Fractal Softworks Forum

Starsector => Mods => Modding => Topic started by: Seth on November 12, 2016, 05:52:08 PM

Title: Need advice for mods
Post by: Seth on November 12, 2016, 05:52:08 PM
I'm new to Starsector and I wanna say that this game is absolutely amazing, but I have a big problem: I'm completely lost in mods.
Had a test run with SS+ which I liked a lot, and now I just need generally ship mods... lots of ship mods, but to the point that the game won't break and loading times will be appropriate.
Currently trying to use most mods from the list right here (at least updated and non-broken ones):
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8962.0
Also found this:
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11018.0
Is that okay to slap all these mods together or should I pick only particular ones from the list? Sorry, it's pretty hard to figure all this content out for the first timer.

Also there are several statements that particular mod is 'integrated' in SS+, what does it mean exactly? Is there somewhere a list or pack of mods that are fully compatible and recommended to use with SS+?

Any tips would be welcome.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Midnight Kitsune on November 12, 2016, 06:33:49 PM
I'm new to Starsector and I wanna say that this game is absolutely amazing, but I have a big problem: I'm completely lost in mods.
Had a test run with SS+ which I liked a lot, and now I just need generally ship mods... lots of ship mods, but to the point that the game won't break and loading times will be appropriate.
Currently trying to use most mods from the list right here (at least updated and non-broken ones):
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8962.0
Also found this:
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11018.0
Is that okay to slap all these mods together or should I pick only particular ones from the list? Sorry, it's pretty hard to figure all this content out for the first timer.

Also there are several statements that particular mod is 'integrated' in SS+, what does it mean exactly? Is there somewhere a list or pack of mods that are fully compatible and recommended to use with SS+?

Any tips would be welcome.
First, welcome to the forums.
Now for that mod list, I would suggest looking at that second link's list of mods or the SS+ list of mods as all of those are high quality and updated (unless otherwise stated)
What kind of system do you have? Can't really give you a specific list of mods without knowing what your specs are
Also, be sure to grab the two needed libraries (LazyLib and GraphicsLib) along with several optional but highly suggested utility mods (which basically don't effect performance at all
-Common Radar: http://bit.ly/1cXUkNW Gives you a mini radar
-Version Checker: http://bit.ly/VMTRJq Tells you when there are updates to the mods you have installed
-Console Commands: http://bit.ly/1gDedKM Gives you access to a dev like console (SS doesn't have one) useful for stuff like
--Save Transfer: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8950 Allows you to transfer your fleet and assets over between saves, which allows you to update your mods and not lose progress
-Autosave: http://bit.ly/1QR4cgx Tells you to save your game after so long and can be set to autosave (But is not suggested due to how long it takes to save)
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: DownTheDrain on November 12, 2016, 06:38:39 PM
First of all, there's a stickied Mod Index on the very top of this sub-forum which should give you a pretty good idea about compatible and up-to-date mods.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=177.0

All mods I'm mentioning in this post are linked there.

Quote
Had a test run with SS+ which I liked a lot, and now I just need generally ship mods... lots of ship mods, but to the point that the game won't break and loading times will be appropriate.

SS+ used to be kind of an all-in-one solution as far as I know, but has been broken down into smaller pieces.
You will probably want to use Dynasector as well and if you're a fan of a more dynamic sector where you can actually conquer stations and influence relationships then I definitely recommend Nexerelin.

As for loading times, I assume you already use the 2GB+ memory allocation (link is in the first post of SS+).
I'd recommend allocating 4GB as maximum. The initial loading time when starting a new game will of course get longer and longer the more mods you use but that's a one-time thing for each playthrough and the rest of the game should work pretty fluently if your PC can handle it.

Quote
Also found this:
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11018.0

Oh yeah, the Ship/Weapon Pack, definitely use that.
I would also add the Portrait Pack and probably Underworld for every playthrough, regardless of what other factions you use.

