Hello all.
Excuse the scribbled untidy nature of these notes
This is not a tutorial, I am just explaining stuff as i go along.

Right, here is new system with the primary parts planned out.

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The first flaw in the design is the position of the jumpgate and the tradelane in to the systems heart. This will be on the darkside of the system and so we may need to add a light source at that side of move the gate to the east side where the effects will be stunning when the player first enters the system.

Because we used graph paper we know exactly where every item needs to be, the coodinates can be found very easily simply by looking them up along the top and down the side. However the graph i have drawn is not big enough to allow us to see whats higher up than -45000k or further down than 45000 but this fine. But you get the idea.

Already we can see the free zones which will probable be used for missions and other solar items such as asteriods. the sort of thing that finishes off any system nicely. You can also see the BaseRing, it is nearly 40k from side to side so thats one huge base structure. Because of this i marked 4 points that need to be exactly right for this to work. The parts between those points need not form a perfect circle. I also marked the point where i wanted the solar objects to line up so i can make sure there is a base at that location.

Slow we will have a 45k diameter exclusion zone at the center of the system so any asteriod fields we place wont appear in that area.

Now i can start making it with the planning done.

Giskard

Edited by - giskard on 02-07-2003 14:03:50

THat's insane man. it's gonna be FRICKEN HUGE! Makes me think of that one Unknown System.

Not huge, its a normal sized system.

All the planets and stars and tradelanes are now in place. The entry to the system is from the east now not the west and the systems look and feel has yet to be setup.

First jobs are usually add a jumpgate to 1 existing system and the new system then a base and fly to that base and save the game there. However for some reason the gods didnt like me today and kept messing me around at each stage. The code was correct so it was one of those weird game bugs that happens when you edit stuff too much lol.

Anyway the next step is to add 8 bases around that ring then to link them all up.

The solar stuff line up great, just need to tweak the colours on those to create the effect im after and test the burn and death zones of each item.

I'll be making the ring out of the long base parts and adding the odd docking bay around the sides where the bases are supposed be. Perhaps even using one of the big bases in one or two areas. The longest parts are about 500m long. If i stick something big at the join, it will look like one big chain. I can then add features to that change. Big Job but the tradelanes i put in place will act as my guide.

Giskard

Edited by - giskard on 02-07-2003 22:36:31

Okay, I know other people are probably thinking the same thing, but... how about making a planet similar to Halo? = Do you think making a ring-shaped planet is even possible? Cuz that sure would be nifty. I guess someone would have to model it, and skin it, and... well... seems like a lot of work. I might try it, if I ever feel ambitious enough.

Very cool idea, this is a concept that's worthy of it's own standalone game IMO.

Another cool idea would be to see some worlds like those in 'Rendevous with Rama'. Just a huge cylinder.

Here are some thoughts and wishes about the system and the free spaces that are for ideas:

1. It would be cool if you could make a whole new set of a "legion" if you will. Like some bases could be devoted to covenant and some to marines. But making covenant on the game would be really tricky im sure, and it would take awhile to get the bugs out. Any ideas?

2. Number 1. adds a second point. If you could make a WHOLE new system devoted to the marines and the main planet could be REACH or if you want earth. (but then you would have to make all the other planets such as jupiter, UR-Anus lol)

3.A ship from halo! 1 word: BANSHEE. Maybe even a PELICAN? The AUTUMN would be fun, but it huge!

4. How about in the bottom right corner you could put a IMG base around a field of astroids full of something. (you name it) perhaps gold?
Here are some prices and listings for the base:


Commodities Price
What ever is in the astroid field It depends on what is in the astroid field
Berillym 100
Alien Organisms 350
Superconducters 1000
MOX 900

Equipment Price
???????????? ????
I cant remember any good equipment, youll have to do this yourselv

Ships Price
Dromedary Freigter 96,000
Maybe a custom ship or a ship ???
you can take from another mod?
Centurion 250,000

These are just some suggestions. IF you do take any of my ideas, can you make a message telling me please?

Oh and if you want more stuff like this, just make a message. (trust me, i have many ideas.)

And when he gets to heaven
to Saint Peter he will tell:
One more soldier reporting sir
I've served my time in hell



Edited by - discharger12 on 03-07-2003 04:18:33

Giskard, this idea of yours looks good. What i would like to ask is are you employing battleship encounters in game? That would certainly add some flavor to the game. The mod i sent you should have a good template on the improved specs on all capitol ships. Also, since mooring is a relatively simple job if you copy a base setup from the solararch it should be easy to make mooring possible. If you do allow for battleship encounters, will you use the Balistner? That will certainly give any player a shock if they see it for the first time.

Xenogear_0001:

I considered doing that but it would break the golden rule for this system. EG keep the file size small. You may not notice that my own mod is relatively small at 3.5 meg compared to other mods yet manages to offer most of the same items other mods have except for adding everybodys ship to it.

The reason is im very carefuly about file sizes because i know the more ships I add the bigger the mod becomes and the harder to distrobute it, it becomes. Bandwidth costs money basically. Plus some 56kers suddenly find its too big to download.

discharger12:
Sorry mate the only legion i know is from Red Dwarf mate, you will have to explain what you mean.

