Space Empires V PBW game?

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 12:03pm

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.

No biggie. I'm still not sure whether or not I'll need to do the same, or whether I can just substitute the updated .emp file with the same name when I create the game. Will PBW not know the difference, or will it spin in a circle flailing its arms and shouting "ERROR! ERROR!"?

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 12:06pm

By the way, people wanting to join should at least throw their hats in on the PBW site, even if they don't upload the .emp yet. Helps me see who's playing and who's not without having to guess.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-06 12:12pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:By the way, people wanting to join should at least throw their hats in on the PBW site, even if they don't upload the .emp yet. Helps me see who's playing and who's not without having to guess.

By my count we've got even more than twelve now.

Makes it interesting, those 1500 point technology racials are actually worth it in a long game. I'm sure they'll be a lot of backstabbing and betrayal and all around evil. Already fucking commies around I'm waiting for the nazis martians and cthulhu.

When we finally do start the game, probably the day you close enrollment, you'll probably have to delete and remake the game anyway, and add everybody in. With a news that everybody should pick shipsets that have been uploaded. What would make sense is a list of "approved" shipsets for this game. Already there's 4 people there who have to withdraw and rejoin if they're using custom.

ColonialAdmiral · Post by **ColonialAdmiral** » 2007-05-06 12:20pm

You shouldnt need to remake it for changing the version. I've played plenty of games that began at 1.25, but then when we started to play we changed it to 1.33. Should be fine.

Actually there are 14 shipsets on the Modding site. There could be a few more lurking around every where, but It did have over 200 shipsets for SEIV, so all of it probably bactracks there anyway.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 12:56pm

There's a difference between uploaded to the PBW site and actually installed, though, right? The shipsets need to be installed in PBW's SE V directory and in the mod directories, not just sittiing on some /pub folder.

Trogdor · Post by **Trogdor** » 2007-05-06 01:02pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:There's a difference between uploaded to the PBW site and actually installed, though, right? The shipsets need to be installed in PBW's SE V directory and in the mod directories, not just sittiing on some /pub folder.

I hope so, because I think I picked an SEIV Ur-Quan shipset when I was uploading my .emp file.

Brian, what's the word on Nitram, Shep, and Stark? Do you know yet if they're in?

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 01:12pm

I'm pretty sure the .emp files are just uploaded so PBW can send them out to the host, and the ship set choice is just for people to download them. It's the host that actually creates the game, and I think he can substitute whatever .emp file and ship set he feels like without PBW being the wiser as long as PBW has a local copy of the ship set. I could be wrong, of course.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-06 01:14pm

Trogdor wrote:Brian, what's the word on Nitram, Shep, and Stark? Do you know yet if they're in?

I don't know, Nephtys knows Nitram, the other two I was hoping they'd notice the thread on their own. If it comes to it in a few days I'll bug them, or maybe somebody else can. Stark was playing with us as a replacement player for awhile in the first fucked up SE:V game, but I don't know if he's still interested, and Shep I don't really know personally.

I wasn't talking about remaking the game for different versions CA... can always bug admins to change the version. Just remaking the game to upload empires so a dozen people don't have to withdraw and rejoin. Already 4 people have uploaded their empire files with custom shipsets without realizing. The approved shipsets list is probably the best bet, on the news page in PBW since people skim over bbs posts. Once they're installed somehow.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 01:28pm

Yeah, but the ship set doesn't have to be installed on PBW now, just when we start, right?

Anyway, I wouldn't hold out much hope for anyone who hasn't even posted in this thread, especially Shep, who has never expressed the slightest interest in a PBW game, even when asked directly. I think it will probably be the people we have now +Nephtys, Covenant, and perhaps one more, which is pretty damn good. 8-10 is pretty much perfect, I think.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-06 02:14pm

You're probably right.

I'm thinking the most hassle free way, to avoid false starts and pain for one or two players who have their shipsets fucked up, is have everybody join up, now. When you close the game, everybody has to pm you Tuxedo with a link to the shipset they're using. Then you can download them all, put them in one big file and ask the PBW admins to install the shipsets into the balance mod folder. Then you can recreate the game, invite everybody, and they can pick the shipsets now installed on PBW when they upload their empire.

It's a roundabout way, but elsewise there's going to be one or two people who didn't withdraw and rejoin, or don't have the shipset installed on PBW. Better to bug the admins once for one massive update, than ten times (I'm sure they'll appreciate it ha).

edit: the link idea is especially important if it's true the shipsets have to be "installed" rather than sitting in /pub, and especially since people are making custom shipsets like Nephtys and Covenant. Also if people are making minor alterations to existing shipsets I think they should change the directory path, to avoid confusion. Also, the link + ask admins to put in balance mod folder is a good idea, because it sidesteps the issue of having to release the shipset publicly, which is what CA is worrying about with the permission issue, and maybe Covenant doesn't have to release it to the public if he doesn't want to on PBW. Then, Tuxedo can post a message with a link to all ten shipsets here, on SDN, so there's no confusion where to get what or how to get what.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 02:46pm

Sounds like a plan.

