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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: [0.65.1a] The Patrian Principate Alpha v2.2 - The Patrian Navy  (Read 87106 times)

NikolaiLev

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[0.65.1a] The Patrian Principate Alpha v2.2 - The Patrian Navy
« on: October 31, 2013, 11:58:47 AM »

Warning!  Campaign integration is still in progress.  It's there, but kinda sorta brokenish.  Please excuse the mess.   :D

Patria needs you!  If you would like to help development on a couple niggling issues I cannot for the life of me seem to solve, don't hesitate to sign up!  In particular, here is a list of things beyond my ability:

Ship System: Small Battery Stabilizers
Spoiler
A system that increases the range of small ballistic and energy weapons in exchange for decreasing their turn rate.

While increasing the range of ballistic and energy weapons and decreasing their turn rate was easy enough, what I haven't been able to implement is making the system only affect small weapons, as well as adjust the range bonus per hull size (like ITU does).  A nice touch would be to exclude PD weapons from the range bonus, but still applying the turn rate decrease to them (as gameplay wise, it's supposed to reduce the potency of any PD in exchange for range).
[close]

Ship System: Micro Missile Fabricator
Spoiler
Not to be confused with a Micromissile Fabricator (I'm sure I'll implement a micromissile weapon at some point), this system shuts down weapons, engines, and/or shields in order to begin constructing and reloading missiles.  This I can likely do myself, but hey, help is always nice.
[close]

Fighter AI
Spoiler
This has always been the sticking point with Patria; aerospace fighters were always intended to lack lateral and reverse thrusters, relying on their superior speed and firepower to stay out of harm's way.  They should generally fly at maximum or close to maximum speed and use "zoom and boom" tactics to destroy enemy fighters and engage larger ships.  Serpentine maneuvers should also be available to more skilled pilots to evade incoming fire, as Patrian compact shield emitters are not [supposed to be] powerful enough to stop much damage.
[close]

AIM Autofire and Missile AI
Spoiler
AI for the missile itself to eschew usage of the new twisty missile behavior (I'm pretty sure this is already around somewhere).

More importantly, AI that would dictate the missiles NEVER be autofired at anything other than fighters.
[close]

Campaign Career Choice Integration
Spoiler
Because I just can't seem to figure out the rules.csv language.  Not that I'm much of a coder anyway.

Specifically, a start that gives you favorable/welcoming reputation with Patria, adjusts other reps accordingly (enemies with Tri and Ludds), and starts you in Patria with Patrian ships.
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-

It's back!  The Patrian Principate has finally not only been updated to current SS as well as given Exerelin compatibility (I think; not tested since it hasn't updated yet), it's received a major overhaul.  Forget everything you knew about Patria.

Mind you, this is still an early alpha; it's missing a lot of things I originally planned and due to my laziness lack of professionalism unique release model I'll be adding these over time.  Among these are (still) weapon sprites, various ships, and ship systems.  Some things are pretty obviously placeholdery, but apparently some people actually want to play this mod.  So here it is!

Another note: This hasn't actually received constant work over the last year.  Development resumed as my interest picked back up with .65.  A few months ago it was in pretty much full swing and it's probably 75% complete.

The changes from the previous version are far too numerous to list.  But among them: new ships, new sounds, massive fighter re-work, general balancing, and a shift from Maser technology to plasma and magnetic acceleration technology.

Changelog

v2.2
-Fighters given beam weapons
-Potential fix to campaign OutOfMemory bug (thanks to Zaphide if it works!)
-Homer-class T-O Battlecruiser!  Sprite is a WIP
-New weaponry!  Phasers, kinetic beam weapons, and Photon torpedoes, burst-fire HE damage weapons.  Torpedoes are a heavy WIP, but are functional (and kinda sorta balanced).

v2.1
Spoiler
-Fighter wing campaign bug addressed
-Unique fighter guns removed (for now)
[close]

v2
Spoiler
-Mod overhaul (too lazy comprehensive to list)
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v1
Spoiler
-Release
[close]

As a preface:
Spoiler
the mod has numerous inspirations, most of which ought to be obvious; aside from IFed, I took a lot of cues from real-world vehicles and weapons, as well as things from Supreme Commander and Carrier Command: Gaia Mission (which I haven't actually played much of).  It's also heavily based on Stellar Impact, especially with how the initial fleet's role structure was designed.  Lastly, it's important to mention that the mod is intended to be vanilla balanced.  While I like to fancy myself a competent designer, there's of course no guarantee I succeeded, and thorough, brutally honest feedback is more than welcome.
[close]

V DOWNLOAD V
Requires LazyLib



^ DOWNLOAD ^



Patria is a yellow star system home to a terran-class planet, home of the fledgling Patrian Principate.  A small settlement started hundreds of years before the collapse, it has grown over the years and has developed a distinct culture largely revolving around archives of Old Earth.  This cultural nostalgia has had a ubiquitous impact on every aspect of Patrian life, including its military.

