New quadrant mod posted - Page 2

Krakenup · #11 April 5th, 2001, 07:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
Please post. I'm sure many would like to use this. Maybe it can be incorporated into the QuadMod 1.1 or something. Although, it's kinda large. Maybe it can just be an 'addition' to the Quad Mod.

Sure. Since they are bitmaps, they are the same size as the originals, of course. If we were using jpeg's, they could be a lot smaller. I'll post them when I get home from work.

Krakenup · #12 April 5th, 2001, 11:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Krakenup:
I replaced all the nebula backgrounds with pictures of actual nebulae mostly from Hubble shots. They are really spectacular and make you happy to be in a nebula. I will be happy to E-mail them or post them if anyone is interested. The zip file for the 1024x768 screen resolution (5 pictures) is about 4.2M and for 800x600 the zip file is about 2.4M. Each zip contains direct replacements for the Storm1 through 5.bmp images.

OK, they're posted in the mod forum. Somehow, however, I started a new topic so they're not under SEIV. I wouldn't dare try to fix it.

Daynarr · #13 April 6th, 2001, 12:47 AM

Thanks Krakenup.

Do you mind if I use them in next Version of Mod (with all the credits, of course)?

I am planning to change descriptions of nebulas in it, so that we know what level of obscuration it has (something like small, medium, high levels instead of numbers). The new pictures would fit in quite well.

I was also planning to add them as new pictures instead of overwriting the old ones. That way we can have 10 nebula pictures instead of 5.

What do you all say?

Krakenup · #14 April 6th, 2001, 03:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Daynarr:
Thanks Krakenup.
Do you mind if I use them in next Version of Mod (with all the credits, of course)?

Sure, no problem.

quote:
I am planning to change descriptions of nebulas in it, so that we know what level of obscuration it has (something like small, medium, high levels instead of numbers). The new pictures would fit in quite well.

I was also planning to add them as new pictures instead of overwriting the old ones. That way we can have 10 nebula pictures instead of 5.

What do you all say?

Sounds fine to me. If you like, I can easily set up another 5 real nebulae (Eagle, Trifid, Rosette come to mind), but they would be another 4M or so download.

Baron Munchausen · #15 April 6th, 2001, 06:10 AM

Any extra graphics would be great to have. We could re-use the original 'storm' bmp images for milder nebulas where normal stars and planets exist but just happen to be in a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. I think some of these 'real' nebula images are not really suitable as "system" images because they don't fill the space, but that's for each individual user to decide. They are all quite impressive to look at, though. If you don't have the disk space, don't download them.

Now, with all these nebulas (erm, nebulae?) we need more graphics of other sorts. Can we shanghai^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H persuade someone with a bit of graphical artist skill to make us some more stars? A few stars with obvious flares shooting on them would be good for scenario makers, as I suggested before. A 'neutron star' or 'pulsar' image would be nice to have. I know it's really a tiny little point in space that gives off mainly invisible radiations but for the purposes of the game a small star with a weird 'radiation' glow to it (a halo or haze around it) would be a cool pulsar. The system with the pulsar could have extreme combat sensor interference and shield reduction like a black hole. And maybe some single images of small binaries would be cool. Two very small red stars could orbit so closely that they reasonably fit into a single sector.

And then there are comets, as I suggested. I've also been thinking that we could make a large 'asteroid' image and make it a planet type so colonization of large asteroid would be possible just like airless planets. Problem is, stellar manipulation would think it was a planet.

Daynarr · #16 April 7th, 2001, 12:44 AM

Ok, new Version of Quadrant mod is up. I have put in the new graphics for nebulae(s?).

Now, the pulsars are a great idea, but there is no need for them to be only 1 tile large. We can make them as the background picture (just like the nebulas are) instead of the central star. Of course, since I suck at making these pictures from the scratch, I could use a link or a picture of some pulsar to put it in .bmp and make a system out of it.

The comets are somewhat a mystery to me. How are they implemented in the game, what do they do (in game of course), what is the syntax for them? Pictures for comets are something I would find much easier to make but I just don't think SE4 supports comets at this moment (I would really like to be wrong about this one).

Krakenup, could you please post link for that site you got nebulae pictures from. Seems that your old post with them got lost in the mist of mod area.

Baron Munchausen · #17 April 7th, 2001, 01:22 AM

Oh no, a pulsar is a small thing even if it results from a supernova.

I'd prefer the single tile Version rather than a fixed background. Then you can put it into a system with other stars. It's not too far-fetched to imagine a pulsar as a partner in a binary or trinary system.

The type 'Comet' is available in the SE IV program right now. Whether it has any special powers that are/were intended for it I don't know. If you had a picture or two, though, you could add comets to systems. Apparently they were intended to come in 'small', 'medium' and 'large' sizes like storms.

You might want to post the alternative nebula graphics as completely seperate files since they are quite large, btw. I'm looking forward to those additional images that Krakenup said he could make.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 07 April 2001).]

Krakenup · #18 April 7th, 2001, 05:15 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Daynarr:
Krakenup, could you please post link for that site you got nebulae pictures from. Seems that your old post with them got lost in the mist of mod area.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

You can search for specific items if you want. Also, usually, if you click on a picture, there is a much larger one available. Those are the ones I use. Mostly, I use them for wallpaper.

Q · #19 April 7th, 2001, 08:04 AM

Daynarr I just had a look at your new quadrant modification and...

It is just beautiful!!

It will use it as standard from now on and if it is possible from copyright it should be included IMO by MM in their next patch.

Thank you very very much!

Marty Ward · #20 April 7th, 2001, 05:03 PM

I have loaded the mod and think it looks great but it seems that I have less colonizable planets than in the original systems. I use Gas/Methane for my race and usually play with only colonize home planet type. Is this a bad choice with this mod? There seems to be PLENTY of rock planets and fewer Gas and Ice.