ImpSPCam V2.0

[thunderfoot]

As many of you know, I started a team of modders who did the Improved Single Player Campaign because of my dissatisfaction with how poorly the AI was programmed to perform. The SP Missions were either boring or laughably easy. The AI built things it did not use or worse, expended limited resources on things it could not use. It also would either spam certain types of ships or refuse to build another type at all. The Borg cruisers were declawed because they were allowed only one type of weapon by the dev team. I released the Federation Campaign and then the Klingon Campaign. These were successful but not as successful as I hoped. I was working on the Borg Campaign when other things drew my attention and the project was placed on hold. Recently, I told Majestic in confidence I had begun work again on the SP Campaign. I decided after the warm reception my other mods have received here, MSFC members deserved a little better from me than secretive silence about what I am doing next.

When the mod is completed, it will be released here at MSFC. I deleted nearly everything from the original project except for a few ideas. I went back and rethought exactly what I wanted to do on this project which is this: Offer the A2 player an AI controlled opponent which is implacable, unstoppable, and mean. The player can succeed in any SP mission, but the real possibility of defeat looms menacingly from the moment a player presses the Space Bar. ImpSPCam 2.0 is intended to be placed into a 1.1 patched A2 install which also has A2 PP X installed. It will use an Officer Limit of 750. I know some people dislike population caps in an RTS game. I tested some of the missions without this limit in place. The Borg AI built Tactical Cubes as soon as it could as fast as it could right up to the point where the game had a CTD event because there were too many ships for the engine to use. This will be released as a complete package. All of the maps and techtrees are complete and tested. Borg Missions 3 through 10 have yet to have their AIPs re written, but this will not take long. I will also try something I have not before. I am going to rewrite the Instant Action build lists and AIPs as well. The game engine selects one of each whenever an AI opponent is used in Instant Action. I would like the Borg in an Instant Action game to be as terrifying as I have made them for the Federation SP Campaign.
A player deserves to be challenged to the limits of his/her abilities, regardless of which type of game or opponent he/she selects.

This thread is mostly an announcement thread. I usually do not do these types of postings because I'd rather spend the time on modding than sending out news updates and progress reports. Also, there seems to me far too many mods announced this way which eventually are cancelled or put off until they are forgotten about. As a result, this may be updated irregularly and infrequently. Suggestions for things to be included are welcome and encouraged. Suggestions should be doable and practical within the limits the game and of my somewhat limited talents. Current projected release date is somewhere around mid December(Since I am breaking my own modding rules by posting this, I may as well break all of them at once, lol). This may be adjusted because of Real Life and unforeseen issues or problems. With something like this, playtesting is a must. Not just to see if everything works, either. Things which could be exploited or misused and which would remove the entertainment value of the mod must also be looked for. This is why the release date is so far off and may be adjusted further. Of course, if things go extremely well, the release will be sooner than announced.

That's all I have for now.

 

[Majestic]

I look forward to it, I may incorporate this latest version into COE at some point.

 

[Ryderstorm]

Glad to see someone else is doing something with campaign. Over on the FlOpps forum we have someone that has made a lot of progress on being able to create new missions and campaigns using LUA. However I think any kind of formal release is far off still.

Anyways....

 

[thunderfoot]

Using LUA for writng new SP missions and campaigns, hunh? That is really interesting. Does he use a .dll hook to get the game engine to recognize the new missions? Has he completed any enough so they could be play tested? I have about five or six notebooks full of ideas which until you mentioned this had no chance at all of ever becoming an actual mission.

 

[FahreS]

way too much text there, you should post such bit by bit so people dont get shocked immediately

While i like strange names for mods, ImpSPCam sounds more like a camera mod, i suggest editing the name slightly, so that both, people who know your first ImpSPCam and newcomers know what mod that is.

ok to be honest i wouldnt change that name, because of those people who do download the file because they think its a camera mod xD


lollolol^^



i know thatll be one of these great mods available for a2, these that everybody know.

is there anything else to say?

seems like even your first version is one of these great mods available for a2 that everybody know. everybody but me, because i dont need a camera mod, err

 

[Ryderstorm]

Using LUA for writng new SP missions and campaigns, hunh? That is really interesting. Does he use a .dll hook to get the game engine to recognize the new missions? Has he completed any enough so they could be play tested? I have about five or six notebooks full of ideas which until you mentioned this had no chance at all of ever becoming an actual mission.

Megadroid(the member who came up with the idea) did have up a lil mini mission to prove the concept. It involved chasing a ship across the map and then you received a reward. As far as I know he is using a .dll hook in much the same way as FlOps does for its features but Im not 100% sure. The intent for this was to create mission for FlOps but that is at a standstill until the devs re-enable the switch for campaign which is gonna be in the next release. So Megadroid continued work on it for Vanilla. Ill see if I cant drum up some more info for you.

 

[thunderfoot]

Thank you, Ryderstorm. Means a great deal to me. I appreciate it.

