6,750             2         70        140        1
   +    Liquid Dirt           $5,000            10        N/A        N/A        2
   +    Dirt Charge           $5,000             5        N/A        N/A        1
        Earth Disrupter       $5,000            10        N/A        N/A        0
        Plasma Blast          $9,000             5      10-75     20-150        3
   +    Shield Sapper        $10,000             2        N/I          0        3
        Laser                 $5,000             5        N/A        N/A        2

   * potentials *
   Sticky Air (implement with object land type and tracers)
   Sticky Air Disruptor (see above)
   Tunnel Tracking (accessory >:)
   Teleporter (accessory, chosen, or random location? preference for random)
   Jump Jets (accessory, thoughts?)
   Popcorn Bomb (weapon, sounds a lot like a funky bomb, hmm)
   Dirt tower (weapon?)
   Teleport shield (accessory, sort of pairs with warp shield)
     a) you're hit, you're transported.
   Warp Shield (accessory, sort of pairs with teleport shield)
     b) you're hit, weapon is transported >:)
   Flicker Shield (accessory, what the heck is this anyway?)
   Patriot Missles (weapon, any ideas?)
   Plasma laser (weapon, gnifty looking laser I assume)

   * special cases *
   Rollers are implemented as a new phoenix case (CONVERT).
   The Chaos and Mr. Napalm really are mostly for testing.
   But they are fun.  So who knows what the future holds...
   And as for The Chaos^2, well ... ask Justin.  ;-)


FEATURES NOT YET IMPLEMENTED/KNOWN PROBLEMS

   Economics:
    * Free market not implemented
    * Greedy scoring not properly implemented

   Interface:
    * Mouse support partially implemented

   Landscape:
    * Hostile environments not implemented

   Physics:
    * Suspend dirt not implemented
    * Tanks fall not implemented

      These will probably come along soon, now that tank profiles are 
      implemented == bug with land falling on the tank can finally be
      avoided.

    * Viscosity does not currently work
      This has been removed, because the trajectory functions cannot 
      currently compensate for the viscosity of air.

    * Springy walls are not properly implemented (no damping over time!)

   Play options:
    * Player Teams not implemented

   Players: 
    * Insanity AI not implemented

   Sound:
    * Soundtracks are implemented but as yet have no music to play
      This causes some "file not found" warnings during gameplay
    * Sound effects are still a ways down the line


WAIF'S NOTES ON log_accum.pl

   Let it be noted that log_accum.pl is a pain in the ass
   Summaries are broken until further notice.  May be that current cvs
   version is incompatibile with script assumptions.
