Author Topic: UFO questions (Read 9791 times)

Jameso · « **on:** May 19, 2006, 05:09:24 am »

I was just wondering, will UFO's be able to go underwater to check out aquatic species?

P.S sorry if this has been posted, I just signed up, first post.

SmileyMan · « **Reply #1 on:** May 19, 2006, 05:12:42 am »

Hmm.. Never really thought of that.

DM_Craft · « **Reply #2 on:** May 19, 2006, 05:22:14 am »

Hah you stole my idea, i was going to post about this...

Lambsquirter · « **Reply #3 on:** May 19, 2006, 05:33:56 am »

well, if they are going to have underwater cities, then i assume maybe your ufo could go under the water? The ufo would be launched from underwater i think

Bastardman · « **Reply #4 on:** May 19, 2006, 06:36:48 am »

I just hope they haven't decided to "phase out" the whole underwater part.

There was no evidence of any underwater life in any of the E3 videos/screenshots.

Joolies · « **Reply #5 on:** May 19, 2006, 07:36:14 am »

i'd say it will be possible.

Fumanchu · « **Reply #6 on:** May 19, 2006, 07:43:20 am »

I keep worrying about the underwater part, too, but the Spore trailer clearly shows the underwater guy swimming around. It doesn't mention anything about underwater civs, but at least it's got some parts devoted to it.

The crazy thing about an underwater civ is that, if it's already in the game, then the physics to handle flying would be in there, too. So, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to have flying animals in the game--they'd still need to be anchored to the ground for their buildings, just like land / underwater. Even if they just fly in the sense that they're off the ground when they move, though it may be by only a few "feet", this would be a cool little feature.

Whatever, if you're a land-based creature, it would be cool to navigate your UFO down into the water and watch the environment kind of swallow you up (ocean-wise) as you went in search of things.

slugfly · « **Reply #7 on:** May 19, 2006, 07:44:27 am »

it would make no sense at all for them to disclude flying creatures and underwater creatures. Consider how much easier the animations would be (for movement and attacking anyway) when underwater. And flying movement requires only a non-animated soar (eagle), wing movement (crow) or bobbing wing movement (butterfly or bat).

Didero · « **Reply #8 on:** May 19, 2006, 10:10:30 am »

This isn't going to be another one of those 'Are water civilizations in?!'-threads, is it?

On topic: I would assume UFOs can go underwater. They can withstand the forces of travelling through the atmosphere, and near a black hole, so I don't see why it wouldn't be able to withstand waterpressure.

Side note: Why is it called a 'UFO' anyway? It's not an Unidentified Flying Object, you've build it yourself, so it's not unidentified at all...

Brutus · « **Reply #9 on:** May 19, 2006, 10:16:38 am »

its not a ufo to you, but to everyone else it is.

Bastardman · « **Reply #10 on:** May 19, 2006, 10:17:25 am »

Quote from: Didero on May 19, 2006, 10:10:30 am

Side note: Why is it called a 'UFO' anyway? It's not an Unidentified Flying Object, you've build it yourself, so it's not unidentified at all...

I guess it's a nod to the UFO in the SimCity games. Repeatedly destroying my cities by triggering alien invasions was really the only fun I ever got out of that series.

Crossover · « **Reply #11 on:** May 19, 2006, 01:06:14 pm »

Alright, I got a UFO related question. Does the computer get it's own UFO too? Or is it just a players tool?

The Reason I ask is because Will said he didn't want to make it multiplayer so that some other player doesn't come along and ruin your game. But if the creatures pick up the habits a player sets for them, then what if a UFO of that player's creature has a habit or whatever you want to call it, to blow up planets? I mean, you might be out exploring the Galaxy and then your getting messages of a new species that just entered your solar system blowing up your home world and colonies.

762 · « **Reply #12 on:** May 19, 2006, 01:28:41 pm »

Quote from: Didero on May 19, 2006, 10:10:30 am

On topic: I would assume UFOs can go underwater. They can withstand the forces of travelling through the atmosphere, and near a black hole, so I don't see why it wouldn't be able to withstand waterpressure.

I don't think that ultra-realism is Will's main concern with Spore. The question is whether they will have the feature in the game, not whether it's realistic enough to put in the game.

lololo · « **Reply #13 on:** May 19, 2006, 01:29:12 pm »

Its already been confirmed that there will be underwater civs and creatures, and flying creatures. Also, submarines are supposed to be in the game, so I'm sure you can just attach a part to your UFO to make it water-accessible. Maybe an upgrade like the one that opens up black holes as a transportation system.

Quote from: Crossover on May 19, 2006, 01:06:14 pm

Alright, I got a UFO related question. Does the computer get it's own UFO too? Or is it just a players tool?

The Reason I ask is because Will said he didn't want to make it multiplayer so that some other player doesn't come along and ruin your game. But if the creatures pick up the habits a player sets for them, then what if a UFO of that player's creature has a habit or whatever you want to call it, to blow up planets? I mean, you might be out exploring the Galaxy and then your getting messages of a new species that just entered your solar system blowing up your home world and colonies.

Will has already said that the only NPC controlled UFOs will be fly-bys during the tribal stage. They will most likely just be an easter egg until you get your own UFO. I think I read something that said the only way to have the NPCs use UFOs was to provoke them enough.

Havoc · « **Reply #14 on:** May 19, 2006, 01:31:05 pm »

Yeah, they'd have to put it in. When you consider that a large part of the game consists of transporting exotic creatures across the galaxy in your UFO, if it couldn't go underwater then you'd be restricted to land creatures only.

