31
Bug Reports & Support / Re: Needs to ship with 64-bit Java
« on: April 22, 2017, 11:40:53 PM »Yep.
Ah, in that case, please disregard this announcement haha.
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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Save/Load UI, Autosave, Intel Map Markers, and More (04/10/24)
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Ah, in that case, please disregard this announcement haha.
32
Bug Reports & Support / Needs to ship with 64-bit Java
« on: April 22, 2017, 06:30:31 PM »
I get this error on start on a fresh install (no mods) in both Windows 10 and Ubuntu 17.04.
I think it's time to stop shipping/supporting 32-bit Java.
Code
27223 [Thread-4] ERROR com.fs.starfarer.combat.CombatMain - java.lang.OutOfMemoryError
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError
at sun.misc.Unsafe.allocateMemory(Native Method)
at java.nio.DirectByteBuffer.<init>(Unknown Source)
at java.nio.ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(Unknown Source)
at org.lwjgl.BufferUtils.createByteBuffer(BufferUtils.java:60)
at com.fs.starfarer.util.o0OO.?00000(Unknown Source)
at com.fs.starfarer.loading.ResourceLoaderState.init(Unknown Source)
at com.fs.state.AppDriver.begin(Unknown Source)
at com.fs.starfarer.combat.CombatMain.main(Unknown Source)
at com.fs.starfarer.StarfarerLauncher$1.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
I think it's time to stop shipping/supporting 32-bit Java.
33
General Discussion / Re: I'm bored.
« on: April 05, 2017, 07:57:29 PM »I feel like Alex missed a golden opportunity to drop an 0.8 release blog post as an April fools joke here.The joke would be that it is real, and it's been ready since January
34
General Discussion / Re: I'm bored.
« on: April 04, 2017, 06:37:15 PM »
I feel like Alex missed a golden opportunity to drop an 0.8 release blog post as an April fools joke here.
35
Modding / Re: Spriters judgement thread [non-sprite art allowed]
« on: March 25, 2017, 01:32:16 PM »Beware with the lighting: it comes from the top, not the front. Only the highlights on spheres are sometimes slightly put to the front to make things look better but that's artistic license.
Eh, vanilla sprites are lit from the top and slightly in front, but it's really pretty close anyways.
Also that's a big improvement over the previous sprite- the small things really make a difference!
36
Modding / Re: Spriters judgement thread [non-sprite art allowed]
« on: March 23, 2017, 09:04:56 PM »On the left is a light civilian crew/cargo transport, while the right ship is a more military-style combat frigate.
Being extremely nitpicky here (this nitpicking is done with the best of intentions!):
- If you're going to create some kind of space, make it larger than 1px. 1px feels just *slightly* too close. 2px might actually be okay here.
- Deepen the contrast and shading. I know this is not necessarily starsector-kosher, but will result in a more realistic looking sprite. Also the lighting feels like it's coming from the wrong direction in places (but a lot of this is probably due to the nature of kitbashing).
- Make a slightly deeper outline around the edge of the sprite (very slightly), the edges currently look slightly indistinct, especially on the orange bits.
- I'm not sure I like the bridge on either sprite. They just don't feel right somehow (sorry I can't articulate this more).
Also, glad you like things! Decided I would try out a different color palette/style from my usual stuff. The "painterly stuff" actually isn't quite as tough as you might think - just need to have a tablet and start scribbling until you have something you like(ish), then work up from there. Zoom in a lot, paint over/erase the scribbles you don't like, and enhance the ones you do. The overall "feeling" is more important than the actual details (I recognize that I don't seem super coherent right now...). Speaking of which, I ended up refining my scribbles slightly.
Spoiler
[close]
37
Modding / Re: Spriters judgement thread [non-sprite art allowed]
« on: March 23, 2017, 06:20:47 PM »Hey axle, if you still want it to be in the vulture class, here's a thought:
https://vulprokidscorner.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/11951711_10153307945218557_73756186267937361_o.jpg
name it based on the type of vulture. I think the Ruppel or Lappet would be an interesting name for it
Those are adorable. Never thought I'd say that about vultures.
