Calling all Suggestions

[A Random Player]

Do NOT put the custom gravity in the premium version only! Please put it in the free version too!

Maybe some version of custom laws, but I think you should at least limit it given how much of an incentive it would give people to buy the full version.

We should at least keep the current level of control (changing the exponent).

[exfret]

Do NOT put the custom gravity in the premium version only! Please put it in the free version too!

Maybe some version of custom laws, but I think you should at least limit it given how much of an incentive it would give people to buy the full version.

We should at least keep the current level of control (changing the exponent).

I really think Andy would at least keep the current version as is, and he did say he would as well. I would be outraged if he didn't. (Unless he opened up the VP source code or made a hyperbola-game to make up for it).

[testtubegames]

Hrm, great feedback here. This is one of the wonderful side effects of (a) having a community and (b) fairly open development.

To clarify, yeah, the new free version will be *better than* the current version. It'll be a definite upgrade, and we certainly won't be losing any functionality.

I'm still figuring out what would set a pay version apart. Anyone have any ideas for something that wouldn't make the free version suck if it lacked it, but would make people consider going through the trouble of downloading the game to get it?

Some things that pop into my head:

-A bigger field to play around in (zoom in, out further)
-Undo/time reversal, for easier building of things
-Allow for different frames of reference, so you could track certain objects, say.
-Adding dust (many small bodies)
-Drawing the gravitational wells
-Fully functional Death Star

... well, except for that last one. So, basically, it seems the first things popping into my head are ones that a first-time user wouldn't miss. But if they started using the sim for more advanced purposes, they would be nice to have. Along the same lines, these are things that require more processing power -- so it would make sense to streamline the lightweight web version -- and leave it to the downloadable version to do more heavyweight calculations/memory stuff.

I'd rather have the extra features stem from the abilities of the platform rather than just my whims. So, not: "Pay $5, buy your planet a hat!!" But rather "We can't do this feature because we don't have the full processing power of your computer." But I'd be curious about what you all think.

[robly18]

I think those are all great ideas, however, I think it would be a bit too limiting. I mean, the dust stuff is something I noticed with the original straight away.

How about the ability to control a rocket? That sounds like it would be fun. Place a rocket the same way you'd place an asteroid and then control it with the arrow keys.

[testtubegames]

How about the ability to control a rocket? That sounds like it would be fun. Place a rocket the same way you'd place an asteroid and then control it with the arrow keys.

Like a 2D Kerbal Space Program?

Yeah, I was thinking of possibly adding this feature in -- it's actually there in the code from an earlier prototype (when I thought about turning the sim more into a game). But I didn't put it on my short list above, since it's a feature that's *so* different from what you'd experience in the free version. So much so that you wouldn't even notice you were missing it.

And frankly, if there's a super cool, unique feature, I want players to get a taste of it (at least) in the free version.

*But*, now that you bring it up -- it could work really well if I have a truncated rocket section in the web version. So, maybe you can fly a rocket around certain, simple solar systems. And in the full version, you could use the rocket whenever you wanted.

[robly18]

Like a 2D Kerbal Space Program?

I guess, except without the worries for landing and fuel and whatnot. Just a little ship you could put into orbit and try to move around the system, just for the challenge.

[A Random Player]

Like a 2D Kerbal Space Program?

I guess, except without the worries for landing and fuel and whatnot. Just a little ship you could put into orbit and try to move around the system, just for the challenge.

2D KSP - Great minds think alike, I was already writing this in VB for quite a while. Still haven't gotten it to work yet, though I have a theory as to why it's broken. Though if you want a spaceship right now, just add an asteroid

As for something else:
Grids. Cartesian and polar. Maybe draggable, so you can center it on a star.
And a timer.

[exfret]

I'm going to try to go post by post, so I might be editing this for a while:

I'm still figuring out what would set a pay version apart. Anyone have any ideas for something that wouldn't make the free version suck if it lacked it, but would make people consider going through the trouble of downloading the game to get it?

