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Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: Krelus on March 31, 2009, 04:01:32 pm

Title: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on March 31, 2009, 04:01:32 pm
I am officially announcing my campaign, "The Great Scourge." What's it about? Well, provided you can decrypt it, this should give you an idea.


>>>:INCOMING ENCRYPTED MESSAGE
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/EncryptedMessage.png)
>>>:END OF MESSAGE

Enjoy. And yes, I know this is evil.

Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Snail on March 31, 2009, 04:05:28 pm
162 started a trend, eh...
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Mobius on March 31, 2009, 04:09:49 pm
I hope that creating mystery stuff doesn't interfere/delay the release of campaigns. :p
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Snail on March 31, 2009, 04:41:54 pm
I have no idea how to even start this.


Is it a cypher?
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Herra Tohtori on March 31, 2009, 05:17:07 pm
Quote from: Krelus on March 31, 2009, 04:01:32 pm
>>>:INCOMING ENCRYPTED MESSAGE
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/EncryptedMessage.png)
>>>:END OF MESSAGE

Okay then.

If it's not encrypted then it's just a matter of assigning characters to correct positions.

If it's both encrypted and not just in a different font I'm not going to have anything to do with it so I'm going to assume that it's just a fancy font for English plain text message.

First thing that comes to mind is that characters with dot-based characters could be vowels and rest consonants. However it's difficult to make a distinction between characters (like the four-dot thing could be two consequtive two-dot characters...) and for example the apostrophe-like dot seems to belong together with the L-character so I dunno if this is anywhere close, but it would still fit the structure of the text. Although there are more characters with dots in them than there are vowels in English language... bah, someone else will need to solve this. :p
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Rodo on March 31, 2009, 05:24:12 pm
first two paragraphs start with the same sentences, and the last one has the same two letters so I'm guessing a conector there of two letter actually..... mmm.

is that in english??? cause it starts like... in SOL... al SOL?? at SOL? **** this gets me nervous.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Mongoose on March 31, 2009, 05:39:40 pm
Dammit, not more alien alphabets. :p
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on March 31, 2009, 07:13:21 pm
To put you on the right track, this isn't something I pulled out of my arse. It's a simple alphabet swap, from a VERY obscure source.

And yes it is in English.

Also, when I found out this wasn't the first time this has been done, I had my hesitations. However, my commander was very keen on the idea and couldn't be talked out of it.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Scotty on March 31, 2009, 07:35:40 pm
Lol, do I see "Leet" in the 5th line?

 :lol:

Also, it seems that : : isn't an O, I would say that it is an R.  Notice that there is nowhere that a single : appears, all of the : : are single characters.  I would be willing to bet that L' is E.

Like that, it starts out "We are the..."

Therefore, triple dot is W, weird loopy thingy is A.  Upside down L with a dot is T.  T with a line above it is H.

All I've got for now.  I'll see If I can get it.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Scotty on March 31, 2009, 08:40:15 pm
Got it!

I won't post it till tomorrow night, unless Krelus tells me not too.

P.S.  You misspelled "posession," "stifling," and "sovreign"
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on March 31, 2009, 08:52:15 pm
Quote from: Scotty on March 31, 2009, 08:40:15 pm
Got it!

I won't post it till tomorrow night, unless Krelus tells me not too.

P.S.  You misspelled "posession," "stifling," and "sovreign"

That's odd, I checked the original non-borked version and they're spelled fine. And yet, in the alternate alphabet version they are, indeed, misspelled. I have no idea how that happened.

EDIT: I think I know. For some reason copy-and-paste was being stupid so I typed it in manually. It's amazing how easy it is to miss a typo when you're typing in gobbledegook.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Scotty on April 01, 2009, 07:52:34 pm
Okay, he hasn't told me not to, so I'll post it:

Spoiler:
We are the Riven Dawn. To all citizens of the Galactic Terran-
Vasudan alliance:  Now is the time to break free of the tyrannical
shackles which have bound us to mediocrity for so many years.  For
too long has our potential been squandered.  For too long have we
been forced to live under the stifling occupation that is our
government’s ever-present regulation.  A new day has dawned, for
Terrans and Vasudans alike.

We are stronger than you can possibly comprehend.  Nowhere is
safe from us, not even the Vasudan palace.  Simple convoy raids
were but the beginning - we now have in our possession the Vasudan
heir to the throne, Khenmu III.  Unless you wish him to be returned
one piece at a time, you will fulfill our wishes.

