A Babylon 5 Mod for the Final Frontier Mod

[Chapon]

Go into the city screen and change the planet you are building on, make the first building to construct the racial building(nutrion facility) EG Human Communities if playing the EA, as soon as you can complete the building with a 'rush' purchase. This will reduce the current research time.

Also make sure that the first research project is Advanced Computers (I'm at work so cannot verify all the information I am providing) but it's the one that enables you to build the University. As soon as this research is complete you should start rushing these buildings on all available planets.

The first stages of the game shouldn't be about getting a ship out into space it should be about building the infrastructure in your home system as quickly as possible. You have 150 turns before the raiders start arriving. Plenty of time to build up the infrastructure enough to improve research times and credit output to pay for the 'rush' builds.

This is what I have done in any speed game I have started and it works.

Try playing the Dilgar using this strategy (they start with advanced computers so you can build universities from turn 1). Once you get the hang of the 'infrastructure before exploration' aspect, by the time you have the techs to build your ships you'll also have an economy that will support a largish fleet.

Also, the raiders don't tend to bother you unless you have stationed visible ship units/satellites on your home system. The bigger the military you have in your home system the more dangerous the AI sees you, at least that's the way it seems to go whenever I play.

Thanks for the advice. Stupid me. I had no idea you can build the same building on multiple planets in one system So I have colonized 5 systems, but each one has only one university. I have also researched the next scientific building, but it requires crystals which are nowhere to be seen. I just hope quantiium 40 will be found more easily. Will try to salvage this game by using all money I have to rush buildings.

 

[PsiCorps]

Thanks for the advice. Stupid me. I had no idea you can build the same building on multiple planets in one system So I have colonized 5 systems, but each one has only one university. I have also researched the next scientific building, but it requires crystals which are nowhere to be seen. I just hope quantiium 40 will be found more easily. Will try to salvage this game by using all money I have to rush buildings.

If you can't salvage the game there's always the option to restart from the first turn, in the auto saves or alternatively total restart on a new map.

There should be enough Quantium 40 for one per Civ and the Crystals get a slightly better appearance rate. Sometimes you may need to go to war to secure the vital resources you need, same as normal Civ.

 

[Chapon]

If you can't salvage the game there's always the option to restart from the first turn, in the auto saves or alternatively total restart on a new map.

There should be enough Quantium 40 for one per Civ and the Crystals get a slightly better appearance rate. Sometimes you may need to go to war to secure the vital resources you need, same as normal Civ.

O.K. I managed to salvage this game. Even found one source of Quantium 40 and build my first batch of Omegas before LONW declared war on me.

However, the declaration of war was all they could no. There was no attack, only one Pak'mara ship went scouting and was killed instantly. So after a few turns we agreed to a peace. On the other side, it seems all raiders from the galaxy found me and every turn there are about 6 or 8 of them closing on my borders. Is this deliberate? They have no chance against my defensive Hyperions, they are only annoying.

Btw what is a jumphole good for? If I open it, I can move a ship 4 tiles, why normaly it can go 3 tiles. I do not see any advantage in that.

Oh and one last question. Why does a Nova require a fleet yard? By the time I get the fleet yard, it will be obsolete. And do you plan on some model changes? Seeing a huge Hyperion next to a tiny Omega is really strange.

P.S. I am recieving an error message Error in Final Frontier Games Util callback handler AI_choose production.

 

[PsiCorps]

On the other side, it seems all raiders from the galaxy found me and every turn there are about 6 or 8 of them closing on my borders. Is this deliberate? They have no chance against my defensive Hyperions, they are only annoying.

It depends on what setting you left the Barbs on when you started the game. I believe they default to raging, in which case things will only get more annoying for you in this game.

Btw what is a jumphole good for? If I open it, I can move a ship 4 tiles, why normaly it can go 3 tiles. I do not see any advantage in that.