Quote
Is that okay to slap all these mods together or should I pick only particular ones from the list? Sorry, it's pretty hard to figure all this content out for the first timer.

Almost every mod that is tagged blue in the Mod Index is safe to use by itself or with almost every combination of other compatible mods.
Bushi and the Hiigaran Descendants are the only exceptions I can think of because they use a different version of Java. They may or may not work for you and I'd only recommend them if you absolutely have to have those ships in the game.
If you do use Nexerelin you need to check the list of integrated mods (listed under FAQ in the first post of that thread).

I wouldn't recommend using every available faction mod at once but you can include quite a few at the same time without running into trouble.
In my current playthrough I'm using SS+, Dynasector, Nexerelin, Ships/Weapons Pack, Portrait Pack, Underworld, Blackrock Drive Yards, Dassault-Mikoyan Engineering, Diable Avionics, Interstellar Imperium, Junk Pirates, Metelson Industries, Pegasus Belt Council, Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority and Tiandong Heavy Industries, along with some utility mods (Console Commands, Combat Chatter, Save Transfer, Version Checker) on a midline laptop without any issues whatsoever.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Kwbr on November 12, 2016, 06:45:46 PM
a good place to start is the list of mods compatible with nexerelin (http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9175.0), under the FAQ spoiler near the bottom of the post. most of those are pretty high quality mods and are generally up to date with a few exceptions, it'd probably be a good idea to look into them a bit before just downloading all of them.

heres a list of all the ship/faction mods im currently running without any problems
Spoiler
  • starsector+
  • dynasector
  • approlight
  • blackrock driveyards
  • dassault mikoyan engineering
  • diable avionics
  • hiigaran descendants
  • ICE
  • interstellar imperium
  • junk pirates/asp/pack
  • metelson
  • neutrino corp
  • pegasus belt council
  • scy nation
  • shadowyards
  • the knights templar
  • the mayorate
  • tiandong heavy industries
  • tore up plenty
  • underworld
[close]

the tiandong main post also has a good list of quality of life mods for stuff other than just adding more ships
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: DownTheDrain on November 12, 2016, 07:03:42 PM
Quote
Also, be sure to grab the two needed libraries (LazyLib and GraphicsLib) along with several optional but highly suggested utility mods (which basically don't effect performance at all

Right, can't believe I forgot to mention those in my list.
If you're experiencing graphical or performance issues (or if your GPU is simply really old) you may want to check GRAPHICS_OPTIONS.ini in the GraphicsLib mod folder and adjust some settings.

Quote
    approlight

    ...   

    hiigaran descendants

Not sure I'd suggest either of them for someone that's completely new to modding the game as they're both extremely unbalanced and known for causing issues for many people.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Orikson on November 12, 2016, 08:54:54 PM
Hello and welcome to the forums!

Starting a modded play through is easy, but requires a few steps and preparation.

I've created this comment to help you and it has links to all mentioned stuff.

Be sure to read through every mods page if you intend to use them!

.

First thing to do:

Read the stuff outlined in this thread: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8726 and watch the video there as well.

It is to prepare your computer systems to be able to handle Starsector with mods.

.

Second thing to do: Pick your mods, but pick wisely.



The important ones that most mods need:

- LazyLib.        (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=5444.0)
- GraphicsLib.  (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10982.0)

.

Required for some mods:

- TwigLib         (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8266.0)


These mods enable other mods to function properly.

For GraphicsLib, read through its instructions carefully. This is important especially if your computer cannot handle the graphic effects added on by the library.



The gameplay changing mods:

- Nexerelin       (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9175.0)
- Starsector+    (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7679.0)
- Dynasector     (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11001.0)

These mods, even if you don't add factions or ship adding mods, change the game significantly.

Most faction mods are compatible with these 3 mods, unless specifically pointed out that they do not.

Nexerelin adds a fair number of things, especially when faction mods come into play. There is the 'Corvus mode' and the 'random generator' mode.

