Topic: SFC:OP Ponderings: what should I work on next?

[FireSoul]

Quote:
Take the existing SFC OP Multi-player Free for All Skirmish Mission and add one very important element: a TIME OF ENTRY INTO BATTLE component.  Allow for each of the (up to 6) groups of ships to have a time at which they come into battle.  Say player A and Player B enter at Time = 0:00.  Then Player C (an ally of A)  enters at Time = 20:00.  Then Player D (an ally of B) enters at Time = 30:00.  

An excellent idea. I'll have to see if it's possible to do this with real human players, while preserving their choice of ships.
-- Luc

[Klingon Fanatic]

Thank you Firesoul!

You know, I use a mix of ships from Klingon Academy conversions to SFC to Ships of The Starfleet to FASA Trek (TMP) and a few custom ships thrown in...

Your new OP Spec file is awesome! Thank you! I do also feel that this is a renewed game for me. (off to get more models)

I for one, would like to see your take on stats on a few ships as I don't want to ruin your fine spec file.

I have the FASA Fed Fenlon Monitor [and theFASA Fed  Corvette [fighter](both by Heaven's Eagle) I plan to use as the Fed monitor

Finally, a good use for P81's FASA Klingon K-23 (Cleeve's TOS Gray one) as a tug!

I would like your input on the stats for the following ships as I think your specfile is well done/balanced and I don't wish to mangle it:

Ships of The Starfleet: Akula Perimeter action ships

FASA: Klingon D10, Klingon L24, Romulan Winged Defender, Romulan White-Wind, Federation Chandley Class (Light/Heavy Cruiser not a frigate!)

General information: http://www.sub-odeon.com/stsstcsmua/mua_sitemap.html

Klingon Academy: Tholians (MINUS the Webs I know; I understand SFB has rules to substitute Tholian weapons for using non-Tholian ones like Hellbores instead of webs), The Emperor Class, the Suvwl' Qeh

General information: http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~klingonacademy/forum/show.php?pg=ShipInfoIndex

Regarding Andromedans, something I REALLY want to see some basic stats on; can't you just up the HULL, armor, shields and superstructure to "simulate" the power overload? I would say that maybe appraoch them as if they, well are a long way from home and have few resources to repair/upgrade their ships in a fashion similar (not identical) to the Tholians. Anduril's Andromedan pack has a base station made from three smaller ship disks "cannibalized?" Regarding satellite ships, just put some of them in the fighterlist; shuttles magically appear all the time and this isn't much different than having the satellite ships displaced into battle.

Qa Pla!

KF  

[FireSoul]

Uhm.. I guess you're asking for a  bit I can't really answer.

.. you see, I entered *everything* from official SFB material I could find that matched what Taldren has done so far. Additionally, I created some variants using rules that exist within SFB where I thought such variants would be needed:

ie: R-KE now has a R-KEF variant, with 2 PFs.

..  I just dunno what to tell you..
-- Luc

[FireSoul]

BTW.. I'm a dad now. Plans for anything have become iffy.
-- Luc

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Quote:
Uhm.. I guess you're asking for a  bit I can't really answer.

.. you see, I entered *everything* from official SFB material I could find that matched what Taldren has done so far. Additionally, I created some variants using rules that exist within SFB where I thought such variants would be needed:

ie: R-KE now has a R-KEF variant, with 2 PFs.

..  I just dunno what to tell you..
-- Luc  

Ah...I think what he is asking....as I would also ask....is that you go further than just matching Taldren and use your skills of "taldrenizing" to add other subrace ships to the ship list or do another semi SFB list built of OP refit....

I certainly wouldnt mind the combining of the cartels to replace their slots with other unrepresented SFB races

Again...Welcome to daddyhood.....you wont have time for crap for a while...but put this idea on the back burner please...

Speaking of   babies.....if you allready have kids..you know this.... if not...here are some good tips....

Your biggest problem (I hope) will be sleep deprivation....it may not seem like much ...but after a few weeks of constanly waking up and trying to work or even just take care of baby ....nerves will run high....and lack of serious rest will take its toll......

