[Admiral Nelson]

Here are the missions as they stand.

Kamikaze damage for the corvette is set to 0.  In any case it doesn't have any hope of reaching the destroy without being blasted.  Equinox needs to be fixed, and some dialog about the Nicolas added.

All the other missions but the last one could use another round of testing to see if there is anything else left.

WIP missions

Edit:  It seems these missions were edited at some point without the vidar.tbm, as the class for the Vidar was reset to GTF Ulysses in most missions.  Fixed and reuploaded.

[MP-Ryan]

Here are the missions as they stand.

Kamikaze damage for the corvette is set to 0.  In any case it doesn't have any hope of reaching the destroy without being blasted.  Equinox needs to be fixed, and some dialog about the Nicolas added.

All the other missions but the last one could use another round of testing to see if there is anything else left.

WIP missions

Edit:  It seems these missions were edited at some point without the vidar.tbm, as the class for the Vidar was reset to GTF Ulysses in most missions.  Fixed and reuploaded.

Sorry, that Vidar thing was my fault.

What dialog about the Nicholas are you thinking of?  Did the debrief additions get put in?  EDIT:  I see they didn't.  Go back a few posts, I wrote out all the debriefings for E2M1.  I can script out some more dialog around the Nicholas if you like, and you gus can add it with the appropriate events.  *shrug*

[Mobius]

Write it, I can add it. It won't be that difficult

At this point, Nelson, I think you should request the voice acting.

[Admiral Nelson]

I just like you guys to validate that the Northwest Passage mission now works properly, then we can add the debrieings, and some additional messaging round protecting the Nicolas.  In the original mission you could just ignore the whole Remehaz incident and leave, which is a bit odd.

One more run thru of all the missions and we should be ready to tackle the final mission, and then complete our work.

[Mobius]

Since voice acting needs time, we can have actors working on the campaign while we fix all the bugs. We have yet to add some text in E2M1, yeah, but the actors will need time before arriving to that mission.

Ok, I test E2M1.

[MP-Ryan]

While I agree that getting this voice-acted would be marvelous, let's at least get the first two acts (E1 and E2 missions) finalized before putting them out there.

I'll test out E2M1 later today and make sure everything is working.  The debriefing I've already written.  I'll see how the mission plays out with the current events, and script 3 or 4 transmissions accordingly.

The way I conceptualized it in the debriefings (and the way I'm planning to write the lines, unless told otherwise) is that the Nicholas is a bonus objective - you don't HAVE to protect it, but if you do you get rewarded for it.

This is just preliminary (without playing it since the changes) but here are my suggestions - don't add this text, I'll re-write it, but it'll be something like this (additions, this is keeping all existing lines).  You may need to add an event or two - I'm assuming here that in order to complete the mission all transports must survive:

Event:  Nicholas is fired upon by the Moloch and severely damaged.
Message:  Nicholas-"Command, our hull integrity has been compromised by the Remhas!  We are recharging our jump drives now, but we need additional cover!"
Command-"Understood, Nicholas.  The Tatenen is preparing to launch fighters.  They will be on station within a few minutes.  Alpha leader, your mission is to protect the convoy.  Protect the Nicholas only if you can still accomplish your primary objectives."

Event:  Shivan fighters jump in and target the Nicholas.
Messages:  Nicholas-"We have been targeted by <wing name> wing!  Our jump drives are still recharging!  We won't make it without fighter cover!"
Tatenen-"Our fighters are not yet ready for launch, Nicholas."

Event:  First transport jumps out, Nicholas is still in system (along these lines, make sure the Nicholas doesn't jump out until AFTER all transports leave the system).
Messages:  Medical Ship-"Thank you for the cover, Alpha and Beta.  We'll be jumping out shortly.  Help that cruiser!"
**Note:  the transports should still be vulnerable for several seconds here, so if the play DOES abandon them at this point there should be some chance of one getting taken out and the mission failing.
Command-"Alpha and beta, engage all remaining enemy craft.  All convoy ships must make it through the portal.  The Nicholas is not your responsibility."

Event:  All enemy craft destroyed, Nicholas survives, bonus objective complete.
Messages: Wingman-"Nicholas, you still with us?  Looks like the area is secure."
Nicholas-"Our jump drives have recharged.  We're getting the hell out of here.  Thanks for the assistance, Lonestars!"

Event:  Nicholas is destroyed before the convoy jumps
Message:  Wingman-"Alpha leader, the Shivans just destroyed the Nicholas!"
Command-"Lonestars, focus on your mission.  Protect that convoy!"

[Mobius]

By the time all these messages are sent the Rehemas would be destroyed

[Admiral Nelson]

These are good suggestions.  We may want Nicolas to arrive a little bit earlier.  It now shows up just about when the onvoy departs.

[Mobius]

I know, but it jumps in when the player is in a good position to defend it. We shouldn't make it arrive earlier...

[MP-Ryan]

By the time all these messages are sent the Rehemas would be destroyed

That's the idea... the Nicholas is crying now that it's had the crap kicked out of it, and the Shivans are hunting it down.

