[MOD] EFS (Exodus Fleet Ships) 12-08-07 V5.51

[Jakesnake5]

Mod updated to 5.51. This version is not save compatible with the original 5.50 release. Sorry. Had to change a few Types files to 'satisfy' some gripes.

Exodus 5.51 Rar 3.5meg
Exodus 5.51 Cycrow Instal format 3.6meg

Andysonofbob (still don't know bob), also gave me a Field Manual that, though not up to date with the curret form of the mod, is close enough, will help you understand the basics of what this mod will provide. Be advised, it IS a beta manual.

Field Manual beta Rar 6.5meg Word document

[ChangeLog]

Code: Select all

V5.50 - Original release, bugs and all

V5.51 - Changed: TWareT
                Removed 'EFS Fleet ID' to an actual Ware instead of upgrade
                Changed EFS Jumpdrive to different Ware slot to remove conflict
                Changed Energy Generator to be [ST] class, prevents using on small ships
        Changed: Scripts
                Energy Generator will now produce more E-cells. Creation rate can be up to 500 per min. If the shields are sufficiently powerful enough, the cycle time will shorten. Minimum time per cycle is 30 seconds.
                Energy Generator will only reduce shields by 20% across the board. This 20% determines how many E-Cells are generated, and how fast.
                The Energy Generator will not opperate while the ship is docked (Notice generated)
                The Energy Generator will not opperate if there are hostiles in the area.
                Several other minor issues.
        Fixed:  Trebouchet's textures
        Fixed:  Stiletto's textures
        Fixed:  (Hopefully) Short freeze when fully activating SENTINEL for the first time
        Fixed:  (Hopefully) Freeze caused when manually activating Energy Generator
        Fixed:  Genesis Buy script's failure to load enough E-Cells onto trader for return trip

Please report any bugs you find, I may or may not know about them.

This mod was originally created by Andras (Exodus Fleet Mod) almost 2 years ago, but never released to the public.

He had some beta testers try it out. But apparently didn't get enough feedback from them to push it along.

Then, RL kicked him in the teeth, and the mod fell by the wayside.

Over a year ago, I got a version 5 beta of this mod, and proceeded to beat the unholy crap out of it, then fix some of the flaw's I found. There were a couple other beta testers at the time I shared my fixes with.

Without Andras' active participation, though, I wasn't sure if the mod would fly. Then the fire happened. On Feb 14th of this year, my home, and computers were completly destroyed. That almost spelt the end of the mod.

Thankfully, 2 of the beta testers had saved the original 5 beta version and most of my script fixes. This, with my recent acquisition of a capable computer, has allowed me to wring some life into the mod, and present it to you.

Be advised, this mod is full of bugs. (Personal oppinion, may not be too factual though) If you find any, let me know, and I'll hammer on them and make them go away.

Now, the known problems.

Claymore (Dutchman) not working
This is from a missing (aka empty) movement control script. I'll have to make something up to fix it.

Ship Production selection sucks
I plan on fixing that issue, as it doesn't make things easy as it is.

Genesis main guns won't fire
Issue now known. Will remove Gene's mains as this can't be fixed

Gun animation wrong
Easy fix (I did it before the fire, I can do it again)

A question of permission

Last month, I actually heard from Andras. He asked me who would be interested in a dusty old mod (which had bugs) after all this time. He apparently didn't realize that people, with a game over 2 years old, wan't to see new things, even if they are old.

With this mod never being released, it will be new. So I leave it to you to judge.

[Krak]

Wow great job Jake, I remember seeing the thread for this years ago and couldn't wait for it to come out, I'm glad something was able to happen with it but one thing, how do you find the fleet?

And when I clicked on the "view readme" button in cycrows installer it brought up the readme for the scrap ship mod.

[Jakesnake5]

Check the BBS in stations, you'll get started from there.

Also, the German language file is in english. Don't know why, Andras was German

[Krak]

Check the BBS in stations, you'll get started from there.

