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Hosted Projects - FS2 Required => Blue Planet => Topic started by: gloowa on February 04, 2013, 04:55:08 am

Title: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: gloowa on February 04, 2013, 04:55:08 am
OK.

First off:
I've been following HLP for several years now, lurking as anonymous, but it was Blue Planet that made me create an forum account so i can express my deepest thanks to the whole HLP community: You guys are the best. The work you have done (and still do) with Freespace is divine. I am really at a loss for words at this point.

Second:
For the BP team - Thank you. Your work is without the question the best fan-created content for Freespace (Diaspora excluded, that's BSG on Freespace engine)

Now to the point:
I won't go into much details about BP, what i liked (all) and didn't (almost nothing).
Instead i's like to report some issues and ask some questions.

(possible minor spoilers follow, be warned)
Issues:
- Tenebra, in the assassination mission, the signal-strength-o-meter inherits the radar color. This has worked very badly for me, as i prefer 3d radar, and set the default radar color to black, so that i can get a clearer readout. As you might imagine, that caused some complications until i figured out what is going on (accidental turn made me face something bright and i saw it then)

- Tenebra, the last mission seems to be bugged if restarted. I have some strange issues with that mission if i don't restart FS entirely after running it once.  (Most notably, i'm unable to access Shivan data nodes, but sometimes mental status is already degrading at the very start, there also is missing 2nd line of medi-readout until first status change in that line)

- Tenebra, Her Finest Hour. VERY strange performance issues. At first i ran game with my default FS SCP config and HFH was a choppy mess. Then i cleaned everything and went with stock FS. Much better but still strange stutter spikes every X seconds. Then i selected "Memory consuming features on" and enables all the goody-stuff (FXAA, post processing etc). Smooth as silk, no stutter, no spikes @ ~ 100fps. I suspect that the actual game-changer could have been disabling vsync, but i haven't tried turning it back on yet.


Ok, that would be issues. Now for questions.

There seems to be lot of fan made content that is canon in BP. For instance Sync/Transend. As much as i would love to try those out, my current work+life prevents me from having much time for myself.
Is there somewhere an synopsis of plots of all mods/campaigns that set up BP universe? I checked the Wiki, for Sync but there is very little info there (probably so not to spoil stuff)

Also, as i read the forum, people search for clues about BP story in the mission files. I have only fiddled with Fred a tiny bit, but i would love to do my own research. For that end, i would need to extract .vp, How to?

And finally:
Is the voice act call project still active?
I would love to try record something for the benefit of us all :) As i understand, the parts that DO need to be recorded, DO NOT have a "CAST" next to them?












Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: General Battuta on February 04, 2013, 07:21:04 am
You can extract VP files with VPView 32.
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: Aesaar on February 04, 2013, 07:40:48 am
The campaigns that are definitely BP canon are Silent Threat: Reborn (not the original ST), and Vassago's Dirge.  Sync and Transcend might be (as alternate universe), but they have no impact on the story.

Voice acting is still active AFAIK, but is proceeding slowly.  I haven't looked much at it.
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: gloowa on February 04, 2013, 08:33:03 am
Quote from: General Battuta on February 04, 2013, 07:21:04 am
You can extract VP files with VPView 32.

Thank you.

That said, is dissecting missions in Fred "officially endorsed", or could i spoil myself some future event revelations/events?

Also,

I see people in other threads talking about content in Universal Truth that i clearly missed.
Spoiler:
Is the Ken portal only one that can be entered? On my 1st playtrough i tried entering other portal and immediately ended up with leaking gallbladder, so i assumed that entering them is a no-go...
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: The E on February 04, 2013, 08:40:24 am
We have no problem with anyone opening up the mission files and learning from them.
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: Phantom Hoover on February 05, 2013, 10:56:59 am
You wouldn't be able to find spoilers anyway, unless the team made some ridiculous gaffe like leaving mission details in a comment in a script file. :​P
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: Apollo on February 05, 2013, 04:12:38 pm
Quote from: PhantomHoover on February 05, 2013, 10:56:59 am
You wouldn't be able to find spoilers anyway, unless the team made some ridiculous gaffe like leaving mission details in a comment in a script file. :​P

Yeah they'd never do something like that. ;)
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: Echelon9 on February 06, 2013, 02:36:01 am
Quote from: gloowa on February 04, 2013, 04:55:08 am
...
- Tenebra, the last mission seems to be bugged if restarted. I have some strange issues with that mission if i don't restart FS entirely after running it once.  (Most notably, i'm unable to access Shivan data nodes, but sometimes mental status is already degrading at the very start, there also is missing 2nd line of medi-readout until first status change in that line)
...