Some factions can only be used in the 'random' mode. I'll point out which ones are those mods later down in this comment.



The utility mods that add some flavour or help with some stuff:

- Autosave                                    (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9748.0)
- Combat Chatter                          (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10399.0)
- Common Radar                           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7526.0)
- Console Commands                     (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=4106.0)
- Save Transfer                             (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8950.0)
- Simulator Overhaul                      (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=3655.0)
- Target Leading Pip                       (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7921.0)
- Target Practice                            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9438.0)
- Upgraded Rotary Weapons            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9446.0)
- Version Checker                           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8181.0)

Be sure to read through them. Some require specific actions to use.

.

Things that are not really needed, but if you like music or sounds, here are some stuff you'll probably like:

- Audio Plus                          (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10985.0)
- Combat Alarm Sounds         (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11253.0)

.

Utility mods to avoid when using other mods:

- Starsector A.I. Overhaul           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10992.0)

This mod is not compatible in certain situations. Recommended to only use this as a standalone mod with Starsector.



Now for the Miscellany mods that are useful and add more to the game:

- Potrait Pack                  (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10836.0)
- Ship/Weapon Pack        (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11018.0)
- Steiner Foundation        (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10398.0)

These add quite a number of stuff, so read through them too.

.

Miscellany mods that are not generally needed:

- Omnifactory       (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=5199.0)

This one is build into the Nexerelin mod. If you're not using Nexerelin, you could consider using this mod.

.

Miscellany mods that are "use at your own risk" (or in my opinion, avoid due to questionable compatibility):

- Autonomous Ship                  (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10856.0)
- Extra Salvage/Boarding         (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10458.0)
- Extra System                        (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10578.0)

The thread for these mods never explicitly state what they are compatible or not compatible with, thus, they are in this section of my recommendations.



Faction mods for beginners/normal toughness that is not overbearing:

- Blackrock Driveyards                                   (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=4018.0)
- Dassault-Miyokan Engineering                      (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11322.0)
- Diable Avionics                                            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10046.0)
- Interstellar Imperium                                   (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8007.0)
- Junk Pirates                                                (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=161.0)
- The Mayorate                                              (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7372.0)
- Pegasus Belt Council                                     (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9666.0)
- SCY Nation                                                   (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8010.0)
- Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=3491.0)
- Tiandong Heavy Industries                            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9583.0)

Pretty good overall and nice looking ships. Not much problems with these mods usually.

These mods are compatible with Starsector+, Dynasector and Nexerelin, which are usually used because of the changes they create to the game's overall dynamic.

Extra: Dassault-Miyokan Engineering comes with ElizaLib in its package. It needs that to be used.

.

These mods are within this tier of balance and are WIP towards achieving a balanced state (at least, that's what I think):

- Metelson Industries                         (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8100.0)
- Neutrino Corp                                 (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=2345.0)

.

Midline toughness mod, under set conditions:

- Underworld                             (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11002.0)

- Cabal is a faction in the Underworld mod that has about the same power as other mods.
- Why I placed them here is because of the way to interact them in the game is very difficult if you've just started to use them.
- Among the factions that is supported by Dynasector, some of them are very strong.
- If said strong faction is enabled alongside Dynasector and Underworld, the possible strongest ships and weapons from other mod factions supported by Dynasector will be use by the Cabals.
- Example: Knight Templars weapons such as their Rhon Laser and Longinus Heavy Laser will be used, and they will melt you very, very quickly.

.

Faction mods for advanced players/tougher gameplay and balanced to fit too (warning: these factions will utterly destroy you if you're not prepared):

- A.I. War                                 (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9427.0)
- Knights Templars                    (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8095.0) (Note: needs a fix somewhere)

These mods are meant as something like a boss faction, but their creators made it balanced so that they are counter able.

Extra: Knights Templars have a problem related to their colour parameters, but it will only cause crash under certain conditions. There's a fix somewhere, but it is not on the mod's thread itself.

.

