Now that we are close to some of the majors outerra updates, and being clear that NOTHING can be compared with how great is outerra as a global engine. and i tested for example the famous "A Boy and His Kite", and for me outerra is still much better.. (while this unreal engine thing is still even not global, just bigger).
I wanted to open this topic where i will be listing some little suggestions tools, that after years of user experience i think would make the gameplay much more perfect.
(note: Not for be implemented now, i know how stressful get the big udate days for all the outerra team).
1 - Terrain quality switch fast keys.
A fast keys where we can move terrain quality up or down (Ideally while outerra show a line with the current value when we touch those keys up or down).
I love to play at 1080 terrain. And i can do in most of the places. But we know other like mountains are imposible. But the necesity of go into menus for change it, make you just play always at 720 or 600. And its a pity. The solution could be "easy" ( sorry Pasto
).
2 - Outerra Speed bar.
Lets suppouse we are walking, or flying, and we like the experience but we need to boost the speed for connect with another scenary. So we must go out from plane and move faster in ufo. Or we want just fly faster for improve the feellings with the engine.
Why not a speed bar where we can boost the general game speed? x1,25, x1,5 , x1,75,x2.. Etc, until x32 or x64, or more. Ideally a long bar that appear with some key with VERY detailed steps of speed up or down.
Because maybe for some person, the Mig 29 experience can be more funny at x1,8 speed, or x1,9. Or x2.1.
Thats why i see better little steps than x2 , x4 , x8 (as i saw in others famous simulators).
Besides that Bar appearing, would be a great adition having keys programmed for speed up and down where you also can program the quanty of steps (every 0,1, or every 0,2, or 0,5, etc). While outerra also show the current value when you touch.
3 - THOSE NEXT ARE RELATED WITH VISUAL CONFIG IN ATHMOSPHERE.
3 - A - This first is very simple. Just Save button for athmosheric settings.
Sometimes you want to test the overal experience changing some settings. You can go back to reset changes, but the idea is test the settings outside first without needing write your current settings for not loose.
*More complex, with the posibility of fast keys with my config 1,2,3, and change on game fast. This would be great.
3 - B Something very silly but very useful. (dont know if technically posible) Diference snow from terrain in ground reflectance value. I personally love to play with very high value here. But the problem sometimes is snow places get so burn.
-The simple way, a simple diferent bar where you can put 18 value for example in ground reflectance, but only 12 for snow, for example.
note: I would do same with roads, which are also overexposed looking a bit fake sometimes and would look greater darker, as long as affected with this value. Coveral in shadows areas with high reflectance values.
-The complex way. Suppouse you love how snow look also in 18 value in general (also totally my case), but in some areas with a lot of snow, or in some hours, get also over-expossed. So a value with some resistance to overburn snow not when is still good, but when begining to burn (i dont know how to do technically, its like a brake point so snow cant go more burn from determinated point).
Lets call that a fixed value acting like that brake. Which can be both in terrain and snow. So if you move bar up, those are more dificult overburn while circunstancies are making them overburn (the more hard light hours, places with a lot of snow, etc). Its like a fixed value that corrects overexposition of whites.
(Dificult to explain, i dont know if i am explaining good so people can und, i hope yes).
I suppouse fixed bars and values that prevent that kind of visual things, can go as comlex as programmers want. But basically avoid overexposed situations. In snow and also terrain. Coz sometimes terrains are abnormally white in some mountains, and also get burn.
3 - C - Alive Atmosphere configuration.
Where you can move values depending on the hour of the day, and record your config.
This would be also useful for prevent overburn, or overdarkness, etc. So you have a timeline bar over the settings, and if you activate option, you can record the secuence when you change settings in diferent hours. For example. I move expossure down while those hours in the day the sun is in the top and burn terrain more. Or i move ground reflection, or whatever.
Ideally, The value from one hour to another make a smooth transition, here again this would be more complex technically, than make a manual transition, which is another option, adding more detailed values manually for make changes smooth.
All those options can make the gameplay experience more detailed. Some of them can be complementary.
For example if cant fix overexposure as i explained in 3-B, the 3-C posibility can do the trick. But personally i like two points both together.
The more options, the greater engine.
I will be puting some more when have some time free.
