Star Fury Question, Ask Away [Archive]

Captain Kwok

September 6th, 2003, 08:04 PM

Here are some brief answers, I'm far too lazy to go into much more detail. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Which weapons from SEIV made it/didn't make it into the game?Almost all of them are still in Star Fury, although a few have had their abilities modified.

How many ships are available for the player to use? Which classes?Most races have a frigate, destroyer, cruiser, battleship, carrier, and a starbase - with several different hull sizes. The hull sizes also vary with race.

How many different races are there?
In the current campaigns, you've got Terrans, Xiati, Fazrah, Abbidon, Amonkrie, and the Sith'rak. Some of them are changed in appearance, but mostly the same.

Is it really open, i.e. can you work for anybody/buy any ship?Sure. Ships available for purchase will vary depending on location, but most can be bought.

How is the difficulty level?
There are 4 difficulty levels, beg-avg-med-hard. I'd say it's difficult most of the time. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Are there fighters? If yes, how are they controlled?Yes there are. They are launched and recovered and are computer controlled via your orders. There are also mines too so keep your eyes open!

Any rewards for completing the storyline?Yes, in the form of money. You also earn experience points from doing most things to put towards improving your ship, like repair or offensive skill etc.

How big is the universe? Is it randomly-generated or fixed?It's fixed based on the campaign, the largest campaign at this time has 80ish systems...but I'm sure lots more than that can be added.

Is trading a venerable way of raising cash a'la Elite, or is it just a minor feature like in, for example, freelancer?There is no real trading, but you can make good money performing cargo runs, hunting pirates or being a pirate, and collecting components from destroyed ships and selling them at the spaceport.

And finally, seeing that it is in 3D...how easy is it to mod? Again mostly text files, or is it more complicated this time?
I'd say some of the files are more difficult then your regular SE:IV, and those are usually ship related files that need to correspond to each other so it's a bit easier to make errors. All the files are text files though, that's good.

Wydraz

September 7th, 2003, 08:50 PM

What 3d format are the ships in (for mods)? How are they textured (size and format of bitmap)?

Rollo

September 7th, 2003, 09:30 PM

The models must be converted to .x format and use a texture bitmap (.bmp format) of any size.

Personally I have good experience with using anim8or to model and Lithunwrap to do the texture mapping. Both programs are freeware.

[ September 07, 2003, 20:34: Message edited by: Rollo ]

Atrocities

September 8th, 2003, 01:36 AM

Rollo we need links. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Ed Kolis

September 8th, 2003, 02:32 AM

I would also recommend Wings 3D (www.wings3d.org) for making ship models; it has a UV texture mapping plugin (what you need to make the texture bitmaps for the models http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif ) and exports to .3ds, which is easily converted to .x (just look on Google for a program called 3dsconv.exe). Wings has a TON of mesh manipulation commands - I made the saucer section of the Enterprise in just a few minutes by creating a cylinder and repeatedly insetting and extruding faces on either side!

Now you say you can make your texture files ANY size? That's news to me... looks like ships might start coming in "good graphics card" and "crappy graphics card" Versions! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Wydraz

September 8th, 2003, 07:54 AM

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Rollo we need links. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I found one for lithunwrap...

http://files.seriouszone.com/download.php?fileid=198

Rollo

September 8th, 2003, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by Wydraz:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Atrocities:
Rollo we need links. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I found one for lithunwrap...

http://files.seriouszone.com/download.php?fileid=198<hr /></blockquote>thanks.

and anim8or is simply www.anim8or.com (http://www.anim8or.com)

deccan

September 8th, 2003, 02:03 PM

1) What is the quality of the 3-d engine? How does it compare to top-of-the-line 3-d games?

2) How much control do you have over individual ships? Do you have multiple turrets per ship? Can you shoot at multiple targets at the same time? Is there damage control and repair like in Starfleet Command?

3) How big are space battles? Can you have allied ships? Can you be part of a fleet action?

Instar

September 8th, 2003, 08:52 PM

Originally posted by deccan:
1) What is the quality of the 3-d engine? How does it compare to top-of-the-line 3-d games?

2) How much control do you have over individual ships? Do you have multiple turrets per ship? Can you shoot at multiple targets at the same time? Is there damage control and repair like in Starfleet Command?

3) How big are space battles? Can you have allied ships? Can you be part of a fleet action?1) This obviously is not Doom3 or HL2, as its only one guy doing all the coding. Nothing overly dramatic about the graphics, pretty decent textures, I haven't ever seen anything that looked horrible, but nothing is super extreme outstanding. Of course, the game is to run on a P3 500 or so, so it really cannot hold a candle to Doom3 (I am ever so eagerly waiting for it... but I worry, will my P4 handle it?)

Suicide Junkie

September 9th, 2003, 01:22 AM

2) Each component takes damage separately, and you must prioritize which will be worked on first. Abilities of each component get degraded due to damage, and etc.
You have 4 weapon Groups for mass firing of guns, and the number of turrets completely depends on the layout of the ship. Stock ships have between 2 and 6 firing points, but there is no real limit on how many you can put on your own model. 255 perhaps, or 64k maybe.

