[MOD] SHIP REBALANCE Realistic physics and full/assisted inertia (V1.5)

The place to discuss scripting and game modifications for X Rebirth.

Moderators: Moderators for English X Forum, Scripting / Modding Moderators

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

[MOD] SHIP REBALANCE Realistic physics and full/assisted inertia (V1.5)

Post by Realspace » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 18:47

Version 1.5
Added as optional files to the NoLane MOD

[ external image ]
DOWNLOAD FROM NEXUS


NO MORE COMPATIBLE WITH THE MODS THAT REBALANCE GUNS/MISSILES SINCE THIS HAS BEEN ADDED INSIDE THE MOD MAKING THEIR RANGE AND SPEED ALMOST DOUBLE. BUT AS FOR HOW REBIRTH IS MODDABLE IT SHOULD NOT GENERATE ANY CONFLICT ONLY IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE THE IMPROVED GUNS.

Concept:
Realistic physics have always been impossible in the X serie. In Rebirth a lot has changed, even FULL INERTIAL flight is possible. Unfortunally due to the way this is coded a full newtonian model is quite unplayable since to have it we must eliminate the STRAFE. Thus the ship does not have any real LATERAL/VERTICAL THRUSTERS and moving in full inertial space is quite challenging with only rear/front thrusters, it makes impossible to fly it near stations without crashing anywhere.

A very elegant solution would be a script that, with a mapped button to click, makes a switchs between two ship's engines, one with full newtonian (this here) one with (vanilla) assisted flight. With this script we could simulate the engine cut. So you can revert to assisted flight near stations AND use full inertial mode when in empty space or combat

For now, I added a second model that is ASSISTED but yet much more realistic than Vanilla.

TOP SPEED has not much sense in empty space, nevertherless I set a max speed of average 600 to all engines in order to make it playable. You would not see the difference anyway. The booster with full newtonian flight allows you to travel at very high speed (but be carefull, you can drift for minutes before changing the course if you exhaggerate, as in real physics). I've instead implemented other differences among the 3 engines. They are differences in the acceleration/deceleration, manouvrability, etc. not top speed (ships are not cars in space!)

YOU CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN 2 OPTIONAL FILES TO USE TO EXPERIENCE REALISTIC FLIGHT PHYSICS IN REBIRTH. DUE TO THE LIMITATION OF THE ENGINE (UP TO NOW) THE FULL NEWTONIAN MODEL IS QUITE UNUSABLE SINCE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO USE THE STRAFING IN FULL NEWTONIAN. THE SECOND OPTION (ASSISTED) IS A GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE VANILLA PHYSICS AND THE FULL INERTIAL MODEL.

Both have also an IMPLEMENTED BOOSTER that you can use to travel (instead of the highways) and is also newtonian so be carefull not to accelerate too much or try to decelerate in time by turning the ship 180° and use booster to "brake" ;-)...SPACE HAS NEVER BEEN SO REAL! :D

VERY IMPORTANT: engines are quite different now (there are 3 classes in game) so by upgrading you'll see that mk5 is a much more manouvrable ship. If inertia is too much for you I advise you choose the class of manouvrable engines instead, that's good for people that don't engage a lot in fighting or prefer a more vanilla-like experience, if you like the speed and can accept a lot of inertia, choose the class of fast engines. Or you can chose the balanced one. ;-)

ENJOY! :D
And please any modder that can help with the script interested in this feature... :wink:

-----------------------

COMPATIBILITY
Since version 1.5 I added a performance increase for NPC fighters, what makes the AI much more responsive. To balance the thing I add to change the weapons and the missiles accordingly, so this mod is no more compatible with other mods that change weapons and and missiles. And of course you don't need those mods anymore. You can Always take a look to the files and see, Rebirth's mods are quite easy to check

----------------------------

Changelog:
0.1 Alpha release. Only one engine for test
1.0 First release. All engines. Balanced, Manouvrable and Speed, each with diffrent features among Mk2,3,etc. Top speed revised.
1.1 rebalace to make the 3 class of engines more different from eachother
1.2 correction of bad code preventing top speed replacement
1.3 correction of top speeds (ASSIST only)
1.4 changed the trottle increase steps (mouse wheel) to have more little steps. Given the speed and inertia you need something like 5%/10%/20% trottle to fly around the stations.
1.5 added the SHIP PACK, i.e. other fighters have increased performance. Also, weapons and missile have been changed accordingly.

