Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Duh.... Me not speak so good. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/blush.gif
You probably guessed that I meant the Empire from Star Wars. I will adopt the term "Imperial" to avoid such confusion. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Anyway, as you likely also guessed, I simply meant that if making larger units seemed to throw off game balance, one could quite easily just bump up the racial trait cost a bit. If you want these to stay at zero however (for asthetic's sake for example) then just ignore my babblings.

[ October 16, 2002, 23:31: Message edited by: jimbob ]

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Sorry, long time no speak here. What all can I distill from the B5 mod for y'all?

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Probably the whole thing. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

You Vorlons crack me up http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

The Vorlons were banished from the StarWars galaxy becaused ther dared to speak more like a fortune cookie than Yoda.

I'll take a look at Last Version of the B5 mod and see, but yeah I'd like to add most of it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I can barely wait to see how Fyron roleplays them in the PBW game, it's a challenge to be that vague.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Well I started to revise the data files of the B5 Mod and got lost in the obscenely big components.txt

Maybe we'll have to distill a simplified Version of the mod.

I think that 43 racial traits and near 3000 components are a little too much.
Not only because of the problem that for example means adding an extra tech req to all comps.
But also because IMHO those too many choices only complicate things for players.

Some requests and ideas:
*I want to add the custom vehicle sizes I had made, to keep relative sizes between universes. Maybe will also need to add standard-sized hulls because they all seem to be too big, but we'll have to consider if any important changes need to be made for bigger hull sizes.

*I don't want to change standard techs and I want to make them available for everyone.
That means for example that Gas colonies will not be 100 more expensive to research.
And techs with higher max such as propulsion will have to be split in the standard "Propulsion" for 1-12 levels and "Advanced Propulsion" for the additional 11 levels.

*Keep only the racial traits for major races, and maybe a general "B5 Neutral Race"

*Most of the Light/Medium/Heavy variations of components can be replaced by weapon mounts (in 1.78 they can be restricted by tech and made available for only some comp families)

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">*snicker* Now ya know why I been thrown into the mental ward on B5. I go nutzzzz figgering out what to put into AI_designcreation for the B5 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

oh, BTW hi all!

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Yeah, it is a bit daunting... It has certainly grown from the original mini-mod a year ago.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

And BTW do NOT try to print it out

*Da path whistles non-chalantly as he shoves all that paper into the waste bin*

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I have a stupid question.

I have tried to play the Babylon 5 Mod, but I get multiple errors during startup.

Which of the files do I need to install and in what order. I am anxious to play.

Thanks!

[ October 19, 2002, 00:23: Message edited by: Morgoth ]

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Morgoth: Did you play it in Gold?
the "official" Version is non-gold atm. PDF did a Gold Version in June which is posted for d/l in the SE IV data/sound forum. You can make non-gold AI conform to Gold by modifying the AI_fleet and AI_setting files.

http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...0;t=000002;p=3

Look for the flaming head (June 4th) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[ October 19, 2002, 00:39: Message edited by: pathfinder ]

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Thanks!

Now all I have to do is fix Lescano's Mod http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

To make it gold compatible you have to edit not only the AI but also data files.
For example picture lines in vehiclesizes.txt and Vehicle Type/Weapon Target in components.txt
(there are hundreds of other details like these but I cant remember them all, check DataFileHistory.txt)

But mine is still incomplete but I'm using Last gold patch.
If there is enough demand we may want to downgrade it for 1.49 once it's more or less finished.

[ October 19, 2002, 04:42: Message edited by: Andr&eacutes Lescano ]

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I just thought I'd post some random impressions from my ongoing playtest game (still using the 'old' SW tech tree) :

- Infantry could be a separate tech area from Troops (aka Vehicles). Troops is expensive to research as is (50k Construction + 50k for Troops 1). You shouldn't need Construction to research Infantry.

- Infantry weapons could also be separate from vehicle weapons, so you can research them without having to go through Construction.