3) Man, I just missed taking a screenshot of this beautiful assault... I was hunting pirates with a TCN battlegroup, and as we rounded the Star, a lone pirate destroyer was sitting there... Three capital ships plus me, and 7 fighters just hammered it from all sides. The beams and bolts and missiles and fire and explosions! Quite impressive light show, but the poor pirate didn't Last long and within seconds he was vapor.

Previously, I saw a fairly evenly matched battle going on between a TCN battlegroup and a larger number of Pirate ships (smaller hulls). 3 on 5 plus fighters, IIRC.
I went in to help out with my early-game destroyer, and managed to take down two Pirate fighters and pump a few rounds of DUC into Pirate shields while the big boys slugged it out. Drew some healthy amounts of fire away from the TCN ships, too. Eventually my shields started giving out, and my armor was getting quite thin, so I had to retreat. Got pegged by a pair of Pirate missiles in the back, halfway to safety. Didn't quite make it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

You could always mod bigger fleets in though. It would be a lot tougher on the Player, but if you're up to the challenge, it can be done.

[ September 09, 2003, 00:36: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

deccan

September 9th, 2003, 05:56 AM

Is there any multiplayer capability in the game?

narf poit chez BOOM

September 9th, 2003, 06:47 AM

wuzza TCN battlegroup

Rollo

September 9th, 2003, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by deccan:
Is there any multiplayer capability in the game?no

Rollo

September 9th, 2003, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
wuzza TCN battlegroupTCN = Terran Confederation Navy

gregebowman

September 9th, 2003, 02:42 PM

What I want to know most about is how is the interface? Will there be a lot of buttons to press just to fly your ship, or some sort of simplified commands? I'm not a big fan of flight simulators, so I don't want to spend my whole time trying to learn to fly the ship.

Rollo

September 9th, 2003, 02:57 PM

The ships are very easy to fly using the mouse and some hotkeys (which you can customize, of course).

Rollo

Alpha Kodiak

September 9th, 2003, 03:40 PM

Originally posted by deccan:
2) How much control do you have over individual ships? Do you have multiple turrets per ship? Can you shoot at multiple targets at the same time? Is there damage control and repair like in Starfleet Command?

3) How big are space battles? Can you have allied ships? Can you be part of a fleet action?2: You control your ship directly, and specify orders for your fighters to follow. You do not have the opportunity to control any other ships. You pretty much have to target one thing at a time, except that point defense will autofire on any inbound missiles or enemy fighters without you targetting them. You get a basic repair ability that improves with experience, and there are repair bays to increase repair rate. There are also single use items you can carry in cargo for emergency repair of shields, armor and hull.

3: As SJ alluded to, one of the things you can do is to look for a friendly fleet beating up on some bad guys and try to slip in for a kill or two for experience. You can also look for the aftermath of battles to scavenge equipment for your own use or to sell. One of the things that I look for when entering a new system is for the light show of a fleet battle off in the distance. Frequently, you can see the weapon effects before you can see the ships themselves. Of course, when you've worked your way up to a battleship, you can cause quite a light show yourself. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

General Woundwort

September 9th, 2003, 03:59 PM

How easy is it to "mod" new systems and sectors?

Suicide Junkie

September 9th, 2003, 04:33 PM

I think systems are about the same difficulty as SE4 system in terms of modding, except there is more flexibility and more detail possible...

Rollo's made a quite nice map for Sol. Sun in the middle, planets in random places in their orbits at specific distances from the sun... Moons in random positions in a circle around the planet... And a very nice asteroid belt. Detailed descriptions, colony types, populations, etc.

Quadrant modding is mostly a matter of specifying what systems are present, and the links between them. There's also a legend for your map, and colouring of the warplines and systems, and systems that start out invisible, etc.

[ September 09, 2003, 15:38: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

narf poit chez BOOM

September 9th, 2003, 08:18 PM

thanks.

who (else) here is going to mod a ship with as many weapon points as the frame rate can take?

You do not have the opportunity to control any other ships
so, you can't buy them or you just can't control them????

[ September 09, 2003, 19:18: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

Rollo

September 9th, 2003, 08:34 PM

you can buy other ships. but you can't remote control or give orders to other ships except your own fighters.

Rollo

Fyron

September 9th, 2003, 08:38 PM

You can buy fighters and launch them from fighter bays. You can not directly control them, but you can issue them general orders. I assume it would be possible to mod some destroyers and such to be "fighter" hulls (units) so you could get a pseudo-fleet going, though you would be able to "carry" the destroyers. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif This could of course just be seen as an abstraction layer for overall fleet command or something. Or it could be like the Highliner SE4 mod. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

ZeroAdunn

September 9th, 2003, 09:23 PM

A lot of cool stuff, I might just order this game.

So there is no multiplayer?

How are missions scripted?

What kind of modding tools does this thing come with, or is it all text like SEIV?

Can you mod new races?

Exactly how moddable is it?

Captain Kwok

September 9th, 2003, 10:15 PM

There is no multiplayer mode. I can see it being added in the future or some sort of skirmish mode - of course I'm just speculating here.

