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

[Raven Darkwing]

It's ready but I still had not the time to test to see if the Boron plot works as expected (gate opening, etc.). I've been busy for work in last days

Well, you can release it as "beta", like devs do
Players will test it for you

Agreed, I certainly will!

[Realspace]

Tried this evening. It does not work, and can't figure out why. I made the same arrangements I did for the other dlcs. I refer to the missions, all the rest is in place. But missions don't go as in vanilla. No cutscenes, no gate opening

[ziplock815]

Could it be something with sectors names? I've noticed that a plenty of DLC sectors have the same names as some sectors from the mod (Watchful Gaze, Sanctuary of Darkness etc.)

[Realspace]

Could it be something with sectors names? I've noticed that a plenty of DLC sectors have the same names as some sectors from the mod (Watchful Gaze, Sanctuary of Darkness etc.)

Nope, names are set by a separated file. They are not the id, the id is made by sector_id plus scripts in mission director. You can have repeated names, not changing anything for missions.
In previous dlcs the issue was that the mission's script could not find the called sectors in the extension of the dlc, so I removed the extension tag in the script and specified all the clusters that are part of a specific dlc as being part of the base game (xrsge makes all the map a single one, not made of vanila + multiple dlcs).
Here I made the same but seems that the starting mission does not start as should, no cutscenes and no gate opening. Mission starts, waypoint is set. But when in the area, nothing happens. Cutscenes not happening. Boso HQ warping in Heretics End works well thou, very strange.

My only guess is that something else has changed in base game, other than the gate in heretics I already added. Something needed for the mission to start properly.

[Raven Darkwing]

Anything I could do to help?

I have some EXTREMELY rusty X Modding skills, and since I'm on disability retirement, I have LOTS of time.
Honestly I just wanted the new engines for the Borons ASAP at first ( Since STARS still works ), but looking at all you've done, I'm honestly very interested in your RSGE project as well.

[Realspace]

Anything I could do to help?

I have some EXTREMELY rusty X Modding skills, and since I'm on disability retirement, I have LOTS of time.
Honestly I just wanted the new engines for the Borons ASAP at first ( Since STARS still works ), but looking at all you've done, I'm honestly very interested in your RSGE project as well.

Thank you, I appreciate. I can release the patch as it is, so others can take a look. In the meantime, having some free time today, I think I found the reason. For how the mission is written it requires as mandatory a gate from Aladna Hill (name in from XRSGE) aka vanilla Morning Star III to Heretic's End and also to Hatikvah.
This last is mandatory, I suppose because further in the plot something happens there, I read a string about station building there.
So I can try to either remove the need for the gate to hatikvah, hoping it does not ruin some further part of the plot, or trying to rewrite the mission entirelly and to add some new connections to the map in order to make Morning Star, Heretic's and Hatikvah closer to each other

edit:
I managed to have the cutscene at beginning, but somehow the issue seems that the exploring fleet is not put close to the gate and is not activated when you go close by. No cutscene of gate reopening and exploring fleet moving. I could simply make the gate active from beginning and make the exploring mission abortable, but I'd prefer to have all missions working as it happened for other dlcs

[Raven Darkwing]

I'd be happy to take a look and report back!

AFAIK, and I've done the "main" part of the Boron plot, which gets you back to Kingdom End, the missions with story further down the Boron plot line seem to have to do with the major factions, but not Hatikvah.

It's possible that it's scripted for Boron Embassies to be built in every factions home sector, which would be that sector for Hatikvah.
But it's also possible that it's just some leftover, dead or not really vital code relating to the Hatikvah Plot, which, well, was kind of the tutorial/beginner plot when X4 was first released, all with terrible voice acting and what have you.

However, it later intertwines with the Player HQ quest, then the Split since ONE character from the Hatikvah Plot also appears in the Split DLC.

Unless we want to look at pages of code, there's only one way to find out if you removing the gate connection requirement breaks anything - Someone testing it.

I can start a new game and see what happens a few hours in. I'd be nice to have Borons up to date with the proper engines though, so I don't have to stick to ships who have them - Once you go Realspace Engines, you can't go back.

