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Home » news » forums » Support & Feedback » Scenarios & Mods » SE:V MODs

Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Sat, 2007-08-11 03:08. SE:V MODs

Ok...I've wanted to play around with the random events in SEV for some time now and I've finally begun taking some baby steps towards creating a small mod that does so.
My goals for the mod include:

1) Increasing the random event frequency.
2) Increasing the amount of random events experienced
by larger empires (as compared to smaller ones).
3) Adding new custom events.

I haven't done anything with #3 yet because I want to be sure that I have at least the fundamentals of #1 and #2 right first. I don't have any fancy mod files yet either - this is version 0.0 here. I would, however, appreciate, some testing/comments/advice. I have posted my altered script for random events (text and csf) on the shrapnel forums (haven't figured out how to post an attachment here). If you would like to try it out you can create your own mod folder/files or just do what I have been doing so far - paste it over the original in your favorite mod (i've been using balance mod 1.09). Don't forget to make a back-up of course.

I'll release a more user-friendly version...with it's own mod information and all...once I've had a chance to test/tweak/and add a little more. Right now there shouldn't be a large difference in most circumstances...but I'm hoping to add much more in the future.

Any input would be welcome.

‹ new neutral speech file Rescripting the AI for a modification to the Balance Mod... ›
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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Mylon on Sun, 2007-08-12 22:31.

Yay for random events! To be honest, this kinda of simplifies one aspect I wanted to add into my big, overall mod.

Ideas for random (And not so random) events:
*Ship equipment malfunction. Something on the ship breaks. This should be a very common event for any ship outside of supply range. As in, happens once per 10,000kt per turn. Then again, this would mean nothing if it repairing wasn't made a bit more difficult/costly.
*Fleet mutiny. More common for inexperienced fleet/ships, and only occurs when a ship is outside of supply range.
*Riots - Something that could happen frequently during wartime on the aggressor's planets. Depends on the culture.

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Tue, 2007-08-14 01:34.

Cool ideas!

I'll be adding as many new events as possible...the more the merrier. It will take me some time, however, as I am kind of a slow worker and have a lot of other responsibilities.

I hadn't thought of the component malfunction thing before...nice idea. One question though - what do you mean by supply range? Do you mean out of supplies? Or do you mean too far away to be able to "return to nearest" without running out? Or just in a system with no resupply depot?

Also: I'm not sure how well it is going to work but I hope to add riot type events for planets with unhappy populations - it would be nice to see the effects of an unhappy population, other than reduced production. At the least, I would like to significantly increase the chance that an unhappy planet will riot or rebel - even if I don't custom design any special events. One more way to keep populations (and their happiness) important...and add realism. Maybe even add in the opposite - particularly happy planets will be less likely to rebel. Of course, this all may have to go along with some tweaks in the happiness system overall - I don't have a LOT of experience with SEV so far...but it seems a little too easy to keep the peeps happy.

Ok...back to work before I run out of juice...

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Nevyn on Tue, 2007-08-14 04:17.

Happyness seems too much like micromanagment if riots become common. I'd much rather see things like, Rogue asteroids, Found Tech, Stellar Storms appear/disappear, space based effects, rather than 'have you stationed 50 troops on every planet to make them happy'

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Tue, 2007-08-14 12:50.

Quote:
Happyness seems too much like micromanagment if riots become common. I'd much rather see things like, Rogue asteroids, Found Tech, Stellar Storms appear/disappear, space based effects, rather than 'have you stationed 50 troops on every planet to make them happy'

That sounds reasonable. I don't really plan on making any changes to the happiness system - at least not as part of this mod. It's going to take forever as it is. I still like the idea of consequences for unhappy populations but I'm not going to make it any harder to keep them that way. I plan on adding some new events soon...hopefully they will work. I have my doubts about the stellar manipulation events...

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Wed, 2007-08-15 19:10.

I have a new set of files available on the shrapnel forums. This is the first version that I could actually claim to be a mod - it has all the requisite files to work as a stand-alone mod (though it should work fine with other mods as well). I have only added one new event (a fairly boring one just to test the process) but have a lot more planned. Let me know if there are any specific events that you'd like to see and I'll add what I can. Please feel free to download and try it out. Just remember: It will require a new game to run properly (SEV only loads the new files on game creation).
If you have any questions or comments let me know.

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Isopsyco's picture
Mod Designer

Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Isopsyco on Sat, 2007-08-25 21:02.

Lord Shleepy wrote:
I have a new set of files available on the shrapnel forums. This is the first version that I could actually claim to be a mod - it has all the requisite files to work as a stand-alone mod (though it should work fine with other mods as well). I have only added one new event (a fairly boring one just to test the process) but have a lot more planned. Let me know if there are any specific events that you'd like to see and I'll add what I can. Please feel free to download and try it out. Just remember: It will require a new game to run properly (SEV only loads the new files on game creation). If you have any questions or comments let me know.

Did you ever try the SYS_CLOSE_WARP_POINT function in the external event script? I tried several times to see if worked or if truely is non-functional as the mod 101 manual says...

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Sun, 2007-08-26 10:53.

I haven't tried many of the stellar events yet. I know for a fact that the timed ones (like planet/star explosions) don't work - the timer counts down but nothing happens. I have been trying to test timed events in general to see if I can make a different event work with the timer (is it just a problem with the star exploding event or is it the timer?). So far it hasn't worked but I still have things to try. I am a teacher and this is back-to-school week so my time has been very limited lately. I am still working on things tho...and I have a LOT of improvements/additions to add.

I'll try stellar events after I finish playing with timed events and see if any of the others actually work...I haven't seen any "Fixed" statements in the history logs though...so I doubt it.

