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[vorpal+5]

Hi there!

First, I wanted to express my deep thanks for your mod. I really like how it plays the big doom threat in my game; it adds so much tension!

Now... I was going to ask something along the lines of what davreivv wrote, and you answered perfectly, so double thanks
I too play with a very rough start and excruciatingly high upkeep for my fleet (5x crew salary and many other things) so it is very hard to ramp up fast enough to counter them, and I already see they are conquering a lot of worlds.

I'll add a few more factions, even if I have already the IX battlegroup, Spindle, buffed up pirates and remnants, etc.

[Dazs]

Hi there!

Good morning, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

First, I wanted to express my deep thanks for your mod. I really like how it plays the big doom threat in my game; it adds so much tension!

That is so kind of you to say. I made them exactly for that reason as I felt the game lacked a bit in danger mid way though a game once I had a decent fleet.

Now... I was going to ask something along the lines of what davreivv wrote, and you answered perfectly, so double thanks

Well double you are welcome! 

I too play with a very rough start and excruciatingly high upkeep for my fleet (5x crew salary and many other things) so it is very hard to ramp up fast enough to counter them, and I already see they are conquering a lot of worlds.

I am currently playing a challenging setup myself. The Underworld mod gives a custom start called the Infernal machine that is a scrapped dreadnaught that costs millions to repair but well worth the effort once you do as it is one of the most deadly ships. You start at unfriendly with all factions except independent so making money is hard. To compilate it I have it set to ironman mode and spacer obligation so no restarts and a monthly debt that gets larger the more I level up. Quite the struggle but mining and scavenging got me through the early game and I have to say it is the best challenge I've had to far.

I'll add a few more factions, even if I have already the IX battlegroup, Spindle, buffed up pirates and remnants, etc.

Yea those are good ones to have. I play a very mod heavy game myself as there are so many good ones out there that add to the experience plus it helps me ensure that my mods are compatible.

I am always looking for ideas on how to improve my mods and player input is key so once you've progressed a bit I'd be interested on your observations if you would care to share them.

[Lethice]

So there's no way to add these guys to an existing save right?

[Dazs]

So there's no way to add these guys to an existing save right?

Hello there.
 In the current state of the mod a new game is required because their systems and planets generate when the sector is first formed on game start. I would not say there is "no way", only that my lack of skill when I made this mod had not figured out a way. I have not given it any thought since but I believe I have seen faction mods that can populate mid game. I'll give it some research and see what I can do and, as always, if someone has the answer already I am open to hear it.

[vorpal+5]

From the readme, it appears that the author of RATs has devised a method for integrating factions and systems into ongoing games.

I'm still engaged in battling the Hivers, and so far, it's going well. They truly serve as an excellent "Scarecrow" faction, perfect for instilling tension and the sense of an escalating threat. The question, "Will I amass enough power in time to eventually save the sector from them?" is what really drives me. Alternatively, I actually started a new game and introduced the Xan Empire, as it was purported to act as a bulwark against the Hivers. It's important for the unaware public to know that the Hivers are capable of launching attacks on them while simultaneously targeting the sector's main planets! I believe this will hinder them to some extent.

Now, for some genuinely constructive feedback, would it be feasible for Hiver markets to conceal their prices? Displaying them seems somewhat unrealistic, considering they are an insect society with no interest in trade, only in annihilation. Additionally, it might be worth considering the removal of certain missions they offer, like surveying a planet, as this doesn't align with Hiver behavior—they wouldn't request mere humans to survey planets.

[Dazs]

From the readme, it appears that the author of RATs has devised a method for integrating factions and systems into ongoing games.

Thank you for the tip, I do use RAT but had not considered that a candidate for a solution.

I'm still engaged in battling the Hivers, and so far, it's going well. They truly serve as an excellent "Scarecrow" faction, perfect for instilling tension and the sense of an escalating threat. The question, "Will I amass enough power in time to eventually save the sector from them?" is what really drives me.

Excellent, that is what I intended and it is so nice to hear that since I have been tinkering with the mod for quite some time now (changelog for details) it is good to know someone is enjoying it.