Also, the German language file is in english. Don't know why, Andras was German

Ok I think I've found the BBS entry but it gives me a ReadText 8808-0 error. I used Cycrow's plugin manager and the only other scripts I'm running are Anarkis Carrier commands, Dynamic Trading system and DockTS. None of which add anything to the BBS.

[Jakesnake5]

Oh bugger.

It does help to INCLUDE the text files. Fixed the download.

[Krak]

Ok I accepted the offer from the BBS message and I got 4 weird messages saying i needed to set something as a homebase and then I get one saying that the guy will contact me once he has found a ship. So I go and do something else for a few minutes then I realised I have a new message (didn't get an alert) and he tells me he's found a ship and that I should follow him but he doesn't tell me where he is? I looked at the sector map and he's no where to be found.

[Jakesnake5]

Oh dear. That means you don't have the Mod selected, and only the scripts are running.

When you run the game, before you click the 'Start X3' button, click the 'Select Mod Package' button, select the 'Exodus' mod, then hit 'Ok'.

Then Start X3. It should work then.

Those messages were because it couldn't create the various items needed to continue.

I had that once before, then put a dent in the desk when I realized what I forgot to do.

You'll have to use a save prior to 'accepting' Kaahn's help for it to take effect.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Is there any way you can make this into a Fake Patch? Better yet, a fake patch that is in fact compatable with the XTM?

[Jakesnake5]

No. XTM and Exodus are incompatible.

Add to that, XTM disallows merging any mod to theirs.

Also, Exodus uses a modified TWareT file that is TRULY not compatible with any other mod. (Hey, I didn't want to conflict with a ware used by the Hull Repair Tech.)

[ShadowDragon8685]

Well, I guess I won't be getting it, then.

Which is a shame, really, I really like the look of the Genesis, and the idea of a flying factory as big as a Homeworldian Mothership.

But I like my Ecclipse and Military Centaur Mk. 3 Vanguard more. ^_^

But I didn't say you had to merge your mod to theirs. Just make it so it can be applied as a fake patch on top of the XTM and not conflict. You might have to revamp TWareT, but... It'd be worth it, since XTM is now the de jure endorsed mod package, a lot more people are likely to pick it up from the get-go.

[Starscream99]

cool after about 2 years of waiting this mod is done i can not wait to test it out thanks jake for getting andras mod to the public for us to play with


cheers

[Jakesnake5]

But I didn't say you had to merge your mod to theirs. Just make it so it can be applied as a fake patch on top of the XTM and not conflict. You might have to revamp TWareT, but... It'd be worth it, since XTM is now the de jure endorsed mod package, a lot more people are likely to pick it up from the get-go.

XTM isn't 'All That'. But thanks for the oppinion.

Several details you do NOT understand. The primary is:

MODS OVERRIDE FALSE PATCH FILES!!

So there is NO way Exodus could work as a false patch, no matter what I did. You'd have to merge (you yourself, as I won't waste time doing it) the Exodus information and changes into your XTM files.

That will take you awhile. Add to that, that some of the Command Slots conflict with XTM, and you get bigger headaches.

[ShadowDragon8685]

I didn't say it was 'all that', although I am of the opinion it is in fact all that, plus one bag of potato crisps.

I said that it was the de jure mod, as it is not only endorsed by Egosoft, but endorsed to the point that they host it on their own servers.

Hence, it will be the first thing most people install. Then they will find the S&M forum, see your mod, go "Oh, cool!" but then see that it's not incompatable with XTM, and rather than restarting, simply opt not to use your mod.


Which is a shame, because it is really cool.

And, as I understand it, mods only override false patches where they conflict in nature - hence, you can add something that does not conflict. (I may be wrong, I'm not sure).

But, oh well. If you're going to be hostile to the very people you hope to be 'selling' this labor of love to, you're obviously qualified to work in the video game industry. May I suggest Microsoft games or the people responsible for StarForce in Bioshock?

[Jakesnake5]

I'm not being hostile, just stating facts your not in posession of.

You could no more run DDRS, XFP, or any other Mod's that change the base files that XTM uses, as 'False Patches'. You'd have to incorporate then INTO XTM.

