[Realspace MODS] "STARS" - "XRSGE" - "REM" - various

[Realspace]

Is there actually a high-resolution map for the XRSGE-7.0 universe?

Also on a white background for printing on A3 glossy paper I've always had something like this on my desk since X3...

Alternatively, of course, my little tablet will also work. But the map has to be really high resolution so that you can zoom in.

Trajan von Olb

It is in my plans but don't know how to make it if not by tedious hand-painting. Can you point me to some autom. resource to do it?

[Trajan von Olb]

It is in my plans but don't know how to make it if not by tedious hand-painting. Can you point me to some autom. resource to do it?

Ok, since I'm waiting with restarting until SirNukes has an update with his API, I'm still running VRO... That's why I can't record the map from the computer. Not yet. I could try post-processing though, you'd just have to replace black with white and possibly enhance coloured lines with a black border.
As a plan, I would suggest setting 4K monitor via DSR 4.00, which means 16K (would work for me - you don't really have to play with the still images ). Then take a clean screenshot of the card.
Did you manage to get your huge universe to show the whole map when zoomed out completely? Otherwise you'd have to cut it into pieces - that works too, but it's tedious.
Well, first we need the screenshot... Does that work for you? Otherwise we'd have to wait. But we'd be happy to do it later.

Greetings Trajan von Olb

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[Realspace]

Yes I can make a screenshot of the whole universe (in xrsge 6 I changred the params to make the map zoom out a lot, made less expandable in 7.00) but this generates an image (not a vector) and it lacks any gate connection (being so zoomed out).
Do you want me to provide you a screenshot of it? This will be lacking names, connections etc.

This is the kind of output you get (this was the map of early xrsge Seven):
https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mo ... 722149.png

A very nice thing to do would be having a visual representation of some sectors as Argo Prime with a picture of the planet on the right position inside the sector..
There should be a way to make a vector map out of the galaxy.xml file, if you find the resource, I did not find any in the web.

[Realspace]

For people using latest REM:

There is a bug I need help with. Some ships (mostly Argon S and M combat ships) are generated without engines. That's because by default these ships mount Paranid engines instead of Argon so my race-specific addition removes their engine. This should hopefully NOT happen anymore in a new game (I changed all loadouts) but this also has to be tested.

I'd need also help to check if other races too have this issue. I think/hope not, bc vanilla Terrans tend to use terran engines, so split, paranid of course already compatible, so maybe only Teladi remain to check. Thanks

[Newinger]

Hey, I guess XRSGE still needs to be updated for compatibility with 7.0 and timelines?

[Realspace]

It IS updated for 7.00, it is NOT updated for timelines

[Newinger]

It IS updated for 7.00, it is NOT updated for timelines

Do you plan to update it for timelines at some point?

[Realspace]

Nope. It is a separated game, right? Other dlcs had to be integrated in xrsge, here I don't see the urge.

[Newinger]

Nope. It is a separated game, right?

Not quite.

Timelines adds 7 new sectors to the map and XRSGE may be incompatible with that (like overlapping sectors):

Spoiler

Show

Hatikvah's Faith
Nopileos' Memorial
Matrix #101
President's End
Mitsuno’s Revelation
Mitsuno’s Defiance
Mitsuno’s Sacrifice

Timelines also adds a small story part to the base game, activated by speaking to Bosa Ta (after finishing the timelines main story in the separate game mode), who gives the task to find connections to the 3 "Mitsuno's" sectors.

Maybe a message in your download page would then be useful, like: "Notice: This mod does not support timelines. Switch off time lines in your extension settings in order to play XRSGE" or some similar note. I think such a message would also be useful if new X4 players find your mod (because they get Timelines for free and have it installed maybe without thinking about it).


Edit: Or is your map completely separated from the default map, i.e. it replaces everything? Then maybe it may still be compatible.

[Realspace]

Maybe a message in your download page would then be useful, like: "Notice: This mod does not support timelines. Switch off time lines in your extension settings in order to play XRSGE" or some similar note. I think such a message would also be useful if new X4 players find your mod (because they get Timelines for free and have it installed maybe without thinking about it).

Done!

