The Original Architects?

Post by **JeanNYGUARD** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:09 pm

okay I realize this is my third question... my bad on that.

Does anyone know of the original design team behind Birth of The Federation?

Where did they go... Where do they work now?

Did anyone know or have contact with any of them?

Post by **thunderchero** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:22 pm

I am sure they had to sign nondisclosure agreements in there contracts. So they could not help.

thunderchero

Post by **JeanNYGUARD** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:48 pm

thunderchero wrote:I am sure they had to sign nondisclosure agreements in there contracts. So they could not help.

thunderchero

Hey you never know. It cant hurt to try.

If the source code was released and posted on Armada Fleet Command...

What can be gained from it? What parts of the title would we be able to mod?

Post by **Dr_Breen** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 8:14 pm

any parts, nearly anything was possible then...even though it would be a lot of work, and it might be a better way to build up a new game from zero...however i'd love to see that code. but that will never happen

Post by **Malvoisin** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 1:18 am

sure anything would be possible, but be frank, how many of you do really understand and are able to read and "write" c or c++?

Post by **Flocke** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:01 am

C++ is not that hard!
People that are spending months to mod botf won't get scared by this.

But I don't expect to get the source and some time back there have already been attempts by asking atari as well as some of the original botf artists as far I remember.
I'm sure one of them even responded to have the source but didn't want to hand it out cause of their nondisclosure agreement.

Anyway, if you get contact, send them some greets from the botf modding community!

We're still alive, yeah!

Post by **Malvoisin** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:39 am

most non-disclosure agreements have a time expiration factor (10 years commonly) so it may be possible to obtain the source in about one or two years from those who have it but can't give it out due to the non-disclosure agreement. But this is a far shot since code should usually be closed permanently due to its reusability value.

sure long-term modders here won't get scared by learning c++ but it's not just done with that. You need to actually write a lot of code lines, thousands or even tens of thousands of lines to write enough code to actually change major things in a given source code which takes an immense amount of time, more than a few months I guess since you need to read all previous botf source code to get to understand what the programmers back then did at all which again takes up large amounts of time.
Just see BotE for example. I mean it's not as if we didn't have a fully-working moddable code that can be qualified as a fully working botf2 (with the 3D engine from cdrwolfe, it's really not that far away) but how many are actually trying to help coding it further from the people here? I believe none

. Okay, there's a difference to the real botf source but I wouldn't expect a well-designed and -documented code from the Microprose programmers. It's surely time-wise equally demanding to further program and code botf than bote. Naturally there would be much more glamour in having a botf2 that really builds up from the botf source.

Post by **Dr_Breen** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:14 am

i agree with malvoisin...and for some reason i doubt that this code even does still exist. i allready tried to understand and modify the code of another game (ef2) and it took me months even to make minor changes.
and last but not least...that code is more than out of date. making a new one would be much more efficient, and i think as long as it is used non commercial you won't have trouble with paramount or one of the gamepublishers

Post by **Flocke** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:21 am

Yes, of course it's totally outdated and you may better kick it to the waste.
But please not again the BotF-BotE-Discussion...
It's simply that way that they are completely different games and I don't seem to be the only one still addicted to good old BotF!
And yes, you're right, the changements would be limited with the source, too.
But much more could be done than without the source and modders could concentrate on partial improvements instead of redesigning the whole at once!