Faction Mods with questionable balance (very OP or very weird), but good gameplay addition (they will also destroy you if you're not careful):

- Approlight                                      (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9688.0)
- Crystanite                                      (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8280.0)
- Objectless Research Institute           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7243.0)
- The P9 Colony Group                       (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7430.0)

Needs some more adjustments or something to make them balance.

Extra:

- Approlight has some in game events that are unique to itself. The mod thread page has listed what are those events, but because the mod is translated over from Chinese, some details may have been missed and there are some mistranslation.

.

- Flu-X                            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8902.0)

This mod is somewhat within this tier of balance, but it can only be used in Nexerelin's 'random' mode if Nexerelin is active.

Without Nexerelin on though, it would load as normal into the game like other factions.

.

Faction mods that are buggy but compatible if you apply the recommended fix to them or compatible under certain circumstance only:

- Citadel Fleet                 (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=6442.msg172502#msg172502)
- New Galactic Order        (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9402.0)
- The Nihilic Empire         (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=224.0)
- Tore Up Plenty              (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=5762.0)

These are somewhat weird in the sense that they work and not work at the same time.

Their balance varies from ship to ship, some are broken, some are ok, some are underpowered.

.


Faction mods with questionable compatibility/not advisable to use/beyond buggy:

- Bushi                                  (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10555.msg179364#msg179364)
- Freespace                            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10055)
- Hiigaran Descendants           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10555.0)
- Kadur Theocracy                  (Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/c0hty7oe34typ95/Kadur%20Theocracy.rar?dl=0)
- Looters and Artefacts            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10067.0)
- Scion Collective                    (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=8172.0)

Buggy bonanza. I would avoid them at all cost, no matter how appealing they look.

.

Other factions mod that are under the radar with some compatibility issues (good gameplay addition too, but use at "your own risk"):

- Project Valkyrie (fixed a bit by @DrakonST)
  (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=5066.585)

Extra: Project Valkyrie mod has been discontinued though there's a patch made by DrakonST in the 2nd last page of thethread before the mod thread was locked. It may come back in the future under new management though.

- Idoneus Citadel Exiles (fixed & under new management of @DeathFly)
  (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9614.30)

These are good, just slightly buggy. They're not in the main page, so they're not very well known.



Now onto the topic of Total Conversion mods. These mods convert the entire game basically, and are, naturally, incompatible with other regular mods.

The TC mods we have are:

- Ironclads                          (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=431.0)

And its add-on, VNS            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=6145.0)

.

Another mod that is a total conversion presumably, but is not stated so is:

- Freespace                            (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10055)

.

Total Conversion is very tricky. They add a lot but they are their own thing. Still require some of the Lib mods.



Experimental mods that can spice things up:

- Corvidae Light Industries              (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11409.0)
- Missile Fun                                   (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11404.0)
- Torchships                                   (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11339.0)
- The Lion's Guard                           (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11197.0)

Be sure to read what they do and how to use them in their thread page if you wish to use them!



Some other useful tips.

- For unzipping the downloaded files, I would recommend 7-zip because it can handle almost any type of file format mods are packaged into.

.

Sometimes, you have to manually fix somethings. To do that, you need to open files and manually overwrite, remove or add stuff.

- For a clean and easier time opening and modifying said files, I would recommend Notepad++.

.

In rare occasions, it's difficult to fix some things broken by yourself even if you have the tools for it. For that situation, I would advice just to wait for the author of the mod to take action.



If you have any problems or questions, don't be afraid to ask!

Hope this helps!
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Seth on November 13, 2016, 04:02:35 AM
Whow, thanks a lot, had no idea this community is so alive.
Specs are Core i5 3.40Hz, 8Gb RAM, GTX 960 4Gb VRAM, Win10.

