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[WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended Addon - 6/7/2014 12:22:46 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
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Distant Races
"Distant Races" is a mini-mod addon/extension-thingy to Haree78's "Distant Worlds Extended" mod which will eventually add a whole bunch of races (currently sitting at a tentative 36, to be released as I get working on them).

What does/will this include?
The following features of this mini-mod currently are:

*6 new races that have reached beyond their home planets to become part of your Galactic Politics, with more achieving Pre-Warp flight and soon flying across the stars.
*Made for use with Haree78's "Distant Worlds Extended" (which is a must-have mod) and will feature compatibility with Azuran's "Univera" Addon.
*Two new Distant Worlds modding RaceFamilies: Botanical (converged with Azuran's RaceFamily of the same name, but separate and new for those who don't use his mod) and Primate, each of which features five races united under their banners.
*Compatibility with two other Distant Worlds modding RaceFamillies: Avian (Haree78), and Mineral( Azuran), of which 3 all new Avian and Mineral races each will expand the reaches of those families to the most distant of stars.
*Unique dialog for each species.
*Coming from a writer and storyteller here, interesting Galactopedia articles detailing the backgrounds and histories of these new species.


Current State:
Unreleased (9/36 in-game)

The order, left-to-right, in which the races are laid out in the banner is the order in which they will be worked on, so at present I'm working on the RaceBiases values for the next three races. For the current six, they are usable in-game, but the shipsets and troop images are mostly just rehashes of the basegame or DWE ones because I was more concerned about getting them running then wasting time at the start with all the fancy graphics which I mess with afterwards.

The races currently don't have unique dialogue, which I plan on fixing, and the Race and Policy text files for the Ulint have been mostly customized but not so for the other races beyond the name fixing, homeworld type setting, and picture and shipset setting, and the DesignTemplates haven't been messed with because I don't even know where to start, haha. If anybody would perhaps be willing to help me figure out what could go where based on the Galactopedia articles (in the next post), it would be appreciated, as I've only been playing since Universe came out and the modding guide and Tampa_Gamer's [INSTRUCTION] thread about adding new races have been big helps, but I don't know everything, or probably much of anything.

I am intending to make this compatible with Azuran's "Universa" Addon for DWE, and I have to wait out the 7-day trial period before I can post links anyways, so I will probably wait for Azuran to get to a stable 1.0 of his before releasing mine and then release the baseline DWE and the Universa-compatible at the same time.

< Message edited by Inawordyes -- 6/7/2014 10:19:36 AM >


_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.
Post #: 1
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 12:23:19 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
These Galactopedia entries are up for review and updates (such as fixing grammatical errors in the Ulint article or removing the hybrid mention in the Sycha article as that was used for the Myodocks instead, as examples), being this early in the mod stage, so if anybody wishes to help me improve them, please, be my guest.

Ulint

A large, bipedal plant-based species. Asexual in nature, all Ulints grow large red soil sacks on their backs at the onset of adulthood, from which several children are eventually conceived and raised inside until they reach a sufficient level of growth, at which point the sacks are dropped and the children emerge, living from the pubescent stage of their lives on as any other Ulint until reaching adulthood and starting the process once again. This leads to a large growth rate as each member of the species can be parent to several children.

Ulints are extremely sociable and often gather in large numbers to exchange pollen – their form of mating - and diversify the genetic pool, even making pilgrimages to distant planets just for this sake as different planets’ local flora influence Ulint physiology to a small extent.

The earth is held in high regard by Ulints and is seen as the great gift that gave them life, and to this end they often construct massive, sprawling garden complexes, attracting visitors the galaxy over to marvel at their beauty. They are critics of the way many species mess with flora in order to tap into the resources deep under the surface but generally accept the way others handle it, albeit begrudgingly and not without making known their complaints.

However, while they are generally a peaceful race, they have a very low tolerance for species that over-abuse and even outright destroy the soil and will fight against them to protect it, often against their better judgment or in the face of overwhelming odds. Understandably, this has been used against them by more sinister races seeking often-untapped resources located on their planets.

Known for their trustworthiness and being straightforward with their thoughts, Ulints aren’t afraid to speak their mind and express satisfaction- or dissatisfaction – with a situation or an empire. While valued by some, others see this as an annoyance, or even a danger, as they aren’t hesitant to reveal others’ secret plans if they don’t agree with them and have incited wars or brought about the downfall of empires through this.

