Something New is in the works

[Laridus Konivaich]

More questions:

What are you going to do for faction icons, since shields don't neccesarily make sense, also what sort of emblems. Will you just use plain colored shields? Or is there some master plan...?

Can anyone think of a way to incorporate high tech/different weapons, such as land mines?

Can you release any of your preliminary faction lists/design info?

Are you going to have any real 'flying' units? This would be cool, but only if you can make them go over buildings and walls, otherwise they are just like every other unit in the battle, except really tall.

[Bwian]

I do plan on faction 'banners' though I do not intend to have the units carry banners much. The 'Corporate Logo' is an necessary factor. A master plan is in place !

Now...high tech weapons... This is something I have tried VERY hard to avoid having to include. the game engine just doesn't do a lot of the things it needs to do. Landmines would be cool, but there does not seem to be a way to make a unit 'explode' and do damage. I might have to try and make a unit which cannot walk, but has a very strong 'charge' attack. I will think about this..... I will also need to think of a way of preventing the AI from just attacking such units.

Aircraft are another issue. I plan on having the Ship AI faction have access to limited AG units, though they are limited in height and cannot fly over water... Proper aircraft just won;t work well with RTW. It isn't geared to this.

The general rationale behind the storyline is that war has occurred due to poorly thought out programming, not htrough design. None of that factions start out militarised, and are forced toi utilise makeshift weaponry and to innovate and adapt. None of the core programming or databanks include firearms data or the concept of aggressive military equipment. The ship AI has osme limited defence capabilites ot start with, but these are necessarily limited by available resources. They will fight in the old faqshoined way :D

[shifty157]

Landmines would be cool, but there does not seem to be a way to make a unit 'explode' and do damage. I might have to try and make a unit which cannot walk, but has a very strong 'charge' attack. I will think about this..... I will also need to think of a way of preventing the AI from just attacking such units.

Can you make them so that they can hide anywhere? Is it even possible to have them die after attacking?

[Samurai Waki]

Well, couldn't you to figure out a way to make Minefields like immovable Siege Engines... that use the Catapult Flame Animation... so when an enemy comes into contact with it, both the siege engine and the units within the vicinity die as well... too bad you couldn't make them like spider mines off of StarCraft.

[Laridus Konivaich]

Is this mod still going? Or did you cease development (which would be sad)?

There jsut hasn't been any new info about it for a month, so I am starting to wonder...

[HahnHolio]

sadly it seems to be dead :(

i´d love to see this1 thou ... prolly some1 will continue, when the works of BWAIN will be available to them ....

Greetz

HahnHolio

[Bwian]

Dead.... oh dear me no :D

I have been trying to get to grips with map making, and it is taking a lot longer than I had expected. Also, I have been messing about with another Mod for a change of pace.

Fear not :D

There is also the looming possibility of Vercingetorix making new skeletons possible....that would REALLY open up some doors.

Just coz I ain't posting, don;t think I am not working! It's just that what I am doing doesn't make for pretty screenshots

[blindfaithnogod]

if you need any help with the map let me know. id be willing to help.

[Bwian]

Sure thing! Help on the map would be fantastic.

There is a pretty 'open' brief for the map. I need a full set of factions allowed. I can work up the faction names and some thgouhts on city naming conventions ( they are factories...)

Also, I need to avoid trees. As far as I am aware, the tree models and textures are not moddable. I will try and confirm this, but assuming they are, we need a map containing desert, rocks, mountains..... but nothing we can't edit to make it look alien!

If you are willing to give it a go, just drop me a PM outlining what you need, and I will supply the data!

[Duke John]

You can edit/add new vegetation. See the .db file thread in the General modding forum.

[Bwian]

Been doing a bit of messing about with some new vegetation....nothing presentable yet, but I think I can make this work!

I have some concepts for the foliage, which will be a combination of prehistoric earth types such as tree-ferns, with some more native 'crystalline' structures which will replace the forests with some interesting terrain to battle with.

Also working up some designs for the town buildings

[blindfaithnogod]

here's a first look at the map i've started. hope you like.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Yay! Bwian's back! Even though he never left...

