I have some important suggestions..

In addition to considering re-mapping outerspace, can you please remove the tradelanes? There is no way they could conceptually exist, as we all know how planets orbit. The tradelanes would collide.

Also, the babylon 5 style jumpgate complexes were very un-wingcommander ish. Is it possible to conceive of another idea.

Concerning the INI's.. why not take the unused ships completely out? Streamlining the INI files makes teh game run faster, especially on lower end systems like mine.

Requested ships:
All the ships from WC ARMADA
that is all

lvxoccvlta:
Several good ideas:
I'd love to get rid of the tradelanes, and replace the jump gates with jump holes.
Only problem would be that the missions require several tradelanes, and since I can't edit the *.thn files, some would have to stay in.
As to the ships...
Until I know how many Wing Commander/Privateer ships there are going to be, I'm leaving all of the ships in. It's much easier to plug a new ship into an old one's place, than it is to add a completely new ship to patrols, missions, random missions, market_ships, ship_arch's, etc.
Eventually, I will delete any unused/unwanted ships.
Also, since all of the new ships don't have parts that fall off, the ini's are already getting smaller.
Once I've got all of the bugs out of the current mod, I'll start deleting unused weapons, and eventually unused ships.

Sir Spectre:
Right now, I'm focusing on debugging the mod, and will try it again once I've trimmed it down to size.
Hunting down where the various bits and pieces of old ships are is causing problems.
To many pieces of the old ships are blown up and scattered about, and each piece causes a crash.

Watch your 6!

Thank you for the information about posting a link. I will use it with any futur links. Thank you.
Finalday

Update:
Looks like I've gotten the last of the non-mission bugs fixed.
I'm gonna run through the missions to see if there are any in there.


Watch your 6!

@Warzog, I'm curious ... how are you keeping intact the specs of the WC/Priv ships? I mean, FL is set up a bit differently for hull strengths for example. Are you looking to original stats of the WC games for the ratios between ships or are you just creating specs off the top of your head? The reason I mention this is because the WC News Ships Database has all the specs for all the ships in all the games. You should be able to make easy ratio comparisons.

Also, I think I remember seeing a mod a while back that actually created a new type of shield that recharges without any batteries. If you can find that, that would make all the difference in the world for getting back the WC/Priv feel.

Search "recharge," just don't get confused with posts that mention they get NPCs to recharge (use their batteries).

Sir S

Edited by - Sir Spectre on 1/10/2004 10:03:04 PM

I got Ship and Weapon's stats from here:
Joan's Fighting Spacecraft

I HAVE had to modify them a bit, as 1244-1400kps would be a bit much for Freelancer.
As to maintaining the FL ship's stats...
Most of THAT data is in the ShipArch.ini file.
A few were tweaked a bit, and weapons levels raised to level 10 in my Equalizer Mk II mod.
All I needed to do was swap out which model is using those stats.
And as to weapons, I chose one of each of the seven types in FL, got the one that best matched the WC/P type, tweaked them a bit, and redid all of the Loadouts using the 7 guns, 7 turrets, 1 Mine, 1 Disruptor, 4 Missles, and 1 Decoy.
I, or you, or anyone, can swap them by simply changing 2 lines, and the LOD line.
(Normal LOD numbers make these ships unviewable.)
(And no-that wasn't the problem with the Vesuvius.)

The primary goal of the mod,
as stated by Acid, "The main focus so far has been on integrating the ships into the game in such a way that they appear to be part of the original game, not just a 'bolt-on'. That means NPCs using the ships as well as the player, and where possible integration into the cinematics. I hope we are starting to get it right."

Well, they're in the cinematics, and I've got the NPC's using them, too!
Only question is...
Are the right NPC's using the right ships?
We'll see.

Watch your 6!

Edited by - warzog on 1/10/2004 10:26:36 PM

Sir Spectre:
I did that search, and while I didn't find a mod, I now know which stats TO mod.

Just take out the entire 1st person story mode entirely! I prefer open sandbox play. If there could be really cool, scripted missions involving battleship fleets and such, that would be klutch

Why not bring back the kilrathi as well. I would love to fly even a dralthi for kicks and giggles.

Well, two answers for two questions:
1) The individuals who started this mod want the missions in the mod, so until that changes, they stay in.
2) I've already ask Tolwyn about the Kilrathi, and it sounds like they're gonna be in the final version.
(The biggest problem is that he's the only one doing the models, and it DOES take time!)

Also...
The Victory is being reworked to be included in the mod.
(It currently uses to many .mat files.)

Update:
Just ran into a nasty bug in mission 6.
(I can't get into the Dublin system without crashing!)

@Warzog, I agree with the creators of the mod. Keep the missions. I never play games without the story. I just don't like "bumming around" in an open sandbox.

Another question, I've never modeled a ship, but I keep seeing a bunch of great looking models of WC/Priv ships being made for other games like Freespace or to be added into Secret Ops on WC News. Is it possible to get the creators' original files and import them into your modelling programs? Maybe it won't work for all, but it might work for some and if you can get permission to use them, you could save a lot of time. Just look to the downloads page on WC News and download the mods and see who their creators are ... Tolwyn probably knows most of them.

Oh, as for that "recharging shield" thing I was talking about, if it didn't come up in search, don't be afraid to post a new topic asking people if they know how to do it. That's if you can't figure it out yourself. If you do post asking for aide, link this thread, so people can see what you are trying to do with it.


Sir S

Edited by - Sir Spectre on 1/12/2004 11:31:58 PM

Sir Spectre:
Most of those models you mentioned are Tolwyn's!
(Or he has his own version of them.)
He's told me it takes about 2 hours to convert them to FL...
BUT...
He's got exams going on, so he's a bit preoccupied right now.

As for the regenerating shields...
I created my own set...
And they work almost to good.
I've cut them back a couple of times...
They were almost invulnerable.
(Except from the Leech Missile.)
May cut them back again, later.
Still need the shield batts, though...
'Cause when they hit you with a Leech Missile you're a sitting duck 'til the shields come back up!
(Even though I've got the shields regenerating as fast as they can.)
I really like the way the Leech came out...
It's one powerful little power-sucker!

@Warzog, so what ships has Tolwyn already completed for other games? And which games? Does Tolwyn have his own website?

Also, I think the leech missile needs to be a tad less powerful.

Sir S

Edited by - Sir Spectre on 1/15/2004 10:42:43 PM

I think, he won't tell me for sure, that he's a graphics art student.
There's a site in one of the links at WC News called Wing Commander 3D, or something like that, that's Tolwyn's site.

BTW-as far as the Leech goes, if I could figure out how to cut your engines and power to your weapons, I'd add that too!
(But then I'd have to make it Super-Expensive, and very rare.)
The Leech was designed to capture Kilrathi ships intact, by completely draining EVERY source of power.



Watch your 6!

I can't find a link to WC 3D, but I know I've seen info on it in the past. I went to the Fan Projects area and there were all the others, but no WC 3D.

Sir S