Ulints are experts in alternative fuel, preferring to use bio-waste and natural components rather than oil and metals where possible to preserve as much of the earth as they can, leading to the development of the EcoThruster engine, faster and more efficient than normal engines, though not as fast nor efficient as the Sluken- or Ackdarian-specialized engines, respectively. Though their ships generally are faster than other races, they come at the cost of being less powerful and not as resilient due to the nonuse of metal-based armor plating. Their ground combat capabilities, however, are unmatched and their large numbers as well use of nature against their enemies makes planetary assaults difficult.

Ulints prefer the temperate and non-extreme climates of Continental planets and live in large communities mainly within the temperate zones where they build semi-underground homes to reach vital nutrients in the soil for various purposes, but can also be found in the drier areas of Marshy Swamp planets.


Ulints are glass cannons in space, suited for hit-and-run tactics due to their speedy but less powerful or protected ships, but can pose a serious roadblock to colonization as their ground forces are more powerful than any other species. Ulints want to colonize as many worlds – preferably continental - as they can as their high birth rate necessitates the constant need for new colonies to provide space for their ever-growing numbers, as well as make as many resort bases as possible.

Madreleer

A small, slightly stocky race of primates.

Madreleers are highly aggressive, motivated by a need to overwhelm their opponents through sheer force rather than strength, owing to their small stature. They are not, strictly speaking, “unfriendly”, but they are hotheads, quick to take offense at even the smallest of things, and frequently are seen being escorted out of public places by policing forces due to their volatile tendencies.

Due to their size and nature Madreleers are not very trustworthy, constantly seeking the upper hand in conflicts – and indeed in anything - using whatever and whoever they can to serve their own interests. They are clever individuals, attempting to manipulate others for their own benefit, though they are also full of themselves, often leading to an underestimating of their opponents or situation due to their own arrogance.

Madreleer society evolved through a system of familial clans, with the head of each family held responsible for his offspring and their actions. When the head dies, the male children compete against each other for the claim to the clanship, often leading to the death of several or more before a victor is appointed clan chief. This is considered acceptable by their culture and no hard feelings are kept by the living siblings.

Madreleer clans typically live in the treetops of Continental planets, though some prefer to live on the forest grounds.

Tleeni

A tall, bipedal primate species.

The Tleeni pose something of an intriguing mystery to other species. They value knowledge and seek to understand everything, yet they do not share much, if anything, about themselves. They are generally amiable beings, though, if not a bit reserved, and show courtesy towards other races’ customs when visiting – though they are naturally cautious around more unscrupulous individuals.

A favorite Tleeni pastime involves a sport known as Dragau Tleeni’chae (colloquially referred to as “Sherlock” by Humans), where an object – usually a spherical ball or a golden chalice – is hidden on a planet or even a specific city and those participating must compete against each other to seek out clues to discover its location via the knowledge said clues impart. Any number, from two to two hundred to two thousand, and any species is allowed to participate in any given game, and while the winner receives nothing more than the knowledge that they alone deciphered the clues, it is nonetheless favored by the Tleeni, and is also a reminder of their constant quest to decipher the clues of the universe and find the mythical Dragau, from which the legends say they originally came from in another life, long ago in the past.

Tleeni society is based around the concept of Time<Knowledge, meaning that all knowledge, whether something small learned by a young child, or a new mystery of the universe discovered by the greatest scientists, takes time and that time will eventually reveal all the knowledge of the universe. To this end, many Tleeni spend their entire lives seeking to become famous among their people for discovering something new or bringing forward the discoveries of another race, content with the fact that many will not succeed in this endeavor but will ultimately contribute through their actions towards a greater understanding even if they are not alive to see it achieved.

Tleeni are generally found in the warmer equator areas of Ice planets, where they can conduct scientific research in relative peace, though they can also be found living in the tundra of Contintenal and Marshy Swamp planets.

Sycha

A short and stocky race of apparent primate-rodent hybrids.

Sycha are solicitors at heart, always trying to sell something to somebody, whether it is vital metals or superfluous pairs of shoes in bulk. They tend to haggle prices down to a low amount and then sell their newfound possessions to others at a higher price, having been jokingly referred to as “the pawn shop salesmen of the galaxy”, and are not generally considered trustworthy due to their tendency to lie and say anything to get a cheap bargain.

Personal wealth is considered the end goal of most Sycha, to the point where riches can weigh more important than family or one’s own personal health. It isn’t recommended to rely on Sycha individuals for help or confide in them - a sentiment agreed with and expressed by the Sycha themselves – as they are known for taking whatever info they receive and selling it to others, whether that be a cheated lover or the heads of empires.

Despite their shady nature, however, most Sycha are rather friendly, though some understandably confuse this as a pretense to a solicitation when that is not always the case.

