Babylon 5 Mod

[Fyron]

Well, if the new Version of the mod is going to be Gold, just assign an AI Ability Tag to each class of engine, and call for those instead of the movement points. No more need to worry about how the AI will design this ship with a different level of propulsion tech.

Adding USM to the mod would be a great idea.

[TNZ]

I noticed that in the Version of the mod I have the AI would stop adding engines to its AI design creation at a certain point. I think I found the problem. It was the Jump Gate components. When I deleted them the AI started adding engines.

[TNZ]

I think is would be a good idea to standardize the sizes of the components. Also I would suggest rounding the sizes of the components to the nearest 5kt.

[Timstone]

Rounding up or rounding down all the weights to the nearest 5 kT isn't a bad idea, but I won't do that for the weapons. They are just a bit too standard then. And diversity is one of the things we want, so no rounding up or down for the weapons.'But for components isn't it a problem. Let's hear/read what Grumbler has to say about it.

[Timstone]

Could someone do something for me? I need 5 reactor pics to be redone. There are 4 series of 5 reactor pics (example: Comp_673.bmp, Comp_674.bmp, Comp_675.bmp, Comp_676.bmp and Comp_677.bmp). I want those 5 redone. All the yellow spots need to be red. The kind of red you see in Hyperspace.
In the B5 War Books I read quite a bit about the Hyperspace Taps. I decided to inmplement these too.
Could anyone do this please?

[grumbler]

TNZ, I am missing something here. What keeps the ignorant player from using the wrong mount for his engines? I agree that this idea seems a pretty good one for the AI (which is the hardest bit) and simplifies the AI_D_C (especially using the abilities tag as IF noted).

It may even be better than my 40kt engine mod (devised because I HATE calculating how much supply 24 5 kt fusion engines would use to move 6 sectors! ) as it is infinately more flexible and doesn't get into the rounding problem of the x50kt hull sizes. However, I will have to think through the human player issue to satisfy myself that it is a non-issue.

On the rounding of components, I agree, but would point out that this is already the case except for a few races like the Gaim who get a bit more armor right now because their CC and LS components are 8 vice 10 in size (and maybe their bridge is, too). Weapons rounding could be done (and power simply improved) but there seems little utility to it from either the AI standpoint or the human standpoint, as you always end up filling the excess space with armor.

Lots of good thinking here, and I am glad to see some interest revive in the mod. My school is on spring break starting tomorrow, and I hope to finish the ship requirements analysis and look at the engine mount idea in the next coupla days. That will allow tim some time over the weekend to look at how the weapons might be modelled, and we can start production on the AI_D_C and components for maybe the five "major B5 races" (including the LNAW but not the Vorlons).

Is everyone happy with the basic thrust of the weapons paths for each of the major races? If not, now is the time to say so!

[Suicide Junkie]

Don't round off the armor sizes, either. They're small and the details matter a lot.

[TNZ]

The size standardization of weapons components that have the same weapon family number and of components that have the same family number is quite important for effective AI and player ship upgrading. Just try designing an Earth Alliance ship with level one heavy laser/pulse arrays. Now try upgrading your design. But how, or if, you standardize your components is up to you.

Its impossible with this system to use the wrong mount for your engines; there is only one mount available to players. Have a look at this topic: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...;f=23;t=011058

[TNZ]

I was looking at the Earth Alliance’s Anti-Missile Missile and RF Anti-Missile Missile components and I had this idea:
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...;f=23;t=011274

This way we can have the same number of weapon components, with a way less complicated ship designing window.

[Atrocities]

Whatever happened to VAL?