Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: TheVirtu on April 16, 2002, 05:29:45 pm

Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: TheVirtu on April 16, 2002, 05:29:45 pm
Well, finally, after all this time, I've finally gotten the public version of the Beyond introduction ready for release. The missions have been tested many times and few bugs remain, if any. I have made this introduction part to show you guys, the Community, the HLPers, my FREDing skills so I wouldnt waste my time if I sucked that bad :)

This is a feedback/comments Thread, NO SPAMMING. Or face the fury of the Omega Admins!.

Download:
Ascension of Beyond v1.0: Beginnings (4 Missions) 84.8KB (http://i82.esmartweb.com/beyond.zip)

Website:
http://www.3dap.com/i82/lcc/beyond
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Corsair on April 16, 2002, 07:03:30 pm
I love the first mission! It was cool at the beginning and at the end...
Corvette barbeque anyone? :D

Oh, and Virtu: Would you like me to make the entry graphic on the website smaller so that it isn't an 800x600 pic that you can't see all of (depending on your moniter resolution)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Alikchi on April 16, 2002, 07:44:41 pm
The first mission is indeed the best.
Drat, I need time  to play this..

HEY PEOPLE! A CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN RELEASED! A SMALL CAMPAIGN, A PREVIEW CAMPAIGN! BUT A CAMPAIGN! SHOCK! DOWNLOAD!
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: WMCoolmon on April 16, 2002, 07:56:43 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Alikchi
The first mission is indeed the best.
Drat, I need time  to play this..

HEY PEOPLE! A CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN RELEASED! A SMALL CAMPAIGN, A PREVIEW CAMPAIGN! BUT A CAMPAIGN! SHOCK! DOWNLOAD!

:eek: :eek: :jaw: ;7 :jaw: :eek: :eek:
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Corsair on April 16, 2002, 07:59:58 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Alikchi
The first mission is indeed the best.
Drat, I need time  to play this..

HEY PEOPLE! A CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN RELEASED! A SMALL CAMPAIGN, A PREVIEW CAMPAIGN! BUT A CAMPAIGN! SHOCK! DOWNLOAD!
WHERE IS WINDRUNNER? THIS NEEDS TO BE NEWS! NOW WILL HLP HOST US SINCE THEY SEE THAT WE ACTUALLY GET STUFF ACCOMPLISHED? :D:D:D
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Grey Wolf on April 16, 2002, 08:14:40 pm
Wow, no one made this big of a deal when I released the test version of Op.:UG with two new missions. Actually, I'm not sure if anyone noticed :(
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: WMCoolmon on April 16, 2002, 08:49:57 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
Wow, no one made this big of a deal when I released the test version of Op.:UG with two new missions. Actually, I'm not sure if anyone noticed :(

Check your post count...the amount of praise you get is inversely proportional to it :nod:
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Grey Wolf on April 16, 2002, 08:52:43 pm
Ahhh...
Since he has ~150, he gets much praise, while I get little praise for just under 2000?
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: WMCoolmon on April 16, 2002, 08:57:33 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
Ahhh...
Since he has ~150, he gets much praise, while I get little praise for just under 2000?

:nod:
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS RATED "H" FOR POSTERS WITH A POSTCOUNT ABOVE 1000 ONLY
It's the reason why a new member gets praise like "Way to go!" and "Just needs a little texturing" or "Very nice! Can't wait to play this!" when he posts a render of a cube or line, but Setekh gets "Hey! That Shivan fighter's laser is a little to the right of the rest! Come on, it was looking pretty good until I saw that :mad:" when he posts a Century Battle ;)
Well, maybe we're a bit more fair than that...
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: IceFire on April 16, 2002, 10:11:13 pm
Well...I've played most of the stuff thats been released so far.  My comments are as follows.

Mission 1 and 2 were quite quite good.  Good dialogue, good briefing and debriefing.  Lots of mystery and events going on.  The next two seem to be lacking.  The briefings are still good, although some of the information seems to be wrong (I got a Zeus instead of a Medusa)...but the dialogue has gone right out the window.  It feels like you started off really well and then didn't feel quite so inclined to finish things off.

The backgrounds were not too bad...and I'm thankful that they were there.  Nebulas and planets give a sense of place and mood to a mission, so its good to see them there.  All the missions had music and varied briefing music and the weapon selection was pretty fine tuned as well.

