[BtS] Star Trek Mod

[TowerWizard]

First, I want to say how fun this mod seems to be! Since I first played FF I hoped for something more thought-out. As a result, I was very much looking forward to playing your mod since I first found out about it!

However, starting playing, I found something that I assume is wrong. Every civ starts with a tech that is linked to a certain value, but since they start with it, the value isn't actually founded. So, it turns out that the only way to found a value is to NOT start with it, when it should be the other way around. While I understand your thoughts behind this, ie that the civs have had this value since before the game actually begins, the game doesn't seem to function in that way. Also, in my opinion, the tech tree could use a little rearranging

Anyway, the mod looks good and I will play it more soon!

Happy gaming!

EDIT: For some reason the game waited a few turns to found the values. Maybe I should have played the game a little longer before posting I did wonder why nobody else had reported this, though

 

[TowerWizard]

There is a patch that makes the aliens less prone to kill everyone immediately (!) but I seem to have failed in using it. I simply put the files in the maps in my directory with the same names as the maps i got them in. Ie I put the XML files in the XML catalog, but it does not seem to have worked. How are you supposed to do it? Speaking of which, some of the sound does not work either.

 

[deanej]

How does it not work? Does the civilopedia show the old strength/movement values for the Alien Vessel? The patch should be unzipped to Beyond the Sword\MODS\Star Trek. As for the sound, I'm guessing that the art/sound pack isn't properly installed (specifically the sounds). The sounds directory should be in My Games\Beyond the Sword\customAssets.

 

[Agent327]

Don't think that would be a good idea tbh. The cloak is very powerful particularly for bombardment (seriously Exploration 6 Plus cloak makes for a hard to find, very fast artillery piece). It's not very hard to get especially for anyone with the aggressive character trait.

Yes, well, I think (ideally) Cloak should only work/be active when moving, NOT when firing. Also, not all Romulan/Klingon ships have cloak. As it is now, any Romulan/Klingon ship can get Cloak - that's just my point. (And if that"s the case. it should be by design, certainly not thru combat. I mean: getting a Cloaking Device by battle experience?!)

Sounds not working: I noticed this before, but assumed it was because the sounds were for Beta 3. I installed as just mentioned (per the instructions), but have no music (intro or diplo).

 

[deanej]

Well, the sound works fine on my end. The art/sound pack is installed properly, right? I took the soundtrack and diplo music and put it in the art/sound pack.

With the cloak, I can remove the combat 1 requirement (that was put in for game balance; is the cost of 50 gold when receiving the promotion enough to balance it?). I don't know of any way to make it controlled by a new unit action as I don't have the slightest idea of how those work. My ability with the SDK is limited to merging mods and making simple changes. Additionally, using a new unit action requires making the AI know how to use it.

With regards to Plasma: sorry about the uselessness, I took out the victory/projects after changing the resource functions. Would requiring plasma for transwarp corridors be balanced?

 

[Agent327]

Ah yes, the Combat I requirement! That's probably what makes it odd... I reckon the extra upgrade cost is quite enough, since it has to be weighed against other advantages like extra strength and extra defense (which are independently available, i.e. without combat experience, as well.

Plasma is required for a Krenim Wonder. A requirement for Transwarp Corridors might have an interesting effect (worth a try).

Don't know why the sounds don't work in-game (the files themselves work fine, as Zippadeedoodah checked them to hear what they were).

 

[deanej]

With the sound, do you get any messages on the screen about the game not finding the files? If not I would check the options to see if anything weird is happening.

 

[Agent327]

There's no message, I suppose because the mod loads fine and everything seems to work OK - except for the music. (Just wondering: why is there also a Sounds folder inside the Star Trek Beta 3 folder? Or is this irrelevant?) Just remembered I left out some vital info: I must have messed up on a previous installation as I have no music with BtS period. (Forgot abbout it, as I've only been playing ST:b3 lately. I guess I'll have to reinstall... again... Will report back on this after I've done so. Sorry.)

EDIT: Just got a CTD, some time after turn 135.

 

[vedli]

With regards to Plasma: sorry about the uselessness, I took out the victory/projects after changing the resource functions. Would requiring plasma for transwarp corridors be balanced?