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Romulus68's picture
Mod Designer

Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Romulus68 on Fri, 2007-08-31 13:44.

Don't forget that not all events are bad. I like little good ones: Find a derelict ship, uncover ancient ruins, random tech breakthrough, benevolent omni-present being visits, government shifts a little, planetary climate shift, etc.

SE5 Files hosted on Filefront (Patches, Mods, Races, etc)

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Fri, 2007-08-31 14:10.

Romulus68 wrote:
Don't forget that not all events are bad. I like little good ones: Find a derelict ship, uncover ancient ruins, random tech breakthrough, benevolent omni-present being visits, government shifts a little, planetary climate shift, etc.

SE5 Files hosted on Filefront (Patches, Mods, Races, etc)

I absolutely agree - that's part of my rationale for increasing the event frequency. I'm in the process of adding a LOT of new events. Most are just new text for the same ol' event (aka ancient ruins, derilict ship, unexpected research boots, etc all different words for the same thing) but there are a few unique ones as well. Progress is slow...because I am busy with real life...but I hope to have a major update (maybe even worthy of a 1.0 rating) in a week or two.

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Thu, 2007-09-13 23:02.

Ok...It's been a week so its due for an update at least.

I've run into some nasty game-killing bugs and am considering rebuilding the mod from scratch. I suppose that I should have tested my work more thoroughly in the first place. (I just checked to see if the game would load and generate events...I didn't continue to play long enough to notice that after one or two successful events it would go totally nutso or crash).

So I'm still working on it...slowly...but it will be a while before I can release anything playable. This sort of thing really takes the fun out of it for me...which slows it down even more...but it IS coming...someyear...

grumble grumble...

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Jorgas on Thu, 2007-09-20 15:43.

I've been checking in on this topic since you started it, what new events do you have finished, is it possible to calculate all players score, and set the random events to ie; largest player = 17% of total score, so it's 17% chance that he'll get it forhim/against him and etc.

And my most precious question, ARE, you able to mod in "Pirate generation" ie; event location "random system with atleast 1 colony" "Create level 1 - 6 star base" or "ceate level 1 - 3 large star base" with space yards ofcourse and a minimum Empire resourse generation of a few thousands so that it could maintain and build pirate ships. Maybe as a minor race? And the "Pirate AI empire" would -steal- 10 random research from every existing race, and configure the ships according to that or whatever. I think you get my idea, =).

Or to make a larger event, that uses "uncolonized planets" Ie; 1-3 random planets randomly stretched out through the galaxy gets the "Pirate Empire" colonized on it, and 10 random research stolen from all existing players, be constantly at war with -Everyone- They're pirates yanno? - With the only interest of gaining better tech, to gain better ships. And lets say that every round there is 0.25-50% chanse that the pirate empire would colonise 1-3 new free planets(to keep them from building colony ships, they should -only- build warships and a few support ships. And ofcourse bases, are very "pirate like" Imagine finding a pirate base on a 1 size asteroid planet in an asteroid system heavily guarded by huge numbers of pirate frigates/destroyers and other light "raider ships" with 5-6 bases backing them up, before you even reach the planet itself. I for one would run like hell =).

And as pirate if they've only got bases, is it possible to create events that would create resourses for them? Like, Pirate Empire attacks and destroys planet. Planets were before the attack creating 10000 minerals a turn, 5000 orgs, and 5000 rads, Pirate Empire would the next turn in an event "gain" those resources free into their storage, and ofcourse pirates would need a race trait, that gave them almost unlimited storage capacity, and that they did not need space ports, and possible a reduction in maintenance, and lose 10% on attack and defense and such on.

I'd die, for have reall kick butt, annoying high tech pirates in the game, that always put their nose into my own business!

Anyways, have a nice day =p.

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Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by Lord Shleepy on Fri, 2007-10-05 17:37.

I apologize for being so incommunicative. I have recently started a new job (#2) and haven't had time for anything - let alone modding. I was planning to wait until the next patch to begin rebuilding my mod anyway - there are going to be some major changes and I don't want to redo everything from scratch again...at least...not right away.

I have added a few pirate events but only as flavor text to existing events (ex blaming loss of resources on pirate raids, etc). Adding real "tangible" pirates would be a lot trickier...and I suspect that many of your ideas may not be possible. (I don't believe that there is a way to create a new race mid-game out of thin air, for example - although it may be possible to simulate it by having a planet rebel and tweaking from there).

I'll certainly keep the idea in mind. The next new feature that I'd like to add...if i can ever get the thing functional...would be plagues that can spread from planet to planet (afterall...if the population is quietly migrating...they're probably spreading the outbreak with them) if allowed to continue for a certain number of turns.

I have already created a LOT of flavor text that can add variety to existing types of events as well as a few positive events. I just need to get them all working properly before I release anything.

I'm determined to get this polished and wonderful...eventually...but like with all things Space Empires...it will probably take time (especially considering my limited idle time).

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ekolis's picture
Mod Designer

Re: Random Events Mod: Baby Steps

Submitted by ekolis on Fri, 2007-10-05 19:02.

That pirate thing piqued my interest, so I started looking in the scripting PDF, and had an idea... Starting on page 18, there is a whole set of script functions devoted to creating vehicle designs. Of course this is necessary for coding the AI ship design minsters... but I wonder if we could convince Aaron to add a Sys_Create_Space_Object function which would take an existing design (or a created one) and an empire (say, one created by a rebelling planet) and a sector and spawn a ship there? I can't find such a function in the document, but I imagine it wouldn't be hard for him to add one... I think I'm gonna ask, just for the heck of it! Laughing out loud

~~~
The power of the ancients is now yours to command. You are truly the Master... of the obvious Sticking out tongue

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