Author Topic: Dusk Wars: The Retconned  (Read 9412 times)

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Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
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  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Evening gentlemen and zods alike, I come bearing news in regards to Dusk Wars. Awhile back, some of you may remember that I had announced Dusk Wars: Andvari Conflict:

Quote
While Dusk Wars Act 2 is entering its final stages of development, I have decided to reveal one of two of my projects that will come after Dusk Wars Act 2 is released.

Without further stalling:



Dusk Wars: Andvari Conflict



Unfortunately, after much consideration I've decided to drop DWAC in pursuit of another project within the Dusk Wars universe. The Andvari Conflict, I felt, summed up in a few short words, was too cliché. The modification didn't quite sit well with me, so I've decided to use it purely as lore and not make a separate modification out of it.

So, if I'm not making Dusk Wars: Andvari Conflict, what am I working on? Well, I've decided instead of prequels, why not take the trilogy route and create sequels. Without further stalling, I present to you:












Dusk Wars Act 3





What is Dusk Wars Act 3?

Dusk Wars Act 3 is the sequel to Dusk Wars Act 2, which was set in the year 2400 in the current era.

15 years after the Anshari War, much of the astropolitical landscape has shifted. The Bal'ran Empire, approaching their full reconstruction of their Navy, are expected to launch a reclamation effort of their old territories within the Pegasus Constellation, while the Anshari Empire, fractured from civil war ignited 15 years ago, settles within the galactic northern fringes as a unified Imperium of hatred and war.

Set in the eyes of a Terran pilot in the Terran Defense Coalition, you'll be apart of the 542nd Squadron in the Lyra Defense Group, a flotilla of the larger Outer Rim Fleet set in the Lyra Constellation, you will witness an ancient plan unfold that will change the landscape of the Milky Way, and reveal secrets that were best left alone.


Dusk Wars Act 3 will be split into 5 chapters, each set to have at most 15 missions. The chapters will explain the story of humanity's desperate fight for preservation against not only hostile alien threats, but threats from within.


Currently the first chapter, the Prologue, is complete mission wise. Set at 11 missions, the Prologue will be the first released, and will serve as a stepping stone for the rest of the chapters.


What features are unique to Dusk Wars?

Unlike the predecessors, steps were taken to ensure there are unique features and story elements that coexist with traditional gameplay. I have tried to make community models look more unique to Dusk Wars, but as time goes on, my skills will improve, and so will the mod.





New Weapons:

Dusk Wars will have new, custom weapons with traditional and non-traditional SFX and PFX. You'll have weapons that will resemble traditional Freespace weapons like the Harpoon, or you'll have entirely unique weapons that will change how you fight your enemies.

For example, there are bombs that can be wielded by fighters in order to make strike missions more interesting, or a swarm missile that can be fired from 3500 meters away designed to wither down targets, making them easier to kill as they enter your primary weapon range.



Revamped Races:

The Anshari make a return in Act 3 as the primary antagonist, but I've taken steps to try to distance them from the Shivans they are based off of. They fight in a similar fashion, but their weapons are much more dangerous then the latter, and pose a much more significant threat to you and your HVTs.



Unique Mechanics:

Measures have been taken in order to given the player, you, a better ability to micro-manage targets and keep track of certain objectives. Various craft like bombers or important targets have been given special hotkeys so you can differentiate them from say, their escorts.

An EvE Online style damage approach has also been implemented, for example, there are 4 major damage types: Particle, Thermal, Kinetic, and Explosive, and two major armor types: Reflective, and Density. Shields also have variants as well, but the only major one used is reflector shields, which reflect lasers, but don't defend well against missiles.

As the mod advances on, new weapons will be made available to allow you, the player, to better prepare for missions.

Other features include:
  • New Music from artists and games like Phoenix Music and Destiny!
  • New UI!
  • New Characters!
  • New Missions!
  • Continuation from Dusk Wars Act 2!

When will DWA3 be released?