---------------------------------

TODO LIST

* change the trottle increase steps (mouse wheel) to have more little steps. Given the speed and inertia you need something like 5%/10%/20% trottle to fly around the stations . DONE IN V.1.4
* Change the entry of the vendors so that they don't show the top speed (which is meaningless in space) but other things such as acceleration and possibly more values.
* a script that can make you switch between assisted and full inertial (well, I need help for that! :roll: )


-------------------------------------

LITTLE SURVIVING GUIDE WITH THE REALISTIC SPACE FLIGHT

I thought I could give some hints to the people that have not played other space games having more realistic space simulation such as Babylon 5 or IW2 etc. If you played those games you know how, so with this mod phyisics are very similar exept that the full inertial mode has no vertical/lateral thrusters and the assisted has a bit of air resistance left (so if you cut the engine at a certain point the ship will "brake"...it takes long thou)

So for newcomers to space sim.

1) Consider that the BOOSTER and ENGINE CUT are your bread and butter now, consider the option to map the engine cut buttn (or "brake" button) to the space bar or another easy accessible button.

2) Booster has 5x the acceleration ratio of the back thrusters and about 10x in comparison to front thrusters, so if you get at very high speed in one direction and want to stop the best solution is to turn your ship 180° and activate booster. Avoid to get at max speed with boster and try to stop when you are there, you must start to reverse the acceleration long before, accordingly to your current speed. If using booster watch the speed bar, it is different from the normal speed.

3) the speed bar in the cockpit is now to be always kept under control. IT SIGNS YOUR CURRENT SPEED IN THAT DIRECTION. Indeed in crowded place such as near station is advisable NOT to simply put at max trottle and then brake (I know you did it in vanilla game :D ). There is virtually no top speed (well there is indeed but you never use it) so you have to regulate your flight accordingly.

4) One good techinique to approach statios is to just boost a bit the ship and then cut the engine, to avoid accelerating too much (keeping an eye to the speed bar). Or you can set the trottle at the lowest and then to back when almost there.

5) fighting is quite different, let's say better :D. Indeed you can still continue to use the same old fashion and repetitive, i.e. max speed and turning around as in a waltzer! :lol: but the difference is that you HAVE TO SET THE TROTTLE TO 1/4, 1/2 and will experience some more drifting.

OR you can use different strategies, that you have to think before. Indeed the different engines you buy can have an effect or be a decision on the strategy you prefer. The fast engines permit high accelerations so the best technique is to point a ship at a good speed, shoot it and pass by, then turning 180° (as a medieval knight's fight :D ). If you buy the manouvrable engine you'll see that acceleration is not high but lateral/vertical thrusters are much stronger, so you can fight by "dancing" around the enemy ship at low speed. Finally, the balanced engine permits both strategies but you need to buy the best one to have a decent performance in both ways.

6) It is a good idea to add some weapon rebalance mod that makes the range of weapons a bit longer. vanilla weapons are really short-range so it makes very difficoult to hit something. THIS HAS BEEN ADDED IN V. 1.5

7) NPC ships are quite stupid and for sure they are even more when you can approach at high speed and fly away since their reaction is always quite...senile...well, it does not depend on the mod, it is the game's AI. Whith this mod it simply is more evident. SINCE V 1.5 NPC SHIPS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED AND IT SEEMS THAT EVEN AI BENEFITS FROM THIS
Since version 1.5 I added a performance increase for NPC fighters, what makes the AI much more responsive. To balance the thing I add to change the weapons and the missiles accordingly, so this mod is no more compatible with other mods that change weapons and and missiles. And of course you don't need those mods anymore. You can Always take a look to the files and see, Rebirth's mods are quite easy to check
Last edited by Realspace on Sat, 30. Nov 13, 15:29, edited 43 times in total.

Privata
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon, 19. Dec 11, 22:59
x4

Post by Privata » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:05

my first born will be called Realspace :lol:

thank you so much !

EDIT : I understand this is an alpha or early version of it but you I sudgest you mention that is only affect the balanced engine :wink:

anyway played around with it in freeplay.... this is so amazing

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

Post by Realspace » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:24

Ehm...I did change only the "engine_player_bal_*" files since am not sure about the others "engine_player_etc." (ARE THEY USED BY THE SKUNK?). If anybody can advise me about it I'd appreciate. :wink:

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

Post by Realspace » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:27

Privata wrote:my first born will be called Realspace :lol:

thank you so much !

EDIT : I understand this is an alpha or early version of it but you I sudgest you mention that is only affect the balanced engine :wink:

anyway played around with it in freeplay.... this is so amazing
ehm..that's the point I still have no clear idea about the engines used by the skunk...too much time modding e too few playing!! :D

Can you help, so other engines too are used? I can ad those too, not a problem.

I did not touch the other for not having problems since don't know which ship uses them.

Privata
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon, 19. Dec 11, 22:59
x4

Post by Privata » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:41

Realspace wrote:
Privata wrote:my first born will be called Realspace :lol:

thank you so much !

