TC01
Deity
Final Frontier Plus- A Modmod of Final Frontier
v1.84 Released 8/25/15!
Final Frontier Plus is, as the name suggests (and as the readme will tell you if you read it), a modmod of Jon Shafer's Final Frontier mod/scenario included with Beyond the Sword. Unlike most of the existing Final Frontier modmods, it is not a total conversion; instead, it is an expansion of Final Frontier itself. The goals of the project are threefold.
The first goal is to significantly improve the speed and reliability of Final Frontier. Through a handful of merged speed mods, as well as countless bug fixes accumulated over the last few years, we have mostly accomplished this goal. Final Frontier Plus runs at nearly the speed of unmodded Beyond the Sword and has fixed almost all outstanding issues with the original mod-scenario. Future improvements will likely still occur over time, especially as more bugs may be unwittingly introduced.
The second goal is to make Final Frontier Plus a richer and more immersive experience than the Final Frontier scenario. As anyone who has played Final Frontier will likely realize, that mod is rather lacking in terms of content. This is an open-ended goal. Through the work of God-Emperor, many new features have been added to the game and the BUG interface has been overlaid over the Final Frontier interface. More work in this area of things is to come over time.
The third goal is to improve a modder's experience in modding Final Frontier. To do this, we have removed a number of hardcoded limitations from the Python code of Final Frontier, created a number of new XML tags as a result of the removal of such hardcoding, and finally generally cleaned up the original Final Frontier code. This too is an open-ended goal that currently has received more focus than adding new content (as it goes along with improving speed and reliability).
This forum, then, is for anything to do with the mod. Have a feature request? A feature in another space mod that you think should be merged into this mod? Post it here. Are you working on a total conversion of Final Frontier? Are you having issues getting your mod to work with Final Frontier Plus? Post it here. Do you want to discuss the gameplay of Final Frontier (Plus) and how it can be improved? Post it here. This forum is for Final Frontier Plus development and discussion, but it's also a place for general questions about how Final Frontier works and plays.
You are welcome to produce modmods of Final Frontier Plus. I personally see a slight distinction between using FF+ as a platform for your own space mod, and making a modmod with additional content for FF+, which is why I specify this. For both types of mods, my only request is that you provide credit to FF+ developers and contributors.
Included Mods:
Final Frontier Plus, in addition to improvements to the game, game speed, and game AI, also contains some community content designed for both Final Frontier and unmodded Civilization 4. Here is a list of community mods that aren't specifically targeted to Final Frontier that we have merged:
Links:
Download Main Mod (1) (v1.83): This download requires you to still have Final Frontier on your computer.
Download Main Mod (2) (v1.83): This download does not require you to still have Final Frontier, but is larger.
Download Main Mod (3) (v1.83): This download contains the entire installation, without an installer, if the installer does not currently work for you.
Download Latest Patch (v1.84): This patch installer requires the main mod to be installed.
Download Latest Patch (Zip) (v1.84): This is a zip version of the latest patch.
ModDB Mirrors: Download all above files, except from ModDB instead of CFC / WPC.
Download Mod Platform Version (v1.0): This download is only for modders who wish to merge FF+ with their own mods. It will not run on its own. It is also out of date.
Download Mod Platform Plugins: This download contains all currently-available plugins for the Mod Platform Version.
Final Frontier: Problems and Issues (a lot of fixes come from here)
Development Forum: A development forum for the mod!
Sourceforge Repository: Development site, containing source code for download
For more in-depth information about installation and which download to use, see the install directions.
Changelogs:
To Install:
There are two ways to install this mod.
Option 1: Download the mod from "Mirror 1" (here on CFC). This requires you to still have Final Frontier installed- in other words, you can't have removed it from the Beyond the Sword\Mods directory. It also requires that copy of Final Frontier to be unaltered in any way from the original. (Well, you can have installed mapscripts like SpiralGalaxy and Final FrontierFlat, but that's about it).
This download contains an executable which copies your Final Frontier directory and then installes the FF+ files over it. Since it only contains the files changed by Final Frontier Plus, it is fairly small (about 6 MB).
Option 2: Alternatively, if you've removed your Final Frontier mod folder from Beyond the Sword\Mods to free up some space (as I can't see why you'd remove it otherwise), or if you've modded it, you should download it from "Mirror 2" on WePlayCiv. This download is larger, but not too large- it's only 32 MB, where some mods are over 100 MB in size.
