BSG Half Race Mod Error Reporting and Help

[kjc733]

Hi all,
time to bring this thread back from the dead. It's been a while, but I still have every intention of releasing v2.0 of the BSG HRM. So with that said, I want to take this thread back to its roots...

Version 1 has now been out for a bit, and has had a number of downloads. I want to know what needs fixing. The biomatter resource bug is an easy fix and already edited out, but what else would people like to see changed?

Also, what would people like to see in v2? I'm not talking new ships, because I don't have the ability and quite frankly, the colonials have ships coming out of their ears. I'm talking balancing, specials, the small things that makes a mod play well and not just play.

Here are the ideas so far for v2:

• I hope to include the changes to the colonial fleet that have been metioned before. Namely variants of the Valkyrie/Valhalla class.
  
• AIPs, to allow for colonial civil wars.
  
• Cylons, not as a full race, but as a limited playable race (and with its own AI). Thus making v2 more of a three quarters race mod...
  
• Flak weapons will be included. In the unlikely event that I do not finish this mod, I will release the flak weapons and revised ship odfs seperately. So rest assured, flak weapons will make their way to you guys in one form or another.
  
• Specials weapons - I'm not one for specials, I prefer to just have ships with different weapons capabilities, ranges etc. But more subtle and realistic specials I am willing to include, and if people have ideas then please speak up.
  
  • The Marines will stay, although I am considering a variation for the civi fleet that will allow redistribution of crew to damaged battleships. It makes crews a valuable resource and makes the civis something other than target practice.
  • I am considering the introduction of point defence weapons. Not for all ships, and workarounds will need to be devised to make them less than 100%.
  • Nukes, thought long and hard about this one but nukes are a big part of BSG. They'll be tactical in nature (so ship killers not fleet killers) and carefully managed. I'm trying to do something a little different with the Nukes to give them secondary benefits/drawbacks, hence my question on another thread about shockwave weapons... If it doesn't work out they may just end up being arty torpedoes, but there will be nukes.
• And there are a few other odds and ends that TF sent me and I need to jig into a workable mod. I won't list them all because if I'm writing I'm not modding

Also I will probably ask for a few play testers at some point in the future. I'm not asking for volunteers now, just testing the waters, as when I say testing I mean proper structured testing. It's how we ensured V1 was playable, it's how I know V2 will be playable.

None of this in insurmountable, many of these bits have worked in one form or another in various test beds TF and I have built over the months, the problem is (as ever) time. So I ask for your continued patience.

 

[Adm_Z]

This is indeed good news. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[Chiletrek]

Hello:
I just wanted to ask you if you would be interested in my Valkyrie class battlestar (rollbar included) as I will release them later this week.

This offer is for this project and for Adm_Z's project too.

As for balancing, that is an issue for all mods I think. For Colonials, Battlestars like Galactica were sure made to withstand any attack while not having the firepower of the Mercury class. So my opinion is: Valkyrie class with good PDPs, Columbia class with some PDPs and some nukes (low recharge or any other idea), and Mercury class with nukes.

I don't have more ideas for now, maybe Cylons could have special missiles that can have different effects?.

 

[Adm_Z]

I would be interested in all your works man. I would probably release a version of the mod with Maj's stuff, and then another with Yours(that might get release elsewhere?) The msfc release would obviously have the most material, using all of Maj's ships and Civies and stuff, but I would love to do a smaller release, as maybe an expansion here, and a smaller full release at ff or something with your ships. It would be up to you, but either way, I would be interested.

Sereously, release as soon as you can man.

 

[Chiletrek]

Hello:
Well, I can release my ships, but then the big mod modders could decide what is best for my models if they fit. So do what you think is best ,

 

[kjc733]

Hello:
Well, I can release my ships, but then the big mod modders could decide what is best for my models if they fit. So do what you think is best ,

This seems like a good approach. I've been watching your work for a while and it is astounding, and I'm interested. That said, the HRM at present is made up of Majestics work (which is also good work). So what I'll do is take a look at them both, and see which ships fit the best, because even if it is the best ship ever built, if it glaringly stands out from the pack I'll be inclined not to include it.

Apologies if anyone takes insult at this, first day back at work after 11 days off and my skills at diplomacy have been exhausted.

As for nukes, my intention is that nukes will be limited to only a few ships, possibly hero ships (thereby encouraging people not to throw them away). But I agree with the thoughts on Gal vs Pagasus in turms of the offensive/defensive mix.