- Fighter-mounted proton torpedoes are devastating. My curent TIE Bomber design has a cockpit, two engine Is, two laser IVs, four PT IIs and one armor - three Groups of eight bombers each are more than enough to guard a warp point against the 'SE IV Klingons' (#1 empire in the game - I'm #2). While this huge advantage is balanced by poor capital ship tech, I think PT launchers could be made larger - 4kt instead of 2kt. The TIE Bomber would hold 2 of them (which would be more accurate) and you wouldn't be able to fit one on a TIE Fighter. Caduceus Fighters could becom a 6-level tech area, with the TIE Bomber inserted at level 2.

- All Imperial fighters currently have two engines and move 8 sectors (except for the Scimitar bomber), but it would be nicer if the Interceptor was a little bit faster, the Bomber a little bit slower, and so on. I'll fiddle around with the numbers and see if I can bring it off (I'm a 'numbers' sort of guy, I guess). http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

An update :

- The Klingons have started sending light carriers and ships with PDCs against me, so now my TIE bomber Groups are taking heavy losses - but they still destroy fleets worth many times their cost before being defeated.

- Here's my suggestion for SW fighters with speeds in scale with their MGLT Ratings (my main source is the game X-Wing Alliance, plus various websites for New Republic era craft).

Engine thrust Ratings will have to be increased :

Ion engine I - 32
Ion engine II - 36
Ion engine III - 40
Ion engine IV - 44
Ion engine V - 48

Abbreviations : EPM - engines per move, Max - maximum engines, SM - strategic move (with Ion Engines III), CM - combat move (with Ion Engines III), MGLT - MGLT rating.

TIE Fighter
EPM = 8
Max = 2
SM = 10
CM = 5
MGLT = 100

TIE Bomber
EPM = 10
Max = 2
SM = 8
CM = 4
MGLT = 80

TIE Interceptor
EPM = 7
Max = 2
SM = 11
CM = 6
MGLT = 111

TIE Advanced
EPM = 6
Max = 2
SM = 13
CM = 7
MGLT = 133

TIE Defender
EPM = 8
Max = 3
SM = 15
CM = 8
MGLT = 144

Note : The Defender has a threefold symmetry, so it's reasonable to suppose it might have 3 ion engines instead of 2.

TIE Scimitar
EPM = 17
Max = 4
SM = 9
CM = 5
MGLT = 90 to 100 (exact value uncertain)

Z-95 Headhunter
EPM = 16
Max = 4
SM = 10
CM = 5
MGLT = 100

Y-Wing
EPM = 10
Max = 2
SM = 8
CM = 4
MGLT = 80

X-Wing
EPM = 16
Max = 4
SM = 10
CM = 5
MGLT = 100

A-Wing
EPM = 6
Max = 2
SM = 13
CM = 7
MGLT = 120

B-Wing
EPM = 17
Max = 4
SM = 9
CM = 5
MGLT = 91

E-Wing
EPM = 14
Max = 4
SM = 11
CM = 6
MGLT = 110

K-Wing
EPM = 8
Max = 3
SM = 15
CM = 8
MGLT = 140

These figures are not 100% to scale, but they're acceptable (to me at least). I tested all of the TIE craft with the new engines and EPM values and the move values were as shown; Rebel fighters should follow the same pattern.

Hope it helps.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I don't want to be a bummer, but it is my thinking that the fighters, while nimble and quick in combat, are not so fast in intra-system movement. What about giving them less movement points, and more combat movement bonuses? Then the combat movement could be very high, allowing them to make initial contact during combat well in advance of any capital ships (which seems to be how they're used in both the movies and in the various games like X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter, etc)

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

While I do agree that fighters should not be allowed to travel up and down and across a system at will, I feel that this has more to do with range than speed. There is no reason to suppose that a TIE fighter travels any slower on a long-term basis than it does in the short term, but you can't sit inside one for one month straight (nor inside an X-wing, for that matter).

My suggestion, if we want to implement this, is to make fighter engines 'burn' more supplies per move (or - and I prefer this option - store less of them), so they can only move a few sectors (4-6 is my guess) before running out of supplies. This would allow you to transfer fighters between planets, but they would become a much less effective defensive force.

You could give the fighter life support component some supply storage, so that Rebel craft can have a little more range than TIEs (you could also design a TIE craft with a life support component to give it more range - give it some shields and you have Vader's fighter).

