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Faction Colors


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Poll: Faction Colors

Would you like to see faction colored ships in the game for the expense of some cuts in the upgrade level numbers?

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#1 megabalta

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Posted 30 July 2014 - 08:44 PM

Making faction colored ships (see examples here, here and here) for all playable and non playable factions is possible in FOC for galaxy conquest. This of course is only important for those ships which are common in all navies (e.g. CR90, EF76, Dreadnaught class heavy cruiser etc.). Please forget the original color markings, because they suck asps.

 

It has it's ups and downs:

 

+ starships are way easier to identify if they have a hull color (which could cause faction laser colors to be removed, as they are mostly there for interface purposes), new skins can look awesome, and could even differentiate between ship upgrade levels (e.g. rebel CR90d).

 

- colored starships count as new models for the game engine, which means new units. PR has so many units already (all upgrades of a unit count as a separate unit), it causes the game engine to lag.

 

To put it short: every new skin counts as a new unit, so if galaxy map lag is to be avoided, some units upgrades (which also act as separate units) must be cut from the game to equalize the unit numbers.

 

Do you think giving faction skins to a number of common ships is worth cutting the same number of upgrade levels? (please notice upgrade levels can be cut from any unit, so e.g. if you add a rebel skinned CR90 with 4 upgrades, you can remove 1 upgrade level from 4 snubcraft /which now have 10 upgrade levels per type, leaving them with 9 levels each/).  

 

If you say yes, what starships do you think would need faction colors?


Edited by megabalta, 30 July 2014 - 08:55 PM.


#2 Aizen Teppa

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Posted 31 July 2014 - 06:49 AM

There is no option for Write in still I do write to explain.

 

Voted No, because indeed I like upgrade tree and I don't want see it gone or diminished (except for useless ships CR90/bunch of TiEs things like that). I would be more than happy to vote yes, but with a proviso. All upgrades available now must remain in game. I will accept small cut&re-balance (for capitals from 4 to 3, frigates 5/6 to 4, fighters 8/9/10 to 6-7) but not not less. Upgrades make PR very unique. There is no other mod which following this route, and that's good.

 

Colored ships interesting idea, but IMHO it only belong on side of non-playable factions and for special (hero) ships. Somehow I can't see myself Palpatine deciding that all Imperial ships should be painted ocean blue with pink shield generators, yellow underbelly and red conning tower. :grin: Only example I know of Imperial ships were VSDs of Crimson Command. (I don't count fighters as ships, such units are irrelevant). Instead adding colored units, just add couple more ships. Better investment of time.



#3 megabalta

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Posted 31 July 2014 - 08:41 AM

As I explained, only small cuts (and rebalance) is needed in the upgrade tree (just as you decribe it), no need to cut whole units.

There are no plans to make rainbow ships, please see the examples of recommended faction colors on the links <color palette: rebel dirty white(+red/yellow/blue/green), imperial grey(+blue/black/white), CSA yellow(+black/white), pirate dirty light brown/rust/dark grey>



#4 Aizen Teppa

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Posted 31 July 2014 - 03:58 PM

I know, and seriously last thing mod needs is just units for sake of units. It'll run PR into the ground. As you pointed out, every new unit scripted adds to lag. So what's the point of Rebel CR90, Empire CR90 and Pirate CR90. If ship bring different load-out to the game (primarily illegal weapons of pirate design) then fine, it's worth of doing. But just putting logo stickers on each size or painting ship in different color makes to me no sense at all.

 

If choice is to have (e.g.) 2 extra colored useless CR90s vs 2 new ships (e.g. Secutor carrier & Liberator cruiser) I pick the later no question.

 

To some extent I start to understand now what is going on when playing. Despite the fact of tight junk-control (on my part), severely curbed fighter build-up, upgrading ASAP + selling junk for scrap I always get the feeling that game is slower with every day. Loading game after week 1xx usually ends in hang* and it does not matter how many times save is de-freezed. Right now running test game on Core Worlds and approaching week 100. If it hangs (over 1xx week) again then perhaps [sadly] ditching upgrades altogether is best way of improving performance.