Missiles are one of those things that keep coming around. In v1 of the HRM missiles were torpedoes. Now I know that TF spent some time looking at pulsar code in an attempt to make a trail, but he was never happy with the results. Adm_Z has also sent me odfs for his missiles and I'll need to take a look them, but both TF and I have had concerns with the amount of sod weapons flying about that this could mean. So for the time being I will be continuing with the torpedo-based missiles. However, once v2 is in a near ready state of completion I'll probably come back to it and take another look (unless someone else is interested in playing with torpedo trails?). The alternative is to release an optional patch that replaces the torpedoes with missiles, but that would certainly be after the rest of the mod is complete.

 

[Starfox1701]

I will look into the missle trail thing as I have 8 or so that SODs so far for the SW stuff I am doing. I had a flak idea. in the show the blanket an area instead of attacking discreat targets so I was thinking do a moded artillery torp. set the blast real small and make the projectiles fast with a good rof and you have real flak ingame

 

[Adm_Z]

Yeah, I would actually really be interested in making a flak field where you could use a special weapon to select an area and the ship would fire weapons to create a field of the blackish explosions you see in the show that would stay there for a while and do damage to fighters and destroy missiles that go through it. Infact, I might be able to do that in FO, but i would be interested to see it happen in stock.

 

[Dominus_Noctis]

Probably could just use area damage weapons that only deal damage to fighters and an invisible one that shoots down torpedoes

 

[Chiletrek]

Hello:
That reminded me of the colition attack Farscape's Leviathans can do (the rogue Leviathan did when Moya wanted to bury Talyn in the Sacred Space), because an area weapon could damage the attacked and the attacking ship at melee range. But I found no way to alter the shockwave so it wss invisible... so I am very looking forward to any progress about this flak field, maybe that give me the inspiration for my own mod .

 

[Adm_Z]

Probably could just use area damage weapons that only deal damage to fighters and an invisible one that shoots down torpedoes

Exactly my thoughts. A replaceweapon with a trigger that caused AoE damage and has an auto defense weapon that would kill torpedos. The only hard part would be to program the explosions effects. I don't suppose anyone around here, especially you kjc, knows how to do sod based explosion effects?

I can probably figure it out, but if anyone knows how to do it already, it would really help to get something like that out in the public fast.

 

[Dominus_Noctis]

Could check out the Serkas

 

[Adm_Z]

Yeah, thats how I did my nukes, but I need to figure out to do effects like the nanites or other things more complicated like that...

 

[Dominus_Noctis]

Smells like a new section for the guide, presuming people are willing to pool their knowledge

 

[Starfox1701]

Why not just use a stock explosion from the game? or set up an animated wave sprite that gos from fire to smoke?

 

[Atlantis]

Could also use the Ion Storm special, that way you could make a pretty cool 3d effect for it too...

 

[kjc733]

I had a flak idea. in the show the blanket an area instead of attacking discreat targets so I was thinking do a moded artillery torp. set the blast real small and make the projectiles fast with a good rof and you have real flak ingame

Arty was my first stop, and that approach can work reasonably well, but it is rather 2D. The first iteration of the current flak was area targeted, but we found that it worked better targeting ships. The faster the target moves, the less concentrated the cloud. Also it's multi-targeted, so explosions everywhere if theres lots of fast moving targets (like Vipers).

Probably could just use area damage weapons that only deal damage to fighters and an invisible one that shoots down torpedoes

My current flak is is area damage (just small area). I did try to do the built in pdl in stock... no success yet. However just the standard pdl using a pulse texture (with explosion at the end) works reasonably well if there's other explosions going on.

I don't suppose anyone around here, especially you kjc, knows how to do sod based explosion effects?

Why not just use a stock explosion from the game?

Exactly what I did - sorry Adm_Z, it's just stock explosions (but lots of them). I thought I'd sent you my flak weapons before? I did agree that you could use them (as long as credit is given).

EDIT - darn, someone's on to my secret

 

[Adm_Z]

Nah, you sent me the nuke. which was kinda epic but I didn't see alot of it because it killed my ships.

I would love to look at your flak. I can change the 'splosions to FO ones or something different if I can just see how you did it first.

And of course man, you get the credit.

btw, how did you get an explosion at the end of a pdl shot?

