Slocket

A quicky before my game crashed ( I've been messing with alot of stuff), so far it definetly gives a better gameplay it seems for the Rebel AI. The Rebels usual slow hyperdrive cruise across the galaxy to get to a decent planet to start building up assests is much more easier, and thus it seems that the Rebels are in a much better position to raise Kane quicker for the Empire so far. Plus, what a nice galaxy picture to add for a back drop, it is a bit more higher resolution and looks nice! A good choice.

This season so far is one of the best. It shows more true sci-fi than other mundane 'sci-fi' shows as of late. The deeper interaction of what is the meaning of life and reality; the complex morale issues of beliefs, feelings, and 'what is the right thing to do' is not always so obvious.

Sure, hey nice work! Getting those different planet location is a bit of work. Plus, I would like a new game play with the new planet positions to see how it is like. With new computers today, we could make one very huge galaxy, maybe planets with different pictures for backgrounds too, and bonuses. Even new skins for each planet to give them personallity. I am curious about the background galaxy picture. Is that included in the zip? Of course it would be, reason is if it is a higher resolution graphics, I wonder what and if I may use it in my personal game re-write. I think it may look nicer for those who wish a new background galaxy. Please upload it indeed!

Second edit for chances for troops to survive. It looks to be the attacking forces use a dice roll of value of their attack rating, compared to the defense dice roll of the defenders. The higher value wins (old school Dungeon and Dragons rules), with ties going maybe meaning both units survive that phase (or to the defender is unknown). If there are more units on one side, maybe those that survived the equal number random rolls must roll against the extra troops that have not rolled their dice yet. (or the extra troops just plain live for the next assault). Unkown. If more attackers survive than defenders, then the attack is successful. Else, it is repeled. It seems to fit the data from the game. As for the tie going to the defenders or both units survive, I do not know. A sample attack of five Alliance army regiment against five Imperial Army regement on the planet. Attack = 3 and defense = 5 for both sides same stats for attack and defense. Since Alliance is the attacker, it uses a dice roll of 3. The Imperials on planet are the defenders with a dice roll of 5. The attacks were set up so each side was always even numbers for testing. Alliance Atacks Imperial (survive/die) 1/4 ------- 5/0 2/3 ------- 4/1 1/3 -------3/1 1/2 -------2/1 0/2 ----- 2/0 0/2 ------2/0 0/2 ----- 2/0 1/1------2/0 1/1 -----1/1 1/0-----0/1 Equal numbers attacked each try: 10 invasions repeled; 20 Alliance army regiments die to remove 5 Imperial regiments. It seems to be each unit gets its own dice roll depending upon if it is the attacker or defender.

Looks really neat to use a device to move you lightsaber. Why is there no version for the PC?

Well, yes my own. But as long it is simple in the sense of the render engine in software is rather primative 'not complex' using low polygon count models, I think a modest computer of today would have no problem. Of couse not taking advantage of hardware acceleration is a big drawback. I do not know how to do it. It would be software only and it would suffer from it but not too badly by keeping a basic engine. I am not trying to make it look like the latest greatest graphical beauty out there. I want it to have brains. A good AI. There already are plenty of nice looking games with a AI IQ of practicaly zero. If I cannot make it work the way I want it to, then I will need to learn years of programming to catch up. I wish not to do that at my age. Maybe I would use the VS 2005 SDK and DX9 from 2007, seems to go together and there are working examples abound for those. Anyway, thanks for the tip on MesaGL. I hope your Terra project works well and a decent Rebellion Mod works for it. That would be a true Rebellion 2. I am just trying to update the old Rebellion so I can play it with 'A Open Source Engine' for improved gameplay and a better AI. The original hardcored behaviour really stucks for this cool game. I have yet to see anyone make a complete game upon this, I mean a real working game of some sorts. Alot of talk, alot of stuck in the complicated details. I am just trying to what I can do. I feel like you guys want me to fail or something. Thanks for the encouragement. I will try to do my best, then you guys can laugh at me . He who laughs last laughs the best. What does anyone yet have to show? One fancy ISD model that went nowhere? An empty website?Sorry if I sound taken aback, why all the negative criticism? Yes, pardon me.

