MonkeyBiz

Work has begun! I've started coding and pulling out the necessary files. Good times! Oh yeah. Good stuff. Anyone that wants this one, let me know

There is no XML file for the buttons. They are listed under each unit, but to add or subtract them, you must edit the COMMANDBAR file.

You have to add them to the MBCOMMANDBAR file. Get an MTD editor. And Photoshop. And the DDS plugin.

Actually, I always thought it was rather... phallic looking.

Too many unique units. Also, that would involve making dozens of variant units, and that has the potential to get really annoying really quickly. Also, not every planet has unique units. Sure, Kuat and Fondor both have big shipyards, and Corellia has the CEC, and Mon Calimari has the Mon Cal shipyards, and you've got other planets like Bilbringi and Sluis Van, but all together there weren't that many shipyards capable of producing lots of ships. However, I am looking forward to FoC to see what else we can get. I already have a few ideas.

Okay kids, I know you're eagerly awaiting my return to my computer at home, but please chill. You should have a link in your grubby little hands this time tomorrow night, most likely earlier. You will be send a PM on here with details. In the meantime, if you want it please send me a PM and say so.

I have this mental image of a Star Destroyer taking up an entire screen, with hundreds of hardpoints. And comparatively, the fighters are the size of gnats, next to an ISD. Given a length of 12.5m, and a 1600m ISD, an ISD is 128 X-Wings long. So yes, it doesn't matter what size they are. Just so long as they're there.

Golan's are mostly stationary orbital defense platforms, designed to combat large fleets. They're not immobile, but they're not the Millennium Falcon either Also, the Death Star had humongous hyperspace engines. Those would be a waste on a Golan. Well, hypothetically you could use it as a battle barge and just plow it right in to enemy capital ship formations. that might be rough. And send me a PM. I'm just going to do a download link... Somewhere... And send it out.

Bailknight did a lot of great things with his mod. A lot of what he did has inspired what I've been working on myself

By the way, if anyone has converted the MC80B model from the Warlords mod, and wanted to shoot that over to me, I'd be more than happy to do some coding or design work in exchange, or share anything I've got so far. When I get back from the airport on Thursday, this is #4 on my list of things to do, right after taking off my pants, doing laundry, and cleaning out my fridge. So, expect a PM Thursday night.

There's a decent Lancer model floating around that I'm using. Then again, it's scaled to canon size, so really you couldn't tell if it's decent looking or not.

The moniker tag requires the ".txt" at the end. Also, the EaW ship name text files are somehow formatted differently than regular ones. Don't ask me how, I don't know. So you need to copy a pre-existing one, rename it, and delete the entries already in it to add your own. However, it is easier just to do it in GameConstants.xml. And I haven't run in to an upper bound on the number of files yet, and I've got about 20 odd entries.

So apparently there's some interest. I will be packaging this up on Thursday when I get home. Here is the deal. 1) The archive will consist of the following: The unit code The hardpoint code The unit models The death models The death animations The unit textures Now, if you don't know what to do with those, then you should probably learn. Also, you WILL have to edit the MasterTextFile if you want names and descriptions and whatnot. If you are interested, contact me via PM. I will upload the file, then give you the means to download it.

The Lancer is itty bitty. It's half the size of a Tartan. It doesn't have to have a death clone.

There's a fine line between canon and balance. The Empire had tens of thousands of Star Destroyers. The Rebels had a few dozen Mon Cal cruisers. If the Imps ever leveraged their massive firepower against the Rebels, that was it. Game over. At the end of the day, it's still a game. So, if you have to choose canon vs. balance, choose balance.

I'd really like to release the code and models for these, but I can't release it publically. What I'll do is use models from other mods, like Bailknights or Steiners, and just code my own units to fit with what I'm trying to create. Trying to get permission to use everything I've built in would be difficult, if not downright impossible. Also, it's kind of disrespectful to the creators. Coding is relatively easy. I can code a unit in and have it in game and balanced in under an hour. But creating one, or even converting a Warlords model? That can and usually does take much much much longer. However, if you're really interested in something you've seen for PRIVATE use, then that's a different story. After all, what's code between friends, and we're all friends here, right? The condition is that it doesn't get published anywhere. No public download links, no submissions anywhere. Also, you'll just get the models, animations, textures, and the unit code. Everything else is on you; as in, you have to put it in the game directories and put the code into the XML files. Basically, it's my way of keeping the n00bs off my front porch. It's not like you'd trust the Sword of a Thousand Truths to a n00b, now would you? I'm on a business trip in Rhode Island right now, so I don't have access to everything. But, if you're really truly interested in something, send me a PM and when I get back I'll see if there's enough demand for me to slap something together. Also, tell me what it is you want so I have a better idea.

