Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

I'm looking for a cloaking race, an idea coming from someone else.

All pictures should be black, ships, flag, race, troops, platforms etc should be completely black.
Thereby blending into the background in SE IV.
The ai should have as a priority to research stealth armour and later cloaking devices.
I think it would be nice too if it was a psychic race, making drones that are cloaked with alligience subverters and solar panels (if possible, I don't know how to mod an ai, haven't made many drones myself either)

[ January 15, 2003, 21:32: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

The graphics could be made in MSPaint by just about anyone in around 10 minutes. (30 seconds to create the black pictures, 9.5 minutes to copy/ rename them all). Some people might get upset if you tried to use them in PBW, though.

As for the AI, try copying the Drakol AI (TDM modpack). They're pretty sneaky...

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, I'd be pretty upset if someone used them.

So for information:
Using this shipset in a MP/PBW game without the hosts informed consent is cheating! (Something for the ethics thread)

I might try to make it myself then, as my first race/shipset (seems like hard work though http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

What was the size of the pictures? (I can load some of the old ones and check when I get home)

[ January 15, 2003, 15:48: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

This is frowned upon in other games like FPS where people make custom skins which are all black to make them difficult to see in dark areas. This just gives one player an advantage over the others.

I would have no trouble with a cloaking race so long as their shipsets were somewhat easy to see. You could still make them mostly black, but if they have a defined border of a different color. [Can you make a clear .bmp?] Having it any other way would just lead to abuse.

The game already handles cloaking and sight based on cloak, storms, sensors, etc. In the interest of fairness this should not be allowed. Think of what would happen if everyone started going around with invisible shipsets.

Slick.

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Slick, Ruatha, I understand your concerns but there is no harm in making such a set for single player purposes.

If anyone tried to play PBW like this, other players would either object before the game began (since they'd have to download shipset.) or just substitute the black set for a conventional one, renaming all the files so that the game thought it was the "real" one.

Images should be in .bmp format, 128x128 for portraits, 36x36 minis and 20x20 for the pop_mini. Not sure about shields and things.

I'd be interested to see how small this shipset zipped down to - I reckon you could get well over 95% compression on plain black images http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[ January 15, 2003, 16:09: Message edited by: dogscoff ]

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

It wouldn't be that tough to do! Just make 1-Black 128x128 for the portraits. Take any shipset (that already exist) and copy the name for that bmp and paste it in to the line off Save As. Then load that File you just save and repeat it until all the portraits are done. Then do the same for the 'minis'. Starting with a black 36x36 bmp.

Shipset complete. For you own personal use it might me fun. But not even you could see your ships while you were playing.

<font color=purple>mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font>

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

It was originally spawned as a kind of secret Rangers organisation. Unknown but taking a secretive hand in the play.
Mostly for single player but could be used for RP PBW also as a benevolent secret force.

And about not seeing them, for the AI that wouldn't pose any problem.
And a human player can go through the "ship" screen and access them from there.
The only problem would be stacks, as the number would show, ie fighters etc.

[ January 15, 2003, 16:36: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

You could always create a racial tech that gives hulls with level 6 cloaking...

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Ruatha, if you make the bmp's invisable, then 'no one' can see them. Not even you. You could scroll the the ships one at a time (or fleets) it would take you to the sector where your ship(s)/fleet(s) are, but you would not be able to see them. They are "invisable". You couldn't even click on one of the ships. Invisable is invisable, not cloaked!

<font color=purple>mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font>

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Yes, but when I click on a ship in the "ship" screen it jumps to the relevant sector, marks the location of the ship and makes it active. So I'll know where they are and will be able to order them around.

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Don't forget the spacebar! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Wow, didn't know about that one, that will simplify things for me in the future!

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Done it, will upload. Only shipsets so far, no AI. Will do that someother time.

1042664799.zip The Invisble Shipset v0.8 187KB

NOTE.
This shipset is ccompletely invisible.
Only shields and explosions will show.

Using it in a Multiplayer /PBW game without the informed consent of the host is CHEATING!!

This Version is mainly for testing and limited roleplaying in specialised games.
When a AI is added it can be used in single player games.
All AI's will se these ships as if they were visible.

[ January 15, 2003, 21:11: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Nice, I really like the BattleCruiser

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Yes, the battlecruiser is nice, but the lighting on it in the fleet image makes it even better!

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

the 'Flag' image is......is....is just breath taking!

<font color=purple>mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font>

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

I like the LC the best. But the angle of the ship that you managed to capture is just... amazing to say the least!

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

I'm glad my first attempts of art has been received so well, I'm flattered!

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Since the AI is not affected by this, and other players in a PBEM/PBW game are not affected by it since all they have to do is replace the images, the only effect of using this shipset is to make things hard on yourself by making it a little more difficult to keep track of your own ships. If you are trying to give yourself a headache why not just play a regular shipset and hit your self in the head with a stapler every couple turns?

I just don't get it.

Geoschmo

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Well. As previuously stated....
The idea came from SE4 by committee.
Having a race in the game as invisible rangers.
But the shipset was just a way to try and see what it looked like.
Now I'm planning to make a somewhat peaceful AI to go with it. That way you can use it in your singleplayer games with it being played by an AI,thereby (yes) making it harder for yourself.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif If you want it easy, don't play at all. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

If you want to use it before I make an AI (wich might take some time) you can copy a generic races text files to the invisble folder and rename them.

(btw, I don't recommend the stapler thing, this shipset won't give any pemanent injuries!!)

[ January 27, 2003, 13:19: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Ruatha
The ship artwork is amazing! But why did you make the troops naked?

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

You actually got me to download the shipset because of that! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif Naughty Perrin http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

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

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

The Emperors new shipset. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

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

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

Please remind me to forbid it in every pbw games I'll play...

Re: Race/Ship set designers, can someone do this? (Invisible Shipset Finished!)
 

trooper, the invisible shipset will not be be effective in PBW. The way things are displayed for you depend in the graphics that you have installed in your machine.
You can either not install the shipset at all (that way you get changing shipsets) or just put a folder with the name but no files in there (that way you can the generic shipset).
Nothing to worry about http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif .

Rollo