Sycha prefer a comfortable lifestyle in the treetops of Continental planets, though they are often seen on Volcanic worlds attempting to unearth rare gems to sell at a premium.

Myodock

A small, winged avio-mammalian species.

Thought to be the first avio-mammalian hybrid species in the history of the universe, Myodocks come from a mixed heritage, the combination of two extinct races. The avian influences are more dominant between the two, though their primate heritage still shows.

According to Myodock legends, in the distant past two races – the Myo, a race of warrior birds, and the Odock, an intelligent primate species - banded together in a mutual relationship to fend off a dangerous insectoid race that threatened the very survival of both species. The insectoids eventually disappeared mysteriously, but the two races continued to exist alongside each other peacefully to the point until they slowly began dying out. Their genetic codes were researched and over the course of a generation recoded to be compatible, giving birth to the Myodocks as a race through interbreeding and saving their species, though at the cost of their ancestors as the last generation of pure Myo and Odock individuals eventually died.

Myodocks are highly tolerant of other species, believing that just as their ancestors once were separate but then joined in peaceful unity, they, too, can coexist peacefully with others, though a bias against and suspicion of insectoid races is evident. Despite this, Myodocks are highly likable and enjoy contact and association with others.

Myodocks are experts in the field of aeronautics, leading to the development of the Loceurst StarFighter, a hardy and agile craft.

Most Myodocks live in small communities nestled high above the clouds in the mountains of Continental planets.


Myodocks are an interesting mix between the Avian and Primate families. Because the Avian influences are more dominant, however, if push comes to shove they are more likely side with their fellow birds in conflict, which is why they’re classified as belonging to the Avian race family.

Alkonost

Alkonosts, at first towering hulks of metal, were originally designed by the military of a pre-warp civilization as machines to help curb the damage of a super volcano eruption that had ravaged their homeworld long ago. The species was ill-equipped and unprepared for the natural disaster, however, and too few remained alive to recover the population, and as it was realized that the situation was irreversible, the Alkonosts were abandoned.

The Alkonosts as they are known today came about via the design of a brilliant young genius, then one of the last of her species. She had accepted her eventual fate but realized that others had not, and so while once giant and imposing, these Alkonosts were small, with a stony outside and shaped in the image of the species’ children. As the species passed on around them, the Alkonosts gave comfort and hope to individuals and helped them to accept their fates, until finally they all gathered around their creator, the last, as she peacefully passed on in death. Her last gift to her progeny was the blueprints to for creating more Alkonosts, giving the creations a chance to live on and prosper even if she and her race would not.

Alkonosts are incredibly curious about the universe around them and seek to bring comfort and peace to all they meet. They are incredibly well-liked by those who come into contact with them and are often find themselves assuming the role of therapist to other species, a position to which they fit well.

Often underestimated due to their diminutive stature and child-like personality, Alkonosts nonetheless pack a serious punch and are not afraid to defend themselves and others against those that would bring panic and chaos, though they would much rather prefer peaceful cooperation and do not try to cause conflict.

Alkonosts find their place at home with nature, typically settling next to forests on Continental planets, though the biggest cities are often found near mountains – or former mountains – as they mine the stone to create more Alkonosts.

Tencta

A large, parasitic flowering vine with above-average intelligence.

Subservient to a large queen of the species known as the Matriarch, Tenctas are voracious carnivores, using a variety of pheromones to seduce and lure in unsuspecting creatures to consume. As they’ve grown on a galactic stage this attitude has changed somewhat, but they are content to feast on anything, sentient or not, to satiate their hunger, and use their pheromones to control non-Tencta species to do their bidding when deemed applicable.

Generally everything a Tencta does is towards the goal of eating, whether that be a common foe or an unfortunate partner, and caution should be taken when in contact with one.

Being vine-like, Tenctas spread like an infection through planets, leeching off of any flora they come in contact with. This makes them comparable to parasites, which brings them into great conflict with the Lipids as they believe that Tenctas give them a bad reputation because of the comparison.

Tenctas are capable of independent thought, but have a connection to the Matriarch, and her will can overrule those of her subjects. Tenctas society traditionally evolved around constant warfare between multiple Tencta Matriarchs, with the winning queen subjecting the losing side’s forces and feasting on the opposing Matriarch or Matriarchs.

Tenctas generally live under the control of a Matriarch on Marshy Swamp planets, but their reach extends to any habitable planet with flora or a food source.

Tenctas and Lipids are not going to get along at all, and even other Botanical species don’t really like the Tencta that much due to what they do. They’re going to play very aggressively, colonizing and taking over as many planets as they possibly can, though caution should be taken to avoid infuriating other races too much and starting a war they can’t win.