For either install method, or for installing a patch, all you need to do is run the included executable. Please note, however, that in order to install you must turn off User Access Control if you are on Windows Vista+, else the mod will not load properly. This is a common problem with Civ 4 mods, unfortunately.
Modders' Notes:
For modders, information is available here, at the modder's guide in the forum. At present this is a work in progress and contains little more than the XML Reference and the WB reference.
Also feel free to use that thread as a place to ask modding questions.
Future Plans:
-Create new XML tags for solar system related data
-Add pedia entries (strategy and background) for Finaler Frontier content (in progress)
-Add more new content like Corporations and Specialists
-Maybe move Planet and System objects totally into the SDK (worked on by Kiwikaz)
-Alien civs? As spawned by Inhabited Planets?
This section probably really needs to be updated.
Credits:
Mod Team:
-TC01
-God-Emperor
Contributors (Code or Art):
-deanej (bugfixes, ideas, help, mapscripts, wormhole graphics)
-Kiwikaz (feature effects code)
-cephalo (SpiralGalaxy mapscript)
-T-hawk (production overflow fix)
-stmartin and HoTK team (CAR mod)
-Sephi (various speed improvements)
-Valkrionn (Inno install script)
-The Navy Seal (Final Frontier resource art)
-ColdFever (blue marble graphics)
-Pep (Unit orders modcomp)
-BUG/BAT/BULL team (BUG 4.4)
-killmeplease (Defender Withdrawl modcomp)
-UncutDragon (Lead from Behind modcomp)
-TheLopez (Multiple Favorite Civics modcomp, Attack/Defense combat bonus mod)
-denev (Multiple Production modcomp
Help and Suggestions:
-davidlallen, Afforess, phungus420 (DLL help)
-The_J (python and graphics help)
-Emperor Fool (python help, SDK help)
-PieceOfMind (feedback)
-PsiCorps (suggestions, bug reports)
-dawe1311, wpulsar (bug reports)
-apenpaap (suggestions)
-JEELEN (suggestions)
-renegadechicken (suggestions)
Special:
-Jon Shafer for creating Final Frontier.
-Firaxis/2K Games for making Civilization 4
v1.84 Released 8/25/15!
Final Frontier Plus is, as the name suggests (and as the readme will tell you if you read it), a modmod of Jon Shafer's Final Frontier mod/scenario included with Beyond the Sword. Unlike most of the existing Final Frontier modmods, it is not a total conversion; instead, it is an expansion of Final Frontier itself. The goals of the project are threefold.
The first goal is to significantly improve the speed and reliability of Final Frontier. Through a handful of merged speed mods, as well as countless bug fixes accumulated over the last few years, we have mostly accomplished this goal. Final Frontier Plus runs at nearly the speed of unmodded Beyond the Sword and has fixed almost all outstanding issues with the original mod-scenario. Future improvements will likely still occur over time, especially as more bugs may be unwittingly introduced.
The second goal is to make Final Frontier Plus a richer and more immersive experience than the Final Frontier scenario. As anyone who has played Final Frontier will likely realize, that mod is rather lacking in terms of content. This is an open-ended goal. Through the work of God-Emperor, many new features have been added to the game and the BUG interface has been overlaid over the Final Frontier interface. More work in this area of things is to come over time.
The third goal is to improve a modder's experience in modding Final Frontier. To do this, we have removed a number of hardcoded limitations from the Python code of Final Frontier, created a number of new XML tags as a result of the removal of such hardcoding, and finally generally cleaned up the original Final Frontier code. This too is an open-ended goal that currently has received more focus than adding new content (as it goes along with improving speed and reliability).
This forum, then, is for anything to do with the mod. Have a feature request? A feature in another space mod that you think should be merged into this mod? Post it here. Are you working on a total conversion of Final Frontier? Are you having issues getting your mod to work with Final Frontier Plus? Post it here. Do you want to discuss the gameplay of Final Frontier (Plus) and how it can be improved? Post it here. This forum is for Final Frontier Plus development and discussion, but it's also a place for general questions about how Final Frontier works and plays.
You are welcome to produce modmods of Final Frontier Plus. I personally see a slight distinction between using FF+ as a platform for your own space mod, and making a modmod with additional content for FF+, which is why I specify this. For both types of mods, my only request is that you provide credit to FF+ developers and contributors.