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Any General on a planet will enhance the combat rating of his troops using his leadership skill. 100 = double combat values. A General on a ship assaulting a planet will enhance the combat rating of the asaulting troops. Plus a General on a ship will increase the overall Bombarment factor value for that paticular fleet of ships towards a planet. I think it is not limited to just those 2 characters, unless they get an 'additional bonus' over what a normal General does for his troops? The math in combat is unknown, but by changing the values using RebEd you can guess. A troop has an attack and defense value for ground combat. A War Droid of attack 8 but only defense of 2. Sullustan are poor troops but they are good at detecting missions. They have an attack 1 and defense of 4. Also the better troops cost more and maintenance so one War Droid cost 9 and 8 to maintain, a Sullstan is cost 3 and only 1 to maintain. So you can build more of them and cheaper to maintain. So you can maintain 8 Sullastan troops for the maintaince of one War Droid. The math is only a guess. War Droid attack the Sullstran 8 to his 4 defense. (8-4)/4 = 100% kill. The Sullustan troop attacks back (1-2)/2 = -50% no way to kill a War Droid. If this combat was One on One and not agregate combat, A dozens of Sulltrans troops would be killed by one single War Droid troop. If it was combined forces, then those eight Sullustrans would eliminate the War Droid (8*1 - 2)/2 = 300%. This would make an interesting easy test. Combined troops for a single War Droid troop against eight Sullstran troops would be (1*8 - 4)/4 = 100% Sullultan troops killed, just barely. So who attacks first round is going to win. *One single Storm Trooper attack of 6 would be (1*6 -4)/4 = 50% Sulltran troop lost leaving only four out of eight original troops alive.

Thanks for all the advice. Considering the last time I programmed was under DOS, I am new to this stuff. I guess if I was around fore the last eight years, I would be up to speed. It just seems to me the variety of SDK patforms and Directx compatibility changes/changed alot over the years. Much of the new free VS 2008 SDK will not load up older projects made with VS 2003 (9x window stuff). So far, I am just programming in basic Win 32 GDI using no DirectX and the VS so much and the libraries. Of course that would change if I want to do any real fancy 3D, unless I am willing to write my own transformations routines. It is just vector math and using matrixs, but special affects would be lacking for the time being. Display the triangle mesh vertexs and add the texture surface, then transform onto the camera co-ordinates 2D plane from all the rendered 3D model data projection. Maybe add in some nice lighting and particle glow elements. Not using anyone's 3D tools. Understandly, I am bewildered by the advancements in computer languages. I just want to keep it simple for the graphics, my weak spot. I can make a 3D model and display it without using Microsoft's D3D stuff. The OpenGL tools may also be problematic for me. Doing it myself has its advantages and disadvatages. Maybe in the end, I would have to bite the sword and learn the new stuff since what I know is not what VS and DX will support. Years of study. I think MS assumes you make a project under a given set of tools version of DX and SDK. Forward compatibility is not guaranteed forever -since if you have alot of experience in that area - is a problem for me. So I want to keep it simple and old school. So yes, I am an 'old' n00b. Simply just making a new source engine to run the old game in 2D with a decent 3D engine for what I know about the time that game was released but access to modify the AI and other hardcoded things in the game. They used DirectDraw but it looks as if they used some Bitblt to make the 2D strategy GUI using the plain old Window 32 API. Hybrid. The future looks like they really want Xbox to take over the PC. Of course all the languages they will develope would be cross platform compatible. A professional would need to know this new stuff to make a living. I am just doing old stuff for a hobby. Sorry to hear that it got aborted. Thanks for the offer, but I probably would not understand how to use them in my own 3D engine. Hopefully my version of this simpler game rewrite will not end up aborted because I am Keeping It Simple: KISS. No fancy stuff. I leave that for the professionals.