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Very good point. And I like your solution too.
I'm sold.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

OK, here's some more stuff on fighters :

- Fighter ion engines currently hold 50 supply each. Reducing this value to, say, 16 will allow them to travel only 8 sectors (less if they fire their weapons). The life support component could hold an extra 20 supplies to give Rebel fighters added range.

- All of the fighters (Rebel and Imperial) can be recreated as they appear in the movies with the current hull sizes, except for the X-Wings. Cockpit + life support + 4 engines + 2 launchers (2 kt each) + 4 lasers + shields (5 kt) + R2 unit = 20 kt (current X-Wing fuselage size is 19 kt).

- Fighter hitpoints are a bit too high - since the best fighter laser cannon does 3 points of damage and since you should be able to take a TIE fighter out with one shot from twin LCs and an X-Wing (unshielded) with 2-3 shots, that's 5-6 structure for a TIE fighter and 12-18 for an X-Wing. My suggestion is to make the fighter ion engine 1 kt space and structure and the shield generator 5 kt space and 1 kt structure.

- Fighter launchers are definitely too powerful; one solution is to make torpedo launchers 4 kt in size and structure, another is to adjust their damage Ratings (material for my next post). http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

- Andres, do you have a tech list ready for the Rebels ? I could try to write one if it's OK with you.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Don't worry too much about making sure that every little detail is portrayed exactly as it is in the movies. That doesn't really matter very much. What matters is that you get the Star Wars flavor. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I agree with IF about the flavour vs. the exact replication of fighter schematics from the actual SW references.

That said:

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Could you increase the Reb. fighter size to 20 kT without imbalancing things too much? Or perhaps the R2 size could come down a notch (I actually haven't looked up an R2 size, is it greater than 1 kT?)

Anyway, just some thoughts. Keep up the great work.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

R2s are 1kt and X-Wings can be made as they’re supposed to be, only primitive R1s are 2kt.

Changing structure resistance of fighters would make them very vulnerable against PDC fire. PDC also influences effectiveness of fighter missiles and must be considered when balancing their damage.

I’m rebalancing fighter movements, to increase contrast in speed between capital ships and fighters, I wanted to make 10 HTML = 1 combat mov, no a strategic one.
Most fighters can travel between planets in the same system, even if most times that involves a micro-jump. But having twice their combat movs would make faster ones have near 30 movements and I agree that is too much. I’m playing with values en an excel spreadsheet and going to a mixed system with different eng per mov + builtin combat movs in hulls.

I have made a tech list for the rebels, I’ll post it ASAP in the site.

I want to make Interdictors somekind of stellar manipulator ships, specially some kind of warp point manipulators, since those are important in SE4. Do you have any ideas of how to implement them?

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

You can only build the 'movie' X-Wings if you increase their size from 19 to 20 kt. Unless you consider that one launcher component represents the fighter's twin launchers (I hadn't thought of that).

I realise that changing fighter structure will lead to all kinds of issues with AFLs, PDCs and so on; but you won't get the 'one shot from another fighter and you're dead' effect the way things are right now. What if you increase fighter LC V damage from 3 to 4 points ? That could also work.

On the movement scale, I was aiming for 10 MGLT = 1 strategic move. I think your scale is better, on my scale fighters would be too slow in combat when compared to SW capital ships.

I think I've read about interdictors in this thread, IIRC at the time the best solution seemed to be to make them warp point closers.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Just give the fighters low strategic move, and bonus combat movement, and all is well. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Fyron, I was just going to do that.

Erax, I think that was it, X-wings were supposed have 1 torp, 1 R2 and a tar comp in the remaining space.
Enlarging the hull to 20kt is not big deal anyway, but I agree with Fyron and jimbob, we don't need (and probably can't) replicate everything exactly as in the movies, in SE4 you have freedom to make different designs and research technologies in different order, so you'd probably only design them that way for roleplaying reasons.

The same applies to lasers against TIEs, I guess we can boost lasers a little, but then pehaps they will get too powerful against capital ships.
Besides IIRC in the simulators you needed at least a two-cannons-linked (and fully charged) impact to destroy a T/F in one shot. In SE4 cannons are allways linked (of the entire fighter group!), and you need a double or triple impact to destroy a TIE so we're not that far.

Yes wp closers fit the interdictors role, but we can't just close wp we'll also need somekind of wp opener and I was thinking that it sould also go in a variation of interdictors.