EDIT: So to summarize, everyone who's interested should join up now so I don't have to guess. Then once the new patch is out, make a new .emp file or revise the existing one with whatever ship set you want and send me both the ship set and the .emp file, and include your PBW handle in the e-mail so I don't get confused. Then I'll put the ship sets in a zip file and ask the PBW admins to install it to the SE V and Balance Mod folders and send it to everyone to do the same, and we should be good to go. I'm not sure recreating the game is necessary if I substitute all the .emp files, but it might be.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 02:58pm

In terms of tactics, the mod does seem pretty true to its name. There's no one overpowering crush-your-soul weapon or tactic. One thing that worked well in SE IV that will not work well here is weapon/engine/etc. targeting weapons, because they don't automatically penetrate shields. Missile weapons are pretty powerful and hard to shoot down lots of them without a shit ton of PD, but direct-fire weapons also seem good. Armor looks like it has better resistance / kT than shields, but you eventually run out of slots and you have to repair any damage you sustain. Also, armor seems to be mildly leaky. Noticed that when I lost half my armor, I also lost a few inside components.

ColonialAdmiral · Post by **ColonialAdmiral** » 2007-05-06 03:02pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Sounds like a plan.

EDIT: So to summarize, everyone who's interested should join up now so I don't have to guess. Then once the new patch is out, make a new .emp file or revise the existing one with whatever ship set you want and send me both the ship set and the .emp file, and include your PBW handle in the e-mail so I don't get confused. Then I'll put the ship sets in a zip file and ask the PBW admins to install it to the SE V and Balance Mod folders and send it to everyone to do the same, and we should be good to go. I'm not sure recreating the game is necessary if I substitute all the .emp files, but it might be.

I'm don't quite know how it works, but I think once the shipsets are uploaded to pbw, the admins install them into the various folders. However, PBW is notorious for never having it's admins show up. Somebodys trying to get the IRM mod to PBW but no admin with enough authority has been lurking around to install it for weeks.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 03:05pm

Hmm. So we should upload the ship sets as soon as possible, and then start the game and see if they worked. If not, we'll recreate?

ColonialAdmiral · Post by **ColonialAdmiral** » 2007-05-06 03:09pm

Yeah I guess....We could get them all uploaded, then have everybody send in the emp. files. We could then do a test run and make sure everything works a couple days before the patch is due out....

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 03:49pm

Maybe I should start the game just to see what happens?

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-06 05:10pm

Argh, we're not waiting? This is the worst weekend ever. What a nightmare! Don't start without me!

Pfew! I thought it'd be completely joined-up. Thankfully, it's not, only 7 or so people joined so far. I slapped in myself. I have no shipset or Empire decided yet, or Empire file, or ANYTHING. But at least my foot's in the door.

Can someone give me an idea what's good and what's not? I played SEIV with you guys, but only using ST:mod, and that was totally non-standard.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 05:13pm

I mean to "start" as in test fire, not start the actual game.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-06 05:16pm

Covenant wrote:Argh, we're not waiting? This is the worst weekend ever. What a nightmare! Don't start without me!

Tuxedo isn't starting, he's just starting to... uh yeah.

All this admin bullcrap is SDN standard, pay no attention to it lol it'll probably be two weeks until we start, probably Friday until anything at all. Then it'll probably get shunted over to next Monday, who knows.

=====

Tuxedo maybe someone can make a new game, upload a custom shipset and see if PBW "automatically" installs it. Although I don't think so man, PBW was designed with SE:IV in mind and there's no problem with that in SE:IV. I bet it doesn't even install shipsets at all without an admin. I'm sure an admin could be pestered to install all our shipsets into the balance mod folder, this "weeks away" thing I never experienced, I always got it in a few days but maybe because I'm nice asking and don't ask more than once lol. The admins respond to the "bugs and requests" forum really fast.

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-06 05:19pm

Heh, well, I got myself joined up--or at least pending to join. So it's all good now. SDN SE V, right?

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 05:22pm

Let's do it this way, I'll make a test game and someone can join with a custom ship set and we'll see whether it works or not.

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-05-06 05:29pm

BTW, I also just installed CVXporter for Maya7, so I'll be able to create us some .X files now, which should let me make custom shipsets. Or, just as cool, allow me to import things and then export them out again. IE, like the ships from Homeworld, which would be my first interest. I'm going to see if I can. I'd like to kick some ass as the Vagyr!

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2007-05-06 06:01pm

Test game has been created and cleverly named "Test game". Only one other person needs to join, but more can if they want to. I'll start it in an hour or so.

ColonialAdmiral · Post by **ColonialAdmiral** » 2007-05-06 06:02pm

Its funny that they don't respond to the admin requests forum at PBW...Some of that stuffs been in there since early april, no response...

darthkommandant · Post by **darthkommandant** » 2007-05-06 06:04pm

Ill join as the Galactic Empire from Star Wars using the imperial flag and the imperial ship set. The realism mod however is now working fortunately.