Babylon 5 Mod

[Andrés]

This is OT in the B5 mod thread. I'm posting my answer in the Sci-fi Crossover Mod thread.

[Suicide Junkie]

RE: popmodifiers.

I played a game of P&N using the pop modifiers, and I found 2 things:

1) Not sure when it appeared, but SY rate starts increasing dramatically once the Production rate hits the right shoulder. (bug)
2) The complex function used for production dipped below the right shoulder value for a few million people at the end. (bug)
3) 50% production for >2Billion pop is annoying.

So, I've:
- Unbent the SY rate. 100% production at about 2.25 Billion.
- upped the shoulder production to 100%
- tweaked numbers so production peaks at 245%.

New popmodifiers.txt

Gameplay is pretty cool. I've got two systems of nearly useless outlying colonies, and there are very few ships in the game right now...
A few turns ago, my entire military attacked the AI beside my nearest colony system. After two battles, the casualties were up to:
- 2 MB Destroyers (RIP)
- 1 Repair Destroyer (RIP)
- 1 Enemy LC (Rammed, RIP)
- 1 Enemy LC (Rammed, 90% damage)

The enemy has planted a colony one system from my homeplanet, among 4 of my colonies, and has one LC poking around, but is unwilling to attack the missile platforms (ShieldBuster + CSM missile) on my colonies.

[Suicide Junkie]

Val: Regarding the engines in the B5data zip you posted back on the 21st.

After scaling back from the 10x hitpoints thing, the Huge engines will still have 400HP.

That means that they will act as armor, for the armor.
That is, until the large "ability armors" come out, like refractive armor.

I don't know if you want it that way or not

[Val]

SJ:

Been a long weekend of data compilation for work and working on the components in between to give myself a mental break

Here are a few weapons - Light, Medium, Heavy and Spinal Lasers, Interceptor Array and Standard Particle Beam. The tech levels are not set to their 'final' levels, just 1-10 on each to make it easier to integrate into a test. Tonnage is also still be worked on.

SJ_Lasers.zip

Anyway, you're right, we should lower the value on the engines to below the armor chunks - what would you suggest for the dif components (sizes)?

Everyone:

This update brings the B5 mod in line with the 'official image collection' - assuming I placed everything down the page far enough not to mess with SJs current data. There is also an updated data file for the SectType.txt to refer to the new JumpGate and Black Hole loacations on the planets map. The components now have most of the laser, plasma, ballistic and particle weapons in - I included the WIP weapons for y'all to get a peek at as well

Update_Components.zip

Just rechecked the update, somehow I forgot to include the planets - I'll upload tomorrow. To make it work for now, just change the blackhole center pic to Planet_0542 and the jumpgate to Planet_0541. I will upload the others tomorrow!

That was one heck of a conversation on engines - gotta go over to the Sci-Fi thread and finish reading up on it.

[Suicide Junkie]

The engine sizes can stay the same, just reduce the hitpoints.

With this armor system, the weaker the component, the longer it survives

[Val]

What HP values would you suggest? Since you have the best idea of how the armor works

[Suicide Junkie]

Its a give and take deal.
I'm still trying to find some good values for the armor.

Currently, light, medium and heavy have 75/200/300 hitpoints, so fitting the medium and heavy engines in at 75 - 200 hitpoints might be good.
Placing major internal components around the 100 hitpoints mark would probably be good, too. Crew quarters/Lifesupport should probably be at least 40 hitpoints, since they're diffuse.

[Val]

SJ:

Will do!

How long before you think you'll be able to send armor samples to include in the Tech & Comp files? (I know you're pretty busy with everything else on top of this.)

Do you want more weapons to test with?

Everyone:

Anyone else working on anything?

[Suicide Junkie]

Holy Miniscule Masers, Batman!
Those things are puny!

I was thinking on a completely different scale: 25 times stronger!

PS: Spelling: "Fission", and "Fusion".

++++++++++++++++

Argh! I can't even design a ship worth simming. The weapons are tissue paper, while the engines and reactors are solid neutronium.

How is this supposed to work, anyways?
"Spinal laser hits for 30 damage. Main reactor down to 99.75% efficiency"

We need to set some scale here (Note: this is just for hitpoints/damage, everything else should be OK).
I suggest:

- - Scale up weapon damage by 3x. A heavy laser cannon X then does 180 - 216 damage @ reload 4 (They're supposed to melt right through capital ships, right?)

- - Scale up weapon hitpoints by 25% to 50% (so they are at the right depth in the armor)

- - Scale armor down by 5x.
Structural: 0KT, 3-4 HP
Light: 1KT, 10 HP
Med: 3KT, 25 HP
Heavy: 7KT, 50 HP

- - Throw out reactor/drive hitpoints.
- Reactor Hitpoints can range from 5-30 hitpoints for tiny through Massive reactors. Size is arbirtary.
- Drive hitpoints can range from 20-40, since they are nessesarily on the outer edge of the ship, and thus exposed to weapons fire.
- (Remember. All it takes is one little hole, and suddenly you've got a big problem)

- - Other components should have their hitpoints set according to their exposure.
- Large surface targets should be around 40.
- Small internals can be down near 7.
- Large internals or small surface components should be close to 20.

++++++++++++

PS: I have no idea what's going on with the high tech reactors...
Going from fission to fusion doubles the supplies/KT. But, the rest just seem to get more expensive and change hitpoints

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: suicide_junkie ]

[Val]

This would be why we test

I was having the same problem, once I added in the armor sample you gave earlier I managed to 'almost' hurt a ship. Let me up everything and resend you the weapons I sent. I will post in a couple hours!

Fission and Fusion - correct?

Also, here are the planets:

Planets.zip

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: Val ]