Rule #1.....someone should be sleeping while baby sleeps...either you or moma should take a nap whenever the baby is sleeping...this will ensure that someone is allways fresh ....if you work days....split up the night and give momma the Eves off and make her take a nap even if the baby is up....if she has to get up for a few hours during the night ..she will have the energy and temperment to give better care to the baby....you will get some sleep at night to better function at work or while driving..etc...etc...

Item #1....baby swing.....get a good one that is comfortable and takes apart at least enough to move in a car trunk....

Item#2...pack and play...with net....Graco makes a good one that folds up...we still use the hell out of both items when daughter is 1yr....

Rule#2...avoid daycare if at all possible....baby is much more happier without separation anxiety and less apt get ill often....if you both must work....try to find a competent and trusted home sitter or relative...

( we made the choice that momma would stay home...and only works part time when the kids are in school...right now,*due to layoff*...I'm Mr Mom........having a single income will surely delay any financial goals.....but it surley pays in the long run with heathier, more well behaved, and  happier kids)

Rule#3...never be afraid to ask for help.....having kids is a joyous but stressful time....putting your baby first often conficts with work or other obligations  and athough babies like to go places ..we tried to avoid excessive carting around of the kids....

Dont be afraid to ask any of us...Lots of us are dads and if we dont an answer...one of the old ladies will for sure.....

One thing for sure....babies are very receptive of the emotional atmosphere...being stress free of outside influence aids alot in just dealing with the stress of taking care of baby..........having fun with baby is more important than stressing about the bills....


Sorry about highjacking the thread.....

[Kid Carrson]

Crimnick's advice is right on target!!   Excellent insights.

BTW, get the baby swing that is battery operated.  Don't get a mechanical wind up one.  

Sleep deprivation is a BIG issue!  Get sleep!  

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!  My guess is that you'll never look at the world in the same way again!

KC

[Kid Carrson]

Bump!  Too important a thread to let it die out!!

KC

[Carrie]

Flipping the shiplist how? Just moving the top chunk of ships, and pasting it below the bottom chunk?

Or is there more to it?

If someone has  a 'corrected' listing of things like this, pleas tell me!!

If not, I reiterate my earlier question from elsethread.

About making a one cartel map, and disabling other ones. I know I'll need a map editor to make a one cartel map, so...

[FireSoul]

Well.. The thing people voted for most has been completed: I just finished reviewing the single-player EAW campaigns that were recompiled for OP. Now they're playable from beginning to end and they work fine.

.. my next project will be OP D2 related, to try and see if any of the OP D2 bugs can be fixed this way.
I need to find myself the list of D2 bugs again.

-- Luv

[Kid Carrson]

Thanks Firesoul!  Please keep the timed entry of battle idea in mind also.  Thanks.

KC

[FireSoul]

.. by now, a lot of people know that I try my best to improve SFC:OP's standing with the players. Some of you may be familiar with my work: the  CoopAce script ,  the OP+ Refit shiplist, and some of the work I've done concerning the  SFC:EAW single-player campaigns recompiled for SFC:OP .


.. but now I'm at a crossroads, and I want to know if and what I should work on something else next.

Before you mention it, the OP+ is finished unless someone finds problems with it. It's at around 1140+ additional ships, and is ready for release when the next SFC:OP Patch is out. As a tester, I can't tell you much more about it except that there are things in the patch for which I needed to adjust the shiplist for. It's not fully compatible with current SFC:OP 2525.

Ok.. the ideas I have been having:
.. I have source code that works *ONLY* in SFC:OP. I even have a method to figure out if the code is being compiled for SFC:OP or SFC:EAW during compile time, so the same script's sourcecode could be used for both, but with enhanced features in OP.

Stuff that SFC:OP can do that EAW can't, via the API:
1- there's an era-detection call. "mGetEra()".. I have actually made a wicked BattleFest+ script which uses my code (proof of concept) and makes proper era-based matches. (Imagine, playing in Early era, with just early-era ships as priority.)
2- OP can reset fighters on AI-controlled ships. There's a "mSetFighters" call. I've used this in the CoopAce. It's a bit involved, but bear with me.

