Topic: SFC 2 - Adding Weapons and Modifying Engine Power

[Dialga]

Hi. First off, I'd like to give many thanks to GreenValv, since I believe it was his article somewhere (not sure if it was on this forum or not) that described how to add/modify the ships in SFC 2, with fixing the Geometry column and such.

I was wondering if there was any way to add new weapons into SFC 2 and set the weapon damage, and how to change the Total Engine Power of a ship to accomodate those new weapons. Because I wanted to add different types of Fed torps other than Photon, and adjust their damage accordingly. Does anyone know how to do this?

[Czar Mohab]

I was wondering if there was any way to add new weapons into SFC 2 and set the weapon damage, and how to change the Total Engine Power of a ship to accomodate those new weapons. Because I wanted to add different types of Fed torps other than Photon, and adjust their damage accordingly. Does anyone know how to do this?

Short answer: NOPE

Long winded, nice answer: KINDA. Engine power can be tweaked through the shiplist; you tell shiplist your F-BB has 45 warp instead of 30 for a certain engine and the game goes with that. So, that part is a simple enough edit.

As for actually modding the weapons' damage tables and whatnot, that "technically" cannot be done as yet; however, and in hopes of not stepping on anyone's toes, work on SFC4 is being based from SFC2. Thus, some of the modifications you described may already be on the drawing board for SFC4... I really don't have a good idea how far along the Dev team is on SFC4 AND I don't think I should speak for them; BUT if it is possible to make, say, a micro-photon for SFC4, then I am sure you will either see it or, barring that, hear of it.

Just to clarify, weapons' charts are hardcoded into the game's core. The core file was locked up and the key wasn't ever publically released. The dev's for SFC4, IIRC, have parts, if not all, of that key, and are thus making 4 from 2... and they have a lot of those brainy types workin' on it, too.

Czar "Does that make sense?" Mohab

P.S. I'd been looking for what you're seeking since SFC1 hit the shelves, so don't feel too bad in not finding it.

P.P.S. Welcome aboard [/color]

[Dialga]

So close...

If only SFC3 worked on my XP SP3, or my 9200 Radeon was compatible with Legacy...

Well, I guess the only thing I can do for my Star Trek stories is change the photon gfx color to light blue to represent quantum torps, and use the SFC2 TNG ship mods I downloaded.

Thanks for the help anyway. I'll look forward to SFC4 if/when it gets released. Hopefully it'll work off my 9200. Don't really want to spend more money on my comp.

[yochenhsieh]

So close...

If only SFC3 worked on my XP SP3, or my 9200 Radeon was compatible with Legacy...

What's the problem with your SFC3? I have XP SP3 and it works just fine.

[Centurus]

Same here.  SFC3 was designed to work on XP if memory serves.  Hell, all SFC games work on XP.  SFC1 may need the 1.03 patch in order to work properly on XP, but it'll work.

[Dialga]

Well, when I had SFC3 installed on XP's SP2, it would run, but then after I configured my ships, the game would crash as soon as the "Loading..." screen appeared. I haven't re-installed it on SP3 yet, so I don't know if it'll work or not, but if it works with 534b on your system You-Cheng, then I'll give it a shot.

[knightstorm]

You have to go to compatibility and disable visual themes.

[Centurus]

Also make sure to NOT install the DX9 patch if you're gonna use the beta patches.  If you use the beta patches along with the DX9 patch, your system will crash every time.

[Dialga]

So because I already have the DX9 patch on my XP SP3, I shouldn't install 534b? But it'll still work without the 534b?

[Centurus]

If you have a previous installation that you really don't need or want, uninstall SFC3 and delete any remaining files and program folders.  Then, do a fresh install of the game.  Once you have a fresh install, install the 534B patch ONLY.

Do not install the DX9 patch for SFC3..  The DX9 fix is already included in the 531 and 534B patches.

Always make sure you install the most up to date drivers for your graphics card, and also download and install the most current Direct X version from Microsoft.  Pestalence can point you to the proper direction to download the Direct X update.

Most of the mods available for SFC3 follow this basic install procedure, but if installing a mod, make sure to read the directions either way.  There have been mods that didn't require either of the SFC3 beta patches to be installed since the mods already had them.