Messing/changing official DLC missions seems like a big No-No to me though, it could have a snowball effect people only experience WAAAAY later, and well, it's always good to keep that vanilla plot stuff working as intended.

[Realspace]

Yes, I'll do REM for Boron next. It takes some time but is doable. Here with XRSGE I lost the entire day trying to figure what could be missing in the code, but really it makes no sense. Seems the fleet is spawned in the center of the sector instead of close to the inactive gate. I did not touch that part, tried also using exact distances as in vanilla...nothing

edit: I found a solution! It requires changing the dlc. I mean changing the folder of the dlc directly. Any other patching failed (no errors in the log). Even if I replaced an ENTIRE FILE of the missions, not simply patching some parts, the issue continues. Instead, I had to decompress the .cat in dlc folder, remove the missions entirely, compress again. Then add a copy of the missions in the patch again, with corrections

This solution is quite radical but can resolve any other issue related to missions should they appear for other dlcs too.

About REM: Boron ships use their own engines, this means that you can use the old REM up to when I make the update for Boron's. REM will apply to all ships except Boron's. Their ship won't be slow thou, because they use their own engines. They behave as in vanilla

[Raven Darkwing]

Sometimes... sometimes shit is just weird and doesn't make any sense. Sorry you had to use such a radical solution, and lost a whole day to bughunting, I know the feel!

As for REM and the Borons... well... that's the issue... yes, I COULD fly the Borons with their own engines.
Buuuuuut.....

As I said, once you go REM, you can't go back. I just CANNOT handle how vanilla ships handle anymore, you spoiled me.

[Realspace]

And here it is
https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/848
REM 3.0 updated for:
* 6.0
* BORON DLC

Since Boron use their specific engines that can not be mounted on other ships, I could change a bit the physics for Boron ships playing on both sides.
So Boron ships are quite fast, have good acceleration and are easier to maneuver. They have less drift, Boron technology for inertial dumpning is advanced.
To balance this advance, boosters are not so strong as other races.
Storage has been increased too and of course gun bullet's speed.
In general, Boron ships shine as very special in the REMized universe.

Happily, EGO took the same philosophy of REM in doing only 3 engines (not 9!) for S and M, so it was easy to rename. Boron engines are named similarly as other race's, aka basic/standard/advanced

----------------------------------------------------------------

XRSGE is ready, with the trick I mentioned above. I also enlarged Boron sectors without changing them further. But before releasing I am doing the cosmetics.
STARS already makes something as it is, especially on the backgrounds... but some planets really need adjustments. Here for instance the new Ocean of Fantasy:


These changes will be available in STARS update for all users, also those not using XRSGE.
While in XRSGE further cosmetic and structural changes will be possible, for Boron DLC, that are not in STARS because require new meshes, layout changes, etc.

[Newinger]

These changes will be available in STARS update for all users, also those not using XRSGE.
While in XRSGE further cosmetic and structural changes will be possible, for Boron DLC, that are not in STARS because require new meshes, layout changes, etc.

Thanks for the continued work!

One of the Boron missions uses a star background with some very specific stars in the center. Did you make sure that these are still visible with your new version?

[Realspace]

These changes will be available in STARS update for all users, also those not using XRSGE.
While in XRSGE further cosmetic and structural changes will be possible, for Boron DLC, that are not in STARS because require new meshes, layout changes, etc.

Thanks for the continued work!

One of the Boron missions uses a star background with some very specific stars in the center. Did you make sure that these are still visible with your new version?

Is it in Great Reef?
I've seen a peculiar mesh called 'constellation', maybe is that? Anyway I don't touch meshes for the moment, because I don't make multi-sectors as in XRSGE that are millions km apart.
I only replaced the skybox in Kingdom End, hope it is not that one

[Newinger]

Is it in Great Reef?
I've seen a peculiar mesh called 'constellation', maybe is that? Anyway I don't touch meshes for the moment, because I don't make multi-sectors as in XRSGE that are millions km apart.
I only replaced the skybox in Kingdom End, hope it is not that one

Don't remember the name currently. It's in the cut scene where they analyse the jump gate and think about how to connect it. They look at a specific star constellation for that and to me it seems it's part of of one of the skybox backgrounds.

