Griff's version of the Thargoid warship. Before anything else, I have to say that Griff surpassed himself this time. This ship is just too good for screenshots. You need to see this in motion to appreciate the effects that this thing posesses. Truly alien.
I disagree, L. I think that the basic textures should be the standard Oolite package, but have an optional 'Hi-Res' Oolite package with shaderified ships, etc.
It's the entry level option that tends to draw people in, vanilla Oolite, with it's simple polygonal ships and simple scripting, which hooks them and drags them into the deeper levels. If you present all the bells and whistles as the basic package, then some poor folks' computers will give up the ghost and be running at an FPS of 8 or so (if they even manage that), which might result in them thinking "oh, it's buggered up", delete it and never look back. You might consider a revision in the basic Oolite ReadMe file mentioning the shaderified spangly new Oolite, but I think until you can say that every potential new player will be able to run the new updates satisfactorily, the basic Oolite should remain as is.
The specs problem is a relevant point, Captain Hesperus, but I can also imagine people new to Oolite having a look at untextured planets and polygonal non-mapped ships only and as a consequence delete it and never look back - without ever finding out how it could have looked like.
Perhaps different packs of standard graphics could be put into the core download? Similar to how there already is a strict mode, and a no shaders, partial shaders and full shaders mode?
While I completely agree that one of the biggest strengths of Oolite is its being rather plain at its strict core and then customisable by any player to their own taste via oxps, I wouldn't underestimate the awesome graphics factor either, which has become more and more important to players with the advent of computers who can run them.
Perhaps, if Griff does the whole basic set (as Simon has), then there could be a check box in the options list (standard (basic), neolite, Griff (full shaders)) in the same way people currently pick none, simple or full for shaders.
I suggest this because, if both Simon_B's and Griff's ships are included in the main install then it gives them credibility and says to those basic PC users - "yes you can play the game much like the original game looked, but look what else is available if you really want it"
Perhaps, if Griff does the whole basic set (as Simon has), then there could be a check box in the options list (standard (basic), neolite, Griff (full shaders)) in the same way people currently pick none, simple or full for shaders.
Now that sounds (to me) the best idea anyways. I would then even add-in the option to mix all three ship sets - the original, neolite & Griff. Best of all worlds.
Perhaps, if Griff does the whole basic set (as Simon has), then there could be a check box in the options list (standard (basic), neolite, Griff (full shaders)) in the same way people currently pick none, simple or full for shaders.
Now that sounds (to me) the best idea anyways. I would then even add-in the option to mix all three ship sets - the original, neolite & Griff. Best of all worlds.
They weren't meant to be exclusive - i.e. if you ticked neolite, you got standard ships plus neolite ships, if you ticked Griff's ships as well then you got all three - full mix and match option - although I suspect that will require some work for the system populator to check what checks have been checked ( ) before it makes its selections for the level of eye candy available.