[MOD] Immersive environments 1.1 [09-11-2011]

Alexium · Post by **Alexium** » Sat, 27. Mar 10, 22:25

WOW! This is what I was searching for! Thanks for the great work!
Just one question: I don't want to restart the game at the moment. I realize I won't enjoy mod's full functionality, but will the game function properly or should I expect bugs?
Thanks.

Seathal · Post by **Seathal** » Wed, 31. Mar 10, 21:22

I always hated the low resolution textures X games had, that made you feel you were closed into a big textured sphere instead of being outside in the void. Spacweedaddict's Sector and Backgrounds mod really gives you that feeling and that's the one I'm using right now. Any input or opinions of those who tried both this and spaceweed's? The background textures do seem a bit better in the first work, but this mod also looks gorgeous and adds this continuity and immersion-themed feeling.

I'll prolly give it a try.

Moonrat · Post by **Moonrat** » Wed, 31. Mar 10, 21:44

Any news on the "the next release"?

Sticks · Post by **Sticks** » Wed, 31. Mar 10, 22:21

dtrowle wrote:Question about this mod:

I understand you have to restart for the game to apply the changes but is this going to be the case every time there is a new version of this mod?

that would interest me as well.

The-Last-Communist · Post by **The-Last-Communist** » Wed, 31. Mar 10, 23:18

oh , i think you could maik some real bright to ad some blure!

panzerkw · Post by **panzerkw** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 06:17

Technically, you would not need to start a new game, but some sort of script based patch would be needed to modify the map of a savegame if a sector itself has been changed. That's how I understand it. So it's not a simple matter.

As for the mod itself, I love it. It is however, beta, so there are somethings like Kha'ak Sector 941 being instant death if you jump there which complicates the OFF plot. The new lighting effects are vastly superior to vanilla. Maybe some of you remember Earth and Beyond and how it really felt like you were out in the depths of space. The Terran Sectors in particular really add this feeling. I am expecting later releases will bring more variety into the sector backgrounds and such.

connary · Post by **connary** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 12:50

Thanks all¡¡
well, take this mod with a grain of salt, only for pleasure purposes to fly trough new environments and discover things to improve.
Yes i think that we need to start a new game with every version, this is the reason i dont upload little revisions or patches.
I will take my time to upload a final version cause first im in need of extensive feedback from the testers. For the moment the feedback its minimal, this can be due a couple of reasons, or the mod its nearly perfect, what?¿, or we need more time to find more glitches or inconsistencies.

For the moment only a fog matter and the Khaak sector glitch are in the works along with the rest of vanilla backgrounds.

Anyone knows how to change the alpha parameters of the fog billboard model in any sector? If any X modeller can help me changing how the fog billboard reads the alpha layers we can get very different looks for fog sectors. Basically the fog billboards show only the clear colors, i want a version for some sectors that shows only dark colors, in a word the opposite.

djrygar · Post by **djrygar** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 13:33

before releasing... how about adding few fabs to your map? Especially I'm thinking about tri-beam/laser array and similar, unique beam weapon fabs. They were added to SSBM, and prove to be nice addon. Should not take much of your time... (haven't checked beta yet, I want to be fully surprised by finished mod and not spoil pleasure

, so maybe you already did it )

connary · Post by **connary** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 18:22

I had not played TC, i dont know at all which kind of fabs are really needed in a new game start to get the best for the game.
I need a clear explanation, which fabs are needed in which sectors?, very detailed to get the best for a new game. With this i can add this fabs to the universe very quickly. But in any case i dont want cheats or put some fabs for the taste of anyone, i only want to put some fabs that the vanilla game forgot breaking some production lines ( i know that the vanilla game lacks some weapons facilities in the first versions).

dtrowle · Post by **dtrowle** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 19:18

I had not played TC, i dont know at all which kind of fabs are really needed in a new game start to get the best for the game.
I need a clear explanation, which fabs are needed in which sectors?, very detailed to get the best for a new game. With this i can add this fabs to the universe very quickly. But in any case i dont want cheats or put some fabs for the taste of anyone, i only want to put some fabs that the vanilla game forgot breaking some production lines ( i know that the vanilla game lacks some weapons facilities in the first versions).

I think that djryger is suggesting to put the weapons fabs for the weapons that do not appear in the vanilla game (such as the beam weapons). IMHO, this is not as simple as adding the fabs to the universe map in this mod because none of the vanilla ships (except for the Truelight Seeker IIRC) can mount any of those particular weapons anyway. Hence, if you added them to this mod then you would need to alter the tships as well to be able to use them. Personally, I think that would be better suited for draffuts unofficial bugfix mod (and I may suggest that in that thread) since he did add comparability of the beam weapons to the appropriate ships and fix the fabs so that produce the guns instead of delexian wheat.

Now, adding in a few Protein Paste fabs in Terran space is another story because it fixes (or rather saves before GoD destroys) the Terran economy and doesn't depend on ship compatibilities.

