Ok, a stupid question: which mods?

[bearclaw]

If you are looking for a mod for PBW to gather players quickly, Dark Nova seems to fit that bill.

currently, there are 2 PBW games using DN4 (different versions) that I am aware of, and most of these players are interested in other games using the mod.

I am still working on the next version which I hope to have out sometime in August. This one is a big upgrade.

[Suicide Junkie]

Carrier Battles mod... where to begin?

CB was written from scratch with lots of math done beforehand to ensure things were all balanced, unique and useful. It has the smell of old school naval battles, with carriers, battleships and other ships of the line.
There are not too many actual weapons, but every gun and every mount has a significant use. In fact, most weapon/mount combinations will show up in at least one serious battle during a competitive PBW game. A hearty mix of weapons in every battle is important if you want to win.
Combat is quite gritty, with leaky shields, armor and even point defense. (Missiles aren't overpowering, but they are still somewhat useful even when the enemy has overwhelming numbers of PD ships)
When you shoot the enemy in CB, they feel it! Steamrolling is very rare, and in any serious skirmish both sides will take significant casualties.

Planetary defense in the short term is far easier in CB. Most weapons either don't target planets, or do minimal to insignificant damage. A combination of fighters and troops can usually hold off a beseiging force long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Racial setup is very different too. Most of the variety has been moved from the sliders to the cultures to allow it to be balanced carefully.
Everything from +100% build rate "Disposable society" to maintenance-free "Preservationists"
In fact, so far in the Favorite Culture Poll, opinion is quite divided.
I'm quite surprised that there are no votes for Efficient Workers at this time, since I see quite a few of those guys in my PBW games.

[Cipher7071]

that sounds quite different SJ. You may have sold me on Carrier Battles.

[Suicide Junkie]

There are currently two open spots left by Axel on PBW.
Carrier Battles #8, which currently has a big galaxy-wide war going on. Instant action, plus allies that will help you get a hang of the strategies and tactics being employed.

Carrier Battles Deluxe #2b is also open but since I'm not in it I don't know as much about what is going on. Almost certainly it will have a more stable political situation

You will probably want to read up on the tutorial page I have:
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/.../CBmodTutorial

[Cipher7071]

The tutorial is too much to take in all at once, so I made it available off-line. I'll return to it later, thanks.

[Cipher7071]

Okay, SJ. I downloaded Carrier Battles Mod version 1.4a, only to learn that I still need the image mod. This is a sizable file, and I still have that same slow connection. I went searching for a torrent file, but got no results. Any chance you could make one?

[Fyron]

http://kazharii.no-ip.com:6969

[Cipher7071]

Thanks, Fyron.

[gregebowman]

I usually only play a couple of mods, and since I don't do PBW, I have more time to play on the mods. The ones I play most of the time are teh STM, the TDM and Proportions. Not that I don't dislike the others, I just don't have the time to try out all of the mods that are out there. When a new mod does come out, i might give it a try, but I usually go back to whatever mod I happen to be playing at the time.

[Suicide Junkie]

From the sounds of your list, you'll really like CB1.5+, with Rollo AIs.

They don't cheat, but on "no bonus", they pose a serious challenge to even me... and if you ever dare try Low Bonus, they'll steamroll your navy and capture your homeworld with troops.