A couple of Questions

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

A couple of Questions

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> A couple of Questions

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 9:31:18 AM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

Hello people,

It has been a while since I last played Distant Worlds, but I bought the Universe version recently and I am curious about a couple of things.

I have the urge to play as a pirate.

When last I played as a pirate my smuggling ships got nuked whenever they were detected. Basically after a delivery they would sit at an empires space port, until detected and fried. It did not matter how much shields, armour, or how fast they were, if they got detected they got obliterated before they could move. I tested this with the editor by making some ridiculously OP smuggler ships - same end result though. Has this been addressed?

Also the boarding bug (if enemy ship while boarding team was aboard it, the ship that launched the boarders had their boarding module empty until it was retrofited). Has it been fixed? I could not find any patch notes saying it had been... but you never know.

Is there a way to use the editor to edit object that are blocked by something bigger than it that obscures it? I remember having problems in the past.

Cant think of anything else, cheers for any answer.

Post #: 1

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 11:14:36 AM

Aeson

Posts: 784
Joined: 8/30/2013
Status: offline

The boarding bug is still around, though if I recall correctly it currently only affects ships whose boarding pods failed to attach to the target before the target was destroyed or jumped out of range, and smuggling ships are still likely to be destroyed before they can escape if they're parked next to a spaceport when detected, especially if there are also defensive bases or warships nearby.

It really isn't practical to try to design a civilian or smuggling ship to survive alone against a spaceport. For example, the default Ackdarian spaceport templates call for 9 torpedoes and 10 blasters on a small spaceport, 18 torpedoes and 20 blasters on a medium spaceport, and 30 torpedoes and 30 blasters on a large spaceport. Even the small spaceport's armament represents kind of an enormous amount of firepower to bring to bear against a single small ship, and civilian/smuggling ships really don't have any business being larger than maybe size-300 or so. This is especially true for pirate factions, who don't have a private sector to carry the burden of freighter upkeep and have poor steady income. I'd be very inclined to keep the smuggling ships small and cheap and just live with the fact that I'll occasionally lose some and need to replace them.

quote:

Is there a way to use the editor to edit object that are blocked by something bigger than it that obscures it? I remember having problems in the past.

If you're trying to edit a colony hidden by a spaceport, you might try zooming out enough to select the system and then select the colony from there, though I don't know off the top of my head if that works in the editor. Another way to do it would be to note the large object's type, class, and owner, erase it using the editor, make the changes you want to whatever was being obscured, and then replace the thing you erased. If the object belongs to you, you can instead open the ship design and mess with the scale settings, which will change the apparent size of the object in the main view area.

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 2

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 11:24:22 AM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

I was hoping the boarding bug would be fixed, ah well.

I like to build good transporters. Decent shields, decent armour, good speed. The longer they live the more I can make from them (was my theory). This idea was aimed at normal Empire though.

What I was hoping was that instead of the smugglers camping at a hostile spaceport (as when I last played), they would do their business and then move to a safe location until they were needed again. Basically I was hoping their script had been updated in one of the patches. I guess I will find out the hard way eh :)

Thanks for the reply though Aeson, it is appreciated.

(in reply to Aeson)

Post #: 3

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 11:41:05 AM

Aeson

Posts: 784
Joined: 8/30/2013
Status: offline

For better or worse, how busy freighters are depends at least partly on the unfulfilled demand for resources in the galaxy. If the demand is high enough, they'll be moving around most of the time, but if the demand runs low you'll likely see them idle a fair amount of time. The biggest thing driving resource demands are ship and station construction, so if you want to keep your smugglers moving I'd suggest that you should keep blowing up the ships and stations of your prospective customers.

Freighters which go idle still park wherever their last mission ended, which for freighters is usually at a spaceport, colony, or mining station, and as you noted parking next to a spaceport or defensive base is not exactly healthy for smuggling ships, though it usually doesn't become a significant problem until trace scanners become a thing. Researching Scanner Jammers can help preserve your smuggling ships; including one on the design reduces the likelihood that its smuggling activities will be found out.

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 4

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 1:25:32 PM

RogerBacon

Posts: 724
Joined: 5/17/2000
From: Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kothyxaan

I was hoping the boarding bug would be fixed, ah well.

I fixed it in my mod. If you don't like the other parts of my mod you can disable most of them in the config file.

Also, to keep your smugglers busy and reduce them sitting at enemy ports try creating a game with the max number of independent colonies. That should keep them busy fulfilling smuggling missions.

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 5

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 1:35:33 PM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: RogerBacon

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kothyxaan

I was hoping the boarding bug would be fixed, ah well.

I fixed it in my mod. If you don't like the other parts of my mod you can disable most of them in the config file.

Also, to keep your smugglers busy and reduce them sitting at enemy ports try creating a game with the max number of independent colonies. That should keep them busy fulfilling smuggling missions.