My current mod list:
SS+
LazyLib
GraphicsLib
SaveTransfer
VersionChecker
DynaSector
Ships And Weapon Packs
Interstellar Imperium
Blackrock Drive Yards
Tiandong Heavy Industries
Mayorate
JunkPirates

Using x64 java mem allocation (Xms2>Xmx4), though I've been playing without it on first session with SS+ and few mods, game worked perfectly well. Nevertheless did it just in case.
My rig can pretty much handle the game at steady 60FPS with default settings in GraphicsLab, but my GPU heats up, so I turned off all setting excluding last batch. I don't like the idea of java game heating up my GPU plus I'm more than content with most vanilla effects and graphics in general, using it basically for compatibility reasons.

Wasn't really looking for faction mods just to not get overwhelmed, but seriously, feeling myself like a kid in a candy shop.
Considering ships and weapons, wanna stay in reasonable limits for now, no superhuge ships size of a planet or star, so I'll avoid mods requiring TwigLib. To be safe I will skip Knights Templar and A.I. War mods as well, just getting a hang of a game, so I can live without badass bosses yet. ;)
 
Thanks for making so comprehensive lists for me, really appreciate. Now it's clear that factions and ships are basically merged together and I don't get one without another (the more options, the better, right?). Picked most stuff from beginners/normal toughness + Underworld list and some utility/misc mods.
Thanks again for all your help!

P.S. Was looking for 2D Starpoint Gemini/Eve Online, stumbled upon Starsector by accident, it really needs digging to find this game, and was completely blown away by the features it has. With mods it beats both previous games together by a longshot, seriously, word needs to be spread about this gem here. Are there any SS mods posted on Nexus or Moddb sites?
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: HELMUT on November 13, 2016, 04:46:54 AM

Faction Mods with questionable balance (very OP or very weird), but good gameplay addition (they will also destroy you if you're not careful):

- Neutrino Corp                                 (Link: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=2345.0)


Very, very powerful mods...

I'm not really sure if Neutrino still deserves its place in the OP category, the faction got nerfed quite a few times since then.

On the other hand, the presence of Metelson among the "not overbearing" mods leaves me a bit dubious.

Otherwise, this list sounds good to me.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Tartiflette on November 13, 2016, 04:49:11 AM
Considering ships and weapons, wanna stay in reasonable limits for now, no superhuge ships size of a planet or star, so I'll avoid mods requiring TwigLib.

FYI TwigLib is currently only used with Scy, that actually only has standard sized ships or smaller. The thing is that they are fragile and require external armor modules to survive.

Although I would recommend waiting for a bit before trying them as I'm going to update the mod with a massively different version very soon. (and I mean soon)
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Orikson on November 13, 2016, 05:18:56 AM
As far as I know, we don't have any mods posted on Nexus or Moddb sites.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Seth on November 13, 2016, 12:18:59 PM
Considering ships and weapons, wanna stay in reasonable limits for now, no superhuge ships size of a planet or star, so I'll avoid mods requiring TwigLib.

FYI TwigLib is currently only used with Scy, that actually only has standard sized ships or smaller. The thing is that they are fragile and require external armor modules to survive.

Although I would recommend waiting for a bit before trying them as I'm going to update the mod with a massively different version very soon. (and I mean soon)
That's great, will keep an eye for it.

As far as I know, we don't have any mods posted on Nexus or Moddb sites.
Posting some mods there might give more people idea about Starsector in general, not a thing idea IMO.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Midnight Kitsune on November 15, 2016, 02:31:02 PM
That's great, will keep an eye for it.
Great news, it was posted!
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Az the Squishy on November 15, 2016, 11:33:38 PM


On the other hand, the presence of Metelson among the "not overbearing" mods leaves me a bit dubious.

Otherwise, this list sounds good to me.

I would have to agree.  Metelson is still growing and changing. Thrudgelmir is a nightmare that I'm thinking about taking a shot-gun to an restarting from the ground up (AGAIN). And overall, I need to work on balance some more.  Probably going to focus on being a Frigate/Destoryer/Crusier sort of Faction... save for a few special cases.

