[BS403]

I just fredded up a single mission it isn't very complex but I just figured i'd post it here. It is named Cake Walk because well... I'm not good with names.
edit new version is up.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mobius]

Ok. I will test it ASAP.

[DarkShadow-]

OK.

• Directives are missing.
• The cruisers and the Mentu should be escort ships.
• Debrief doesn't work correctly. After completing it successfully and warping out, you get both the success and failed message.
• Ok, this is optional: Use a starfield, at least the standard one. I just hate the FS2 standard background with sooo few stars.
• Also optional: Be so nice to give the player a useful weaponry so he doesn't have to change it himself. If a Prom S is available no one will use a Prom R. Gamma wing shouldn't have trebs in second secondary bank, they won't use it with sense anyway. Better give them to the player or completely dissallow them, the mission is way too easy with trebs.
• After both cruisers have been defeated, player is told to return to base, even if there're still fighters left (and more wings can arrive). Better use a message like "You can return to base or help eliminating the remaining fighters". RTB directive doesn't work (if integrated).

All in all a basic mission that needs some more work on it. Perhaps some more chatter, too.

[Mobius]

Like Karajorma, I say:

"I will test this mission, fix these bugs first!"

[BS403]

thanks for the advice i'll fix those issues and put up the new version tonight.
edit: the new version is up. it should be fixed

[Mobius]

The mission doesn't appear in the mission simulator list...it's name is cakewalk, right? No trace of it.

[BS403]

Thats wierd it shows up for me. It is called "Cake Walk" so i don't know what the problem is.

[DarkShadow-]

The mission doesn't appear in the mission simulator list...it's name is cakewalk, right? No trace of it.

When extracting, the file creates a folder called cakewalk. Did you move the mission out of this folder into the missions-folder? If not it won't work.


Concerning the mission:

Directives, escort list, mission goals and debrief work fine as far as I noticed. Still no starfield. 
Well, there're still some bugs:

• So the Mekhet arrives after some seconds, the "PowerupMekhet"-event shouldn't have "true" as condition (the ships beams won't be free). A has-arrived-delay event works better here.
• The chained RTB-event ("mission accomplished") shouldn't have a condition that turns true after time. Standard would be a has-departed-delay event for Alpha 1. Same goes for the "flee"-event.
• So the NTF-forces arrive from the jump node, the additional fighters should also arrive inside the node (else it looks weird). You can move the starting wings into the node or simply create more wings that arrive when the starting ones are destroyed (the starting wings should be limited to one wave then).
• You should add a beam-free event for the corvette (atm it's no real danger for the cruiser if disarmed fast).
• The Mekhet (and perhaps the friendly wings) should have an departure cue that fires short after the corvettes arrival, making the mission more realistic.
• Perhaps you should alternate the y-coordinates of the cruisers (and wings) a little bit so it doesn't look like all ships are flying on a "2d-area".
• Balancing. Before I saw the reason for the Mekhet not using it's beams, I tested (Easy) how the mission works if the player doesn't attack. It's funny, even without it's beams, the Mentu and the wingmen destroy all enemy fighters and both cruisers without any serious problems. Perhaps adding a bomber wing, making the enemy ships use their beams earlier or removing one of the friendly wings will help.
• Gamma's 2. primary banks are empty (dunno if you planned this).
• The Mekhet shouldn't have any player orders available (except you planned this).
• Background and chatter needs some more work. Hehe, usually I do that stuff at the very end because I hate doing it.  :lol:
• Had a funny accident while testing the mission. After the Mekhet destroyed the first cruiser and was moving to the second one, the corvette arrived and crashed with the Mekhet. The Mekhet got stuck inside the Deimos and both were moving together. You can change the position of the corvette a little bit so the chance for such a crash is at a minimum (although this isn't sooo important cause the mission failed anyway).
• The chained chatter events work fine and even Volition used this way for some of their chatter. Nevertheless, using a message list event looks a little bit more professional. ;)

[BS403]

huh for me the mentu's beams worked when i tested. and i never actually got the corvette to arrive.
it weird that gamma's primaries are empty i thought they had something.
how would i add a starfield?
i'll fix this stuff and have a new version up tomorrow. Thanks.

[DarkShadow-]

Hmm, weird. Whatever, usually you should only use an event that changes anything on a ship when the ship arrived on the battlefield. Changed the corvettes arrival time to check the events and it worked fine for me. Didn't check if the corvette doesn't arrive after both cruisers destruction though.

