[MOD] Ship Rebalance Mod ver 0.59 [30/08/2009] + 2 COCKPIT PACKS + Alkeena's BSD!!!!

[OOZ662]

From the looks of it, your save games will still function, but if you mess up which mods are installed, the modified items may wig out (like that invisible ship).

This is a good lesson in keeping track of which mods are installed where. If you ever figure it out, go ahead and delete Gazz's Turret Fix. It no longer serves a purpose and has a chance of causing conflicts. Also, if you look at all the mods that are left right now, you may be able to see which one's missing and just put it back, shifting all the cat/dats above 9 (10,11,12...) up a number (11,12,13...).

If push comes to shove and you REALLY need help, I may be able to help you directly with a remote desktop program, but that's certainly a last-ditch option.

[szkkteam]

Thank you so much after my i came back i'll start to reinstall my mods If i have a problem i will tell you )

[paulwheeler]

I would suggest this when you try and load your save game:

Fly to a unknown sector and ensure there are absolutely no ships in the sector - that includes your own.

Eject and send your ship to the neighbouring sector. Save using salvage insurance. Then install the mod and load the save. Call your ship back in and your good to go.

My saves kept crashing when I tried to install this mod initially. I finally scouted the sector I was in and found an abandoned ship way off the sector map. Once I got rid of this the save loaded fine.

Also you can't run the tships addon for the Cmod as it conflicts with this. The basic cmod runs fine with this and 2.5.

[OOZ662]

I've begun working on an update to this mod, including the optional packs and integration with newer versions of the other mods. Don't ask how long it'll take, though. I have no idea... And I think I'd rather not think about it anyhow.

[paulwheeler]

that sounds great. Im glad this script is going to be continued.

A couple of things i think could use a look at. The boreas i think has been nerfed too much for its cost. Perhaps give it one shield back. The weapons platforms are a bit too expensive and how about putting in 2gj shields in the large platform rather than 20x 1gj.

[OOZ662]

Actually, it looks like it could take quite a long time with quite a headache overall, specifically because it was integrated with other mods. I don't know which files specifically belong to the SRM or whether they're part of the Bug Fixes or BSD. Add to that that the Bug Fixes is a very active and all-encompassing mod and it may be easiest to start from scratch...

A couple of things i think could use a look at. The boreas i think has been nerfed too much for its cost. Perhaps give it one shield back. The weapons platforms are a bit too expensive and how about putting in 2gj shields in the large platform rather than 20x 1gj.

It's going to be a VERY long time until I can get to making new changes, as far as I can tell. Updating the two mods that are integrated into it without getting rid of the mods premise will be horrendously difficult.

Look at TShips, for instance; SRM changed the specs and values of nearly all the ships, Bug Fixes changed some things, and BSD changed all the models to add docking ports and changed the number of available docking slots to match.
I can (at the moment) only compare one file to one other. That means I can compare SRM TShips to BF's TShips, but I can't tell what differences are there because BF changed them since the last SRM update or whether they're there because BF is based on the vanilla TShips file.

[paulwheeler]

sounds like a lot of hard work! Well we all appreciate your taking this on.

I assume someone else would have some kind of log on what changes he made. I dont suppose you heard from him?

[OOZ662]

Someone Else has disappeared entirely for the time being.

The changes to SRM don't really matter, since I'm the one that's going to be making them. The problem exists because the other mods that are merged with this one have kept updating since this one stopped. I also have to make this mod entirely 2.5 compatible, but that's not all that difficult.

[paulwheeler]

I'd imagine that Someone Else must have had a list of changes so that he could easily remerge the other mods if they change.

For example with tships He must have a clean version (no other mods) of the SRM tships in order to know what to merge in. Otherwise everytime one of the other mods gets changed he'd have had to start from scratch.

How about contacting the other mod makers and seeing if they can send you older versions of their mods that match the ones here. That might make it easier to see the changes.

Also Killerog has said he will make a compatible version of his updated trails mod for the SRM so he may be willing to lend a hand - at least as far as the trails mod goes.

[OOZ662]

Ah, I see what you mean. Yeah, the problem is contacting SomeoneElse. He hasn't responded to PMs either.

I already asked draffutt in his thread. A this point I'm just trying to get the "base" working, ie updating bugfixes and BSD. Then I'll start hacking away at the compatible mods. Thanks for reminding me to get in contact with killerog, though. Thought about that back when I read that post.

[paulwheeler]

Hows it going with this?

I was just thinking, would it be easier to just find out the changes that Draffutt has made to the bug fixing mod since the 2.1 patch was released (I think Someone Else used one of the 2.1 patch versions of the bug mod) and then add them into the existing files?

If the changes are already there then it doesn't matter but at least it may narrow down what you are looking for a little rather than trying to separate the whole thing. Then each time a new bug fix mod comes out you just need a list of changes from Draffutt.

I mean the current mod basically works and most of the serious bugs were sorted in the bug fix in the version already used in the SRM.

I think I'd rather have an updated SRM with an older bug fix mod than no SRM at all.

As for the docking mod, has that changed much since the version in this mod? I'm pretty happy with the way this works.

As for the other mods, again all you have to do is add the changes from the version already merged. Its possible in fact that the common files such as tships may not have changed much at all.

