Roadmap

First milestone

Basically we want external interfaces to be stable.

• New save file format
• Separate Player from Ship (breaks Lua)
• Turn Missiles into guided Projectiles
• Lua equipment
• Module manifest
• Convert to new UI (but not redesigned HUD)
• JSON data files (ship defs)
• Starsystem generation rewrite (plus custom systems)

Second milestone

Gameplay stuff, redesigned UI. Dunno yet.

Older stuff

Pioneer version 1.0 will be the first "stable" release. This will not be the final state of the game: development will continue, particularly adding a lot more content and game-play features, but features present in version 1.0 are expected to be supported for a long time.

Things that must be done before we can release version 1.0:

Warning: This list is incomplete - and under active discussion so subject to change

Technical features

• The save system will be changed to allow future versions to be made without breaking all prior saved games.
• Equipment control will be moved to Lua.
• All user-interface will be converted to use the new-ui system and be driven by Lua.
• Star system generation will be rewritten to allow partially custom systems, and to allow some types of changes to be made without having knock-on effects through the entire galaxy or system.

Gameplay features

• Military progression / treason.
• Something like the Scout missions the walterar has done, exploration jobs.
• No hypersace from in atmosphere / or too close to a planet surface.
• In-system hyperspace jumps to make assassination missions and piracy actually possible.
• Alternatively a Fast-As-Light drive, Shadmar has taken a hacked one I (fluffyfreak) wrote and updated it for Paragon.

More proposed stuff

From Luomu (talk) 17:09, 1 May 2013 (PDT)

• New, fault tolerant save system: this is the most important thing ever
• Rewrite the HUD
  • Gather a list of components before doing any visual design
• Controls
  • New input system: do we need one, or can the current one be fixed?
  • Current problems: conflicting binds, cannot bind multiple inputs per action
  • Remove rarely used buttons?
• Camera
  • Add chase camera, padlock
• Weapons
  • goals: allow more than just laser bolts (beams, missiles), auto-tracking guns and turrets
  • rewrite, basically
  • turn missiles into guided projectiles instead of ships
  • conflicts with lua trade goods/equipment?
• Star views and navigation
  • combine system (orbit) view into star map
  • maybe other streamlining as well?
  • bookmarks, travel log
• Missions and station interface
  • Redesign the bulletin board to allow filtering and searching (e.g., adverts have tags, as shown in this old mock-up: http://i.imgur.com/HJH9L.png)
  • Centralise bulletin board within the station interface (ie, everything else hangs off the bulletin board; the BB is basically the station-wide-web)
  • Replace the "standard" commodity market with multiple traders/shops advertising on the BB
  • Replace the "standard" ship equipment and servicing screens with mechanics advertising on the BB
  • Replace the "standard" ship purchase screen with specialist shops advertising on the BB, plus also individual pilots posting ship-for-sale and ship-wanted adverts
  • Allow player to buy some types of ship equipment as cargo and have it fitted elsewhere
• Separate Player from Ships
  • to enable shuttlecraft and remote drones
  • must be done during alpha, not sensible afterwards (breaks modules)
• Hitpoints: use generic HP value instead of mass
• Cargo: use kg instead of tons
• AI
  • needs more higher level stuff like basic self preservation, modules must not have to implement their own (like tradeships...)
  • formations, anyone?
• Ship visual customization
• Space stations
  • external docking
  • traffic rules (don't allow modules to let ships idle forever)
• JSON for data files (ship defs etc)