Between the 2 abilities above, I could make wicked improvements to many many scripts, dynaverse or not. .. use your imagination for a moment..
.. AI ships are from the proper era.. .. they actually have appropirate fighterloads from the appropriate era... Enticing?

.. so I think I should start a poll:

What should FireSoul work on next, for SFC:OP?
Review all EAW single-player campaigns which were recompiled for OP, and fix the bugs
Work on and release multiplayer (GSA) oriented scripts for SFC:OP
Enhance MagnumMan's shiplist API to help facilitate using/abusing SFC:OP enhanced features
Nothing. I don't care.
Why don't you shut up? I'm tired of hearing of SFC:OP.

Let me know.
-- Luc  

[Cleaven]

None of the above. Work on the OP-D2 missions so that neutral co-op works, and the empire DV's move correctly regardless of the cartel map.  

[FireSoul]

uhm..

.. *CAN* those be fixed from the missions' side? .. if not I can't..
.. but if so, maybe there's something I could do there.

May I have *MORE* information on the Neutral Coop issue? I know very little about it.

-- Luc

[FatherTed]

Quote:
uhm..

.. *CAN* those be fixed from the missions' side? .. if not I can't..
.. but if so, maybe there's something I could do there.

May I have *MORE* information on the Neutral Coop issue? I know very little about it.

-- Luc  

Example: Fred and Ted the Feds can run coop in their own territory and enemy territory, and the mission results will affect the DV of the hex. But Fred and Ted can not do that in neutral hexes, since the mission will not affect the DV. And that makes Fred and Ted the Feds see red.    

[Bernard Guignard]

Hi Firesoul
    I think that you did a fantastic job and personally what I'd like to see is taking more sfb scenarios and turning them into single and multi-player missions and  campagins and adding new missions to the campaigns. I seem to remember a sfb scenario where yourship is in space dock undergoing repairs when long range scanners pick up enemy ships or a ship heading your way.  You have to take your ship out of spacedock  while systems are being repaired  and get it ready for combat.  How about adding in some more monsters like the space dragon and Juggernaut and sunsnake to give monster scenarios more flavour and have the campign choose those.  
   What ever you choose to do I'll back you because I'm enjoying what your doing.    

[Cpt. Chaos]

Well, as a Hydran OP single-player, anything you can do to improve fighter ops sounds superb!

Chaos
 

[Primus2003]

I feel torn on the vote partially from what I read and partially due to the fact I do not have enough information to make for a properly informed vote.  Not your fault I am still a bit of a newbie here, so these unoffical add ons etc sound interesting but I have not yet had the chance to test them. Though someone from the board has been kind enough to offer to give me a bit of a hand there for those additions.   FOr I do own SFC 1 & 2 EAW and OP.  So any improvments would be great  as I loved the movie era ships OS series movies as I grew up with them.   Increasing capabilities sounds enticing but when i think about it, as a fan I would take stability improvements  before adding new capabilities.  So improving OP with Eaw missions, the single player would be for the best.  Just to say where I stand.  Any information or advice on how to improve the games would be very much appreciated.  FOr it would be interesting to see models of say the Excelsior refit of the Enterprise-B for example.  Hope the weather isnt to cold up your way right now.  I am also in Ontario so it is a bit of cool one where I am.  Anyway thanks for all your work.

[IndyShark]

Firesoul, I'd like to thank you for your efforts to date. I am having fun with coop ace and can't wait for OP+ 1.2

I'd vote for the D2 bug with coop play or anthing that adds more ships, monsters, or missions.

[FireSoul]

BUMP.
Keep this thread alive long enough for me to have a good idea of what people want.

-- Luc  

[Qob'nuH]

I would like to see someone concentrate on single-player skirmish missions (not campaign). More like those found in SFC1, with terrain choices but ships totally selectable. Also a base assault skirmish that can be customized.