Space Empires V PBW game?

Trogdor · Post by **Trogdor** » 2007-05-08 06:11pm

Personally I'd prefer large, but that's because I tend to rather prefer a period of isolation at the start. Clearly, though, I'm very much in the minority here, and I hardly view medium as terrible.

I would, though, like to add that if we all start right on top of each other like we did in the Adamant game, then I think we should restart rather than deal with being so cramped.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-08 06:42pm

Cramped is really subjective though. Both me and Tuxedo had loads of room to expand.

Was our trial SE:V game medium? I had four or five empty star systems all to myself, but I remember people being cramped as shit.

ColonialAdmiral · Post by **ColonialAdmiral** » 2007-05-08 06:43pm

I would prefer a large. With a medium, we are going to get 3-4 systems max before we start encountering people. Im in a game with 12 people on medium, and the first 3 start systems I had were all pretty much surrounded. It gets really messy when you have people flying around in your space that early...I think we should go large.

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2007-05-08 06:45pm

No complaints. I won't leave this game like I left the Star Trek one either, seeing as I'm no longer a depressed, unpredictable ass like I was then.

And yeah, I was kinda proud of my crystalline superiority. Feels good to waltz through your enemies untouched. Do you know who I am?

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-08 07:05pm

When I create the map, I could always select the possible starting locations in advance so that everyone has at least a few systems and nobody starts right next to each other.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-08 07:08pm

Does anyone know who this "Soul Crusher" guy is? Don't want to let someone join and then have him not know what's going on and hold up the show. If he doesn't post here by the time we're bound to start, I'll just kick.

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-08 08:27pm

Anyone have a link to the SEV shipset modding links, if there are any? I want to know how to turn my glorious Vree into readable files. I have a .X extractor for Maya, I just need to know how the game handles scaling and textures.

Behold the face of your doom!

Or if your tastes are more oldskool:

I could definately see the Slylandro berserker probe coming back as a real force of terror in Balance Mod. Agility, small ships, and discharge weapons would make for a rather potent combination. In-game, they were also armed with a missile that they never deployed. They would rather flay your ship with lightning than attack it overtly, due to their unique orders.

ColonialAdmiral · Post by **ColonialAdmiral** » 2007-05-08 08:37pm

Try www.spaceempires.net/home.
They have lots of tips, and special forums available for each mod. There are also alot of people who have been with spaceempires for along time there...

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2007-05-08 09:10pm

Trogdor wrote:I've pulled out and rejoined so I can upload the Ur-Quan shipset this time. Sorry about the annoyance, Tux.

Neph, have you made a Brotherhood of Nod shipset? If so, that's the most awesome thing ever. I've wanted to make one for some time but my lack of anything resembling the neccessary skills prevented me from doing so.

I didn't. I just made the flag. But for curiosity, today, I decided to try one. I gave myself an hour to get used to it and make a few models and tried to see how far I got.

So far, so good.

NO MATCH FOR THE SCORPION.

Venom Spam!

I figure I could make some pretty decent shipset with simple DOGA, the easiest lego program in the world. Just make a buggy, attack bike, and Scorp tank as my vehicles, my fighters would be a Banshee, Venom and Vertigo..

My escort-class ships would be variations of large Venom
My cruiser-class ships would be scaled up Scorpion-type hulls.
My capital ships would be scaled-up 'new' MCVs
My super-capital and starbases would be the Temple of Nod with engines.

Probably could make a whole set in 2 hours.

Trogdor · Post by **Trogdor** » 2007-05-08 10:31pm

Fricken' sweet.

Is that a GDI humvee the Scorpions are blowing up?

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-08 11:32pm

Oh ye of little sense of quality! While Neph languishes in the depths of embarassment at having her DoGA models come out funky, I have made great progress! Behold!

That's a Hiigaaran Battlecruiser. I've got the textures set out as well. Once I figure out how SEV handles textures, I'll be able to spit out Homeworld models (and by extension, the models from Warlords) with much less effort than previously expected.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2007-05-08 11:38pm

Yes, all praise Relic for their modeling skills!

And Covenant for his second-hand modeling skills!

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-08 11:50pm

Woot a homeworld shipset!

Don't suppose I could bribe you somehow. I seriously would consider giving someone a starting homeworld, if they made me a shpset LOL.

I wish there was a Terran Confederacy. Or even better, UED or Sons of Korhal.

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-08 11:55pm

A WINNER IS ME.

And, by proxy, you guys I suppose. I suppose!

It appears I got the texturing to work. ;D

This means I'll be able to create and export all the homeworld models, which I would very much like to do. I can also create kitbashes of them to make things a bit more interesting if need be.

It also also means I can grab files from things like the Warlord's mod, I believe, to give us access to a much better looking Star Wars shipset. I believe there's a few other Homeworld 2 mods out there with nice stuff, like the one that brings in the Taiidani and Kadeshi designs. I'd be interested in playing a Kadeshi species. And who better to take the role of merchant than Bentusi?

