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[kazi]

Hah, the "Mayorate" name and much of the lore (initially) were rather heavily inspired by Sean McMullen's wonderful book "Souls in the Great Machine." It's a pretty amusing read if you ever have the time and can find a copy. I won't give any big spoilers, but the basic premise of the book is absolutely batshit insane: 2000 years after humanity nukes itself back to the stone age, electricity and steam power are banned by every major religion, and Australia is ruled by a bunch of librarians with a primitive computer in the mayorate/city of Rochester (Australia is pretty much the last civilization remaining on the face of the Earth at this point). Said computer was built by kidnapping everyone who could count and forcing them to operate abacuses all day, and it's creator intends to use it to destroy a giant death machine in space left from 2000 years ago (remember that they don't even have diesel power and the most advanced weapons in existence are flintlocks...). Oh, and for some reason there is this "call" where people tend to simply drop everything they're doing and randomly walk off to their death. Yeah - it's insane. You'll have to trust me on this, but it's actually a decent book, not to mention the most unique thing I've come across in years...

The initial inspiration for the name and lore came from that, and the rest I just sat down and wrote. I take snippets of inspiration from other things too (books, games, and even the current disaster that is international politics), but it's mostly just whatever I sit down to write at the end of the day. I would put together more of a story/plot (and with it, more lore), but the game currently doesn't support that kind of storytelling atm.

If you've been thinking about making your own universes/politics, why not just go for it? Put it on paper, in a mod, something. You might be surprised at what you end up with.

[TartarusMkII]

Hah, though I love Warhammer 40,000, I generally don't like sci-fi dark-ages. I am starting to think that I may be false, but I think so far from what I understand, that the factions in Starsector still, at least, have the ability to produce things of their own. They may not be innovating, but they can still build new things. Whereas, in WH40k, the Imperium can't actually build anything, and relies on vehicles referred to as artifacts.

I dislike it because the Imperium controls huge metropolises and yet no one, not even the tech priests of Mars can figure out how to, I dunno, build a NEW tank.

But that's just me!

I used to want to design a game, but I just don't have the patience to program, and I am absolutely not artistic (though, I wish I were!). I like how you say that in Starsector you can more easily see results for your work, but even still I don't really know what I'd /do/ with my limited skillz!

[Athsanateny]

Hah, though I love Warhammer 40,000, I generally don't like sci-fi dark-ages. I am starting to think that I may be false, but I think so far from what I understand, that the factions in Starsector still, at least, have the ability to produce things of their own. They may not be innovating, but they can still build new things. Whereas, in WH40k, the Imperium can't actually build anything, and relies on vehicles referred to as artifacts.

I dislike it because the Imperium controls huge metropolises and yet no one, not even the tech priests of Mars can figure out how to, I dunno, build a NEW tank.

It's not so much that no one can (there are more than a few non-pattern variants of imperial vehicles) it's that no one knows how to make the STCs (Standard Template Constructs) that the massive world-spanning factories require in order to operate.  (They can and do build new tanks btw, it's just that some vehicles were built with now lost STCs. Those are the 'artifacts' because they are, for all intents and purposes, irreplaceable.) Also, even if someone did, they'd have to get past the Adeptus Mechanicus first. (The cult which controls what little technological knowledge is that is left.) Introducing innovation and reform into a religion, even a progressive one, isn't easy. Introducing it into a cult -- especially one which is in power like the Adeptus Mechanicus -- is likely to get you burned at the stake, or in this case, enjoy the tender mercies of the Inquisition.

[kazi]

I have been contemplating putting together a pretty comprehensive spriting tutorial. Would people be interested in reading one were I to put it together? It'd cover most everything I typically do to create a sprite, focusing on lighting techniques (since that's the main thing I seem to be good at). Basically I'd be going along and narrating all my thoughts and whatnot as I create the sprite for this frigate here.

@Athsanateny-
Heh, while you were explaining that I couldn't help but think about how Starsector is inspired by 40k lore. The STCs sound exactly like Starsector's blueprint system.

@Tartarus -
Yeah, I'm in the same crowd as you. Although I don't generally like scifi dark ages, this was a pretty good book (I saw it in bookstores a few times before I finally decided to just pick it up and read it).

I think all of the vanilla factions have lost all of the know-how to build new things aside from blueprints. Although many mod factions are still creating things of their own, the tech level generally seems to be lower than the "high tech" stuff (Exigency, Mayorate, Shadowyards, Blackrock).

Also, keep in mind that exactly one year ago, I had zero art and coding experience. Granted, I generally pick up and learn things pretty quickly compared to most people, but it's easier than you might think (just requires a bit of your time to actually pick up and learn how to do things).

[TartarusMkII]

Aye you have inspired me, I may try it. But I am artistically useless. But I bet if other people have the talent, but lack the know-how, a spriting tutorial would do great work for the modding community here.