Also, if you're gonna play online with SFC3, make sure to install the SFC3 Directory Patch located here:

http://starfleetcommand3.filefront.com/file/SFC3_Access_Server_Patch;85299

[Panzergranate]

In Space Empires 5, not only can you modify weapons, you can invent and create new weapons systems, power sources, etc. by tinkering with the game's weapons list tables.

For those not familiar with the Space Empire series it is a cross between SFB and F&E in that one attempts to explore space, secure and exploit resources, establish colonies and wage war, either to secure borders or to annex planets and star systems.

Ships are designed like SSD boxes, in a UI format. As with SFB, spce inside whatever hull you use is ata premium, so some systems have to be deleted to add in something else. As with SFB and SFC, the internals cost revenue points, which your colonies generate.

Ships have a BPV value, according to your design, and this costs you when churn one out of a shipyard.

The ship's sublight movement cost is according to hull size, as in SFB and SFC, though the number of Ion Plasma Drive boxes wedged into a hull determines the ship's speed, unlike SFB and SFC, where the amount of mass reducing subspace field produced Warp boxes remaining on a ship, determine the speed.... in SFB and SFC speed 30 = lightspeed = 300,000,000 Kliometres per second.

Travel between star systems is by warp jump gates and interplanetary travel is by Ion plasma drive.

Basically Space Empires 5 is heavily influenced by SFB and F&E and draw heavily from it in inspiration.

There are fighters.

If SFC 2 was crossed with Space Empires 5, I think we'd end up with what folks would like SFC 4 should be like. The campaign and colonising aspect, along with the logistics, designing various vessels, fighters, stations and shipyards in game, would be great.

The battles are more on the lines of Home World crossed with SFC 2.

All ship and weapons models are .X file types.

My son, Robert, has been gradually adding in SFB style weaponry, plus a few of his own ideas.

He's also created a few new power sources, such as a very low power radioisotope generator and a fission reactor, for a lower tech level development.

The stock weapons list covers more than SFC (and has many SFB Omega Quadrant race weapons in) with Phaser and Disrupter Outputs rated from 1 to 5. The same goes for Particle Beam Cannons, Photons and a whole bags of Sci-Fi weapons.

Perhaps a close examination of how Space Empires 5 does its weapons so that players can create their own boxes for use in ship design would be the way to go.

[Dialga]

Well, I did a fresh install of Starfleet Command 3, downloaded the 534b and disabled visual themes, but when I run the program, I get an error message saying I don't have DirectX 8.1 or higher installed on my computer. And the program crashes.

On a bright note, I took the models folder of SFC3, copied it to my SFC2 folder and renamed the Geometry column in the shiplist. I tested it and it works perfectly, so I now have SFC3 ship graphics in my SFC2 program.

Also, is there a way to change the phaser graphics in SFC2? I can't seem to find the file in the textures folder.

[Roychipoqua_Mace]

The phaser graphics data is in the fx1.bmp file. It's the fuzzy white beam above the pause graphic.

It doesn't edit very well - you can change the texture and shape of the phaser effect, but not the colors (or if you can, it is limited). And since the phaser graphic is scrunched down and stretched out to create the full beam in the game, any texture changes are not very noticeable.

It would be awesome if there were customized phaser effects for each race like in Klingon Academy, but that is a lot to wish for. 

[Dialga]

The phaser graphics data is in the fx1.bmp file. It's the fuzzy white beam above the pause graphic.

It doesn't edit very well - you can change the texture and shape of the phaser effect, but not the colors (or if you can, it is limited). And since the phaser graphic is scrunched down and stretched out to create the full beam in the game, any texture changes are not very noticeable.

It would be awesome if there were customized phaser effects for each race like in Klingon Academy, but that is a lot to wish for. 

There's got to be some way to change the color, isn't there? I mean, the beam above the pause graphics is pure white, so the game must be changing it to an orange color in some file, since we're seeing it come out as orange when we fire it. Basically, all I want to do is enlarge the thickness of the phaser graphics, because as you know, the phaser beams in SFC2 are pretty thin in comparison to the beams in SFC3.

[Roychipoqua_Mace]

The phaser graphics data is in the fx1.bmp file. It's the fuzzy white beam above the pause graphic.