Evauclur

Tall, horned humanoid race with pale skin.

Evauclur children are typically born blind, eventually regaining sight in their left eye but almost never in their right. Hundreds of years of surviving with this “defect” have honed their other senses, most notably their ability to hear and their reflexes – both a result of the need of their pre-sentient ancestors to hear a predator coming and make several decisions in a snap.

Evauclurs are curious but also innately cautious and isolationist by nature, preferring to stay away from unnecessary trouble and always looking for all the exits and possible defense-offense strategies whenever they are in crowds. They are well-known for being experts in the field of espionage, though, and many who join a military, militia, or mercenary band are often excellent marksmen.

Evauclurs often make fine jewelry, hosting one of the biggest multi-planet storefront corporations in the galaxy, and commonly wear large, decorative plates of various materials – generally metals, though most anything is fair game according to individual tastes – over the right side of their face, held securely around their horns, when in contact with other species as a courtesy and also to avoid the embarrassment or annoyance of having their blind eye stared at constantly.

Evauclurs are commonly found in large, ornate dwelling complexes on Volcanic planets, predisposed to living apart from the rest of the galaxy.

Erujav

Tall bipedal amphibian species with spiked gills on their necks.

A deeply religious race, Erujavian culture is centered around one’s connection with the balance between the three elements – water, earth, and sky – and is a founding basis for their beliefs. They maintain that a balance is required in all aspects of life in order to attain spiritual enlightenment.

Erujavs are commonly seen engaging in several counteracting tasks, such as espionage and charity work, believing that good things must be balanced with bad, and vice-versa, lest the balance of events shift unfavorably to one half of the spectrum. To this end, they can be friendly one minute and hostile the next, engaging in bloody warfare and then calling for peace once a comparably bad event is undertaken. They are understandably considered fickle and unreliable as their actions are dictated only by the good or bad it causes and whether it would balance out their current or previous actions.

Erujav individuals generally do a minimum of three things at any given time – one good, one bad, and one neutral - to balance the scales of their life just as water, earth and sky balance life itself.

To Erujavs, illicit actions are not seen as negative but as necessary components for ultimate harmony, but some Erujavian individuals manipulate the systems, scheming to eliminate political rivals, for example, and influencing events to come into a great fortune so that they can justify the counteracting of the good with the murder of a rival and his family, and diplomatic exchanges amongst other species are known, rather infamously, for the erratic and unpredictable behavior of the Erujav diplomats.

Erujavs live in semi-submerged bubble cities nestled along the coastlines of Marshy Swamp planets.

Playing the Erujav is all about balance. A lack of war or too much war, too much espionage or too many trade agreements, etc. – or, rather, a reputation score too far in either direction - will upset the scale in the eyes of the people and cause unhappiness, the amount increasing as you head closer to the end of either spectrum. Is this a little bit too ambitious to achieve? Perhaps, but it’s a neat idea nonetheless.

< Message edited by Inawordyes -- 6/7/2014 10:06:47 AM >


_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 2
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 12:24:29 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
Reserved just in case.

Also, the image above isn't showing up for me, but should still be seen if you right-click to ivew it. If that isn't working, let me know so I can swap it out.

_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 3
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 12:46:47 AM   
Unforeseen


Posts: 608
Joined: 3/26/2013
From: United States of Disease
Status: offline
Humanoids typically are primates...

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 4
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 12:56:51 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Unforeseen

Humanoids typically are primates...

A valid point, but on the other side of the token, not all primates are necessarily humanoids, at least in the way that the game portrays them as. Humanoids are Humans and species that look like them to an extent or have similar features, while Primates are the species genetically similar to Humans, but not necessarily humanoid (and a lot more hairy). They all get along with each other, though.

_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Unforeseen)
Post #: 5
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 3:03:17 AM   
Solarius Scorch


Posts: 180
Joined: 5/25/2013
From: Cracow, Poland
Status: offline
More races are always welcome.

I'm preparing some myself, I wonder if there's a clear procedure of proposing new species... I want mine to be compatible with everything else. ;) (Some combo mod would be priceless.)

_____________________________

Forever Future 1.7 for Call to Power - the biggest mod for the best Civilization-like game ever!

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 6
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 3:04:22 AM   
Unforeseen


Posts: 608
Joined: 3/26/2013
From: United States of Disease
Status: offline
Gotcha, well the more races the merrier. Looking forward to seeing your work in action :D

(in reply to Solarius Scorch)
Post #: 7
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 3:25:41 AM   
gerishnakov


Posts: 53
Joined: 6/5/2014
From: Brighton, UK
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Inawordyes


quote:

ORIGINAL: Unforeseen

Humanoids typically are primates...

