A pirates life for me...

[Suicide Junkie]

Really short Summary, and a test of my new Sig links.

P&N Classic: This is exactly the same as P&N v1.7, but is zipped up in a much more user-friendly way. Use winzip, and extract the files into your SE4 directory.
The mod will create a path.txt file, but not overwrite your current one.
It will also neatly package the mod into a "SuicideJunkieMods" folder in SE4.

Big features of P&N v2.1b:
-Battlemoons. Don't get much bigger than that
-Propulsion based on the mass of the ship! If you have an LC (400KT), it requires twice as many engines just to keep up with a Frigate (200KT). It also burns twice as much fuel per square of movement. Works out a lot better in practice than you might think!
-Ablative Armor & Plasma Projection Armor. Super-strength armor that rivals shields for combat effectiveness! Provides more hitpoints but takes ages to repair after the battle. Ships are very unlikely to survive a second wave, since they won't have time to repair. You definitely need to use a mix of shields and armor in your fleets, if not your individual ships.
-A whole set of New components, facilities and vehicles! These allow pirates to make a living plundering trade routes in the darkness of space, and for nomads to survive without planets to support them.
-Shields have been serioiusly messed with. All shields regenerate a small amout each turn, normal and phased generators alternate through the tech levels, there are mini Versions of shields & regenerators, and a crossover tech between shield and armor.
-Point defense is split into Lasers vs. Cannons. Lasers have roughly half the damage of cannons, but have enough range to protect the entire fleet. Cannons are very powerful, but only extend two squares, leaving the fleet exposed.
-BuckyTube Gel armor. Zero KT of space, but really expensive. It is not always hit first like armor, but advanced Versions protect against null space, tachyons and shield disruptors. You can get 6,000 hitpoints worth of this stuff on a ship, but it'll cost you close to $100,000 minerals.
-Crossover Techs! If you choose to take more than one 1500 point racial tech, you get a bonus of having a crossover. For example, Religious + Organic = GenEngineered Fanatics! A 1KT "drop pod" contains a commando who can take on 2 or 3 militia units on his own! He feels right at home commanding a troop unit too!
Temporal + Organic gives you the Temporal Cloning Vats! Fill up a solar system in no time at all.

And that's all I can think of for Really Important changes from SE4 original.

(Still really long for a "short description, though")

EDIT: Found a bug in my sig. Should be good now.

EDIT2: Yep works now.

------------------
The latest info on Pirates & Nomads (forum thread).
-<Download V2.1b>- (Now with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download P&N Classic>- (The final release of P&N v1.x, with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download compatible EMPs for P&N v1.2 through v1.7>-
-<Download SJs latest AI Patcher>-
Visit My Homepage

Other Links:
-<Play By Web>-
-<Schlock Mercenary>- (great space-based webcartoon) -<First Strip>-
-<8-bit Theater>- (fun comic with the pixellated FF1 characters)

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 09 August 2001).]

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 09 August 2001).]

[Devin D.Bass]

So let me understand what your saying,
your Mod will work with TDM but not with Devnull mod?

And if I decide to continue to use the TDM mod inconjunction with your mod I will have to run a AI patch modifier?

Anything else.

Thanks for the info I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO USING THIS MOD

[Suicide Junkie]

Yes.
Devnull changes the same files as my mod does, so one mod overwrites the other in a bad way.

TDM only changes AIs, while P&N does not change the AIs, so it will not conflict with my Mod.
I DO have a patched Version all of the standard AIs included in my mod, but they can be overwritten with no ill effect.

D/L the AI patcher from my sig, read the readme.txt if you wish, and follow these steps.
1) run the AIPatcher.exe
2) click mode, and choose the mod you wish to patch for. (P&Nv2 is the default)
3) Click "browse...", and find the "AI_general.txt" file for your ai, select it, and press open.
4) Click "Patch AI General". The status bar should blink a few changes at you in less than a second.
5) Click "browse..." and select your AI's ship_design.txt.
6) Click "Patch AI ship design". The status bar will again flash a bunch of changes, and may take as long as two seconds on a really ancient machine.

This will create four extra files in your AI's folder. A backup General.txt, an general.txt.PATCHED, a backup shipdesign.txt, and a ship_design.txt.PATCHED file.

7) Use the .patched files for P&N v2, and use the backup files to restore the AI to normal operation.

NOTE: if you check the box at the top right of the window, the AI patcher will automatically overwrite your AIs files, basically doing step 7 for you. Be sure to only click the Patch buttons once per file when this option is enabled.