Missions are controlled by text files that are fully moddable.

It's all text files, but SJ has created some programs to help with the more difficult files that detail with co-ordinates and slots etc.

You can new races, ships, systems, anything.

It's more moddable than SE:IV IMO.

narf poit chez BOOM

September 9th, 2003, 10:21 PM

what's the biggest fleet battle you've seen, and can we get pictures, if any?

also, are there randomly generated missions? can you just wander around without having to worry about a central storyline?

[ September 09, 2003, 22:15: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

Rollo

September 9th, 2003, 11:53 PM

yes, there are random missions and you can move freely and ignore the story if you wish.

deccan

September 10th, 2003, 01:21 AM

Thanks for the replies. I probably will get this game but only after I get a new laptop in December. I'm planning on getting the new Dell Inspiron 8600.

In the meantime:

1) Is the universe dynamic? Do you have different reputation levels with different factions? Do the power levels of difference factions change as a result of your actions?

2) Can you visit the surface of planets and moons or is it all space? Are planets and moons 3-D objects at all or just background graphics?

3) People mention experience. Is that your personal experience or your ship's experience?

4) Do you hire crews for big ships?

Captain Kwok

September 10th, 2003, 03:01 AM

For your first question, it's not that deep. However, I think there is some of that in dealing with pirates. It's not something I've really looked at though.

You can't go on the surface, but some planets have "facilities" like spacedocks or trading unions that you sort of visit. The planets are actually 3d objects although they are small in relative scale (i.e. sort of bigger than your ship, but it's not intended to be a true scale anyways).

Experience applies to your ship's abilities and your rank.

No hiring of crews.

Wydraz

September 10th, 2003, 03:40 AM

Is the Quadrant map the same each time you play? Is there a random quadrant map generator for mod makers, or do all the systems and planets need to be input by hand?

Wydraz

September 10th, 2003, 03:44 AM

What is the average/maximum poly count suggested for ship models?

Wydraz

September 10th, 2003, 03:45 AM

what size are race/npc portraits?

deccan

September 10th, 2003, 04:11 AM

Originally posted by deccan:

2) Can you visit the surface of planets and moons or is it all space? Are planets and moons 3-D objects at all or just background graphics?
I'm thinking of Elite 2 here in which there are physical, 3-d buildings for spaceports and such on the surface of moons and planets.

Fyron

September 10th, 2003, 05:26 AM

There are pictures for the facilities, yes, but they are not 3d, and you do not go to the planet's surface.

Originally posted by Wydraz:
what size are race/npc portraits?256x256

[ September 10, 2003, 04:28: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Wydraz

September 10th, 2003, 09:03 PM

Thanks for the info, Imp.

Originally posted by Wydraz:
Is the Quadrant map the same each time you play? Is there a random quadrant map generator for mod makers, or do all the systems and planets need to be input by hand?

What is the average/maximum poly count suggested for ship models?Just thought I'd BUG everyone and ask again. Conventiently packaged in one message! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[ September 10, 2003, 20:04: Message edited by: Wydraz ]

Captain Kwok

September 11th, 2003, 04:15 AM

The objects of maps are randomally placed (i.e. planets, etc), but the number of them and location of systems are set by the data files included in the campaign. At this time, there is no random galaxy generation.

Ship poly-counts are usually a few hundred, and a couple of starbases are just over a thousand.

[ September 11, 2003, 04:49: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

narf poit chez BOOM

September 11th, 2003, 05:32 AM

The objects of maps are randomally placed (i.e. planets, etc), but the number of them and location are set by the data files included in the campaign.
logical impossibility. cannot randomly place planets, etc at st locations.

Captain Kwok

September 11th, 2003, 05:50 AM

Woops, I had meant to say that the locations of systems and warp point connections were in the data files.

narf poit chez BOOM

September 11th, 2003, 07:05 PM

kinda like the 'pizza world' theory? 'it's round, yet flat!' http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

i've been thinking about something. could you place more than one solar system in a sector? make a galaxy in one sector?

Wydraz

September 11th, 2003, 08:10 PM

Don't see why not. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/confused.gif That's pretty much what SJ indicates. The only thing that would stop you is if you couldn't put more than one star in a system - but then there'd be no binary, trinary, or other multi-star systems - and since they were in SEIV, I shouldn't think they'd leave them out now.

[ September 11, 2003, 19:10: Message edited by: Wydraz ]

narf poit chez BOOM

September 11th, 2003, 08:17 PM

we could then make a galaxy with space drive's instead of warp point travel. afterburner's, if there are any, would be the ftl drives. if not, then just make the solar system's closer. warp points, between points in the system, would be wormholes, facilitating travel, but only between certain points.

someone want to try to mod this please so i know if i can get my hopes up? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif i'm not asking for anything big, just make two or three solar systems in a secter, the afterburner ftl and a semi-random warp point to the same secter. i'll be happy with just two or three solar sys. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

ok, it's got an afterburner. but can it increase the maximum speed of the ships when used?