Included Mods:
Final Frontier Plus, in addition to improvements to the game, game speed, and game AI, also contains some community content designed for both Final Frontier and unmodded Civilization 4. Here is a list of community mods that aren't specifically targeted to Final Frontier that we have merged:
- BUG 4.4 by BUG team (merged by God-Emperor: see below in list)
- Multiple Favorite Civics by TheLopez
- Lead from Behind by UncutDragon
- Multiple Production Mod by denev
- Unit Combat Attack Defense Mod by TheLopez
- CAR Mod by stmartin and the HoTK team
- Faster BTS 3.19 by Sephi
- BTS on SPEED by Sephi (components that weren't already merged)
- Unit Orders Modcomp by Pep (Sentry Until Healed)
- Blue Marble by ColdFever (space graphics)
- Final Frontier Resources Pack by The Navy Seal
- FinalFrontierFlat Mapscript by deanej
- SpiralGalaxy Mapscript by cephalo
- Finaler Frontier by God-Emperor
- Wormholes Modcomp by TC01
- Final Frontier Worldbuilder by TC01
- Inhabited Planets by TC01
Links:
Download Main Mod (1) (v1.83): This download requires you to still have Final Frontier on your computer.
Download Main Mod (2) (v1.83): This download does not require you to still have Final Frontier, but is larger.
Download Main Mod (3) (v1.83): This download contains the entire installation, without an installer, if the installer does not currently work for you.
Download Latest Patch (v1.84): This patch installer requires the main mod to be installed.
Download Latest Patch (Zip) (v1.84): This is a zip version of the latest patch.
ModDB Mirrors: Download all above files, except from ModDB instead of CFC / WPC.
Download Mod Platform Version (v1.0): This download is only for modders who wish to merge FF+ with their own mods. It will not run on its own. It is also out of date.
Download Mod Platform Plugins: This download contains all currently-available plugins for the Mod Platform Version.
Final Frontier: Problems and Issues (a lot of fixes come from here)
Development Forum: A development forum for the mod!
Sourceforge Repository: Development site, containing source code for download
For more in-depth information about installation and which download to use, see the install directions.
Changelogs:
Code:
Patch v1.84 Changelog:
-Merged patch from DarkLunaPhantom to allow BUG to work in PitBoss mode.
-Added some new unique diplomacy text to all leaders, based on suggestions from the forums (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=517635)
-Improved the efficiency of rushing via Slave State from 30 hammers to 50.
-Modified the AI to now forces a population reassignment every fifteen turns.
-The target minimum food surplus for the AI has been changed to vary over the course of the game, as cities grow larger.
-All AI leaders are now slightly more likely to build ships and plan war.
-Fixed rare potential CTD that could happen if a unit withdrew off the map.
-Fixed Wormholes bug that would stop Wormholes from working if their x *or* y coordinate happened to be the same.
-Fixed potential minor Python bug involving adding a planet to a solar syste.m
-Fixed PlotListEnhancements (BUG) crash when a starbase is built while the construction ship building it is selected.
-Defined the TXT_KEYs for the (useless/hidden/ignored) Alien civilization to clean up the pedia.
-Flavor change: adjusted land area computation to use lightyears as a unit.
-Flavor change: slightly adjusted average lifespan in demographics upwards.
Patch v1.83 Changelog:
-Incremented in-game version to v1.83
-Fixed in-game tooltip about iron being used for melee units
-Fixed worldbuilder bug when adding resources to plots
-Updated installer to support all possible Civ 4 installations
-Rereleased v1.83 as a full download (no patches required, just install v1.83 and go)
Patch v1.82 Changelog:
-Bugfix for negative assignable population
-Fix for over whipping when AI is in Slavery civic
-Re-fix for UNITAI_ATTACK_CITY unit value determination
-Adjustment for starving systems (AI planet population assignment adjustments)
-Fix a bug in updatePlotYield where planets with lunar bases outside the current culture range (in a captured star system, of course) would provide negative food
-Potential OOS bugfix
-Base location evaluation optimization
-A bugfix for a widget help problem (which is not an issue in FFP, but is in B5 due to lots of extra content)
-Fix to make the iCultureRange tag actually work
-Building produced yield is written to the save file now (this breaks save compatibility!)
