A Babylon 5 Mod for the Final Frontier Mod

[Greeneyedzombie]

A possible solution for the second gen destroyer obsoleting the first gen cruiser.
Make the cruiser available with electronic warfare and remove the shipyard requirement and give it the impr batteries promotion (which should be made a little bit stronger against destroyers, from 15% to 20%), and moving the capital ship to ship to the ship construction tech.
This works fine in solar systems. In deep space defending ships are still a lot stronger due to their armour. In solar systems and other space features the armour promotion isn't working, making them weaker then in deep space. This is most likely a bug?

 

[PsiCorps]

It turns out that I missed one ship class. The unit class UNITCLASS_STEALTH_SHIP_I is still pointing to the non-existant unit type of UNIT_STEALTH_SHIP_I. This default unit type for this class should be changed to UNIT_STEALTH_SHIP, no "_I" at the end (this is the Technomage ship, the only unit type for this unit class).

Thanks God-Emperor, I'll attend to this ready for the next version.

I noticed healing issues too. I'm pretty sure it is because the various Nutrition Facility replacement civ cultural buildings give -5% healing. If you build too many of them you stop all healing in the star system.

I was experimenting with the healing rate as the Defence Satellites were fully healing after an attack by pirates. The -5 heal rate per Nutrition facility is offset by the Planetary Defence Forces 'Bunker' Promotions as this gives back some of the lost healing rate but doesn't/didn't leave the ODS/PDS/ODP's healing in one turn. Still more work to do on this but i've not find any other way of changing the healing rate. By the way, once you can build the Fleet Repair Dock the Heal rate shoots back up and goes beyond what it is with 6 Nutrition Facilities and 4 Planetary Defence Troops.

Watching one of the other civs, I have noticed that they have issues sending out Colony ships partly because they frequently group them with defense satellites that can't move out of the system then try to move the stack towards the target star system but only the Colony Ship moves and on the next turn it notices it is not escorted and moves back to where it just came from. I'm not sure what to do about this.

I also see them building a few defense satellites with the City Attack unit AI type. I think that this particular unit AI type should be listed in those satellite unit's NotUnitAIs list to prevent this.

I'll look into this and see what can be done to encourage their use correctly.

A possible solution for the second gen destroyer obsoleting the first gen cruiser.
Make the cruiser available with electronic warfare and remove the shipyard requirement and give it the impr batteries promotion (which should be made a little bit stronger against destroyers, from 15% to 20%), and moving the capital ship to ship to the ship construction tech.

I've noted this and will see what can be done for the next version.

 

[PsiCorps]

Sorry Greeneyedzombie I missed this one.

Is there a reason why combat promotions have all these prerequisites? It forces all ships in the same promotion path. Removing the option of having semi low tech ships with big guns.

A lot of the promotions have been changed so that they reflect crew training and experience rather than the technology to increase a ships weaponry.

The weapons promotions reflect a crews experience with their ships targetting systems and the increase in strength comes more from them being more accurate with the weaponry than them having a bigger gun fitted. The Engines promotions also give a boost to the strength(firepower) of the ship as this reflects the engineers diverting power to the weapons.

Another reason I've tied the promotions down is that to my mind crews will get rotated around between different ships of the fleet to prevent them becoming complacent. An excellent engineer on one ship may be a terrible engineer on another ship as he has to learn his way around all over again especially if it's a different class of ship (I can speak from experience here having worked on quite a few different aircraft types).

 

[God-Emperor]

In solar systems and other space features the armour promotion isn't working, making them weaker then in deep space. This is most likely a bug?

This is a "feature" of the regular BtS DLL. If the unit is on a plot with a feature then only the feature modifiers are used, the terrain modifiers are not. I plan to fix this in the DLL for the next FFP release so that both are always checked.

 

[PsiCorps]

This is a "feature" of the regular BtS DLL. If the unit is on a plot with a feature then only the feature modifiers are used, the terrain modifiers are not. I plan to fix this in the DLL for the next FFP release so that both are always checked.

I look forward to seeing that.

I've been really busy going through everything we've discussed in the last few posts. Most of it is now done but the longest part of what I need to do is now the only bit left. Namely moving around when units become available due to technology researched. I don't think it will take me long to do once I get started but I need to find the time and the earliest I can start would be friday evening. So, fingers crossed, there may be a new version available this weekend. If there are problems when I playtest there may be a delay in the release of a new version. Either way I'll keep you posted here.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

For the early game I have no problem where the ships are situated in the tech tree. Besides the capitol ship and cruiser should be switched imo. And remove the Q-40 requirements from the cruiser and perhaps the carrier as well.

 

[Premier Valle]

Hello everyone!,

The Dilgar Deathwalker class is almost ready.

