BETA READY - V9.01
https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/507
This release can be considered fully playable.
From here on all corrections won't require a new game's start...I hope
Allow up to 10 minutes for a new game to start. If the loading wheel is stuck don't worry. You can try exit/enter the game's window.
Save/load time and size is back to normal, save is less than a minute with a ssd
Some stuttering at the beginning of a new game is normal, it should pass after some minutes. Settings at full screen (no windowed) and vsync on can help minimize
What this mod offers
* huge map (4/5x nr of sectors) that is not random. All the universe is made of systems, real systems with eclyptics, "orbiting" planets, orbital logic.
* Every faction starts in its own system, it can have full control or not. Some sectors at the border of the systems can be ownerless or controlled by pirates/xenons. Spilt's systems are plagued by Xenon's control over some eclyptics
* Internally, every system is connected either through superhighways or accelerators (Terran kind). Superhighways can even reach another planets at 16.000.000 kms far away (game's real scale). Superhighway's transit is slower, you can feel the distances. Of course, there are NO (basic) highways.
Using my Realspace Engines mod, in addition, greatly increases immersion: accelerations are not instantaneous but high speeds are possible with any ship. So what normal highway offered is useless
* Regions are spread into two kinds: SCENERIES AND RESOURCES. Resources are spread in various pockets (gas, roids, debris etc) that can or can not be close to the exit of accelerators/superhighways. Flying towards planets, gas giants, broken moons etc usually opens to new dense resources and threasures.
* Resources are not random. I took great care to create new custom ringed gas giants having their own rings you can cross through. So I've added broken moons, collapsed asteroids, ore belts, low orbit gas giants, sun coronas, etc. In these locations you find the respective resources.
These are strategically spread but follow a logic that is similar in each system: helium is oc close to the sun, roids in the belts, etc. Each in its own environments.
*Vanilla sectors keep their resource's regions (for now). As we know, they are bland random spots, not making any logical sense. I left them quite untouched simply opened their distribution in some thousands kms instead of few tens. Changed or removed the local spot volumetric fogs.
After long playing and feedbacks from player we can think of almost removing most of them that don't make much sense, things as a spot close to a planet having all inside: methane, ores, etc. The logic of the mod instead is: you want roids? Navigate towards the rings or the belts or the collapsed moons... you want helium? go to the sun...you want hydrogen or methane, go to lower orbit of a gas giant or methane-sea moon. You want ice? Go the external sectors, and so on...
*Sceneries are huuuuge regions of space that serve only as nice dramatic view. They can be asteroids belts, fogs, etc that are +100.000 kms large, sometimes millions kms covering half of a system. I've doublechecked all to see that they don't affect fps too much but these can be changed later in game without issues
* Gates connect systems, so they are usually at the border of any system, towards the external planets or even in the belts far away. Gates can also be close to the sun in the core of the system
* Many systems have access to their sun. It can be an harsh area with radiations but plenty of treasures. Its access should be limited to high ranks (feature not implemented yet)
* Pirates etc have bases in the external regions of the systems and use the less crowded routes
Things to test
* Any scene that has errors, such as a sun behind a planet, etc. This can be patched easily, no new game required
* Low fps due to fog regions, etc. Since I separated resources from sceneries, this should not require a new start after issues are corrected
* Missing meshes, textures, etc. Be sure NOT to use other mods that could mess in, NO OTHER MODS ADDING SECTORS, PLEASE
Setting volumetric fog at ZERO in the settings helps a lot
Extra requirements
The mod NEEDS the other mod, STARS, to be active. Mandatory!
The third mod, Realspace Engines MOD (REM) is NOT mandatory, it greatly increases the experience thou. I am updating it and making compatible with the major added-ships mods. For now It is compatible with
Ship Variation Extension
Please update STARS mod too at version 3.1 where I removed the files that could conflict with XRSGE. Or if you have version 3.01, you can do the following,
open the STARS mod and delete these files:
libraries/region_definition.xml
assets/environments/* (all the folder)
extensions/* (all the folder)
Major issues
The original big save files issue is resolved. Starting a game is quite fast now, save files not bigger than vanilla
The superhighways that don't work if you don't know the arriving sector (and use autopilot), still remains
Seems that it happens with the very long superhighways
There are some walkarounds, one is to wait for a ship passing through and follow it with autopilot
or in starting scenarios as Terran cadet, f.i., docking the carrier and let be transported through various sectors
I eventually want to resolve this thing
but am clueless now. This thing randomly happens in vanilla map too
Things to do
Creating core/external sectors restrictions in every system. It makes sense that faction protect their main planet more than external ones
Using the new galaxy layout, it'd be nice to create other additions in game's logic. I.e. pirates avoiding central sectors, xenons using the sun's connections, etc.
Please be inspired by the mod to add other npc's behaviors. Unluckly I am a total noob at scripting
To other modders
If you like the new setting I created please be inspired. I'll gladly include any new idea, with credits, such as a different pathfinding, security behavior or whatever AI logic that is inspired by the new galaxy template.
As told, I am total noob at scripting, so will only implement other static things from here on. The rest it to your creativity
Thanks
I want to thank all who helped me to nail any small or big issue I faced when started this project months ago, jumping out in the blue...thanks guys!
DeadAirRT
tomchk
Shuulo
Dr Reed
John Colman
...and all the players for their precious feedbacks