A good idea, I did think of that myself. It would be great useing 3D similiar to EAW and zoom. OpenGl is useful for the graphics part, but the DirectX SDK package contains stuff for sound and movies. OpenGL is only of for visual. The SDK that will support DirectSound is being/been dropped already this March 2008. Plus must run under Vista OS. relpaced by hybrid xbox window XAudio 2 function. in other words, what a pain in the arse to make everything come together and work together if I want to use MS products and solution. DX10 is really a big change since about this last decade after moving from 16 bit Windows 9x series to 32 bit NT stuff, now 64 bit Vista. MS is going to drop support for alot of stuff. Long live open source. I thought the easy way to compromise and by Summer things should calm down to where the 3D battle engine can be done. Myabe it is not ideal, but I could make using Windows inherent GDI one big 2D map than can be scrolled around, flat of course, but the zoom funtion would be a bit odd, since not being true 3D, I would have to similate it using layers of sprites...which means artwork...unless I just shrank and renamed the originals (reycle those into 1x, 2x , 3x, etx in size ) from one tiny dot into one normal size bitmap. The more elegent solution is to use 3D. I kind of wished that for a true remake of Rebellion 2. It would need planets spheres (easy primitive) with a texture, then neat to add a rotation, particles, animated stuff...that would take one person like me a very long time to create. I would like that for a longer term goal. After I get my hands dirty working on this stuff, since the strategic is seperate from the 3D battle engine, I can always go back and redo the strategic interface into a more modern and comfortable 3D look. The code for gameplay mechanics is modular, so the interface remake from 2D to 3D is not that bad, once I gain more experience with it. I first thought to make all the 2D really 3D objects with the third dimension removed. All ready to go in the future upgrade, but the artwork for the planets need to be done... I must be careful. Most projects have failed because they tried to do too much too fast and end up never even close to finished. My original design goal was to just remake the runtime exe so we have access to the game mechanics and scripte events and improve the AI, recyle the artwork but leaving the door open for atleast better higher resolutions pics made by fans, or whatever I can snag off the Net. Then get a basic decent 3D battle engine made, then go back and improve the original part. This way is quicker, more fun to play with something sooner, and it won't take years to complete.

So, you think the entire Catholic religion should have died off centuries ago? Over the course of history, the Catholic church has more blood on its hands than any other religion that has ever existed, period. Islam doesn't even compare to them, even with all the havoc the extremists are wreaking. Also, when it comes to intolerance towards other religions, Islamic extremists are today what the Catholic church was between 400 and 600 years ago. Give them time to grow up, and they will. Oh, I agree complete. Christians had their bloody good time killing and converting back in the middle ages. Gladly they got over it. After all, Jesus preached love one another, which made those fanatics back then hypocrits. I hope the majority of Muslims who are not fanatic will somehow calm down those that are giving them a bad name. Many men, rulers, popes, kings, killed thousands in the name of religion to further their own greed or warped ideas. So either a religion gets over it, or it will die off. Catholics did reform itself into something more respectable, though it did take a long, long time.

I should say I am setting up for 1024x768 screen. The lower resolution stock bmp I am stretching/convert to that higher resolution. So in game the old bmp maps will look like 640x480 but in reality they can be replaced with a much better looking bmp in higher resolution, something the fans or I find off the net, or from a picture. I will try to improve the mission clickfest, but reuse of resource pics may become problematic. That is why I really do not want to change that stuff too much since I am not writing from a game document. I just know this game, behaviour, and reuse the resources for speed of production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitna_%28film%29 The movie and information. The movie was removed due to threats from our ever so peaceful Islamic fanatics? It seems that Islam is very intolerant of any other religion. If you say anything bad about it, you die. I think Islam will eventual sow the seeds of its own destruction. A religion of hate cannot last forever by definition. The world rid us of Nazism, so will Islam go to... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Geert wilders film: The important points it missed http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5ae_1206832681 Good read. The evil acts in the name of this "religion" speak volumes over mere "words".