Corellia kind of went with the flow. The entire system is notorious for being independent. They just like sticking it to the man, basically. My rationale is that Corellia is the home of the Corellian Engineering Corporation, one of the largest shipbuilders in the galaxy, and you never really see any Corellian ships, save for the corvettes, gunboats, and modified freighters. The whole idea is to make it worth something to capture a planet. The way the vanilla game is, Coruscant is no different from Hoth. Why not make Coruscant a galactic bonus; something like where if you control it, you can see the entire galaxy, or massive troop discounts? For Corellia, if you capture it, you should pick up a few units, exclusive to Corellia. As the Rebels, if you capture Kuat or Fondor, you should be able to build Star Destroyers. It's stuff like that I'm looking for.

Must... snag... Dominator... and... MC80B... models... !... Will... code... for... stuff... !

Having completed The Golan Project, I've decided that after I get back from my trip to Rhode Island (purely business, and definitely not volunteer), I'm going to add a few Corellian ships to the game. But, they'll only be useable if you control Corellia. So far, here's what I'm thinking. Corellian Battlecruiser Corellian Destroyer Corellian Frigate I think it would add something fun to the game. Unique units, based on what planet you control, beyond the capship thing. Thoughts?

No dragging and dropping, but it's easy to set what launches when you bring the ship in, and what's held in reserve,

So I've been messing with them and balancing them out all afternoon, and here's what I've come up with. The Golan IIIs are only available on Kuat, Fondor, Mon Calamari, Byss, Coruscant, Corellia, and Nal Hutta. The Torpedoes track faster. Golan platforms cannot enter hyperspace, and move VERY slowly in the game. They demolish capital ships and the larger frigates, but fighters pose a problem for them. All in all, I'd say they're very well balanced, and force some interesting tactical choices. A planet fortified with Golan's is VERY hard to assault. If you're playing the Empire, you have to invest in TIE Avengers or Defenders to rush in and destroy the shield generators before moving in with your capital ships. But the Rebels have superior fighters to the Empire. If you're the Rebels, you have to send your own fighters in but the Empire could have the platforms backed up by Lancers. Interesting decisions indeed.

Well, they're in game. Golan's I-III. And canonically, only the Golan I's were less powerful than Star Destroyers. Golan II's and IIIs were designed to kill Star Destroyers. Also, they didn't have Ion Cannons or concussion missiles. Now, I've run in to two problems. 1) The proton torpedoes can't track fast moving ships like corvettes or the Neb-B fast enough. And 2) The death animations are kind of funky. On the upside, they balance really well. One or two is enough for capital ship defense. But smaller ships and fighters can take them out. Example: Y-Wing, B-Wing, TIE Defender, etc. However, when you pair them with Lancers, they're much harder to kill. Oh yeah, did I mention I added in Lancers and Strike Cruisers too? And here's some Golan-y goodness. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Golan-Scale.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Golan-I.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Golan-II.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Golan-III.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Lancer-Frigate.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Strike-Cruiser.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i173/MonkeyBusinessIU/Golan/Nebulon-B2.jpg Let me know what you think.

While looking through some mods and whatnot, I found models for Golan Space Defense Platforms. So, I've decided to add them in. Here are my thoughts so far: Golan I hardpoints: 6 Turbolasers, 6 Proton Torpedoes, 2 Fighter Bays, 1 Shield Generator. Golan II hardpoints: 8 Turbolasers, 8 Proton Torpedoes, 2 Fighter Bays, 2 Shield Generators. Golan III hardpoints: 10 Turbolasers, 10 Proton Torpedoes, 2 Fighter Bays, 2 Shield Generators. My idea is to build them in as ships, so that they can be used as orbital defenses. Also, I'm going to either make them ungodly slow in hyperspace or remove it all together so that they're stationary. They'll start being available at levels 3, 4, and 5. And the Level 5's will be limited to certain planets like Coruscant or Mon Calamari. If anyone has any thoughts, feel free to add them.

My personal thought is that a lot of the models and whatnot are as good as the ones that shipped with the game. Why have a Tartan when you can have a Lancer? Why have an Acclamator when you could have a Strike Cruiser? All seems very odd to me. But, that's why I'm changing it. I'm going to bed, but I anticipate the addition of Golan Defense Platforms tomorrow. That's one of those mods that's truly game changing. More on this, when I wake up.

What are everyone's feelings on removing units? For example, taking out the Tartan and replacing it with a Lancer? or removing the Acclamator all together and replacing it with something else? Also, I found models for the Golan Space Defense platforms. And I think I came up with a way to make them work.