Topic: Beta version: a more patrol-like patrol...(now includes piracy and privateering)

[Bartok]

Awesome Dave !!!!

Can't wait to try this one out!   

[Capt_Bearslayer_XC]

Dave you are a GOD!!!

BTW, for ideas... how about one where spares are available...

Something like a pirate or enemy vessel has just destroyed a merchant ship and is now trying to collect the bounties from cargo containers and you can beam the parts aboard....

[SkyFlyer]

Lookin good dave.

One question... How do you jam the communications?

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

Lookin good dave.

One question... How do you jam the communications?

Stick bubblegum in Uhura's headset silly.   

[Bartok]

Dave you are a GOD!!!

BTW, for ideas... how about one where spares are available...

Something like a pirate or enemy vessel has just destroyed a merchant ship and is now trying to collect the bounties from cargo containers and you can beam the parts aboard....

Wasn't there some discussion of a mission that "resupplied" you? -- ie you draft into it (possibly enemy's too) and  you can get spare parts - no fighters or mines or marines - but spares.... 

I know that's not the same as your idea - I like the pirate interception thingy....   

Speaking of beaming spares - there's the one patrol variant you get when running defense missions on a planet - you start off with the bases having their shields lowere and you can beam spares before the enemy closes with your small moon.  I've done this one lot's, but I'm always full of spares when I start the mission so I can only hear the "beaming" sound - but don't think i ever actually get spares.... 

[NuclearWessels]

OK, here's a very beta version.  The installer has the three warp patrols: the friendly/enemy space combat versions and the new player-space patrol.  It also installs single-player campaign files so folks can test them out.

http://www3.telus.net/NuclearWessels/sfc/downloads/EDWarpPatrols.exe

Like I said, it's very beta, so holler if you see any weirdness (incorrect mission results, hideous starting placement, incorrect allies, etc).  I think the crashes have all been dealt with, but ya never know.

The random scenario selection seems to be working ok for me, but I've only tried it on a couple of races with a handful of ships, so let me know if you seem to be drawing the same missions over and over and over and over....

Any feedback on mission times/difficulty would be appreciated too - most of the missions are geared to be EASY for a cruiser, but maybe not so for a little frigate alone on patrol.  That said, even a cruiser captain can be sweating buckets as you get closer and closer to a big sunglider trying to find out if the damn thing is friendly.

Some of the niceties aren't in place yet -- the nature and amount of supplies you find on a wreck aren't too imaginative yet, the mission dialogue needs a lot of work, calling for help is currently done automatically if you're outgunned, later I hope to switch that to a dialog box for the player (complete with a loss in prestige for being unable to cut it on your own), etc etc

But, at least the core of each scenario is in there, and a couple of different ways the enemy vessel might decide to handle each different scenario.

Do make sure you use your scanners and pay attention to your crew dialogue -- often that's the only place to get critical information on mission goals and enemy activity.

hope you enjoy it!
dave

[Klingon Fanatic]

 

Thank you NW!

Minor issues:

On some of the double patrol selection screen I got over six missions that lasted only 4 seconds before stating mission complete and awarding me 300 prestige that was not actually added to my prestige. No biggie there. Lots of space has nothing worth noting in it.

One one patrol I entered a Nebula hex, started the mission and it ended after less than ten seconds as mission incomplete.

Warp disengagement is something I need to read something about best practices on. I was able to do all stops and HETs and did this weird jerking stop/start warp effect. I was hoping I could get back into the fray.  To be honest, I'd like it to be something closer to SFC tactical warp. However, I am willing to learn new tactics based on your new implemented warp.

After playing over an hour I'm only at 775 prestige and had two FFFs shot out from under me, ouch!

I absolutely loved the missions. I especially liked the rescue mission and I also loved the fact you could have allies (Klingon no less, LOL) in missions and that the bad guys weren't always to your immediate front but hundreds of klicks to your flanks too.

Well done NW! I can't wait to play this some more.

KF

P. S. While playing a skirmish yesterday  I neared a model of a planet cluster 1 large moon and 3 smalller moons I substituted for a stock planet [Solar 3 IIRC] and collided into something invisible between two of the moons. Maybe this can be looked into for a Tholian Web anchor; say launch two stationary astroids as a non-moving PFT with a web between them? True its not SFB or KA T-web but it would be interesting to try it.

[NuclearWessels]

Thanks KF

The warp disengagement is intended to only allow you to exit the mission, so if you try to force yourself back down to combat speeds it'll keep jerking you back up.  I've got a seperate combat version that I'll get back to work on shortly, that one supports the tactical warp concepts.

Hmm - there aren't supposed to be any that simply end ... gotta be a glitch in either the ships I'm generating (one isn't getting created) or a glitch in the mission-completed test for one of the scenarios.