[ September 11, 2003, 20:26: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

Alpha Kodiak

September 11th, 2003, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
we could then make a galaxy with space drive's instead of warp point travel. afterburner's, if there are any, would be the ftl drives. if not, then just make the solar system's closer. warp points, between points in the system, would be wormholes, facilitating travel, but only between certain points.

someone want to try to mod this please so i know if i can get my hopes up? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif i'm not asking for anything big, just make two or three solar systems in a secter, the afterburner ftl and a semi-random warp point to the same secter. i'll be happy with just two or three solar sys. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

ok, it's got an afterburner. but can it increase the maximum speed of the ships when used?Afterburners increase acceleration but not top speed. You could mod in a class of ship had a higher top speed and call it a FTL ship, though.

narf poit chez BOOM

September 11th, 2003, 10:56 PM

or just give all ships an infinite speed and make it more neutonian. afterburners would then be a ftl booster.

uh, i'm not saying i don't like warp point travel. i find it a little restrictive, but not enough to impare gameplay. two gameplay modes are better than one. i admit, however, that, if it's possible, i'll probably be spending more time in the free-flight one.

[ September 12, 2003, 01:39: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

Suicide Junkie

September 12th, 2003, 01:09 AM

You can set guidelines for the planet positionings, such as completely random, fixed coords, random in ring around coords, random in ring around a previously placed object, etc.

They are both fixed, and random to various degrees.

Suicide Junkie

September 12th, 2003, 02:45 AM

I'm fairly sure that there were screenshots of binary or trinary systems on the site...

You'd have to increase the size of a map immensely, and adjust the number of enemies spawned.

Other ships are usually placed when you travel through warppoints and the next map is loaded, so if you were to travel between the system on your map without using the warppoints, you'd run out of enemies.
If you put the stars at a somewhat realistic distance from each other, you wouldn't have to worry I suppose.

It might be nice to just have the neighbouring stars placed on the map - WAYYY out there, and without planets around them - just so you can see the light...

Perhaps an occasional "paired" system... Two stars orbiting at a very large distance, and each with a small planetary system.

narf poit chez BOOM

September 12th, 2003, 03:04 AM

well, you could have warp-points that go to themselves. tell people to go into them every so often. any beta testers want to comment? can the beta testers comment on this?

Alpha Kodiak

September 12th, 2003, 03:17 AM

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
well, you could have warp-points that go to themselves. tell people to go into them every so often. any beta testers want to comment? can the beta testers comment on this?I don't know if you could have a warp point go to itself. I do believe that there are other ways to cause new ships to appear. I know that at least one "defend the starbase" type mission causes enemy ships to appear after you receive the mission. Perhaps there is a way to have any mission you accept cause random placement of a few new ships. I am not sure, I didn't spend much time on modding the files. I was too busy trying to get through the stock scenarios before new patches would invalidate my save games.

narf poit chez BOOM

September 12th, 2003, 03:20 AM

thanks, one step closer.

Iansidious

September 12th, 2003, 04:05 AM

My question is how long does it take to explore one solar system?Are the systems small in the game or does it take a little while to explore? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I don't know if this was mention earlier or not but do the ships move like in starfleet command just to the sides or do you move up,down,left,and right just about anywhere you want?[because it would be alot cooler to really fly in space http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ]

Thanks! \\//_ Live as long as your mom tells you http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Alpha Kodiak

September 12th, 2003, 04:38 AM

Originally posted by Iansidious:
My question is how long does it take to explore one solar system?Are the systems small in the game or does it take a little while to explore? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I don't know if this was mention earlier or not but do the ships move like in starfleet command just to the sides or do you move up,down,left,and right just about anywhere you want?[because it would be alot cooler to really fly in space http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ]

Thanks! \\//_ Live as long as your mom tells you http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif The systems aren't too big if you are just trying to find a particular planet. The map shows you where they are and you can usually find your way there pretty quickly as long as no one is trying to kill you along the way. On the other hand, if you are trying to either hunt down or protect one particular ship, as several missions require you to do, the system can seem absolutely huge as you run from one end to the other searching frantically for the ship you must either kill or protect before time runs out.

To answer your second question, the game is 2D like Starfleet Command. It would be cool to fly in a 3D environment, but in practice the game feels vast enough in 2D for my taste. I don't think you will feel too restricted.

Renegade 13

September 12th, 2003, 06:21 AM

Don't know if anyone else has asked this before so bear with me. I'm just wondering if any one has a firm (or relatively firm) date on the release of the demo?

narf poit chez BOOM

September 12th, 2003, 06:37 AM

hi, i'm canadian to. all the people here are smart, and all the non-canadian people are not all here. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

cheese?

Fyron

September 12th, 2003, 08:38 AM

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
Don't know if anyone else has asked this before so bear with me. I'm just wondering if any one has a firm (or relatively firm) date on the release of the demo?It should be out next week. There is no firm date as of yet.

Renegade 13

September 12th, 2003, 04:40 PM

Thanks for the info http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

clark

September 12th, 2003, 06:54 PM

To answer your second question, the game is 2D like Starfleet Command. It would be cool to fly in a 3D environment, but in practice the game feels vast enough in 2D for my taste. I don't think you will feel too restricted So all ships and planets, and just about everything is on the same plane?