What about this:
Interdictor hull has negative combat bonuses (although it can carry some weapons and fighters) + a built-in QR or very high supply storage
"Gravity-Wave Generator" component consumes a massive amount of supplies to close or open WPs (opening and closing ones would be separated ones).

Other larger ships such as the Eclipse and Sovereign should be able to carry enough reactors to feed their GWGs.

Rebel's Modified Strike Cruisers should only be large enough to carry only an opener or a closer but not both.

I was also considering to test if the "Stop Open Warp Point" ability (and perhaps some other SM prevention) works for components, but even if it does you wouldn't be able to turn it on and off without either refitting the ship or getting rid of it.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Tar comp ? Wazzat ? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/confused.gif

Regarding X-Wings : I agree, but the whole point of the thing is to roleplay (to me, anyway).

Regarding TIEs : Yes, we're not that far, structures are only 30-35% more resistant vs. fighter lasers than they 'should' be. It's no big deal really, if you say there will be balance issues then I believe you.

On the Interdictors : The big problem, as I see it, is you can only use SM outside combat. The Interdictors were designed to 'drop' passing ships into realspace (unnecessary in SE IV, since everyone is in realspace already) and to prevent enemy ships from leaving combat (also unnecessary, because you can't escape from SE IV combat once it starts, you can only try to run away using your standard drives). In fact, it's as if there were Interdictors present at every battle already ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

If you give them WP openers and closers, they will be used to project attack fleets into the enemy's rear area, and that is not their role at all.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Anyway WP manipulation will be importnt in an SE4 game and we'll need some Version of that.
Interdictors have a role that is related with SM.

Targeting Compurters or perhaps some armor.

[ November 02, 2002, 19:42: Message edited by: Andr&eacutes Lescano ]

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Well, make sure to head on over to " POLL->things we'd really like in Next Patch (Platinum II) " and submit your vote(s) for multiple Warp Point Types then (plug plug plug), and we can maybe get Aaron to introduce different types of warp points - letting us produce different types of FTL travel by SciFi Genre. Maybe then we can have more specific uses of the Interdictors.

Just some thoughts (plug plug plug)

jimbob

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I've been thinking about Warp Points... you could make events more frequent in the Settings file (say, 100%), http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif then make the Unstable Warp Point event common and create lots Unstable Warp Point events in the Events file (and I mean LOTS; there would have to be 3+ times as many of them as 'regular' events).

The effect would be to create a galaxy in which at least one warp point would be closing per turn. That's not enough to enable us to use the Hyperdrive as a warp point opener component, but as close as we can get.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Right!

But imagine if you could have it so that the warp point would allow only one ship through per turn... or what if it automatically closed after being used. Now you could have only ships equiped with the Warp Point Openning drives (WPOd) actually going FTL.
Admittedly it lends itself more to B5 because any ship could go through the warp point, regardless of the presence of absense of a WPOd on it.
Then if we could lengthen or shorten the time needed to pass through the WP, that would give us relative speeds, while limiting the range would affect the actual range the drive is possible of in one turn (I don't think you can do multiple Stellar Manip actions in a single turn - at least not in Simultaneous games).

Jim

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If the "destroyed on use" ability is removed, you should be able to open as many as you have movement and supplies for.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Even in simulataneous?
Never had the pleasure of trying so I honestly don't know.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Probably not in one turn..but then again if you don't tell it to leave the sector, it just might work. You'll still be able to make another the next turn no matter what though.

Phoenix-D

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Just some random info... These are the speeds for the various warheads in the game X-Wing Alliance (I researched this way back for another game project) :

Concussion Missile: 234 MGLT
Advanced Concussion Missile: 247 MGLT
Proton Torpedo: 117 MGLT
Advanced Proton Torpedo: 148 MGLT
Heavy Rocket: 48 MGLT
Space Bomb: 25 MGLT

X-Wing (for comparison): 100 MGLT

Hope it helps.

P.S. - How can I upload my own avatar image ?

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">To upload your own avatar image, follow these handy steps given by Taz-in-Space:

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Thanks ! Now I'm off to find a suitable image... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Edit: See how you like it...