 

[Ryderstorm]

MMMMMM ( Megadroid’s Mission Mod ) is a mod for Star Trek Armada 2 which allows for modders to manipulate the game using Lua to create custom scenarios for campaigns. The mod creates a custom mission DLL which is used as a hook to load user lua code.

The following are components and their status.

Status color codes : Completed, Started, Not Started

» Debug
» File layout
» The loader code is in mmm_loader.dsl. This is the script file that an MMM mission will link to. This is set in the map editor. Once the mission is started, the loader DSL file loads [Mission Title].lua, which is stored in the missions directory. MMM will then call the appropriate functions to inititalise the game.
» Timers
» Entity interface
» Craft interface
» Producer interface
» Wormhole interface
» Freighter interface
» Paths
» UI functions
» Entity management functions
» Cineractives
» Load
» Save
» Basic Types
» Movies
» Entity callbacks
A lot of yellow on there, but it should go green. Most of it is nearing completion, so should go green at some point. I may also expand some points that need further detailing.

Here is an info post about it. I also rekindled the thread over at the other site so hopefully I will get some more info for you.

 

[thunderfoot]

Glad to see someone else is doing something with the campaign...

This actually started out as a way to test out the movement of ships in A2PP. What better way to see how ships move during combat than to place them into combat? The fortieth or fiftieth time I played Fed Mission 04 and I knew exactly what the Borg would do and exactly how many ships they would send to do it, was a little exasperating. So I tinkered with build lists a little. Not too bad so far.

Way too much text there, you should post such bit by bit so people dont get shocked immediately

Advice about not shocking people from the guy who made the Planck class Heavy Science vessel? Okay, I'll do that right away! lollol! BTW, when are you gonna upload some of your incredible work for hosting here at MSFC?

While I like strange names for mods, ImpSPCam sounds more like a camera mod. I suggest editing the name slightly, so that both people who know your first ImpSPCam and newcomers know what mod this is.

As usual, your German sensibility and practicality have convinced me of the error of my ways, Herr FahreS. Danke Schon! Henceforth this mod will be known as...drumroll...

Single Player Campaign, Improved.​

Okay to be honest I wouldn't change the name, because of those people who do download the file because they think its a camera mod xD
lollolol^^

Well now, this is a fine kettle of fish, is it not? Just got done redoing all the promotional material and hiring a new advertising exec(He's from Hollywood. Very Good. Very Pricey.) and now you want me to leave the name as is so unsuspecting visitors and members can artificially inflate my download count? My word, we're difficult to please today are we not, Mr. Driver?

You, Sir, are naughty!

Vielen Dank, Mein Herr, for helping me to keep a sense of perspective and fun about this mod.

And now, the update!​

I have just finished the first draft of all of the Instant Action Build lists and AIPs. These may need some minor adjustments to reflect faction tendencies properly but they should not crash the game and most of what is left is detail work which can be done in a few minutes.

I have sent out an advanced copy of the mod to some people for testing. I am asking for victi,...err, volunteers! Yeah! That's the word! Must remember to call them volunteers!

...ahem...

I am asking for volunteers once again. To help with the play testing. All you lubbers,...err, fine people, who might be interested in participating, please PM me here at your convenience. You will be credited as play testers in the release.
You may also receive a really kewel Tee shirt which is boldly emblazoned front and back with the following:

Star Trek Armada II is a full contact sport! Wanna Play?​

One more thing...
"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." Mua ha. ha. ha. ha. ha.

 

[EAS_Intrepid]

T

Single Player Campaign, Improved.​

SPCI,

Soldiers and Paramedics love abbrevations, alike. ^^

 

[thunderfoot]

An exerpt from the Modder's Notes.

The intent of this mod is to make a player work a little harder than he/she really wants in order to successfully complete the mission. The possibility of mission failure is very real and present from the second one hits the Space Bar. I have always enjoyed a closely fought contest far more than a runaway victory. I suspect this is because of the sense of accomplishment I get from being successful even when I do not do everything correctly and the challenge of overcoming odds stacked against me. At this point, I'll bet you're asking yourself, "Why would anyone even bother modding the Single Player Campaign?". The answer is because I wanted to. Originally, all of this was going to be a part of the A2 Physics Project. During playtesting that mod, I spent a lot of time playing Single Player Missions to check specific ships and make sure they were moving the way I wanted them to. More time than I expected to. After playing 'Along the Neutral Zone' for the thirtieth time in a row, and getting thoroughly bored with knowing beforehand exactly what the Borg would do next, I decided to look at some of the insanely vicious AIPs Achilles has released to the A2 Community over the years.

I noticed right away Achilles' AIPs are very different from the stock game. His AIPs are difficult to predict except for one thing. When an Achilles AI comes after you, it brings everything. Much sooner and much faster than you want it to. I played against a couple of these and was satisfied if I lasted about five minutes. It was the first time in a very long time I felt challenged by an AI. It was the first time in a long time an AI had defeated me in any game. I sent Achilles a PM and asked permission to use some of his ideas as a basis for a better AIP to be included as part of A2 Physics Project. He very graciously said yes. Next, I spent some time thinking about what I wanted to do to make the AI use formations and attack paths. I felt this would improve the quality in an online IA game. Players would enjoy comp stomping again. They would have to raise the level of their game. They would stop feeling like they were playing against the third string. It did not work out quite the way I hoped. The formation and attack pathing are currently impossible to mod without violating the EULA. I did not see the point in making a mod I could not release, so those ideas were shelved. Maybe someday, I'll be able to get some kind of SDK or source code which will allow for these.

