[Aardwolf]

I made this as my final project for CompSci last year, and made some upgrades today. It uses images from FRED2 as the unit pictures. Credits can be found in the credits page of the main menu. The only thing that is not given credit in this version and should be is the story. For that, credits go to ALT F4 and Lemon Demon.

It is in several files, unfortunately. They are:

The core file (JAR, maps, and a few saves i used in testing), SoundFX, and Images:
http://www.esnips.com/web/FS-TBSG/

The main music track (you must also have a copy of this named leviathan.wav)
Click here to play Scanning3

The game start sound:
Click here to play Bangstart

I'm not sure those music files will work, actually, so if they don't, just create wav files in the game's directory called scanning3, leviathan, and bangstart.

Edit: new download link is in the last post. If not there, find the most recent post with a download link that isn't crossed out.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,42596.75#lastPost

[Mustang19]

Looks interesting. I downloaded everything except the music files (I can't download them from the site, try hosting them on Megaupload or Rapidshare or something if other people have this problem too). So I made .WAVs of Scanning3, Leviathan and bangstart, like you said, and I still get "Could not find the main class. Program will exit!" every time I open the JAR.

I put everything under one directory. Are all the sounds, graphics, etc. supposed to go under different directories? Nice idea, but like a lot of freeware you just can't get it to work.

[aldo_14]

Sounds like the jar needs a manifest file?

EDIT; yep, needs an MF.

[Aardwolf]

Ah... it seems the original .jar file had one, but that packaging that inside a .rar removed it. Or something like that. I will upload the jar file by itself, but be advised that you will still need the maps from "core" .rar file to play anything.

Oh, and since such a hard concept, please note that everything in this game that is not a file selector or message box is either drag and drop or a single keypress, or both. Including the menus. I plan to make some more changes and release them shortly. Among these will hopefully be a fix to the timer-that-won't-stop-running-even-after-the-object-disappears bug.

It is a two to four player game, with no AI. If you do not do anything during a turn, no changes will take place. Thus, if you accidentally end turns twice, you can continue ending turns until it is the correct player's turn again. There is nothing like continuous damage.

More information will come later. For learning the game i suggest "tinymap2.map" as the map file, because the two player's homeworlds are closest together in this map.

As I said, I will post the working JAR file in a little while.

Edit: Done.

Edit: And I have still not fixed the timers problem, it may not be as simple as I thought. Because of this, it would be wise to save often, but remember: Saving ends your turn. The problem might have something to do with sound.

[Mobius]

I had an idea for a FS conversion for Battlefleet Gothic...

[Aardwolf]

Can I assume that's a strategy game?

This game needs your help! Go here to look at my SoundPlayer code, if you know anything about Java and sound, and try to help out as best as possible.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,42622.0.html

Also, I have compiled a list of features I plan to add as soon as this problem is solved. If you would like to suggest something, post here.

[RiflemanIII]

I had an idea for a FS conversion for Battlefleet Gothic...

I'm working on converting the ships to Starmada X, myself. All I have left to do are the Sathanas and Colossus.

[Aardwolf]

Ok, the slowdown/crash has been fixed. It turned out I was storing the sounds in the wrong way. More complicated than it sounds.

If you would like to see a feature, please mention it.

Most recent version: 0.94

I will continue updating the following lists of features (and bugs), the idea for which I must give credit to Kazan with his Official PCS2 Feature Requests Thread.

Included Features:

• New unit: Fighter Squadrons
• Image Backdrops
• Intra-System Jumping and related features
• Telefragging for inter-system jumps (released, but not fully tested, esp. for fighters)
• New maps containing homeworlds across multiple systems for up to 4 players

Planned Features:

• Keyboard shortcut(s) for selecting stuff
• New unit: Freighter
• New modifier: Cargo
• New unit: Yard
• New unit: Science Vessel
• Unit specific upgradable statistics, researched with Science Vessels
• Various rules that apply to Freighters, Cargo, Yards, Science Vessels, and upgrades

Suggested Features (Not yet accepted or rejected):

• Add a screen where you can select from or see any of the maps.
• Normal clicking interface
• Some sort of shortcut to jump to your home system

Rejected Features:

• None so far

Current Bugs:

• Ships occasionally jump to the wrong location or disappear from the map entirely. (If you have any information on the circumstances that lead to this, please make it available so that I can fix it.)

Fixed Bugs:

• Sounds constantly loading every time they are played, caused game to slow down and crash
• Fighter HP saving and displaying incorrectly
• Build Colonizer icon had a green background, is now black
• Tip Text appeared in the wrong locations
• Cancelling Save ended turn without saving
• Various sound bugs including multiple play and music failure for loaded games

Minor Changes:

• Made inter-system jumps use the same energy requirements as intra-system jumps
• Added additional backdrop images to the game

Things that aren't quite features but aren't minor either:

• Increased resource costs of most actions, increased resource production accordingly
• Created a map for two players across two star-systems
• Drastically changed unit resource costs to better reflect usefulness and "production cost"

The most recent release can be found on rapidshare, look near the bottom to find the most recent link.

[Dark Hunter]

Hmm, it doesn't seem to be working. I try loading the jar file and a black window opens up, but nothing happens. Something I'm doing wrong?