No attacks from above, or below?

Is is analogous to sailing a ship on the ocean where movement is restricted to 'port' or 'starboard'?

narf poit chez BOOM

September 12th, 2003, 07:44 PM

sailing ships shipset?

deccan

September 13th, 2003, 12:33 AM

Originally posted by clark:
So all ships and planets, and just about everything is on the same plane?

No attacks from above, or below?

Is is analogous to sailing a ship on the ocean where movement is restricted to 'port' or 'starboard'?Ooh, if so, this is bad. I wouldn't like a space combat game that didn't have a real 3-d engine.

Wydraz

September 13th, 2003, 01:02 AM

Originally posted by deccan:
I wouldn't like a space combat game that didn't have a real 3-d engine.It really depends on how you define a 3D engine. To me it means rendering 3D objects in realtime. Just because these objects do not move "up" or "down" does not mean it is not a 3D engine. The planets and ships ARE rendered in 3D, so it is technically a 3D engine!

Suicide Junkie

September 13th, 2003, 01:04 AM

You can place the 3d objects above or below the plane of combat if you like, no problem. It is a 3d rendering, and the most common camera view is above and behind your ship.

To keep things simple, there isn't a command to "dive" or "pull up", no rolling the ship to align with starbases, etc.

Alpha Kodiak

September 13th, 2003, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by deccan:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Wydraz:
It really depends on how you define a 3D engine. To me it means rendering 3D objects in realtime. Just because these objects do not move "up" or "down" does not mean it is not a 3D engine. The planets and ships ARE rendered in 3D, so it is technically a 3D engine!I realize that that's technically true, but I also realize that this takes a lot out of what I was expecting from the game, having fighters swoop all over capital ships, etc. One of the most fun battles I've had in Homeworld was a big battle in which two big fleets approached each other at right angles. Now that was a cool 3-d engine.

The lack of ability to duck and climb also means that there won't be much dogfighting, and that's bad to me too.<hr /></blockquote>I think you will find that there can be a significant amount of dogfighting in 2D. You will also find yourself in the midst of a fighter swarm every once in a while, and you will find 2D more than enough to keep you busy. This is not to say I would not want it to be true 3D, merely that the 2D environment does not take away from the game as much as you might think.

Suicide Junkie

September 13th, 2003, 02:57 PM

In a fleet battle, there is more than enough manoeuvering to do. In fact there is probably a little too much dogfighting, considering also that you are supposed to be commanding ships between destroyer and battleship size, not piloting fighters singlehandedly (although that's moddable).

Also consider that this is based on the Space Empires series, where combat has always been 2D.
That may change for SEV, perhaps, but I don't see it adding much value.

Fighters do end up swarming all around captial ships, and I've seen some very amazing screens (Oh, I so wish I'd hit the printscreen button)...
coming around a star, I see 7 fighters hammering a pirate ship from all directions, while three capital ships bombard it with APBs and torpedoes.

Katchoo

September 13th, 2003, 07:59 PM

On the topic of Fighters...

Can you Model your own Fighters? And if so, is it possible to Model a small one man craft like a Fighter to fly yourself around in as opposed to larger craft (eg Escort, Cruiser, etc..)?

I imagine a true Star Wars Mod emphisizing Fighter Combat would be a bLast in Starfury...

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Wydraz

September 13th, 2003, 08:19 PM

These are the sizes (in terms of component slots) of ships I have seen from the text files:

Fighter 15-25
Destroyer 45-60
Frigate 50
Freighter 50
Cruiser 40-75
Battlecruiser 65
Battleship 70-100
Carrier 80-100

So I imagine the answer to your question is YES. I notice too that there seems to be an absence of ships of Escort size (lets say, 25-40).

Fyron

September 13th, 2003, 09:20 PM

You can make your own models for pretty much everything in the game, just like how SE4 has nearly completely customizable graphics. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Captain Kwok

September 13th, 2003, 09:26 PM

Originally posted by Katchoo:
On the topic of Fighters...

Can you Model your own Fighters? And if so, is it possible to Model a small one man craft like a Fighter to fly yourself around in as opposed to larger craft (eg Escort, Cruiser, etc..)?

I imagine a true Star Wars Mod emphisizing Fighter Combat would be a bLast in Starfury...

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I have taken a Terran fighter and made it a starting ship. However, those pesky PDCs can make your day short - even if you have a few custom modifications. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[ September 13, 2003, 20:26: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

deccan

September 14th, 2003, 01:50 AM

Originally posted by Wydraz:
It really depends on how you define a 3D engine. To me it means rendering 3D objects in realtime. Just because these objects do not move "up" or "down" does not mean it is not a 3D engine. The planets and ships ARE rendered in 3D, so it is technically a 3D engine!I realize that that's technically true, but I also realize that this takes a lot out of what I was expecting from the game, having fighters swoop all over capital ships, etc. One of the most fun battles I've had in Homeworld was a big battle in which two big fleets approached each other at right angles. Now that was a cool 3-d engine.