It is most certainly easy to re use the pics. It can be changed quite easy later on, after everything is working correct. I do not know LUA, I wish I did. Much easier to get the new stuff into the engine. Because of the ever changing Visual C++ Studio, I need to write using that one main compiler. I tell you about the different versions of DirectX and compatibility with Vista (I do not like it) forcing C .NET on every one. I feel Microsoft monopoly on game programming is gettting to be over the top. XBOX city. (X came from DirectX), MS want all to prgoram in their special cross platform language JPT whatever it is, then they have the new XNA...good grief I feel sorry for new programmers. Many games use XML and LUA for a good reason. ( I wonder how long it would take me to learn that...a year?) I hope thing go well for me. I really just want to program in native windows and leave the DDRAW out of it maybe... I may need to use it to speed thing up especially for higher resolution and better format like jpg and such. Indeed for sound, using a OGG file is 10x smaller than the WAV file of the original. I know for the seperate 3D battle engine, I probably need DIRECT3D but the SDK is not compatable with my old version of Visual Studio...and Windows XP. Microsoft basically is forcing everyone to use all their new tools with Direct 10 and exclusive Vista OS only bull. Thus I can write suing a older version of directx such a VC 2005 and DX 9.0 I think would go together under XP, but I do not own 2005, mine is the older VC6 compiler (it actually works great for native C++ without the .NET hassle MS is forcing on everyone). So at my age, and old stuff, I can make a decent game rewrite, and a brand new 3D game engine. I can write my own 3D game engine, nothing fancy, but heck alot better than 1998 sad off graphics! Of ocurse fan made models haver to be supportted, I am no artist. I have MS .X format, the freeware Blender, and GMAX, OpenGL....or I may just make my own custome 3D Editor? lol that would take forever. So the easy part is getting the basic strategic 2D engine. I know it is a bit of a clickfest, I rather make it all 3D like EAW, but maybe in the future version of a real Rebellion 2. Still, this is like old Rebellion, but you can change everything about it since it is a new engine "no more hardcoded headaches". And you can make it higher resolution...using fan made graphics of course. even a decent AI, custom scripts ( I know, I need to learn XML and LUA, but what I use can be easy to change). 2D graphics are easy to program. the 3D battle engine can be a seperate 'exe' call with the data supplied to it. I will cross that road when I get there. Exactly what is the best route to make the 3D engine. It is not a trivial matter due to the major changes .NET , Windows Vista, DX10 etc. I want to keep it old school, DX9 using DIRECT3D maybe, under a copy of VS 2003 or 2005 which will support it. If I go the freeware route, and write native code, I would not have to worry about that stuff. It would be alot more to code...but it would be more platform independent as far as Windows and DirectX is concerned. Confusing? Indeed wish me luck. All I can do it try. Yoda: " No try, do". 6 months? to finish...

According to the manual it states, effect of a Blockade. If the enemy controlled planet's favor is not strong in your favor, you lose loyalty to your foe's side. Interesting about a neutral planet, it goes either way it favors eventually to whom it is most loyal to. It is good to know the exact details of what happens. See other post. I am trying to make a new 'old' version but with complete control over the source engine. No limit on what you want to do anymore in the future. Maybe as a new rule, the Blockade must be a certain value of ships amount? Likewise, the Smuggling losses due to low support on a planet can be eliminated by a single TIE Fighter in orbit above the planet? Or maybe only a one Capital ship? These things need to be determined for the new gamplay logic. Beta testers welcome once I have a decent alpha up and running. Surely after 10 years, if you want something done, we must do it ourselves! A new source engine...not exactly Rebellion 2 but ALOT more access, changes, and hopefully new features. See my other post. Now I just need to be around long enough to complete it. Most projects fade away never completed.