Also wanted to say, in my play through I have set up in Rasht, neutral and living with the Independent miners. I'm fighting the Mayorate to have access to their ships more often than if I were allied with them (unless I am doing something wrong), and I notice that their ships are very hard to use! I admit I am not the best at the game, and I don't totally understand the application of energy weapons. Though, I really like the Esfahan Destroyer (it has PD drones and 1 flight deck), but I notice it is so slow to turn that even when I am in the back of a line, my engines will surely go out. But again I think this is more of an issue of my being bad at the game =P

I mention though, because I'd love to ask, how do you suppose Mayorate ships are meant to be used/played?

(And yes, that is to say that I am enjoying breaking down your Mayorate fleet! =P)

[Nausk]

Would definitely check it out if you made a guide, I just started spriting (literally 2 or 3 days ago, my thing is in the spriter judging thread. 

I really like the content you make and I find it inspiring to know that a year ago you had no experience in these fields because neither do I right now.

I have very limited knowledge of coding though, but nothing to do with java. But art, never lol, so this is kinda rough but I'm having fun so far.


Anyways, I really hope to see that guide from you I'd love to have a look at that, love your mod and sprites.

[Tartiflette]

But, he did wrote a TUTORIAL... Granted it's kinda lost in limbo, but the search bar is a good tool to recover it. There are many others HERE, HERE, and even MORE everywhere.

[kazi]

Alright, I'm going to put together that tutorial as soon as I finish the next sprite.

@ Nausk -
I saw your sprite on the judgement thread, its actually quite good (actually it's hands-down better than my first one haha - my main suggestion right now is to use a brush instead of the pencil tool)! Making good art is the hardest part of modding, but as long as you have good taste and a bit of perseverance, you'll do fine.

As for the coding, I found that attempting to do the first few classes of MIT's "Intro to Java" online course helped A LOT. Yeah, it took awhile, but Java begins to make sense after several of the powerpoints and practice projects. Frankly, knowledge of Java isn't necessary unless you want to start making custom ship systems/onHit scripts. Editing .json files and making ship variants/etc requires almost no coding experience (you can create new missions and star system spawn scripts by using other people's stuff as examples and editing things to be how you like).

@ Tartarus -
Hmmmmmm... Esfahan? I thought I deleted that ship awhile ago and there should almost be no trace of it left in the mod files haha (it was OP and I didn't like the artwork that much).... you sure you have the most recent version???

All in all, the Mayorate excels most at mid-long range- most ships are built towards stand-off engagements (the Cimeterre and Ravana are exceptions). What I mean by this is you should sit back and work up an enemy's flux at range, THEN move in and try to score a kill. You generally don't have enough flux to fire both weapons and raise shields at the same time. You are generally better off simply dropping your shields and firing all of your guns if your flux is getting high or if you want to press the attack. The above average armor is usually enough to take whatever punishment you receive while your shields are down.

My usual strategy is to work up to either of the cruisers and use those as the centerpiece of my fleets. The Del Azarchel is a mini-Onslaught (overwhelming, constant firepower) and the Jamaran makes for an all-around command ship (flight deck + enough weapons to survive vs. most cruisers).

Liliths in particular seem to explode if you look at them the wrong way and are most suitable for escape scenarios/commerce raiding/early game fights - it's pretty much a glass cannon. I'm making another frigate right now so the Mayorate has a frigate that can survive more than a couple of shots.

The Cimeterre has extremely high burst damage and can outright destroy most smaller ships in a couple seconds if it catches them at an awkward moment. It can do horrendous damage to capitals and cruisers if their attention is elsewhere. The shields and armor kind of suck, so in the event of a big fight, it's best to let your other ships take the damage while you pick off vulnerable ships.

Mayorate fighters/bombers are best deployed as a screen, eliminating smaller craft from the field of battle. They will get absolutely murdered if you try to use them against large ships.

@ Tartiflette -
Well that tutorial is kinda hard to find/doesn't cover the actual painting haha... (I like how I'm badmouthing my own tutorial haha)

[TartarusMkII]

I am using what I believe to be the most up to date version of Uomoz's Sector. http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=1799.0

That does not seem to have been updated in a while, though..

[kazi]

Hmmmm... the version I have appears to still have the Esfahan as well. Well, it will be disappearing as Uomoz takes those files out (and it's probably already gone in the dev). Enjoy it while it lasts, I guess. 

[TartarusMkII]

What did you find to be OP about it? I just like the idea of a combat capable destroyer with a respectable burn speed and 1 flight deck!

[kazi]

Er, it was very difficult to kill for its class, had a punishing amount of weapons (especially that large ballistic mount and those drones), and also had a flight deck. It simply did everything well and was better than virtually every other destroyer in the game. Blackrock's Desdinova is probably the only destroyer that is more OP for what it does... last time I did a BR playthrough, that ship was a guaranteed steamroll (it pretty much one-shots every other destroyer it comes across).

Long story short, the Esfahan posed a major stumbling block to anyone attempting to fight vs. the Mayorate, including me (I really struggled to kill that ship regardless of what faction I was playing with). It was pretty much unbeatable, especially when paired with another OP fighter wing. So I removed it and replaced it with the Foraker, which struggles a little bit more if you put pressure on it.