The lack of ability to duck and climb also means that there won't be much dogfighting, and that's bad to me too.

[ September 13, 2003, 12:56: Message edited by: deccan ]

Phoenix-D

September 14th, 2003, 03:56 AM

Speaking of death, how is that handled in Starfury? I know other games have escape pods and such.

Captain Kwok

September 14th, 2003, 04:42 PM

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Speaking of death, how is that handled in Starfury? I know other games have escape pods and such.Your ship explodes and you die. No escape pods here! Your family is told that you were crushed to death when your gravity plating fails or something to that effect. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[ September 14, 2003, 15:43: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

Alpha Kodiak

September 14th, 2003, 04:51 PM

Each time you jump from system to system, the game autosaves. I would also recommend saving any time you accomplish something you wouldn't like to have to do again. The only recourse when you die is to fall back to a save position.

Dobian

September 16th, 2003, 08:10 PM

Originally posted by deccan:
Ooh, if so, this is bad. I wouldn't like a space combat game that didn't have a real 3-d engine.[/QB]I don't know how the combat in SF has been done yet - whether it emphasizes tactical combat or dogfighting ('twitch' combat). If the emphasis is on tactical (i.e., managing your weapons, power, shields, security, away teams, etc.), then 2D is no problem whatsoever. I've played Starfleet Commnad extensively. The SFC series is 2D tactical space combat, and it's great. Anyone who's played it will tell you tactical space combat on a 2D plane is not a liability if it's done right, and it can be really fun. If you want dogfighting, play Freelancer.

Atrocities

September 18th, 2003, 05:24 PM

Your space bar will become your best friend. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Renegade 13

September 19th, 2003, 01:04 AM

Does anyone know if Starfury requires any 'special' programs for modding? Or is it just text files like SE4?

Rollo

September 19th, 2003, 01:31 AM

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
Does anyone know if Starfury requires any 'special' programs for modding? Or is it just text files like SE4?well, yes and no.
It depends what you are trying to mod. Even in SE4 not all is in text files (think shipsets and sounds).
Here is a litle overview which formats Starfury uses:

data files: .txt
images/textures: .bmp
sounds: .wav
music: .mp3
3D models: .x

Rollo

Renegade 13

September 19th, 2003, 04:56 AM

I'm familiar with all of the formats except the .x What sort of a program would you use to create the 3D models, and where could I buy/find it? I should know but my memory fails me. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif By the way, thanks for the info.

[ September 19, 2003, 04:02: Message edited by: Renegade 13 ]

narf poit chez BOOM

September 19th, 2003, 06:40 AM

.x is the native directx file format.

and that exhausts my knowledge. except for some hazy stuff gained from taking a look at the format from a text editer.

Wydraz

September 19th, 2003, 07:34 AM

I plan on making a mod for SF that takes place in a gigantic nebula... I always thought the nebulae in SEIV were way too small. I mean really, most of the ones discovered are larger than a solar system!

I was looking at the screenshots and now I am wondering how many nebula objects can you put in a system before it starts to bog down?

[ September 19, 2003, 06:36: Message edited by: Wydraz ]

Fyron

September 19th, 2003, 09:57 AM

All of the nebulae discovered are 1000s of times (at least) the size of a solar system. Well, there might be the odd freak small nebula, ofc. Most have a few dozen young stars in them. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Rollo

September 19th, 2003, 11:06 AM

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
I'm familiar with all of the formats except the .x What sort of a program would you use to create the 3D models, and where could I buy/find it? I should know but my memory fails me. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif By the way, thanks for the info.as narf said .x format is the directx format. You can use a small tool named CONV3DS.EXE to convert models from .3ds to .x.
Personally I use anim8or (modeling) and Lithunwrap (texture mapping, conVersion). Both are freeware. There are links for those early in this thread.

Rollo

narf poit chez BOOM

September 19th, 2003, 08:09 PM

put a nebula in more than one system and say it cover's more than one?

Ed Kolis

September 19th, 2003, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by Rollo:
[QBmusic: .mp3
[/QB]I've tested .mid and .wav and they work for music files, too. .wav isn't all that useful since it's uncompressed and convertible to MP3, but .mid is handy because they're small, and all you amateur composers out there can go creating music for the game with software like Cakewalk Express without having to worry about digitizing! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Suicide Junkie

September 20th, 2003, 01:13 AM

Originally posted by Wydraz:
I plan on making a mod for SF that takes place in a gigantic nebula... I always thought the nebulae in SEIV were way too small. I mean really, most of the ones discovered are larger than a solar system!

I was looking at the screenshots and now I am wondering how many nebula objects can you put in a system before it starts to bog down?It may be easier to just use one storm/nebula and stretch it out over the entire system...
Perhaps concentric rings of nebulae clouds, so you can vary the density and colour as you approach a protostar at the center?

it depends

September 25th, 2003, 04:53 AM

{/lurk}

I feel a little foolish, but I can't find the answer by searchin' , so here goes.