I am writing my own original EXE to mimmick the original game mechanics as much as possible. I am a bit new to modern programming (been over 8 years since I wrote for DOS/Win9x games). I have refreshed myself upon Windows 32 API and Graphics programming. The Strategic level is simply a windows application to a point with the low level GPI (probably using part of Direct X but part of that for 2D is being phased out forever in DX10 so I want my native code to run on any windows OS. Later the 3D battle engine will be based upon tried and true Direct3D but open source I may go with for the SDK is terribly expensive and requires Vista which I refuse to upgrade to. Sorry M$ too much change for me. I can write my own library game engine to do 3D math and transformation too. I have time to do this since I am retired due to some sad health issue, but my interest is plenty alive --> I have alot of time on my hands. I may as well program one of my favorite games. Anyways, the new engine EXE will allow complete change to all bitmaps pics , bugs, gameplay, behavior, all the hardcoded stuff that was a bane for this game. Plus I can write a very smart AI to challenge you (it will think and learn on its own . I do not want to make all the new art resources so I am recycling the old art work from the game; these pics of course can be replaced by higher resolution art made by fans or snap shots from other games or movies. This is non profit. I think I might have to require you to have a copy of the resource .dll from your disk do to copy infringment (if it was all in one downlod, it would be like a pirated game!). So you will need a original copy of Rebellion to use this fan made EXE to use those resource pictures. 'Custom' sound and picture libraries .dll can be made by fans but it must be 'legal' under the ELUA stuff. I am keeping it KISS. Simple, just the basics and it can be added onto in modular format. Some thing I feel no one uses in game (saving the sector picture minimized off to the side), and first version will not have MP or the full 3D battle engine -placeholders for auto calculated results. One thing at a time. I just keep making better versions upon the foundation skeleton blocks. This is how I code modular style and open source as much as possible (M$ keeps changing their tools so much! I really rather stay away from that mess). I will add a new feature Planetary Assualt animated random movie view, and a Mission Movie made from in game animation which is semi-random groups and backgrounds in 3D scripted of course, but cool to watch due to randomness success and and failures. Think of it like a rewind and review replay action. I thought that would have made the 1998 game so much more cool to watch the Planetary assauts, Bombardment, and Missions in a movie like animation capture instead of the plain old static screenshot. New technology and computers we have today are so much more powerful than 10 years ago! I made the framework...back to coding! Here is the first engine skeleton shot, a very basic teaser. Note I can use other bitmaps and art work if you can help me, such as for the strategic window, and back ground galaxy map. This is from the original game resource. http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/1817/reb2008xv9.th.png

Thank you for any observed input (such as the shields not regenerating and kill ratio). I need to know this since I am writing my own game EXE to mimmick the original game mechanics as much as possible. You will see post on my work "Rebellion 2008" in other threads. I am a bit new to modern programming (been over 8 years since I wrote for DOS games). I have refreshed myself upon Windows 32 API and Graphics programming.

Oh, look at this old post, probably would help out faster. I wonder if the numbers are the same in game files and the savegame? It would be MUCH faster to reference out to the string name in resource file Texstrat.dll 1 - number (starting from 100) This number is the same as in the savegame. eg Coruscant = 265 = 09 01 HEXA 6 - identifier (actually two WORDs the second is 2 the first can be used directly to get the name from Textstrat.dll) From Systemsd.dat Coruscant identifier is 65 2F HEXA but to find inside the Textstrat.dll file you must use Resource Hacker to see it! It is inside folder 759 and shows the decimal 12133 equivalent. I thought directly meant opening the file and looking for that hexa number. Nope, you must use Res hacker to do it.

http://www.swrebellion.com/downloads/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownloaddetails&lid=1&ttitle=RebED install it into your Rebellion directory. the readme is very detailed and the program is very easy to use. I am glad you are still playing the oldy but goody game, and welcome to the forums pta391! I wished EAW had the "in depth" strategy that Rebellion had. If only those two game could be combined. Empire at War certainly has the cool graphics, but the strategy is not there and is boring. But I digress.