It doesn't edit very well - you can change the texture and shape of the phaser effect, but not the colors (or if you can, it is limited). And since the phaser graphic is scrunched down and stretched out to create the full beam in the game, any texture changes are not very noticeable.

It would be awesome if there were customized phaser effects for each race like in Klingon Academy, but that is a lot to wish for. 

There's got to be some way to change the color, isn't there? I mean, the beam above the pause graphics is pure white, so the game must be changing it to an orange color in some file, since we're seeing it come out as orange when we fire it. Basically, all I want to do is enlarge the thickness of the phaser graphics, because as you know, the phaser beams in SFC2 are pretty thin in comparison to the beams in SFC3.

I tried messing with the texture file by first making the phaser effect a square instead of a line and it was a little thicker, but unfortunately not very noticeable. Since the phaser code in the game must select the certain phaser portion of the fx1 file, making it any thicker wouldn't make a difference.

For colors: Tried once with the phaser graphics file orange instead of white, and it made the in-game phasers a little darker and more red (the ph-1 was more red orange now and the ph-G was deeper purple). Also tried setting the graphics to blue, which turned the ph-1 a very dim green, and the ph-3 almost invisible. The phaser colors do change by editing the file, but the problem seems to be that once you get the phaser color different enough, it becomes much too dark; if you add a light color over the phaser file's white beam, there is no noticeable change.

I think you're right about the core game files changing the phaser graphics into what we see when we play, but as I understand it, editing that part of the game (if it is even possible) is much harder.

[Czar Mohab]

Well, I guess the only thing I can do for my Star Trek stories is change the photon gfx color to light blue to represent quantum torps, and use the SFC2 TNG ship mods I downloaded.

The phaser graphics data is in the fx1.bmp file. It's the fuzzy white beam above the pause graphic.

It doesn't edit very well - you can change the texture and shape of the phaser effect, but not the colors (or if you can, it is limited). And since the phaser graphic is scrunched down and stretched out to create the full beam in the game, any texture changes are not very noticeable.

It would be awesome if there were customized phaser effects for each race like in Klingon Academy, but that is a lot to wish for.

There's got to be some way to change the color, isn't there? I mean, the beam above the pause graphics is pure white, so the game must be changing it to an orange color in some file, since we're seeing it come out as orange when we fire it. Basically, all I want to do is enlarge the thickness of the phaser graphics, because as you know, the phaser beams in SFC2 are pretty thin in comparison to the beams in SFC3.

There is a mod for this...

intro/trailer movie. Note the Q-Torps (blue colored drones - I haven't played with this mod but I am about 85% sure that is what they are) and different phaser colors. I'm not really interested in the mod itself (if I want TNG ships and races I'll play SFC3 ), but the team that put it together did a good job and should cover what you seem to be looking for.

I don't recall the name a mod of or where I got the thing, but there is a mod that changes the phaser colors to TOS style, TMP style, or just normal SFC style. Possibly a TOS/TMP conversion mod. I do remember that sounds were also available, with different taunts.

Czar "There's probably a mod for everything, except weapons damage..." Mohab[/color]

[Centurus]

Well, I did a fresh install of Starfleet Command 3, downloaded the 534b and disabled visual themes, but when I run the program, I get an error message saying I don't have DirectX 8.1 or higher installed on my computer. And the program crashes.

On a bright note, I took the models folder of SFC3, copied it to my SFC2 folder and renamed the Geometry column in the shiplist. I tested it and it works perfectly, so I now have SFC3 ship graphics in my SFC2 program.

Also, is there a way to change the phaser graphics in SFC2? I can't seem to find the file in the textures folder.

I forgot to mention that when installing the game, it's gonna ask if you want to install DirectX 8.1.  You should say No to that.  However, go to Microsoft.com and download the DX9 update and install it and then update your graphics drivers.  That should do the trick.

[Panzergranate]

Mentioning the only good thing in Legacy, the weapons effects, the Phasers in Legacy mimiced the special effects in TOS even down to the electric blue TOS beam colour and cycle discharge pulses in the beam.

 Klingon Disrupters were also true to TOS on the X-BOX 360 version.

Now if the direct fire beam weapons could be modded like that, and have the shard splash effect as seen in TOS it would be great.