A valid point, but on the other side of the token, not all primates are necessarily humanoids, at least in the way that the game portrays them as. Humanoids are Humans and species that look like them to an extent or have similar features, while Primates are the species genetically similar to Humans, but not necessarily humanoid (and a lot more hairy). They all get along with each other, though.


It bugs me in the vanilla game that the Ikkuro are part of the Ursidians, and not a Simian or Primate family. In the interests of balance, however, there are so many humanoid and insectoid races (particularly with the Extended Universe mod), that I try instead to think of the Ursidian and Rodent families as really meaning larger and smaller 'animal' races.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 8
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 4:18:49 AM   
Haree78


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Joined: 5/18/2010
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Race 'family' is more a description of their behaviour and similarities, it is not necessarily a description of the genetic heritage. These are species evolved from life that occurred on different planets. We categorize animals as primates or apes, or whatever based on a genetic heritage, well we do these days anyway as the science is getting better and we 'familiarise' species.
In Distant Worlds saying the Sluken are insectoid doesn't mean they share the same genetic heritage as insects on earth, it means they share the same traits, perhaps they operate in hives, they have an exoskeleton, or many legs, whatever.

So saying the Ikkuro are Ursidian just means they are most similar to whatever traits this fantasy Ursidian class of species has, or they would most likely get along with that type of species and dislike who they would dislike.

In Distant Worlds this is a way of making certain races find other races less appealing as they are so unsimilar, perhaps they eat their young, perhaps they fricking stink! whatever, the point is they don't need to be called Primate just because when you look at their picture they look like monkeys, they may be very unlike them, or perhaps our monkeys would be classed as Ursidian if they were to become space faring

tl'dr Race family in Distant Worlds is an indicator of who gets on with who, and secondarily flavour and grounding a universe scale variety of alien species in to our Earth bound imaginations.

_____________________________


(in reply to gerishnakov)
Post #: 9
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 5:46:09 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Haree78

Race 'family' is more a description of their behaviour and similarities, it is not necessarily a description of the genetic heritage. These are species evolved from life that occurred on different planets. We categorize animals as primates or apes, or whatever based on a genetic heritage, well we do these days anyway as the science is getting better and we 'familiarise' species.
In Distant Worlds saying the Sluken are insectoid doesn't mean they share the same genetic heritage as insects on earth, it means they share the same traits, perhaps they operate in hives, they have an exoskeleton, or many legs, whatever.

So saying the Ikkuro are Ursidian just means they are most similar to whatever traits this fantasy Ursidian class of species has, or they would most likely get along with that type of species and dislike who they would dislike.

In Distant Worlds this is a way of making certain races find other races less appealing as they are so unsimilar, perhaps they eat their young, perhaps they fricking stink! whatever, the point is they don't need to be called Primate just because when you look at their picture they look like monkeys, they may be very unlike them, or perhaps our monkeys would be classed as Ursidian if they were to become space faring

tl'dr Race family in Distant Worlds is an indicator of who gets on with who, and secondarily flavour and grounding a universe scale variety of alien species in to our Earth bound imaginations.

RaceFamilies = common traits, rather than genetic similarities, gotcha. the Primate RaceFamily is all hairy, haha. Out of the current three, the Sycha and Madreleer are alike in a few ways, while the Tleeni are a bit of an outlier but still...

I guess what binds them together is that they all have a particularly strong motivation - Madreleers to overcome their enemies, Tleeni to discover the mysteries of the universe and achieve personal fame for it, and Sycha to attain wealth beyond measure - to the point that they're willing to die or severely risk their own lives for those goals (Madreleers can easily be killed by others due to their size if not in great numbes, Tleeni spend their entire lives searching and the majority don't often find anything, and the Sycha put wealth>health). They have primal instincts, driven individuals - that they are all hairy monkeys only solidifies the name, haha.

On a different note since nobody's commented on it, can you guys see the pictures? Since nobody's said anything I wasn't sure if it wasn't a problem for others or if just nobody really cares all too much, haha.

And I've finished the Galactopedia articles for the Tencta, the Evauclur, and the Erujav (the next three races) and will be updating the second post with them in a minute (EDIT: done). I came up with the race pictures first, and beyond maybe vague musings, I don't have anything in mind for or write about the races until I come to them to write their Galactopedia articles, but I'm not really all that enthused about the Tencta entry at the moment, as I feel like it doesn't make the most of sense and doesn't exactly translate the greatest into something Distant Worlds-y, so if anybody would like to a take a shot at improving the article or even coming up with a completely new idea for them based off the race picture - and this goes for all of the articles, keep in mind, as any help is useful for me at this point - feel free to suggest.