We demand that all GTVA military assets withdraw from
Aldebarn.  We also demand that Aldebarn be declared a sovreign
nation under our rule.  You have twenty-four hours to comply.

Please disregard all "you" and "Your Mom's" in the text.   :ick:
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 01, 2009, 09:25:59 pm
Oh good god, leave it to an April Fool's joke to kill any and all drama that may have had XD

Fixed version here.

Spoiler:
We are the Riven Dawn. To all citizens of the Galactic Terran-
Vasudan alliance:  Now is the time to break free of the tyrannical
shackles which have bound us to mediocrity for so many years.  For
too long has our potential been squandered.  For too long have we
been forced to live under the stifling oppression that is our
government’s ever-present regulation.  A new day has dawned, for
Terrans and Vasudans alike.

We are stronger than you can possibly comprehend.  Nowhere is
safe from us, not even the Vasudan palace.  Simple convoy raids
were but the beginning - we now have in our possession the Vasudan
heir to the throne, Khonsu III.  Unless you wish him to be returned
one piece at a time, you will fulfill our wishes.

We demand that all GTVA military assets withdraw from
Aldebaran.  We also demand that Aldebaran be declared a sovereign
nation under our rule.  You have twenty-four hours to comply.

Schoolwork notwithstanding, I hope to have concept art and screenshots up soon. In the meantime, peace out, ladies and gents.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on April 02, 2009, 01:05:23 am
Whoa.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Dilmah G on April 02, 2009, 04:23:09 am
Woah, this is actually sounding pretty Good :)
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Snail on April 02, 2009, 06:36:23 am
Sounds liek a jolly good ol' rebellion.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Aardwolf on April 02, 2009, 01:59:09 pm
They misspelled Aldebarn. Also, considering they're demanding a ransom, I find it odd that they would encrypt their demands.

Edit: or maybe that was just in the first translation...
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Goober5000 on April 02, 2009, 04:01:38 pm
Quote from: Aardwolf on April 02, 2009, 01:59:09 pm
They misspelled Aldebarn.
NO U!
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Mobius on April 02, 2009, 04:05:53 pm
Aldebaran A.K.A. Alpha Tauri (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Aldebaran)
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 02, 2009, 10:37:09 pm
As promised, a smattering of screenshots from missions 1, 2, and 4. Hopefully sometime next week I'll have some concept art available for consumption.

(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-1-1.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-1-1.png) (http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-1-2.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-1-2.png) (http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-2-1.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-2-1.png) (http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-4-1.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-4-1.png)

Finally, this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_Keen#Standard_Galactic_Alphabet) is where I got that funky alphabet, in case anyone was curious. Brownie points to whoever remembers that series.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: tinfoil on April 02, 2009, 10:46:40 pm
PURPLE BEAMZ!!! Coooool ;7
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Snail on April 03, 2009, 07:32:53 am
oooo
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Rodo on April 03, 2009, 08:20:32 am
soo... you are doing the campaign all by yourself??

quite a meritorius thing to do, looking forward to get this one!
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Aurora Paradox on April 03, 2009, 11:10:59 am
The force is strong in this one......................

Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Darius on April 03, 2009, 11:15:47 am
Ah..this is the one i saw on your Xfire. Looking forward to this one.  :yes:
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Titan on April 03, 2009, 02:55:11 pm
small problem, instead of using the pronoun 'he' for ships, use 'they' for capships, and 'it' for fighters or capships.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Scotty on April 03, 2009, 04:22:01 pm
Quote from: Titan on April 03, 2009, 02:55:11 pm
small problem, instead of using the pronoun 'he' for ships, use 'they' for capships, and 'it' for fighters or capships.

In general, "wet" navies (contemporary) use the pronoun "her" for off-hand referral to ships.  "They" isn't grammatically correct unless used as a group designation, and "it" is too impersonal to know what you are talking about in off-hand conversation.  No idea why they don't use "He," but it's all "She" and "Her."
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 04, 2009, 11:12:44 pm
Quote from: Titan on April 03, 2009, 02:55:11 pm
small problem, instead of using the pronoun 'he' for ships, use 'they' for capships, and 'it' for fighters or capships.

That line was referring to the Admiral in particular. In context it makes more sense.

I will be doing the FREDding myself mostly because I tend to be a pain in the ass to work with and am a total control freak. I will at some point outsource a few 3d model projects and (possibly if I feel like enduring the headaches involved) voiceovers.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Droid803 on April 05, 2009, 06:29:16 pm
A possible timing error there.
The Gladius isn't quite dead yet.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 05, 2009, 11:17:21 pm
Quote from: Droid803 on April 05, 2009, 06:29:16 pm
A possible timing error there.
The Gladius isn't quite dead yet.