Anyhow, sat down and spent some time with krita again for the first time in awhile. This is a bit of a weird post for me, because it's actually at the start of a painting session instead of at the end (this is where I ragequit last time). Have mostly hashed out a rough shape, but there's a lot of parts I'm not happy with, notably the rear wing bits (feels like they don't diverge enough), and the general proportions (it doesn't quite feel heavy or massive enough). This design was also supposed to be a lot more curvy. Not sure where weapons go (except for one
). Bleh. Anyhow, might post back in a bit with an updated version depending on how things go. Also, I like fins and glowy bits.
Spoiler
[close]
38
General Discussion / I'm bored.
« on: March 18, 2017, 10:00:30 AM »
Release that update Alex. Or write a blog post. Either is acceptable
39
Blog Posts / Re: Building Better Worlds
« on: February 28, 2017, 02:40:27 PM »Quote
"Laicaille” was also my attempt to reference Lascaille’s Shroud from the Alastair Reynolds books
Inhibitor trap confirmed.
40
General Discussion / Re: Thinking about making a public mod - Theft from myself!? - Opinions wanted!!!
« on: February 23, 2017, 06:51:39 PM »
On the graphics front, I'm still going to stand by my position. Again, while graphics aren't the be-all-end-all for games/mods, they're what generates a first impression and if your stuff ends up looking visibly worse than other people's stuff, people will go "meh". Good graphics also make people overlook deficiencies in other areas. Anyhow, my advice here isn't to totally disregard everything else, it's that graphics should be your highest priority when putting out your initial product (as it's what's gonna convince most people to pick it up).
If you want an art critique, the silhouettes, detailing, and all-in-all general design are quite good already. If you want to improve things however, there are two big things that stand out: the color balance/use of true greys and the lighting (or relative lack thereof). For color, you should try to never use true grey colors (100% desaturated), use greys that still have a little bit of color in them. It's really hard to quantify, but gives things a lot more "life". The colors could also stand to be a tad bit brighter (but you're totally welcome to disregard me on this one, could just be my laptop screen). As far as lighting goes, right now it looks like theres only a very diffuse light source directly from the top... if that. Starsector sprites (modded and vanilla) all have a distinct light source that is above and slightly in front of the ship. Furthermore, the highlighting and shadows are barely there on your sprites - there is almost zero dynamic range in terms of lighting. You can add some convincing lighting pretty easy in a tool like Krita or GIMP by painting over white/black in a soft-light layer on top of your existing sprite. Also colored lights (if you want to go that route), work reeeeaaaallly well to establish depth in areas with heavy shadow.
So TL;DR for art critique - don't use true greys, beef up the lighting a crapton. Don't like the pirate sprite paint, but that might just be me.
If you want an art critique, the silhouettes, detailing, and all-in-all general design are quite good already. If you want to improve things however, there are two big things that stand out: the color balance/use of true greys and the lighting (or relative lack thereof). For color, you should try to never use true grey colors (100% desaturated), use greys that still have a little bit of color in them. It's really hard to quantify, but gives things a lot more "life". The colors could also stand to be a tad bit brighter (but you're totally welcome to disregard me on this one, could just be my laptop screen). As far as lighting goes, right now it looks like theres only a very diffuse light source directly from the top... if that. Starsector sprites (modded and vanilla) all have a distinct light source that is above and slightly in front of the ship. Furthermore, the highlighting and shadows are barely there on your sprites - there is almost zero dynamic range in terms of lighting. You can add some convincing lighting pretty easy in a tool like Krita or GIMP by painting over white/black in a soft-light layer on top of your existing sprite. Also colored lights (if you want to go that route), work reeeeaaaallly well to establish depth in areas with heavy shadow.
So TL;DR for art critique - don't use true greys, beef up the lighting a crapton. Don't like the pirate sprite paint, but that might just be me.
41
General Discussion / Re: Thinking about making a public mod - Theft from myself!? - Opinions wanted!!!
« on: February 23, 2017, 02:04:08 PM »
A few thoughts - like the others, I started out like you, just changed a couple things in a text file, found it wasn't hard, then things got a little out of hand
A few bits of advice on what you actually end up doing:
Your absolute first priority needs to be on making beautiful sprites and graphics. No one cares how interesting the gameplay or how well balanced things are if everything looks meh. Likewise, most people will overlook most flaws with your stuff if you create a good-looking product (I feel pretty guilty of this hehe).