I think you should place a taste of most things in the web version, then go full-fledged exfret on those features in the full version. (Okay, maybe not fully-fledged exfret). Also, here are features to go in the full version:
-Complete access to (almost) any gravity law
-Fullscreen
-Better computation power
-One spot per buyer in the gallery where you can upload your favorite gravity pic
-Wide range of artistic options
-Wide range of background options ranging from gravity wells, to grids, to points showing the barycenter of a system, even to your own picture (maybe of yourself), just to get rid of all the dull blackness
-Snap-on grid option
-Customizable default settings
-General relativity
-KSP w/ rotations and tides
-Increased capabilities w/ frames of reference (for example, first person ( ) POV, rotating along with a celestial body, and being centered at the barycenter of a system or a certain distance away from any of those points)
-Life as an easter egg (just advertise it as "You might even find a neat little secret on your planets once you upgrade to the full version")
-Options to choose whether one celestial body's gravity influences another's
-More complete stat. panes for planets and whatnot
-Ability to take videos of your planets
I agree w/ ARP that dust should be in the web version, but I think you could just not implement features that would make dust particles less computing-intensive and then advertise less lag from dust in the full version, which would both allow dust in the current version and use dust as a way to motivate people to get the full version.

Some things that pop into my head:

1) A bigger field to play around in (zoom in, out further)
2) Undo/time reversal, for easier building of things
3) Allow for different frames of reference, so you could track certain objects, say.
4) Adding dust (many small bodies)
5) Drawing the gravitational wells
6) Fully functional Death Star

1) Yes, also fix the lag for zooming in/out on both the web and current version
2) Yes, but include a simple undo and redo that undo/redos the last thing you did in the web version, too
3) I would include a simple frame-of-reference thing that just does the frame of reference for a planet in the web version, just so you can follow any planet-stars you made, but also include a more detailed frame-of-reference tool as explained above in the full version
4) Dust in simple web version, non-laggy dust in full version
5) Yes, totally full version
6) YES!!!! With general relativity as well! And don't forget to add Luke Skywalker as well! Ooh, I know, you can claim to have added both Luke Skywalker and the Death Star to the full version, but then explain that it turned out they didn't work so well together, which is why you can't find the Death Star in it. You can also add an easter egg where, when you do something to set it to negative enough time (when rewinding with the undo button), you see the Death Star. (It was in a time long, long ago anyways, eh?)

... well, except for that last one.

Death Star, Death Star, Death Star, Death Star, Death Star, Death Star, Death Star, Death Star, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR, DEATH STAR!!!!

So, basically, it seems the first things popping into my head are ones that a first-time user wouldn't miss. But if they started using the sim for more advanced purposes, they would be nice to have. Along the same lines, these are things that require more processing power -- so it would make sense to streamline the lightweight web version -- and leave it to the downloadable version to do more heavyweight calculations/memory stuff.
I'd rather have the extra features stem from the abilities of the platform rather than just my whims. So, not: "Pay $5, buy your planet a hat!!" But rather "We can't do this feature because we don't have the full processing power of your computer." But I'd be curious about what you all think.

Seems good enough, but don't stop yourself from adding in a feature to the full version just because it might get you a ton of buyers, like custom gravity equations. Custom gravity equation would be, well, awesome would be an understatement, so I'll say it would be like opening the VP source code, or maybe to overstate it a little, like a hyperbola-land.

I guess, except without the worries for landing and fuel and whatnot. Just a little ship you could put into orbit and try to move around the system, just for the challenge.

About orbits, how about you add rotation in the full version, Andy, so you can add on all those centripetal forces to the rocket when it's zipping around?

2D KSP

I've actually never played KSP...

Though if you want a spaceship right now, just add an asteroid

Andy, you can just make it so the arrows accelerate the first asteroid you put down in their given directions (up for up, etc.), and wallah, a working prototype!

As for something else:
Grids. Cartesian and polar. Maybe draggable, so you can center it on a star.
And a timer.

I love all of these. You should be able to start the timer when a celestial body passes through a defined line segment or line or when you place one down. (I think the timer should be in the web version, but with all the automatic stopping and preciseness happening in the full version). The grids seem like a super-good idea to me. Maybe having a basic (as in un-resizeable, non-draggable, and not very controllable appearance) cartesian grid in the web version than all the other grids and grid features in the full version.

[Stargate38]

I want the custom gravity to be FULLY functional in the web version too!

[exfret]

I want the custom gravity to be FULLY functional in the web version too!

Why? You should be getting the full version anyways if you've been interested in the Gravity Simulator enough to become a member of the forums and if you're so interested in such features. I think a feature like this would push a lot of people to get the full version, so we shouldn't include it fully in the web version for Andy's sake.