Re-Creating The XBTF Plot

[LV]

Ladies, this idea's been growing on me for the last couple of days.

maybe it's because i only see 1's and 0's these days when looking at X, maybe it's the fact the BTF plot was the best but i'm becoming tempted to re-create it as a plugin.

Unfortunately many different barbiturates and other harmful vices have left my memory of the BTF plot as follows.

1. The teladi give you some cash and you think *&*& me that's a big ship i better pay them back.
2. You get sent to kill a big xenon ship and your x shuttle gets more and more beefed up as you go
3. you couldn't fly any other ship than the shuttle.

That's it

So people, it would be nice if you could fill in the gaps, for some reason my force powers tell me i can not only re-write the btf plot without too much hassle (a modded M0 may be needed) but that the audio and text may still be in the 144 dat/0001

the only two things i feel need to be introduce to redux btf are an M0) xenon ship with some kick ass turrets as per the orig

[ external image ]

and also as the only ship would be the x shuttle some way of upgrading it as you go along (maybe a couple of cloned x shuttes with different settings) modding is beyond me.

Idea's and plot filling posts are welcome



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[Alee Enn]

Hi LV,
I'm sure I mentioned this idea somewhere too, but it was more along the lines of re-creating the entire story.

I like this idea, but I'd like you to add a restriction to the map if you want it to be as accurate as possible.
The map is as follows,
Kingdom End to Family Whi
Family Whi to Hatikvah's Faith with Family Pride & Rhonkars Clouds
Hatikvah's Faith to Emporer Mines with Empire's Edge & Dukes Domian
Emporer Mines to Kingdom End.

The Pirate sectors as we now know them were all Xenon.
The Xenon super ship was in Brennans Triumph

The player started in Seizewell.

I could try playing the game again if that would help you.

Alien.

EDIT - Oh and to be as accurate as possible, you'd have to re-create all the X-BTF ships
And then you could make them available to me as xsp files.

EDIT 2 - Maybe after the X-BTF storyline is done, open up a bit more of the map to do an X-Tension plugin you would have planned afterwards ?
(And that would mean re-creating the X-Tension ships )

[Argonaught.]

Well with the MD you can spawn in ships with more cargobay/rudder/speed upgrades than the stock ships come with.
Maybe it can be done with SE too?

So as rewards you could spawn in a better X shuttle than the player has.

just an idea for you.


edit:
The Teladi give you 1000cr as far as I remember....not too sure on the middle bit of the story though.

Argo.

[Alee Enn]

Argo.
It was a measly 100cr.

I remember it well (I tried playing it again not to long ago).

Alien

EDIT - If LV pulls this off, with our help (help being us messing about with his idea)
It could go in to the Superbox.

[Argonaught.]

Argo.
It was a measly 100cr.

I remember it well (I tried playing it again not to long ago).

Alien

Ah..well shows how much my memory is shot then

I found a teeny weeny walkthrough for you LV.

how Mogsy 'staggered' through X- BTF By Mogsy

Found a site with a text download:

BTB's XBTF Site

In the text file scroll down to the Quests bit.

HTH

Argo.

[Alee Enn]

LV,
Again to make this as accurate as poss you'd also have to bring back the old stations.

And bring back internal docking.

And Logos.

Maybe it would be easier to tell us all (or just tell me)
that if that's how accurate we want it, to just play the first bloody game then !

Seriously though, don't give up on this.
I'm on your side, honest.

Alien.

[Samuel Creshal]

Maybe it can be done with SE too?

So as rewards you could spawn in a better X shuttle than the player has.

Yes, it can be done with the SE, and you don't even need to create a new shuttle, you can add them any time.

(Ever tried to script a 20000m/s Titan? It's fun... until you have to steer )

[apricotslice]

Modding the X-shuttle is easy. Its in the game now, so its just a matter of changing its fitting options.

So is setting this up as a start.

Recreating the original environment is problematical. The original ship and station models would be so far out of date as to look terrible in the current game.

I dont see the point of truncating the game in the name of realism. Those of us who never did the original wont notice any differences anyway.

Perhaps it would be better to simply create the plot within the existing game, as a themed start. So you have the Xenon carve a path through known space so as to own what they did then (pretty easy to do), and redo the plot as closely as possible only in the current state of the universe. Extend the scope of the plot to pushing the Xenon back to their current sectors, with the current owners resuming control when the xenon are gone.