Maybe I'm over simplifying a little, but separating all the mods and remerging again seems like a hell of a job!

[OOZ662]

I'm not separating them, I'm just updating them. Here's the problem: I have a file compare program that can mark every difference between TWO files. I have three sets of files I can look at; Old SRM, Vanilla, and New BF. That means I can compare V-BF to get every change BF has ever made to the file, V-SRM to get every change SRM has made, or SRM-BF to get EVERY change made between the two of them (because SRM is based on a vanilla game, so EVERYTHING shows up). In TShips, that means 2/3 of the lines were changed compared to vanilla, or all but maybe five lines were changed between SRM and BF. That's hundreds of lines that I'd have to manually check to see if it were a recent change or something already in the file.

Luckily, draffutt has a memory like a steel trap or something, so he provided me with all of the Types files. Merging in the SRM is nearly complete and BSD should be a matter of just going over the cockpit associations and replacing graphics files.

[OOZ662]

I just did a "test integration" of throwing all of BF's files in followed by the BSD files (not including Types files) in the forlorn hope that all would be happy, but starting a new game causes the GUI to disappear, all the HUD stuff to appear "pasted" in the top left corner, and your ship to immediately explode. Interesting.

[paulwheeler]

Sounds painfull!

It was worth a try though.

[Gavrushka]

.....and your ship to immediately explode. Interesting.

I just hope you weren't playing DiD!!

Thank you for the effort you are putting into this - I tried to bring myself up to speed to lend a hand, and became a little overawed by it all - And I have degree in Computer Science... (okay we really REALLY had punched cards when I did it...)

[OOZ662]

I've become mired. I'm simply stuck and lost. Types seems to be okay, but the rest is just...wow. I think it would turn out much easier starting from scratch.

I could upload my "personal" copy that I've modified a bit to keep it v2.5 compatible and making sense...I'll do that later.

[Gavrushka]

To wade through someone elses dirty laundry is the most difficult of tasks - To do so when they are also washing the smelly pants of several other modders must be nigh on impossible - I've followed your progress with Draffult and have understood the difficulties you've had - In the past I hae written compilers and even built simple CPUs from logic gates alone, but I would have been clueless with what you've had to sift through.

Inspiration quote for the day:

Obstacles are those things we focus on when we lose sight of our Goal.

SRM works at the minute, albeit poorly - It has been a very short time since you started worked on this and your progress to date is outstanding. Leave it for a while - take a holiday - (to Italy and beat someone else with a naughty stick) - I will try and devote some of the Christmas Holidays to becoming an expert - A living Mecca for all scripters and modders across the land - and will hopefully then be fully qualified to make the drinks and sandwiches for the likes of you.

I look forward to the upload, and on behalf of everyone who uses this Mod thanks for taking this on!

[paulwheeler]

It must be very soul destroying to try to deal with something as complex like this. We are all very grateful for your attempts to resurrect this mod.

Starting from scratch may be a major problem. It would be months of work to get back to where this mod currently is.

I think this may be the best way to proceed:

We have to accept that we are stuck wtih the versions of the bug fix mod and BSD mod that are currently merged.

In my opinion thats not such a bad thing. I think the BSD is the same version anyway and there are no major bug fixes that we are missing out on. For me the current versions work fine and would be acceptable to build on.

That means the only things we need to do is get updated versions of the cockpit mod and the trails mod and their creators are at least fairly active. Then we just build on the existing SRM mod.

Personally I use PSCO1s cockpit mod. I think its the most complete one. Does anyone use the other one? So how about we only update this one?

Killerog has already said he will make an updated version of his trails mod that is compatible with the existing SRM, so hopefully that will be fairly straight forward.

I have a 2.5 compatible version of the SRM too. It was a fairly simple fix. I have also edited the cockpit mod to remove the blue tint to the cockpit windows, to use a dimmer version of the space dust and to put back some of the hud. There are easy instructions on how to do this in PSCO1's main thread.

The current SRM mod with a 2.5 fix works absolutely fine. The main issues for me are fine tuning the balancing. For example, I think Someone Else nerfed the Boreas a little too much considering it is one of the most expensive destroyers. Its too much like an M7 at the moment.

To be honest I could put up with the versions of the cockpit and trail mods already here too if I had to. I think the most important thing is to keep this going as its a great mod and just needs a little tinkering.

I've started to delve recently into the workings of some of the mods. I wish I had a bit more time then I would try and help a bit more.

[OOZ662]

The problem with all these mods is dodging around mixed files...for example, every one of the mods (SRM, Shawn, PSCO1, BugFix, and Trails) edits the TShips file. On the version draffutt so kindly provided, that's 426 lines on my 1024x768 monitor, meaning they extend far off the side ofthe screen...each needing the piece from every mod to work in the most desirable way...it makes my mind numb.

As to your suggestion of fixing up the other mods (and you whole post in general )...I don't really have any brainpower at the moment (5:43 AM and I don't drink caffeine). I'll read it all again after I get up and remember what the heck I'm talking about.

[killerog]

My trails mod is fairly easier to add, only changes 1 or 2 numbers in Tships. Ill go into more detail when i get home from uni. I will also provide the updated files needed.