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

[Roychipoqua_Mace]

After Corbomite bringing this thread up again (I missed it before), I tried the missions. Cool stuff! It gives the whole game a feeling more like the TOS show, with all the vastness of space. Also makes the campaign and patrol missions a whole lot more fun. The tactical warp is very well integrated, and I like how you allowed us to warp into planets if we wanted to. 

Regarding the tactical warp, I didn't know it was even possible to add things like this into a game. VERY nice.
One thought- would it be possible to make the warp so that it warped to your designated target? Maybe limited to planets, asteroids, and starbases. I remember the "Klingon Academy" warp being like this. <drool>    <drool>

[Corbomite]

Couple more:

Home Patrols with Planets and Bases: The AI seems to ignore me and go for the Base/Planet. It fires PD at fighters and incoming seeking weapons, but thats about it. Seems reminiscent of the AI behavior in the Derelict Mission...

Clarification: It only happens when I get the "We have a hostile vessel coming in fast!" message to denote a combat type patrol. All other scenarios work in planet and base hexes as expected so far.

I got another whopping payout for nothing. It was the scenario where you scan the vessel and get a message saying that he is a suspected black marketeer, but there is nothing you can do about it except report him to command. No shots fired. 884 PP! 

Bug: Home Patrol, known smuggler, he's trying to evade us yadda yadda... Get to range 3 and the mission closes with a win. I've played that one a bunch and it was the first time it did that. May have been an anomaly.



EDIT: Just got another 1682 PP for the Black Marketeer mission. I don't know whether I love it or hate it! 

[Corbomite]

In a couple of Home Patrols (Player Patrols) the target was generated close enough to me that the Target Disable was for all intents and purposes useless because I could see the ID tag and find the ship quite easily, although I couldn't target it until the detection message. One was in open space and the other in an asteroid field.

In the asteroid field one I was placed about 7 away from a freighter and I got a message that two captains were squabbling over something, except there was only one other ship, the freighter, with me in the mission. I boarded it as told and the mission completed with a 245 PP gain and a -25 PP "Bonus".

[Corbomite]

I'm getting a crash to desktop in a Base Assault mission in a hex with a base and a planet. I've noticed that the Mission Briefing map is totally black, not the normal grey mesh that every other mission has there. After I click READY, I see a quick LOADING message then right to the desktop.

[Corbomite]

Base Assault in base hex: Appeared 9 away from a Romulan SB!!! Needless to say I didn't look very good after one turn! I appreciate the time savings on travel, but I think that was a little closer to my destination than I would have liked. 


Was also placed 16 from a Black Hole in one mission (sorry forget which), not really that bad, but a little alarming!

[Corbomite]

I noticed the AI trying to board my fighters. My fighter jocks were very happy about the open shield offered them for their Alpha Strike, the AI wasn't so happy after that. Not sure if it is even a real issue since AI stripping in PvP is in effect. It does speed up the mission a whole lot though!


I might have found something more serious:

I noticed that you can bypass the Target Disable by hitting the Closest Enemy Target hotkey before your shields go up after going to Red Alert. The disabling feature only goes into effect after shields are raised (I assume because of the nature of "events" in the script), before that you can get the target's direction like you would normally; no lock and no visual contact, but the direction is quite clear. This pretty much takes away the need for LRS or waiting to get the contact message. Not sure what could be done about it since the power up sequence is not within the scripts domain (is it?). Unless the event can be timed with the creation of the ship at mission start, Target Disabling is easily avoided.


EDIT - Tested it further by not going to Red Alert at all. It has nothing to so with your ship or it's status. There is a time delay from mission start to Target Disable. If possible this needs to be eliminated.

[FPF-DieHard]

Is ED still working on these?   I remember some deal-breaking MP bugs that stopped us from using them on a server.

I LOVED these in single player and Co-op.

[NuclearWessels]

Is ED still working on these?   I remember some deal-breaking MP bugs that stopped us from using them on a server.

I LOVED these in single player and Co-op.