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-09 12:10am

Wow that looks incredible

.

I can't wait to see a Constitution face off against that stuff.

I hope my graphics card doesn't choke on all that texture. I remember Brad said he was having problems finding Mechwarrior models with a low enough... uh something.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-09 12:40am

Awesome work. I look forward to blasting it to pieces.

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-09 12:42am

Don't worry, the poly counts are very low. Homeworld models are extremely low poly, they just have nice textures and VERY complex environments with a lot of space.

GuppyShark · Post by **GuppyShark** » 2007-05-09 01:48am

Yeah, I had a hard time finding low poly BattleMech models. I would probably have ended up having to scratch build them, had SEV not been so bug ridden that I gave up on my project before it started.

Here's hoping it's better now!

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2007-05-09 03:16am

If I get around to it before the game starts, I'll probably create and switch to a Galactic Terran Alliance or Shivan shipset.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-09 10:42am

You can switch to whatever you want. I'll be using what people e-mail me, not what's been uploaded to PBW. Then I'll zip it all up and ask the PBW admins to install it. After three months of Sundays and Hell freezes over twice, then maybe they'll install it and we'll be able to do automatic turns.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-09 12:32pm

I might use the TNG shipset instead. It's a lot better done, and the ST:TMP shipset actually takes models from the TNG shipset, it's ripshod. The ships are Nova (frigate), Intrepid (destroyer), New Orleans (light cruiser), Akira (cruiser), Galaxy (battleship), Sovereign (dreadnaught.) I would've preferred the light cruiser be Akira, and the cruiser be Nebula, considering we haven't seen that much of New Orleans at all, but I guess Atrocities thought the Nebula and Galaxy were way too similar. Lack of Excelsior makes it not a Dominion War shipset either.

I've revised my strategy: I'll probably be trying for the win, and energy stream weapons. Just like in SE:IV, it seems in SE:V stock energy stream weapons are the winner in the long run, due to the half-decrease in accuracy given range factor. But missiles definitely have the edge to start out with, hard to shoot down without PD6+ and flak cannons and bomblet missiles. The big factor in my decision is fighters. I see no way flak cannons or bomblet missiles can counter a fighter whore, given the flaks do at most 35 and the other kinds of PD 15, pathetic compared to a 40 kT large fighter with shields and armor. Eventually fighters get so tough you have to hit them with main batteries to knock them out in one hit, and PD always, always loses to a fighter whore, at least at max technology. I don't particularly like the idea of making large numbers of fighters myself to counter fighters. I also do not like the idea that someone can shoot down my damage before it even hits them.

The main advantage of going seekers is you don't need combat sensors, but someone going for the win has to research sensors for anti-cloak. So the choice seems made for me, especially since you get small anti-proton beam with energy stream as well for your own fighters. The half-decrease is a singificant factor at maximum technology. One thing I couldn't ignore was seekers couldn't even target fighters in the first place.

I'll be weak as shit to start, and probably weak during the middle game though. I'm not saying that a person can't go missiles and win: a combination of missiles and firing at maximum range and some flak and bomblet for your own anti-fighter and anti-missile seems to work fine, unlike in SE:IV where seekers are useless. But it probably takes more finesse than I've got to make that work, and a lot more careful use of the research tree. For me I'll be dumping my research points into sensors, energy stream weapons, hull sizes and point-defense weapons.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-09 01:20pm

Man plasma missiles freak me out. There doesn't seem to be a way to kill them without fighters or obscene hull sizes. Just pitted cruisers versus frigates with plasma missiles (the basic design 5 engines 3 plasma missiles solar sail and control) and the frigates ruled.

I hope it doesn't turn into a rock paper sissor contest. Does anybody have an answer for plasma frigates that isn't fighters and isn't getting dreadnaughts.

Luke Starkiller · Post by **Luke Starkiller** » 2007-05-09 01:56pm

I'd like to get in on this too, I am Dave13 on PBW.

Just to be sure I read it right, when creating my empire I get the Low starting Tech points (50000)?

I'll take the stock shipset that looks like it belongs in the Federation if it hasn't yet been spoken for.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2007-05-09 02:37pm

Luke Starkiller wrote:when creating my empire I get the Low starting Tech points (50000)?

I think that was a mistake, earlier in the thread Tux said 0 tech points.

brianeyci wrote:Man plasma missiles freak me out.

Are those the short/medium range ones that can't be shot down and have a long reload time?

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-09 03:52pm

It's green, it's called plasma missile and has 11 levels. You get it by getting chemistry, then plasma missile at 30k research a piece. They've got 30 damage resistance.

You need an extremely large ship to mount enough PD to stop plasma missiles, and mounted directed energy weapons. Right now it seems the nBSG way of fighting is the most potent... shitloads of fighters, combined with capital ships with "nukes" and PD, and large numbers screening ships (Raptors?) firing missiles at maximum range. Not surprising given this is "balance" mod, but I wish there was a way to go Star Trek and forget fighters and still be competitive.