Author Topic: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion  (Read 139781 times)

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Offline Androgeos Exeunt

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
I've never played it, but what's wrong with Twilight?
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Quote: Tuesday, 3 October 2023 0133 UTC +8, #general
MP-Ryan
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Offline Thaeris

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
The best answer to that is: "just play it and tell me what you thought!"

The campaign is kind of incoherent, has technical elements which are not well implemented, etc. It's not a good example of the Cold Element continuity in the opinions of most of the people I've conversed with about it.

That said, the BP continuity is exponentially better.  :)
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Offline -Norbert-

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
BP is very story-driven. As Battuta has said before, BP isn't for everybody. If your lack of attention leads you to not appreciating the fusion of in-depth storyline and gameplay, you may be better off playing another mod like Warzone or SGWP2.
So...you want to explain to us why you're pairing a very well-made campaign with the eternal community joke in your alternate recommendations? :p
Warzone's not that good?
"The eternal community joke" is the SGWP2 (second great war part two), not warzones...
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Offline Androgeos Exeunt

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
So...you want to explain to us why you're pairing a very well-made campaign with the eternal community joke in your alternate recommendations? :p

I didn't pair them up. I was citing examples of other campaigns that focus more on blowing stuff up.
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Quote: Tuesday, 3 October 2023 0133 UTC +8, #general
MP-Ryan
Oh you still believe in fairy tales like Santa, the Easter Bunny, and free market competition principles?

 

Offline asyikarea51

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
On short attention span versus appreciation, well, frankly I can go either way. Bunch of factors that I don't wish to mention because wall-of-text diatribes "aren't good things."

I was quite surprised that Earth rendered correctly even with the ho-humble Intel GMA45... lol... well I lagged HORRIBLY at the classic OLD WEST HIGH NOON SHOOTOUTS anyway LOL but I thought that was worth mentioning. XD. Still it's hard when you try not to do the Balor/Treb/Maxim spam.

*stops self from further thread derailing*
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Offline -Norbert-

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
And now for something completely different.

Could it be that Bei wasn't actually contacted by the Vishnans befre? He says something about Vishnans having contact with him "through time". Maybe when the Vishnans made mental contact the Human mind couldn't quite cope with the input from the non-linear minds of the Vishnans and misinterpreted some things to have happened in Beis past, when it really wasn't the case.

He never mentiones any feelings of precognition or familiarity with the situation untill the Vishnans make contact.
If he really did have prior contact to the Vishnans, why is he so surprised to see them both in the nebula and when they saved the Temaraire in "Preserving the Balance" (not that it needed saving.... I tried deleting the Vishnans out of that mission just for fun, and the battlegroup beat the second Shivan wave without a problem)?

 

Offline Herra Tohtori

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
And now for something completely different.

Could it be that Bei wasn't actually contacted by the Vishnans befre? He says something about Vishnans having contact with him "through time". Maybe when the Vishnans made mental contact the Human mind couldn't quite cope with the input from the non-linear minds of the Vishnans and misinterpreted some things to have happened in Beis past, when it really wasn't the case.

He never mentiones any feelings of precognition or familiarity with the situation untill the Vishnans make contact.
If he really did have prior contact to the Vishnans, why is he so surprised to see them both in the nebula and when they saved the Temaraire in "Preserving the Balance" (not that it needed saving.... I tried deleting the Vishnans out of that mission just for fun, and the battlegroup beat the second Shivan wave without a problem)?

...does the second wave even have any attack orders?

Also, what difficulty were you playing on? :p

Anyway, interpretations are good. Basically you're suggesting that the Vishnans communications with Sam caused a massive déjà vu. Maybe that was the case; maybe it was not. Does it even matter at all?
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
And now for something completely different.

Could it be that Bei wasn't actually contacted by the Vishnans befre? He says something about Vishnans having contact with him "through time". Maybe when the Vishnans made mental contact the Human mind couldn't quite cope with the input from the non-linear minds of the Vishnans and misinterpreted some things to have happened in Beis past, when it really wasn't the case.

He never mentiones any feelings of precognition or familiarity with the situation untill the Vishnans make contact.
If he really did have prior contact to the Vishnans, why is he so surprised to see them both in the nebula and when they saved the Temaraire in "Preserving the Balance" (not that it needed saving.... I tried deleting the Vishnans out of that mission just for fun, and the battlegroup beat the second Shivan wave without a problem)?

A very interesting hypothesis. However I do want to point out that this:

Quote
He never mentiones any feelings of precognition or familiarity with the situation untill the Vishnans make contact.

is quite false. Replay the early missions of the campaign and pay close attention, particularly when Sam boards the Duke.