------------------
The latest info on Pirates & Nomads (forum thread).
-<Download V2.1b>- (Now with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download P&N Classic>- (The final release of P&N v1.x, with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download compatible EMPs for P&N v1.2 through v1.7>-
-<Download SJs latest AI Patcher>-
Visit My Homepage

Other Links:
-<Play By Web>-
-<Schlock Mercenary>- (great space-based webcartoon) -<First Strip>-
-<8-bit Theater>- (fun comic with the pixellated FF1 characters)

[Puke]

or install each mod into a seperate directory and switch between them using the mod-chooser.

[Suicide Junkie]

I would reccommend checking out the Mod Launcher, by Matryx.

And I now have P&N v2.2 out!
Just D/L and extract to your SE4 folder.

Unpacking the zip will not overwrite your path.txt; I feel that that is a bit too invasive. You just change your path.txt whenever you feel like playing P&N.

P&N V2.2 changes:
-Changed: Living Ships racial trait cost increased to 500.
-Added: Big Thinkers racial trait. All units are increased 25% in size.
-Added: Tiny Race racial trait. Bridge, Lifesupport, CrewQuarters and Auxiliary Control are reduced 30% in size.
-Added: Pack Rats racial trait. Crew quarters gain cargo storage ability.
-Added: Expanded Automation. One fewer Lifesupport and crewquarters is required on every ship.

------------------
The latest info on Pirates & Nomads (forum thread).
-<Download V2.2>- (Now with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download P&N Classic>- (The final release of P&N v1.x, with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download compatible EMPs for P&N v1.2 through v1.7>-
-<Download SJs latest AI Patcher>-
Visit My Homepage

Other Links:
-<Play By Web>-
-<Schlock Mercenary>- (great space-based webcartoon) -<First Strip>-
-<8-bit Theater>- (fun comic with the pixellated FF1 characters)

[Rich04]

First I want to congratulate you on an excellent mod. Great Job.

I was just wondering why PBW isn't supporting it since it supports so many other mods?

I would love to try it out against a bunch of other people.

[Matryx]

Thanks for the advert Suicide Junkie

Good to see P&N V2.2 is out. I'm downloading it right now.

I do have some Queries / observations on the way Nomads work.
I noticed that several areas now have no effect as a nomad (depending on play style)...
*Physical Strength : You only have 1 planet : Put to 50%
*Intelligence : You barely have any research centres : Put to 50%
*Cunning : You never get (enough) intelligence facilities so you can bung this down to 50%
Reproduction : You can't build colony ships -> can't settle new planets. So why do you need to reproduce?
Tolerance : See Reproduction.
Happiness: You only have one planet and that only needs to Last long enough to get your resource collectors up.
Political Savvy : You never have enough to make trade worthwhile : put to 50%
Minerals Extraction : You never Extract minerals so it has no effect
Organics Extranction : Same
Radioactives Extraction : Same
Ship Maintenance : If you increase your bonus you effectively penalise your harvest by the same amount -> no change

* unless you plan on using troops to take over other player's planet and relevant facilities

Following all these you can get :-
Physical Strength : 50%
Intelligence : 50%
Cunning : 50%
Environmental Resistance : 50%
Reproduction : 91%
Happiness : 50%
Agressiveness : 125%
Defensiveness : 125%
Political Savvy : 50%
Mining Aptitude : 25%
Farming Aptitude : 25%
Refining Aptitude : 25%
Construction Aptitude : 150%
Repair Aptitude : 150%
Maintenance Aptitude : 80%

And you still have 725 points free!
Of course what I end up doing is reducing Ship Contruction and picking more advantageous racial traits. E.g. + 1 move.

Maybe if you change the way Nomads work and have them Remote Miners and Solar Collectors instead of negative maintenance?
Just my views. Feel free to trash them / ignore at will.

------------------
The Unofficial Space Empires 4 Mod Utility V1.7 (Revision 3)
------------------
Download as a .ZIP <HERE>
Download as a .RAR <HERE>
Download as a .ACE <HERE>
Check a Screenshot of it<HERE>

Check an Alpha Shot of my Mod Editor (Unreleased) <HERE>

[Matryx]

One thing to note about the mod launcher : It only detects mods that are 1 directory deep
So when you extract Pirates and Nomads V2.2 you need to extract it into \<SE4Directory>\Pirates or something similar rather than \suicidejunkiemods\pirates&nomadsv2.2

SJ : Dont suppose I can hassle you to change the format of the .Zip file can I?
And also to include a ModInfo.txt in the mod's root directory?
I can even provide one for you if you want.

