30 replies to this topic

[Phoenix Rising]

There have been a lot of happenings worth noting lately, so I figure I'll combine them all into one news post so no one misses any of them.

First up, the Empire at War division of FileFront recently took the time to do a formal interview with me about Phoenix Rising. Conducted by Enceladus, the interview gives a candid, behind the scenes look at our newest release, in addition to tapping my thoughts on a number of general issues that are relevant to the EaW community as a whole. The FileFront exclusive can be found here.

* * * * *

We're working on figuring out the lag issues, but with the spectrum of PC stats as broad as it is, we really need your feedback. I've devised a standardized benchmarking test to measure exactly how PR v1.1 performs on your system. It only takes about 15 minutes to do and is imperative to our understanding of the problem. Accompanying discussion can be found here.

If you spot any bugs during the course of play unrelated to the lag, please report them in this thread. Unofficial hotfixes for some of the problems can be found in this sticky, but applying them may require some working knowledge of the XMLs.

In addition, Ghostrider has set up his own topic for feedback specifically on the campaigns. You can use this for anything related to the composition of the campaigns or how they play, but keep problems with specific units and such limited to the Bug Reporting forum.

* * * * *

Are you comfortable with Photoshop and willing to help us out? If so, check out the Official Icon Help Thread, where we're outsourcing some of the mod work to the community. This is your opportunity to potentially get your name in the credits and help us add new heroes.

* * * * *

I'm working on a revamp to how we handle starfighter complements, but I want the community's input. Head to this poll to vote for how you'd like to see us handle the carrier-complement relationship going forward. The current rules have been rendered obsolete and will be changed regardless, so you might as well add your input.

* * * * *

Finally, it's that time of the year again. Yup, Mod DB is doing their annual Mod of the Year competition. Although I wouldn't dream of winning, it's free to vote, so why not do it for us? Click on the golden wrench to head to our Mod DB profile to put in a vote.

[Pred the Penguin]

Finally some publicity!

I finished voting days ago. XD

[A1Dasdfsdkli4r2]

I'm just going to assume to reroute all post related to the interview here;

I'd love to help you with making icons, but I don't have photshop. I do have a progam to create any type of picture the type you want it to be, i just need to remember how to do that . I"ll definately put in a good word for you over at moddb, and as for the lag...

[Stygian]

You got my vote.

[Kitkun]

Try the other campaigns. GFFA is loading something around 10,000 units right now, so lags even the best of computers. They're working on a slimmer version.
It should still load eventually, but it takes forever and a day.

Edited by Kitkun, 19 January 2009 - 04:54 PM.

[Ghostrider]

I'd love to help you out in any way possible. I have been playing your mod since the beginning. I actually just got back from Afghan and downloaded 1.1 last night. The problem is that after I click GFFA it freezes instantly. This is pretty depressing since I used to play GFFA on maximum settings with no problem. (after the AI fleet reshuffling fix).

Any ideas? All my patches are up to date. After I can actually get into the game I will do all that I can to help with feedback ect.

Sorry - the original release of GFFA was a bit large. Try Inner Rim for a bit - basically the released version of GFFA had too many units - I have almost finished the slim version!

I will have an announcement on this subject in a day or so.


Ghost

[bob345]

Sorry - the original release of GFFA was a bit large. Try Inner Rim for a bit - basically the released version of GFFA had too many units - I have almost finished the slim version!

Ghost

Is there going to be a slim version of the sub campiagns also or just GFFA and GFFA Lite

[Ghostrider]

Sorry - the original release of GFFA was a bit large. Try Inner Rim for a bit - basically the released version of GFFA had too many units - I have almost finished the slim version!

Ghost

Is there going to be a slim version of the sub campiagns also or just GFFA and GFFA Lite

I will have a variety of options for you - but yes you will get slim versions of the Core/IR/OR if you want them.

[Kitkun]

I will have a variety of options for you - but yes you will get slim versions of the Core/IR/OR if you want them.

Yes.

[bob345]

I will have a variety of options for you - but yes you will get slim versions of the Core/IR/OR if you want them.

Awsome
the lag never bothered me but it's nice to know there will be a slim version, even though I don't beleve the lag takes away from the enjoyment of these great campaigns.

Edited by bob345, 19 January 2009 - 06:11 PM.

[A1Dasdfsdkli4r2]

OMG! PR DIDNT EVEN GET IN THE TOP 100! THAT IS THE BIGGST BULLCRAP ON EARTH!

[Tropical Bob]

OMG! PR DIDNT EVEN GET IN THE TOP 100! THAT IS THE BIGGST BULLCRAP ON EARTH!

Well at least UEaW didn't, which I'm surprised at. The fanaticism of the forum members is disturbing, especially considering that the current version hardly adds anything to EaW.

[cpl0311]

OMG! PR DIDNT EVEN GET IN THE TOP 100! THAT IS THE BIGGST BULLCRAP ON EARTH!

Well at least UEaW didn't, which I'm surprised at. The fanaticism of the forum members is disturbing, especially considering that the current version hardly adds anything to EaW.

I only play PR. In the beginning I tried a few of the others, but I always felt like there could be more. I'm not all about huge iconic space battles. I prefer a grander more strategic feel to my game. Ultimately isn't this what Star Wars is about? It's more than just supreme space battles, but grand strategic war fare.

This is why I have always liked GFFA. I don't care if I only started with very limited units on all sides. I actually prefer it this way. I like the crescendo of balancing creating massive forces, while maintaining a strong economy. I like butting heads with multiple factions. Another reason I love the new version, finally someone else besides the Rebels and Empire. (I respect how difficult it is to create new factions that do more than just occupy space)

That being said, my system is no slouch. I had 0 problems playing the last PR version (after the reshuffling fleet fix) in GFFA with full graphics. However, even in lite mode, I can't even make it 3 minutes. The lag pwns me. I even ordered more ram yesterday just to see if I can level things out. If this doesn't work I'll step up to a GTX 280 series and see if that helps. This should give you some idea how how adamant I am for GFFA.

[Kitkun]

Er... RAM might help depending on your computer configuration, but getting a new graphics card isn't likely to help galactic mode any. It's pretty much a processor problem, and even high-end processors are being hit pretty hard. It's probably best just to wait for the slimmed down version in the works.

That's pretty darn adamant though.

Edited by Kitkun, 20 January 2009 - 06:11 PM.

[SpardaSon21]

I will have a variety of options for you - but yes you will get slim versions of the Core/IR/OR if you want them.

Yes!

Fix'd.

[cpl0311]

Er... RAM might help depending on your computer configuration, but getting a new graphics card isn't likely to help galactic mode any. It's pretty much a processor problem, and even high-end processors are being hit pretty hard. It's probably best just to wait for the slimmed down version in the works.

That's pretty darn adamant though.

I'm actually trimming it myself. I've spent some time this afternoon in the GFFA xml. So far I've got the load time down to 4 minutes. Lag is still pretty tough though. My primary question is what is the pirate AI stance like? More specifically will it try to build it's own fleets and ground forces for conflict? Will it also try to conquest just like the rebels?

[Kitkun]

Pirates have no AI. They don't build or rebuild.

[coinich]

There were inherent issues with the AI.