#5 megabalta

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Posted 31 July 2014 - 04:33 PM

New ships are being added as we speak, however there's a limit to the maximum number of ship types (mainly build interface limitations and player confusion over too many unit types). Colors are not really competing with new units, what takes the most performance is the high number of upgrades (only Tie Fighters, Bombers, Interceptors, Avengers and Defenders count as 5x8=40 units, which is around the whole FOC expansion new unit count).

Most strategy games feature colored model textures to make it easy for the players to differentiate between factions. It's especially needed if the units in question use the same model. It's a game design thing.


Edited by megabalta, 31 July 2014 - 07:21 PM.


#6 skie9173

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Posted 31 July 2014 - 06:55 PM

I voted no, because personally I don't see the need. I understand how some people could want this or need it, which is why I think it would make a good sub-mod or optional content
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#7 P.O._210877

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Posted 01 August 2014 - 06:46 AM

optional content

 

That's actually a very good way to tackle the mater.


Edited by P.O._210877, 01 August 2014 - 06:46 AM.

If it's hard then it's worth doing.

 


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puisque c'est là que Véga et ses monstres ont établi leur base. Et je la
détruirai.

 

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#8 Aizen Teppa

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Posted 01 August 2014 - 06:59 AM

New ships are being added as we speak, however there's a limit to the maximum number of ship types (mainly build interface limitations and player confusion over too many unit types). Colors are not really competing with new units, what takes the most performance is the high number of upgrades (only Tie Fighters, Bombers, Interceptors, Avengers and Defenders count as 5x8=40 units, which is around the whole FOC expansion new unit count).

Most strategy games feature colored model textures to make it easy for the players to differentiate between factions. It's especially needed if the units in question use the same model. It's a game design thing.

I'm defo not confused about number of units. If I can find my way around (unstable alpha of beta 5.0) Alliance mod which has by far most units of any EaW/FoC mod in existence (and there are some fun ones,oh yes) then certainly I'll handle extra new 30 or 50 models in PR... ;) I'm kind of guy which doesn't care about land combat, frankly I would love to see it gone (to free resources) and just play in space. I never fight ground battles, just spamming land units to create overwhelming Auto-resolve-force or sneaking with Raid in early stages.

 

And actually I'm thinking about removing all that junk from 1.2 (TIEs mostly, CR90, Action transport, perhaps something else). It will free resources just like curbing fighter production did - all cost now 5 pops, possible to build 100 wings but its population-wise prohibitive. Fighters are now what they should be, tiny wheel in a enormous military machine. No longer fighters are main battle-fleet. To be honest AI is a bit stumped by it. Building now stacks of Nebulons or (I'm scared to death) CR90. But I prefer dealing with 100 Nebulons than 300 K-wings.

 

So to sum up. If anyone thinks that colored ships are needed then fine by me, let's agree to disagree on that. Optional content, nothing more. I don't want or need them, prefer new units e.g. VSDs of Crimson Command and not just ordinary VSD painted red. And it doesn't really matter what paint is used from color spectrum on CR90 it's still useless junk clogging (with upgrades) 9 unit slots. We should have poll on that too  ;)

 

a. Keep CR90 with upgrades

b. Remove CR90 completely

c. Keep only CR90 in it's final form (last upgrade)

d. C + Limit building it only to Corelia system



#9 a.fake.name

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Posted 05 August 2014 - 05:02 AM

 

optional content

 

That's actually a very good way to tackle the mater.

 


I like seeing this.

As for faction colors, no.
Remove the faction color lasers too.
Encourage situational awareness.

If the Rebels bring a captured ISD to the fight, and you think it's yours until it cuts loose, it's your fault.


Playing PR when stoned is awesome

 




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