Outpost Universe Forums
Projects & Development => Outpost 2 Programming & Development => Topic started by: Savant_Ace on March 08, 2005, 02:42:40 AM
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To all who are interested: I've spent a little time and with continuous error-correction from Hooman, I've succesfully created a modification for Outpost 2 that changes the Tech tree entirley. In this mod, you have to build a basic lab and study things to get a standard lab, but thats just one small aspect to it. This mod adds well over 15 new research topics and their respective effects on the game. It's usefullness applies to the hinders of severe overpopulation and colony management. It also can be applied to multiplayer games for combat. Anyone interested in this mod should contact me through IRC because I don't know how to post files here @.@;;.
It's a good bit of fun if you want a little more kick outta OP2 then normal, but I'm sure most people won't like some of the changes. Anyhow.
Note: The downside to this Is I don't know how to edit script files, so I can't set the colony games to not start out with a standard lab. If you want to single-player this to its maximum potential, you have to play a colony game with a difficulty setting that doesn't include a standard lab.
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Send me the mod and ill get it posted for all to download.
Rember guys when using mods back up your original files and every1 who is playing the game needs to use the same moded files or it wont work. Going back to normal mod, just remove the moded files and rename the originals to normal names :) HF
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Or install two copies of the game, and mod one of them. lol
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Only two copies? ;)
I tried that for a while but I've had way too many mods done to keep track of. I always managed to muck up the fresh copy I have for multiplayer. :blush:
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Wen i was clearning some files from old install i found about 10 OP2 installs.
I've been sorting OP2 files and i have least 15 installs.
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:huh: ... ok, now that's maybe a little excessive.
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sounds cool where is the mod?
btw this is totlay of topic but dont you see more a face in this :op2: then a planet with some satelite around it you have 2 admid you do see a face in it if you concentrate cous i always have seen a face in it
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Dude... punctuation! Use the english language CORRECTLY.
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I always have my 2 op2 installs with me, they are loaded on my USB key. :)
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Good idea neutrino....
BTW get the mod to Levi..I wanna see this
^_^
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ace1.zip (http://www.outpostuniverse.net/files/ace1.zip)
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Nice but uh oh...a bug :(
The Geothermal Generator...
It cuts out as soon as I select or hold cursor over it...
Good job otherwise! YOu give me hope for coding!
^_^
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I have no problem with geothermal plants whatsoever. anyone else try this mod yet? I need more input to see if the bug is because of a problem in my coding. Nightmare, Try it on plymouth, too. Its fun, theres defferent topics for each side
and I have a recent edition with Arachnid mods. (thumbsup) I'll send it to Levy..
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By the way did you get into the nanotech part? all the best mods are there. BUt you have to study quantum physics and a bunch of s*** first.
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the modsounds interesting, but i don't like the concept of having two op2s... it just doesn't seem right to me... i have the same problem using hotkeys but hey. thats just me!
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its a mod, a different version of the game.
it cant be that different.
mainly diff game rules and research
good mod! :D
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I really like it!
And due whyen ur done, just delete the two text files.
^_^
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YYYEEESSSS I FINALLY FOUND THIS MUDDAFUKKAH!!!! yes!
Now is there any way that we could continue work on this mod, as its seems easy enough to do and not take a lot of time to add more topics? Extend OP2 life in say a Colony Game :).
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Tech tree mods are very easy to do. Go ahead an do it. :)
Just take a look at the format of the existing files. It's not too hard to see how they did it and follow along. This mod was basically just a new multitek.txt file from what I remember.
The easiest way to work on a tech tree mod, is to extract multitek.txt from the VOL file, and place it in the OP2 directory. Edit the file as much as you want, and use the colony games to test it out. Then when it's ready to distribute, you'll probably want to rename it, and make a level that references it.
If you don't change the name, be prepared to expect checksum errors in multiplayer when someone with the mod tries to play someone without it. This can be rather annoying for people with only one install of OP2 that want to try your level and tech tree without mucking up their ability to play multiplayer. Even if you don't make a level, I suggest renaming it before distributing it, then they can always copy and rename it to multitek.txt to try it out. It'd be easy to delete that one file when they are done to go back to the original settings, and still keep your mod around under the different file name.
Some points to remember for tech tree mods.
- Follow the format in the files, and don't forget tags that you should have (like the end tag for each tech)
- Make sure the tech ID is a unique number
- Take a look at how techs are given for free at startup for each colony, and what techs they are not able to research. This is done by setting the research cost to 0 or -1. Which leads me to:
- A colony may be given techs for free that only the other colony can research. This basically lets you simplify your tech tree when both colonies can research a tech, but they have different prerequisits for it. By giving the prerequisite tech to the colony that can't research it, you avoid having to create two copies of that whole line of techs in your tech tree.
- The lab tag controls which lab the tech is researched at (basic, standard, advanced)
- If you want to force basic lab research before the standard lab is available, then make the standard lab tech rely on all techs that must first be researched at the advanced lab. You might want to take a look at the campaign tech trees instead of multitek.txt for an example of this.
- Rember that a tech will only appear for research once ALL of it's prerequist techs that you list for it have been researched.
- Most buildings in the game are buildable once you have the tech of the same name. Most of these techs are given for free (cost 0) at the start of the game. You may change this however to affect how and in what order buildings become available. If you know how to get the standard lab to appear after all basic lab research has been completed, then you probably have a very good idea how to work with this.
- The research cost can different between the eden and plymouth colonies. Instead of using a COST tag, you can use the cost tag that is specific to that colony. Make sure you specify a cost for both colonies however. Either through a single COST tag, or both individual tags. Note that this is used to make a tech available to only one colony.