Overall my impression was good.  I give it...maybe a B+.  Almost an A- but not quite.
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: TheVirtu on April 16, 2002, 10:14:45 pm
Yeah, I know about Mission 3 & 4 and their lousy stuff. I went more towards the kill kill kill than the real thing. I'll remember todo that when I work on Chapter 2: The Great Hunt (7-14 missions)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: CP5670 on April 16, 2002, 10:40:04 pm
I will try this out in a little while and post my thoughts then. :)

Quote
WHERE IS WINDRUNNER? THIS NEEDS TO BE NEWS! NOW WILL HLP HOST US SINCE THEY SEE THAT WE ACTUALLY GET STUFF ACCOMPLISHED?


bah, I'm getting stuff done too. :D Just wait till May... ;7 :D
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: untouchable on April 16, 2002, 11:42:06 pm
Damn, all this attention over a missoin...... I really need to release something :nod:

*Grabs Whip*
Get over here Alikchi and CP5670 ;)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: CP5670 on April 17, 2002, 12:18:17 am
I just finished going through the missions; all things considered, I found the campaign fairly enjoyable. :) There were quite a few bugs and errors though; I put together a list of some issues I encountered:

General problems:
lots of grammar errors everywhere (run-on sentences, in particular)
a number of storyline compatibility issues
several "technical bugs" (i.e. remove the designation prefix in the ship names)
more information should be given in initial command briefing about enemy faction and why they are fighting
more and smaller nebulas needed (remove the really big ones)
directives needed for destroying enemy fighter wings
if this takes place 11 years after FS2, more new technologies need to be there
some spelling issues (most likely typos)
general recommendation: don't put surprises right away in the first mission; these are best when unexpected by the player
default loadouts need to be changed

Specific mission problems:

Mission 1:
command sends a blank message in the first mission
periods of inaction in the missions are way too long
when shivans first show up (after 11 years), I would expect the field units to notify command before taking any actions
mission difficulty is a bit too uneven (good at first, too easy after shivans come)
nothing to suggest unusual jump signatures of vasudan fighters in the first mission; make the message a bit more uncertain, if you know what I mean ;)
command sends an erroneous message at the start of the mission (this only sometimes occurs, for some reason)
rename Anubis to something else, as there is (or was) already an Anubis ship class
objective completion music is heard after the Yami goes down, this makes no sense

Mission 2:
briefing music is inappropriate for the situation
primary objective completed right away at beginning (most likely set to "true")
squished planet looks silly (especially since it is a rocky planet)
beta wing says it is from a corvette, which is impossible
debriefing said I won but I could not continue (had to remove the campaign file to move on)

Mission 3:
when the enemy cruisers arrive, AI wingmen go off to attack them (give them an "ai-ignore" directive)
long inaction period at the end

Mission 4:
ulysses is said to be an interceptor in the briefing (it is a general SS fighter)
loadout is said to be preassiged but can be changed
once again, primary objectives are completed right away at beginning
it takes way too long for the first wave of hostiles to arrive (again, inaction period issue)
ships have "BGx" designations when it should be "TRx"
when the enemy destroyer arrives, a vasudan traitor voicefile is used (probably accidental)
if the enemy got an Iceni, everyone should be surprised and it should be reported to command immediately
enemy should send some fighters at you; currently, the mission is too easy because you can "maxim pound" the ships at long range
no return to base message exists, so player might not know when to depart (directives aren't always easily noticed)


Overall I liked it, although there is definitely room for improvement. (better than most of the stuff out there though ;))

Quote
*Grabs Whip*
Get over here Alikchi and CP5670 ;)


uhh...you called? :D
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Stunaep on April 17, 2002, 03:08:01 am
Hmm... I seem to get a 403 error. :( :( :(
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Setekh on April 17, 2002, 04:19:32 am
Now that deserves some stickification. :) I gotta fix my FS2 installation... :(
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Styxx on April 17, 2002, 07:40:48 am
Argh! Must find time to play!
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: TheVirtu on April 17, 2002, 02:07:09 pm
Yeah, but after 5 months of on and off work on the same damn missions, I got sick of it, so I just released it for the preview, if I can get a few more FREDers, the Campaign itself will be almost bugless if it goes well.
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Alikchi on April 17, 2002, 02:33:51 pm
Quote
Originally posted by untouchable