And remove the Q-40 requirements from the cruiser and perhaps the carrier as well.

I haven't playtested the mod, but for what I can tell, the Jump Engines should have the Q-40 requirement, not the ships.

 

[PsiCorps]

For the early game I have no problem where the ships are situated in the tech tree. Besides the capitol ship and cruiser should be switched imo.

As I stated before, there will be some changes to this with the next version.

And remove the Q-40 requirements from the cruiser and perhaps the carrier as well.

Removing the Q-40 requirements would also mean I have to remove the ability to paradrop from the unit. See below for more details.

Hello everyone!,

The Dilgar Deathwalker class is almost ready.

Excellent news Premier, can't wait to see it and add it.

I haven't playtested the mod, but for what I can tell, the Jump Engines should have the Q-40 requirement, not the ships.

I did post about this previously. I didn't merge in the jump engines or jump gates part of the mod primarily because it was Python code and I wasn't comfortable doing this without making a mistake. So for now there is no facility to open a jump point in space with a jump engine. At present the trade routes/jump routes are the only way to show this on the map. Units that require Q-40 have that requirement because they can paradrop from a star system. If we can get the python code added back in then I will remove the Q-40 requirement from the ships.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

The weapons promotions reflect a crews experience with their ships targetting systems and the increase in strength comes more from them being more accurate with the weaponry than them having a bigger gun fitted. The Engines promotions also give a boost to the strength(firepower) of the ship as this reflects the engineers diverting power to the weapons.

I always thought of the engines promotions as the ship having bigger/better engines installed.
Hence the increase in power, speed.
To me the computer, engine, and the adv batteries promotions as hardware installed on the ship.

The trained weapons/battle damage (Battle damage teams would represent engineers and the crew) promotions as tied together to each other and to the engines.

The computer, sensor and ecm promotions tied to each other.

So to get to level 3 of the combat/damage control you would need level 2 hardware promotions installed.
Same for the computers and sensor/ecm crews.

What do you think of removing the combat 4th promotion, and move it in place of the anti-carrier promotion? since its called fussion cannon. (hardware) Leaving only 3 combat promotions. Giving each branch of training only three promotions.)

The third engine promotion could be called anti-matter engines? since it gives extra movement.

 

[Premier Valle]

Hello everyone!,

Finally, after all this time, the Dilgar fleet is complete, may I present you the Deathwalker Class, here is a little insight into the ship's desing features:
+ Starboard:

• 1 Forward-arc heavy laser battery.
• 1 Starboard facing missile rack.

+ Fore:

• 2 Forward-arc heavy pulse cannons.
• 2 Forward-arc medium pulse cannons.
• 1 Mass-driver.
• 2 Mass-driver projectile hangars with magnetic rails for fast reload (*).

+ Aft:

• 4 Dual-engined Ion drives

+ Port:

• 2 Fighter launch bays.
• 1 Maintenance/auxiliar launch bay.

+ Bottom (keel?):

• 2 Forward/downward/backward/starboard/port-arc heavy pulse cannon turrets.

+ Top:

• 1 Forward/upper-arc medium laser turret.
• Main sensor/communication array (the half sphere)

(*) after the stored projectiles are expended the Mass driver can be reloaded by more conventional methods (an auxiliary craft).

Poly: 1484
Anim: B5_Custom_FF_Maximus
Damage/Gloss/Glow: Yes/Yes/Yes
FX extra poly: 58

Civilopedia:

Combat:

Damaged:

With this ship ready, I'll be releasing the 15th ship pack shortly.

I did post about this previously. I didn't merge in the jump engines or jump gates part of the mod primarily because it was Python code and I wasn't comfortable doing this without making a mistake. So for now there is no facility to open a jump point in space with a jump engine. At present the trade routes/jump routes are the only way to show this on the map. Units that require Q-40 have that requirement because they can paradrop from a star system. If we can get the python code added back in then I will remove the Q-40 requirement from the ships.

I'll do the jump engines python sutff. However, ships jumping(paradroping) from a star system might actually seem as the ships using the system's jump gate, so there is no need for the ship to carry Q-40 (since the gate is the one opening the jump point)...

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

I'll do the jump engines python sutff. However, ships jumping(paradroping) from a star system might actually seem as the ships using the system's jump gate, so there is no need for the ship to carry Q-40 (since the gate is the one opening the jump point)...

They might still need to carry it, for those ships who are jump capable by them self.

Great ship as always.

 

[Premier Valle]

Hi,

They might still need to carry it, for those ships who are jump capable by them self.

Indeed, jump-capable ships need Q-40 for the jump-engine, however, in this mod the jump engine is a separate "unit" carried within the ship, since by default the jump-engine is not part of the ship (its built separately) it should be the jump-engine the one that has a Q-40 requirement (otherwise, if you are unable to secure a Q-40 resource you'll end up fielding a fleet of low-grade non-jump-capable "weak" ships, even if you already have the technology to build more advanced ships).