Crossover · « **Reply #15 on:** May 19, 2006, 01:34:10 pm »

Quote

Will has already said that the only NPC controlled UFOs will be fly-bys during the tribal stage. They will most likely just be an easter egg until you get your own UFO. I think I read something that said the only way to have the NPCs use UFOs was to provoke them enough.

I heard him say they'd be Easter eggs also during the tribal stage, but the way I heard it was when the question was asked if advanced beings would be loaded into your game before you get to the UFO stage. And then thats when he said that.
I didn't hear about the second part though.

Jameso · « **Reply #16 on:** May 19, 2006, 03:50:44 pm »

Also, I saw in one video Will using the UFO to create water using a beam or something, then in a different video Will used the tractor beam to pull down an "ice comet".

Terraforming and water, what's what?

darkstar · « **Reply #17 on:** May 19, 2006, 04:04:40 pm »

Hmm UFO can most definitly go underwater (for all reasons previously stated as well as the fact that I expect if water civs were in the game you would have to have a way to attack one with the UFO)

Comps will definitly use UFOs as in the video Will got a message saying his planet was under attack and I assume the attacking force had to get there somehow and use something to attack.

I think the water beam and the ice comet are either the same thing at different points in development or one is a more advanced tool then the other.

O and I would think flying creatures are not tied to the fate of water creatures as flying creatures would be harder to animate as the comp would have to procedurally design how the creature would move on the ground, how it would fold its wings, and how it would fly whereas with water based creatures it would only have to make a swimming movement and maybe walking. (not counting various gestures and attacks of course)

Samog · « **Reply #18 on:** May 19, 2006, 05:49:41 pm »

Quote from: Didero on May 19, 2006, 10:10:30 am

Side note: Why is it called a 'UFO' anyway? It's not an Unidentified Flying Object, you've build it yourself, so it's not unidentified at all...

That's just what he said during the GDC presentation. The name stuck.

Jameso · « **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2006, 08:36:52 pm »

Quote from: darkstar on May 19, 2006, 04:04:40 pm

Hmm UFO can most definitly go underwater (for all reasons previously stated as well as the fact that I expect if water civs were in the game you would have to have a way to attack one with the UFO)

Comps will definitly use UFOs as in the video Will got a message saying his planet was under attack and I assume the attacking force had to get there somehow and use something to attack.

I think the water beam and the ice comet are either the same thing at different points in development or one is a more advanced tool then the other.

O and I would think flying creatures are not tied to the fate of water creatures as flying creatures would be harder to animate as the comp would have to procedurally design how the creature would move on the ground, how it would fold its wings, and how it would fly whereas with water based creatures it would only have to make a swimming movement and maybe walking. (not counting various gestures and attacks of course)

Ok, but which go you think is more effective? Ice comet or "beam"?

Pixxel · « **Reply #20 on:** May 20, 2006, 03:42:09 am »

hmmm.. do you think you will be able to go into first person mode with the UFO?
that would be awsome to be able to do

Axelgear · « **Reply #21 on:** May 20, 2006, 03:58:55 am »

I thought this had been answered already. YES, you can go underwater with the UFO. They said that you use some sort of air-bubble motion system thingy that I have forgotten the details to, but Will has said that yes you can go under the sea. Under the seeeeaaaa... Under the seeeeaaaa....

mrodgers · « **Reply #22 on:** May 20, 2006, 08:41:14 pm »

Quote from: Axelgear on May 20, 2006, 03:58:55 am

I thought this had been answered already. YES, you can go underwater with the UFO. They said that you use some sort of air-bubble motion system thingy that I have forgotten the details to, but Will has said that yes you can go under the sea. Under the seeeeaaaa... Under the seeeeaaaa....

That whole air bubble thing is new to me. When did he say that?

762 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 20, 2006, 08:43:21 pm »

Do you mean when you build your colony underwater, and there's an air buble around the colony? I don't remember anything about the UFO bubble.

But yeah. If there's underwater intelligence, the UFO can definitely go underwater. If there's not underwater intelligence, the UFO can probably go underwater.

Yossitaru · « **Reply #24 on:** May 20, 2006, 09:23:26 pm »

A lack of underwater intelligence shouldn't exempt the UFO from going underwater, it should be a lack of underwater lifeforms that do that. If there are creatures anywhere, I want a chance to pluck them from their normal habitat, even if it is the bottom of an ocean.

Brutus · « **Reply #25 on:** May 21, 2006, 03:10:31 am »

i would really like to take a sea creature out of the ocean and put it on land

mrodgers · « **Reply #26 on:** May 21, 2006, 07:15:21 pm »

Quote from: Brutus_ on May 21, 2006, 03:10:31 am

i would really like to take a sea creature out of the ocean and put it on land

Who bets it flops around and turns into a raisin?

Brutus · « **Reply #27 on:** May 22, 2006, 11:44:43 am »

i think it will just get eaten by somthing

Jameso · « **Reply #28 on:** May 23, 2006, 11:58:52 pm »

Or maybe you would have to get an upgrade to go underwater?

What do you think?

Tonjevic · « **Reply #29 on:** May 24, 2006, 12:09:11 am »

Unless of course you have built the UFO FROM underwater.
...
But then, one would assume that if your UFO can go into outer space, survive being pounded by alien ordinance, and travel through planetary atmosphere at close to the speed of light without having any signs of anything burning, it can also go underwater.