Alternatively, I actually started a new game and introduced the Xan Empire, as it was purported to act as a bulwark against the Hivers. It's important for the unaware public to know that the Hivers are capable of launching attacks on them while simultaneously targeting the sector's main planets! I believe this will hinder them to some extent.

They are not a foolproof solution as that mod predates mine but not only is a well made mod but it is very well defended. So as it is the closest to the Hiver systems they tend to invade them first and get obliterated. Also as another way to slow them down, install more faction mods. The more factions (Hivers hate ALL factions) the more they will be counter invaded which will have them dedicate their fleets to defense rater than invasion and colonization.

Now, for some genuinely constructive feedback, would it be feasible for Hiver markets to conceal their prices? Displaying them seems somewhat unrealistic, considering they are an insect society with no interest in trade, only in annihilation. Additionally, it might be worth considering the removal of certain missions they offer, like surveying a planet, as this doesn't align with Hiver behavior—they wouldn't request mere humans to survey planets.

That is a lingering problem that I have been trying to fix. I reached out to Alex and he gave me some suggestions but when I implemented them it did indeed hide their markets. The problem was though it also hid them from Hivers themselves and they could no longer trade with themselves. Since they are hostile to all it gutted their ability to form fleets so um that was a no go As another potential solution I reached out to the author of Stelnet and they said it was something they could potentially add but that was months ago and still no update on that.

At this stage, I have invested hours and hours trying to get their markets to not show, I am at a loss and sort of gave up in disgust lol. It is still on the to-do and now the holidays are over I should have some time to work on both the ongoing game and the markets issues. No ETA on that but none of my other mods have outstanding requests so I can dedicate w/e free time I have on this one so stay tuned I guess

[vorpal+5]

Oh, I should have suspected you knew seeing markets was not optimal. I was naive enough to think it was easy to fix. Do what you can, no problem!

About mods adding planets mid-game, LOST_SECTOR does also that for Kesteven. And the mod author of Secrets of the Frontier indicates his mod can be added mid-game and I do think it also instanciates some worlds on the fly.
Keep up the good work 

[Dazs]

Oh, I should have suspected you knew seeing markets was not optimal. I was naive enough to think it was easy to fix. Do what you can, no problem!

Heh I get that. When I started making mods I was naïve enough to think, hey I can do this how hard can it be? Lol. I am self taught with JavaScript and just leaned things as I needed to. Heck I do not even know how to use a complier and write my mods manually in notepad++. I told that once to a mod maker who was helping me and their response was !!!???  There is probably a way to do it, I just have a hole in my knowledge since I never looked into it before.

About mods adding planets mid-game, LOST_SECTOR does also that for Kesteven. And the mod author of Secrets of the Frontier indicates his mod can be added mid-game and I do think it also instanciates some worlds on the fly.
Keep up the good work 

Thank you for another lead, that is a must have mod in my games so I will look into that one as well. The issue is, from my previous investigations, is that I have Hivers set up as a playable faction so they can use the Nexerelin invasion and colonization scripts. That is why when I looked into other enemy mods like Agni or Bladebreakers it was not a direct comparison since those enemies do not use those scripts. Ugh anyway not to bore you with the details, I am already a TLDR kind of guy.

I should have some time this weekend to get to it but we have a snow storm incoming and we lost power in the last one so who knows so stay tuned.

[rogerbacon]

I just odwnloaded the mod to try it out and it gives this error:
java.lang.RuntimeException: Error loading [data.scripts.HIVERmodPlugin]
   at com.fs.starfarer.loading.scripts.ScriptStore$3.run(Unknown Source)
   at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:750)
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: File 'data/scripts/util.java', Line 445, Column 0: Non-abstract class "starship_legends.Util$1" must implement method "public abstract int java.util.Comparator.compare(java.lang.Object, java.lang.Object)"

Is there a known conflict with starship legends? It seems to be complaining about non-implemented method.