[TartarusMkII]

Oh, also, speaking of up-to-date, the thread's name says updated 3/9/14; is that September, or March?..

[kazi]

September. 

[CopperCoyote]

I've been playing with Mayorate quite a bit recently, and i have some opinions and observations about them. Overall i like them. They feel a whole lot like vanilla mid tech ships, but with more missiles (and i'm a fan of missiles in this game).

Ships:

Spoiler

Lilith*: Ok ship. It's built in weapon is like a powered up pulse laser and is rather good. Because they're so frail i usually undergun the medium mount and use 3 small PD weapons to try and make them a little more hardy.

Safir: Too good. totally worth 2 LR instead of 1.5. It's a lot like a buffalo with an extra PD turret so might live another second or two while under fire.

Safir-B: Also too cheap. Worth 4 LR. Makes a wonderful Fire-Support ship.

Cimeterre*: Can really dish out the pain, but is probably too expensive at 5 LR because it dies so easy. If it had more OP it'd be worth the 5 LR i think.

Foraker: Decent combat carrier that is on par with gemini. The gemini has better cargo so i'd probably pick it over foraker, but the foraker looks much cooler so i'd pick it if i was going to pilot.

Jamaran: Like a slightly higher tech venture with more guns and mobility, but less survivability. I like it, and unless i need more cargo capacity i'd probably choose it over venture. (unless all my ships are about the same speed as venture then it's extra toughness matters)

Del Azarchel*: Underwhelming. All the different missile mount sizes make it hard to use optimally. The built in weapon needs some love. More ammo or more damage or something. It's short shield makes it incredibly vulnerable to frigates and salamanders. It feels like it has less armor than an eagle also. I forgot to check though so i could be mistaken. But the short shield paired with it's low (for a cruiser) armor it's really easy to destroy.

I haven't flown the battle cruiser, but it has lots of gun and it's really scary when it looks at you. With lots of frigates it's fairly easy to hamstring and kill though.

* These ships have super expensive upkeep on their shields and you either have to spend the op making it more reasonable for the AI to use or deal with lots of losses. It's ok in player hands with the exception of the azarchel. It's flux venting equals its shield upkeep so essentially all flux is hard flux. This massive shield cost contributes to it's underwhelmingness quite a lot.

[close]

Weapons:

Spoiler

PPC: Good if somewhat short ranged. not usually good on mayorate ships, but great on faster ships that can easily close the distance.

Graser PD: Not a very good PD weapon. The PD laser is equal to or better than graser pd in nearly every way. The graser PD is slightly better at dealing with fighter armor though. If it was 5 op it might be useful for ships that want better fighter than missile defense, but right now it's not really a choice.

Light graser: An ok weapon. Better at dealing with armor (and by extension fighters) than tac lasers, but still not nearly good enough to be a main weapon.

Belial: Pretty good if somewhat situational. It breaks shields well and at a flux efficient rate, but armor laughs at it. So working as advertised. It's short range does make it a little hard for the very average speed Mayorate ships to use well though. Fantastic on a medusa for example.

Graser: Not great at anything, but not bad either. Good choice if you've already got the advanced optics mod installed for other weapons. It suffers some of the same pitfalls as the HIL. I happily use it on sunders over HILs. On mayoate ships in particular i like the base range of the HIL better.

Flux torpedo: It seems to be good; especially versus armor, but i don't like it because it's so inaccurate. If i hunted more capitals i'd use it for that.

Windstalker: A good ASM. Flak stops it dead, but the ships that really need to stop it (Med/High) frequently have laser PD so half the damage of every shot typically gets through (in 1V1). I also like that it's a good anti-fighter missile in a pinch.

Laserhead: It's so situational it's basically a bad weapon to use. It's damage is kinda low, and the random nature of the bursts make it even lower. The burst is also super friendly fire waiting to happen. If you're using laserheads you necessarily have to micromanage your ships. Hard to do for non leadership captains. The one situation it shines is firing it at carriers & killing off the circling fighters waiting for a refit. That crushes fighter fleets so well it's almost worth it to have a ship in reserve (safir-b usually) with laserheads.

Tornado AM: It's a little underwhelming. I'm also surprised it's Explosive instead of Energy. The AOE nature risks friendly fire too, but it's not as big a burst so it usually just ruins fighters and missiles while striping of a nice chunk of armor too. The problem is it has so little ammo the AI almost never uses it properly, and as a missile aficionado i have trouble making good use of it too.

Tornado AM battery: Same thing but a bigger mount. It has enough ammo to play nicer with the expanded magazines mod though so a tiny bit better for missile specced characters. I still think it needs more ammo though.

[close]

I'm excited about the new tougher frigate on the way. Will it be better able to shoot down fighters? The liliths particular vulnerability to fighters means i rarely use it except in frigate swarms (because it can punch up so well i use it like a strike frigate).