and another remark: I just recognized that the alliance research also take 6+ hours to complete. You just don't recognize it as much as they are strong from the start.

Hi Quiet_Man,

I've been busy with Particle Forge trying to understand its quirks. My intention is to upgrade the explosions and weapons for the 3 new races i.e looking at (1.) Syneptus's "TotalEffects" mod and (.2) "Bailknight's Graphic" Mod. Also reworking the audio for the said explosions and weapons. Any comments?

With regards your comments about the research tree 'completion time' for the Norlamins and Trade Alliance, I'm not sure if I understand the points you are trying to make. Do you find them too long compared to the original races are if so what are the disadvantages?

NB: Reply #777, now that's a magic number!

I thought the Norlamins could use a little research speed speed boost early on. But I'm not sure anymore.

hmm, regarding effects: Playing a little with the original races I recognize they play much slower cause their ships have less firepower. With the new races I'm spending much less time zoomed at battles cause early on the battles end very quickly and you are busy with the conquered planets. Overall I find the current effects good. I'm missing rockets a little. I find the rocket battle ship of the TEC so cool, especial when it gets the ability to hit everything around it.

Maybe an ability?

Ok I must be missing something, Ive downloaded the mod for entrenchment the "expanded" version, installed it to the correct folder, enabled it ingame, and....

nothing, I cant select any of the new races to play as nor do I notice anything different in a game other than the terran starter planet looks like it might be a little better looking, am I missing something here

Whats your checksum when you enable the mod?

Hi zibafu,

Check your directory structure ... your one directory to deep.

how did you know o.0 I love you

Experience ... I've done it myself!

where is the galaxyscenario file?

i keep having to ask this lol

david, the galaxyscenario is usually hidden in the gameinfo folder, either the mods, OR as a last resort the expansions's

harpo

Hi davidt0504,

The file "GalaxyScenarioDef.galaxyScenarioDef" is in the Maelstrom "GameInfo" directory, as harpo stated.

Any idea when this will be updated to Diplomacy 1.2?

Busy with R4 (Original v1.191 | Entrenchment v1.051 | Diplomacy v1.011), which should be ready in a week or two.

Then I'll look at Diplomacy 1.2, should take another week. I'll release as R4 for Diplomacy v1.2.

So whats happening in r4?

Hi Malanthor,

These are a few of my favorite things ...

1. Upgraded Explosions and Weapon effects for new races

   - i.e integrated "Bailknight's Graphic Mod"

2. Upgraded Pirates

   - Pirates now build structures and go on intermittent but small raids (as well as normal raids)

   - Structures include - Capitalship factories, Frigate factories, Research labs, Culture Centers, Gauss Defense.

   - New class of raider ship which go out and harass all factions.

3. Optimised Planets and additional stellar objects

    - Original planets optimised i.e half the texture size (i.e 50MB instead off 100MB), which means I can add 10 more planets and keep the same memory footprint.

    - Pole pinch effects eliminated from R3 planets. Effects tweaked.

    - Approximately 15 new planets and stars with new effects and bonuses

    - moons ( i.e binary planet moons ) for more of the new planets

 Also, current change log includes ...

Effect added
- Orbital Cannons muzzle and charge effects unique for new races
- Replicators 'Planet Production' ability for Cybernetics factory
- Norlamins Frigate and Capitalship factories build effects

Gameplay
- TA Anitmodule uses autocannon not plasma
- Norlamins Anitmodule uses laser not plasma

Balance
- AntiMatterRestoreRate for Norlamin Carrier increased x5 (0.375)
- Tec Dreadnought can no longer restores Hull points to itself via 'Resupply' ability, also extended range but longer expiry times

Research

Bugfix
- Extractor on dyson sphere no longer 0 rate
- TargetCountPerBank settings match weapon points for all capitalships for all races
- Norlamins 'Cosmicray Collector' module abiltiy is stackable
- Replicators Cybernetics factory improvmenents

Models
- added a number of 'mangled' body types to ship explosions (see Bailknights mod)

Optimization
- New particle effects textures are all .dds (as per TSOP)
- New particle files correctly reference mesh and textures files (as per TSOP)

Other
- Replicators 'Antimatter Charge' module has sound on select
- Orbital Cannon rotate and muzzle sounds unqiue for races
- new audio for explosions and weapon effects

Very good. Some nice stuff here.

I enjoyed your more powerful pirates in the extended mod so looking forward to more pirate stuff. Maybe add the player created pirate vessels to the mod if they up for grabs.

edit: the replicator star base and dreadnaught are very similiar, its just the same model but with a few things removed me thinks?

