Topic: SFC2:OP + XPSP3 + OP Enhancement - Firesoul4.0 + Hardcore = Crash?

[feld]

OK,

Coming back to SFC:OP (indeed, this game, Star Fleet Battles, and Federation and Empire) after a really long hiatus.  Had many hours of fun with Firesoul's mod but never found the Hardcore mod.

Well - when I re-installed it last weekend I found XC's excellent enhancements package with the hardcore mod and I was pretty excited.  I did a clean install on SFC2:OP (this machine has never had OP on it before) and the enhancement package (including mod chooser) and picked the OP+hardcore option.

I've got three different options under mod chooser...but the single player campaigns only work under Taldren's original config and the "vanilla" Firesoul 4.0+.  When I select the "hardcore" option from mod chooser, SFC2:OP runs fine...right up until the part where I start a new single campaign ... then it crashes to desktop.

Things I've done:
-tried running under Win 2000 Compatibility
-fixed my desktop icon to point to StarfleetOP.exe vice SFCOP.exe

Any help would be appreciated.  Is, perhaps, hardcore a dynaverse only thing?

Thanks and v/r
feld

[Pestalence_XC]

The Hardcore Shiplist is the OP + v4.0 except it is stripped down for GSA game play for better and faster load time.

If you are going to run Single Player Campaign, run the OP + v4.0 shiplist, not Hardcore.

The name is kind of misleading, but in the Dos Installer I did mention it was for TCP/IP or GSA game play.. sorry for the confusion.

If you want to beef up the game for difficulty, then I can give you some tips on the GF files for some tweaks to where the game will hammer you..

But I just wanted you to know what the Hardcore actually was.

[feld]

Ack.  My bad.  I didn't realize that it wasn't for single player.  Please disregard my OP.
Thanks!!!

v/r
feld

[feld]

If you want to beef up the game for difficulty, then I can give you some tips on the GF files for some tweaks to where the game will hammer you..

Didn't notice this offer until a second read-through.  Short answer:  YES PLEASE!  TIPS ARE GREAT!

Long Answer:
Harder single player is definitely part of what I'm trying to do...but what I'm really after is a bit more variety/complexity/fidelity out of the single player campaign.  I'm just getting back into SFB/SFC/FedComm/F&E and I'm looking to make the campaign run a little more ...like I'm actually fighting a war against an enemy that doesn't have an infinite number of dreadnoughts.  More "Federation and Empire"-like, if you will.  What I'm thinking of (in my noob-ish ignorance) is:
-My first thought was (obviously) to use Firesoul's OP 4.0+ as the basic shiplist.  Done - check.
-Find or modify the shiplist to be consistent with the SF Universe General War timeline if it wasn't.  Still not sure if I need to do that (but it was why I was interested in Hardcore-I thought that's what Hardcore was for)
-Find/make a new map using the F&E map as a base.  My guess is that someone's probably done this already or there's a reason (like size limits in the map editor or somesuch) that it just cannot be done.  If I need to do it myself - well, I've got the map editor and the "medium" map as a start...
-Get as many interesting missions together as possible...that play nice with Firesoul's shiplist.  I've got the ones in your "Enhancements" Package and think they'll do for a start.
-Write the appropriate .mct, .gf, and other files.  Learning about this on NW's page.
-Ultimately start scripting.  The script set I'm playing right now just doesn't do the campaign engine justice...as my quick read through of NW's site has taught me.  Sadly, I've got a lot of other irons in the fire before I get to this one...

Any tips you have would be great!

v/r
feld

[feld]

Of course - I was just reading Nuclear Wessel's advice on editing campaigns and came across this little gem in the list of what campaign designers can do.
"Adjust the amount hex DVs change by when missions are won/lost (this is a global setting, it cannot be set differently for different types of hex or different types of mission)"

That's going to require rethinking my strategy.  I was hoping to make the amount by which a successful mission decreased defense value be variable based on level of player success.  This is going to be ... interesting.

v/r
feld