Theophantus Theophantus

Star wars vs star trek

Star wars vs star trek

Is it possible to merge some of the Mods together to create star wars vs star trek? Use the federation from SOA and add them to the Requiem mod? There was a mod that did this for Empire at War FOC. For Sins this would be awesome, to see the Feds against the Empire. A true Sci-fi nerds wet dream. Btw I know nothing about Modding and what it would take to do this. Regards Theo
1,611,652 views 634 replies
Reply #201 Top

Quoting Destraex, reply 200
I posted because I do find it interesting to compare. But always I am dissappointed with a result that either does not have enough information to truly depict the face off accurately or simply waters it down for movie or gameplays sake.

i'm interested, I just hate any time somebody tries to do it.

If you recently saw that TV series that faced off one warrior in time with another. there was just no way to really tell who would win. Spartan VS japanese monk. For a start you are talking about a spartan out of formation and with metal gear over 1000yrs earlier than the monk.

Well here we are talking about sci-fi where all the author wanted to portray by giving the ships actual yields is which was tougher than what in that universe. Its all just for heirachy's sake. To add a bit of flavour. Its why you almost never see actual tactics employed in any of the movies or TV shows.

They don't really care about tactics or real space battles. Most of the fluff about the ships comes out as an after thought by some geek who cares.

The closets I ever came to getting a real description of how a star wars space battle worked in detail was when timothy zahn wrote some novels. Then it got a tiny bit more complex than; hey thats a big ship; oh yeah better attack or retreat.

Perhaps the lack of "tactics" described in SW space warfare is due to the fact that tactics are exceedingly simple; formation is fairly irrelevant in SW, as Star Destroyer's mirror a combination battleship/carrier analogue (they carry small fightercraft, but are fully capable of going toe-to-toe with an equal tonnage warship).

Reply #202 Top

Quoting Theophantus, reply 199
@GoaFan, i used ZombieRuss's Race Mod as my base mod, thinking it would be easier to learn to mod with.

i suppose i should of just replaced the Alliance in Requiem with the Star Trek ships.

Well it might be (I have no idea what that mod is), but as all the icons have been done in Requiem for you, even if you just copied the ship entities and mesh/texture/brushes files you shouldn't have to do anything. Also the game can theoretically handle six races (though it might reduce performance somewhat), so you could even keep the alliance and add the federation just fine if you wanted.

Reply #203 Top

Quoting GoaFan77, reply 202

Also the game can theoretically handle six races (though it might reduce performance somewhat)

It does handle six races fine, without major performance issues. Does on SoGE at least. :v

Reply #204 Top
Goafan, I didn't think you could mix stuff together. Requiem is for Diplomancy, Soa2 at the time was for Entrenchment. Zombieruss's Race Mod was for Entrenchment so I used that as it's base. I started with Trek ships first, "borrowed" from a few places, then realised i could use meshes and textures from Requiem. I couldn't change now because of the amount of work thats gone into it. Ive re- written the String file with the correct descriptions for the ships taken from a few Star Trek and Star Wars Websites. Most of the ships are in, I've got most of the audio in for the Trek ships, Sisko and Worf in the Defiant, Janeway in the Intrepid Class and I might put Picard in the Sovereign. Oh also there's Spock in a Vulkan Dkyr. Id like to get Lord Vader's voice in a Super Star Destroyer and some posh English voices for the other Star Destroyer's. I've even got my own made custom ship explosions for Capital Ships. What I really want to do next is replace the player pictures, loading picturs and ship icons with Star wars and Star Trek. I can't get my head around the mapping back in brush files? Can someone show me which files a need to replace.
Reply #205 Top

You need to use notepad++ find in files function and find the brushes. The entities brush link links to a brush file in the window folder and the brush links to the icon sheet in the textures folder.

 Here is part of the add planets tutorial which shows brush links with Gimp image editor free.

Rectangle Tool is selected.

All Channels are on.     

 

 

 

Shows the mouse current position. Sitting at 0, 0 which is the very top left of the image.

 

Let's link a brush from the planet.entity to the brush file and finally to the texture file.

