Topic: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed  (Read 18811 times)

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Julin Eurthyr

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #40 on: January 31, 2003, 10:01:57 pm »
Okay.  From memory of so long ago & from single-player experience:

Since "OP" was supposed to be about the pirates, I've noticed the pirate map works perfectly, other than the fact that the Don's just don't want us to know how strong our territory is...

Now, for the empires, it's a different story...

Empire & Allied Cartel: hex strength increses on empire map
Empire on Cartel Neutral hex: Empire strength decreases
Empire on Enemy Cartel hex: Empire strength decreases

For some reason, It feels to me that somehow the empire / cartel distinction got reversed.  IE, a cartel can't operate in "enemy" space.  They flourish in allied space, and for some odd reason just are a mess in neutral space.  Perhaps a server where someone renames everything (has the empires flying in the pirate slots and the pirates in the empire spots) could potentially fix most of the DV issues (outside of neutral space issues).

Just this time High Command doesn't want the fleet to know just how tenuous their hold on the front lines really is...

Scipio_66

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #41 on: January 31, 2003, 10:11:38 pm »
Quote:


For some reason, It feels to me that somehow the empire / cartel distinction got reversed.  IE, a cartel can't operate in "enemy" space.  They flourish in allied space, and for some odd reason just are a mess in neutral space.  Perhaps a server where someone renames everything (has the empires flying in the pirate slots and the pirates in the empire spots) could potentially fix most of the DV issues (outside of neutral space issues).

Just this time High Command doesn't want the fleet to know just how tenuous their hold on the front lines really is...  





<blink>  <blink>

Sayyyyy...... that's not half bad.

-S'Cipio

Cleaven

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #42 on: January 31, 2003, 10:12:13 pm »
Of course the really wierd thing about OP-D2 is that each empires success is based on the assistance of the pirates working in their territory, and a reasonable assumption is that success of the (or any for that matter) underlying cartel would be bad for the empire. Ideally an empire would be aiming for their space to be cartel neutral, and an enemy empire's space to be infested with cartel influence. I also wonder about how the system should have worked when an empire hex was attacked by another empire and there was a cartel presence. Would the cartel serve as a help or hindrance to the attacker?

The way I see it the OP-D2 should be patched so that the cartel map can be set to all neutral and then the empire map will bahave as in EAW, with the exception that co-op in neutral problem should be fixed too. Also empire players attacks should act to reduce cartel DV's towards zero in addition to shifting empire DV's. And once the cartel hex is neutral further attacks from any empire will serve to raise the DV on the cartel hex making it harder for the cartel to retake it.

Cartel attacks should reduce empire DV's as well as raise their own DV. Cartel attacks should also serve to raise DV's in neutral hexes on the empire map making it harder for the empires to retake.  Probably some sort of economy effect as proposed by Scipio should be in play as well. In this way cartels are enemies to all empires

This is a basic outline of how the OP-D2 should work but is complicated slightly by the presence in OP of the Wynn and LDR who really should be pirates (in my scheme of things). I think half the pirates should be deleted and the Wynn and LDR should be added.

Of course this is just my opinion on how the OP-D2 should have been. I don't know what will be possible to do with it now, but at least making it similar in operation to EAW should be possible in a patch.

   

NuclearWessels

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #43 on: January 31, 2003, 10:29:18 pm »
Quote:

Okay.  From memory of so long ago & from single-player experience:

Since "OP" was supposed to be about the pirates, I've noticed the pirate map works perfectly, other than the fact that the Don's just don't want us to know how strong our territory is...

Now, for the empires, it's a different story...

Empire & Allied Cartel: hex strength increses on empire map
Empire on Cartel Neutral hex: Empire strength decreases
Empire on Enemy Cartel hex: Empire strength decreases

For some reason, It feels to me that somehow the empire / cartel distinction got reversed.  IE, a cartel can't operate in "enemy" space.  They flourish in allied space, and for some odd reason just are a mess in neutral space.  Perhaps a server where someone renames everything (has the empires flying in the pirate slots and the pirates in the empire spots) could potentially fix most of the DV issues (outside of neutral space issues).

Just this time High Command doesn't want the fleet to know just how tenuous their hold on the front lines really is...  




Damn -  that really sounds like it has potential !
Ohhhh Herr Burt, ohhhh Herrrrrrrrr Burt ... we have a job for youuuuu

 

dave
 

Cleaven

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #44 on: January 31, 2003, 10:36:16 pm »
Does that "job" include in some way getting a quick patch done on the OP-D2 so that we can see the Cartel map DV.

Just that one little thing would go a long, long way.  

jdmckinney

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #45 on: February 01, 2003, 10:36:40 am »
Exactly. If you can't see your DV (cartel DV), but only the empire one, it is almost impossible to determine the health of your hexes. Just ask any pirate player who ever tried to expand their territory -- you just keep attacking hexes until something flips, never knowing if your missions are working. News helps, but you still don't know what the hex's history is.