I think so, it would certainly add another interesting tactical element

Edit: Was thinking about the way the cloak is balanced and thought that maybe the the Tacheyon Defence Grid world wonder should be changed into a national wonder. As it stands once you research the right tech you unlock it and can then build the wonder on one of your worlds after it is built any ships that are built there are automatically equipped with the upgrade by making it a national wonder everyone would have some form of defence against the cloak also

Another Edit: Hey, so would it be possible to add Odo as a leader for the Dominion and Damar as a leader for the Cardassians?

 

[deanej]

The sounds folder in the Star Trek folder contains sound files that override default BtS ones, as well as the unit sounds (I was not sure about whether these override default sounds or not). The same applies for the art folder.

Any more info on the CTD? I'll run civchecker again, but it catches a lot of extraneous stuff especially with the art/sound separated out.

 

[niking]

I'm getting Out Of Sync errors in multiplayer, any fixes?

 

[deanej]

Well, I've done numerous python and SDK changes. I have no idea how those affect multiplayer or how to make a mod multiplayer compatible. I don't play multiplayer so I don't even know if this is due to a file version mismatch or a fundamental flaw in the mod's coding.

 

[Imrahiel]

Hi, I like your mod and I noticed you do not have an real star trek map for it.
I can give you a semi-realistic map( of Alpha/ Beta and a little Bit of Gama Quadrant) which a made with the star trek space atlas.
When you are intreseted i also can you give a version off your mod witch you can play in weeks and were only miranda class and constitution can be upgraded
and you can play the attack ship ( defiant at) like a normal ship. I made more changes like in the strength off the ships and costs ... .

ps: Sorry for my English, I am from Germany.
And i also dont know how to place planent systems in Final Frontier, but I delete all etraxs one an huge map and placed the colonies i after my map.

 

[Imrahiel]

Her is the map and my mod version. Xml are the changes and the map i realtrek ( I someone have an problem that i upload an modfied version of the mod tell my and i remove the files.

edit: look to the end off a thread for the new version inclduing an change list

 

[vedli]

The infamous "capture a planet and you can no longer build stuff" bug returns

This time I was recapturing one of my planets from the barbs after a crystalline managed to take the planet due to what I see as another bug.

Screenshot of what buildings were in the system when the bug hit below. I couldn't get one just before I took the planet since I didn't save (foolishly).

Now for the other thing. The only reason the crystalline was able to take the city was the ship garrisoning the planet did not defend the planet. Instead it just sat there as the planet was conquered. Additionally one of my colony ships was earlier destroyed by Barbs and the escort did nothing. Both of these ships had cloaks and think that was what was responsible (one hell of a way to balance the cloak though).

 

[deanej]

Unfortunately I can't say for certain what caused it without a screenshot before the system capture - the building that causes the problem may have been destroyed in capture. I do see a factory on the planet but not in the build list, but factories work fine so the problem must be on one of the other planets. I'm guessing that the problem occurs when the Final Frontier code for removing buildings malfunctions - such as when the default code acts first and the Final Frontier code then has a master building list that does not match what is on each planet. Did you have any national wonders in that city?

 

[Aleenik]

I wonder if it is possible to have both space and land in the same map...like switching between them...prolly would be hard as heck to make

 

[Agent327]

@Imrahiel: on the map! I think it's a great addition. (Deanej, any comment?)

@vedli: Sorry to hear about the Cloaked ships. Seems they function just like the FF ones, which also aren't recognized as defenders. (Lost a colony that way in MOO2Civ.) Wonder if there's any way to fix it?

On my own CTD: sorry, didn't make a save. Only extraordinary thing I can think of was that I was playing on the Spiral Galaxy-map (which I've done before, but never got a CTD prior to the last patch).

 

[vedli]

Unfortunately I can't say for certain what caused it without a screenshot before the system capture - the building that causes the problem may have been destroyed in capture. I do see a factory on the planet but not in the build list, but factories work fine so the problem must be on one of the other planets. I'm guessing that the problem occurs when the Final Frontier code for removing buildings malfunctions - such as when the default code acts first and the Final Frontier code then has a master building list that does not match what is on each planet. Did you have any national wonders in that city?

The planet population was very young so I can probably tell you. There was the Cochrane Memorial, a ritual grounds (klingon barracks), a factory and a replicator terminal, if there were any other buildings (and I don't think there was) they would be ones that grant hammers. There were no buildings on the other planets, Just Praxis (which was our main energy source ).

 

[Pablod]

you can capture a barberian system,that's good news