Yeah, there's still some kinks to work out. I used a self-destruct SEXP and that message was timed for "is-destroyed-delay." I've always hated how self-destruct makes the hull integrity go down like a timer.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Aardwolf on April 08, 2009, 09:16:34 pm
Quote from: Goober5000 on April 02, 2009, 04:01:38 pm
Quote from: Aardwolf on April 02, 2009, 01:59:09 pm
They misspelled Aldebarn.
NO U!

That was deliberate, I was spelling it the way it was typo'd. But now I notice it was only typo'd in one of the translations by somebody else, not in the official one.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Scotty on April 09, 2009, 05:07:11 pm
If there was a typo in it, it was in the original message (you know, the first post).  Krelus mentions some typos in an earlier post.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 09, 2009, 07:59:14 pm
Quote from: Scotty on April 09, 2009, 05:07:11 pm
If there was a typo in it, it was in the original message (you know, the first post).  Krelus mentions some typos in an earlier post.

Yeah, my conversion was less than perfect. I retroactively fixed it, though.

ANYwho, with any luck I should be able to at least get some new media ready and posted sometime this weekend. In addition, once I get XFire Video to recognize my damn audio card I'll have some new weapon demonstrations ready (By the way, if anyone here is familiar with SoundMax HD Audio, any tips on how to get the Stereo Mixer to work would be greatly appreciated.)
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Rhymes on April 09, 2009, 08:05:15 pm
Interesting.  I wonder what kind of beam that Titan is using.  It's definitely not standard issue, since StratComm's ships use blue beams.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Droid803 on April 10, 2009, 08:23:45 pm
Actually, StratComm's ships don't come with any custom beams by default in the tables that come with the models.
They're just given blue beams most of the time because the emitters are blue, but that's on a per-mod basis.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 10, 2009, 09:52:03 pm
Quote from: Droid803 on April 10, 2009, 08:23:45 pm
Actually, StratComm's ships don't come with any custom beams by default in the tables that come with the models.
They're just given blue beams most of the time because the emitters are blue, but that's on a per-mod basis.

Yeah, the first incarnation of those beams was a slightly more magenta shade of purple, but they just looked wrong coming from the cool-blue emitters. So I changed the color to a cooler, more blue-ish hue and now it looks WAY better. Plus I wanted something I hadn't really seen too often.
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: maelstrom0511 on April 17, 2009, 10:20:35 am
Quote from: Krelus on April 02, 2009, 10:37:09 pm
As promised, a smattering of screenshots from missions 1, 2, and 4. Hopefully sometime next week I'll have some concept art available for consumption.

(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-1-1.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-1-1.png) (http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-1-2.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-1-2.png) (http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-2-1.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-2-1.png) (http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/th_SCO-1-4-1.png) (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc105/Krelus/?action=view&current=SCO-1-4-1.png)

Finally, this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_Keen#Standard_Galactic_Alphabet) is where I got that funky alphabet, in case anyone was curious. Brownie points to whoever remembers that series.

Ha ha, I guess I get brownie points... I thought it was Standard Galactic Alphabet!

These screenies look amazing, can't wait for the finished product...
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 17, 2009, 10:39:28 am
Heh, that might be a while. I have a terrible work ethic and this will wind up being a long campaign. I've made a few four-mission stories and I feel ready to do something big. It should pick up once college is out, I've got about six things due next week which I haven't even started on ;_;
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: maelstrom0511 on April 17, 2009, 10:53:16 am
take your time... i've got enough mods to last  a while. :nod:
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: NathanP on April 18, 2009, 10:03:37 am
Quote from: Rhymes_With_PSYCHO on April 09, 2009, 08:05:15 pm
Interesting.  I wonder what kind of beam that Titan is using.  It's definitely not standard issue, since StratComm's ships use blue beams.

I have a mod pack lying around somewhere that has a purple beam, its called an UBGreen and is purple - looks very similar to this one.  I think it came with the mod pack for unholy alliance but i may be wrong.  They have very long range and do massive damage - put 3 of them on the front of the colossus and see how quickly ships get ripped apart ;7 
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 18, 2009, 10:48:15 am
Quote from: NathanP on April 18, 2009, 10:03:37 am
Quote from: Rhymes_With_PSYCHO on April 09, 2009, 08:05:15 pm
Interesting.  I wonder what kind of beam that Titan is using.  It's definitely not standard issue, since StratComm's ships use blue beams.