I am trying to find a planet say, right at the begining. It's pretty big, big enough to show up on the map, so I tried pointing my ship in the right direction, and right clicking, or using the target anything key, but I couldn't get it. As I drove closer, I could select it, and aim for it.

Ok, so now on my way back, I;m told to return to the space station.... hmmm, I thought it was around Freeport 5, wasn't it? Can't see it on the map, but I'll give it a shot...ah-ha thar' she blows.

So are these both because I have little to nothing in the way of sensor tech installed? I am happy with the second, assuming my sensors consists of a laser pointer and a telescope, and I can live with the first. It would be nice, if in the full game (or one of you wonderful, enterprising, underappreciated modders http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif ) I could select well-known navigational points, like planets, from far away, so I could steer to them easy? Or maybe a little glowing line 'tween the rock and I, when the sector grid is active, to lead my way?

Apologies if this is an oft covered topic, and I must also bring up something I know has been often mentioned......great work, can't wait for the real game to ship out...end of sept still right?

Captain Kwok

September 26th, 2003, 01:18 AM

You could also use the system map to find planets. Long Range scanners help increase your range to detect objects like ships to make it easier to find the ones you are looking for...they are the red dots on the mini map on the HUD.

Slick

October 7th, 2003, 05:14 PM

I love the demo! What a great game! Thanks for starting this great thread. I have some questions based on the demo; the real thing is in the mail. Let's start with my top 10 issues.

1) Is there any advantage to upgrading a bridge? It seems not. What about upgrading Crew Quarters and Life Support - do higher levels affect crew or repairs or recovery from toxins or anything?

2) Those colored clouds (or are they storms?), do they have any other effects other than obscuring sight and/or sensors? I am thinking about the storms in SE4 where some storms make shields useless, etc. Any storm effects?

3) Is there a damage radius around stars? i.e. you get too close and take damage? Been too chicken to find out.

4) Is there a component that counters the effects of Toxic Injectors? Is this in the demo?

5) I *think* I had a problem upgrading engines. I installed 1 Contra Terrine engine with the remainder as Ion Engines. I *think* the CT engine was downgraded to an Ion engine in a similar fashion to the effect in SE4 where you only get engine bonuses if all engines are the same type (not necessarily same level). I eventually stored CT engines in my cargo area until I could replace them all at the same time. Is this the way it works?

6) What is the exact effect of carrying and/or selling contraband? I was fired upon by friendlies when carrying it. Once I dropped it, they stopped firing on me. If I had sold it, would I have been permanently labeled as a pirate or do the authorities forget about your behavior once you get rid of contaband? Is there a "lawful status" like in Elite? If so, is how do you clean your record? In Elite, you just had to be lawful for a while.

7) I picked up some components that I don't know what they do. They may just be generic cargo for cargo missions. One was an Ice Melter or some such thing. It couldn't be installed on a ship and didn't seem to have any properties. One was a Magnetic Thingamajig; same question. Or are some components only able to be installed on some ships, but not others?

8) I am able to use organic armor. This seems wrong (using SE4 rules) because I am not an organic race. Are there race restrictions and/or special techs that only some races can use?

9) Are there minesweeping components in the full Version? Also, why are mines visible? Again this seems wrong using SE4 rules.

10) What does the "Negotiation" skill do for you? Does it increase profits for selling equipment and for doing missions? Seems worthless because points are better spent elsewhere IMHO.

Thanks in advance. Maybe I'll have more questions later.

Slick.

General Woundwort

October 7th, 2003, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by Slick:
1) Is there any advantage to upgrading a bridge? It seems not. What about upgrading Crew Quarters and Life Support - do higher levels affect crew or repairs or recovery from toxins or anything?Not that I've noticed, but I may be wrong on that.

2) Those colored clouds (or are they storms?), do they have any other effects other than obscuring sight and/or sensors? I am thinking about the storms in SE4 where some storms make shields useless, etc. Any storm effects?Again, not that I've noticed, but they may have. I've only just started digging into the data files.

3) Is there a damage radius around stars? i.e. you get too close and take damage? Been too chicken to find out.I don't think so. I've flown pretty close to them, and noticed no ill effects.

4) Is there a component that counters the effects of Toxic Injectors? Is this in the demo?I don't think so, but there are Medical Bays in the full Version that help regenerate crew "damage" faster.

5) I *think* I had a problem upgrading engines. I installed 1 Contra Terrine engine with the remainder as Ion Engines. I *think* the CT engine was downgraded to an Ion engine in a similar fashion to the effect in SE4 where you only get engine bonuses if all engines are the same type (not necessarily same level). I eventually stored CT engines in my cargo area until I could replace them all at the same time. Is this the way it works?I'll have to pass on that question. I haven't been that methodical.

6) What is the exact effect of carrying and/or selling contraband? I was fired upon by friendlies when carrying it. Once I dropped it, they stopped firing on me. If I had sold it, would I have been permanently labeled as a pirate or do the authorities forget about your behavior once you get rid of contaband? Is there a "lawful status" like in Elite? If so, is how do you clean your record? In Elite, you just had to be lawful for a while.The effect is just as you describe it - you get shot at. I don't think the game handles "rep" like Elite did - it's just a "pay as you go" system, with only racial animosities a factor. That is a bit disappointing, IMHO.