EDIT: Haree, is it achievable within the confines of the theme to make a race that will take unhappiness penalties if they have too positive or negative of a reputation? I literally came up with that idea for the Erujav seconds ago while I was posting their Galactopedia entry, and it is a similar idea to the Banoserits (at least according to their entry) except it affects a positive rep too. If not, it's not something I originally worked into their design so it isn't something I'd be worried about removing or retooling to be more mod-friendly.

< Message edited by Inawordyes -- 6/7/2014 7:09:15 AM >


_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Haree78)
Post #: 10
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 8:24:29 AM   
feygan

 

Posts: 323
Joined: 3/31/2010
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DW tends to use a very loose method of grouping race families. It is less based on actual science and physiology and more on simple "urgggh dirty bug" methods. If you decide to alter that methodology just be sure to do it for every single race to prevent confusion, if some of your modded races used a different method than a stock race you could well get some folks complaining such and such should not hate each other and visa versa.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 11
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 8:29:23 AM   
Haree78


Posts: 1269
Joined: 5/18/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Inawordyes
EDIT: Haree, is it achievable within the confines of the theme to make a race that will take unhappiness penalties if they have too positive or negative of a reputation? I literally came up with that idea for the Erujav seconds ago while I was posting their Galactopedia entry, and it is a similar idea to the Banoserits (at least according to their entry) except it affects a positive rep too. If not, it's not something I originally worked into their design so it isn't something I'd be worried about removing or retooling to be more mod-friendly.


The only way right now is through government type and what I have done with the Banoserit.

All the pictures are broken links to me.

_____________________________


(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 12
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 9:16:29 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
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quote:

ORIGINAL: feygan

DW tends to use a very loose method of grouping race families. It is less based on actual science and physiology and more on simple "urgggh dirty bug" methods. If you decide to alter that methodology just be sure to do it for every single race to prevent confusion, if some of your modded races used a different method than a stock race you could well get some folks complaining such and such should not hate each other and visa versa.

A fair point. I tried to fix the biases where I could so that applicable races have applicable values toward each other (Myodock and Ikkuro being positive with the Primate races, Alkonost having a positive relationship value with Ulint despite my setting Botanical to have a natural dislike of Machines [for obvious reasons, I'd hope] due to their down-to-earth nature - literally! They'll be getting retooled as a Mineral race after Universa releases and I can see the bias values, though), since they'd still like (or hate) each other without being in the same group.

I thought that Dropbox would be a good place to host all the pictures from, but I guess not in an image-linking way. Anyways, I fixed the image issues, so they should show up now. And I have the Tencta, Evauclur, and Erujav working in-game - very basic copy-paste stuff other than the unique things, but I can build on it nonetheless now that I know the game is relatively stable considering.

< Message edited by Inawordyes -- 6/7/2014 10:17:18 AM >


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Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to feygan)
Post #: 13
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 5:15:46 PM   
Hannable

 

Posts: 93
Joined: 11/4/2013
Status: offline
You gotta wonder, though, how some of these races ever became interstellar civilizations. Take the Erujav for instance. One would think that having hands with an opposable thumb would be a must for technological development.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 14
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 5:30:23 PM   
ASHBERY76


Posts: 2136
Joined: 10/10/2001
From: England
Status: offline
I like the art.Did you do it?>

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Post #: 15
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 6:19:48 PM   
Ra131

 

Posts: 25
Joined: 6/7/2014
Status: offline
Art good!

(in reply to ASHBERY76)
Post #: 16
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/7/2014 6:35:36 PM   
terololo

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 12/20/2013
Status: offline
holy mother madoka- i absolutely LOVE the lore, especially those cuddly Alkonosts, remind me of a oneshot manga called "Hotel". and the arts oh god it's just beautiful. keep going mate~ :D

(in reply to Ra131)
Post #: 17
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/8/2014 2:57:01 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
Thanks for liking the art guys. I did not make them - I just did about a dozen Google Image searches with different parameters, haha - but I am going to do my best to give credit to each of the artists as I release the races - I'm gonna do a reverse-image search on the actual pictures I cropped to find names and links to make sure of that, and don't let me forget!

quote:

ORIGINAL: terololo

holy mother madoka- i absolutely LOVE the lore, especially those cuddly Alkonosts, remind me of a oneshot manga called "Hotel". and the arts oh god it's just beautiful. keep going mate~ :D


Haha, thanks for liking the lore! I write stories and I'm really good at it (in my own opinion, of course), so I think my favorite part of making this is writing the Galacotpedia srticles, and crafting a unique identity for each of the races - I found the pictures first and decided which ones I liked and wanted to be races, so I write their story based off the picture rather than vice-versa. I was a little afraid about the Alkonosts, though, as I'd figure people would see little a little chibi statue holding a flower and think "What? Why is there some anime thing in my game? This mod is [insert word or words of choice]" and similar thoughts, so I decided that they needed a backstory that would justify me including them, so thanks to you for liking them above the rest!