Great ship as always.

Thanks

 

[PsiCorps]

However, ships jumping(paradroping) from a star system might actually seem as the ships using the system's jump gate, so there is no need for the ship to carry Q-40 (since the gate is the one opening the jump point)...

Once the Jump Code is back in and working I'll remove the requirement for the ships to have Q-40 to be built. I'll also add back in the ability for all units to paradrop from the Jump Gate/Point.

As for the Ship, well! what can I say Premier, it was worth the wait! I'll get this ship added to the mod ready for the next release.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

every now and then I get this error pop up for a while
Call back handler Game utils AI choose production.

 

[PsiCorps]

every now and then I get this error pop up for a while
Call back handler Game utils AI choose production.

I believe the AI is running out of things to build and will bankrupt itself if it tried but doesn't seem to be using the build wealth/culture/research options very often.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

I believe the AI is running out of things to build and will bankrupt itself if it tried but doesn't seem to be using the build wealth/culture/research options very often.

In my current game I get this error,
The AI can build things except it won't build anything
Something else which looks strange, sometimes all improvements disappear from the map in star systems. (the buildings are still in the city screen) And in wb those systems also seem not to be building anything at all. Could be related to each other?

 

[PsiCorps]

In my current game I get this error,
The AI can build things except it won't build anything
Something else which looks strange, sometimes all improvements disappear from the map in star systems. (the buildings are still in the city screen) And in wb those systems also seem not to be building anything at all. Could be related to each other?

How do you find all these errors that have never happened to me?

I've never had improvements disappear from the map.

I've checked the WB to see if systems are building things they have the technology for and found that whilst the AI civs have the tech to build arcologies/habitation systems they don't seem to build them. I'll have a look at the buildings themselves and see if there is anything I can do to get them to build things more often.

In other news a test game revealed that the AI is now sending more ships to attack when war is declared. The EA was attacked by the Centauri using 4 destroyers AND 6 scouts.
I've corrected a few other issues I've come across and have a few more things to look into before I release a new version. Might be this weekend if all goes well.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

How do you find all these errors that have never happened to me?

Born (un)lucky I guess
I only found it by coincidence when the AI settled right next to me, and I could see the system for many turns.
With the dissapering improvements I mean the planets suddenly look uninhabited, satelites that where circling around planets, are gone. Those are the improvements I meant, in case I wasn't clear.

In other news a test game revealed that the AI is now sending more ships to attack when war is declared. The EA was attacked by the Centauri using 4 destroyers AND 6 scouts.
I've corrected a few other issues I've come across and have a few more things to look into before I release a new version. Might be this weekend if all goes well.

Is that the first wave or a follow up attack in the war?
In my current game they are all at war with each other, and that was their first attack.
All later attacks consisted of 1-2 ships every so many turns. Which gets blown to pieces by all the defence sats build by the AI. And while they are at war, they refuse to build ships. Except to replace a loss sometimes.

 

[PsiCorps]

Those are the improvements I meant, in case I wasn't clear.

I'll see what I can find regarding this issue.

Is that the first wave or a follow up attack in the war?

It was the first wave and I barely managed to fight them off, I'd only just settled the planet and was still getting it's defences sorted. There was a 3 ship follow up which I blew into space dust.

All later attacks consisted of 1-2 ships every so many turns. Which gets blown to pieces by all the defence sats build by the AI.

The AI is not the brightest when it comes to warfare in FF or any variant of the mod. It doesn't and never has, that I recall, used fighters from carrier units. A human player will just sit 3 spaces away from the star system core and blow the defences away with fighters before sending in the rest of the fleet and troop transports to capture the system. I wish we could educate the AI to do this sort of thing.

 

[God-Emperor]

Born (un)lucky I guess
I only found it by coincidence when the AI settled right next to me, and I could see the system for many turns.
With the dissapering improvements I mean the planets suddenly look uninhabited, satelites that where circling around planets, are gone. Those are the improvements I meant, in case I wasn't clear.

These graphical peculiarities exist all the way back to regular FF.

The planet modifications (city lights, mag-lev, satellites) don't show up unless you can see the star system, based on the star system's plot's visibility (the plot with the star in it). Since the planets orbit pretty far away you can see them without being able to see the star system's actual plot and in that case they won't show the modifications.

I don't know why, but it seems like they occasionally don't show up if you get a look at the star system plot (like via a recon mission) even though they should. The code that controls what shows up is in CvSolarSystem.py, the updateDisplay method of the CvSystem class and visibility of the plot is the only thing checked to see if it should show them.