Final Frontier Plus

[God-Emperor]

Also in the next version, the AI will do slightly better.

One of it's current issues is that it has starbase and sensor station units getting the attack type unit AI so it adds up it's forces and thinks it has plenty of units to defend with. That is not really the case, though. Starbases do little for their anti-pirate capabilities except for the few that get built right near a star system. The next version will actually classify starbases as UNITAI_CARRIER_SEA, which is the unit AI type of aircraft carriers in regular BtS (and yes, they do sometimes put squadrons on starbases), and the sensor stations as UNITAI_SPY_SEA (used by some caravels and a few attack submarines in BtS). Just this one thing does seem to get them to build a few more useful units for fighting pirates (and invading enemies). Unsurprisingly, the number of additional units is probably roughly equal to the number of starbases and sensor stations.

Even with that, and a few other tweaks, they still have difficulties keeping their systems connected. They appear to tend to put their mobile defenders into a few groups instead of of spreading them around. They also still use their squadrons poorly.

Anyhow, some small improvements in AI behavior should be seen in the next version.

 

[Pourl]

Hi,

my planets dont produce credits. Is it a bug or a feature? In the town overview every town has 0 credit production...

 

[God-Emperor]

my planets dont produce credits. Is it a bug or a feature? In the town overview every town has 0 credit production...

Are you running 100% research?

It is just like regular BtS except gold is now credits, so credits come from commerce that is not used for research (or anything else).

 

[Pourl]

oh thx a lot, my fault.

have a nice day

 

[drumheller101]

I am running version 1.73, and espionage doesn't seem to be working at all.
I've played with espionage in this game before (I know it is only passive), but for some reason I now have no espionage at all. I didn't see a "No Espionage" option before I started any games.

 

[God-Emperor]

It has not changed.

The espionage slider doesn't show up initially. The Capitol building does not produce any espionage, so until you build one of the buildings that does the output is 0.

The slider appears when you meet someone.

If you manage to build one of the espionage producing buildings before meeting someone, I assume the slider shows up (since that also reports the amount your are producing) but I'm not sure.

The No Espionage game option is not visible when launching a Custom Game but does still exist. If you played a game with it set immediately prior to the FFP game and launched FFP via Custom Game then it could have inherited the setting - starting via Play Now forces all options to be the default, which is Off for No Espionage, but Custom defaults to the last used settings even if it was for a different mod (or no mod). You can check the game options on the Game Info tab of the Victory screen to see if it is selected.

 

[drumheller101]

Thanks, I found the "No Espionage" option in a GameInfo xml file and changed it to "Visible". So now I can play with Espionage. Your reply gave me the idea to look.

 

[TC01]

First of all, I'm proud to say that we now have 8500 downloads of the mod on Civfanatics, making Final Frontier Plus the 44th most downloaded Civ 4 modpack from CFC. We also have 7,200 downloads from WePlayCiv- making us the 4th most downloaded Civ 4 mod from there.

And second... version 1.8 has been released! Here's a changelog, but there might be stuff I missed.

-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 better

 

[Xellos-_^]

having some issue with the World Editor. After installing FFP it won't let me erase features other resources.

 

[Nachytsm]

Hey, folks. I recently bought Civ 4 over Steam and have been playing online successfully, but I wanted to play this online with a buddy- I didn't see anything contradicting it as a possibility. But, when my friend and I go to the multiplayer list, it's completely unpopulated. When either of us make a game, it doesn't show up. It worked fine with vanilla BTS, so what's going wrong?

I should also mention, the shortcut doesn't work for either myself or my friend, which I'm attributing to Steam, though if anyone else knows why that'd be? It says that the modpath is invalid, but it's in the Steam folder's BTS/BTS mod folder as Final Frontier, so I'm not sure where it's going wrong. We still have access to it from the Mod menu in game though.

 

[dusckr87]

The "full version" link isn't working again. it goes to the site, but the download link either hangs forever or shows an error "file not found" depending on the browser. I guess I can just use the one that needs FF installed (I've done this in the past with v1.6, which I also couldn't get the full link to work but did get 1.5 to work), but since I copy these files to a DVD so if I un-install I don't have to re-download I would prefer to use the "full" version.

 

[TC01]

v1.81 has been released! Download here.

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

having some issue with the World Editor. After installing FFP it won't let me erase features other resources.

I hope you mean while in Final Frontier Plus, and not just in general?

I'm not sure what could cause that- Worldbuilder seems to be working fine for me. Could you turn Python exceptions on in your Civilization.ini file (Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization IV\BTS\_CivConfig", set "HidePythonExceptions = 0") and report if you get any?

Hey, folks. I recently bought Civ 4 over Steam and have been playing online successfully, but I wanted to play this online with a buddy- I didn't see anything contradicting it as a possibility. But, when my friend and I go to the multiplayer list, it's completely unpopulated. When either of us make a game, it doesn't show up. It worked fine with vanilla BTS, so what's going wrong?

I confess that I'm not sure.