Be more creative with your factions and don't make any of them "good guys" or "bad guys". It's more interesting if they live in a morally grey area where you actually have to think about whether or not you want to side with them or not. If you do end up making a faction "good" or "bad", give them a reason to do so (it's kind of dumb when you see a villain in a movie who just goes "I'm evil, just because" or the classic "no one ever loved me, so now I'm naughty"). Also, be wayyyy more creative with your faction names. Your current factions ("United", "Freedom", "Independence") might as well be named "America", "America #2", and "America #3". Choose something super weird instead. Perhaps the "Grand Duchy of Ostilgrad" (feudal, backstabbing Eastern European kingdom in space?), "The Tranquil" (definitely not a cult...), or the "Conference of Non-Aligned Worlds" (they already sound weak and defenseless)?
Make the mod you want to play. If you don't want to play your own product, no one else will. As an extension - if you don't find a weapon/ship satisfying to use, chances are that no one else does either.
A few bits of advice on what you actually end up doing:
Your absolute first priority needs to be on making beautiful sprites and graphics. No one cares how interesting the gameplay or how well balanced things are if everything looks meh. Likewise, most people will overlook most flaws with your stuff if you create a good-looking product (I feel pretty guilty of this hehe).
Be more creative with your factions and don't make any of them "good guys" or "bad guys". It's more interesting if they live in a morally grey area where you actually have to think about whether or not you want to side with them or not. If you do end up making a faction "good" or "bad", give them a reason to do so (it's kind of dumb when you see a villain in a movie who just goes "I'm evil, just because" or the classic "no one ever loved me, so now I'm naughty"). Also, be wayyyy more creative with your faction names. Your current factions ("United", "Freedom", "Independence") might as well be named "America", "America #2", and "America #3". Choose something super weird instead. Perhaps the "Grand Duchy of Ostilgrad" (feudal, backstabbing Eastern European kingdom in space?), "The Tranquil" (definitely not a cult...), or the "Conference of Non-Aligned Worlds" (they already sound weak and defenseless)?
Make the mod you want to play. If you don't want to play your own product, no one else will. As an extension - if you don't find a weapon/ship satisfying to use, chances are that no one else does either.
42
Discussions / Re: EVERSPACE
« on: February 18, 2017, 07:59:04 AM »Gave it a go. Beat it with all three ships.
Jesus christ, I am so bad at video games. Still haven't managed to beat it with one haha...
I hear you on the poor weapon balance - there are a few weapons who seem like they're designed for the initial few stages, but quickly become terrible very fast, like the pulse laser or the shock rifle. Others like the flak cannon or gatling ii simply own. I think they nailed the core gameplay bit though, it's pretty great to just come home to after work and just *** *** up haha
43
Discussions / EVERSPACE
« on: February 13, 2017, 09:00:31 PM »
This is a public service announcement:
It's absolutely *** fantastic (and it's still in beta).
It's pretty much FTL + Elite: Dangerous + Freelancer (but with better controls). Super-responsive controls, gorgeous graphics, and the game is absolutely punishing, difficulty-wise. Highly recommend if you're looking for a game to play right now. Also probably the only instance of my life where the game is cooler than the trailer. Anyone else played this yet?
It's absolutely *** fantastic (and it's still in beta).
It's pretty much FTL + Elite: Dangerous + Freelancer (but with better controls). Super-responsive controls, gorgeous graphics, and the game is absolutely punishing, difficulty-wise. Highly recommend if you're looking for a game to play right now. Also probably the only instance of my life where the game is cooler than the trailer. Anyone else played this yet?
44
General Discussion / Re: The Coaliton Faction
« on: February 10, 2017, 04:33:10 PM »
Looking back on that blog post, there's one major issue...
WHERE ARE MY TRI-TACHYON MUGS?
WHERE ARE MY TRI-TACHYON MUGS?
45
General Discussion / Re: Rare Ships
« on: February 10, 2017, 04:30:51 PM »
I save scum like none other in some games. "OH NO <insert character here>, YOU CAN'T DIE!!!!!!!"
But not Starsector for whatever reason. I actually kind of like losing a couple ships every now and then in the bigger fights. Losing all of them though... that triggers a rage quit.
But not Starsector for whatever reason. I actually kind of like losing a couple ships every now and then in the bigger fights. Losing all of them though... that triggers a rage quit.