- Certain tech IDs are hardcoded into the game engine. So don't change the tech IDs of existing techs with special affects that are not specified through the use of tags. Examples of this are the disaster warn techs. Colony morale techs also depend on hard coded tech IDs to determine when the morale effects kick in. (At least as far as I remember). The techs that give buildings also probably work this way.
- Techs given from wreckage must have a tech ID above a certain value. I think it was 8000 up to 8000 + 4095. You might want to do a search for info on this if you're unsure and plan to give a tech through collecting wreckage. (Also keep in mind when placing wreckage on a map, that it will only behave as wreckage on certain terrain types, so make sure you place it somewhere where it is recognized properly. If you're unsure and plan to do this, try doing a search for info on it).
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Real nice! I played Eden Starship with it....
Still Geothermal ain't working for some reason....odd....
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Ok I think I found what was wrong with this mod's Geothermal plants don''t work - most of the values for it are missing. Gotta fill em in Ill do.
EDIT : Okay they are not missing....just missplaced quite a bit...I fixed it and its working nicely now. Maybe I should touch up the rest of it so the research topics aren't so messy.
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Hey Nightmare24148 could you show what you did to fix it plz.
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Okay I dont have it with me right now, but if I remember correctly, load up the txt file with all the structure's attributes in columns, and look for Geothermal Plant or w/e. You'll see there that a lot of the values are misplaced...so just use the Backspace key to delete some of that extra spacing and all the values should fall into line.
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Hey all i found out how to reserch the basic lab into build inventory
You must have the building file out of the outpost foldere or it whont work
1st go to botum of file and take and delete
========================
BEGIN_TECH "Basic Lab" 02106
CATEGORY 0
COST 0
END_TECH
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and move it to top and alter it to this
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BEGIN_TECH "Basic Lab" 02106
CATEGORY 0
DESCRIPTION "We Need a basic lab to begin rebuilding"
TEASER "This new lab will be the 1st step in servival begin dezining"
COST 100
MAX_SCIENTISTS 5
LAB 2
END_TECH
======================== (thumbsup)
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An example of that has been posted here (http://forum.outpostuniverse.net/index.php?showtopic=1374&view=findpost&p=29217).
It also handles the basic lab techs that you normally need to research in the campaigns, and if you don't give the techs to the player at the start of the level, then it forces them to research them before they can build a standard lab. Might as well add a use for the basic lab if you're going to allow the player to build one.
It also offers an extra option for people who want to put the Tiger Speed Modification from Wreckage into their level.
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Ah i didnt see that post sorry.
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where did Savant Ace go?
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I think he left after the forums switched hands. Don't think he really got over that one.
Then of course you joined just to confuse us all. <_<
And considering that post was 2 years old, I can see why you didn't find it. Nobody has really done much work on stuff like that lately. Although, it could be a lot of fun for cool new levels. On the other hand, tech trees are pretty big and it takes a lot of work to figure out a new one just to play one new level.
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Im up for a chalenge im makin my own tech-tree now.
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I think he left after the forums switched hands. Don't think he really got over that one.
Then of course you joined just to confuse us all. <_<
Dang, Hooman, how did you find about my plans, grrrrrr. :P
Well, at least he done some great job.
Hm...
I just remeber tha op2patriot (or someone else) made that DEATH supernova, the one that destroys everything on the map...
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Yeah, I think I know what value to change for that. I did something similar for a laser and took out most of my base in one shot. I lost the level because my CC went disabled from the damage. It was about 1.5 to 2 screens away. Basically the value I've referred to as weaponDamagePixelRadius in my posts on the weapon damage calculations.
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Nobody has really done much work on stuff like that lately.
Says you...
(disappears again)
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Ok, noone has posted about this type of project in the programming forum lately.
Have you posted anything? I would assume any work like this that's posted was probably placed in a released level? I wouldn't think to look for it there. :P
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I was there when he made this mod in his house actually from what i saw its rather easy to edit the tech tree but still easier to f*** it up lol.
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Well I had plans for a techtree and look where its gotten me :lol:
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did you check this with lev?
not to be a vertual tattle-tale
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Excellent, I finally got it fixed.
Here's the building.txt with the correct values so Geothermal plants will function correctly :D. It won't apply retroactively to saved games though.
Either way, awesome mod, takes too loooooong too research all the way to the top though :).
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I see that there is more than one mod file listed here. Which one is the file that I need, or is this mod already included in the OP2 program that is here on this site?
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No - this mod is not included. Its just a little side project by dude. Stick both files in your OP2 Directory to get the changes.
And also..."WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT?!?"
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WHY??! TELL ME...WHY?!?!?!?!
The EMP Missile doesn't work for Eden though :ph34r:
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The EMP Missile doesn't work for Eden though :ph34r:
Yes, we've known that for a long time now.
There might be some hackish thing that could be done to fix it, but nobody really cares enough to do it, since Eden will not normally get the EMP Missile.
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THE HORROR, THE HORRORRRRR!!!!
(taht schema doesn't look that bad actually, Eden on Plymouth, unlike the opposite)
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I see much has been built on in my absence. Congrats to all for your repairs to my slightly damaged project. Glad to hear everyone has enjoyed it. And the reason it takes forever to research to the top? Well I don't know about other players, but I'm a fan of city-building games that last several hours, and it gets boring when the research is completed in the first five minutes.
Thanks all! (thumbsup)
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Do these tech mods enable Eden to build Plymouth structures and for Plymouth to build Eden structures?
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Not that i am aware of