Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing |
Well, the start to Dark Nova 5 has been completed I've got a very small group doing some beta testing now. For those of you who have been awaiting Dark Nova for SEV or those of you who are looking for new mods for SEV, the wait is almost over.
Anyone interested in beta testing this mod, drop me an email or PM and I'll get you in 
For those of you familliar with Dark Nova for SEIV, this version is very similar to what was Dark Nova 2.
I'm using www.spaceempires.net forums for my main discussions if you want to contribute or lurk.
Here's the History file for 5.00 (items with a dash are "yet to be completed")
5.00
Added Scout*
Added Escort
Added Corvette
Adjusted Frigate (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Adjusted Destroyer (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Adjusted Light Cruiser (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Adjusted Cruiser (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Added Battle Cruiser
Adjusted Battleship (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Adjusted Dreadnought (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Adjusted Baseship (added defense modifier, changed size, changed tech requirement)
Added Worldship
Added Ship Construction tech (9)
Added "Scout Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Escort Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Frigate Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Destroyer Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Cruiser Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Battleship Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Dreadnought Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Baseship Construction" Tech (15)
Added "Worldship Construction" Tech (15)
Added Pocket Carrier
Adjusted Light Carrier
Adjusted Carrier
Added "Carrier Hull Construction" main tech tree (6)
Added "Pocket Carrier tech" (10)
Added "Light Carrier Tech" (10)
Added "Carrier Tech" (10)
Added "Strike Carrier Tech" (10)
Added "Fleet Carrier Tech" (10)
Added "Mothership Tech" (10)
Added Light Freighter
Adjusted Small Freighter
Adjusted Medium Freighter
Adjusted Large Freighter
Added Heavy Freighter.
Added "Transport Hull Construction" tech (5).
Added "Light Freighter Construction" tech (10).
Added "Small Freighter Construction" Tech (10).
Added "Medium Freighter Construction" tech (10).
Added "Large Freighter Construction" tech (10).
Added "Heavy Freighter Construction" tech (10).
Added Space Platform.
Adjusted Space Station.
Added Battle Station.
Adjusted Starbase.
Added Worldbase.
Adjusted "Base Construction" tech (5).
Added "Space Platform Construction" tech (10).
Added "Space Station Construction" Tech (10).
Added "Battle Staton Construction" tech (10).
Added "Starbase Construction" tech (10).
Added "Worldbase Construction" tech (10).
Removed "Large Base Construction" tech.
Added "Colony Hull Construction" tech (10).
Added Zero-G Trooper.
Added Orbital Fighter.
Added Intercepter.
Added Deep Space Fighter
Added Heavy Fighter**
Added Battle Squadron.
Adjusted "Fighters" tech (5)
Added "Zero-G Trooper Construction" Tech (10)
Added "Orbital Fighter Construction" tech (10).
Added "Intercepter Construction" tech (10).
Added "Heavy Fighter Construction" tech (10).
Added "Battle Squadron Construction" tech (10).
Adjusted Small Satillite to just Satillite
Removed Medium Satillite
Removed Large Satillite
Adjusted "Satellites" tech (20).
Adjusted Small Weapon Platform to just Weapon Platform.
Removed Medium Weapon Platform.
Removed Large Weapon Platform.
Adjusted "Weapon Platform" tech (20).
Adjusted Small mine to just Mine.
Adjusted "Mines" tech (20).
Adjusted Small Drone to just Drone.
Adjusted "Drones" tech. (20).
Added Infantry Unit Type .
Added Mobile Armor Unit Type.
Added Aircraft Unit Type.
Added Mech Unit Type.
Added Artillery Unit Type.
Added ability to fire into space from planet for Artillery.
Added Deep Space Fighter Unit Type.
Changed Deep Space Fighter to Deep Space Fighter Unit Type.
Added Mobile Armor.
Added Infantry.
Added Artillery.
Added Aircraft.
Added Battlemech.
Adjusted "Troops" Tech (5).
Added "Infantry Construction" tech (10).
Added "Artillery Construction" tech (10).
Added "Mobile Armor Construction" tech (10).