The planet.entity had 6 links to brushes with the first

hudIcon "HUDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"

Using Notepad++ "Find in Files" feature to search the Entrenchments reference files for "HUDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0" you will get a hit HUDIcon-Planet.brushes file that is inside the Window folder and locate the brush.

HUDIcon-Planet.brushes

brush
    name "HUDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 714 , 770 , 50 , 50 ]

 

Icons_planets.tga opened in Gimp

 

1st find the general location and zoom in to 800%. Set your mouse to the location of the brush. Hold left mouse and drag the box to the brush size.

pixelBox [ 714 , 770 , 50 , 50 ]

 

 

hudIcon "HUDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
smallHudIcon "HUDICONSMALL_PLANET_TERRAN0"
infoCardIcon "INFOCARDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
mainViewIcon "MAINVIEWICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
undetectedMainViewIcon "MAINVIEWUNDETECTEDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
picture "PICTURE_PLANET_TERRAN0"

brush
    name "HUDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 714 , 770 , 50 , 50 ]

Located in HUDIcon-Planet.brushes

 

brush
    name "HUDICONSMALL_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 1 , 945 , 28 , 23 ]

Located in HUDIcon-Planet.brushes

 

brush
    name "INFOCARDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 1 , 626 , 22 , 22 ]

Located in InfoCardIcon-Planet.brushes

 

brush
    name "MAINVIEWICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 714 , 770 , 50 , 50 ]

Located in MainViewIcon-Planet.brushes. Uses the same image as "HUDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"

 

brush
    name "MAINVIEWUNDETECTEDICON_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 535 , 1 , 50 , 50 ]

Located in MainViewIcon-Planet.brushes

 

brush
    name "PICTURE_PLANET_TERRAN0"
    content "Simple"
    fileName "Icons_planets"
    pixelBox [ 2 , 2 , 167 , 75 ]

Located in Picture-Planet.brushes

 

 

So you will want to map back the ships brush link to the brush file and find the icons from the mods textures folder and copy those icons to your mods texture sheet.

If thats a little much to understand, install Teamspeak 3 and Teamviewer and we can talk while I show you my screen as I work.

Reply #206 Top
Myfisto, thank you, that's really pointed me in the right direction. That post you did was a big help, i was able to follow it quite well. I've got some of the trek and wars ship icons in game. Still don't fully understand the notepad++ map back etc. Couple of things I haven't found though, the big icon picture in the middle at the bottom of the screen and the loading pictures. Thanks again.
Reply #207 Top

I am pretty sure ZombiesRus term "Map Back" is just what I described above. Finding the brush links in the entity and using Find in Files and locate the brush and then the texture sheet they're on.

Ships entities are layed out differently but all the link are basically the same, just in different spots.

CAPITALSHIP_PHASEBATTLESHIP.entity

Line 47
mainViewIcon "MAINVIEWICON_CAPITALSHIP_PHASEBATTLESHIP"

Line 83
picture "CAPITALSHIPPICTURE_PHASEBATTLESHIP"  <--big one bottom middle

Lines 93, 94, 95
 hudIcon "HUDICON_CAPITALSHIP_PHASEBATTLESHIP"
 
smallHudIcon "HUDICONSMALL_CAPITALSHIP_PHASEBATTLESHIP"
 
infoCardIcon "INFOCARDICON_CAPITALSHIP_PHASEBATTLESHIP"

Different ships will have them on different lines but just search the sheet for
mainViewIcon, picture, hudIcon, smallHudIcon and infoCardIcon

Take a look at Window\LoadScreen.brushes

Notice at the top it has the line
onlyLoadOnDemand TRUE

This means only the picture used is loaded into the ram so you can actually use lots of full screen wallpaper images and create a new brush or change an existing brush to point at a new image and place the image in the textures folder. 

If you do use full screen loading images you will need to learn how to start editing the .window files which are not that complicated once you start experimenting. 




 

 

Reply #208 Top
Myfisto, I have traced the CAPITALSHIPPICTURE_PHASEBATTLESHIP to the Textures folder, specifically Races_Unit_Picture.dds, but can not open it with Gimp. Same with the loadscreen.brushes. Do I need another programme to open them?
Reply #209 Top

Gimp: with the DDS plug-in. Use any image editor that can edit the .dds format. This will require to download a DDS plug-in for most image editors.