*Grabs Whip*
Get over here Alikchi and CP5670 ;)



Check the private forum ya droofus :D
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: delta_7890 on April 17, 2002, 02:39:02 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Setekh
Now that deserves some stickification. :) I gotta fix my FS2 installation... :(


Hey, that rhymes!  :D  ...Well...almost.
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: TheVirtu on April 17, 2002, 03:33:08 pm
Quote
beta wing says it is from a corvette, which is impossible


So? They should have fighterbays to begin with, just use your imgination, I hate always being launched from a base or Destroyer.

Quote
command sends a blank message in the first mission

Damn that FRED, I had a message there before :)

Quote
command sends a blank message in the first mission

Tried to correct that multiple times, but it wouldnt accept it for some reason.

Quote
ulysses is said to be an interceptor in the briefing (it is a general SS fighter)

On that subject, Mission 4 was finished after my return, I made some changes and just didnt notice what I had. This is why CP5670 should work FRED and Testing for the campaign :)

Quote
ships have "BGx" designations when it should be "TRx"
BGA is a total different group in itself, the TRC is a small, rebellious group. I now plan on starting on the real campaign, to make it alot better. As for example, putting off the sudden attack for a few missions and use some other ideas in the before missions. And fix the rest of the stuff that you have mentioned, that would make the "offical" First Chapter of the campaign.

Quote
debriefing said I won but I could not continue (had to remove the campaign file to move on)

Thats odd, because it worked when I tested it.

Quote
nothing to suggest unusual jump signatures of vasudan fighters in the first mission; make the message a bit more uncertain, if you know what I mean  

Yeah, those are TSR vessels.
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: phreak on April 17, 2002, 05:46:44 pm
looks promising, I could get many good screenies of that first mission :)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: CP5670 on April 17, 2002, 09:00:40 pm
Cool, I am looking forward to trying out the next mission. ;)

Quote

Damn that FRED, I had a message there before :)


The most annoying thing is that it doesn't seem to like semicolons. If you put a semicolon into a message or a briefing/debriefing stage, FRED2 replaces it with an "XSTR(." (I'm sure we have all had this happen at some point :p)

Alpha 2: Command, a Sathanas juggernaut just arrived!
Command: XSTR(
Alpha 2: What was that, sir?
Command: XSTR(
Alpha 2: eh?
Command: XSTR(
Alpha 2: wtf you crazy or somethin
Command: XSTR(
Alpha 2: go XSTR( yourself
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: TheVirtu on April 17, 2002, 10:09:48 pm
Do you know how many pages of Command Briefings I lost from using semicolons? :)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Alikchi on April 18, 2002, 06:39:38 am
And don't forget quotation marks.

Blegh.
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: TheVirtu on April 18, 2002, 09:01:08 pm
We are still searching for a very skilled FREDer to complete our mission design team for now! Apply here :)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Setekh on April 19, 2002, 04:55:05 am
Sorry, I can't Fred... :)

But you can have my voice. :D
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Ulundel on April 21, 2002, 02:12:01 am
Ummmm, I'm a very skilled FREDer, but how many missions should I make and when? First I'm stuck with 158th, second I have to study and finally I have a life to live. :)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: CP5670 on April 21, 2002, 02:33:36 am
I don't have much of a life but I am kind of tied up with my own campaign as well as studying for exams (which are only a few weeks away now); I might be able to look over your missions and give kinds of reports though. ;)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Corsair on April 22, 2002, 07:46:22 pm
Ya know, Virtu, my name is still misspelled on the site. It's Corsair not Consair :D :p

Spam I know...please don't yell at me use a PM. ;)
Title: Ascension of Beyond Release v1.0!
Post by: Alikchi on April 26, 2002, 07:00:14 am
Just an update, I'll be making about 4 new missions and redoing the old first mission (which will come after my four) so that you don't fly into the plot headfirst like you did before. :p
Title: Download Difficulties
Post by: DaveTheEmbalmer on April 28, 2002, 01:57:58 pm
The download link for the campaign doesn't seem to work anymore...