If you have not done yet, play the Boron game start until that, then you'll see what I mean.

[Realspace]

I'll gladly do as soon as I finish updating the mods
Btw, I've partially redone planets of Boron DLC. I've also redone some deepspace elements and nebulae:
STARS version 4.0
https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/507

This version of STARS as usual contains also the materials for next XRSGE that I will upload later, prepared for Boron DLC.
In XRSGE I've done some other changes such as enlarging all Boron sectors (gate to gate 1600km avrg) and moving planets/moons. Renaming a couple of sectors.
I've also redone most of the regions so now asteroids and fogs suit better in the larger Boron sectors.

[zuzaman90]

I must commend all your efforts you invested in these mods.

Previously I have tried REM and could not get my head around docking. Still the vanilla truck-like flights were underewhelming after getting the first dose of the lack of gravitation.

So only one option remains : to look forward for a new playthrough with your mods on 6.0.

[Realspace]

I know, going back to vanilla is impossible...

Ok guys, here is the XRSGE upgrading package.
https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/507

It contains 3 folders:
1) XRSGE 4.2, to install as usual
2) XRSGE_Boron mini MOD. It patches XRSGE and Boron DlC in order to make the engine think that the missions are from here. Just install as another mod
3) Boron DLC file replacer. Just overwrite inside ego_dlc_boron folder. Make a backup of your ext_03.cat before.

After replacing the file and activating xrsge_boron mod, you can start a new game in Boron scenarios, all missions will work regularly.

XRSGE modifies Boron sectors, as written above: enlarging and changing regions

[ziplock815]

Whoa! Planet in Ocean of Fantasy looks cool. Will check it out. Checked out new game a couple days ago and noticed that almost all Frontier sectors are populated (by friendly factions or khak and xenonm) while without new game they're completely empty. Is it possible to make some kind of compromise - some sectors are populated and some not. Also I'd like to ask is it going to be a "No Fog" patch in the update?

P.S. Found a bug - Heretic's End 3 Alpha smaller planet missing textures (it's just transparent red circle)

Also experiencing small freezes/stuttering

P.P.S.Just entered Ocean of Fantasy eager to see new planet and...the planet (texture) is missing

Docked at boron Wharf and didn't see any NPC. Even trader's corners are empty
Will check other stations.

P.P.S 2
I believe Depth of Silence system should be named "Sanctuary of Darkness". Not a big deal, though, but it may be confusing while completing the plot.

Guiding Star Reflected stars: all planet textures missing
I think the issue is the same in every sector

[Realspace]

There is something wrong in your files, of all these issues I have none.
Did you upgrade STARS too? Did you follow the procedure, install xrsge_boron mini-mod and replace ext_03.cat in boron dlc?
Btw XRSGE 4.21 is available, I totally remade Sanctuary of Darkness and gave its name back, since in missions is so spoken by npc.

[ziplock815]

There is something wrong in your files, of all these issues I have none.
Did you upgrade STARS too? Did you follow the procedure, install xrsge_boron mini-mod and replace ext_03.cat in boron dlc?
Btw XRSGE 4.21 is available, I totally remade Sanctuary of Darkness and gave its name back, since in missions is so spoken by npc.

Hmmm
I did everything as it's said in the description. Will download once more and reinstall.

Well, no changes. Issue still occurs. Didn't check other sectors, only Ocean of Fantasy for now. But I think it's the same everywhere - almost all planets suddenly disappeared in whole gate network
Btw, I saw someone has the same issue in Mars sector (on nexus mods). Could it be that some files went missing during the upload to nexus?

P.S. Why you've deleted bacground nebulae in Sanctuary of Darkness? It was nice looking, much better than endless clouds of foggy fogs everywhere

[CombatReaper]

I too seem to be having the "missing planets" issue using just STARS alone; even after a clean download/install.