Do you remember which shiplist and ship you were flying at the time?

thanks for the feedback!
dave

[Lieutenant_Q]

Perhaps you could use another function for going to Warp...maybe that 'switch schematic' function, since it's usually in the best interests to start a mission like this at condition green.  I had an encounter with a planet, I didn't feel like going to Red Alert, but I certainly didn't want to risk staying at condition green.  As soon as I hit Yellow Alert the entire mission went buggy, I couldn't target anything and it wouldn't let me get a scan of the planet, like I was supposed to.

[NuclearWessels]

Righto Q,  I'll set things up so you can start the mission at green. Eventually I'll switch it over to a dialog box choice for going to warp.

For the sake of debugging, I've reposted the pack with different mission names for the two script types  (Combat Patrol vs Patrol Duty)

EDIT: I've updated the scenario list in the post at the start of this thread

dave

[Lieutenant_Q]

Got another one for you.  In a missiion where I was protecting a Starbase from three attackers, 2 Commandor ships and a cruiser.  After the first ship was destroyed it spontaneously set me to yellow alert and forced me to withdraw.  Got a mission failed after that one.

[NuclearWessels]

Thanks - that'll be from the combat patrol script, will look into it

dave

[Klingon Fanatic]

Thanks KF

The warp disengagement is intended to only allow you to exit the mission, so if you try to force yourself back down to combat speeds it'll keep jerking you back up.  I've got a seperate combat version that I'll get back to work on shortly, that one supports the tactical warp concepts.

Hmm - there aren't supposed to be any that simply end ... gotta be a glitch in either the ships I'm generating (one isn't getting created) or a glitch in the mission-completed test for one of the scenarios.

Do you remember which shiplist and ship you were flying at the time?

thanks for the feedback!
dave

I've been using a modified SFC OP+ 4.0 shiplist.

I've replaced a good chunk of the models but NOT any specs. I have cut and pasted some Tholian, Andromedan and Terran Empire ships to it from GAW.

However, I seriously doubt this is any factor in having missions that last less than ten seconds....

I'll try this again later and report any CTDs or weird anomalies.

KF

[Riskyllama]

if you have a bad model for a ship being created, it definately could be doing it

[NuclearWessels]

I've been using a modified SFC OP+ 4.0 shiplist.

I've replaced a good chunk of the models but NOT any specs. I have cut and pasted some Tholian, Andromedan and Terran Empire ships to it from GAW.

However, I seriously doubt this is any factor in having missions that last less than ten seconds....

I'll try this again later and report any CTDs or weird anomalies.

KF

Hmmm ... the 10-second missions come from a test that takes place at the start of the mission to see if the script has managed to find appropriate ships for each team.  If the script doesn't find a ship in the right size range it's possible it isn't creating anything, then the test just says "hey, no one to fight, let's quit".

I'm just in the process of adding some debugging code to the script so that if/when this happens you'll get an in-mission message and some data in your Battlelog.txt file describing what went wrong.  I'd like to get this nearly bulletproof in terms of the weirdnesses admins can inflict on the shiplist, so feedback from modded lists is great!

thanks!
dave

[FPF-SCM_TraceyG_XC]

Mine used to do that too 

[NuclearWessels]

OK, I've updated the pack to add some more scenarios and address the points brought up by Q and KF

on we go

EDIT: BTW, if you ever want a look at the scenario distribution you've been getting, open Battlelog.txt in your op directory, and for each "Patrol Duty" mission run you'll see an entry like

Code: [Select]

Log call: Mission type: dealing with wanted criminal 10
The number on the end of the line is the scenario id.  There are currently 23 scenarios, numbered 0-22.

Any missions without a description like that are the standard combat patrols.

dave

[Klingon Fanatic]

 
 
What a blast this has been! On the Klingon-Mirak-Fed border, I got ambushed by a Klingon battlegroup inside a nebula and lost my fellow Fed allies and I got my arse handed to me. LOL.

2+ hours and only got the ten second missions twice. Not a huge problem in my book at all. So far the F-GSX has been my favorite ship with these missions.

I use a Chandley variant by Destiny Calling with an Oberth Sensor pod attached.

Now its off to try the updated version.

KF

[Dfly]

I have been trying to play these new missions but so far I cannot get them to show up anywhere in a game.  Either I am doing something wrong, or putting things in the wrong place, or just not seeing what it is I am supposed to be able to see within the game so that I may try these missions.  I have looked in multiplayer and singleplayer to find any script of anywhere near the names you have posted.  So far, not seen them, and any I try to play, suchas your Warp one from before, they work, but are not this new stuff you mention.
HELP.

[Lieutenant_Q]

Don't know if you've already tried to take care of this or not, but, I was once again at Green Alert, flying to check out a civilian frieghter which wasn't responding to hails.  I clicked the fleet control panel while still at green alert, and I went to warp.

Its just too painful early in these mission to go to Red Alert, especially in a Frigate.