So, Metelson's is more the odd-duck I feel in the list. Possibly even Over-powered in some extent. Though, I appreciate the opinion, heh. ^ ^
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Orikson on November 16, 2016, 02:12:43 AM
Ok, so I've shifted a few things around. I've placed Metelson and Flu-X elsewhere.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: DownTheDrain on November 16, 2016, 03:32:53 AM
Ok, so I've shifted a few things around. I've placed Metelson and Flu-X elsewhere.

I wouldn't have if I were you, at least not when it comes to Metelson.

If anything they would've fit under "midline toughness" and only because of the new super-long-range gun and maybe one or two ships.
You had them in the same category as Blackrock, Diable and DME before, all of which I consider stronger, especially in player hands.
Calling Metelson "very OP or very weird" and placing them next to friggin' Approlight, the treasure trove of insanely unbalanced god-ships, seems somewhat ridiculous.

Then again I'm not a modder and don't have a billion posts to my name, so maybe I'm missing something essential here.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Orikson on November 16, 2016, 03:35:17 AM
Ok, time to create more niche slots then. I need to analyse them a bit.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Seth on November 16, 2016, 08:26:34 PM
Huh, that's getting a little confusing... So, is Metelson OP or not? Keeping it on for now, and added SCY Nation, which looks pretty amazing! My mod list is a bit too crazy now, hope it won't hurt game stability:

Starsector+
Dynasector
Nexerelin
Omnifactory

LazyLib
TwigLib
ElizaLib
GraphicsLib
SaveTransfer
VersionChecker
Potrait Pack

Ships And Weapon Packs
Interstellar Imperium
Blackrock Drive Yards
Tiandong Heavy Industries
The Mayorate
Junk Pirates
Dassault-Miyokan Engineering
Diable Avionics
Pegasus Belt Council
Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority
SCY Nation
Metelson Industries
Underworld

Also curious, how is Neutrino Corp? I kinda like ship designs, not sure how this will play out balance wise though...
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: DownTheDrain on November 16, 2016, 10:38:13 PM
Keeping it on for now, and added SCY Nation, which looks pretty amazing! My mod list is a bit too crazy now, hope it won't hurt game stability:

The list looks good, nothing in there that is likely to break your game and your PC definitely should be able to handle it.
And yeah, the new and improved SCY looks fantastic although starting out with them took me some getting used to, probably because I'm not a very good pilot.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Az the Squishy on November 19, 2016, 12:01:25 PM
Huh, that's getting a little confusing... So, is Metelson OP or not? Keeping it on for now *SNIP*

Metelson, hopefully, is not OP. But it is rather weird, as it's not as polished as the rest- and as stated before -is still changing and growing. So, it can be temperamental in it's, aum... Well, in it's balance.
So, yes; It is NOT generally goingh to be OP. But, through it's changes as I make them, things can become so. It's, yeah, weird.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Seth on November 20, 2016, 05:00:14 PM

Metelson, hopefully, is not OP. But it is rather weird, as it's not as polished as the rest- and as stated before -is still changing and growing. So, it can be temperamental in it's, aum... Well, in it's balance.
So, yes; It is NOT generally goingh to be OP. But, through it's changes as I make them, things can become so. It's, yeah, weird.
Did a little test flight, started with Metelson, flew around, engaged in some fights, did a few missions. It's cool to have mining/industry focused faction in the game, as most other factions are military mostly or scientific/military. Really liked design of the vessels, fit very well with factions focus. In combat didn't notice anything overpowered (yet), as well as anything weird, on the opposite, felt very natural to vanilla content. Can you elaborate a bit why you think it's weird? And please, don't make it OP, balanced factions are always more welcome.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: King Alfonzo on November 20, 2016, 05:13:19 PM
It's something that popped up in NaemoNemo's video series.