I have a mod pack lying around somewhere that has a purple beam, its called an UBGreen and is purple - looks very similar to this one.  I think it came with the mod pack for unholy alliance but i may be wrong.  They have very long range and do massive damage - put 3 of them on the front of the colossus and see how quickly ships get ripped apart ;7 

Yeah, these I made from scratch. Plot-wise they were created through reverse-engineering of Shivan beam technology and power sources. They are markedly superior to the BGreens, but still are outperformed by the absurdly powerful LRed. Now if y'all will 'scuse me, I gots some painting to do... (ghad I hate the smell of turpentine.)
Title: Re: The Great Scourge: Encrypted Message
Post by: Krelus on April 25, 2009, 09:40:25 pm
If you folks will pardon the double-post, I felt like posting some more material for y'all to digest. I haven't really had any time to do any design work since all my college professors suddenly realized they're supposed to give me stuff to do, so I figured I'd post some tech descriptions and various info on what I've already made. So, behold some of the toys which have come to be in the ten years since Capella went kablooey:

***

Weapon: XR8 Bauer Light Repeater

Intel: In the years following the Second Great War, the technology mega-giant known as Bauer Combine has been constantly producing powerful, cutting-edge military hardware. Among the Combine's many innovations is a new rapid-fire weapon designed to replace the UD-8 Kayser and Prometheus S as the Alliance's top-of-the-line dogfighting cannon. Capable of inflicting the same pain as its predecessors at a fraction of the power usage, the X-R8 combines the range of the Prometheus with the raw fighter-destroying capabilities of the Kayser. It is currently being evaluated by many frontline units, and the initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Its main drawback is that, due to its immensely complex energy buffering system, it can only be installed on modern spacecraft such as the Perseus D.H. and the Ezechiel.

Author's Note: At first blush this weapon seems somewhat overpowered, but at ranges of more than about 600m it starts to become difficult to use. While it may have the same DPS as the Kayser, it has the Cycle (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Weapons.tbl#.22cycle.22) flag on, which means you have to constantly track a target and be continuously accurate to get ideal results - those used to firing off one shot, aiming and firing off one more might prefer the old weaponry.

***

Weapon: GTM-47 Screamer Anti-Fighter Missile

Intel: The GTM-47 Screamer is a new type of aspect-seeking missile which showcases a hitherto unseen form of technology - a physical object capable of bypassing shield systems. It is intended to become the premier dogfighting missile in the coming years, boasting unprecedented anti-fighter capabilities. A miniature field projector inside the weapon's casing generates an energy sheath which allows it to slip effortlessly through all known forms of defensive shielding. As an accidental bonus, the destruction of said field on impact produces a minor EMP effect on the target, disrupting the enemy's subsystems for a brief time. This, coupled with firepower and homing capabilities equivalent to the GTM-19 Harpoon, makes this an incredibly powerful tool. Unfortunately, compared to the Harpoon, the Screamer is quite large and takes up roughly twice the cargo space as its predecessor in any given fighter.

Author's Note: Basically a shield-ignoring Harpoon with double the cargo size. This is surprisingly balanced. Due to its large cargo size, it has little to no use against unshielded targets, since the Harpoon performs the same in that situation with half the size. However, against fighters and bombers, this missile becomes a precision tool most brain surgeons would be jealous of. Capable of doing grievous damage to many fighters (especially Shivan ones) with just a single rocket, this is absolutely perfect for taking out ships like the Basilisk. Slight drawback is that sometimes a missile will go off near a target without actually impacting it. The shield-piercing doesn't apply to splash damage (which is what I was hoping for) and anything short of a direct hit will not work. As for the EMP, it's fairly weak with a four second duration. It's mostly there for flavor.

***

Weapon: Heavy Plasma Cannon

Author's Note: You know those hideously massive two-part turrets on most Terran destroyers? Ever thought it was odd that they fired, of all things, flak? That always bothered me, so I made an anti-capital blob capable of tearing up pretty much anything. Due to a minor FOF adjustment, at maximum range it has difficulty hitting cruisers. It fires in volleys because of the Rule of Cool, and when placed on multiple turrets this beast becomes absolutely terrifying. Demonstration is in the attached picture.

***

I would have posted video demos but my audio driver is being silly, and silent videos just don't jive with me.



[attachment deleted by evil Tolwyn]