Edit: Or is your map completely separated from the default map, i.e. it replaces everything? Then maybe it may still be compatible.

Nope, my map is not separated. It is in XRSGE 6, Seven on contrary, to allow a better compatibility (with any change added by ego), replaces the single parts of the map one by one and then adds a lot. So the base map is required.

[Newinger]

Maybe a message in your download page would then be useful, like: "Notice: This mod does not support timelines. Switch off time lines in your extension settings in order to play XRSGE" or some similar note. I think such a message would also be useful if new X4 players find your mod (because they get Timelines for free and have it installed maybe without thinking about it).

Done!

Thanks!

[Arsaneus]

So, no way to have both XRSGE and some way to add the Timelines sectors for the optional plot?

[Nerwesta]

In response to that thread :

viewtopic.php?t=463186

It stroke me because I have the Realspace mod, posted above by it's author - incredible stuff and very big props to him, but Brennan's Triumph is one of the few still looking fairly weird.

I should take a look at vanilla + STARS because I did not replace the models in STARS, only changed all materials, mapping and textures so even if the result if commonly good sometimes can not be enough. I don't even remember if I added the new planets in STARS, I think not so in my game, where I use STARS+XRSGE, I don't see the vanilla redone anymore but only the new ones. So if you can post what is the thing, maybe with some picture, I can understand what is the problem that I don't see in my game. For instance the planet's position could have a bad lighting after I redo the textures and need a change of position. Of course please do it in the correct mod section not here.

BTW only solar system planets (terran dlc) are made with (mostly but not exclusively) a single texture. Indeed a 4k is enough to make them look good. Also because planets are seen from far. I used the model of earth to redo different planets to replace many of the vanilla planets, but they are available only in XRSGE mod not in STARS alone. This is because earth model still uses an "old" mapping with an overlapping of textures (for land) but also the new engine for clouds which is exceptionally good. The most of the earth-like planets in vanilla are made with a different engine that does not use textures as images but as height-mapping, then adds colors of seas, mountains etc. So texture's size is IRRELEVANT.

You can see for instance that in Boron dlc they added the effect of shorelines because previous models were lacking and the passage see-land was very rush. This addition does not work as intended to me, the shorelines do not look real. I preferred the old mapping of visible textures that much better "trick" the eye.

As told, the problem is in the engine they use (which per se is a cool idea, it reduces the texture usage to minimal...and you can see how good it is with clouds) and also the lazy mapping. For instance the vanilla moons are made of a base texture + mapping of several patches of more detailed textures (diff + normal). The low res effect you see is due to the fact that they used an incorrect base mapping, i.e. a square detail map not a rectangular moon map. Pluto is right because, as told, in solar system they used a correct mapping of base textures taken from the kind of archive you also post here. Instead fictional moons have all a wrong base texture.

So in STARS mod, for redoing the moons, I simply changed the base texture and increased the number of patches of detail textures and the effect is a very high resolution but, in fact, no texture has been increased at all.

Do what you want with the information I gave, only be aware that the problem with skybox and planets is NOT due to low res textures.

Thank you for your very informed and lengthy response, needless to say your mod is one of my favourite on this game !
I learnt somethings new on your process and how you view these underlying systems, even after reading the description of your mod when I first downloaded it.
Back to the topic :

Since I was so far away from Brennan's Triumph yesterday and the day before ( new game, few ships, no teleport ) I didn't post anything, but I dispatched a quick scout there, here it is :

https://ibb.co/Htxt12C
https://ibb.co/Xy1KRJw
https://ibb.co/bztKnM0
( edit : sorry, I messed up on this album, so it's just a link to open ... )

As you can see on either of those screens, it looks like the upper side and lower side ( on our perspective in the game ) from the planet are not joining seamlessly, it's indeed making a weird joint around the equator.
I'm not sure how to call that to be honest.

Additionally, I went in Hatikvah's choice II and noticed a severely washed out ring, I'm not sure if it's a recoverable issue on your side as it's perhaps the first time I see such a thing.
Keep in mind I don't fly often on that sector and just resumed playing a little while ago, so this might be there for a long time and I just didn't see it, nor remember it.
I suspect it's clearly a "vanilla" ring left untouched.