EDIT : I understand this is an alpha or early version of it but you I sudgest you mention that is only affect the balanced engine :wink:

anyway played around with it in freeplay.... this is so amazing
ehm..that's the point I still have no clear idea about the engines used by the skunk...too much time modding e too few playing!! :D

Can you help, so other engines too are used? I can ad those too, not a problem.

I did not touch the other for not having problems since don't know which ship uses them.
ok so in the game you have a multiple number of engine to use.
you have balanced (engine_player_bal_XXX_macro)
you have supercharged fast with bad turning engine_player_spe_XXX_macro)
then sidewinder that is for high turning (engine_player_man_XXX_macro)

hope I have help you.
so to sume up
bal = balanced
spe = speed
man = maneuvering
(all player macros are player only , as in only for the skunk)
everything else is AI only even the stuff you own.
I dont know what engine_player_XXX_macro does , maybe its a unused file for the older versions of the game or somthing

Hiper-Boy
Posts: 52
Joined: Sat, 28. Nov 09, 22:44
x3ap

Post by Hiper-Boy » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:45

Your link takes me to the NO LocalHighways NO BoosterDrain, is this correct?


EDIT: Yup that's correct my apologies. Would it not be better to make a new mod section for this? As the name of the mod "NO LocalHighways NO BoosterDrain" is misleading to this.
Last edited by Hiper-Boy on Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:55, edited 2 times in total.

zone22
Posts: 55
Joined: Fri, 4. Aug 06, 05:24
x3tc

Post by zone22 » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:51

how does this affect AI?

User avatar
Demongornot
Posts: 415
Joined: Mon, 9. Jan 12, 19:33
x3ap

Re: [MOD] Realistic physics in flight model and full/assisted inertia (V0.01 Xperimental)

Post by Demongornot » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:58

Nice one, is it possible to just add a "glide mode" to the actual one (without loose strafe) and/or to your mods ?

Like Freespace for example, we set a speed, push a button and engine get disabled, we just move ahead but be able to rotate the ship how we want without change the trajectory, and then when push again the button we back to standard flight ?
Call of Rebirth...Don't worry a big patch is comming, its called Star Citizen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM3CptVZDYU
I don't want to be human !
Last hope for X Rebirth is that Egosoft stop to be arrogant and stupid and give access to Source Code for public.

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

Post by Realspace » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 19:59

Privata wrote:
ok so in the game you have a multiple number of engine to use.
you have balanced (engine_player_bal_XXX_macro)
you have supercharged fast with bad turning engine_player_spe_XXX_macro)
then sidewinder that is for high turning (engine_player_man_XXX_macro)

hope I have help you.
so to sume up
bal = balanced
spe = speed
man = maneuvering
(all player macros are player only , as in only for the skunk)
everything else is AI only even the stuff you own.
I dont know what engine_player_XXX_macro does , maybe its a unused file for the older versions of the game or somthing
But in game you can buy ONLY the BALANCED engines? Just to know if I don't have to add also the others, if unused (I did really played too few..now I too take a look :D )

foxtrot76
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri, 12. Mar 10, 21:44

Post by foxtrot76 » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 20:02

NO, you can buy 3 engine categories: balanced, speedy, agile. Each of the categories has level 1-5 as in mk1-mk5.

Privata
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon, 19. Dec 11, 22:59
x4

Post by Privata » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 20:03

you can buy all 3 types of engines.
so you would have to edit
bal.
spe.
man.
you buy them from npcs on stations.

ICO_hr
Posts: 415
Joined: Sat, 31. Aug 13, 17:56

Post by ICO_hr » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 20:19

Realspace wrote:But in game you can buy ONLY the BALANCED engines? Just to know if I don't have to add also the others, if unused (I did really played too few..now I too take a look :D )
Yes, you can buy all tree of them.I use Sidewinder or whatever they're called. :)

virgil_182
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun, 15. Jan 06, 04:55
x3

Post by virgil_182 » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 20:36

I love the idea of realistic drifting between zones after a period of thrust, using your no lanes mod. I am concerned though, that removing the lanes entirely will screw up an already struggling trade system by confusing the small AI traders who don't have jump drives. Will they just slowly crawl at stock speeds between zones ?

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

Post by Realspace » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 20:38

OKKK..thanks that's what I needed to know ;-) I'l edit them too according to the features they offer. Is that I did not go on with the game since I'm stuck in the middle od DeVrie with that stupid freighter that I'd have to escort that flyes at the speed of a grandma! :D so did not go further in the game. Using the NoLanes that is a no coming back choice I can0t remove for this part of the plot... :o

Privata
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon, 19. Dec 11, 22:59
x4

Post by Privata » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 20:55

I am waiting for more updates from egosoft to actually restart the plot. (go bugs linked to trading)
for know I just play in freeroam.

and annyway I prefer to get familiar with all the mods like your no freeway and this physics mod.... I dont know how to explane but It just changes the hole game , space feels big , dark , empty , beautyfull , sad , happy , scary , and well like space....

