[MatthTheGeek]

Those hanging around on the IRC channel do know already about this, so yes, I'm working on my own FS total conversion for Homeworld 2. I know, there is already an old released FS mod, but it's dead, unfinished and not satisfying. I know, there is another in the making, but let's say I do not like his style.

Anyway, I wanted to do my own, making things myself. I'm using FSU materials, but you can be sure I'm crediting everyone that need to be credited. I'm making this for fun, this is not a race or a competition with the two other mods. I'm aiming to make this as close to FS as possible in term of gameplay, feeling and look, while doing the changes required for a HW-like RTS.

Keep in mind the early WIP status : I've only been working on it for 4 days !

A few WIP pics :




And a couple of WIP videos :


Link to game files for those who have the game. Install instructions in the Readme.
Last updated : 24th June 2010.

Now I want comments, criticism, remarks, anything. All feedback from the community is appreciated, I want it to be made by a FS fan, for FS fans .

EDIT : Content of the Readme for the times I forget to put it in

Code: [Select]

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Install instructions
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Make sure you have HW2 v1.1 installed correctly, and that you are not using another non-.big mod.

Drop the content of this file (the art, ship, weapon etc folders) in you Homeworld2/Data folder.

Add -overridebigfile to your HW2 shortcut.

Enjoy.

------------------------------------
Credits
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FSU team for most of the materials (meshes, textures, effects).
starwolf1991 for the ASW subspace effects.
Trashman for the Orion BGreen turret.
Aldo and Woomeister for the GTFr Demeter.
Volition for some other materials (sounds, a few effects) and for the awesome game they made.
Relic for the game engine, and the equally awesome game they made :).

[The E]

For just 4 days' work, this is looking pretty awesome. Good job.

[SpardaSon21]

So MatthTheGeek, what don't you like about BloodFleet's FS2 mod?  Have you said anything to him about it?

[MatthTheGeek]

Basically, the fact he is just remaking HW2 with FS ships. I'm working the other way around. I want mine to feel FS, not just feel HW2 with FS ships for fun.

Well, also, the fact he put team colors EVERYWHERE. Dude, the Hatshepsut is retarded in purple.

And last but not the least, he put "lol" in the description of his mod. I can't possibly have respect for this mod after that.

j/k.

Alright, seriously now, I'm not working with him mainly because I want to make this mod on my own. Like a pet project. I've talked with him, and like I said, I don't want to turn this into a competition.

[Fury]

Well, also, the fact he put team colors EVERYWHERE. Dude, the Hatshepsut is retarded in purple.

And last but not the least, he put "lol" in the description of his mod. I can't possibly have respect for this mod after that.

This is no joking matter.

[Dragon]

Are you talking about FS: A New Age?
As I recall, it didn't had too much team colors and was pretty good in the terms of gameplay.
The only problem I had with it is that it used lo-poly models.

[MatthTheGeek]

I know, there is another in the making, but let's say I do not like his style.

So MatthTheGeek, what don't you like about BloodFleet's FS2 mod?  Have you said anything to him about it?

So yeah, about A New Age, it's just old, dead and unfinished, but not really bad.

[Akalamanaia]

If you need a helping hand with the AI, give me a call. I was the first AI coder for Freespace: A New Age(and pretty much trained the second one who rewrote the whole AI). You can find me at xfire as "Vemarkis".

[MatthTheGeek]

Yeah, AI is one of my biggest weaknesses. I've added you on Xfire, thanks for the help

EDIT : Been having fun with death fx. Most is retail HW2, some is from the HW@ mod, and I added a few FS shockwaves but they need more work to really fit in it.

[Droid803]

The FS shockwaves look....real bad in comparison to the flashy stuff already there.

[MatthTheGeek]

That's what I've basically been thinking. I want to have them, but I have yet to find a way to implement them nicely.

[SpardaSon21]

Have tons of shockwaves coming off destroyed vessels in cascading waves so it looks like its blowing up a piece at a time.

[mmm99]

May I just be an idiot and say why didn't you use Star Wars Empire at war? Good game. But Im sure you have a good reason. Can I ask why?

I think this mod would fit into the existing game physics easy but then I havent played home world 2.

[MatthTheGeek]

Hmm... maybe because, well, I have never even tried to mod EaW, and I've been modding for years ?

And at any rate, HW2 > EaW.

[The E]

They're different games, really. Empire at War is a strategy/tactics hybrid, while HW2 is all about tactics (There is no strategic element in HW2, no elaborate planet management etc).

An FS2 mod for EaW would be awesome, but a very different game indeed.

[MatthTheGeek]

There is no strategic element in HW2

Wat

Seriously. There is no strategy involved in EaW. The guy with the biggest fleet win, period. Not comparable to HW2 at any degree.

[The E]

*Sigh*

Do I really have to explain the difference between "Strategic" and "Tactical"? Strategic: Make plans on the big scale. Assemble fleets, manage worlds, move chesspieces around. Tactical: Take control of one engagement, micro-manage each unit in that engagement to defeat the other guy's chesspieces.
I know this runs counter to the "Real-Time Strategy" label that gets pinned on what are essentially tactics games, but it's far closer to what you are actually doing.

[SpardaSon21]

There's also the small matter of the EaW engine not supporting beams, except those hacked in as abilities that are based off the tractor and proton beam abilities, and they still have to use the exact same beam effect as those two.  Any beam weapons in EaW are just lasers that fire a long burst really, really fast.

[Paladin327]

There's also the small matter of the EaW engine not supporting beams, except those hacked in as abilities that are based off the tractor and proton beam abilities, and they still have to use the exact same beam effect as those two.  Any beam weapons in EaW are just lasers that fire a long burst really, really fast.

now we're just getting picky. i for one would love to see a freespace mod for EaW

[Scotty]

I imagine it'd be comparatively easy to make a late T-V War or Great War mod for EaW.  No beams to complicate things.  SSLs could be Protons beams, colored different.