I don't think the Nicholas needs to arrive any earlier... the first two sets should occur basically eright after it jumps in.  E.g.

Nicholas jumps in - Remhas jumps in - Remhas beams Nicholas - Nicholas messages - Remhas destroyed - Shivan fighters target Nicholas - Second message set - Transports begin to depart - Third message set - all enemy fighters destroyed - Nicholas jumps out.

It should be a fast sequence.

[Admiral Nelson]

Well, try out the mission in its present state and report anything you'd like to see changed.

[MP-Ryan]

OK, just went through E2M1.

First things first.  There's an unfixed grammar mistake and a few other dialog problems.  But I think rather than fixing those, re-uploading, then you guys adding stuff, and me going through it again, it's probably better if we do it this way:

First, the stuff in this post hasn't been done and probably should be:  http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,46147.msg947400.html#msg947400

Second, add the stuff from this post:  http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,46147.msg949160.html#msg949160

There is time for that exchange (it's fast, but it should be) between the Nicholas arrival and departure.  I would add this, but there are a few events that need to be specifically adjusted.
1.  Nicholas shouldn't depart until all Shivans destroyed.
2.  One Shivan wing (dragons or manticores) need to be sent after the cruiser specifically (but jump them in 5 or so clicks out so the player has time).
3.  Messages sending when first transport departs.
4.  Debriefing conditions

Lastly, the Equinox is still behaving strangely, spinning about before jumping.

Now, if you want to, just put the events in place for the messaging (since I'm not good with FRED) and I can add all the text and such later - I just need the events in place.  You can mark them with RYAN and I'll find and re-write them accordingly.  Alternatively, copy and paste the stuff I've posted here, and re-post a WIP copy of this mission for me.  Then I can go through and tweak all the messages and make sure they flow properly.

I *think* that's all for now.

I've found small grammar/spelling mistakes in other missions, but I think perhaps we should get this one finalized, then I can go through everything again and make sure I've gotten all the textual problems out of the way.  Then we can do a final playtest, and get onto E3M7.  What do you gents say?

[Mobius]

Uhm...

Fighters are launched by the Rehemas and damage the Nicolas a bit before they're destroyed by the player and/or the cruiser's AAA beams.


Please fix the problems with the texts, I don't want to overried someone's work by accident.

[m2258734a]

Sorry to change subjects, but I created a new planet for Warzone. Take a look at it in the Celestial Objects thread and if you think that it would be a good substitute for Lava1, then I'll provide the attachment. I didn't want this planet to look like the original for reasons explained in the other thread. So now Lava1 is a hot super Earth rather than a molten, young planet.

[Mobius]

Good, but I don't know if we can add them in Warzone. We're discussing about possible modifications, that go beyond the SCP Compatible and Voice Acting thing. We may consider you work, don't worry!

[MP-Ryan]

Uhm...

Fighters are launched by the Rehemas and damage the Nicolas a bit before they're destroyed by the player and/or the cruiser's AAA beams.


Please fix the problems with the texts, I don't want to overried someone's work by accident.

Eh?  What I'm saying is if you do the additions now, then I can fix all the text problems at once, rather than doing it now, uploading, and doing it again later. =)

[Mobius]

I don't see any difference...create the messages via FRED and UL that mission only

[Admiral Nelson]

Sorry to change subjects, but I created a new planet for Warzone. Take a look at it in the Celestial Objects thread and if you think that it would be a good substitute for Lava1, then I'll provide the attachment. I didn't want this planet to look like the original for reasons explained in the other thread. So now Lava1 is a hot super Earth rather than a molten, young planet.

The only trouble here is that what most people recall about Warzone is the lava planet.  I would think it more realistic if we imagine it a moon the size of Io, on which smaller features would be visible. Perhaps we use this hot rocky planet but give it a satellite that resembles the original lava planet more closely?

@LGM:  I did request upgraded planets specifically from m2258734a.

[Mobius]

I know, I like his Alpha Crucis!

Uhm...we use Io in Inferno....

[m2258734a]

Glad you like the stars.

What I was thinking while I was typing my reason for not making the lava planet was that maybe I could create a massive planetary body that would actually cause one of its nearby satellites to become active and relatively molten due to extremely high tidal forces. If you would like, maybe we could use the hot super Earth as a substitute for one of the "dead" planets, and then I can try to make the lava planet as the satellite of a much more massive companion. This massive companion could open up a door to all sorts of possible gas giants... but that is probably pushing it in terms of maintaining the original scenery. It's up to you all.

The only problem that I see if I make the lava planet for either the super Earth I made or a gas giant, the planet will have to appear small. A hot super Earth will have it's Roche limit much closer to the planet compared to a much more massive gas giant. I would then have to remake the hot super Earth take up a large portion of the sky, or I could have a moderately large gas giant in the distance (which would still appear larger than 512x512). So again it's all up to you all. I don't mind either way, although I don't have any experience in making low orbit high rez images.

EDIT: I went ahead and added the hot super Earth TGA if you all would still like to use it.

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