Over all idea.

My policy is to let others customise stuff for their own mod and this pretty much follows that policy. I will be doing all the hardwork of setting up the system so common items work but i will be leaving some things for the other mod makers to do. So each ringworld feels different in everybodys mod.

However I have no intention of releasing the system and forgetting about it. When you guys are ready to use this system and want to do something your selfs with it, all you have to do is come back to this thread, tell me what you want to do and if I know how to do it, i'll explain it so you can do it your selves.

This way, your Ringworld will be special. You may even choose not to share it or may even release it as special version of Ringworld others will want to use. The choice is entirely yours and I will support you what ever you do.

I want to promote customisation of addons because I feel most are just direct copies and this makes all mods feel the same. A bad thing in my book.

So my intention is to make system, add the bases, add some basic characters to mbases (carefully matching characters to the bases and the rumours, no half hearted job here), give them some basic goods and commodities, give them empty ship yards, perhaps leaving some common ships in there for example purposes only and setting up the code thats required for missions to work but not the zones the AI uses for area patrols.

You can see the system map above, the coordinates as there for easy to see across the top and down the side.

Telling you how to add your own encounters is as easy as pie. A simple cut and paste and few lines on what to change is enough. Yet the results will be a new version of Ringworld that players will enjoy.

I'll even explain wrecks or perhaps add them my self for you.

However, the action in the system must be added by you guys or your just getting a copy of a system everybody will have. Now if you guys have any ideas for the sort of action you want to see, best start talking about it now. As soon as the systems ready it will be released and you can start modding it.

Im not going to release it as a mod, im releasing it as source files for you to turn into a mod. Your own system mod thats not a copy of anything thats already in the game, think about it.

The aim here is to let you put in the sort of things that makes each system different, EG the same sort of things i value in my HU systems. If you guys are proud of your own versions of this system then you may feel like tweaking some others too.

What ever happens, you guys will see how easy it is to setup encounters and choose who runs what base and perhaps even learn or tell others how to edit the mbases file.

BTW my mbases file doesnt have any bugs in it any more so the job case missions will work too once encounters are added, and yes, there is plenty of room for battleships down the left side and across the bottom of the system.

Giskard

Griskard:

Whoa! Slow down there. For all of us simple politicians (as said by Pres. Jacobi) can you put that in short? lol I just want to know if you liked my idea or not and if you wanted more.

Oh and by legion i mean like a faction. You know, like the Red Hessians, the Corsairs, ALG Waste Disposal, like that.

And when he gets to heaven
to Saint Peter he will tell:
One more soldier reporting sir
I've served my time in hell

discharger12

Lol.

Sorry, only the line below your name was directed at you discharger12. The rest is more a statement about what i plan to do for the other readers.

As for the legion idea.

Well thats one of the tweaks im taking about, entirely up to the mod maker that uses the system. I'll be here to explain how that sort of thing is done so even a noob could modify it.

Giskard

oh. im have no clue how to make a mod. But let me get this straight. Someone is going to take your idea and THEN make a mod from it? Or are you adding just the basic structure of the system?

And when he gets to heaven
to Saint Peter he will tell:
One more soldier reporting sir
I've served my time in hell

From what i understand it will be the infrastructure that Giskard will be providing. Its up to the rest of us modders to turn it into something richer. The buildings there. Decorating it is up to us. By the way Giskard, since i specialise in ship creation and their related equipment, when your package is complete can i combine it with my ships and release it under both our names?

Ringworld Screenshot.

The long bar below is the basic ring, its now complete, thats the hard part over. Next i will add some base elements to the ring. Easy now i have the rings exact coordinates. There are 8 working bases already around the ring too.

This shot shows the first base, the first planet and the biggest star being eclipsed by the planet. In the shot im at the point where the eclipse will always be visable.

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I have yet to set the space colour, the background images for space, the star colours and the system light colours. What you see is basically a bad mix of cut and pastes from other work ive done so it doesnt look right yet. Im a lazy typer you see

Still Im sure you will agree, its looking cooler by the day

Wanderer:

Yes mate but no need to include my name. It will be your mod. Im providing this for 2 very different reasons.

1) Shipmakers could use a new system to put their ships and and other mod makers always want new systems. Plus few noobs will pick up a trick or two by the end of this little project.

2) Im hoping by providing a system that does the same job as newmars and looks better than newmars, some mod makers wont want newmars anymore

So im being saintly and selfish, whats a selfish saint called anyway lol.

Sorry, had to be said.

Honestly though, the system already looks great and ive not finished setting the lighting and the colours yet. The names are not done, the bases have nobody in them yet. In short its still just a shell.

Anyway i am ready to post the first ini but because the system if far from complete im going to wait until its closer to finished before i give you ship makers a chance to start making the market files for it.

You should be able to setup the system from the beta and then drop in the updated files as we go. This way you can see how its developing, use it as it developes and even tell me any bugs or ideas for improvement you have before it goes final.

giskard