 

[thunderfoot]

Mod's Done! Got a little crazy and pulled an all-nighter. Everything passes a one time run through with no crash. Some very small tweaks are in order but this should be available for download much sooner than anticipated. I'm thinking of making some maps for it as well.

 

[Majestic]

Sorry I never got back to you on this, It's just certain issues came up in Real Life.

I apologise for that.

 

[FahreS]

Advice about not shocking people from the guy who made the Planck class Heavy Science vessel? Okay, I'll do that right away! lollol! BTW, when are you gonna upload some of your incredible work for hosting here at MSFC?

lol, i m sorry if i did shock u with that
I thought it was only shiny and different
and about uploading: i am just too lazy to submit my files twice...
Majestic, if you read this, you have my permission to submit everything i did submit to a2files and legacyfiles here.
I can direct you to a link where you can find all my mods.
But dont do that if you havent the time.

As usual, your German sensibility and practicality have convinced me of the error of my ways, Herr FahreS. Danke Schon! Henceforth this mod will be known as...drumroll...

Single Player Campaign, Improved.​

At first I thought, lol that doesnt change anything. But i was wrong, its a good idea.

My idea was calling it:
ImpSPCamp
or if you like it short:
ImpSPCpn
But these are only ideas, the final decision is yours.

Well now, this is a fine kettle of fish, is it not? Just got done redoing all the promotional material and hiring a new advertising exec(He's from Hollywood. Very Good. Very Pricey.) and now you want me to leave the name as is so unsuspecting visitors and members can artificially inflate my download count? My word, we're difficult to please today are we not, Mr. Driver?

You, Sir, are naughty!

Vielen Dank, Mein Herr, for helping me to keep a sense of perspective and fun about this mod.

Yeah, standard promotion tricks

You may also receive a really kewel Tee shirt which is boldly emblazoned front and back with the following:

Star Trek Armada II is a full contact sport! Wanna Play?​

love that t-shirt title^^

Mod's Done! Got a little crazy and pulled an all-nighter. Everything passes a one time run through with no crash. Some very small tweaks are in order but this should be available for download much sooner than anticipated. I'm thinking of making some maps for it as well.

w00t, your fast, thats for sure!

 

[thunderfoot]

I have run into a bit of a snag. About one IA game in seven, the AI moves the construction ships it starts with to within transporter range of the starbase it starts with and then they all three sit swapping crew back and forth for about twenty minutes while it does not try to do anything else. I suspect I have done something wrong in the build lists somewhere. So I guess I'll just have to make my own from scratch. This is not a show stopper just an irritant.

 

[thunderfoot]

Off from work today for the entire day! Thought I'd share this with you and gloat about it a little. Anyway, play testing continues on the mod. I found and repaired the bug I described previously which uncovered new ones and so on and so on....

I have managed to surprise myself. Which is not as difficult to do as it may seem. (Oooh! Look! Shiiiiny!) The Borg are now horrifyingly lethal. If one is accustomed to having it all their own way with the AI, whether in a mission or in Instant Action, even with the first AIPs I did way back when, I am quite happy to announce those days are over. My LAN group groaned collectively(no pun intended) when I presented this to them last week. They dutifully got to work watching the screens intently and clicking away like mad. They tell me they felt a sense of impending doom whenever I asked them to play against the Borg. Very few of them managed to succeed at the SP Missions the first time. Nearly all of them said they had not felt challenged by the AI like this before.

I may have made the AI a little too powerful.​

In case you're wondering, I had to bribe my LAN group with lots of Cajun cooking (Crawfish etouffee will always pwn you!) and copious quantities of soda pop and beer. No, not real beer. That pale, tasteless, over-carbonated, nearly frozen waste of time most Americans think is beer. If I ever gave them one of my dunkelbraus or a proper lager, they'd never go home.

 

[thunderfoot]

Release ready at last!

I think this mod is about as finished as it is going to get. I've tweaked and adjusted and remeasured and playtested and collated results and listened to opinions until I am throughly sick of the whole thing, lol. I know I posted earlier about a release in mid December, but making Y'all wait that long seems pointless. Screenies are done and the whole thing is packaged and ready to go. After one more final check to hunt for any bugs I may have missed, I will send this in when I get home tonight.

After this mod is released could we please use this thread to address any problems, issues, or concerns about the mod? Thank you, I appreciate it

 

[Majestic]

That's good news, I look forward to it.

 

[thunderfoot]

Just sent to Majestic. I hope everyone enjoys playing this as much as I did making it.

 

[Majestic]

And I'll upload it tomorrow, right now I am going to rest as I am exhausted.