Space Opera Scenario!

The Last Conformist

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As I've not at all been dropping hints recently ( :mischief: ), I've begun working on a space-based scenario of the somewhat less realistic sort. I think I've got enough done now that I can say it will be released one day, absent any major disasters. I'm not mentioning any date, mind you! :p

It plays at a preset map consisting of empty space (water) with scattered planets (roundish islands), and so features both space travel and combat (ships) and planetbound fighting and terraforming (land units). In many respects it'll play like an archipelago map. You'll note the map has both X- and Y-wrapping!

At scenario's start, four different races - the industrious Terrans, the warlike Batrachians, the mercantile Merxenians, and the insidious Griseans - are setting out from their home planets to colonize, conquer, and generally exploit new worlds. Soon enough, they'll encounter not only one another, but also various less developed races, that can be nurtured as allies and trading partners, or viciously conquered and enslaved. Some, if left alone long enough, or gifted techs by their betters, can eventually become starfarers themselves, some will never amount to more than barbarians.

(I'm not developing these lesser civs as player civs, but I suppose it can't hurt to leave them playable for those whose idea of fun is getting nuked from orbit when they're still researching Writing.)

Winning options will probably be building an unchallengeable stellar empire (Domination) or being elected galactic grand over-poobah (Diplomatic). I just might include some sort of Space Race equivalent too.


Unit graphics this far is an ungodly mix of Star Wars, WH40, and other stuff - needless to say, I could make a nigh-infinite amount of unit requests. If anyone feels a compulsive need to humour me, my first wish would be a bunch of humanoid frogs toting various futuristic weaponry (energy guns, lasers, autoguns, etc) to serve as the Batrachian infantry.

Well, that was what I had to say ATM. :) I'll need beta-testers later on, but it's a while before I have a biq playable enough to benefit from them yet.
 
Sounds promising, I think the re-use of existing sci-fi units this way is a great idea. Besides there is nothing to say that every unit must be unique to just one space empire.
I'm looking forward to some preview images and such so we can see what your vision for this is.
 
A deep one would look something like this?

DeepOneIcon.jpg


If so, not ideal, but certainly better than the WH40K orks I'm currently using.
 
Here's a first preview of the tech tree for the first era. :)

As you may guess, the main civilizations will start in the next era, leaving this basic stuff for the less advanced ones.
 

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Last Conformist, I created my own version of your marsh terrain. Also I think you should just use the ocean/sea/coast files from Lukree's terrain and for the other (except marsh) use maybe Sn00py's or Rhye's terrain.

Also I could eliminate the lighter dots, but there are still some strange things there, like the base terrain which can be seen through "holes" in the water. I really don't know how to fix that, and I think there was the same problem in your file too.
spaceandwater3he.jpg

Again, I could eliminate the light dots if it is better.
So, what do you think?

Edit: Also, why would you have a tech Writing in a Space Mod?
 
In no particular order ...

I have a Writing tech because I need something for the primitives to research. Your spacefarers may even get to acquaintain primitive types and teach 'em writing. As said, the major civs will all start in the next era anyway, and so have all such preliminaries already researched.

I've not tried combining lukree's with non-overlay terrain, but I wouldn't suppose it's easily done. I may look at it later, but it's not a priority. Also, I'm one of those conservative farts who think the original terrain (which lukree's basically is save water and shore tiles) is pretty good. :p

I'm afraid I like my own version of the marsh water better. Yours is too even in colour (unless that be an artefact of jpgification).

To get rid of the "holes" in the water, you'd have to track down the offending pieces in the marsh.pcx and expand them. But I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with some islands.

Below is preliminary tech trees for all eras:

sostechall.jpg
 
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