I've been giving this some thought and considering changing it however, you cannot paradrop into a tile that you cannot see so game mechanics are currently preventing the Jump Points being used as they were in the TV show, IE jumping into a blind spot that just so happens to have an enemy fleet close by. Unless we can get this aspect of the game changed I'm afraid we're stuck with it.

Oh and one last question. Why does a Nova require a fleet yard? By the time I get the fleet yard, it will be obsolete.

I'm still trying to get all of this sorted out and into a logical and balanced progression. Unfortunately time does not permit me to make all the changes I know I need to make.

And do you plan on some model changes? Seeing a huge Hyperion next to a tiny Omega is really strange.

This is less of a model change than it is a scale change to the model. As with the answer above, I'm aware that there are many ships that are out of scale with other ships. I try and correct them as I find them but again, lack of time prevents me doing much at the moment.

P.S. I am recieving an error message Error in Final Frontier Games Util callback handler AI_choose production.

Basically the AI has run out of things to build. I don't know if the AI queues things up the way a human player would to make the most of the multiple production aspect of the mod. Until I know for sure I can't say if this is the true cause of the message.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[bill2505]

how to install this. i have final frontier plus with the patch
i unzipped the mod to bts mod folder but when i start the mod i get errors.gfc failed to initialize control theme

 

[Chapon]

how to install this. i have final frontier plus with the patch
i unzipped the mod to bts mod folder but when i start the mod i get errors.gfc failed to initialize control theme

There is no patch to Final Frontier. Just for BtS. Make sure you have version 3.19 Otherwise, I do not know. I unpacked the mod, selected it under advanced and played.

 

[PsiCorps]

how to install this. i have final frontier plus with the patch
i unzipped the mod to bts mod folder but when i start the mod i get errors.gfc failed to initialize control theme

Has your problem been resolved?

 

[clearbeard]

I'm having the same issue as Bill, above. Is there a way to play this mod if you've long since deleted your original Final Frontier mod folder in favor of Final Frontier Plus, and have no idea which box you put your original Civ 4 BtS disk in several years ago? Other than finding said box, that is. I suspect that's his problem too: he has FF+ installed, but _not_ FF, which the first post helpfully states you need.

Alternately, as a request: with your next (major) release, could you publish a full, stand alone version of your mod, without the cross-referencing of resources?

Thanks!

 

[PsiCorps]

I'm having the same issue as Bill, above. Is there a way to play this mod if you've long since deleted your original Final Frontier mod folder in favor of Final Frontier Plus, and have no idea which box you put your original Civ 4 BtS disk in several years ago? Other than finding said box, that is. I suspect that's his problem too: he has FF+ installed, but _not_ FF, which the first post helpfully states you need.

Alternately, as a request: with your next (major) release, could you publish a full, stand alone version of your mod, without the cross-referencing of resources?

Thanks!

I'll try and ensure that the next version is stand alone and does not require any other version of FF or FF+ is required.

 

[Doomspark]

I know I haven't been here in a while, but just wanted to say that I'm still enjoying this mod very much. I've found one issue that is bugging me.

Unrestricted Leaders isn't available as an option. But if you've enabled that option while playing the unmodded game (or a mod that allows it), the setting carries over into B5 as well even if you completely exit from the game. This means that you have to set all the leaders manually if you want to preserve the original flavor of the series (or launch the unmodded game, uncheck the box, and then launch the mod again).

Two ideas for fixing:
1 - Enable the Unrestricted Leaders option on the Custom Game screen so it can be unchecked for this mod.
2 - Fix the text for each leader's greeting to remove any reference to what race they are.

I'd prefer option 1. The idea of having G'kar as leader of the Centauri just doesn't sit well with me.

 

[PsiCorps]

I know I haven't been here in a while, but just wanted to say that I'm still enjoying this mod very much. I've found one issue that is bugging me.

Unrestricted Leaders isn't available as an option. But if you've enabled that option while playing the unmodded game (or a mod that allows it), the setting carries over into B5 as well even if you completely exit from the game. This means that you have to set all the leaders manually if you want to preserve the original flavor of the series (or launch the unmodded game, uncheck the box, and then launch the mod again).

