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View Full Version : Import SE4 galaxies into Starfury


vaustein
October 4th, 2003, 09:14 PM
I thought someone must have asked this already; it was surprising that there were no search hits for this topic. Can SE4 galaxy maps be directly imported into Star Fury? This would naturally break the scripted plot arc, but it would be cool as h*ll.

Imaging playing SE4, saving the game, opening same in Star Fury, and starting a new SF campaign in the same galaxy from a first-person perspective. Non-standard races in the save file could be replaced with Star Fury analogs or mod-created empires.

This need not be merely cosmetic; the starting conditions of the Star Fury campaign should reflect the imported galaxy. If I play the Terrans in SE4 and do a lousy job of managing research and tech, then import the game into Star Fury and play a Terran merc, my choice of ships should be frighteningly inferior to what I'll encounter "out there".

Is my vision for Star Fury making sense? Interlocking with and opening up Space Empires 4 into a first person universe is most intriguing.

Phoenix-D
October 4th, 2003, 09:15 PM
Can't be done directly. You could do it manually though.

vaustein
October 4th, 2003, 09:18 PM
Can you be more specific? By manually, do you mean create a new SF map from scratch, and copy every feature by hand? Or does SF have limited SE4 map support?

Phoenix-D
October 4th, 2003, 09:37 PM
I mean from scratch, simply using the SE4 maps as a basis for the SF maps.

Baron Munchausen
October 4th, 2003, 11:25 PM
Yes, it came up during beta testing. He didn't respond specifically to the request, though. Too many mor eimmediate concerns I suspect. Perhaps MM could do this once he has many other important features nailed down. Or perhaps he'll wait until SE V to implement it.

Wydraz
October 5th, 2003, 04:09 AM
It would be very cool! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Runner
October 5th, 2003, 11:41 AM
If someone would give me a complete specification of the savegame format of SEIV I would write a little program, which would try to produce a Starfury universe from that.
I could actually go even further later, trying to merge the Starfury savegame back into the SEIV savegame! (given the Starfury savegame specification)
Like if you destroyed a space station of those <your enemy>, it wil be gone on your SEIV save again. That would be cool, wouldn't it?

cya, Runner

Runner
October 5th, 2003, 03:21 PM
That's exactly what I meant - a new, external tool which the user has to start by himself. And _if_ I find somewhere the specification of the savefiles, that's no problem, it's just a more or less dumb map of features from one game to another. But I really don't want to reverse-engineer the fileformat - would take me too much time than I am willing to spend.
Though there are lots of logic problems like I've never seen any pirate ships in SEIV, whereas in Starfury you get more pirates then merchants :-/ and other such things. Actually I haven't seen any merchants in SEIV as well...
cya, Runner

DeadZone
October 5th, 2003, 06:53 PM
If we had a galaxy editor I would like to see a unit placer in it as well, so you can see both at the same time

Rollo
October 6th, 2003, 01:28 AM
I don't see this happening really. Perhaps it would be possible to import .map files, but not savegames.
Also it would be kinda problematic if you import the turns from your PBW games to Starfury.
A galaxy editor for SF would be real handy for modders. I reckon it would be easier to make a new tool to do that, instead of making SE4 .map files convertible to SF.

Trev
October 6th, 2003, 02:04 AM
It's not possible to get a 1st person perspective in Starfury, is it?

Phoenix-D
October 6th, 2003, 02:32 AM
You could possible fudge it with the positioning controls, but in the stock game no.

narf poit chez BOOM
October 7th, 2003, 08:33 AM
hi, welcome to the forums.

do you like cheese? i like cheese.

CW
October 7th, 2003, 12:26 PM
In my SEIV empire, I've 10 warp points and 200 parked warships in the same sector as my capital planet. It's not easy to convert all that into the Starfury universe.

DeadZone
October 7th, 2003, 03:36 PM
But can you imagine that in SF
and your the enemy

Ragnarok
October 7th, 2003, 04:43 PM
Originally posted by DeadZone:
But can you imagine that in SF
and your the enemy<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I'd say bring it on.

Until they started firing at me... Then I'd run and scream like a little schoolgirl going to a NSUCK concert.*

*) No offense to little school girls who run screaming to NSUCK concerts. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Wydraz
October 7th, 2003, 04:51 PM
Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
hi, welcome to the forums.

do you like cheese? i like cheese.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Almost everyone gets this response once. What, do you have that stock post as a macro or sumpin? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

DeadZone
October 7th, 2003, 08:29 PM
Thats his way of welcoming ppl

Look at his avatar and guess why http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Wydraz
October 7th, 2003, 08:48 PM
Yes, I know. I also think it's a good way to up your post count. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif May I have some cheese?

Suicide Junkie
October 7th, 2003, 10:21 PM
Originally posted by Trev:
It's not possible to get a 1st person perspective in Starfury, is it?<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">The camera position for F7 mode is moddable based on which hull you have. Just move it to the appropriate place, and presto, it should work.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Viewing Distance Rotating Portrait := 40
Viewing Distance Side := 20
Viewing Distance Overhead := 100
Viewing Distance Above Behind XY := 20
Viewing Distance Above Behind Z := 10</pre><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">

Rollo
October 7th, 2003, 10:30 PM
Originally posted by Runner:
That's exactly what I meant - a new, external tool which the user has to start by himself. And _if_ I find somewhere the specification of the savefiles, that's no problem,... (snip)<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">hmm, that is not what I meant. I was talking about a tool to make modding starfury galaxies more easy. I don't see why you would need the savegame for that.
As said before, I do see problems concerning multiplayer games, when there is a tool that can read savegames.

narf poit chez BOOM
October 8th, 2003, 09:13 AM
*hands Wydraz some cheese*

honestly, i didn't even think of my post count.

DeadZone
October 8th, 2003, 02:07 PM
hmmm trying to think of something I could say to newbies from me
hmmm......

*taps head*
Stupid brain nvr thinks when its suppose too