The main strength of Metellson is that the main ship system that you tend to see on their ships is their unique damper fields. In the past, they were obscene in how much damage a ship could tank. What's more, there was a frigate that could shoot really far, with a really powerful shot, while having the damper field active. Tacked onto that was a few squiffy stats on many ships that, although slightly off, made certain ships ridiculously good (The Varingur pre-fix comes to mind). Overall Metellson was a faction that was OP, but in a really subtle way. Azmond has, since then, gone back and done several fixes to tweak the playstyle so the faction is no longer overly OP, but it's an ongoing process.
Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Az the Squishy on November 21, 2016, 08:24:01 AM
Did a little test flight, started with Metelson, flew around, engaged in some fights, did a few missions. It's cool to have mining/industry focused faction in the game, as most other factions are military mostly or scientific/military. Really liked design of the vessels, fit very well with factions focus. In combat didn't notice anything overpowered (yet), as well as anything weird, on the opposite, felt very natural to vanilla content. Can you elaborate a bit why you think it's weird? And please, don't make it OP, balanced factions are always more welcome.

Thank you, and I belive that Alfonzo took that thunder from me a bit... But:
It's something that popped up in NaemoNemo's video series.

The main strength of Metellson is that the main ship system that you tend to see on their ships is their unique damper fields. In the past, they were obscene in how much damage a ship could tank. What's more, there was a frigate that could shoot really far, with a really powerful shot, while having the damper field active. Tacked onto that was a few squiffy stats on many ships that, although slightly off, made certain ships ridiculously good (The Varingur pre-fix comes to mind). Overall Metellson was a faction that was OP, but in a really subtle way. Azmond has, since then, gone back and done several fixes to tweak the playstyle so the faction is no longer overly OP, but it's an ongoing process.

He is correct. During a Pirate Nemo's Adventures, he would prey on Metelson's fleets. easily popping them for some quick profit. And in previous adventures refered to them as Lemmings (heh x3). So, diretly answering that. I upped the ante and developed my mod further to have a few more Military-style vessles. Prime among them was "Actel H35". It was the main-ship I sort of teased at, and I KNEW it was very strong. it was what lead to the Rostor-Field actually as I wanted something similar to the Damper-feild that would still allow movement/turret useage to allow the tank. To actually tank.

So, during his adventures, he found a Metelson patrol with the rare Actel (I made it as likely to be met as a Tempest in a Neutral's fleet!) and decided "I can do it!".   He did it, but it took half his fleet to kill it... So, there's that. An the Kinetic Damage bullet was too fast at a speed of 3000, making it... Near, damn impossible for the AI to miss and be forever annoying at a ludicrous range.

Since then, with the public embarrassment at somewhat broken items. Despite it's hilarity, I toned things down and did significant feild-tests, tweaks, tinkerings, and redefined things. An threw in a few other goodies as an apology for those who had to deal with my mod's frustrations.    (some new Graphics, and a new weapon... )

And, as stated before, it's weird. Because it's still growing, still changing, that's why it's in that catalog of weird. In fact, I'm wondering how to shove it more in the direction of mining/slavage. But, that's for another thread- not this one -so. Again, Metelson's is weird in that it is likely to change for some time to come, as the gears never stop.

EDIT:: For any further questions on Metelson, PM me or go to the Metelson thread please.

Title: Re: Need advice for mods
Post by: Seth on December 08, 2016, 11:02:01 AM
Having a blast with Starsector, but I need help again:
Is there a mod which allows me to hire mercs (faction specific or independent) which will actually follow me? There's a function that lets me make allied fleet to follow me for free, but they get constantly distracted by pirates or other enemy presence and running off.
Ideally would be great to have a function to hire fleets as escort for a fee over the comm dependent on the size of the fleet, like I pay for contract the first time and every day/week/month it follows me and never running off until I tell them to or until they are destroyed. It would really help out with pretty much brutal early game, also would fit well with roleplaying as trader/miner/transporter not focusing on building huge military fleets.

Overall comm interactions seems rather poor as of now, would be great to have more variety in this aspect. Is that actually hard to mod this stuff?

@Azmond
Thx, will do.