[In-Progress] Unofficial SEIV Expansion Pack

[Urendi Maleldil]

Since it seems that there are more than a few people are still playing SEIV, and MM is busy with the development of SEV, I thought it might be good to assemble an unofficial expansion pack.

I'd like to have this be a community effort, possibly adapting some of the mods, shipsets and graphics that are already out there. I won't be able to do this alone.

The expansion should match the look and feel of stock SEIV Deluxe 1.95c (so no QNP) and compatible with stock AI, data files, etc. A user should be able to unzip the expansion pack to their main data folder just like the ImageModpack.

If you have created a SEIV mod, post here if you want some of its content included in the expansion pack.

If you have a race style you want included, post here.

If you're interested in creating original content or adapting existinc content for use in the expansion pack, post here too.

And if you have any other ideas, then by all means post them here.

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The expansion should include:

New components and facilities
These should be balanced with stock components and facilities and correspond to any extended tech levels.

new races
These should contain both ship images and AI. Original sets only (so no Star Trek races)

new advanced racial traits
These could follow the same pattern as stock traits (separate tech area), or be embedded into the tech tree.

Expanded tech areas that were somewhat neglected in stock (like biology, chemistry, gravitational manipulation, drones and remote mining)

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Other Possible additions:

new planet types
new system or quadrant types
new ruin techs
new mounts
an honest-to-goodness scenario
new music
text file additions - design types, cultures, etc.
new events
new formations
new hulls

[Ironmanbc]

To be honest we dont need an expansion pack (I myself am too busy playing the mods that people make)

besides there is the TMD mod and thats just for the A.I anyways

[Suicide Junkie]

A user should be able to unzip the expansion pack to their main data folder just like the ImageModpack.

Such an "expansion" could not change much more than the default name lists.
Otherwise it breaks savegames and screws up multiplayer bad.

[Fyron]

Ultimate Strategies Mod is a good place to get formations (and strategies) from. It is a compilation of all that I could find.

FQM seems to have a few fans here and there. Might be a decent place to get quadrant, system, etc. data from. I'd recommend using the "no ast" type quadrant options, to avoid the excesses created by the full asteroid rings typical of the mod. You would have to modify the non-mid-life quadrants to use the no ast type, but that's just a matter of copy/pasting the respective system lists from the mid-life no asts.

"text file additions - design types, cultures, etc."

There are some decent base files for the flavor files (empire names, design types, etc.) included in FQM as well. I think they are in both standard and deluxe, but I forget. Might be a good base for your purposes.

[Atrocities]

I would be happy to have all my non trek ship sets added.

[Suicide Junkie]

Oooh, yeah, shipsets.
How many shipsets are in that huge compilation torrent?

[Atrocities]

200 plus I think.

[Gandalf Parker]

Id love to see it. I recently tried to re-create my personal mod and ran into alot of problems. I didnt keep track originally of what I put into it but after loading the SEIV on my other desktop that I got with my copy of SEV I was shocked at the difference. I think there is a LOT of neutral stuff that can be incorporated into a single expansion pack which would allow other more specialized mods to run without conflict. Run better in fact since some seem to take for granted that I have capabilities that dont seem to be in place such as extra formations or attack instructions.

Somehow I ended up with:

of course all of the added graphics

huge galaxies (Fyrons Quadrant thing)

a couple of hundred shipsets which I mostly added one at a time.

an extensive list of emperor titles, and types of government, and all the other choices for creating a race

extended neutral races (altho I think I might have done that myself)

extended AI's

extra ship-name lists (some of which I might have done myself)

extra formations and default instructions for ships

space monsters and pirates

[Urendi Maleldil]

Atrocities said:
200 plus I think.

Yikes! The number of new races should probably be edited down to about 3-5, based on image quality, AI quality, and how they mesh with the overall look and feel of stock SE4.

[Urendi Maleldil]

Suicide Junkie said:
Such an "expansion" could not change much more than the default name lists.
Otherwise it breaks savegames and screws up multiplayer bad.

I forgot about that. Best to make it a regular mod then, and maybe include a copy of Matryx's SE4 Mod Launcher (if he's still around to ask).