And as XTM disallows others to use, let alone change and redistribute their mod, it's just not fesable.

Oh sure, The ships could probably be turned into xsp format and installed through Cycrows Manager, but you'd not be able to use the scripts that drive the mod. Too many conflicts and changes needed.

And, if you're so 'interested' in the mod, but are not willing to give up XTM, you can always make a copy of the X3 directory and put the mod there. Just remember to swap out the saves (I do) to backup directories when you use different games (or, in the extreeme, use specific save positions for specific mods).

Unfortunately, with major mods, you usually can't have the best of both worlds.

BTW: I have 8 X3 directories, and links to each on the Desktop.

[eladan]

I said that it was the de jure mod, as it is not only endorsed by Egosoft, but endorsed to the point that they host it on their own servers.

There has been discussion about whether that was a good idea or not... Note that it's not officially endorsed - they just liked the look of it and provided a home (download) for it. It's unfortunate for the other major mods here that XTM is seen in the way you describe. There is certainly reason to play all of the other mods - they all add something the others don't, that is fun to play with.

As Jake said, you can have multiple installations of X3 all coexisting happily with different script/mod setups. The saves are a bit of a hassle, but there are ways around that as well. (My record is seven different installations!)

@Jake - congrats on getting this up and running, after all that has happened to you.

[ShadowDragon8685]

In that case, I appologize. The term I should have used is de facto, not de jure.

Nevertheless, that the XTM is hosted on Egosoft's servers is endorsement, if not explicit, then implicit. It is the De facto mod.


And Jakesnake, is there any compelling reason besides 'too many changes needed'? as I understand it, the point ot the EMP, which the XTM is built upon, is to ensure that in theory, any number of mods can be installed without conflicting, by ensuring that enough slots are available for any reasonable number of modders to use them. It might be a big undertaking to re-write the Exodus scripts, but the payoff (XTM + Exodus) would be worth it.

And as for multiple installs of X3, I barely have time for one install, and I only have college to work on, not even a day job. So either everyone is cheating their asses off to skip to the fun parts of an install and then denying it loudly by blaming and hating on cheaters, or y'all have no life outside of X3.

To say nothing of hard-drive space. (And yes, I know it's getting cheaper, but my machine is old and already expanded as far as I can expand it.)

[eladan]

Nevertheless, that the XTM is hosted on Egosoft's servers is endorsement, if not explicit, then implicit. It is the De facto mod.

ES hosts it, yes. But there is no endorsement. E.g. they don't allow discussion of it on the main forum, and they don't provide any sort of tech support for it. Seems pretty conclusive to me that they don't want anything to do with it other than hosting. I do agree though that it has become the default mod for X3 - which as I said is somewhat unfortunate, particularly for the other modders. IMHO, of course.

And Jakesnake, is there any compelling reason besides 'too many changes needed'? as I understand it, the point ot the EMP, which the XTM is built upon, is to ensure that in theory, any number of mods can be installed without conflicting, by ensuring that enough slots are available for any reasonable number of modders to use them. It might be a big undertaking to re-write the Exodus scripts, but the payoff (XTM + Exodus) would be worth it.

I'm not Jake, but I'll answer anyway! EMP allows the addition of extra wares to X3 (and possibly some other minor stuff?) - it doesn't allow the major mods to play nicely (XTM isn't built on EMP - XTM has included EMP in their mod, so you don't need to install EMP if you have XTM installed.

The problem with merging the major mods is that they all make heavy modifications to the same files. If you go through and edit these files to make them compatible, you need to make decisions as to which modifications you want to keep. Generally speaking, what comes out in the end won't resemble either mod.

And as for multiple installs of X3, I barely have time for one install, and I only have college to work on, not even a day job. So either everyone is cheating their asses off to skip to the fun parts of an install and then denying it loudly by blaming and hating on cheaters, or y'all have no life outside of X3.

There's life outside X3?

Several of my installs (and several of Jake's I'm sure) are development installs - we don't actually play X3 on them.