Patria's Navy was developed from the ground up consisting of Terrestrial-Orbital (T-O) Vessels; the historical Patrian Defense Initiative was designed to accomodate a defensive fleet that could offer orbital defensive capabilities as well as superiority while guarding Patria's shorelines and oceans.  Because all naval ships are designed for use on (or in) the sea, they all conform to a relatively standardized hull silhouette; predictably, they all look like battleships.  However, their roles and loadouts vary wildly depending on their intended usage.

However, the real pride of the Patrian war machine lies in the Patrian Aeronautical Service; keeping with the trend of multi-environment assets, Patria relies on Aerospace Fighters that can operate both in atmosphere and in vacuum.  Using a hybrid turbofan-inertia engine equipped with aerosol hypercompressor modules to store air from atmosphere to slowly release during vacuum flight, they retain their excellent speed during the length of an engagement.

That said, because it was designed as a defensive fleet, and due to the constraints of multi-environment vessels, Patrian ships have a unifying weakness; they have atrocious logistical capabilities.  They're expensive and slow to repair, they consume many supplies and are extremely fuel inefficient.  For deep space warfare, they rely on imported logistical craft to support their offensive fleets.  Most ships are also very slow and lumbering, though tend to be well armored.

The Navy tends to rely on broadside weaponry, especially a mix of ballistic and energy weapons combined with offensive pulse laser batteries.  They tend to lack in point defense, using a modified version of the aged Sling Anti Ballistic Missile system to protect from ordnance.  Their shields are fairly inefficient, requiring high levels of flux to maintain.  However, Patrian technology is not always on the low-end; they make use of potent plasma-based energy systems and sophisticated ship systems, including comprehensive electronic warfare abilities.

Finally, the Navy boasts excellent fighter support; its aerospace fighters are armed to the teeth with multiple missile or bomb hardpoints with a combination of energy and ballistic weaponry.  While they lack in maneuverability, are fragile and pose large targets, they boast shields in addition to their array of weaponry.  They are also extremely versatile as opposed to the more specialized ships; they come in various variants representing roles ranging from fighter-bomber to dedicated interceptor.  There are also specialized fightercraft, including the ASF-117 Stealth Bomber.

So, without further ado, let's get to the exciting bits!

Aerospace Fightercraft

ASF-4 Heavy Fighter-Bomber, ASF-104 Light Fighter-Bomber, ASF-90 Advanced Interceptor, ASF-16 Advanced Multirole Fighter



GAC-47 Attack Craft, Hawkmoth VTOL (new!), ASF-117 Stealth Bomber, SRC-71 Reconnaisance Craft



Terrestrial-Orbital Vessels

Komar-class Torpedo Boat (new!), Valnad-class Corvette, Kortenaer-class Frigate, Magnanimous-class Light Carrier (new!), Valour-class Light Destroyer (new!), Cloak-class Subship



Charger-class Destroyer, Kittyhawk-class Carrier, Groundhog-class Subship



Lithuania-class Cruiser, Danae-class Missile Carrier (new!), Bastion-class Heavy Carrier



Homer-class Battlecruiser (new!), Yamato-class Battleship, Mayflower-class Dreadnought



Mind you, the mod is still in development!  This is, as mentioned, more of a "pre-release."  I still have a to-do list:

- More Weapon sprites
- Support Destroyer
- Assault Cruiser
- Super Carrier
- Logistical Ships
- The Patrian Astratia (shhh)  ;) CANCELLED (probably)

And, of course, the usual development tasks such as sprite polishing, balance tweaks (or overhauls if I derped somewhere), and so on.

Hope you enjoy it!

CREDITS AND THANKS

Alex Mosolov, for that wonderful game we all know and love and complain about
Keptin, for making IFed which was an inspiration
Vayra, for Kadur Theocracy which was also an inspiration, as well as the Sling ABM
ValkyriaL, for the Hauberk Field code and AI code which was in Kadur Theocracy (borrowed with permission!)
Mayflower, for being a great friend, and an excellent helper and coder (too bad she doesn't play Starsector yet!)
Star Trek, for inspiration and weapon sounds
Muh pals, especially JB who was responsible for the TPC idea (you don't know him)
MechWarrior Living Legends, for many of the missile and laser sounds
Me, for being so awesome.
You!  For almost being as awesome as me for trying the mod.