As I see it right now, I have 36 races in the pipeline, with 9 currently in-game. I can spread them out in four batches of nine, so I think for the moment I'm going to stick with a first release of the nine I currently have instead of adding more of the new races in, so I'll get on with working on them towards being less "copy-paste with a unique picture" and wait until both Universa is released and the seven-day wait is up.

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Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to terololo)
Post #: 18
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 6/27/2014 2:25:10 AM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
Okay, so I intended to wait until Universa released, but as Azuran is taking his time to make sure that everything is good, I am probably going to release a 'beta' version either tonoght or within the next couple of days to get feedback on the current state of the races (as aside from the Ulint, they're all a bit, eh ... 'copy-pasted', haha) and also just to let some of the people above who like the races get a chance to mess around with them as well. I just need to finish up a few things (dialog texts mainly, and Galactopedia article fixes) and then it should be good to go for a "0.X".

_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 19
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 7/29/2014 11:22:07 AM   
Blackstork


Posts: 802
Joined: 7/7/2014
Status: offline
Hello, Great ideas on plant family! Is your mod active and wip still? Because i like 2 races from your mod which i would like to add to big project i am working on called Beyond Extended Universe, which stands as possible future megamod to incorporate developments of other modders in research/ai directions and as well own pool of 10 races, racial customised ui, alot of original art and revolutionary, complex character system where all characters have unique face, character and race of character will matter.
I would like Ulint, Tencta and one-two more Plant family races if they planned, perhaps with some tweaking and adaptation to whole big thing of the package and character system. This also means that those races will have eventually tyheir race-specific soundtrack, UI designed, and even pool of 1000+ unique characters each. Obcourse you will be added in credits, and you are welcome to join Beyond modding team.
Thank you, please tell if its ok to add Ulint, Tencta to whole Beyond pool to-do package,
Thanks.

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(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 20
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 7/29/2014 3:34:27 PM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Blackstork

Hello, Great ideas on plant family! Is your mod active and wip still? Because i like 2 races from your mod which i would like to add to big project i am working on called Beyond Extended Universe, which stands as possible future megamod to incorporate developments of other modders in research/ai directions and as well own pool of 10 races, racial customised ui, alot of original art and revolutionary, complex character system where all characters have unique face, character and race of character will matter.
I would like Ulint, Tencta and one-two more Plant family races if they planned, perhaps with some tweaking and adaptation to whole big thing of the package and character system. This also means that those races will have eventually tyheir race-specific soundtrack, UI designed, and even pool of 1000+ unique characters each. Obcourse you will be added in credits, and you are welcome to join Beyond modding team.
Thank you, please tell if its ok to add Ulint, Tencta to whole Beyond pool to-do package,
Thanks.

Heyo!

I set myself to getting the beta of this out and I didn't, haha, and I haven't really had the time to mess around with Distant Races - or Distant Worlds in general - over the past month, so it can probably be considered semi-inactive, but it is definitely still a WIP. I currently have three other plant-based races planned (The Inieren, Argari, and Krosi, as well as the rodent Jowups that use mycellium camouflage; the former three would all be in the next batch of 9, while the Jowup would be in the fourth and last batch), but I have not started work on them as my focus was on the first batch of nine I currently have included. However, I'm working on what I have and decided to just release the beta now, even if some of it is still a copy-paste, as I will work on it but can't keep putting it off.

I really like the concept of BEE, and if you think even just the concept of my races are worth adding to it, I'm honored and more than happy to oblige to your request, so you are more than welcome to use the Ulint and Tencta in BEE - just let me know in PM what adaptations you'd plan to make, as I could actually probably reverse-engineer some of those adaptations into the the baseline Distant Races versions as they are going to be in the beta stage at this point along with the other races and therefore incomplete to an extent, at least in terms of uniqueness as compared to the races I initially based their files off of to start with.

I'd be up for helping with BEE, just let me know what you may need.
----
In other news: The beta for Distant Races is released! I removed everything that wasn't part of the mod as best as I can tell, so the file shouldn't be too large or redundant. Just make a copy of your Extended Universe folder, rename it to whatever (I have mine as "IAWY's Distant Races", but it's up to personal preference), and then copy the files from this download into the folder.