Reply #210 Top
Ok thanks, download for Gimp tomorrow. Back to work im afraid after 11 days off!
Reply #211 Top

I can't believe this thread is still going. Well, since it won't die, might as well add fuel to the fire.

All would bow before the Ori!

Reply #212 Top

Quoting PUREVENOM, reply 211
I can't believe this thread is still going. Well, since it won't die, might as well add fuel to the fire.

All would bow before the Ori!

I think it's nice it's still going, because the focus has shifted from "lol Fedz beat Imps" being smackdown'd with reality, to "let's make a fun SWvsST mod!".

As for your comment WRT Stargate, I'm going to happily ignore it, as I'm fairly done with debating FTM.

Reply #213 Top
I've had great fun in making it.It's absolutely awesome if I say so myself. It's a pity it's all for me! @Purevenom, Hmmm that gives me an idea, I have a spare race slot to fill, Stargate it is. The mod is now offically called Sci-fi at War, Star Trek vs Star Wars vs Star Gate TM. @myfisto, thanks ive loaded the dds plugin just messing around with it now.@ Whiskey, lol. I can't believe you turned down his challenge. What's up got combat fatigue?
Reply #214 Top

Quoting Theophantus, reply 213
I've had great fun in making it.It's absolutely awesome if I say so myself. It's a pity it's all for me! @Purevenom, Hmmm that gives me an idea, I have a spare race slot to fill, Stargate it is. The mod is now offically called Sci-fi at War, Star Trek vs Star Wars vs Star Gate TM. @myfisto, thanks ive loaded the dds plugin just messing around with it now.@ Whiskey, lol. I can't believe you turned down his challenge. What's up got combat fatigue?

IMO, Sins is a great opportunity for crossover mods. Especially because of the fact that many mods are being made for it. There's a B5 mod in progress, a (finished IIRC) nBSG mod, and there's an in-progress Halo mod.

Oh yeah, and there's some buzz about EVE Online (there's a playable version of an EVE mod), and even chatter about a Mass Effect mod.

WRT the debate, well, I don't know Stargate all that well, but I do know that SW still beats it. This is simply the price of having 200 gigaton per shot weapons yield on a transport. And said transport is bigger than a Daedalus-class.

I've begun to understand just why most seasoned SWvsST debators have dropped off; it simply becomes boring after a while.

Reply #215 Top

Quoting Whiskey144, reply 214
I've begun to understand just why most seasoned SWvsST debators have dropped off; it simply becomes boring after a while.

 

they were boring in 1994

Reply #216 Top

Quoting Theophantus, reply 213
I've had great fun in making it.It's absolutely awesome if I say so myself. It's a pity it's all for me!


What ? Nooo !
Release it, please !
i just figuered out recently that two of the guys i game with are die-hard trek resp bab5 fans, (fools, everybody know star wars is king;)
So what you've done yet is already 2/3 of what we looking and waiting for ... and I bet its not just us.
(And its even harder because theres a SW:EaW-mod that have trek + wars + galactica + stargate + babylon + starship troopers, but its unplayable buggy, skirmish maps are to small for epic battles and galactic conquest is for 2 players only, so altogether you could play it just well enough to get a sense of how awesome a Sci-Fi War could be, if it werent for the limitations of the EaW-Engine.)
So, really, dude, it would be great if you could share your work with us.

Reply #217 Top

The problem is getting permission for all the assets used created by other modders. A daunting task. Everything that I release is automatically allowed to be used by anyone as long as credit is given. 

Reply #218 Top

really ? you could, for free, mod a product that was produced to earn money, but if you want to mod that mod you violate someones ip ? thats sucks if thats the reason why he cant release it.
whos blocking ? maybe someone knows someone who knows someone who lives in that guys neighborhood ....
Till then someone else could show up who has done exactly the same thing as theophantus, but its not him, and this anonymous guy could up his work on rapidshare and the corresponding link here ... 

Just kidding, but ... really, i desperatly want to play it, there must be a way.