PERMISSIONS AND SUCH

I don't believe in legalese.  I believe integrity should be self-evident.  That said, if you want to modify stuff, ask before publishing.  Doesn't mind me what you do with your personal copy of Patria, though.

As for mod compilations, go for it if you really think it'll improve the quality of the group!  Just make sure you credit the man behind the masterpiece.   ;D
« Last Edit: December 16, 2014, 08:50:14 PM by NikolaiLev »
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doodlydee

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2013, 12:06:17 PM »

Cool a shiny new mod looks good look forward to trying it out after work
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FasterThanSleepyfish

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2013, 12:26:45 PM »

I am also anxious to try it when I get home!
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dmaiski

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2013, 02:26:50 PM »

your sprites are way too narrow, due to circular colision circles, enemy ships will have the im shooting you but you out of range bug when attacking from the side... BISO has the same problem, lets all go complain to alext about it and get rectangular colision boxes!!!
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BISO
(WIP) lots of shiny new weapons ( :-[ i have more weapons then sprites :-[ )

i got a cat pad
its like a mouse pad but better!

HELMUT

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2013, 04:12:41 PM »

Very interesting. And yes, it obviously got some IFed feel into them, or even the ISA from Ironclad. For the bugged long, thin ship syndrome, i expected it to be fixed with 0.6, apparently not. It shouldn't pose any problems for the ships except maybe the capitals one.

The sprites will need some more work however. Especially the fighters which are pretty plain. Shouldn't be a problem to add some more greeble to them or even searching for a sprite already done somewhere (just look for shoot'em'up sprites, they are hundreds of them that would perfectly fit.)

Edit: here's an example.

Spoiler
[close]

If you want, i'll be able to help you improving/cleaning some of them.

Ah, another observation. I think the weapons mounts on the Yamato are too close to each other and with weapons it will look weird. Haven't tried the mod yet so i could be wrong.

Anyway, downloading right now, i'll play as soon as i can.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2013, 04:46:26 PM by HELMUT »
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NikolaiLev

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2013, 05:18:14 PM »

your sprites are way too narrow, due to circular colision circles, enemy ships will have the im shooting you but you out of range bug when attacking from the side... BISO has the same problem, lets all go complain to alext about it and get rectangular colision boxes!!!

Really?  Huh.  I never really encountered such an issue in all the playtesting I've done.  It does occur, but only with beam weapons, which seem more attracted to the shield radius than the collision radius (though they do tend to be about the same, so I'm not sure).

Very interesting. And yes, it obviously got some IFed feel into them, or even the ISA from Ironclad. For the bugged long, thin ship syndrome, i expected it to be fixed with 0.6, apparently not. It shouldn't pose any problems for the ships except maybe the capitals one.

The sprites will need some more work however. Especially the fighters which are pretty plain. Shouldn't be a problem to add some more greeble to them or even searching for a sprite already done somewhere (just look for shoot'em'up sprites, they are hundreds of them that would perfectly fit.)

Edit: here's an example.

Spoiler
[close]

If you want, i'll be able to help you improving/cleaning some of them.

Ah, another observation. I think the weapons mounts on the Yamato are too close to each other and with weapons it will look weird. Haven't tried the mod yet so i could be wrong.

Anyway, downloading right now, i'll play as soon as i can.

Thanks for the feedback!  The main reason I haven't made a detail pass on the fighters is because I'm still not sure if I made them too large or not.  I could easily reason out why an aerospace fighter would be larger than, say, a Talon (more complex subsystems needed, sheer wingspan required for lift and such).  Well, it's more reasoning why a dedicated space-born craft like the Talon would be significantly smaller than, say, the ASF-4.  The designs are directly based off real ones, after all, which generally includes their overall size and proportion.

The Yamato's a big battleship, so I don't think they clip into each other or overlap too much.  I could be wrong, though.  However, they're supposed to look a little cluttered, so they won't be much farther than that.

