[SF-Junky]

Engine wash: Go into Ships.tbl, where the engine washes are defined. The engine wash in TVWP has nothing to do with the actual model or individual table entry, so as long as you copy-and-paste only the individual table entry into your mod the engine wash will be "back to normal".

You're right, although there isn't any wash at all now. Yesterday there was still the strong wash from TVWP. Forget about it...

Almost every campaign I've seen is built on faulty reasoning and plot holes, why not this one too?

Because other's mistakes are no escuse for own ones. ;-)

The FS1 techroom says that the Terrans evolved from nation-states to a global-state to a galactic-state, which implies a more slower and subtle process of political evolution than a quick "unification war" to wrap things up quickly. But I'm just a mission designer.

There is a global-state in TVWP as far as I can see: UNE. I personally do not think that this is a disaccord. The tech entry doesn't specifically say that this unification process was a peaceful one.

In the Plato escort missions you can't target the Shivans even though you can see them with your unaided eye.

Yes, and there is a (plausible) explanation given by the mission designers. GTA lacks of data on the Shivan's electronics systems. That's not the case here.

We knew many people weren't going to like it. We just thought that most people would be willing to adapt.

Sounds a bit like a case of sink or swim to me...

[Akalabeth Angel]

In the Plato escort missions you can't target the Shivans even though you can see them with your unaided eye.

Yes, and there is a (plausible) explanation given by the mission designers. GTA lacks of data on the Shivan's electronics systems. That's not the case here.

       Actually the idea of "stealth" of any variety is the MOST implausible thing in all of popular science fiction.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Is this worth d-loading?

     It's like 10 missions with all new ships, what's not worth downloading? I recommend it though people have their differences.

[Jeff Vader]

Is this worth d-loading?

That's like... you know. A weird question. We can't possibly know whether you like TVWP Demo or not. You have to decide yourself whether to download or not. Of course, if you download and play, you'll definitely know if it was worth it.

[GTSVA]

OK! I'll see it now!

[SF-Junky]

Actually the idea of "stealth" of any variety is the MOST implausible thing in all of popular science fiction.

Why?

[Mustang19]

Not really. If you're able to mask your own EM emissions and project fake emissions to mimic your surroundings (as space does have some weak background radiation), then it's pretty easy given the technology we'll have in 2335. Much more plausible, in fact, than

- Warp drives
- Slower-than-light lasers
- Humanoid aliens
- Spaceships that travel at bottle rocket speeds

Stealth is not "the most implausible thing in SciFi" by far...

[Snail]

- Slower-than-light lasers

IMO they're not lasers, just focused gas plasma balls that are colloquially called lasers.

[Jeff Vader]

- Slower-than-light lasers

IMO they're not lasers, just focused gas plasma balls that are colloquially called lasers.

Aye, but that's the point. It is stupid to call them lasers, if they are something else. And the speeds are ridiculous sometimes. I remember from Colony Wars - Vengeance that you could often outrun laser "bolts" with your ship.

[Snail]

Aye, but that's the point. It is stupid to call them lasers, if they are something else. And the speeds are ridiculous sometimes. I remember from Colony Wars - Vengeance that you could often outrun laser "bolts" with your ship.

Maybe they were a nickname that stuck. "Hey, Bob, it's a laser lol"

[Akalabeth Angel]

Not really. If you're able to mask your own EM emissions and project fake emissions to mimic your surroundings (as space does have some weak background radiation), then it's pretty easy given the technology we'll have in 2335. Much more plausible, in fact, than

- Warp drives
- Slower-than-light lasers
- Humanoid aliens
- Spaceships that travel at bottle rocket speeds

Stealth is not "the most implausible thing in SciFi" by far...

       Uh, yes it is. Space is cold, your spaceship is not. Whether its because of the engines or the temperature required inside the cockpit or the reactor required to heat that cockpit, it'll be warmer than space. Much warmer. Read this if you need a more thorough explanation and a bunch of scientific equation stuff: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3w.html#nostealth

[colecampbell666]

Spectacular game, guys. Very good. I was gripped in from the beginning.

[HelDM]

This mod is absolutely brilliant! I can't wait for the full release.

I especially like the old school feeling. The HUD is beautiful and really gives it an "old fighter" feeling 

Keep it up! 

(omg.. first post ever here.... been following all the action on HLP for quite some time though)

[Mobius]

Welcome to the HLPBB!!!

I've got a problem...In the first mission about the ML my wingmen and me have 0 ammo. Clicking on "reset" didn't help.

[colecampbell666]

Corrupt pilot?

[Mobius]

That could be possible...I have installed a new INFASA modpack in a very bad way, changing something in my root FS2 folder.

I should simply delete the pilot and restart the campaign?

[Snail]

I should simply delete the pilot and restart the campaign?

Smacking up the Campaign file to where you were would save you from boredom, or you could just cheat your way to the end.

[GTSVA]

I'm not so sure about the HUD... but the ships and other ship models are awesome. The HUD just freaks me out... and some other things...

3.5/5!!!

[Jeff Vader]

I've got a problem...In the first mission about the ML my wingmen and me have 0 ammo. Clicking on "reset" didn't help.[/i][/color]

Hey, I had that too. It might have been because I was using the Xt_0314 build, though I'm not sure since I wasn't motivated enough to start really testing to see if that really was the issue. But switching back to 20071028T and creating a new pilot fixed it.

[NGTM-1R]

FreeSpace != reality. In the Plato escort missions you can't target the Shivans even though you can see them with your unaided eye.

This actually made a great deal of sense to me.

The Shivans are really, really different. Their ships don't even seem to obey the same rules of movement yours do. They evidence weapons and technologies nothing like the stuff you have at that moment. You've never even seen a bomb at that point in the game; those the Shaitans launch ought to be the first.  Your fighter's sensor system software is designed to track the emissions and sensor returns of Vasudan and perhaps Terran craft. The Shivans are nothing like either of them. They could have an emissions profile so radically different from Terran or Vasudan ships that your sensor software just doesn't know what they are and writes them off as spurious signals. (This is offered as one of the reasons in a Command Briefing.)

They may not even scan to active sensors at all. Their shields, after all, are quite capable of absorbing EM energy, as witnessed by the total ineffectiveness of your ML-16 chemical lasers, which means you might not even be able to get a radar/ladar return off them due to the signal being absorbed by the shield. This may also work both ways and tamp down a Shivan ship's own emissions, frustrating the task of passive sensor software that's not designed to track those emissions already.

Or the Shivans, not being human after all, could have some exotic form of ECM that your ship's software and sensor gear just isn't equipped to handle because nobody human ever thought of it. You don't have the tools to beat their ECM gear, not the correct programming or the correct sensors, or both. (This is also mentioned as one of the reasons in a Command Briefing.)

They could fix this, easily apparently, but we aren't really sure how. It might be that they simply configured the sensor and target gear to look for areas where background radiation did not exist to locate Shivan ships; points of black against the light, betrayed by the shield systems that at first protected them detection. It might be that Shivan ships have totally different emissions profiles from Terran and Vasudan craft, and they simply needed to upload the proper data so your software recognizes Shivan ships. It might be that new programming defeated Shivan ECM.

So all in all, yes, the primative sensors thing was rather dumb this time around.

But if it at first contact with the Vasudans you can't lock them up either, that would be totally justified. And I won't bat an eye.