As to fun parts of the game, I actually find the beginning to be the most fun anyway. Gets a bit boring for me when you have it all. But that's just me, I guess.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Nevertheless, that the XTM is hosted on Egosoft's servers is endorsement, if not explicit, then implicit. It is the De facto mod.

ES hosts it, yes. But there is no endorsement. E.g. they don't allow discussion of it on the main forum, and they don't provide any sort of tech support for it. Seems pretty conclusive to me that they don't want anything to do with it other than hosting. I do agree though that it has become the default mod for X3 - which as I said is somewhat unfortunate, particularly for the other modders. IMHO, of course.

It's still a de facto endorsement - much like those police officers who turned a blind eye to thugs chasing African-Americans away from polling stations in the deep south during the civil rights movement. It wasen't a de jure forbiddance of voting, but it was de facto.

And Jakesnake, is there any compelling reason besides 'too many changes needed'? as I understand it, the point ot the EMP, which the XTM is built upon, is to ensure that in theory, any number of mods can be installed without conflicting, by ensuring that enough slots are available for any reasonable number of modders to use them. It might be a big undertaking to re-write the Exodus scripts, but the payoff (XTM + Exodus) would be worth it.

I'm not Jake, but I'll answer anyway! EMP allows the addition of extra wares to X3 (and possibly some other minor stuff?) - it doesn't allow the major mods to play nicely (XTM isn't built on EMP - XTM has included EMP in their mod, so you don't need to install EMP if you have XTM installed.

The problem with merging the major mods is that they all make heavy modifications to the same files. If you go through and edit these files to make them compatible, you need to make decisions as to which modifications you want to keep. Generally speaking, what comes out in the end won't resemble either mod.

They can't be made compatable?

And as for multiple installs of X3, I barely have time for one install, and I only have college to work on, not even a day job. So either everyone is cheating their asses off to skip to the fun parts of an install and then denying it loudly by blaming and hating on cheaters, or y'all have no life outside of X3.

There's life outside X3?

Several of my installs (and several of Jake's I'm sure) are development installs - we don't actually play X3 on them.

As to fun parts of the game, I actually find the beginning to be the most fun anyway. Gets a bit boring for me when you have it all. But that's just me, I guess.

[/quote]

Sorry, but trying to kill a Kha'akh cluster with a lone centaur is a difficult proposition that sends me flying for safety. I kind of need to have it all to survive.

[Vandrine]

It's still a de facto endorsement - much like those police officers who turned a blind eye to thugs chasing African-Americans away from polling stations in the deep south during the civil rights movement. It wasen't a de jure forbiddance of voting, but it was de facto.

I concur. If Egosoft hosted all of the mods, XFP, DDR, Roguey's mod to name but a few, it could say hand on heart that it has no bias and does not in any way shape or form support XTM.

It's a pity EFS isn't compatible with XTm though, was very much looking forward to it Alas. Woe betide Vandrine.

[Jakesnake5]

Comming attractions (ie., Stuff I need to get around to)

Revised Ship Construction material requirements (based on RelVal and HQ construction requirements)

Rewritten 'Produce ships' command to display allowed selections and get answer from Player (currently player has to select from list of ALL ships when command is run)

Consolidate command slot usage (LV got 'testy' about the number)

Redo/replace textures on Stiletto and Trebouche (they are kind of dark, and not in line with the EFS pattern)

Re-Fix the BFG's Genesis and Claymore use (they have a slight problem if you watch them fire)

Re-Create BFG2's for Genesis and Claymore's top/bottom guns.

Re-Write the Produce E-cell script to be more dynamic with actual ship shield levels. (this one will be fun =) )

Create a custom start (or several) where the PHQ becomes the ShipYard, and somewhere in the galaxy is a derelict Hyperion for the player to find. (Custom Starts disable the Bala Gi mission, not sure why).

Fix the 'Move Claymore' script to actually do that. (still no clue what Andras ment for it to do, but I'll manage)

Fix the BBS. (Sometimes multiple entries, and never takes the 200k. Also doesn't CHECK if the player has the 200k to start with)

Find someone to translate the text file into German.