( I made sure to zoom and to show a more general view on either of these issues )
Thanks again for your incredible work !

[Realspace]

As I suspected. That planet model is based on the original brennan triumph but with different textures. It is one of the oldest I made. I still use it in the XRSGE version but lighting, rotation and position make so that the mapping does not show that glitch or makes it barely visible.
Here is it in usage with XRSGE and full lighting:


About the rings, the resolution is vanilla, I only made them more transparent. They look good here, the noise effect is indeed coherent with asteroids...let's say that those rings are not the best ones.
Here with XRSGE:


When I will update STARS will change the rotation of the planet there..
I could actually export whole sectors from XRSGE to STARS, the backgrounds+planets only. They don't alter the map. But it requires time I have not now.

So, no way to have both XRSGE and some way to add the Timelines sectors for the optional plot?

Timelines' sectors are not those introduced with base game 7.00? I changed those ones and moved on the map, re-arranged the gates and the names, changed the backgrounds and planets. Or are they different ones that the dlc adds to the sandbox?

[ziplock815]

Timelines' sectors are not those introduced with base game 7.00? I changed those ones and moved on the map, re-arranged the gates and the names, changed the backgrounds and planets. Or are they different ones that the dlc adds to the sandbox?

As Newinger's written, Timelines add some new sectors aside from the base game with 7.00. They are: Hatikvah's Faith, Nopileos' Memorial, Matrix #101, President's End, Mitsuno’s Revelation, Mitsuno’s Defiance, Mitsuno’s Sacrifice

[Arsaneus]

So, no way to have both XRSGE and some way to add the Timelines sectors for the optional plot?

Timelines' sectors are not those introduced with base game 7.00? I changed those ones and moved on the map, re-arranged the gates and the names, changed the backgrounds and planets. Or are they different ones that the dlc adds to the sandbox?

No. 7.0 adds a few new sectors that we already got during the beta. Timelines DLC adds a few more to the sandbox in addition to them.

[PersonyPerson]

Timelines' sectors are not those introduced with base game 7.00? I changed those ones and moved on the map, re-arranged the gates and the names, changed the backgrounds and planets. Or are they different ones that the dlc adds to the sandbox?

There's 14 new sectors overall.

7 from 7.00 and 7 from Timelines.

Most of the Timelines ones though, look pretty good as it is and may not require additional work. Up to personal taste I suppose.

[Nerwesta]

As I suspected. That planet model is based on the original brennan triumph but with different textures. It is one of the oldest I made. I still use it in the XRSGE version but lighting, rotation and position make so that the mapping does not show that glitch or makes it barely visible.
Here is it in usage with XRSGE and full lighting:


About the rings, the resolution is vanilla, I only made them more transparent. They look good here, the noise effect is indeed coherent with asteroids...let's say that those rings are not the best ones.
Here with XRSGE:


When I will update STARS will change the rotation of the planet there..
I could actually export whole sectors from XRSGE to STARS, the backgrounds+planets only. They don't alter the map. But it requires time I have not now.

Thank you for this confirmation, at least it's not a bug on my end.
I'm fine as is, just wanted to point out some slight irregularities, all good !
Indeed, it looks way better on your configuration.
I'll consider installing XRSGE at some point, it felt scary at first when I was still learning the game and it's sectors, now I guess I'm much more comfortable.
Cheers !

[Realspace]

@Nerwesta
I've ended totally redoing the planet. Will be in next STARS update.

Guys I am open to suggestions, for the next XRSGE update, if and where to put new shortcut connections to make crossing entire systems faster.

I've already added a new accel from Argon Prime to Power Circle.

Generally speaking I think we need some shortcuts from main planets. Even if it exposes them to attack they'd remain quite safe with the many surrounding sectors.

[ziplock815]

Can't say about shortcuts, because I find it good to have huge distances (if only jumpdrive mods could work properly...), but maybe you could remake some planets, especially those in close orbits, because some of them have pixelated clouds, rotate too quickly and overall have not very realistic look, while others are good looking and realistic (I believe these nice looking are newly made and those pixelated are old vanilla assets)

Btw, no plans to adapt XRSGE to Wesley's Rebirth sectors?