[ZhaHaDum1972]

   I have been working on a Mission based on the Battle In the Series Between the Light and The Darkness.
I have had a couple of snags and need some help or advice. Because the fredding Help pages do not cover what I need.

First I keep running into a "too manySEXP Variables. Delete To Continue." error. Which I need to do this to make the misson True to the show. Most of the variables changes are on the ships in hp and weapons.

Second. How do you make cut scenes for this game. I cannot find anything on this anywhere.

Thrind and final. How would you get the WhiteStars to act like the fighters Instead of the Slow Coumbersome Cap ships that they emulate in game play?

[karajorma]

This is the first time I've heard of someone running out of variables which leads me to believe that either you're doing something hideously complicated with them or that you've been misusing them in some way. Any chance you can post the mission or an example of how you've been using them?

Cutscenes can be made in one of two ways. You can

a) Use the in-game cutscenes to script a mission (or part thereof) that proceeds exactly the way you want.
b) Get hold of a 3D rendering program like truespace, 3DS Max or Lightwave and make the cutscenes in that. Cutscenes made that way will be played before a mission not as part of it though.

As for the whitestar that's currently a limitation of the engine. We need a programmer who can make the AI changes necessary to give us proper gunship ai at the moment. There are ways to fake it which I'll leave for the experts in TBP to explain.

[0rph3u5]

Second. How do you make cut scenes for this game. I cannot find anything on this anywhere.

if you want ingame cutsences (term: CSM - CutScence Missions) of any kind I could help you... contact me via PM and we could discuss that issue

if you want to do it on your own and are learing freding by freding apart mission done by others there two good sources for similar things:
1 - Prophet's "Movements in the Mist -Chapter One" (Mission 5... It needs some fixing - can't do a "training" on red alert and no briefing- but than its cool to watch)
2 - TBP Team's Raider Wars Epilogue (all you need is the vpviewer - you will need anyway)

my The Black Hand Campaign in the current avalible version has credits done this way... since there are some bugs related to the campaign structure it is not the best to think of

I made one csm about the destruction of EF 1 at Io for TBH and Iselar's Clarcks-Forces-Campaign (which is not finished yet - but it is full of good ideas) too... I might send it to you or upload it if you want

[ZhaHaDum1972]

 
I Have accually Not started the freeding part of the mission. Just the ships, And the different weapon, speacial hp, Wings,  Positoins, and mission details.
Tha Accual flight and fighting in the mission is starting to go great, but every time I try to start the fredding part (like the ojectives, waypaths, vioces and all the rest.)
 I get an error and the mission stops loading in TBP. And I have to start all over.

And here is a rundown of the mission so far.
This is my 5th mission redo.


I have
20 Whatestars with special hp
6 omega-x with special hp and weapons
24 psi thunderbolts with special weapons,hp and explosions
1 jumpgate vortex generator and of blood, sweat and tears in this.

There are some changes still to be made for this to go over well, but the accual fighting part is starting to get better and it is a very hard mission if I say so myself.
By the way, I have only beatten it twice.

The coolest part of the whole misiion so far is flying the Whiestar and using the beam weapons.



And I think i found the prolem,
Too many ship variables.
It limits the variables to 99.
 How do I get Around That.


PS How do I upload the mission for you to DL?

[IPAndrews]

You don't, it's a game engine limitation. You really need to reduce the number of "specials" in your mission. ie: special hits and special explosions. Since they each use variables from you bank of 99. I don't see why you can't just use the stock ships anyhow. They don't need tweaking like that.

[ZhaHaDum1972]

if you played it without the specials you would understand why I did it.

but I have cut my specials down some

[Prophet]

Prophet's "Movements in the Mist -Chapter One" (Mission 5... It needs some fixing - can't do a "training" on red alert and no briefing- but than its cool to watch)

I have updated fixe repaired version of MitM here, but I allways figured that I'd release it together with the second chapter. And allways I have been encountering unforseen delays, problems and general grief causing my plans to fall into pieces... 

[karajorma]

That mission is sounding rather Endorian to me. Be very careful about doing anything like that until you're well versed in using FRED.

[Slasher]

Seeing the "...Darkness and the Light" battle come to life in TBP would almost require a miracle at this point to pull off but would be well worth it in the end.

[ZhaHaDum1972]

   The Mission is starting to take form, but I just can't get my mind aruond how to even start the freding process. I have got the ships, waypoints and all the major details worked out. 
   The battle part is still a little dry. Bcause of the Whitestars high hp and the low hp of the enemy ships. also a contributor is that the beams on the whitestars have further range that the beams on the omega-x which was not the case in the series.     
   The Whitestars only advantage was its speed and manuverability. but in TBP the whitestar is cumbersome and relativly slow for the mission at hand.   

Also, there is no thunderbolt in the TBP that is even close to the on in the BTLaD series. (laced with Shadow Tech)

Now the fredding and learning will start. GHM


If anyone wants to help with debugging, sound capture and video capute from the 4x19 series pm me and I'll give you more details.
And also If anone has a updated Whitestar and or the Thunderbolt from that series. I would love to get my hands on them for this mission.
Or if someone wants to contribute to the missionby modding a Thunderbolt for the Mission That would help as well.
 
Thanks for your help and patience, I'll keep you posted regularly.

[Prophet]

Also, there is no thunderbolt in the TBP that is even close to the on in the BTLaD series. (laced with Shadow Tech)

I was verymuch under the impresion that those were NOT shadow tech Tbolts in the show, but just regular Tbolts...

[madaboutgames]

same here

[ZhaHaDum1972]

Well I can't really tell with the copy of the series that i have, but the Thdrblts look to me to have stronger weapons and faster engines with a different skin or texture on them.
But, Please correct me if I'm wrong bcause I usually am.

Also if you have some good pics of this craft, or can Take stills of the thdrblt from the series that would help greatly.
So no takers on testing or helping in any way???