FQM Beta 6 + Website

[Fyron]

Announcing the posting of FQM 5.00 Beta 6, for SE5. Also announcing a new website for the SE5 version of the mod.

download link (900 kb)

Beta 6 version history:
1. Changed - Nebula storm clouds are now 3x larger, spaced out twice as much, and 1/2 as numerous. This improves aesthetics, whilst simultaneously improving performance in nebula systems.
2. Changed - Reworked the nebula storm positioning algorithm to make the amount of storms in a ring proportional to the distance from the center.
3. Changed - Reduced brightness of PlanetGlow.bmp texture.
4. Changed - Reduced brightness of blue, white and yellow stars in XFileClasses_Stellar.txt by 15%.
5. Added - Stars now rotate.
6. Added - Enabled green protostar systems (Protostar 1).


Please note that this is a work in progress. There are bound to be quirks, which you should report. All suggestions for improvement are welcome!

[Atrocities]

Very cool.

[maccca41]

Hello Fyron,
I am enjoying using your mod with version 1.04 of the balance mod. However, would it be possible either on your website or here to include detailed instructions of how we can incorporate your latest version (beta 6) into the balance mod without compromising the balance mod?
Thank you in advance.

[Fyron]

The only two data files Beta 6 changed are SystemTypes.txt and XFileClasses_Stellar.txt. SystemTypes.txt is only ever read when you create a map, so it won't break a game. No new objects were added to the XFile_Classes file; I just tweaked values. You should be able to copy these two files from FQM Beta 6 to Balance Mod 1.04 (not 1.03!) and continue using an existing savegame. The updated PlanetGlow.bmp texture is already in BM 1.04, so you don't need it.

For an existing savegame, you will not see the updated storm placements in Nebula systems, as they are set when the map is generated. You will see the changes to cloud counts and sizes, however. You will see all of the other animation related changes as well. You will not see any Green Protostars.

This should only be done with Balance Mod 1.04, not 1.03.
1) Browse to "SE5\Game Types" folder in Explorer.
2) If it isn't already, install FQM Beta 6.
3) Browse to FQM\Data folder.
4) Copy "SystemTypes.txt" and "XFileClasses_Stellar.txt" files.
5) Browse to Balance Mod\Data folder.
6) Paste the two copied files into the BM data folder.
7) Load up your savegame and enjoy.

If for some reason you encounter errors, you can simply restore those two data text files from the BM 1.04 zip file.

[Arkcon]

Imperator Fyron said:

5. Added - Stars now rotate.


Really? Cool. Now what FQM needs is pulsars, a small white star with a "cone of glow" circling it's poles (if that's possible.) Maybe the system can have other effects -- like only rocky worlds with some harsh but survivable conditions.

[Captain Kwok]

Arkcon said:Really? Cool. Now what FQM needs is pulsars, a small white star with a "cone of glow" circling it's poles (if that's possible.) Maybe the system can have other effects -- like only rocky worlds with some harsh but survivable conditions.

If only somebody was working on that, it would be cool.

[Atrocities]

Can stars have rings? (not ring worlds)

[Fyron]

In reality, no. In SE5, nothing prevents you from making a ringed star model.

[Spoo]

Some stars have disks.
Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_star

[Fyron]

Hmm... interesting.