[ November 20, 2002, 20:57: Message edited by: Erax ]

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

The images is good. Seems to me it needs to be a little larger. Ah, maybe it's just me.

mlmbd http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

I didn't want to cut off the lower part of the image to get more detail. I am an information pack-rat. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Erax, in that case, it is exactly the right size!

mlmbd http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Maybe you can stretch the image horizontally to make it square? Nah, bad idea, it will mess up the aspect ratio...

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Yeah, don't want to mess with any aspect ratios!!

mlmbd http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Stop discussing about avatars and get back to the mod!

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Actually, Andres is doing the mod, all we are doing is kicking around some ideas about ship and fighter stats. If he likes them, he will try to mod them in.
But you are right... we should get back to SW ship stats. Be with you soon with more numbers. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Here are links to SciFi stats and stuff

Trek:
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/

Starwars:
http://www.galacticempiredatabank.com/Main.html
http://www.theforce.net/swtc/
http://www1.theforce.net/CUSWE/default.asp

Starwars/Startrek:
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/index.html

Battlestar Galactica:
http://www.tecr.com/galactica/

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Sorry for the long time without working on this mod.
If I continue at the current speed this mod will never be finished.

I need to recruit some volunteers to help me put together this project that from the beginning was meant to be bigger than me.

I need someone to mod the maps, the FQM could be a good start, but there are several details I'd like to change. Remove some "unrealistic" systems, add some others, add station/planets (there was a thread about this recently).

I need someone to make the B5 mod fit into the standard techs that are being to be shared by everyone, that means shortening or splitting some tech areas. Somehow reduce the number of redundant components, consolidating too similar ones, and if possible making different sizes into weapon mounts, add custom ship sizes for every race according to my "scaling".

With AST mod out and TNG mod in beta testing there should be enough for someone to start working in making trek fit the base tech tree.

I'll try to add SW bases and interdictors to finish the basic part of the two main SW races.

We'll sure want to add more races (B5, ST and SW) that I had not included in the original release.

I also need someone with web design experience to help me manage and improve my site.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

What exactly did you plan on changing with FQM? Tell me, and I'll do it for you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Let's see...

* warp points: I had tried to add B5 jumpgates and ST-DS9 wormholes, to make the game pick a normal se4 wp or any of those at random. But it didn't seem to work, although I could pick any of the 3 pics in the map editor, the map generators always seems to pick the first one. This needs more testing and maybe you know a trick involving special types or something like that.

* remove most multi-star systems with planets. Not even binary systems are supposed to have planets, but there are already canonical planets in binary systems so they will make an exemption.

* Sometimes the word system is used to described a close cluster (either physically or only politically close) of several star systems.
I was planning to use this concept in the SW map (that is something else I'd need help with) to overcome the 255 systems limit, by condensing two or three systems into one but making it look like each planet orbits only one of the multiple stars of the system.

* There are at least 2 SW examples (Ossus and Byss/Abyss) of binary systems where the planets follow a bizarre 8 shaped orbit around its two suns. I tried to make these systems but they didn't look very good.

* Most stars are damaging and cloaking.

* Asteroid abilities should be only damage and cloaking.

* Athega system (planet Nkllon) - Description: Strong radiation from the star damage space vehicles, making travel through the system dangerous, but is an invaluable source of metals.
damage + forced None atmosphere planets (at least the inner/s one/s) + very high value or some mining bonus if possible. Too bad we cannot make Shieldships.

* B5 hyperspace system (also SW Version of hyperspace?).

* ST badlands.

* add a few tiny-none planets (large inhabitable asteroids) scattered among the asteroid systems.

* Lonely gas giant system, with 20+ moons!

* Perhaps also some gas giants in other systems with 20+ moons.

* I want medium moons back, even if we have to set some systems to "empires cannot start in" to avoid location problems.

* I had also added a couple of custom planet with and their respective sector types. There will be more.

* add station looking micro planets. 2 or 3 facilities (0 domed) + a relatively large cargo space to make them able to have more platforms and fighters and make them look more station-like. Rock-ox since that’s what most, if not all sci-fi races will breathe. I don't care about having them randomly added. As a matter of fact some rock-ox should have or have the potential to add dozens of them orbiting them.

This is all I can think of right now. While researching data to make the starwars galaxy map I had been studying many description of SW systems and planets. I'm sure there are additional things from other sci-fi that can be added.

