MOD: Privateer 1.2 Parallel Universe 1.0

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:19 pm

I would greatly appreciate being able to put any balance changes back into WCU.

Solon Halwinder · Post by **Solon Halwinder** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:21 pm

Neutron Guns are pretty bad IMO, mostly because of their slow bolt speed and slow refire, which really outweighs the damage they do. I'd take Particle Cannons any day of the week for Medium guns. Maybe make Neutrons do a lot of phase damage?

z30 · Post by **z30** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:14 am

spiritplumber wrote:I would greatly appreciate being able to put any balance changes back into WCU.

We'd be happy if any of the stuff we're doing helps the WCU project. I've seen the Python code and the scope of the changes & improvement over PR is really something.

z30 · Post by **z30** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:25 am

Solon Halwinder wrote:Neutron Guns are pretty bad IMO, mostly because of their slow bolt speed and slow refire, which really outweighs the damage they do. I'd take Particle Cannons any day of the week for Medium guns. Maybe make Neutrons do a lot of phase damage?

PR Neutrons :

Damage rate - 6.2
Speed - 960 kps
Range 3263 meters

WCU Neutrons :

Damage rate - 7.5
Speed - 1300 kps
Range 3263 meters

I've already incorporated the WCU gun values into the mod, the values are better than simply doubling the stock PR numbers.

My original revised values were too fast for some guns, enemy fire was too fast & accurate to dodge or run away from (even at a distance).

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:55 am

I decided to go for playability rather than accuracy to the manual ^_^; hope I did a good job, if not, please tell me!

z30 · Post by **z30** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:08 am

spiritplumber wrote:I decided to go for playability rather than accuracy to the manual ^_^; hope I did a good job, if not, please tell me!

I think this was the right approach to take.

For example, the current gun values are not canon but the canon values just don't work well ingame! What's important is the relationships between the guns is preserved and their primary function in lore be there in some form players would appreciate.

I like the ships, the fact that some don't manuever or perform like in the original is because this game is using a very different 3D game engine and reverse engineering is a difficult black art at the best of times.

Just to give everyone an idea, it can take me several hours to get a ship manueverability right. The Galaxy & Centurion were the easy cases, in the case of the Gal it was just a matter of dropping the weight. The Centurion thrust values just popped into my head and it worked the first time, very ironic because this is one of my least favorite ships

For the others, it's part guesswork, part memory (of the original game), part JFS and a lot of testing with bounty missions, escort missions, cargo missions and lots of patience and niggling with the numbers.

The shields & armor system need tweaking, this one of the main reasons why the Orion is so fragile and so lacking a defined function in stock PR- it's nowhere as tough as the original.

This is not something particular to PR btw, I've seen the Gemini Gold forums and the complaint is the same.

I'm really determined not to let such a fine model go to waste after all that effort on the part of the modellers & developers.

I like missiles and the system in the upcoming patch reflects my (strong) opinions of what they should be. Short range, fast locking, hard hitting and speedy HS and Dumbfires. Long range, and not-as-deadly IFF's.

I changed my mind about ImageRec projectiles being in the same class as the IFF after reading that it supposed to be a more expensive dogfighting version. So I turned it into a medium range killer.

I think it really says something that this is the only WC project of this scope that has reached version 1.0 & public release. Only something of quality could keep attracting people to play it, discuss it, debate it.

My friend, who's a game afficionado just started PR - he finished his first game session at 3am in the morning and is now an addict

Yes, it has warts but what game doesn't ?

z30 · Post by **z30** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:57 am

Hello all, I'm looking for a good model for a merchant ship - the planned ship would have the following characteristics.

- It would be fill the gap between the medium class 310 ton Galaxy ship and the light capship 5000 ton Drayman II. Weight will be somewhere between 750-1000 tons

- It would have 4 turrets for protection, twice what the Galaxy has and have a top speed of 300-350 kps (Galaxy reaches 750kps, Drayman tops out at 150kps)

- It should *not* be threatening in appearance , just like the Galaxy the impression should be a "peaceful trade ship with teeth" Smile

I've been looking for an available model all over the net, there are thousands of fighter/destroyer/cruiser models but very few merchanters.

If there is one in Vegastrike or any other mod, I'd be very interested in looking it over and if possible borrow it. We'll take care of adding the turrets and making the necessary units.csv entries

If it's in a model format that has to be converted to BXFM or xmesh, we'll tap people to do the conversion.

We'll make sure that the people involved in making the model and the mod from where it came from will be properly credited. Any improvements or modifications done to the model will be available for the rest of the mod teams in Vegastrike.

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:37 am

The WC2 Free Trader sounds like it would fit the bill -- and needs to get modeled anyway for WCU.

Wanna help? I have a good mesh for it with decent textures, but it needs units.csv data.

http://www.wcnews.com/ships2/wc2freetrader.shtml

z30 · Post by **z30** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:48 am

spiritplumber wrote:The WC2 Free Trader sounds like it would fit the bill -- and needs to get modeled anyway for WCU. Wanna help? I have a good mesh for it with decent textures, but it needs units.csv data.

http://www.wcnews.com/ships2/wc2freetrader.shtml

Would be glad to:)

Will take a look at it and fill out the csv - thanks Spirit!