This bug sounds like a class of problems that we had mid-last year and believe we squashed (it held up the Diaspora release for a little while given it prevented the Theseus cap ship firing guns after a mission restart). As a coder very interested in tracking this one down.

Are you able to reproduce it again now?
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: Crybertrance on February 06, 2013, 03:14:05 am
Quote from: Apollo on February 05, 2013, 04:12:38 pm
Quote from: PhantomHoover on February 05, 2013, 10:56:59 am
You wouldn't be able to find spoilers anyway, unless the team made some ridiculous gaffe like leaving mission details in a comment in a script file. :​P

Yeah they'd never do something like that. ;)

Yeah no, absolutely not!  ;)
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: gloowa on February 09, 2013, 01:58:56 pm
Quote from: Echelon9 on February 06, 2013, 02:36:01 am
Quote from: gloowa on February 04, 2013, 04:55:08 am
...
- Tenebra, the last mission seems to be bugged if restarted. I have some strange issues with that mission if i don't restart FS entirely after running it once.  (Most notably, i'm unable to access Shivan data nodes, but sometimes mental status is already degrading at the very start, there also is missing 2nd line of medi-readout until first status change in that line)
...

This bug sounds like a class of problems that we had mid-last year and believe we squashed (it held up the Diaspora release for a little while given it prevented the Theseus cap ship firing guns after a mission restart). As a coder very interested in tracking this one down.

Are you able to reproduce it again now?

Yeah, it's kinda inconsistent. I'll try to play around with restarting the mission a bit later tonight. Just finished Vassago's Dirge and need a while rest before i will run Universal Truth. Again. ;)

/offtop
Any tips on finding true ending to Vassago's Dirge? Should i stay away from jump drive controls?
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: qwadtep on February 11, 2013, 10:16:01 pm
Quote from: Aesaar on February 04, 2013, 07:40:48 am
The campaigns that are definitely BP canon are Silent Threat: Reborn (not the original ST), and Vassago's Dirge.  Sync and Transcend might be (as alternate universe), but they have no impact on the story.
Sync and Transcend seem to be BP canon, as the relevant Universal Truth debriefings note the Orestes and her universe-hopping antics.
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: -Norbert- on February 12, 2013, 02:59:06 am
They only appear in the de-briefing when you die of brain damage.
Can you really call something you only see after your brain practically exploded canon?

That debriefing is a prank/tribute/easter-egg thing, not hard evidence.
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: gloowa on February 12, 2013, 04:24:34 am
Quote from: -Norbert- on February 12, 2013, 02:59:06 am
They only appear in the de-briefing when you die of brain damage.
Can you really call something you only see after your brain practically exploded canon?

That debriefing is a prank/tribute/easter-egg thing, not hard evidence.
Even though, I wouldn't mind someone explaining that debrief to me.

@Echelon9
Is there a way to advance Tenebra campaign to Universal Truth without re-playing entire thing? I would like to do check on that issues later today, but have limited time, and i'm not sure if playing the mission from tech room would be the same as reaching it in campaign, testing-wise.

Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on February 12, 2013, 04:28:11 am
Actually playing it from the techroom avoids some node-related bugs. I've done it at least twice to no ill effect.
Title: Re: Some questions about BP + re: Tenebra
Post by: qwadtep on February 12, 2013, 08:30:06 am
Quote from: -Norbert- on February 12, 2013, 02:59:06 am
They only appear in the de-briefing when you die of brain damage.
Can you really call something you only see after your brain practically exploded canon?

That debriefing is a prank/tribute/easter-egg thing, not hard evidence.
Universal Truth does enough fourth-wall-breaking that I don't think we can discount a postmortem debriefing, especially when it's so much more lucid and specific than the other laporte-goes-nuts debriefings. Plus, as I recall, I was still PERFECTLY FINE when the Transcendant showed up in-mission :D

But yes, it has no real impact on the plot either way.