I see in RebEd Rebel fighters get shields. Do they take one off hit and never regenerate during tactical battle? Does it act like "Armor" blocking laser fire forever?? I need to know this behavior for code purpose. As for the squadrons hull health, is there one? Is there a base, or is it all the same value, the squadran 12 itself?? Guess: TIE has attack of 5 and 0 shield. XWing has attack of 8 with 5 shield. One hit from a full TIE squadron did nothing, 5-5 =0 (Shield absorbed and depleted). Second hit takes out full 5 fighters leaving 12-5= 7 XWing left in Squadron?? Reverse, full Xwing squad hits TIE for full 8 leaving only 4 left in Squadron on first hit. Second hit is zero left. Capital Laser hits and Turbolaser hits are different. A Turbolaser is a % of a laser. XWing squad total shield is 12*5=60. A hit by VSD port 100 (if they hit at all missing) leaves about 11/12 intact. So 100 - 60 = 40 damage. 40/12 = 3.333 per squad thus 1 to 3 will be destroyed in squad. Full hit leaves 11/12 first hit, a second hit will take out 3 more since shields are gone. I wish I knew more of these mechanics. A Turbo laser seems to 1/24 or 1/12 of a laser to a fighter squad?? This is not counting, do Turbo lasers hit always or do this miss alot? Are Lasers from a capital ship hit 100% or are they just better accurate at hitting a fighter, and if they hit do more damage?

Ships required to Bombard Double Shielded Planet. -Bomber Fighters count too! This planet with no General (I had no Admiral), has one Gencore I, and a second Gencore II. That is 40 +80 =120 total bombard value! I thought it would take alot of ships to get past this, but then I figured out something rather important. Fighter bombers such as TIE Bomber and Y-Bomber have a bombard value of 2 just like a bigger capital ship (Xwing has value 1). I tested this, using an Alliance Escort carrier's with YWings, and sure enough, I did not need a giant fleet to get blow up the double shielded planet. So my small tip is use your Bomber Fighters to greatly help to increase your fleet's bombard value much higher. Bombers count very well and cheaper (and several) than just capital ships alone. I wonder what the bombard mutiplier, in any, a fleet Admiral makes. Plus, what effect an enemy General on planet may increase the Shield Bombard value before they will collapse. [Double Shielded].

That is a good question and welcome to the forums! If you place two people (research or diplomacy) onto a mission and not as decoy, there is a probabilty table for success, oddly enough. Maybe that is why they mostly 'fail' to increase research or diplomacy. It needs to be checked out to see if they succeed more often. Each success adds points towards the goal.

A quicky, I added a total of 5 fighter types to the Empire using one of the Rebel fighters OK until, the game crashes upon Tactical engagement. old post reply, but so am I. Yes. Indeed. Use auto resolve to make it work?

Using help from your data, I am making this post to update with all the System ID names within the savegame file. TP 00 00 00 SY 00 00 00 AL 00 00 00 80 SY TP = type Core 90h (144) or Rim 92h (146) SY = System ID inside savegame file Hexa AL = Allegiance. C1 Neutral, 41 Rebel, 81 Empire, A1 Coruscant Corellian 140= 8C = Commenor 141= 8D = Corellia 142= 8E = Corfai 143= 8F = Duros 144= 90 = Drall 145= 91 = Selonia 146= 92 = Talus 147= 93 = Tralus 148= 94 = Vagran 149= 95 = Xyquine Sesswenna 260= 0401 = Averam 261= 0501 = Bollamora 262= 0601 = Bortras 263= 0701 = Chandrilla 264= 0801 = Corsin 265= 0901 = Coruscant 266= 0A01 = Ghorman 267= 0B01 = Svivern 268= 0C01 = Uvena 269= 0D01 = Yagor Minor Of course more to come as I decipher them. There are 6 Core and 14 Rim sectors. 200 systems! I am sure someone has done this fun stuff before, but I cannot find any post so I am recreating the data. If it does exist, then please let me know. I hope this helps people who like to play with the data files. Also, I have use for this data structure knowledge for a basic rewrite of Reb.exe (3D battle will be a slide show action placeholder for now).

Thank you very much! I can post again now.