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:33 am

It should be in the shippack, if not, email me.

z30 · Post by **z30** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:23 pm

Finally got the Sabre to show up.

I'll be tweaking the maneuverability to feel like a heavy fighter - more agile than the Raptor. Fyi, I saw the fine tuned Centurion duelling with a Gothri - it was beautiful to watch.

It will take me 2-3 days to weed out the bugs that may have crept in and test the patch on a newly installed game. Very sorry about all the postponements

Spirit, I found the Free Trader ship in the WCU 5.1 ship pack - will post pics of it as soon as it shows up ingame. I'll ask Goss to help me with the turret placements but I'll need your help on the correct scaling factors, cockpit positioning, afterburner flame coordinates....still new to this modelling stuff.

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:55 pm

My suggestion is that you place a Drayman somewhere in space then scale the FT so that it's just a little shorter than it lengthwise -- the FT is more slender, so it would end up being about half as big.

We don't knwo what sort of turret goes on the FT because the only FT we ever see (Bonnie Heather, WC2) has been souped up... so use your logic, I'd think 3 turrets tops.

z30 · Post by **z30** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:08 pm

* cleaned up Sabre & Grikath units.csv entries. Both are now fully upgradable

* used Centurion cockpit for Sabre, the default cockpit was incomplete and lacked some of the usual target & radar readouts we're used to

* Scaled reactor & shield levels for Sabre

- Centurion has level 3 reac & shields
- Raptor has level 4 reac & level 3 shields
- Sabre now has level 4 reac & shields

Sabre is supposed to be the Raptor's replacement, so it should be superior on many levels

z30 · Post by **z30** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:10 pm

Ok, limit to three turrets.

I've scaled things down like armor, weight and cargo hold to half stock PR Drayman values. Shields & reactors at level 6 between the Orion / Drayman levels.

Upping cruising speed to 200-250kps since this will end up as a souped up version anyway, anything like the canon Free Trader won't survive very long in the PR environment.

Solon Halwinder · Post by **Solon Halwinder** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:03 pm

Something else you should fix, z30...Plasma Guns. They do not work at all.

micheal_andreas_stahl · Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:55 am

Not working? How?

OnyxPaladin · Post by **OnyxPaladin** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:48 am

Sabre looks good, though it's hard to see any detail because the picture is dark.

z30 · Post by **z30** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 3:56 am

Solon Halwinder wrote:Something else you should fix, z30...Plasma Guns. They do not work at all.

Hi Solon, could you give me all the details? What ship, reactor & shield level - if possible your weapon array.

I'll try to replicate your problem in the new patch.

z30 · Post by **z30** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:24 am

Lore on this Kilrathi torpedo bomber is contradictory. Some sites label it as a slow, clumsy ship deadly to capital vessels but very vulnerable to agile fighters. Others cite it's remarkable agility , it's below average shielding & armor and it's ability to come out well in dogfights.

I'll be coming out with a special blending for this patch, at 27 tons though (Raptor tops out at 20,Sabre at 22) please don't expect this Kilrathi fighter to be a combat superiority vessel like the new heavies

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:31 pm

The WCU Grikath is more or less on par with the Sabre.

z30 · Post by **z30** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 6:16 pm

spiritplumber wrote:The WCU Grikath is more or less on par with the Sabre.

I just love this ship:) I've made the patch Grikath a heavy proton torpedo bomber with space left over for FF's or HS.

It's more manueverable now , but to distinguish it from the Sabre, I've given it assymetric flight characteristics. This version climbs/dives or rolls much faster than it can turn - very much like the torpedo dive bombers of WWII.

My favorite configuration for a dogfight are two neutron guns & 2 particle cannons and a whole load of HS & FF. I've also noticed that neutron turrets are more effective now with the higher velocities of the bolts.

This ship makes me want to start out as a Kilrathi, but I guess I'll have to wait for the right verson of WCU to do that *sigh*

Solon Halwinder · Post by **Solon Halwinder** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:39 pm

OK, my problem with Plasma Guns. Right now I've only tested on my Orion MK2H, but what happens is that they drain energy, I hear them fire, but there's no projectile.

My guess would be that it has something to do with the fact that its' entry in weapon_list.xml has the bolts flying at 18,800 meters per second instead of 188.

EDIT: Confirmed. I fixed it myself and now they work.

spiritplumber · Post by **spiritplumber** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:16 pm

Thanks! Should be 1880 though?

Solon Halwinder · Post by **Solon Halwinder** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:48 pm

Correct. Kinda weird that one extra zero in the file would add two zeros in the game; any idea why that is?

z30 · Post by **z30** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:11 am

Solon Halwinder wrote:Correct. Kinda weird that one extra zero in the file would add two zeros in the game; any idea why that is?

My bad, that extra 0 was my fault - good catch Solon

Vega Strike Forums

MOD: Privateer 1.2 Parallel Universe 1.0

Looking for Merchant ship model for Privateer usermod

Sabre is in :)

Updates

Free Trader

Grikath reviewed