Never! Just kidding, the release of Dusk Wars Act 3 is on a TBD bases. While I would love to give you an exact date, I enjoy having the freedom to choose when I want to develop on the mod, and not feel forced or pressured to release it.

What I can do however, is tell you it's close to release. If it wasn't close, I wouldn't be posting this.

How can I help?

I am always looking for people to provide assistance with anything, whether it be testing, advice, whatever. Like everybody else, I have my weaknesses, and help will always be appreciated.

If you wish to offer your services, please PM me.


EDIT (12/14/15): Numerous typos that escaped initial editing  :blah:
« Last Edit: December 14, 2015, 10:45:02 pm by BTA »
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

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Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline CT27

  • 211
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
I'm really interested in this story.

If I may ask and it wouldn't reveal spoilers, who won the Anshari civil war that started at the end of DWA2?  Was it the Anshari you fought during DWA/DWA2 or was it the faction of the Anshari destroyer that allied with you in the latter part of DWA2?

 

Offline Nyctaeus

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Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
I see many cool ships and promising storyline :). Keep up good work and finish it quickly :D!
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Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
  • 29
  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
I'm really interested in this story.

If I may ask and it wouldn't reveal spoilers, who won the Anshari civil war that started at the end of DWA2?  Was it the Anshari you fought during DWA/DWA2 or was it the faction of the Anshari destroyer that allied with you in the latter part of DWA2?

The Anshari that allied you in DWA2 eventually won the civil war, they play a role in the coming chapters. Intel tech descriptions go into depth as to what happened during their civil war and how they came to be the victors.
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline Lepanto

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Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
This might go somewhere. Nice to see you're making the Anshari look more unique this time around. Do you think you've learned anything FRED-wise from your other Dusk Wars campaigns?
"We have now reached the point where every goon with a grievance, every bitter bigot, merely has to place the prefix, 'I know this is not politically correct, but...' in front of the usual string of insults in order to be not just safe from criticism, but actually a card, a lad, even a hero. Conversely, to talk about poverty and inequality, to draw attention to the reality that discrimination and injustice are still facts of life, is to commit the sin of political correctness. Anti-PC has become the latest cover for creeps. It is a godsend for every curmudgeon and crank, from fascists to the merely smug."
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Offline CT27

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Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
What are the Balran going to be doing in DWA3 while their Anshari allies are fighting humanity?

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
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  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
This might go somewhere. Nice to see you're making the Anshari look more unique this time around. Do you think you've learned anything FRED-wise from your other Dusk Wars campaigns?

The first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one, but the second step is figuring out what the problem was. I can't say I won't make the same mistakes as before, but what I can say is that I feel there is some improvement from before.

What are the Balran going to be doing in DWA3 while their Anshari allies are fighting humanity?

Short answer: They're rebuilding.
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
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  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Update time, how fun!

Still so much, so much, that must be finished, many entries left out or unfinished, missions that require testing, so much, so much, yet, much has already been done!

I had just recently finished up working on an entry for the Anshari in the intel tech room, they're quite an interesting bunch, a history filled with war, clans pinned against each other striving to become the Mahadeva of their species, the head honcho destined to lead their race onto the path of supremacy.

In Hinduism, a Mahadeva is a word meaning "Great God", in the Anshari's sense, it in essence, means the same thing, except they take it as more of a messiah approach. In Anshari culture, no clan or "Kohn" could be declared a Mahadeva unless there is a consensus. Self-declared Mahadevas are considered to be arrogant. The title is earned, and those who earn it are revered as the "chosen" leaders of the Anshari people.

You can read more about the Anshari and their culture when the mod is released :D.


Now, onto more gameplay information, with more lore, of course. One of the things I wish to do for Dusk Wars is stick in some hidden gifts.

We all remember the GTF Ares, that lovely piece of god himself that allowed us to bring swift, unholy justice to the Shivans. Well, unfortunately it wasn't hand picked for you. It was something you earned, granted it was easy to achieve, but you weren't given access to it off the bat.