It would still stand as a new game start with a unique set of missions.

The missions would need to be coded to enforce using the shuttle only.

[ThisIsHarsh]

I really like this idea. As a relative newcomer to the X series (X3R) it would be good to actually play through the original plot, but using the more advanced engine. Don't really care if it has to be tweaked to fit the new engine, I would just be interested in the story.

[LV]

I'm with Ap here, my idea is only the shuttle, the rest of it (stations and such) would be the TC versions as it would be pointless to start messing about making old models and such

can the MD call a script ap or set a global variable?

[The-Last-Communist]

gosh ! i remamber btf but i think that the player shold be able to tack other ships but they are real X-pensive (i know im NOT funny ) and you need the best rep. this idea is good as i just started re doing X1 but , i felt lick oh , its ugly , anyway good look ! with your project il seya on the other side !

[Argonaught.]

I'm with Ap here, my idea is only the shuttle, the rest of it (stations and such) would be the TC versions as it would be pointless to start messing about making old models and such

can the MD call a script ap or set a global variable?

The MD can call a script, I've no idea how to use that though. But if you check in the thread you made for MD snippets I posted all Q&A the links I could find from the X3r/X3TC forums.

Hopefully in there you'll find how to call scripts etc.


HTH

Argo.

[Ketraar]

Introducing the X-Btf Plot is an Idea that I like a lot. I like it that much that I'm currently working on something that has most of all plot lines (Btf until TC), including the Universe expansion and some tech evolution (like no JD until X2 )

Not wanting to hijack this thread but maybe one could avoid double efforts.

MFG

Ketraar

[Argonaught.]

Introducing the X-Btf Plot is an Idea that I like a lot. I like it that much that I'm currently working on something that has most of all plot lines (Btf until TC), including the Universe expansion and some tech evolution (like no JD until X2 )

Not wanting to hijack this thread but maybe one could avoid double efforts.

MFG

Ketraar

You could join forces?



Argo.

[LV]

Introducing the X-Btf Plot is an Idea that I like a lot. I like it that much that I'm currently working on something that has most of all plot lines (Btf until TC), including the Universe expansion and some tech evolution (like no JD until X2 )

Not wanting to hijack this thread but maybe one could avoid double efforts.

MFG

Ketraar

well if your telling me i can sit back and let you do it I see no problem there at all

[Ketraar]

well if your telling me i can sit back and let you do it I see no problem there at all

erm nope that was not the idea, the idea was more to share the burden

Coding the Plot in MD is rather easy, recreating the environment of BTF is not. Several scripts may be required, and since I suck at scripting in SE, well you get the hint

Just thinking out loud here...

MFG

Ketraar

[LV]

tell me what you think is needed and i'll take a look at doing, i'd be much happier just writing code than pissing about with plot, t and audio anyway

[Alee Enn]

I'm trying to get the ships as .xsp files.

IF I succeed, would they be of any use to you ? would you want them ?

*note - I said IF, and it's a BIG IF.*

Alien.

[LV]

It would be nice if it was not too much trouble to have a few in there as retro candy i suppose, especially the xenon ones and the perseus (best ship of BTF imho)

LV waits for someone to tell him the nids didn't have the perseus in BTF

[Ketraar]

This is what I was aiming for:

• tiling up the universe in 4 parts. and "add" the parts as plot moves on.
  This should be feasible and I'm on it already, just a few things I'm testing yet.
• coding plot lines using MD, trying to reproduce the time line as accurate as possible.
  Note that some plot parts, specially some in X3R, can't be done so they may get skipped or replaced.
• recreate BTF environent by:
  • removing the JD from BTF universe untli BTF plotline is done
  • rearrange sectors and ownership as it was in BTF (sector look may maintain)
  • player can only fly the Shuttle (no idea yet how to do is, may get ignored if not feasible to be done)
  • reintroduce the possibility to order ships for station protection at player station, due to external docking in TC this may need to get tweaked a bit, still figuring it out.
  • recreate the Seta Boost, where playership gets boosted but shield drain occurs. (script, ware? is it possible? no idea)
• add wares and tech to Docks and Shiyards according to time line.

This is a rough sketch, its still deep in R&D though, as its made "on the side".

MFG

Ketraar