Robots! Robots! Robots!

[Bwian]

As you can see, I have managed to secure some professional help to get a Brave New World for the robots to mash themselves to pieces on

My skills are minimal when it comes to making maps, so when I got the offer of help from someone who was good at it, I jumped at the chance! Looks good....looks DIFFERENT... and thats exactly what I needed.

Naval combat will be minimal ( it didn't really fit with the mod, and it was never a strong point with the stock game ) so the map is mostly land

There are some additional units under construction, largely 'cavalry' based, plus a better set of ship-run AI drones..... Screenshots will have to wait a few days though... I am holding back until I make some new plants for the battle map!!!

I had some very large ground units....but I can't use them just yet. I need to make new attack anims for them. They need to be able to look as though they are attacking ground units down low....and STILL look good when they attack similar sized units. This might lead to a re-think on the size front....I think I will have to limit the overall size of the bipedal units unless Vercingetorix makes completely new skeletons possible.....PLEASE!!!!

[blindfaithnogod]

here's the regions as they are now. enjoy

[Bwian]

Hmmm....interesting

I can see some interesting tactical posibilities developing here. The large landmass area means that provinces have lots of borders...and borders means battles!

This is EXACTLY what I was hoping for!

Good stuff Blindfaithnogod!

[blindfaithnogod]

thank you. ive been alittle busy with real life lately so sorry for the lack of progress. but more should come before to long.......

[snevets]

Its good to see this hasn't flopped, I checked a few weeks ago and thought it had. This is a great mod idea, a really creative way to solve the modern tactics problem in a futuristic game. Any progress toward units screenshots? I'd help if you needed it but I'm kinda tied up at the moment. P'm me if you need a skinner.

[Bwian]

OK..now we are motoring!

Work has begun on new skeletons and animations for the mod. I have come to the conclusion that the mod needs some fairly 'radical' units to really shine, and now I know how to do it

A bit of struggling and some trial and error, and I can get working animations in play with XIDX.

I also discovered that you are NOT limited in any way HOW YOU ROTATE THE JOINS! For the imaginative...this opens up a LOT of possibilities when you are not restricted to human possible movements

Oh yes....

Some new units are planned with unique attack methods.

Whirlygig-slammers ..... windmill choppers.... rotary steam hammers....wheeled vehicles....

The 8 wheeled octo-buggy bulldozer is quite a promising unit ....

[Ianofsmeg16]

Hey guys!
just read through the thread and it seems very promising for such an "unknown" mod, maybe you should try for hosting space here at the .org.
A tny question about the robots, are you going to dull the colours down or are they meant to be bright?
Good work Fellas!

[Bwian]

Colours will be a little duller... I just went for something striking to start with. Variety will be present when I am done ! Also, when the actual hing is done, the setting will be a little different ...and a LOT less green

[Bwian]

Using Blindfaithnogod's excellent map start as a base, I now have a fully completed campaign map!

I want to do some tweaking to the climates, and I also want to mess with some of the tiles to get things to look a bit less 'earth' like, but that is all fairly simple stuff to fine tune it.

All the factions I want are in place, as are their starting territories. The next job is to make some new faction symbols and chnage all the names to fit the new layout. I have all the faction location maps done, and basically have a fully functional campaign location ready for the units to start to arrive!

Next job is to model and place the 'wonders'

Ship hull fragment ( bonus to production )
Earth Base Transceiver ( bonus to loyalty )
Ship Drive Module ( bigger production bonus )
Nanolathe ( bonus to population growth )
Cosmic Ray Shield ( health bonus )

These are all parts / salvage from the original ship breakup, which had 'softer' landings as the ship came through the atmosphere. The 'seed' factories were ejected, as these modules were also saved.

Now to make a whole load of new buildings etc. for the maps!

Also...I wondered if the ACTUAL resources listed under each city need to match the pictures of the resources scattered about the map. I assume they are just window dressing...but would like to know for sure! I wanted to pinch them for 'other' purposes to dress the strat map up