I intend to take a similar approach to some special variants of current fighters. In the prologue, there will be one or two fighters that will be hidden in the game that you'll have to unlock. One of these fighters, I will be shedding some light on as an example.



Here's the TDF-17 Prowler-R. The original Prowler, basically the GTF Pharaoh made by Shadowwolf (correct me if I'm wrong), serves as the player's main fighter for the entire 11 mission campaign. The Prowler-R, is a prototype developed by the Kyper Corporation as a test bed for a new engine prototype. The Prowler-R, serves as the personal fighter of Lt. Commander Rasputin, the squadron leader of the 542nd.

Now, what makes the Prowler-R better? Well, lets look at the table entries:

Code: [Select]
$Name: TDF-17 Prowler
$Short name: TerFight
$Species: Terran
+Length: 16 m
+Gun Mounts: 4
+Missile Banks: 2
$POF file: Pharaoh.pof
$Detail distance: (0, 180, 330, 1100)
$ND: 245 17 3
$ND: 254 9 0
$ND: 7 4 237
$ND: 38 11 204
$Show damage: YES
$Density: 1
$Damp: 0.15
$Rotdamp: 0.325
$Max Velocity: 0.0, 0.0, 70
$Rotation time: 3.0, 3.0, 3.0
$Rear Velocity: 0.0
$Forward accel: 2.2
$Forward decel: 1.9
$Slide accel: 0.0
$Slide decel: 0.0
$Expl inner rad: 25.0
$Expl outer rad: 75.0
$Expl damage: 25.0
$Expl blast: 1000.0
$Expl Propagates: NO
$Shockwave Speed: 0.0
$Default PBanks: ( "EWS-15 Plasma" "EWS-17 Plasma" )
$Default SBanks:            ( "Wasp" "Locust III" )
$SBank Capacity: ( 40, 70 )
$Show Secondary Models: ( YES YES )
$Shields: 325
$Shield Color: 0 255 0
$Power Output: 2.25
$Max Oclk Speed: 110.0
$Max Weapon Eng: 150.0
$Hitpoints: 420
$Armor Type: Ter Reflective
$Shield Armor Type: Repulse
$Flags: ( "player_ship" "default_player_ship" "generate icon" "fighter" "in tech database")
$AI Class: Captain
$Afterburner: YES
+Aburn Max Vel: 0.0, 0.0, 162.0
+Aburn For accel: 0.5
+Aburn Fuel: 305.0
+Aburn Burn Rate: 80.0
+Aburn Rec Rate: 30.0
$Countermeasures: 40
$Scan time: 2000
$EngineSnd: 129
$Closeup_pos: 0.0, 0.0, -25
$Closeup_zoom: 0.5
$Shield_icon: genericshield
$Ship_icon: iconAurora
$Ship_anim: fighterCW-02t
$Ship_overhead: loadAurora
$Score: 14
$Trail:
+Offset: 6.8 -1 7.0
+Start Width: 0.15
+End Width: 0.02
+Start Alpha: 1.0
+End Alpha: 0.0
+Max Life: 0.75
+Spew Time: 100
+Bitmap: Contrail01
$Trail:
+Offset: -6.8 -1 7.0
+Start Width: 0.25
+End Width: 0.05
+Start Alpha: 1.0
+End Alpha: 0.0
+Max Life: 1.0
+Spew Time: 120
+Bitmap: Contrail01
$Subsystem: sensors, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: communications, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: weapons, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: navigation, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: engines, 35, 0.0

Here's the slightly modified table of the Prowler, basically a copy-paste of the original Pharaoh with a few changes.