[Dazs]

I just odwnloaded the mod to try it out and it gives this error:
java.lang.RuntimeException: Error loading [data.scripts.HIVERmodPlugin]
   at com.fs.starfarer.loading.scripts.ScriptStore$3.run(Unknown Source)
   at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:750)
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: File 'data/scripts/util.java', Line 445, Column 0: Non-abstract class "starship_legends.Util$1" must implement method "public abstract int java.util.Comparator.compare(java.lang.Object, java.lang.Object)"

Is there a known conflict with starship legends? It seems to be complaining about non-implemented method.

Hello there, I looked over my code but I am a bit stumped on this. I run both mods and never ran into that and both mods have been out for quite some time and this is the first time that has been reported. All HIVERmodPlugin does is generate the faction when stating a new game which is pretty boilerplate for most faction mods. Starship Legends has their scripts compiled in JAR format so I have not been able to check on their end as I do not know how to use a compiler. But since it has not been reported before I think a third mod may be responsible.

I appreciate you reaching out but I am sorry I could not be more help more. I am an ameture mod maker and not as knowledgeable as other mod authors, maybe Sundog would have a better answer if you ask on their mod thread.

[vorpal+5]

Roger Bacon, as in the famous DW2 modder?

@Dazs ... Playing more against the Hiver, a cosmetic remark (which is minor admittedly) ... The insects-like shapes are difficult to memorize. Perhaps they could be altered so that civilian (troop transports, tankers) have some specifics (no pincers perhaps?) while carriers have another thing (sting?) while combat ships have pincers or something?

[Dazs]

Roger Bacon, as in the famous DW2 modder?

@Dazs ... Playing more against the Hiver, a cosmetic remark (which is minor admittedly) ... The insects-like shapes are difficult to memorize. Perhaps they could be altered so that civilian (troop transports, tankers) have some specifics (no pincers perhaps?) while carriers have another thing (sting?) while combat ships have pincers or something?

Hello again and thank you for the suggestion. I currently have some distinction in the ships which may or may not be apparent. The capital freighter (Chalcosoma) and tanker (Cerambycidae) share the same model which are quite distinctive from the rest of their fleet with the difference between the two being the tanker variant is red (standard tanker color). The troop transport (Hornet) is the only bright green/yellow ship and stands out. The medium (Swimmer) and small (Viridula) tankers are the only ships that have bright red areas that represents a bio version of a fuel tank. The one that does not really stand out to me is the medium freighter (Scarab) so I guess I could edit that one more. Knowing that, do you have any specific suggestions because it is a bit of work to remake ships and I have already done it 4 times so I want to make sure that we have clarity.

Also: I am still looking into hiding their markets but with no success so far but I did lose power Fri/Sat due to ice/snow so I have not had that much time to work on it. I have not yet looked into making them installable mid-game due to time spent with no power and clearing snow/ice (fun times) but that is also on the list. Note: I may be delayed on these code changes since Alex has announced an incoming major patch to the game and that always comes with compatibility concerns so no ETA at this time.

Thank you for taking the time, I am appreciative of comments and suggestions as I want my mods to be as enjoyable as possible and player input is key.

[rogerbacon]

I appreciate you reaching out but I am sorry I could not be more help more. I am an ameture mod maker and not as knowledgeable as other mod authors, maybe Sundog would have a better answer if you ask on their mod thread.

OK, thanks anyway. I'll dig into it and see waht I can learn. I'll let you know if I find the cause and solution.

Roger Bacon, as in the famous DW2 modder?

Distant World Universe, yep. That's me. Maybe DW2 in a few years after they're done adding stuff to it.

[vorpal+5]

Ah yes, DWU instead, not DW2, silly me. Still, many appreciate your good work!

@Dazs, it's ok, I'll try to learn the forms and shapes, don't waste hours on that, if you already retouched them 4 times. I guess it's very much "YMMV" for many people and someone might ask for something else.

[Dazs]

OK, thanks anyway. I'll dig into it and see waht I can learn. I'll let you know if I find the cause and solution.