I recomend to annyone using this mod to get the no star dust as well as all this , it adds to the immersion

bbeach
Posts: 100
Joined: Tue, 24. Feb 09, 03:47
x4

Re: [MOD] Realistic physics in flight model and full/assisted inertia (V0.01 Xperimental)

Post by bbeach » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 21:37

Realspace wrote: Unfortunally due to the way this is coded a full newtonian model is quite unplayable since to have it we must eliminate the STRAFE. Thus the ship does not have any real LATERAL/VERTICAL THRUSTERS and moving in full inertial space is quite challenging with only rear/front thrusters, it makes impossible to fly it near stations without crashing anywhere.
I'm confused, did you say that "strafe" thrusters don't fit into a newtonian flight physics model? Or were you saying that the way x-rebirth implements strafe thrusters breaks your attempt at a newtonian model?

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

Re: [MOD] Realistic physics in flight model and full/assisted inertia (V0.01 Xperimental)

Post by Realspace » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 21:51

bbeach wrote:
Realspace wrote: Unfortunally due to the way this is coded a full newtonian model is quite unplayable since to have it we must eliminate the STRAFE. Thus the ship does not have any real LATERAL/VERTICAL THRUSTERS and moving in full inertial space is quite challenging with only rear/front thrusters, it makes impossible to fly it near stations without crashing anywhere.
I'm confused, did you say that "strafe" thrusters don't fit into a newtonian flight physics model? Or were you saying that the way x-rebirth implements strafe thrusters breaks your attempt at a newtonian model?
Quite it, strafe is some kind of strange counter-physics (let's say). In X universe space is not a vacuum but is like to be inside a liquid, so by STRAFING you can augment the resistance of this liquid, if you remove completely the "liquid" (as in empty space) there's no resistance you can augment by strafing...ehm..hope I was not too cofused.

In real simulation you should simply have no resistance at all and as many thrusters you want.

With lataral and vertical thrusters..real ones..also a full newtonian flight is possible near station becouse you can strafe in any direction to avoid collision, with this model unfortunally it is not possible.

The only solution is:

1) change the physics for player's ship (mybe it is possible)
2) make possible to switch between the two kind of engines (FULL/ASSISTED)

Just you have to know that to have FULL INERTIA we have to set the strafe to 0 but doing so the strafing of the ship deos not work anymore :cry:

-----------

OK I made a full release, V 1.0. All the engines are implemented, with lot of differences among them, as before 2 models, full newtonian and assisted.

Any feedback is apreciated. Consider the Assisted as a REBALANCE MOD for player's ship.

http://xrebirth.nexusmods.com/mods/49/

Privata
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon, 19. Dec 11, 22:59
x4

Post by Privata » Fri, 22. Nov 13, 22:05

thanks for the fast update 8)
il play around and give feedback when I have played for some hours.

Thurmonator
Posts: 205
Joined: Thu, 4. Dec 03, 21:07
x2

Post by Thurmonator » Sat, 23. Nov 13, 02:04

It does ad a whole entire new challenge to the game and that is...how to successfully get to where you want to end up and stay there.

Neat idea. How is fighting dogfights with this mod?

Realspace
Posts: 1378
Joined: Wed, 15. Nov 06, 10:21
x4

Post by Realspace » Sat, 23. Nov 13, 02:14

don't kow, still testing me too. It is more challenging and the full newtonian quite impossible for normal play, I'm playng with the assisted and it is very immersive if you also remove the highways, System DeVrie is so mysterious now ;-)

If you ever played other space sims you know how to fly in combat with a (quite) newtonian flight mode, hope it is balanced enough. Rememeber Always to USE BOOSTER TO COUNTER-REACT THE INERTIA, this helps a lot. Of course NPC ships use other engines (vanilla) that are more manouvrable (NO PROBLEM WITH AI) so this should equal the level at the end. Please report back.

Remember to use the full trottle only for travelling, don't approach the stations at full speed..you are advised!! :P :D

I'm thinking of making the engine more different, i.e. the manouvrable engine having more inertia dumpner (similar to vanilla) but less velocity/acceleration, this way my mod becomes an implementation to the gameplay, you can choose different styles and also have a reason to buy new engines, as thery are now (vanilla) it doesn't change much I think but I say this only from the specs, still did not test all the engines.

-----------

VERSION 1.1 RELEASED. Rebalanced all the different engines to make them more different and worth to buy. Each should please a different style of play.

EDIT
VERSION 1.2 RELEASED. there were errors, please download version 1.2

Post Reply

Return to “X Rebirth - Scripts and Modding”