7) I picked up some components that I don't know what they do. They may just be generic cargo for cargo missions. One was an Ice Melter or some such thing. It couldn't be installed on a ship and didn't seem to have any properties. One was a Magnetic Thingamajig; same question. Or are some components only able to be installed on some ships, but not others?You picked up leftover cargo from some poor freighter that got bLasted. They aren't components, just stuff. You might try selling them at the next spacedock for salvage.

8) I am able to use organic armor. This seems wrong (using SE4 rules) because I am not an organic race. Are there race restrictions and/or special techs that only some races can use?Nope. Just plug it in and enjoy the bennies. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

9) Are there minesweeping components in the full Version? Also, why are mines visible? Again this seems wrong using SE4 rules.No minesweepers, unless you count your PDC's and your front shields. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif As for mine visibility vis a vis SEIV, it's just the difference between a strategic-eye view and the pilot's-eye view.

10) What does the "Negotiation" skill do for you? Does it increase profits for selling equipment and for doing missions? Seems worthless because points are better spent elsewhere IMHO.According to the manual, it improves your prices at the spacedock, I assume in both buying and selling components and spare cargo. In which case, it is probably worth the points.

Renegade 13

October 7th, 2003, 06:02 PM

Originally posted by Slick:
I love the demo! What a great game! Thanks for starting this great thread. I have some questions based on the demo; the real thing is in the mail. Let's start with my top 10 issues.

1) Is there any advantage to upgrading a bridge? It seems not. What about upgrading Crew Quarters and Life Support - do higher levels affect crew or repairs or recovery from toxins or anything?
Well, I can't help you with all of this, but here goes:

1. Not sure
2) Those colored clouds (or are they storms?), do they have any other effects other than obscuring sight and/or sensors? I am thinking about the storms in SE4 where some storms make shields useless, etc. Any storm effects?
I've had some battles in nebulae, and there seems to be no other effects but sight obscuration, and a bit of sensor interference. There don't appear to be any shield damaging effects, or component damage; I fly through them all the time.
3) Is there a damage radius around stars? i.e. you get too close and take damage? Been too chicken to find out.
The only way a star damages you is if you fly into it. After reading your question, I tried it out, and found that you can fly to within 20 ls before you hit the star and die. Maybe if you have enough shielding you could go right through the star, but I wouldn't try it if I were you.
4) Is there a component that counters the effects of Toxic Injectors? Is this in the demo?
Again, I don't know. There doesn't appear to be any component in the demo that mitigates the effects of toxic injectors. However, there could easily be in the full game (which hasn't arrived yet http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif )
5) I *think* I had a problem upgrading engines. I installed 1 Contra Terrine engine with the remainder as Ion Engines. I *think* the CT engine was downgraded to an Ion engine in a similar fashion to the effect in SE4 where you only get engine bonuses if all engines are the same type (not necessarily same level). I eventually stored CT engines in my cargo area until I could replace them all at the same time. Is this the way it works?
I'm not sure, but I think you can have however many engines of different types you want and none are downgraded. But I could be wrong. I haven't looked into it.
6) What is the exact effect of carrying and/or selling contraband? I was fired upon by friendlies when carrying it. Once I dropped it, they stopped firing on me. If I had sold it, would I have been permanently labeled as a pirate or do the authorities forget about your behavior once you get rid of contaband? Is there a "lawful status" like in Elite? If so, is how do you clean your record? In Elite, you just had to be lawful for a while.
When you pick up contraband, all Terran ships will fire on you, because they assume you are a pirate. If you drop it, you're fine. They'll stop their attack. If you sell it, that is the end of it. You get away with it, and you aren't branded a pirate at all. A "lawful status" is employed to a certain extent. If you fire on a friendly ship, you are going to be attacked by friendlies until their shields regenerate. (I think http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/confused.gif )
7) I picked up some components that I don't know what they do. They may just be generic cargo for cargo missions. One was an Ice Melter or some such thing. It couldn't be installed on a ship and didn't seem to have any properties. One was a Magnetic Thingamajig; same question. Or are some components only able to be installed on some ships, but not others?
The components you describe are just generic cargo for cargo missions. They are only good for selling, or hauling around. There is no use in keeping them, or trying to put them on your ship.
8) I am able to use organic armor. This seems wrong (using SE4 rules) because I am not an organic race. Are there race restrictions and/or special techs that only some races can use?
Again, I don't have the full Version, but I don't think there are racial traits that affect the type of components you can throw on your ship.
9) Are there minesweeping components in the full Version? Also, why are mines visible? Again this seems wrong using SE4 rules.
Not sure
10) What does the "Negotiation" skill do for you? Does it increase profits for selling equipment and for doing missions? Seems worthless because points are better spent elsewhere IMHO.

Thanks in advance. Maybe I'll have more questions later.

Slick.
Again, for #10 I don't know. I hope you can find someone else to help you with these questions.

Renegade