Two ideas for fixing:
1 - Enable the Unrestricted Leaders option on the Custom Game screen so it can be unchecked for this mod.
2 - Fix the text for each leader's greeting to remove any reference to what race they are.

I'd prefer option 1. The idea of having G'kar as leader of the Centauri just doesn't sit well with me.

There is a third option which is a little more involved. Boot up the last mod you played and go through the setup of a game and deselect everything then begin the game. Once the map is generated exit the game, load up the B5 Mod and set the game up as you like and begin playing.
But, along with many many other things that I struggle to find time with it is just one of many things I need to sort.

 

[dusckr87]

There is a third option which is a little more involved. Boot up the last mod you played and go through the setup of a game and deselect everything then begin the game. Once the map is generated exit the game, load up the B5 Mod and set the game up as you like and begin playing.
But, along with many many other things that I struggle to find time with it is just one of many things I need to sort.

There's a fourth option that's a lot easier. Choose "play now", start a "fake" game, exit that game, and start a new custom game as you wish. This is the option almost every other mod recommends, as it resets the default settings for each mod after you have played a different mod previously. I've also heard that holding the shift key while loading the mod does the same thing, though I don't have first-hand experience in this (I'm lazy and often am off doing other things while the various mods load---some of them can take a few minutes).

Most mods recommend doing it this way because the "hidden" options are that way for a reason, and the mod creators don't want to "unhide" them in the XML.

 

[PsiCorps]

There's a fourth option that's a lot easier. Choose "play now", start a "fake" game, exit that game, and start a new custom game as you wish. This is the option almost every other mod recommends, as it resets the default settings for each mod after you have played a different mod previously. I've also heard that holding the shift key while loading the mod does the same thing, though I don't have first-hand experience in this (I'm lazy and often am off doing other things while the various mods load---some of them can take a few minutes).

Most mods recommend doing it this way because the "hidden" options are that way for a reason, and the mod creators don't want to "unhide" them in the XML.

Thanks for that dusckr87.

 

[The_J]

You (as mod authors) can also prevent that.
In your mod's .ini, there should be an option which forces the mod to read the game options from the included XML, and not from the user's .ini file. In that way the options from other mods don't carry over.
-> you should definitely activate that.

 

[PsiCorps]

You (as mod authors) can also prevent that.
In your mod's .ini, there should be an option which forces the mod to read the game options from the included XML, and not from the user's .ini file. In that way the options from other mods don't carry over.
-> you should definitely activate that.

Thanks The_J I'll look into that now.

 

[PsiCorps]

Hi all, I know I've been rather quiet of late. RL has had me to busy to focus on anything B5 related. However, that is about to change.

I'll be reviewing what the last version was like and comparing it to the current version i've been tinkering with so I can make sure the Changelog is up to date and correct and once that's done I'll be uploading a new version.

Can't give a timescale presently but I'll try and have it done by christmas.

 

[Premier Valle]

Hello everyone!,

If PsiCorps has been quiet, then I'm almost dead , for these last months (more like most of the year) RL has kept me quite busy. Anyway, I've been working a little on the Mitoc Assault Shuttle, there is only a silhouette for it, at it isn't a good one, so while taking it into account, I've been re/designing it, here is what I've come so far, its not a final version, but rather a proposal.

Spoiler :

What do you think of it?

 

[Premier Valle]

Hello again,

Although I like the previous proposal (it feels more like a bomber than a shuttle), shortly after posting it I got the feeling that I was bypassing something... then I got it, I was thinking too linear, perhaps that silhouette I talked about previously wasn't that bad after all (that doesn't mean is a good one either ), so I came up with another design based on it, this one is closer to the silhouette and with a few modifications I believe still is feasible.

Spoiler :

I think this is the one I'll go with for the Mitoc Assault Shuttle. What do you think?.

 

[AbsintheRed]

Looks great, I like it!

 

[PsiCorps]

Looks great, I like it!

As do I, looking forward to seeing a version with a skin on.