Grendel Spawn - Dynamic Mod

Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:24 pm by soundspawn

The Grendel Spawn mod is a multiplayer mod that adds a dynamic experience to Freelancer. I don't just mean dynamic because players can make guilds and claim systems... Dynamic because if your guild is large enough, it becomes a faction, and your faction can make peace treaties with other factions... New systems can be discovered and claimed. Bases can be built in new and old systems. New guns are constantly be discovered. Ship upgrades (not just armor and engine/power plant) are possible. Everything I mentioned just now, and so much more is ALREADY COMPLETE, so please don't respond by saying any of that is impossible, I know first hand that it is.

Here's the current stats:
Freelancer V1.0
Customized ships: 0
Upgrade options: 0
Estimated Different ships: 31

Grendel Spawn V.011b
Customized ships: 8
Upgrade options: 26
Esitamated Different ships: 596,216,567,200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
New Systems: 4
New Factions: 3
New Commodities: 2
New weapons: 3

This mod is finishing up it's testing, and will be ready as soon as a server wants it. If you are interested in beta testing, developing, or using this mod on your server, please respond to this thread. Also, please please please give me any feedback or questions about this mod. I've spent far too long on it to just have all my work sit and wittle away.

Edited by - soundspawn on 04-12-2003 17:13:52

Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:44 pm by cardam|ne

i'll beta test for you! your thread won't disappear, just that nobody posted in it for more than 2 days so it goes off the most recent posts. look here: lol your thread was boring, so it died. lol j/k. id love to beta test, but i dont run a web server, only a LAN server between my 2 PCs and my brothers.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Estupidud Rex

http://www.cardamine.net/ - should be up and running after Christmas!

Thu Dec 04, 2003 5:13 pm by soundspawn

Oh, oops... I deleted the older two. Anyway, go to www.soundspawn.com, and click the Freelancer Mod Forum link (center of page). Register at the forum (and don't worry, my site has zero popups, and I don't spam the registered users), and I'll set up permissions to beta test.

Edit: link wasn't working...

Edited by - soundspawn on 04-12-2003 17:15:38

Fri Dec 05, 2003 1:24 am by Louva-Deus

I'm interested in how you are planning to accomplish this since I'm involved in a similar project trying to create a dynamic world. What method are you using?

Primary Developer of the =EOA= Players Consortium

Fri Dec 05, 2003 2:00 am by soundspawn

Actually, I'm not planning it, I've done it. It's actually a combination of many things. First off, I have a program much like FLMM that you run. It pings my fileserver, gets any new files it may need, activates them, and starts up freelancer. The biggest trick to the dynamic world is updating the files, and making sure everyone is using the most recent files. This way I can add a system, upload the changed files to the server, and anyone who wishes to play will automatically get the updated files (which will in turn add the system to their comp). That's the basis of it, although there are more primal ways to go about it. For example, you can just change the description and password to the server everytime you want to update the files. In the description put the build number they should have, and the address they can get the update files... Inside the update files have the new password. That'd be more tedious, but it'd work.

Sat Dec 06, 2003 2:19 am by Louva-Deus

Sounds like updated content rather than dynamic. This program of yours sounds interesting though. Is it something you would be interested in sharing with other people to use for their own projects?

Primary Developer of the =EOA= Players Consortium

Sat Dec 06, 2003 3:22 pm by soundspawn

Specifically, yes, it's updated content, but the rate of updated content is what makes it so dynamic. If things are changing every day, or even multiple times a day, then it becomes quite dynamic, as long as each change is small. For example, one change could be rheinland starting to show up in southern Texas, but nothing serious. A few days later, they could have moved up into the borders of New York. Later that day, cap ships could start showing up in Texas, and if no one stops them, they would deploy a base there. They could continue this gradual process until A) someone stops them, or

they gradually take over all of Sirius. As far as the program, I'd have to work out some of the code, right now a lot of the paths are hardcoded, so I'd need to add a config file for it to work on other servers. I will give it thought.

Sat Dec 06, 2003 11:38 pm by Louva-Deus

And how would you know when a rheinland fleet was stopped? Are you going to manually let your updating program know when things change and how?

Primary Developer of the =EOA= Players Consortium

Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:18 am by soundspawn

Well, it's not just going to be NPCs making these choices (which are randomized within my updating software), but also the choices of players. Players will be encouraged to assume the roles of leading members of existing factions. The player in charge of Rhienlands might declare he is going to begin this invasion (in a private thread on the mods forum), and I will set things up with him. If he fails in taking over an area, everyone will know, especially the party who stopped him. Basically most of these changes are (hopefully) driven by players, not just a classic "This weeks problem for all you players" type experience.

Sun Dec 07, 2003 5:02 pm by Louva-Deus

So then this is designed for an RPG environment.

Primary Developer of the =EOA= Players Consortium

Mon Dec 08, 2003 1:37 am by soundspawn

Definately.

Mon Dec 08, 2003 4:24 am by Louva-Deus

With that in mind what kind of a config file would you use for this program? If I were to use it for a project for example then what would I do?

Primary Developer of the =EOA= Players Consortium

Tue Dec 09, 2003 11:57 pm by soundspawn

I'm not sure what you mean, but I can explain the program a little better for you. There's two programs, one for players, one for the admin. The play program works like this:

You open the program, it checks with my fileserver for any updates, if there's one available, then it downloads/unpacks the update, so you can play with the most recent files, otherwise it just starts up the game with the same files. This is all automated, so no players need to do anything special.

The admin program allows for changes in the territories, and when combined with a little work in freelancer exploerer, makes the entire modding aspect visual. When you're done changing what you wish to change, you click a button, the program packs up the new and modified files, and uploads the pack to my fileserver.

I messed up the programs the other day trying to make it something everyone can use. I rebuilt both programs in under 12 hours, but once again, only for my mod. I have decided that if I can learn Visual Basic AND develop both of these programs in half a day, anyone can, so I will not be sharing my programs. If you have any technical question on how to make these programs yourselves, I would be inclined to help you.

Wed Dec 10, 2003 1:58 am by Louva-Deus

Well my Visual Basic skills are a bit rusty but if you can provide me with source code that would make things easier. If you did give me the source and I did manage to make it into something anyone could use would you mind if I made it public?

Primary Developer of the =EOA= Players Consortium

Wed Dec 10, 2003 7:44 am by soundspawn

Why would I give away my source code? This feature is one of the few features that makes my mod different than every other mod out there, so why would I just give away all the hard work (both on the programs and the mod itself) so everyone can make mods like mine and flood the market? perhaps, PERHAPS when/if my mod is more popular I will release the source code or configurable program for others to follow, but as long as my mod is the only mod with the dynamic aspect in effect I am going to do what I can to keep it unique. I'm sure you understand, and if you don't, you should probably think about my position a little more. If everyone could have a dynamic mod, why would my mod be any different/better than the millions of other mods out there? I am confident that I can (with a team of other well trained modders of course) make the best mod out there, and this dynamic aspect is just one example supporting my belief. Until my hopes are either accomplished or squashed like a bug, I'm going to keep the unique things my mod contains a secret, as to keep the value of my work in tact.

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