Heh, "working" might be too strong a word, but I haven't abandoned hope yet

as I recall, there were problems with the arming/firing cycles (being able to dodge at high warp while readying drones/phasers, being able to arm repaired systems while at high warp ... I'm sure there were a couple of others)

dave

[Corbomite]

Is ED still working on these?   I remember some deal-breaking MP bugs that stopped us from using them on a server.

I LOVED these in single player and Co-op.

Dave and I have been talking via PM about these. I was just posting here because it it a convenient place where he can see everything at once. I am learning how to make terrain maps. If everything goes well there will be some new maps to add to the randomization of these missions. I'm hoping we can slice the hexes into quadrants or even sextants (figuratively) to simulate traveling around the hex while you "clean it out" for occupation by your forces.

[Klingon Fanatic]

   Any news on mission updates?

[NuclearWessels]

None so far, but there's a big round of layoffs coming at work ... you never know if I might find myself with a lot of free time all of a sudden.  (A bright side to every situation I suppose  )

dave

[Klingon Fanatic]

None so far, but there's a big round of layoffs coming at work ... you never know if I might find myself with a lot of free time all of a sudden.  (A bright side to every situation I suppose  )

dave

I hope the layoffs will not impact you Nuclear Wessels. Thank you for the update.

Qapla'

KF

[Bonk]

Is this discussion about the EDWarpPatrols Pack?

If so, how does the "warp" work? I don't see it in the description linked above, though I may have just missed it. I admit I have not read it all through yet, but these look like a great addition to low population servers to provide interest when PvP is not available.

I have put these missions on The Forge to get some more testing in on them. I'll yank them if they turn out to have too many problems, or gladly replace them with new builds for additional testing...     

[NuclearWessels]

Is this discussion about the EDWarpPatrols Pack?

If so, how does the "warp" work? I don't see it in the description linked above, though I may have just missed it. I admit I have not read it all through yet, but these look like a great addition to low population servers to provide interest when PvP is not available.

I have put these missions on The Forge to get some more testing in on them. I'll yank them if they turn out to have too many problems, or gladly replace them with new builds for additional testing...     

The warp part is simply accelerating the ship to very high speeds.  I can't remember which method I used - setThrust or setSpeedImmediate, but one of them doesn't bother checking against the 32-speed limit.  There's a displacement scenario that works basically the same way, the ship suddenly jumps forward REALLY fast for a really short time interval, and looks like it has been displaced. 

Player's targetting systems, weapons, and shields are disabled while at warp speeds (and limited for a short period before jumping to warp) but the player is still vulnerable to weapons fire.

There is one pair of missions that are simple combat scripts, and the other pair invoke any of about thirtyish different scenarios with variable maps.

There are definitely still bugs - largely in the limiting of combat capabilities at warp speed.  (E.g. if you repair weapons while at warp then you can charge them without dropping out of warp, but there are a bunch of others.)

dave

[Bonk]

Thanks for the info, but I guess I didn't phrase the question well...

How does the player activate warp? Or is it only scripted to occur on certain events?

Hopefully we'll turn up some useful info for you for when you get a chance to work on them again.  Now I need to get playing so I can actually try them out!

[FPF-DieHard]

BTW, these missions were a lot of Fricking fun single-player and co-op.

If only we could find some more player . . .

[Bonk]

If only we could find some more player . . .

I am hopeful they'll come trickling back as we make more improvements to the Dynaverse experience. Which we will. I'm confident that there's a diehard core playerbase that will all be here till they're old and grey regardless though.

[Lieutenant_Q]

I seem to remember that to engage Warp, you needed to go to Yellow or Green Alert.

I know I did a lot of testing with these missions.  I think they would be great on a server, if the MP bugs can be fixed.

[FPF-DieHard]

If only we could find some more player . . .

I am hopeful they'll come trickling back as we make more improvements to the Dynaverse experience. Which we will. I'm confident that there's a diehard core playerbase that will all be here till they're old and grey regardless though.

That and I know for a fact people download it off Bit Torrent 

[KBFLordKrueg]

If only we could find some more player . . .

I am hopeful they'll come trickling back as we make more improvements to the Dynaverse experience. Which we will. I'm confident that there's a diehard core playerbase that will all be here till they're old and grey regardless though.

And some of us already are old and gray...