As for the offer for you to help clean my sprites, it's tempting.  I'm a little inclined to say I want to do all the work myself, but I may just take you up on your offer.  Spriting is definitely my weakest point when it came to making the mod, but I can't improve without doing it.
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Wunder

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2013, 03:22:11 AM »

Turo' De Shenken!
YA
MA
TO!
Space battleship yamato, best TV anime, EVAAAAARRRR
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NikolaiLev

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2013, 09:55:56 AM »

Turo' De Shenken!
YA
MA
TO!
Space battleship yamato, best TV anime, EVAAAAARRRR

I had no idea there was such an anime.  I named (and based) the Yamato after the real-world counterpart.  But that is quite amusing.   :D
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ValkyriaL

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2013, 09:59:00 AM »

well, the real yamato had 2 turrets in the back and 3 in the front, not 4 front 1 back :P
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dmaiski

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2013, 10:00:40 AM »

Spoiler
[close]
Spoiler
[close]
SPACE BATTLESHIP!!!!!
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BISO
(WIP) lots of shiny new weapons ( :-[ i have more weapons then sprites :-[ )

i got a cat pad
its like a mouse pad but better!

ValkyriaL

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2013, 10:03:25 AM »

fan made, its not the real space yamato >:( and first pic is broken, use imgur.
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NikolaiLev

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2013, 10:09:01 AM »

well, the real yamato had 2 turrets in the back and 3 in the front, not 4 front 1 back :P

Baaaaaaaaased on  ;D  Four turrets in the front was done to give Patria a more front-facing ship, like the Valnad, whereas other ships are broadside fighters.

Spoiler
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Spoiler
[close]
SPACE BATTLESHIP!!!!!

Hehe, pretty much!

By the way, someone mentioned a bug where the AI tries to shoot at ships and misses due to collision radius.  However, the more pressing issue here is how Starsector AI is (despite Alex's attempts to fix it) still bad at fighting on a broadside ship.  This is most evident on the Lithuania, which, in the AI's hands, still faces forward despite that being the wrong decision.  Still, the Lithuania does okay in actual battles, and I don't want to sacrifice the content of the mod too much to compensate for AI failings, if I can help it anyway (I would if it really hampered gameplay).

Fortunately, even with that flawed behavior the AI will still use the Lithuania's rear-mounted guns, just not constantly, which has the added bonus of preserving flux.  It's meant to be a "tank" so to speak, after all.

Oh, and if anyone's wondering, the Mayflower wasn't named after an American colonial ship (I tried avoiding too many American names, since the fighters are based on American designs because <3 teen series and Vietnam-era fighters).  It was named after me mum, who actually helped me (read: did it herself) code the scripts for the mod.   ;D

Which reminds me, I forgot to add credits and stuff to OP!  D:  *Scrambles to fix*
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HELMUT

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #12 on: November 01, 2013, 10:48:47 AM »

For the broadside problems. Be sure to add a reasonable firing arc to them otherwise they won't work very well (90° like the Conquest i think), also, i think talked about inclining your sprite, something like that (wrong ship, but that's just an example):

Spoiler
[close]

While it will fly a bit weirdly, it will be much more effective at showing it's broadside to the enemy. Not sure about the angle though. A quick fix until Alex manage to implement the Broadside AI into the game.
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ArkAngel

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #13 on: November 01, 2013, 11:25:27 AM »

I like the idea of this mod quiet a bit. I can't wait ot try it when i get home. I willl be honest though, This mod's ships reminded me so much of WW2 naval combat that i'm aalmost hoping you turned the background blue. either way i love the sprites! keep up with making the mod please! :)
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"Yes... Yes I -am- sending you, alone, unarmed, against the might of the Hegemony defense fleet.  Not to worry - watching how they obliterate your puny frigate will be most... enlightening.  I shall dissect their tactics and emerge victorious!  Any questions? Then get to your ship, you launch in 5."

NikolaiLev

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Re: [0.6.1a] The Patrian Principate V1 - The Patrian Navy
« Reply #14 on: November 01, 2013, 11:43:02 AM »

For the broadside problems. Be sure to add a reasonable firing arc to them otherwise they won't work very well (90° like the Conquest i think), also, i think talked about inclining your sprite, something like that (wrong ship, but that's just an example):

While it will fly a bit weirdly, it will be much more effective at showing it's broadside to the enemy. Not sure about the angle though. A quick fix until Alex manage to implement the Broadside AI into the game.

Most main guns have a generous arc of 270 degrees, pointing either forward or backwards.  The pulse laser batteries generally have a more restricted arc, but I have seen the AI make use of them.

There's no way I'd skew the sprite like that, it'd just look too silly.  And as far as I've seen they work okay in the hands of the AI.  That's fine with me, especially as long as it's fine with players.

I like the idea of this mod quiet a bit. I can't wait ot try it when i get home. I willl be honest though, This mod's ships reminded me so much of WW2 naval combat that i'm aalmost hoping you turned the background blue. either way i love the sprites! keep up with making the mod please! :)

Excellent!  That's exactly what I was going for.   ;D
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