I would just like to anounce that I am developing a total conversion plug for EVO :). Its only in early development, but it is coming along nicely. I'm also not very good at making 3d graphics, so its going to be using graphics from Meowx's EV and EVO Magma, as well as ships and ship sets from their site, and other's free graphics. Once I learn how to use Strata 3d well enough, I'll make my own.

As for the plugin, it is going to be more of a mission-based plug vs. choose your own destiny, although a little farther into the game you will be able to make decisions on who you really want to side with. As for the storyline of the plug:

10 years from now, mankind finally sees the end of WWIII, the war that was ignited by the terrorist attacks against the United States of America. The massive coalition of forces, both new and old US allies, effectively erradicated terrorism from the planet. Shortly after, all the countries of the world came together to form the United Nations of Earth. With terrorism out of the picture and the world united under one democratic republic, Earth was thrown into a new era of prosperity and achievement. Technological innovations came even faster than they did today. Only 20 years after the end of WWIII, mankind started to colonize its solar system, first the moon, then Mars. But one innovation remained elusive, the ability to travel to other stars.

Fortunatly, "impossible" never seemed to deter mankind; some 5 years after the colonization of Mars, human scientists discovered a large object of unknown origin just outside of our solar system. After half a decade of studies, they determined its purpose: to propel an object at enormous speeds to another hypergate...in another star system.

The year is 2051, and you have been chosen to take the next Giant Leap in the advancement of mankind.

That's the jist of my plug. I want to also say that one of my govts is the Galactic Alliance. I just found out that someone else is using that in their plug (I think it is ares1). I just wanted to make sure they don't have a problem with that.

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-Hail Pougan!

Quote

Originally posted by Pougan:
**... Only 20 years after the end of WWIII, mankind started to colonize its solar system, first the moon, then Mars. But one innovation remained elusive, the ability to travel to other stars.

Fortunatly, "impossible" never seemed to deter mankind; some 5 years after the colonization of Mars, human scientists discovered a large object of unknown origin just outside of our solar system. After half a decade of studies, they determined its purpose: to propel an object at enormous speeds to another hypergate...in another star system.

The year is 2051, and you have been chosen to take the next Giant Leap in the advancement of mankind...

**

Sounds ver' cool. I was kinda wanting to see an EVO plug that took a "First Leap" tack.

You realize, of course, will be a strong element of exploration. And plenty of first-contact (might suggest plentiful use of visbits so the locals can first go "What kind of creature are you? Earth, you say?" then later be a little more accepting; "Oh, another one of those Earthians.")

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everywhere else, it's --
"Nomuse"

Sounds very cool. However...

This sounds like something that would be better suited for the EVN engine (hypergates, as well as the fact that it is just plain more powerful).

It might be helpful to the player if you had a "training" plugin to go along with the main plotline plugin. The player could go through the trainer (diplomacy training could be in the bar, (which could be renamed "school" with all of the corresponding buttons being changed) with text saying "as you sit through another class on diplomacy..." or something to the like) while the missions themselves give you targets to attack. There was a plug like that for EV (Arena, I think), that trained you, and at the end of it, you got a great ship, great combat skills, and a nice little bank account.

Anyway, after the player finishes the training plugin (have the ship he gets be the default ship for the real plugin), he can start the real plug, so it seems like he has actually trained for the missions ahead, rather than being dropped into a scenario.

Hmm, I seemed to have just gone all over the place with that training suggestion... shrug Anyway, I hope your plug turns out all right.

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In response to the EVN suggestion, I was planning on making the plug in EVO first simply because if I wait to long, I tend to forget some of those great ideas I may come up with...and when EVN comes out, I'm probably going to spend more time playing it than editing a plug. So I figured I'd at least start making it in EVO and after I was done playing the crap out of EVN, I'd port it over (by then, I'll also most likely be more experienced with 3d modeling, so that is a plus too). As for the training idea, it's an interesting idea, but I'm making the plug from a more of a mankind-jumps-into-spacetravel-without-being-fully-prepared plot. Like the ship you start out with is very slow and not manuverable, low armor, no sheilds because mankind hasn't invented it yet, and unarmed vessel. The first several missions are diplomatic and then you get into the aquire-technology missions to get mankind up to standards with the rest of the universe. Sometime in those missions, the UNE govt becomes aware that the universe is more hostile than expected and starts developing better ships and offensive and defensive technologies. Initially, I had gotten rid of some of the "coming-of-age" missions because I didn't fully understand Visbits, but I just relized how to do it as I was typing this post. So I need to go back and put them back. I don't want to get into the details so as to not spoil the plug, but this has been the way I've been leaning.

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-Hail Pougan!

Quote

Originally posted by Pougan:
10 years from now, mankind finally sees the end of WWIII, the war that was ignited by the terrorist attacks against the United States of America.

I'd suggest making the end of the wars be in 20 years. Also, you might want to have it so the US gets hurt quite badly in the conflict (major crop damage caused by biological weapons). Anyway you look at it, the US would need to be humbled in order for a true UNE to be set up. You could have the major damage done to the US in 2011-2012.

Problems on the planet might provide a new impetus?sp? for getting out into space. Hawkin's recent book comes to mind.

Quote

Originally posted by Pougan:
The massive coalition of forces, both new and old US allies, effectively erradicated terrorism from the planet.

Not very realistic. O! I forgot. It's a game.

Best of luck.

-STH

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"Christ, what if the terrorists' base of operations turns out to be Detroit? Would we declare war on the state of Michigan? I suppose we'd have to." -U.S. Sen. John McCain, misquoted in (url="http://"http://www.theonion.com")"The Onion"(/url)