Updates and Discussion

Hi everybody. I'm announcing my first publicly released plugin, Nebula: D.O.A.
After playing the Fed string, I felt shortchanged. I mean, look at how much fighting goes on all around the borders, and here you are, doing puny nothing-to-write-home-about missions (with some exceptions). The plugin is centered around a new Federation military corps: Detachment 17, or, informaly, the Special Forces. The missions will range from stealing plans to advanced ships, preforming surgical and diversional strikes, capturing blockade runners, and stealing technology to leading massive assaults and capturing strategic footholds in enemy territory. That's right, I said CAPTURING. As in conquering in the name of the Federation.
It will include:

New ships
New weapons
New missions
New characters
New systems
New planets
New intro screens

and more!

My idea is to make a small semi-storyline plugin (30 missions) and then have several bigger ones that go with it, thus enabling you to have diffirent outcomes. For example, maybe you want to rebel against the Feddies. Just plop plug X in with the base plug. Or maybe you want to attack the Polaris. Use plug Y instead. Mind you, there won't be a plug for every choice in the game, just a few at the major forks in the road. More to come soon. For now, here's an idea of how things are going:

Intro screen: 100%
Characters: 100%
Weapons and Outfits: 60%
Systems: 80%
Planets: 80%
Planet Graphics: 90%
Missions: 20% (some still need some bugs squashed)
Descriptions: 100% Done for everything that is complete (For example, every one of the 60% complete weapons has one, but not all the weapons are done yet)

Any help is appriciated. I do need some pointers on mission bits, some missions seem to be buggy.

This post has been edited by Cosmic_Nusiance : 01 September 2007 - 08:37 PM

Hmm if only I'd made enough progress to release the second installment of Anathema. Then it would look like you're plagiarizing my work instead of the other way around!

I totally agree with you about the storyline of the Fed string focusing too much on "go here go here go here go here" and not enough on "kill this kill this kill this." I've actually been planning a plugin that would start you out as a lowly fighter or scoutship pilot and focus on moving up in military ranks as opposed to the behind the scenes approach of the cannon story.

Sounds like a great idea! If you need any help, let me know and I'll do what I can for you! I will, of course, be working on getting the Anathema teaser ready for final release and getting the second chapter completed, but I'd love to help out on a second project!

@archon, on Aug 9 2007, 06:52 PM, said in Nebula: D.O.A.:

Hmm… if only I'd made enough progress to release the second installment of Anathema. Then it would look like you're plagiarizing my work instead of the other way around!

I totally agree with you about the storyline of the Fed string focusing too much on "go here go here go here go here" and not enough on "kill this kill this kill this." I've actually been planning a plugin that would start you out as a lowly fighter or scoutship pilot and focus on moving up in military ranks as opposed to the behind the scenes approach of the cannon story.

Sounds like a great idea! If you need any help, let me know and I'll do what I can for you! I will, of course, be working on getting the Anathema teaser ready for final release and getting the second chapter completed, but I'd love to help out on a second project!

Thanks for the input! Sorry if that's a wee bit close to what you've been doing. I won't press charges.

This post has been edited by Cosmic_Nusiance : 09 August 2007 - 06:41 PM

Sounds great! The Fed string does indeed get boring fast. I would love to see new stuff. Also, feel free to ask me if you need anything done in the weapons department.

To both Cosmic and Archon:

Do your storylines replace just the Fed Storyline? So long's I'm not working for the Bureau, I'll be just fine with that.

From the sound of it, Cosmic's replaces the Fed storyline, but mine is a continuation that picks up where the original Nova Fed line left off.

While mine does come with a pilot who has already completed the Fed line, you still work for the Bureau (actually, you run it and do some really evil, mean, nasty stuff). So you probably wouldn't be too interested.

Nebula is supposed to be a supplement, possibly branching into all major storylines. Warlord, I share your hate for the Bureau, and breaking away and creating your own rebellion is a top priority for the additional continuations (see my first post). It may eventually replace the fed storyline, but for now all the missions etc. have unique IDs. It starts with standard military patrols, boarding blockade runners, etc. and will move up to capturing plans (blue engine glow on an Auroran carrier, anyone?) and capturing systems. Anyone who would like to help with this project please PM me. I am grateful for any help offered, and there can never be too many team members.