Someone out there who has more multiplayer experience (I usually play against the AI, myself) and is familiar with mods might know the answer to this.. but I'm afraid I don't. I know it is possible to run MP games in mods- there have been plenty of Fall from Heaven 2 MP games played. You could check the threads in that forum and maybe find out how they did it or if anyone ever had a similar problem with that mod.

I should also mention, the shortcut doesn't work for either myself or my friend, which I'm attributing to Steam, though if anyone else knows why that'd be? It says that the modpath is invalid, but it's in the Steam folder's BTS/BTS mod folder as Final Frontier, so I'm not sure where it's going wrong. We still have access to it from the Mod menu in game though.

Hmm. I don't use the shortcut myself (I use my mod launcher program), but I just tested it and it does work for my non-Steam install of Civ 4.

You could try copying the Steam shortcut to launch the game and adding "mod=\Final Frontier Plus" to the end of the "URL" property. Then you should be launching the game through Steam but passing the mod option to it anyway.. I'm not sure if that will work, but it's worth a shot.

The "full version" link isn't working again. it goes to the site, but the download link either hangs forever or shows an error "file not found" depending on the browser. I guess I can just use the one that needs FF installed (I've done this in the past with v1.6, which I also couldn't get the full link to work but did get 1.5 to work), but since I copy these files to a DVD so if I un-install I don't have to re-download I would prefer to use the "full" version.

Huh.

I'm not sure what's going on with WPC, but in the mean time you can download the full release from Sourceforge. I may as well just change the full release link to sourceforge if these issues keep persisting.

 

[dusckr87]

I'm not sure what's going on with WPC, but in the mean time you can download the full release from Sourceforge. I may as well just change the full release link to sourceforge if these issues keep persisting.

Thanks. That one worked, and did it in less than a minute.

 

[old_andy]

Hi guys

First off....,

wow.


yup. That sums it up nicely..


just wow.


also, sidenote.. it's running smooth as silk



now for the million dollar question.. I read somewhere -one of the other threads I think.. not sure where though- but anyway, that you guys were taking ideas for the next upgrades/version here of.

I ask because I do want to expand on the greatness that already is, and I know that my coding skills as woefully inadequate for the task.. I just don't know enough currently


That said, if you guys want the ideas my GF and I've had over the course of a number of games -with me having my woo-hoo handed to me as well...

you're more than welcome to them, since I know you'll do a better job than I will.


and again... wow.


ps.. luv the smileys on this forum

 

[cammcken]

I don't think anyone else has pointed this out yet, but these are a couple of other minor issues I found while playing Final Frontier.
You can't pillage warp lanes in neutral or friendly areas. Not with units nor squadrons.
Upgrading starbases: I don't completely understand it. Some of them I can upgrade from normal to delta, others I can't. I know from normal Civ that the upgrade button doesn't show unless the unit is in your own borders; but I don't think any of my starbases were in my star system influence.

 

[God-Emperor]

I have never tried to pillage a warp lane in friendly territory, but I have done so on several occasions in neutral territory, just to sever the trade routes of some civ that's being annoying.

The main reason for starbase upgrades being blocked is having missiles on board. Technically, a starbase's cargo type is only squadrons. The missiles they build are forced onto them regardless of that, or the actual cargo limit. For some reason having the wrong type of thing as cargo blocks upgrading.

 

[cammcken]

Thanks God-Emperor. I stumbled upon that solution myself.

Have you tried using squadrons against neutral warp lanes?

 

[God-Emperor]

Squadrons won't attack routes, you have to pillage it with a unit moved to it. This behavior is inherited from regular BtS where fighters and bombers can't destroy routes.

 

[Gargilius]

Is there anywhere I can get a blank huge map for final frontier? I want to make a custom scenario setup, but without a civ 3 like mapbuilder, the process of deleting every object in final frontier seems choppy at best. add that to the fact that when I tried to create space it looked like sand, I decided to post here. Can I get some help?

 

[God-Emperor]

TC01 knows more about the FFP worldbuilder than I do, since he's done the updates for it, but one thing I do know is that the terrain you need is actually the Tundra terrain (it will show as TERRAIN_TUNDRA in the worldbuilder file). It should be called Space but have the Tundra looking button. All other terrain types are unused - there is only one terrain type on an FF (P or not) map. Everything else is features: star systems, asteroids, radiation clouds, black holes & their gravity fields, supernovas and their damage areas, and nebula are all features. So is anything I forgot, except resources of course. The buttons for the features are probably pretty chaotic too since only a few of them have buttons specifically for what they are (maybe only the solar system, I don't remember), there are also some that are recycled regular features with different names and models but the old buttons (the oasis, for example, is the black hole and its grav field probably uses the flood plains button and will show as FEATURE_FLOOD_PLAINS in the WB file). Adding a black hole or supernova will, as far as I know, not automatically add the grav field or damage area around it.

I've never tried creating a map for FFP. I imagine it would take a little getting used to (you might what to make a list of what feature button is really what). Some things are only possible via editing the WB file, like setting planet counts and types for star systems,and moons and rings too. As far as I know, you can only add resources to planets via direct editing too - I don't know what happens if you put more than one in, probably either the first or last on the list of planets counts.

I expect it is noticeably harder than making a regular BtS map.