------------------
The Unofficial Space Empires 4 Mod Utility V1.7 (Revision 3)
------------------
Download as a .ZIP <HERE>
Download as a .RAR <HERE>
Download as a .ACE <HERE>
Check a Screenshot of it<HERE>

Check an Alpha Shot of my Mod Editor (Unreleased) <HERE>

[Matryx]

One Last suggestion SJ : You haven't allowed for Miniaturised, living, automatic, packrat ships
I picked all of them because it'd be Excellent to have all of the bonuses.. I see you have some linked up (e.g. Miniaturised Crewquaters(Packrat) )
Perhaps there should be Miniaturised Neural Tendrils(Packrat)
That or make a note that Living Ships don't have crew and so can't store cargo in their quaters *and* that living ships can't be miniaturised or automated.

*Finally* Weapons Platforms are units as well, yet aren't included in the Big Thinkers racial trait's effect.


------------------
The Unofficial Space Empires 4 Mod Utility V1.7 (Revision 3)
------------------
Download as a .ZIP <HERE>
Download as a .RAR <HERE>
Download as a .ACE <HERE>
Check a Screenshot of it<HERE>

Check an Alpha Shot of my Mod Editor (Unreleased) <HERE>

[This message has been edited by Matryx (edited 10 August 2001).]

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

Maybe if you change the way Nomads work and have them Remote Miners and Solar Collectors instead of negative maintenance?
Just my views. Feel free to trash them / ignore at will.

---

That sounds pretty good.
If I could make all of the shiphulls zero-maintenance, then your 500 basic production, plus any remote mining you do would fund the construction of additional ships.

In the beginning, nomads would remote mine resources, building ships with the profit, and would be forced to move to new territory when their remote miners run dry.
When they run out of uninhabited worlds, Nomads would jump in, attack a world, strip mine it of resources, then leave before the player can muster a defense force. The difficulty would be in taking planets with minimal losses, so you can actually make a profit after rebuilding lost ships. They would probably turn into pirates, and capture ships as a budgetary mainstay.

Pirates would be able to make better use of planets, with slave labour camps (they could even follow the nomads wake, putting slave colonies down on the large, zero value worlds).

quote:

---

One thing to note about the mod launcher : It only detects mods that are 1 directory deep

---

Could you possibly expand the program to search multiple levels?
I thought that the <author>\<specific mod>\<files> directory structure was really neat and tidy (and maybe a little innovative, too ).

quote:

---

SJ : Dont suppose I can hassle you to change the format of the .Zip file can I?
And also to include a ModInfo.txt in the mod's root directory?
I can even provide one for you if you want.

---

Players could always move the P&N folder to <SE4>\<P&N>. Just a click-and drag away.

I think I'll create my own ModInfo.txt, and make it a 50Kb monster detailing all the changes from SE4 classic .

quote:

---

That or make a note that Living Ships don't have crew and so can't store cargo in their quaters *and* that living ships can't be miniaturised or automated.

---

You got it! I would have put more of a description, explaining these limitations, but they are fairly logical, and took up too much space on the screen.

Living Ships's C&C components are all brain, no body. You don't usually store your old junk in your brain or spinal cord. The living ships from a packrat race would just insist on having a cargo bay or two installed .
Miniaturization occurs because your CREW is smaller, and need less open space. The living ships are not of your race, just the minds/brains of your race, enlarged to use the ship as a body.
Automation decreases the crew complement required to run the ship. A living ship has a crew anywhere from zero to one (inclusive), depending on your point of view. You can't reduce that any further without losing control of your ship.

quote:

---

*Finally* Weapons Platforms are units as well, yet aren't included in the Big Thinkers racial trait's effect

---

Well... OK. That would make them 250KT, 500Kt and 750KT in size.
I'll have to bump up the price of the trait, then too.

------------------
The latest info on Pirates & Nomads (forum thread).
-<Download V2.2>- (Now with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download P&N Classic>- (The final release of P&N v1.x, with EZ-Install, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download compatible EMPs for P&N v1.2 through v1.7>-
-<Download SJs latest AI Patcher>-
Visit My Homepage

Other Links:
-<Play By Web>-
-<Schlock Mercenary>- (great space-based webcartoon) -<First Strip>-
-<8-bit Theater>- (fun comic with the pixellated FF1 characters)