That's just my 2 cents.

connary · Post by **connary** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 19:28

Oh well, i will not add any that need a Tship modification. But you show me the good direction, now i need to know exactly which kind of fab we can put in this mod trying to fix or improve the economy in the base game.
But most important is the consensus in the final decision, a couple of experienced players must take care of a list with the fabs needed in which sectors without break the original game setting or cheating. Then with this list i can put the fabs in the final version.
Evidently if this dont get the attention or the general consensus then i dont will put any fab or structure to not break something.

panzerkw · Post by **panzerkw** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 20:14

I humbly request that this mod stick to just improving the visuals, with another seperate mod dealing with economic changes. Some people won't want their universe's economy being changed and it'd be terrible for them to have to decide between your gorgeous visuals and economic changes

dtrowle · Post by **dtrowle** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 20:20

I humbly request that this mod stick to just improving the visuals, with another seperate mod dealing with economic changes. Some people won't want their universe's economy being changed and it'd be terrible for them to have to decide between your gorgeous visuals and economic changes

I second that, after thinking about it a bit. I think the changes mentioned above should be left for draffut's bugfix mod (or better yet for egosoft to fix

).

Moonrat · Post by **Moonrat** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 20:25

I also think keeping the elements as seperate as possible is the way to go for "mini" mods such as this. A modular bulding block approach, so that you can mix together as many of your favourite elements (such as gorgeous visuals from connery), from other authors is best.

connary · Post by **connary** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 21:37

We got a consensus, no structures in this mod.
But how made compatible this mod with any mod that changes the universe adding fabs?

panzerkw · Post by **panzerkw** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 22:03

Rather than adding fabs, maybe you can just make them available for purchase so that the players can build those on their own, if they want to. But you wouldn't need a mod for that. ATF Shipyard script makes Protein Paste fabs available, for instance, for anyone wanting to start terran weapon production.

As far as other mods that add fabs, from the handful that I have seen they tend to be very comprehensive (pseudo-total conversions) that for some people, just aren't what they want. I like the vanilla game, for the most part, using some scripts and mods to fill in some "gaps". A visual upgrade that does not affect the mechanics of vanilla will appeal to lots of people.

e1team · Post by **e1team** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 22:20

There are many mods adding these factories. I suggest we let connary concentrate on improving and fixing the current version of the mod as it is. I, for example, care much more about not starting a new game because of the Ka'ahk sector rather than having some new fabs.

dtrowle · Post by **dtrowle** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 22:24

We got a consensus, no structures in this mod.
But how made compatible this mod with any mod that changes the universe adding fabs?

That depends on whether they add them via scripts, or altering the universe map. If it's scripts then it won't matter I think.

BTW, I thought the universe map was incremental? Meaning that the game loads stuff from a patch on top of the existing universe (as opposed to the patch superseding the existing file). Isn't that how they added Elisium of Light and all those damned rocks to the universe back in X3:R IIRC? Maybe a more experienced universe modder knows about this one?

Igor.tverd · Post by **Igor.tverd** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 22:32

dtrowle wrote:
We got a consensus, no structures in this mod.
But how made compatible this mod with any mod that changes the universe adding fabs?
That depends on whether they add them via scripts, or altering the universe map. If it's scripts then it won't matter I think.

BTW, I thought the universe map was incremental? Meaning that the game loads stuff from a patch on top of the existing universe (as opposed to the patch superseding the existing file). Isn't that how they added Elisium of Light and all those damned rocks to the universe back in X3:R IIRC? Maybe a more experienced universe modder knows about this one?

It depends if it's done with MD by using Load_map or just a simple overwrite.
While the first option only allows to Add stuff (sectors, asteroids, etc), the second option overwrites everything globally and it not save game compatible. There's also Alter_Sector or something like that that allows changes to backgrounds, etc.

dtrowle · Post by **dtrowle** » Thu, 1. Apr 10, 22:34

Sorry for the double posts but I didn't read page 14 before I started typing

.

panzerkw wrote:

Rather than adding fabs, maybe you can just make them available for purchase so that the players can build those on their own, if they want to. But you wouldn't need a mod for that. ATF Shipyard script makes Protein Paste fabs available, for instance, for anyone wanting to start terran weapon production.

Again, it's not as simple as just adding them to shipyards. You see if some stations are built right of the vanilla game, their products are going to delexian wheat and who knows what resources they need regardless of what type of factory it is (this is because ego never finished them). That means that you have to start editing the station related files such as Tdocks, Tfactories, WareTemplate, etc. not mention a few scripts. The more files a mod changes then the more it becomes uncompatable with other things and less people will use them.

e1team wrote:

There are many mods adding these factories. I suggest we let connary concentrate on improving and fixing the current version of the mod as it is. I, for example, care much more about not starting a new game because of the Ka'ahk sector rather than having some new fabs.

Agreed. Leave the station and ship stuff for their appropriate mods.

Edit: I need to type faster!

Thanks Igor. I have no idea how to use the MD. Guess I should learn.

egosoft.com

egosoft.com

[MOD] Immersive environments 1.1 [09-11-2011]