Well... I ironically I was looking at your mod today and thinking it sounded pretty damn good, I must get this when I get home

Right now though I am using Extended Universe and the Better AI mod. I think they are the latest (but I did get them a while ago, i might have to dl them again). I have also modded them and added a lot to research. I read you added a couple of components/research (fighter bays/bomber bays) so I would likely need to tinker with it to add my stuff in.

What you have done is way beyond my limited capabilities, hats off man and nice work on fixing that bug!

PS. Thanks again Aeron, I guess pacifism and piracy do not mix eh.

< Message edited by Kothyxaan -- 5/30/2017 1:38:29 PM >

(in reply to RogerBacon)

Post #: 6

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 1:42:46 PM

RogerBacon

Posts: 724
Joined: 5/17/2000
From: Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kothyxaan

Well... I ironically I was looking at your mod today and thinking it sounded pretty damn good, I must get this when I get home

Right now though I am using Extended Universe and the Better AI mod. I think they are the latest (but I did get them a while ago, i might have to dl them again). I have also modded them and added a lot to research. I read you added a couple of components/research (fighter bays/bomber bays) so I would likely need to tinker with it to add my stuff in.

What you have done is way beyond my limited capabilities, hats off man and nice work on fixing that bug!

PS. Thanks again Aeron, I guess pacifism and piracy do not mix eh.

This is going to work out well for both of us. Another user has indicated he is having crashes with my mod combined with "Beyond", which I take to mean "Beyond Extended Universe". I downloaded that mod and ran it with mine for two hours on 4x speed fully automated and didn't have any issues. With another person using another mod combined with mine we can hopefully see if there is a conflict or it was something unique to his system.

I only added a "BomberBay" component. The change to research.txt was just to make whatever gives you the FighterBay component also give you the BomberBay one.

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 7

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/30/2017 2:18:21 PM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

I am not sure it is this one I have (like I said, I got it a while ago) with this one added: "AI Improvement Mod (1.05 Extended Release)" (http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3647528). The one you mentioned is Beyond Extended Universe (might look into this mod).

And then I added my own race and some tech (research and components).
If it is that one and I run into problem I will let you know. So far the tinkering I have done with those mods seems to be working fine. No crashes etc.

I added another tech step (or two) to the special races components. My reasoning was this is meant to be a special component so why does it lag behind the standard tech? I basically brought them up to the same maximum tech as the standard tech and kept the increase in line with the standard tech... if that makes sense.

Anyway... with that in mind I will let you know if game flurbs on me.

Ps. If the "Beyond" is this one http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3657646&mpage=26&key= From what I can see from searches; It's Dead Jim
So maybe thats why the guys game is crashing.

< Message edited by Kothyxaan -- 5/30/2017 2:23:36 PM >

(in reply to RogerBacon)

Post #: 8

RE: A couple of Questions - 5/31/2017 7:11:49 AM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

Well I have tried your mod with the http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3647528 mod and my own tinkerings, game starts fine, but I have not had the time to play it properly. I started a game, still working fine, ran it for a couple of secs (like I said, not had time to ply properly), nope, no crashes, all is good

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 9

RE: A couple of Questions - 6/1/2017 1:50:36 PM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

Another question was this bug ever fixed?

"Pirate Resorts are currently bugged in that destroyed resorts are not properly removed from the game, which means that they will continue to cost you maintenance even though it is no longer making any money."

I have tried google searches and checking patch notes, not found yet.

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 10

RE: A couple of Questions - 6/1/2017 2:42:42 PM

RogerBacon

Posts: 724
Joined: 5/17/2000
From: Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kothyxaan

Another question was this bug ever fixed?

"Pirate Resorts are currently bugged in that destroyed resorts are not properly removed from the game, which means that they will continue to cost you maintenance even though it is no longer making any money."

I have tried google searches and checking patch notes, not found yet.

I think you mean secret pirate bases, not resorts. When you become a "legitimate" empire any pirate base you still have on your planet continues to siphon money off due to corruption. It's not really a big deal because I consider the game won once you become legit. As a pirate I've always had incredible trouble staying in the black. Making money as an empire is supre easy. Doing it as a pirate is super hard.

(in reply to Kothyxaan)

Post #: 11

RE: A couple of Questions - 6/1/2017 2:54:09 PM

Kothyxaan

Posts: 54
Joined: 2/21/2011
Status: offline

quote:

Pirate Resorts are currently bugged in that destroyed resorts are not properly removed from the game, which means that they will continue to cost you maintenance even though it is no longer making any money

Nah, it is from this thread:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3681806

More than half way down (search for: resort there, you will find a comment that has been lined out, keep going for a comment by Nanaki, but he basically says that: Resort Bases built by pirates that get destroyed still cost maintenance, he gives a link to a bug report page: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3651504 )

(in reply to RogerBacon)

Post #: 12