Code: [Select]
$Name: TDF-17 Prowler-R
$Short name: TerFight
$Species: Terran
+Length: 16 m
+Gun Mounts: 4
+Missile Banks: 2
$POF file: PharaohR.pof
$Detail distance: (0, 180, 330, 1100)
$ND: 245 17 3
$ND: 254 9 0
$ND: 7 4 237
$ND: 38 11 204
$Show damage: YES
$Density: 1
$Damp: 0.15
$Rotdamp: 0.325
$Max Velocity: 0.0, 0.0, 77
$Rotation time: 2.5, 2.5, 2.5
$Rear Velocity: 0.0
$Forward accel: 2.2
$Forward decel: 1.9
$Slide accel: 0.0
$Slide decel: 0.0
$Expl inner rad: 25.0
$Expl outer rad: 75.0
$Expl damage: 25.0
$Expl blast: 1000.0
$Expl Propagates: NO
$Shockwave Speed: 0.0
$Default PBanks: ( "EWS-15 Plasma" "EWS-17 Plasma" )
$Default SBanks:            ( "Wasp" "Locust III" )
$SBank Capacity: ( 42, 55 )
$Shields: 305
$Shield Color: 0 255 0
$Power Output: 2.25
$Max Oclk Speed: 110.0
$Max Weapon Eng: 150.0
$Hitpoints: 550
$Armor Type: Ter Density
$Shield Armor Type: Repulse
$Flags: ( "player_ship" "default_player_ship" "generate icon" "fighter" "in tech database")
$AI Class: Captain
$Afterburner: YES
+Aburn Max Vel: 0.0, 0.0, 162.0
+Aburn For accel: 0.5
+Aburn Fuel: 305.0
+Aburn Burn Rate: 80.0
+Aburn Rec Rate: 30.0
$Countermeasures: 40
$Scan time: 2000
$EngineSnd: 129
$Closeup_pos: 0.0, 0.0, -25
$Closeup_zoom: 0.5
$Shield_icon: genericshield
$Ship_icon: iconAurora
$Ship_anim: fighterCW-02t
$Ship_overhead: loadAurora
$Score: 14
$Trail:
+Offset: 6.8 -1 7.0
+Start Width: 0.15
+End Width: 0.02
+Start Alpha: 1.0
+End Alpha: 0.0
+Max Life: 0.75
+Spew Time: 100
+Bitmap: Contrail01
$Trail:
+Offset: -6.8 -1 7.0
+Start Width: 0.25
+End Width: 0.05
+Start Alpha: 1.0
+End Alpha: 0.0
+Max Life: 1.0
+Spew Time: 120
+Bitmap: Contrail01
$Subsystem: sensors, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: communications, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: weapons, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: navigation, 10, 0.0
$Subsystem: engines, 35, 0.0

Here's the Prowler Retrofit, the Prowler-R has greater maneuverability, speed, and durability, while sacrificing missile capacity and shield hitpoints by a small margin. There may be some more hidden changes that may be added further into development, but this is the basic low down.

Now, the space craft of the week, for every week that the mod is not released, I'll post a little tidbit about the various strikecraft or warships in Dusk Wars. Today, I choose the Bortua, the Anshari Imperium's main fighter of choice.



Bortuas, I guess you could say they're like Maras. Very common, very maneuverable, and can be a pain in the ass. The Imperium uses them as space superiority fighters, and typically come with swarm anti-fighter missiles, as well as burst particle emitters. They're also chosen by the Siva Kohn's more elite squadrons as a space superiority fighter. Marked by the -kin in their wing name, these fighters typically have more health then your standard Bortuas.

Now, final note:

I am always looking for testers, outside opinions will be greatly appreciated and will greatly benefit the mod's development.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline CT27

  • 211
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Sounds cool.

Will the Balran play a part in DWA3?

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
  • 29
  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Not in the prologue, no.
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
  • 29
  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Happy new year Hard-Light, I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas and had a safe New Years.

I've meant to post this earlier in the week but have been busy, also there isn't much to post about as I've been a bit preoccupied with other duties to work on the mod, but worry not, development will continue soon!

To keep up with the little tradition, this week space craft is the Coalition Calypso.