Added "Mech Construction" tech (10).
Removed [10 - - ((Get_Vehicle_Size_Tonnage) / 25)] formula from Mine Cloak ability. (Intent was to have larger mines easier to detect. SEV is unable to process this formula.)
Changed Drone Extra Move ability from based on kt size to based on tech level. (Abilities formula cannot process Get_Vehicle_Size_Tonnage).
Added Troop Unit Type to bypass error generated by racial troop types. (to be removed once racial troop units are done).
-CHON?
-tugboats?
-orbital research?
-add racial ship hulls
-add unique ship hulls
-add enhanced ship hulls
-configure ship sizes accel, speeds, turn, etc
-change Scout from Ship type to special unit type.
-adjust carrier crew requirements based on fighter bay added crew ability.
-add crew requirments to fighter bays?
-add life support requirements to cargo bays?
-change/add life support compnents/enviromental control components.
-reduce combat manuverablity/accel+decel in combat to freighters.
-check for changing Maximu Model Size. Based on kt?
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
sounds great 
check your PMs
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
first look - without ai scrpits - even basic ones its impossible to proper test
i can play full tech game - but it wont check mid/early games ships etc for balancing
tech tree looks interesting but i feel that splitting between so many ship sizes where some are 15 lvl some 10 and some 5 lvl range may cause some troubles balancing ...
OT i like idea of the DevNull mod that instead of making bigger and bigger ships/shipsets -components gets smaller with higher level.
Ill check full game tech more soon
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
Sounds great however im wondering is evilhamburger and bearclaw the same person?
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
ahh very good sounding. im curious on 2 things;
the scout has a * next to it, with no explanation as to what it means?
secondly what are your plans on expanding shipsets to cover the expanded ammount of ships as for SE4 there was the neoshipset standard to work with?
cant wait till a proper release, am very much looking forward to giving it a shot ^_^
in typing up this ive come up with what i believe to be a decent idea, mainly comes from your ship sizes smaller than frigate. why not scrap the whole drones thing itself, and create a component thats essentially a mini master computer, but limit it too just smaller ships?
i quite like the idea and was thinking in using it in a mod of my own, then remembered it'll be a long time before i do anything major like that so i'm just gonna post it as an open idea on spaceempires.net's forum and see what happens from there ^_^
_____________________
Grand Lord Exelsiar of the Azra-Dun Commonwealth, at your service
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
are u making an AI for your mod? and more importantly will it be any good? obviosly maving the balance correct for multiplayer games is more important but i still like to play against AI on occasion...
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
The * next to Scout is for me. It's a reminder to create a custom Unit Type called a Scout. I want to experiment with the idea of having Scouts as full function ships but are small enough that they can be involved in ground combat and can be built without a SY. Not sure if it will work or not, but I figure it's worth trying out.
Interesting idea about removing drones... I'll leave that to hear what the beta testers say about the smaller ship sizes in general.
Currently, there is no AI work done. However, the way I have designed the tech levels, currently at least, there should not be a need. Though the AI won't research more advanced levels of specific ship sizes, they should still research the basic types. If that's not the case then there will be AI work done. I do want this mod to be fully playable as single player or multi player. At some point, there will have to be AI work done, but it's not on my priority list yet.
Nick (bearclaw)
"You don't know the Power of the Dark Side. I must obey my Master"
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
Sent you an email on some bugs i have located. I am really liking the new ship types and sizes.
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
ahh yes i remember the discussion on that scout unit idea, i do indeed hope its possible.
_____________________
Grand Lord Exelsiar of the Azra-Dun Commonwealth, at your service
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
Oh, it's possible. I'm only concerned if the concept is sound.
Nick (bearclaw)
"You don't know the Power of the Dark Side. I must obey my Master"
Re: Dark Nova 5.00 into beta testing
Do you need more beta testers? Sounds like a very excellent mod
I haven't played any of your SE4 version of the mods. But your mod sounds like it already has alot of what i want in a mod with gridded tech trees and unique ship sizes and roles built into the actually tech itself. Plus the addition of a world ship and multiple types of troops lends itself to be a great mod.