 

Offline -Norbert-

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
I don't remember that one too clearly, but the Vishnans quite clearly had mental contact with that ship. Maybe he felt some residue, or maybe that was the first time they tried to make contact.
But because they ended up frying the brains of the Dukes crew, they approached Bei so carefully that it didn't leave any more than impressions at first. And from there they worked their way up, till they could place visions and dreams and eventually make full contact, without harming him.

And yes, the Shivans do have attack orders and are beam-freed. One Ravana is set for the Orestes, the other and the Demon are set to attack the Sanctuary. But they are so far away that you have plenty of time to take down their beams and it was on medium I think.

 

Offline Herra Tohtori

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
And yes, the Shivans do have attack orders and are beam-freed. One Ravana is set for the Orestes, the other and the Demon are set to attack the Sanctuary. But they are so far away that you have plenty of time to take down their beams and it was on medium I think.

Temeraire, I should hope. :nervous:
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Offline -Norbert-

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
Yep right... the Temeraire of course.

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
The fact they are not set to launch any fighter support must quite hamper their efficiency though, especially given that you have ample time to desarm them. Were the Vishnans not to come that early in the battle, the Shivans would surely have swarmed the few fighters you ahve left with their fighter/bomber compliments.
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
Yeah, the bomber complement probably waiting in the wings would have swamped your ships pretty easily.

 

Offline Mongoose

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
I finally had the time and sit down and play through half of the new release today, and now I wish I had been able to a week sooner.  The voicework adds an immense amount of atmosphere; it's incredibly top-notch work across the board.  Both the community members and actors from other sources turned in fantastic performances, and the result adds an amazing amount of humanity to the story's progression.  The reams of new tech room data only add to that immersion; I especially like how you provided background info for the older FS2-era turret and beam weaponry.  I admittedly only played the original version once right after its release, so I doubt I've picked up on every small improvement, but the visual changes I do recognize are all good stuff.  Darius's original creation was something unique in the whole spectrum of FS modding, and the team's work in contributing to this re-release has made it all the better. :)

(Forced Entry was a bit hairy this time around, though it was mostly my own fault.  I lost track of what one or two of the wings were doing, and I didn't get them on protecting the Temeraire right after it jumped in.  As a result, it managed to limp away with all of 3% hull remaining...and that was just on Easy, too. :p)

For my own part, I was never entirely sure which sample submissions of mine you wound up using, so I've been keeping an ear out as I played to find out when I'd show up.  Imagine my surprise when I hear myself playing three or four Generic Wingmen in the same mission. :D

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
YOU HAVE BETRAYED SECRET MONGOOSE WING

 

Offline FoxtrotTango

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
My word, my Southern flair truly has resulted in a respectfully flattering depiction of Commander Tell. This revamped campaign truly is as wonderful as Battuta has told.

I've still got Forced Entry to look forward to, but I'm glad that I've finally had a chance to play the new version. I've been away from the HLP for a while to settle some business elsewhere, but playing this again is restoring my passion anew. I do declare.

 

Offline Mongoose

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
YOU HAVE BETRAYED SECRET MONGOOSE WING
You saw nuzzing!  Nuzzing!

:nervous:

On another note, I really appreciate the tweaks made to Keepers of Hell.  It's become a mission that a new player has a legitimate shot at beating the first time through, instead of something that requires prescience.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2010, 07:53:18 pm by Mongoose »

 

Offline Androgeos Exeunt

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
Were the names...

Spoiler:
...for the beams...

...generated at random?
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Quote: Tuesday, 3 October 2023 0133 UTC +8, #general
MP-Ryan
Oh you still believe in fairy tales like Santa, the Easter Bunny, and free market competition principles?

 

Offline Fury

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
Battuta possesses a random name generator in gray matter that inhabits his skull.

  

Offline Mongoose

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Re: BP: Age of Aquarius - The Director's Cut discussion
Wow...I'd forgotten just how intense Universal Truth was.  It managed to kill me the first time through because I was being stupid, but even when I wound up making it through, I was at 33% hull, and the Orestes was hovering somewhere in the 20s.  (Those two Rakshasas that jump in a good ways in are evil.)  It still makes for an amazing climax of the campaign.

So yeah, like I said before, this was just amazing.  I have to give special recognition to the actor who played Samuel Bei, as he did a fantastic job of imbuing the character with a great deal of humanity and sympathy.  On the community side of things, Ransom did his usual excellent work as Corey, and the good Colonol was smashing as the Orestes' comm officer.  Fun to see that Darius got a little author cameo right at the end, too.  Great work all-around, everyone. :)

(Also, I chuckled a bit when I saw myself in the credits, as I had this three-line blob of text consisting of seven or eight bit parts.  I guess auditioning for every random pilot line pays off. :D)