Cleaven

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #46 on: February 02, 2003, 08:08:24 pm »
So then, who does one talk to about the little DV display job? Can it be added into the next patch or does it have to wait for the D2 patch?    

EmeraldEdge

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #47 on: February 02, 2003, 08:14:34 pm »
Two guess, the first one doesn't count.  I guess we could ask though.  

Herr Burt

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #48 on: February 05, 2003, 01:26:15 am »
Quote:

Originally posted by Evil Dave

Damn -  that really sounds like it has potential !
Ohhhh Herr Burt, ohhhh Herrrrrrrrr Burt ... we have a job for youuuuu

 

dave
   




The idea sounds so good, that if someone else doesn't do this then I don't think I'll be able to resist doing so.  (After I finish Day of the Eagle)

-Herr Burt

Cleaven

  • Guest
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 pm by Cleaven »

jdmckinney

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Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #50 on: February 09, 2003, 06:26:54 am »
Pardon me if I don't hold my breath. While it's nice that OP is getting ports from EAW and some OP-only fixes the code needs, the D2 is still in limbo. Last I heard, Artic hasn't really done anything with it (if one is volunteering free time, but has none, it amounts to...). Furthermore, it's been a year since OP D2 was promised a patch. I've learned to believe it when I see it, so to speak.

That's why Dave W's script work seems more promising to me than anything Taldren or Artic might do, simply because I see real progress from "Evil" Dave.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 pm by jdmckinney »

Cleaven

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #51 on: February 09, 2003, 07:07:13 am »
I guess I'll just have to live in hope then, but at least being able to see the Cartel DV would be a help.  

Dizzy

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #52 on: February 09, 2003, 08:31:17 am »
Quote:

 jdmckinney  Captain
Reged: 05/28/01  
Posts: 2349    
How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
#10836 - 01/30/03 06:42 AM  

After a long absence from D2, I'm finally considering getting "back in the game."  




I wonder how many ppl share that consederation. They have all "been there done that" and I'm sure it is like opening another can of worms for them that they'd rather not revisit. Not many people share the same convictions and attitudes displayed here on this forum by such few individuals that wounld even consider going back to an OLD game that is still not fixed and help the community be yet another beta tester on another broken OP campaign.

Quote:

 The problem I have is I just want more "stuff" than EAW offers. I want maulers. I want tractor-repulsor beams. I want more ships. I want reasonable versions of X-ships (using phX but not Taldren's over the top Xes or X-heavies). I want pirate shiplists, but not a pirate map. I REALLY want something EAW DOES offer that OP lacks: stable D2 play with appropriately updating hex DVs, neutral coop, and missions that work.




Ok, fair enough. Seems the only thing OP has over EAW is the Stable D2 enviornment. Personally, I never witnessed the D2 engine in OP anymore stable than that of an EAW campaign. But what do I know?

Lets take these ideas:  tractor-repulsor beams, more ships, reasonable versions of X-ships (using phX but not Taldren's over the top Xes or X-heavies), Pirate shiplists, but not a pirate map.

Ok, sounds easy enough. I'm hoping the TRB is a human player weapon only, as the AI hasn't been "taught" how to use it. But as for EAW, edit the weapon profiles and simply create the characteristics of the weapons you disire. There aplenty of non-used weapons that can be altered. No one uses F or A drone racks for instance.

1.) So there are your PhX, and TRB's.   I'm not so sure about the mauler .

2.) You want more ships? Mod the shiplist and add your precious Pirate cartel to their native allied Empire. Have 2 accounts and each account is limited to either an empire ship or a pirate. It surely would increase the number of pirate encounters, but what a wonderful mix of flavor it would be!

3.) And of course, EAW doesnt have multiple map layers. Problem solved.

4.) Want more? The missions actually work in EAW. No hex flipping madness or frustration trying to get it to work.

5.) Want still more? I'm not sure, been a while since reading SFB, but didnt Andros have PF's? You do have a few limitations with making an Andro race, but I've got around the problem of only x4 PF's per ship. Have 36 if you want.

Quote:

 From all indications I've seen, there will NEVER be any substantive work done on OP D2 to fix it, at least by Taldren. It's been about a year since Taldren promised we would get OP D2 fixes... trying to fix the badly broken OP D2 with its unique limitations is counterproductive.




Well, there you have it, you said it. That is the general consensus. The community doesnt play OP anymore, Taldren doesnt support it, and the following is gone. Sure there are a few diehard players still left, but if you want a cmapaign. get these die hards together and work it out on a F&E map using GSA. I have been able in a GSA game to put Planets, asteroids, freighters, spacedocks, bases, Def Sats, lifepods, nav beacons, direlect/crippled spacecraft, aliens, pirate ships in a nebula all this in one mission. Imagine the scenarios you can create. Why spend hours making a D2 script when it takes 5 mins for the host to do it. And noone needs to dl anything. Amazing? Try me.

OP isnt the answer.

Quote:


 I'm going to propose some ideas -- maybe some RADICAL ideas -- for ways to get OP D2 stable and reliable for serious campaign play. I invite all community members to contribute their ideas or skills for the good of all. If we succeed, we can look forward to cooperative multi-server campaigns across the EAW and OP platforms, grand campaigns on a grand scale befitting a galactic battlefield.