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The game will only use the first entry for normal warp points. You have to make them Unstable Warp Points (I think that's the right term) instead, and then it will use random pics for them.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Does that involve removing the whole system, or just the planets?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is not a problem. I think the limit is something like 255 objects in a system (or maybe it is in the 1000s). How common would such systems be?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The only way to simulate that would be to place the planets in a figure 8, which would indeed look odd. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Do you want that for the whole system, or just the sector the star is in? The system would require lots of extra work if you want, for example, some 6 planet systems with cloaking and some 6 planet systems without cloaking. But if you just want it for the star itself, then SectTypes.txt already has entries for those, and the chance of occurence can be increased quite easily.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Easy enough. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You can not affect the random planet values for specific planets in the data files.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This can be easily lifted from the B5 mod. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I am not quite sure what those would do.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The systems that are just a big field of asteroids with no star? Actually, that is a good idea for the normal FQM. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Eek! 20+ is a huge amount! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I don't think that many is a good idea. For the gas giants with 4 moons, I was thinking that those would be the only ones that could support reasonable colonies, or that they abstractly represent more than 1 smaller moon each.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't think I ever removed medium moons. I removed the few large ones I had in the original Versions, but I thought I had left a number of medium moons in.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Kind of like those Machine planets and all, right? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

So... do you want domed colonies to be 1/3 as big as in FQM Deluxe, or the 1/5 as large as in normal SE4?

Re: Star Wars Mod - II (Sci-Fi Xover Mod)
 

Maybe making all WPs unstable but with a low chance to have actual abilities.
Would it be possible to invert the roles of normal and unstable WPs?
BTW picture numbers of those WPs will have to be changed, I had added them to an old Version of the image mod bmps, and didn’t submit them, we should do it now.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">In some cases removing the extra stars should be easier.
Hmm yes some multi star systems can remain as "useless systems that only get in the way" but of course their number should be lowered accordingly.

We should also remove organic infestations and the other new-gold systems.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah the number of planets is not a problem I don't think it should be that high anyway, but the actual layout of the system is more complicated. I don’t want planets in the same sector of the star but in adjacent ones and in the following “rings” around it. Probably random positions will not be possible.

They shouldn’t be very common but enough to make two or three appear even in a small map.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The concept is odd, but it can be a funny variation.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes only the sector.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I know but perhaps some bonus ability can work.
Maybe it was an exaggeration, but Nkllon was described to be the source of most metal ores (minerals) of the NR in the times of Thrawn, and attacking it would cripple all production of an empire that by that time dominated half of the galaxy.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes.
On second though, the blue tunnel look of hyperspace in SW cannot be made into a good looking SE4 system, besides nothing interesting ever happens in hyperspace, if anything goes wrong (either a malfunction or enemy interception) the ship will always drop to realspace immediately.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Probably damage, random mov and low cloak.
Use the standard SE4 red nebulae pic until we get a more appropriate one.
Can anyone provide a nice sounding description of the badlands?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Also the ones with star in the center and concentric rings, placing a planet in the ring shouldn't be a problem. Adding one in the asteroid ring of a system with planets can be possible but rare.
I remember the description of a system that consisted of 7 concentric asteroid rings, with a few colonized asteroids in different rings. But 7 rings would be too much for the limited space in a SE4 system.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well ten or a dozen moons would do fine, more or less the same number of planets a normal system has, but all of them orbiting the gas giant.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Right I must be mistaking it with someone else’s changes.
The FQM sometimes adds moons that are larger than their host planet what looks odd, but is not a major problem.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">We had agreed that some stations should be better represented by planet sizes than by ship hulls.
Something like Machine planets but smaller than a tiny planet, with a picture that looks like a base and not like a planet and with the possibility of making a specific tech to create them, that may be researched independently from that to create actual planets.
Perhaps also some kind asteroids around some planets to enable the “construction” of these things.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Increasing domed to 1/3 reduces the importance of breathable planets, doesn't it? I don't think that's the effect we want here.
I was considering making all planets in general slightly larger, but that can wait until we want to balance other things.

Another system variation, a perfectly closed asteroid belt "shields" the planets inside, and ships are forced to pass through the damaging asteroids to get in.