Today I added a few new cargo types. The only ones that come to mind are Special Forces Assault Team, Carrier Plans, Avar Cleines (in-game character), Illegal Drugs (drugbust mission), and Classified plans. I may add or delete some as the plug requires. Nothing much done other than that.

EDIT: I'm assuming a double post is OK in instances like this (plugin updates).

This post has been edited by Cosmic_Nusiance : 10 August 2007 - 08:31 PM

eerg. Double post.

This post has been edited by Cosmic_Nusiance : 15 August 2007 - 12:18 PM

Nothing to be done today except concept art. I'll get some scans up later. I got some great ideas for 2nd generation Auroran ships </spoiler>. There's a cool one called a Piranha that's basically bridges the gap between the Phoenix and the Abomination. It's basically a heavy missile platform with a railgun on the bottom. Any volunteers to model it? Also have some new weapons that I'll start on soon.

Began work on music. It sounds like your being locked inside a spaceship that's being prepped for takeoff. It mostly uses GarageBand's loops, e.g. sci-fi sound effects and foley effects for things like computers beeping, garbled radio transmissions in the background, airlocks closing, etc. Hopfully will update the missions today. I am unhappy with my first few mission dëscs, so I'll be redoing those as well.

Music, eh?

Pace did the same thing with Arpia II, though it was only one time through.

EV's one of those games where you kinda need to have looping music (if you're going to have music at all, that is) to make it sound good.

I can't wait to see some of the finished product, Cosmic. Keep at it!

@warlord-mike, on Aug 15 2007, 03:09 PM, said in Nebula: D.O.A.:

Music, eh?

Pace did the same thing with Arpia II, though it was only one time through.

EV's one of those games where you kinda need to have looping music (if you're going to have music at all, that is) to make it sound good.

I can't wait to see some of the finished product, Cosmic. Keep at it!

I mean more like intro main menu music. Thanks for the encouragement. If you want, I can put you on the list of beta testers when I release the beta version of the base plugin. Won't be long now, probably a month, but I haven't done much work in the last week, so maybe slightly more.

@cosmic_nusiance, on Aug 15 2007, 12:28 PM, said in Nebula: D.O.A.:

I mean more like intro main menu music. Thanks for the encouragement. If you want, I can put you on the list of beta testers when I release the beta version of the base plugin. Won't be long now, probably a month, but I haven't done much work in the last week, so maybe slightly more.

Sign me up! I've always wanted to play a Fed. String in which you aren't an evil, cold-hearted sonuva...well, you know.

However, in about a month, I'll be starting Community College (gonna be 3rd year there), so I don't know how much time I'll have. I think I can make it work, though.

Good luck, sir.

I just fixed a major problem that I just realized I had. The intro mission text was simply a placeholder: "Are you in or out?"
I just fixed it and wrote a pretty long intro. I also am upping the required combat rating from 0 to, say, 500 or so. And no more 100% chance of getting the mission, either. That's pretty much all I did, though. However, on Saturday and Sunday I'm pretty much all free, so I'll see how much I can crank out.

Wow, sounds awesome. I really look forward to playing it CN. Now, don't be a nusiance and forget to release the plug to us!!! Keep us updated!!!

@trinix, on Aug 16 2007, 11:08 PM, said in Nebula: D.O.A.:

Wow, sounds awesome. I really look forward to playing it CN. Now, don't be a nusiance and forget to release the plug to us!!! Keep us updated!!!

Will do!

Nice, put me in for the beta.

Put me in beta too! I missed the Colosseum beta calling, and now I'm all sad....

@zapp, on Aug 17 2007, 08:23 PM, said in Nebula: D.O.A.:

Put me in beta too! I missed the Colosseum beta calling, and now I'm all sad....

Sure thing! The more the merrier.