How abouth a new model for the replicator starbase or is the idea that it IS the starbase just with warp engines or sumthing?

Saw a writing error in the description for the deadly tractor upgrade description, was spelled tracor or something like that.

Also compared to the two other factions the replicators starbase and dread seem to have alot of colour, maybe too much? if i go with dark purple when playing them it lights up like a christmas tree, hehe. Makes me feel more like a neon-barbie than a robotic menace.

Just some stuff that hit me when i spent some hours playing the mod just now.

Heh, didnt know that the standfard races had dreads. nice work, i did notice that the tec dread had a strange abbility though: enhanced preservation sounds like something that should make the dread tougher based on its description but it seems like it only gives a little more armor to another friendly ship. Also for 4 armor an abbility that forces you to face the ship your going to help is hmm pretty weak?

In any case i guess this is mostly moot seeing the new pack coming out with titans, my guess is your just going to use them?

Also the enhancesd pirate faction could maybe use a tweak, i love a challenge and mostly its pretty easy facing the pirates if you know how to handle em, but now and then they bring 70 ships after 5 mins and its pretty uhm, impossibly no matter how much youve managed to build in that short time. Last time i got 7 capitol ships and abouth 70-80 normal ships, and that is not counting the armada of fighter/bombers they brought, i had a space station, a titan, 2 repair facilities, a capitol and some platforms and they got sweapt away in 1 min. It was ... interesting. But hey when i think about it, it was pretty fun, so maybe its good the way it is.

Thanks for the feedback.

" the replicator star base and dreadnaught are very similiar, its just the same model but with a few things removed me thinks?"

True in R5 I will be re-working the fleets, including Dreads and Starbases.

"Saw a writing error in the description for the deadly tractor upgrade description, was spelled tracor or something like that."

Thanks. Will fix the typo.

"Also compared to the two other factions the replicators starbase and dread seem to have alot of colour, maybe too much? if i go with dark purple when playing them it lights up like a christmas tree, hehe. Makes me feel more like a neon-barbie than a robotic menace."

Yes, I thinks its the team colors. I'll fix it in R5. In the interim just turn off team colors.

"i did notice that the tec dread had a strange abbility though: enhanced preservation sounds like something that should make the dread tougher based on its description but it seems like it only gives a little more armor to another friendly ship. Also for 4 armor an abbility that forces you to face the ship your going to help is hmm pretty weak?"

I'll look into it.

"In any case i guess this is mostly moot seeing the new pack coming out with titans, my guess is your just going to use them?"

Hep. I'll feedback the models and abilities back down into Diplomacy, Entrenchment and Original Maelstrom.

"Also the enhancesd pirate faction could maybe use a tweak, i love a challenge and mostly its pretty easy facing the pirates if you know how to handle em, but now and then they bring 70 ships after 5 mins and its pretty uhm, impossibly no matter how much youve managed to build in that short time."

Yes, they are not completely balanced. I'll look at it when I have time.

In any case, thumbs up, spent the whole night playing and i am most pleased.

Another idea, now that its possibly to have more than 3 faces on the player menu, maybe add more, seen some mods with that. Not a big thing but hey, if you wanne be picky. Ill be back with some more feedback later.

When did that become possible? I'd love to take a look at an example of it and try to implement it into something I'm working on.

Tekern,

I beleive you are referring to adding 6 races pictures.

See myfist0's solution at

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/391102

http://soase.weebly.com/add-race-pics.html

 hmm, Norms vs Traders head on....I lost 1 Skylark

Pictures are nothing special but I thought it would be nice to show you how beast you can be if you scuttle your dreadnaught factory early game

One more thing: Awesome job on the mod, keep up the good work

Glad your having fun with the mod.

Yes, the Dreadnought factory is overpriced so when you scuttle it, particularly early in the game, you salvage a lot of credits, metal and crystals from which you can accelerate your development. Too bad that you lose the ability to produce Dreadnoughts.

I love this mod. I really appreciate the level of detail and thought that was put into this mod. The new planet models are beyond cool.

One thing that I am unsure of is the dangerous asteroids. I was wondering what the background was for this instead of just adding additional militia ships?

Also, I noticed that some of the planet bonuses do not make sense. For example, I received the tundra bonus on one of the Habitable Gas Giants. Not really a problem, just kind of stood out to me. (really I'm just being picky) .

This mod is exceptional and I look forward to subsequent versions.