BCMM December 2025 Progress Report
BCMM – December Progress Report
We're back with our final progress report of the year. We're pleased to announce that we'll soon begin work on the final campaign for the BCMM SFC3 port, which should enter development shortly.
Now onto our report.
Talking to ChatGPT\Ollama
We've showcased something rare in games, and please note that this is purely a technical demo. It demonstrates live integration of ChatGPT\Ollama inside the game.
A LCARS-style communication window (native look and feel) sends player input through BCMM's IPC layer to an external process that communicates with OpenAI\Ollama. The generated response is then returned to the game through the same pipeline.
The demo showcases fully asynchronous IPC, ensuring the game never freezes.
Demo video:
Voice Commands
This was showcased before, but due to popular demand we demonstrated a more advanced scenario.
In this example, a voice command played via VLC says "Hello, computer", and BC replies with "Morning, Captain", accompanied by an in-game text confirmation. This results in full voice-to-voice interaction, showcasing the possibilities of this system.
Thanks to MSR1701 for donating his voice for this demo (the "Morning, Captain" line).
Performance Update
To end the year, we've showcased a 10-ship battle running at approximately 140 FPS during combat (driver software reports an average of ~153 FPS). This represents a typical large-scale battle scenario commonly showcased in gameplay demos, where engagements usually involve up to around ten ships.
This demo also features the widescreen patch integrated natively into BCMM, based on AlphaYellow's widescreen fixes: https://github.com/alphayellow1/AlphaYellowWidescreenFixes
BCMM applies the core set of these fixes and extends them further to properly support exterior ship views and resolve reticle drift. While the original patch targets 16 memory addresses, BCMM integrates the essential set and builds upon it where needed.
The result is correct 16:9 projection both on the bridge and in external ship views.
Nif Progress
Revisiting some of the previous models, it was time to upgrade them with the new nif techniques that have been discovered recently.
The Badlands map nif was edited, and the moving darker clouds are now more subtle in appearance, giving a more accurate feel to the DS9 episodes.
Another map showcases a planet that is breaking apart. A few nif layers was added to give it a more dynamic look.
A new model was created for a Pseudo Particle effect. All the movements and the blurry appearance are all done within the nif hierarchy alone. With this technique, new types of background models can be made that will dramatically enhance the appearance of travel.
Imagine a new Slipstream set where the textures are fully customizable by the bc modder by creating new textures only. Once you understand how to edit the NetImmerse Format, you can adjust the speeds in which these parts move.
What you see in the image are 3 models. It must be done this way because the blending does not work well under the same nif file. Certain portions of the nif hierarchy have been stacked. Knowing this, opens new doors.
Conclusion
This year has been highly productive, and we look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of this 24-year-old game. Until next year,
– The BCMM Team