Perhaps Gamma wing can't use the guns you gave them in FRED.

In the background editor, there's an area called "Skybox Model". There you should enter the model's name (e.g. starfield.pof). You can extract the starfield.pof and the textures belonging to it from the FSPort or Transcend IIRC. If you don't find it, just tell me. I can attach them here if you want.

Ok, time to go to bed, it's 5 am here 

[BS403]

oh ok fred scp i just got it to work today and i'll try that thanks

[Mobius]

You should request help in the Academy...

[BS403]

I think i fixed everthing. I finally got FRED SCP to work so i added the starfield.

You should request help in the Academy...

yeah i know

[DarkShadow-]

Now that looks better 

Just few mistakes:

• The condition in the "flee"-event should be the same as in the "mission accomplished"-event (you know, that has-departed-delay SEXP for Alpha 1). You don't need to add a time delay here btw.
• The Stage 3 Debrief has a logical error. One of the expressions needs one of the cruisers destroyed (the "or") while the next one needs both alive to turn true. Both are linked with an "and" what makes them wrong.
• I like the Stage 4 Debrief recommendation text. 
• The "Zealarrives"-event actually is doing nothing. I guess you planned that one for a message.
• I'm not sure what's the idea behind the "alpha1departs"-event (except being very mean to the wingmen ^^).
• Some typos in debrief.
• When failed (corvette arrived), the debrief says that the Mekhet got destroyed (while it didn't).

Optional:

• More work on background/chatter.
• Nicer briefing. Can't really describe what I mean, but if you want I can send you a version where I changed it so you can see what I'm talking about.

All in all the mission is almost finished and looks good (perhaps still a little bit easy, but I think it's at the beginning of your campaign or whatever, so there's no real problem with that one).

[BS403]

I could figure out that stage 3 before thanks.
The "alpha1departs"-event show how loyal Zods are.
Doh originally the Mekhet was going to stay and be destroy while alpha 1 fled.
I realizeed why it is too easy for you: my weapons.TBL has the sgreen with a refire rate of 20 not 45 or whatever it was. And i'm not a very good Alpha 1.
Thankyou, you've been so helpful. I'll fix these prob's and then hopefully it will be done.
Then i can make my campaign!!

[DarkShadow-]

Yep, that refire rate really changes balancing, at least the Mekhet dies if you don't do anything. While testing I found another problem concerning the corvettes arrival cue. No matter what you do, it arrives after 330 secs. Hmm, I could explain what are the mistakes and stuff, but it's better I just show you a solution.

• You have two delays: One in the cue and the other in the arrival-menu. Although they don't behave additive, they could mix up with each other, perhaps that's the reason for the bug (I'm not sure about that). Remove the one in the arrival menu.
• The cue itself can create problems because I don't really know how the game handles a delay if it's negatived. Better use this one:
  
  and
  ____has-time-elapsed
  _______300
  
  ____not
  _______is destroyed delay
  __________0
  __________NTC Victory
  __________NTC Valiant
  
  
  
  Edit: Oh, and there's one I forgot. When mission is done and there's still the first wing of Beta in game, they depart and short after the second wing of Beta arrives, says hello and leaves. Change the arrival cue so Beta doesn't arrive when the mission is done. For example the cue could be
  
  not
  ___is-event-true-delay
  _______betadeparts
  _______0

[karajorma]

• The cue itself can create problems because I don't really know how the game handles a delay if it's negatived.

Then I'll explain.

Whenever you have

Not
-SEXP A

The game evaluates SEXP A and decides if it is true or false. Then it simple reverses true to false or visa versa. If you look at the corvettes arrival cue you can now see why it always arrived 330 seconds in.

not
-is-destroyed-delay
--300
--NTC Victory
--NTC Valiant

The second the mission starts the game looks at the arrival cue. It asks "Have both the cruisers been destroyed for at least 300 seconds". The answer to that is of course FALSE. Then it feeds that into the not and the result is TRUE. The entire arrival cue therefore evaluates to TRUE. Once the arrival cue is true the game then looks at the delay. And that's why the corvette was always appearing 330 seconds in. It's arrival had been determined from the second the mission started but the delay was making it wait 330 seconds to actually appear.

[DarkShadow-]

Very good explanation, karajorma. Thx! 

[BS403]

Thanks I think i fixed everything except the chatter. i updated the attachment in the first post.

[DarkShadow-]

Ok, seems like everything works fine now. Just some typos left.