I would appreciate that, here is a list of my current enabled mods:
  "PAGSM",
  "SBTM",
  "$$$_DakkaHolics_sprites",
  "$$$_lightshow_nc",
  "$$$_trailermoments",
  "pantera_ANewLevel30",
  "all_the_domain_drones+NewDrones",
  "A_S-F",
  "Angry Periphery",
  "anotherportraitpack",
  "apex_design",
  "armaa",
  "lw_autosave",
  "battletechportraitpack",
  "timid_admins",
  "BSC",
  "brdy_addon",
  "blackrock_driveyards",
  "HMI_brighton",
  "ORK",
  "CaptainsLog",
  "CFT",
  "CJHM",
  "Csp",
  "combatactivators",
  "chatter",
  "timid_commissioned_hull_mods",
  "customizablestarsystems",
  "istl_dassaultmikoyan",
  "DetailedCombatResults",
  "diableavionics",
  "Diktat Enhancement",
  "dex",
  "edshipyard",
  "EmergentThreats_Vice",
  "EmergentThreats_IX_Revival",
  "seven_nexus",
  "Everybody loves KoC",
  "XLU",
  "FPE",
  "sun_fuel_siphoning",
  "FantasyM",
  "GrandColonies",
  "GMDA",
  "HMI_SV",
  "HMI",
  "hte",
  "HIVER",
  "hcok",
  "IndEvo",
  "interestingportraitspack",
  "internalaffairs",
  "Imperium",
  "timid_xiv",
  "JYD",
  "keruvim_shipyards",
  "kyeltziv",
  "lost_sector",
  "LTA",
  "lw_lazylib",
  "ArkLeg",
  "lockedAndLoaded",
  "luddenhance",
  "lunalib",
  "exshippack",
  "mag_protect",
  "MagicLib",
  "Marvelous-Personas",
  "Mayasuran Navy",
  "missinghegemonyauxiliaryships",
  "missingshipscivilian",
  "missingsuperships",
  "missingmidlineships",
  "missingpatherships",
  "missingshipspirate",
  "MoreBarMissions",
  "ness_saw",
  "wisp_NeutrinoDetectorMkII",
  "sun_new_beginnings",
  "nexerelin",
  "sun_nomadic_survival",
  "objects_analysis",
  "OcuA",
  "Ocutek",
  "JYDR",
  "oas",
  "ORA",
  "PirateMiniMegaMod",
  "wisp_perseanchronicles",
  "portrait_changer",
  "progressiveSMods",
  "QualityCaptains",
  "assortment_of_things",
  "roider",
  "rotcesrats",
  "sun_ruthless_sector",
  "scalartech",
  "Scrapyard",
  "SCY",
  "secretsofthefrontier",
  "SEEKER",
  "shadow_ships",
  "swp",
  "spacetruckin",
  "speedUp",
  "sun_starship_legends",
  "stelnet",
  "StopGapMeasures3",
  "timid_supply_forging",
  "supportships",
  "surveycorpssp",
  "symbiotic_void_creatures",
  "tahlan",
  "presmattdamon_takenoprisoners",
  "Terraforming & Station Construction",
  "star_federation",
  "TORCHSHIPS",
  "transpoffder",
  "TTSC",
  "underworld",
  "US",
  "vic",
  "vayrasector",
  "vayrashippack",
  "TouchOfVanilla_vri",
  "whichmod",
  "XhanEmpire",
  "audio_plus",
  "ezsadditionalcharacternames",
  "prvExtra",
  "prvPath",
  "prv",
  "shaderLib",
  "zzz_DakkaHolics"

Check you list against mine and any of the missing ones are most likely the problem.

@Dazs, it's ok, I'll try to learn the forms and shapes, don't waste hours on that, if you already retouched them 4 times. I guess it's very much "YMMV" for many people and someone might ask for something else.

Well they ARE aliens after all, makes sense their designs are not easily understood Seriously though, I do try my best to accommodate players when their concerns are valid and doable. There is an alternate mechanical looking ship pack for Hivers in the ZIP you may want to look over if bugs aren't your thing.

Thank you both for getting back to me, I am interested on your thoughts once you've played against them for a bit if you would care to share.