Reply #219 Top

 @Hausser0815, i never intended to do the mod myself. i thought it impossible for me to do it with my lack of computing skills. However, i've been at it everyday at least 4 hrs a day some days more because ive become addicted. I was bored with the telly over the easter break so i had a go at replacing Meshes and Textures. The first time i got one in game was amazing, it was the Super Star Destroyer from Requiem.(@whiskey, it totally dominates because i increased its shield and hull values and left all the other capital ships at Sin's stock values! Even the AI creates it when im against the Empire.). 

Since my post 3rd May, ive added the third race which is Stargate. If i had to get permission for other peoples assets, that as Myfisto says would be daunting. Ive only used other peoples stuff and if everyone said yes, it would need alot more work to do it all justice. The problem ive got is the amount of work i've still got left before i would ever release it for public consumption. Its getting the right abilities over, tweaking the code, the correct weapon effects & audio,etc. Thats the skill part which i havent got.

@Myfisto-Ive edited the player pictures with gimp. Just basiclly replaced the pictures with new ones. In game when i go to select the stock races on the Buttons, they are black. Any idea why? The Race orders are as follows: Race 1-Empire, Race 2-Starfleet, Race 3-SGC, Race 4-TEC, Race 5-Advent, Race 6-Vasari. So all the stock race buttons are black with no pictures.

Regards,

Theo

Reply #220 Top

Congrats for getting this far. Your original request for someone else to do it was not going to work as it requires a bit of passion to complete especially as a limited few will get to enjoy it.

On the player pictures check your GalaxyScenarioDef for the various player entries and the player theme and player picture manifests to make sure they are wired properly.

 

Reply #221 Top
Hey Russ, I'm using your Races mod for the base. Race 1-Empire, Race 2-Starfleet & Race 3-SGC. Is it possible to replace the Tec, Advent and Vasari with even more Sci fi races? It would be interesting with Babylon 5, Galactica & Battlefleet gothic, which covers most of the popular Sci fi.
Reply #222 Top
Hey what's goining on?
 
Where's my bloody Karma point?
 
 
Need help for making a mod (adding a race)
 
 
Quoting Joebenz, reply 10
 
"now i need to take care of the med and small pictures but there doesn't seem to be a tutorial about this on weebly"
 
k1 Awesome job!
 
 
 
 
Zombie, I'd better show you all what ive been doing.
 
:blush: How do i take an in game screen shot?
 
 
 
Theo
+2 Loading…
Reply #223 Top

PrtScr key. This save a bitmap (huge file size) in the same dir as the mods are.

C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\ScreenShot\

PrtScr key is also the same as copy, so once your image editor is open you can use Edit --> Paste. Save as a Gif (bad quality), JPEG (medium quality) or PNG (better quality). I also usually scale the image to 480 width which fits the forum well and pages don't take to long to load.

Upload to a free hosting service, I use ImageShack and copy the direct link. In this forum, open the Insert/Edit Image button (looks like a tree) and past the direct link.

Second request for the other unit pic tutorials in a couple days so I guess I could put something together seeing as I already made the empty page.

OK OK, here is some karma for your coffee.

Reply #224 Top

Quoting Theophantus, reply 221
Hey Russ, I'm using your Races mod for the base. Race 1-Empire, Race 2-Starfleet & Race 3-SGC. Is it possible to replace the Tec, Advent and Vasari with even more Sci fi races? It would be interesting with Babylon 5, Galactica & Battlefleet gothic, which covers most of the popular Sci fi.

Yes, this is how a lot of mods started.

Quoting Theophantus, reply 222
"now i need to take care of the med and small pictures but there doesn't seem to be a tutorial about this on weebly"

Awesome job!

If myfist doesn't get to it I may go through and capture the steps I perform.

Quoting Theophantus, reply 222
Zombie, I'd better show you all what ive been doing.

How do i take an in game screen shot?

You can actually share your mod with myfist and myself to look over if you have questions. Just don't post it publicly.

Also, when taking screen shots for a wallpaper affect do [ctrl]+[shift]+z to remove all the hud's. Pressing that combination again will bring them back. Pressing [prt scr] while in game will put a screenshot in the same area your mods are located.

C:\Users\[You]\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\ScreenShot

Reply #225 Top

Oh my god!

I have a Karma pointXD

Thanks guys i will have a go at posting some screen shots this weekend.