I'm sorry to say, but by the time you are done, there will only be a handful left to play your gigantic galactic battlefield game. Stop screwing around with OP. Its a dead horse and you are wasting your time and the last chances a campaign like this will fly. Move to EAW and mod it.

If you dont believe me... go sit in a GSA OP room and see for urself. Bring a magazine, prolly a 400 page book, its pretty lonely in there... In the mean time, I'll be busy blowing up Alien ships launching multiple independednt fighters with their own subsystems, combating pirates, doing convoy raids, busting asteroid bases in an asteroid field/nebula/blackhole/ u name it while being shot at by its armed planet, and the like. I'm sure you get the picture...

HF beating a dead horse.


I challenge you all to make this a reality.

 

jdmckinney

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #53 on: February 09, 2003, 09:20:21 am »
Diz, thanks for your ever-so-helpful and late-in-coming wisdom.

Seriously, I don't want to do an uber-mod for EAW. I want OP D2 to work. If it can't be done by regression (making it work essentially like EAW with more races and using the OP tactical engine), then there are other avenues. Dave W's scripts might fix some of the map problems. Who knows -- maybe Artic will actually fix the whole thing.

Anyway, we have plenty of people who have given up on OP. It has always been a bastard child, made even more so by Taldren's shallow promises to fix it. I still think it can be better than EAW, giving us more options. I haven't given up yet.

As far as GSA play is concerned, I seem to remember a somewhat recent thought put forward that EAW would be the D2 game, OP the GSA game. If that's the intent from Taldren, it is pretty funny considering how few people play OP in GSA. Of course, the ever-present X-ship complaints will come out when people give their reasons for not playing OP via GSA, but we all know that people don't need to use Xes.

There will always be those who slam OP, for whatever reasons. Some are valid, some are BS. I don't ask people to play it if they don't want to, but I do think those who want to play it might be able to come up with new approaches to making it work.

Kid Carrson

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #54 on: February 09, 2003, 09:50:09 am »
A one level SFC OP D2 map where all 16 races operate is the way to go!  It would provide so many choices and options for the modding community!  

Forget the current two tiered approach.  Just bury it!

Great thread!

KC  

Dizzy

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #55 on: February 09, 2003, 10:17:31 am »
Quote:

Diz, thanks for your ever-so-helpful and late-in-coming wisdom.

Seriously, I don't want to do an uber-mod for EAW. I want OP D2 to work.  




Just what does OP have that EAW cant be made to have?

We both want the same thing. I have the exact same interest as you. But JD, cmon now. Be reasonable. There isnt an OP following anymore. EAW has the playerbase. The community is already fractured enough.

If you won't help me, keep gnawing at the thin tattered strands of whats left holding OP together while I and everyone else quietly walk away from what OP really is... a Ghost Town.

Bye JD.

Corbomite

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #56 on: February 09, 2003, 11:05:59 am »
Dizzy why do you always have to piss in people's soup? OP is being worked on and the first of at least two patches towards that is slated to be released soon. Why go through all the trouble of reprogramming EAW into OP when OP is already done? Oh and BTW, learn how the spell "whether" will you?  

IndyShark

  • Guest
Why don't we port OP ships and weapons to EAW???
« Reply #57 on: February 09, 2003, 11:23:39 am »
I believe the biggest problem with OP is D2. Since EAW D2 seems to work well, why don't we mod the ships and weapons from OP into EAW? I know several things won't make it (like the correct disruptor arcs), but it would seem to be easier to use EAW rather than OP if the OP D2 is not going to be fixed (anytime soon at least).

What do you guys think?

FireSoul

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #58 on: February 09, 2003, 11:33:35 am »
.. I'd like to voice in.

It's too soon to declare SFC:OP dead...
.. of course, if that means that I have to __force__ people to using OP by not doing any work towards SFC:EAW, so be it.

-- Luc

Dizzy

  • Guest
Re: How to Fix OP D2: Radical Ideas Welcomed
« Reply #59 on: February 09, 2003, 02:52:38 pm »
Quote:

Dizzy why do you always have to piss in people's soup? OP is being worked on and the first of at least two patches towards that is slated to be released soon. Why go through all the trouble of reprogramming EAW into OP when OP is already done? Oh and BTW, learn how the spell "whether" will you?    




whups, yur wright. mahbi I dunna now howl to spel.

However, ck your info on the OP patches. It IS not done. The latest is that D2 OP has not and will not be fixed anytime soon. I see no reason to support something that doesnt work. When the D2 patch works, I'm on board 100%. I'll bet Duke Nukem Forever comes out before the D2 OP patch. Want to bet on that Corbo?

Until then, I will piss in whomevers soup I wish, but I haven't yet. So I dont know what you are talking about, Corbo, but dont turn your back when eating your soup, you are 1st on my list .

And thanx fer the speleng tipe. Thic baord neds a speleng chekerr. I dunna leik it mahbi.

Diz