[Aardwolf]

Did you create/make .wav files named leviathan, bangstart, and scanning3?

Also the images are needed or it won't work. I doubt that's the problem, but make sure you've unzipped them and all the sounds and the core package (get rid of the jar in there, though, it sucks).

Other than that, I don't know. What's the title of the window?

[Dark Hunter]

Title = "Turn-Based Strategy Game"


Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean by create WAV's? Do you mean create an empty WAV file, or try making ne out of those un-downloadable sound clips posted earlier?

[Aardwolf]

It's a sound file format. If you can't find a nice short one (maybe 25 seconds long) that wouldn't be extremely annoying if repeated 1000 times over, I can send you the originals. This goes for anyone, but if you can, please upload your own copy and post where to find it in this thread. Just give me your email and tell me you want me to send it to you, and 5 MB later, you'll have the file you need.

The reason I asked the title of the window was because I wasn't sure whether it was a command prompt style window you were describing or just the normal window but black. I am about to test the game with those files missing to see if that might be the problem.

Edit: the sound files being missing doesn't cause any problems, or at least not on the title screen. I think you may be missing the image files. Make sure you have extracted everything to the same directory.

Edit: but just in case you want them, here they are!

http://rapidshare.de/files/35656830/scanning3.wav
http://rapidshare.de/files/35657038/bangstart.wav

Remember to make a duplicate of scanning3.wav named leviathan.wav, and be sure to place all of the files in the same folder! Do not unpack the jar file unless you know what you are doing.

[Dark Hunter]

Thanks. I knew what WAV's are, but didn't know how to create them. My computer knowledge seems to have large holes in it....

I thought the images were included in the core download. I'll try downloading them as well.



Off-topic: What the hell is RapidShare trying to pull? Says I have to wait three minutes to download the next file, because I'm not a "Premium User".  There's not even an on-line queue for any of their servers!!!
Is it really necessary for them to make us wait three minutes in between downloads in addition to the occasional on-line queue?

[Aardwolf]

Screenshot showing the main map screen and the minimap. This is a particularly large battle in a game which is in the later stages (player one is losing, their units are green on the minimap). The background is the TBSG folder on my computer.

[Ulala]

Messed around with it for a couple hours, not bad at all. Keep it up. 

[Aardwolf]

a couple hours

Wow. It's not even done.

I know this wasn't on the planned features list, but I have added the ability to put backdrop images into the game, like nebulae and such:



I also redid the graphics for all the ships, and put a green background around the images so that I can remove it to make them be transparent, allowing stuff like what is shown in the picture. The sun and warp hole are still the same, but with a brightness --> alpha filter.

Now I have to update the features/bugs list.

Edit: I have not yet uploaded the new version. It may take a while, because my computer isn't letting me edit this one folder while explorer.exe is running; I have to CTRL+ALT+DELETE and exit explorer.exe, open the dos prompt, manually delete the folder, run explorer, and recompile.

Edit: If you would like me to explain how to make maps, I will tell you. Just ask.

Edit: I have uploaded the new jar and miscellaneous files.

Edit: And if anybody can tell me why it is giving people the "cannot find main class" error when there is a clearly specified main class in a clearly existing manifest file, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Edit: I have come up with a solution. I have wrapped the jar file in an exe using JSmooth, and packaged that along with all the needed files in a zip folder, which I converted to a self extracting exe using NSIS' Zip2Exe program. Then I uploaded it to rapidshare. Since it is only one file and contains everything, you no longer have to worry about the bs three minutes rule.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35863904/Installer0v91.RAR

Edit: this link is missing several images. Get the images from images.rar and stuffv0.9.rar on esnips.

I am also aware of the bug with the Build Colonizer icon, I will fix it shortly, although now that I am doing things this way new releases may be further apart.

Edit: that's a lot of edits!

[Aardwolf]

I am neither advocating or discouraging the download of this file. I am merely saying that it exists, and that it has intra-system jumps.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35900448/Installer0v92.RAR

Unfortunately, the save game files are not compatible with previous versions. If you had a large game going, either save this in a different directory or finish your game first.

[Unknown Target]

It's ok, but it's very hard to use, and the music needs a mute button Good luck with it though, it does have potential

[Dark Hunter]

I don't think it needs a mute button so much as variety. But I'm assuming that that will come later.

I played a game against myself to see how it all worked, and I'm a little confused as to what criteria the game uses to decide a winner. All of a sudden it just up and said: "Player 2 wins". Player 1 wasn't destroyed yet. Player 1's homeworld was, but he still had three other planets.

[Aardwolf]

Yeah, players are wiped out when there homeworld is. I could make it an option of either homeworld or all planets or all things that are or could be used to make cities. I've never really tested what happens to a player's units after their homeworld is destroyed, but I plan to do so sometime, as for 3+ player games, it is important. Also, I will add some commas in the warship info text, as they are missing there.

Edit: I still haven't tested for 3+ players. I imagine, though, that the ships and planets would just sit there unless destroyed. I have, however, created an map that makes full use of multiple star-systems (two star systems, two players).

Edit: I am working with d3r3k on creating a walkthrough/tutorial/faq. However, since he doesn't have the latest version, it will be incomplete in some areas.