Patch v1.81 Changelog:
-Added star system density option for SpiralGalaxy map types
-Fixed civics causing unhappiness displaying positive unhappy faces
-Fixed issues with Delta Rapid Construction Ship upgrading and being a UU
-Fixed trait text for AstroTech's unique trait
-Fixed issue with iCultureRange (space station culture) not updating properly
-Updated mod version in various BUG interface displays
-Updated CvPlayerAI.cpp (DLL source file) to latest version
-Rebuilt DLL with updated version of above file
-Removed hardcoded unit combat cost mod values from help text
v1.8 Changelog:
-Added Improved and Advanced tracking system promotions
-Added Predictive Algorithms promotion
-Added Warp Phase Modulator promotion allowing use of enemy routes
-Added Precision Instruments Maker building
-Added Hardened Shields promotion, allowing movement on nebulae
-Added Reduced Pirates game option to decrease pirate spawns
-Added Advanced Shielding technology as prereq for Fusion Weapons
-Adjusted technology costs for later-game techs
-Added tag allowing units to take less feature damage
-Adjusted healing promotions and free Starbase promotions
-Sevopedia no longer lists things with bGraphicalOnly set to 1
-Terrain info XML updated so only space terrain shows in pedia
-AI now uses missiles and squadrons, and missile/squadron transports
-AI now considers planet XML-related tags more
-Python AI handles construction ships and cities betterSpoiler Pre-1.7 Changelogs :
To Install:
There are two ways to install this mod.
Option 1: Download the mod from "Mirror 1" (here on CFC). This requires you to still have Final Frontier installed- in other words, you can't have removed it from the Beyond the Sword\Mods directory. It also requires that copy of Final Frontier to be unaltered in any way from the original. (Well, you can have installed mapscripts like SpiralGalaxy and Final FrontierFlat, but that's about it).
This download contains an executable which copies your Final Frontier directory and then installes the FF+ files over it. Since it only contains the files changed by Final Frontier Plus, it is fairly small (about 6 MB).
Option 2: Alternatively, if you've removed your Final Frontier mod folder from Beyond the Sword\Mods to free up some space (as I can't see why you'd remove it otherwise), or if you've modded it, you should download it from "Mirror 2" on WePlayCiv. This download is larger, but not too large- it's only 32 MB, where some mods are over 100 MB in size.
For either install method, or for installing a patch, all you need to do is run the included executable. Please note, however, that in order to install you must turn off User Access Control if you are on Windows Vista+, else the mod will not load properly. This is a common problem with Civ 4 mods, unfortunately.
Modders' Notes:
For modders, information is available here, at the modder's guide in the forum. At present this is a work in progress and contains little more than the XML Reference and the WB reference.
Also feel free to use that thread as a place to ask modding questions.
Future Plans:
-Create new XML tags for solar system related data
-Add pedia entries (strategy and background) for Finaler Frontier content (in progress)
-Add more new content like Corporations and Specialists
-Maybe move Planet and System objects totally into the SDK (worked on by Kiwikaz)
-Alien civs? As spawned by Inhabited Planets?
This section probably really needs to be updated.
Credits:
Mod Team:
-TC01
-God-Emperor
Contributors (Code or Art):
-deanej (bugfixes, ideas, help, mapscripts, wormhole graphics)
-Kiwikaz (feature effects code)
-cephalo (SpiralGalaxy mapscript)
-T-hawk (production overflow fix)
-stmartin and HoTK team (CAR mod)
-Sephi (various speed improvements)
-Valkrionn (Inno install script)
-The Navy Seal (Final Frontier resource art)
-ColdFever (blue marble graphics)
-Pep (Unit orders modcomp)
-BUG/BAT/BULL team (BUG 4.4)
-killmeplease (Defender Withdrawl modcomp)
-UncutDragon (Lead from Behind modcomp)
-TheLopez (Multiple Favorite Civics modcomp, Attack/Defense combat bonus mod)
-denev (Multiple Production modcomp
Help and Suggestions:
-davidlallen, Afforess, phungus420 (DLL help)
-The_J (python and graphics help)
-Emperor Fool (python help, SDK help)
-PieceOfMind (feedback)
-PsiCorps (suggestions, bug reports)
-dawe1311, wpulsar (bug reports)
-apenpaap (suggestions)
-JEELEN (suggestions)
-renegadechicken (suggestions)
Special:
-Jon Shafer for creating Final Frontier.
-Firaxis/2K Games for making Civilization 4
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