The Calypso's model is by Betrayal, which is a re-colored version of his recently released EFFg Solomon. The Calypso serves as an old age cruiser, which had served in humanity's struggle against the Andvari. The Calypso is general purpose, she has an effective point defense system and sufficient anti-ship weapons which can make her more then a challenge against Anshari counterparts.



A significant number of Calypsos make up the flotillas of the Outer Rim Fleet, but are seen less as you move closer to the inner colonies, reason for this is due to their age. As more advanced weapons are developed, the Calypso is slowly being phased out due to complications in retrofitting the warship to modern specifications. A similar problem the Vasudan Imperium had with upgrading the GVD Typhons with beam weapons.

As Dusk Wars Act III progresses, you'll see less and less Calypsos make their runs in the fleet, but they will not go away completely.
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline Nyctaeus

  • The Slavic Engineer
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Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
I knew you will find a good usage for her :D. Is she gonna have that uber cool cluster torpedo?
Exile | Shadow Genesis | Inferno | Series Resurrecta  | DA Profile | P3D Profile

Proud owner of NyctiShipyards. Remember - Nyx will fix it!

All of my assets including models, textures, skyboxes, effects may be used under standard CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
  • 29
  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
*kidnaps XENO and forces him to use his Necromancer powers

 :bump: Sorry everyone! I've been pretty busy so I haven't been able to post much, I felt some missions needed to be remade so I'm in the middle of doing that.

Without further waiting, I'd like to introduce the next ship that needs spotlight, a new warship recently added, the Ashima class frigate (originally the SC Daeva)



The Imperium Ashima was developed to fill the need for a general purpose heavy frigate following the loss of the Krishna's military manufacturing facilities during the Great Schism. Those facilities once produced the Lamias seen during the First and Second Acts, but since the Republic now retains the ability to construct them, and the Imperium lacks the resources to replicate it, a cheaper, more mass produced version was devised.

Ashimas have a lot more hitpoints then the Raguel counterpart, and is much more heavily armed. However, the Ashima has less anti-ship firepower then the Raguel.

Ashimas and Raguels play an integral role in the Imperium fleet and have proved to be worthy opponent for Outer Rim frigate flotillas.   
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline Nyctaeus

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Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
She looks cool in orange :D

Okay... It mean a thing. It gives me a lot more motivation to finally bake her and rid off tile textures.
Exile | Shadow Genesis | Inferno | Series Resurrecta  | DA Profile | P3D Profile

Proud owner of NyctiShipyards. Remember - Nyx will fix it!

All of my assets including models, textures, skyboxes, effects may be used under standard CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
  • 29
  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
It's really not a bad cruiser model, it's a good balanced alternative to the Lamia while retaining a very Shivan feel to it.
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline CT27

  • 211
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Do the Anshari faction in DW3 have any more of that Anshari superdestroyer that was in the second to last mission of DW1?

 

Offline NeonShivan

  • Previously known as BTA
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  • By the Omnisiah's grace.
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Do the Anshari faction in DW3 have any more of that Anshari superdestroyer that was in the second to last mission of DW1?

Can't say.
In German even the most beautiful love letter sounds like an execution order -Mito

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \ All the Single Ladies

( •_•)
\(  (>
  /  \ All the Single Ladies

(•_•)
 <)  )/
 /  \  Oh Oh Oh

Author of Dusk Wars - A modification for Freespace 2.

 

Offline CT27

  • 211
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
I like talking about storylines and factions.  I get that the Anshari in DW3 (the faction you allied with in DW2) are an empire in terms of governmental structure (presumably ruled by an emperor).  What kind of faction is the human side you play as in DW3?  Will they have a relatively similar political structure to the GTA...will they have a president/PM?

I enjoy reading tech descriptions and intelligence entries.  Since you said this is somewhat near release, I can understand if you don't want to answer my question yet in order to keep spoilers safe.

 

Offline CT27

  • 211
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
How's the campaign going?

 

Offline CT27

  • 211
Re: Dusk Wars: The Retconned
Is this campaign still alive?