Because I haven't played in a month, I am not yet updated to 1.9.5.5, and these files aren't either, so if there's a big change that would break these files, having been optimized for the previous version, my apologies. If they don't work, let me know and I will make the necessary fixes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qf6gdm1va09auea/Distant%20Races%20-%200.X%20Beta

_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Blackstork)
Post #: 21
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 7/29/2014 4:56:16 PM   
Blackstork


Posts: 802
Joined: 7/7/2014
Status: offline
Good,

1. !stly i will be glad if you join BEU team. I will do some arrangements here and i will message you what could be done for BEU , i am glad that you desiring to work on it with me / ergie and others. I will pm things later.
2. I will try your mod, btw - before i try it - what ship models you use? where you take them?
3. Some adaptations will be, and curreently there is huge queue for work, and also there is cap of 50 races which is filled, but i hope Erik and Elliot will make race cap bigger soon because it requested by alot of people, so at least your 2 races will enter BEU for sure at later stage.

< Message edited by Blackstork -- 7/29/2014 5:56:48 PM >


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(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 22
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 7/29/2014 5:28:02 PM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Blackstork

Good,

1. !stly i will be glad if you join BEU team. I will do some arrangements here and i will message you what could be done for BEU , i am glad that you desiring to work on it with me / ergie and others. I will pm things later.
2. I will try your mod, btw - before i try it - what ship models you use? where you take them?
3. Some adaptations will be, and curreently there is huge queue for work, and also there is cap of 50 races which is filled, but i hope Erik and Elliot will make race cap bigger soon because it requested by alot of people, so at least your 2 races will enter BEU for sure at later stage.

1. Please do, I may not be able to do everything and anything with my limited amount of modding experience in comparison to others, but I will do what I can, and that can be worked out later.
2. I copied the old ship models from the Distant Worlds Classic theme and used those forsome of my races, as well as doubled back on the others once I ran out of shipset spaces (this was before the cap on them was raised, but I haven't done anything with them yet, as I can't remember whether it's even in the .5.4 version that these are made with). I did download and use Matys' Shipset for the Madreleer to make sure I had enough shipsets and also because it was unique, but it does not belong to either the Ulint or the Tencta, so it should be good in that regard. I'll hopefully have more unique-to-each-race shipsets at some point, but for now, I will credit Matys once I add the beta link to the OP,.
3. Hopefully the large influx of awesome races will motivate Erik and Elliot to extend the race cap. IIRC, though, the race cap wasn't 50 (100?) but the total number of races that could be in any given game at once was. If I'm wrong, though, it doesn't really matter much, haha, but yeah, a higher cap would be nice, to be able to accommodate all the different projects that will undoubtedly form a truly Expanded Universe when put together.

_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Blackstork)
Post #: 23
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 8/2/2014 9:19:51 PM   
Inawordyes


Posts: 28
Joined: 5/31/2014
Status: offline
Okay, so considering the ammount of views this page has gotten, someone has to have tried it, right? I really don't have much time to work on it dedicatedly, so progress will be slow (unfortunately), but basically everything is up for review and could be subject to change at this point. For those who have tested it, is there anything that you'd suggest to make it better? Doesn't have to be big stuff.

To-Do List for 0.Y Beta:

Unique Dialogue for Ulint and Tencta
Galactopedia Article grammer touch-ups
[Possible] Tencta Galactopedia Article rewrite

To-Do List for in general:
Unique values for all races
Unique Ship designs
Unique Troop designs
Implementation of Azuran's Universa attributes, such as Mineral race family, upon the first release of Universa
Universa-compatible version of Distant Races upon the first release of Universa

_____________________________

Distant Races



The self-titled Crown Prince of Crazy Plans.

(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 24
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 8/2/2014 9:47:50 PM   
Blackstork


Posts: 802
Joined: 7/7/2014
Status: offline
Hey mate check inbox for new mail now.

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(in reply to Inawordyes)
Post #: 25
RE: [WIP] [DW:U] "Distant Races" - DWExtended... - 8/13/2014 7:32:46 PM   
Locust71

 

Posts: 14
Joined: 8/13/2014
From: Sweden
Status: offline
Hello! My first post this one
I really like your work on this modmod(mod?).

But found a little thing. I have played a few days as Tencta but cant research tech "Advanced Engine". Tech "Maximized Thrust Output" is missing.

Thankyou so much for this mod. Please continue work on it

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(in reply to Blackstork)
Post #: 26
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