 

[kjc733]

Nah, you sent me the nuke. which was kinda epic but I didn't see alot of it because it killed my ships.

I would love to look at your flak. I can change the 'splosions to FO ones or something different if I can just see how you did it first.

And of course man, you get the credit.

btw, how did you get an explosion at the end of a pdl shot?

yeah, if only I can get the shockwave to work 360 degree.

I'll find out the flak files and email them across.

I cheated with the pdl. I simply opened the linear texture file, broke it up, and put an image of an explosion on the end. So when the pdl appears for the brief time its there, all you see is an instantanious stream of pulses terminating with an explosion. Has to be confined to short range though otherwise the texture (and the explosion) stretches.

EDIT - sent

 

[Adm_Z]

yeah, if only I can get the shockwave to work 360 degree.

I'll find out the flak files and email them across.

I cheated with the pdl. I simply opened the linear texture file, broke it up, and put an image of an explosion on the end. So when the pdl appears for the brief time its there, all you see is an instantanious stream of pulses terminating with an explosion. Has to be confined to short range though otherwise the texture (and the explosion) stretches.

EDIT - sent

nice. Would make good galactica style defenses(I actually thought of doing the same thing, minus the explosion) but probably wouldn't work for the pegasus because I don't think it had the same type of defense turrets.

 

[kjc733]

Right then, there has been progress so I thought I'd report it!
Yesterday and today I have spent some solid time on integrating all the bits and pieces:

• New Colonial units are in game (Valkyrie varients)
• New tech tree
• New build buttons and wireframes
• New textures
• New weapons fits
• Some Cylon units in game
• Debugging to allow the Colonials to operate as a non-player race

Work still to be completed:

• The Colonial AIP files
• Creation of a (simple) Cylon build list and AIP
• Tweaking of the weapons fits
• Balancing
• Finalising the Special Weapons

So hopefully not too much longer before the Colonials are ready to go, and then I can focus on making the Cylons a standalone race. First up is fixing the AIPs, as my final change broke them (doh!)

 

[kjc733]

Ha! Fixed it!
A pic of the enemy fleet!!!

 

[Chiletrek]

Hello:
That is very nice, I'm glad you have Colonials ingame with a proper GUI and even AI files .

Keep it up!

 

[Majestic]

I see you're still using that horrid GUI I did a while back.

I did an updated one a while back using Achilles Metharan GUI as a base and you're welcome to use it in your mod if you wish as I have no further use for it. I have added it to the attachment, just credit me and Achilles for it and it's all good.

 

[Chiletrek]

*grabs attached file*
Hello:
I hope you won't mind if I take a look at your GUI Majestic . Now all we need is a cool Cylon GUI .

 

[thunderfoot]

Teh Gnu C'lonialGooey is teh Awsum!

 

[Majestic]

*grabs attached file*
Hello:
I hope you won't mind if I take a look at your GUI Majestic . Now all we need is a cool Cylon GUI .

Not at all, I uploaded it for anyone who wants it, if I get get some of you here to take screenshots with it, I'll upload it to the downloads section. I just don't have A2 installed on my system, only Fleet Ops.

 

[kjc733]

Thanks for that, I'll put it in ASAP

EDIT - Just dropped it in, certainly looks nicer than the last one. I do seem to have lost the resource counts though. I've never touched GUIs before now, so can anyone suggest how to fix this?

 

[Majestic]

You're welcome, the issue is the coordinates of the resources, in the cfg file. The GUI is designed to use only two resources, but one who knows how to could move the menu buttons back up top and have two more resources above the cin window as well.

Unfortunately I don't know much about that sort of thing. You could look at Achilles Metathran GUI from Art of War to get the coordinates for two of the resources, however for the other two you'll need someone who is more knowledgeable in GUIs than I.

 

[kjc733]

So as not to drag Uncle Thunders pic thread far off topic, I thought I'd confirm things here. Yes, I requested a modified Basestar which is now in game. This brings the Cylon fleet up to 5 combat units. The Cylons are a seperate side, and they will have a rudimentry tech tree and AIP so that players can play as or against them (so if you fancy wiping out the survivors of the colonies you can - or at least you can try ). The Cylons will share the Colonial GUI (whatever that ends up being).

All in all, it's getting there. Once the Cylons are up and running and balanced then it'll be down to special weapons and bug hunting.