Cartel Update

[wdboyd]

Cartel LCA Pulsar

Troop Transport.... Courier.... Shuttle Craft.... Space Exploration.

Multifunctional utility LCA. A Cartel workhorse.

UPDATED MODEL: 6 June 2006. It will appear in the NEXT version.



Model updated to better reflect the fleet crafts overall appearance.[:'(]

[Mr. D]

I like it, a cool design that certainly shows LCAs can do more than just drop into an atmosphere and be shot at.
It also reminds of an old favourite of mine in the Star Wars games...[:D]

[wdboyd]

The Pulsar.

The upcoming challenge for me is to include it in a mission(s) without it getting the troops or passenger onboard killed during a planned ground assault. [:'(]

[wdboyd]

Dateline Galactic News: To be included in the NEXT Cartel.zip update. Stay tuned.

The Cartel saga progresses. Tweaks to ships continue. [;)]

Static Campaign Progresses.

Mission 1. Mobilization

A member or members of the Brotherhood of Iron have kidnapped the niece and nephew of a senior Cartel personage. A ransom of 4 billion credits has been demanded for their safe return.

Cartel agents report Haiche as a place of interest concerning the kidnapping. A Task force headed by the CV Argon has been dispatched to the sector.

Mission 2. A Pounding

The Brotherhood Tantalus Mining Facility on Haiche is the first ground stike target.

Mission 3. A Pounding - Brotherhood

The upstart Cartel has invaded our territory. Your fighter flight is tasked with stopping a incoming strike against our facilites. Failing that, prevent any Cartel craft from safely returning to space.

Mission 4. Reprisal

Probes have indicated several farcaster activations in the northern part of the Haiche sector. The IFF codes are NOT friendly. Rangers from the Argon are dispatched to stop or severely damage the threat.

Mission 5. Reprisal - Brotherhood

The bastard Cartel have dared to bomb our facilities and vaporize our craft in space. You flight of Pacifiers has been teamed with another to go spacebound to teach the pigs a lesson. Show no mercy. A coordinated attack of Brotherhood forces will provide cover for your approach. Blast them to hades.

In the planning:

A ground assault versus Cartel troops and forces on Tantalus with brotherhood armored hover tanks. "moving ground targets". [:D]

Note: This may not be acheivable. I'm going to try. [:'(]

Capital ship engagement(s) to follow.

I added Brotherhood missions to allow the, Dark Force influenced among us, to participate. [:)]

[MQG]

Any research in the ground assault area would be appreciated.

[wdboyd]

Salutations,

I've had no success in getting anything to operate as a ground vehicle. [&:]

The game seems to be hard coded for space or aircraft type movement only. [:(]

One could put a rock on a planet surface and it would try to fly. [:D]

When a craft was under Auto Nav it would follow the nav points at the designated speed and altitudes, but the AI would never put itself in auto nav. [:@]

When not working in Auto Nav a craft climbs to apparently avoid the ground, does loops and other spastic acts. Such AI actions don't lead to realistic hover tank displays.

Well.. I tried. If anybody else figures out a way to simulate moving ground vehicles... please let me know.

Later. [:)]

I attempted many many variations in mission and craft setups. No success. Sorry. [:(]

To bad.... having moving ground targets would have been a plus.


UPDATE: No ground assault per se. I am working on an assault on Tantalus by the brotherhood with a mass of low flying Droid Craft. That dastardly Brothood of Iron.

Will the Cartel planetside forces be able to repulse the attack? Stay tuned, same galactic time, same galactic channel. [;)]

Brotherhood version of the droid craft Mauler.

[wdboyd]

Salutations All,

Work continues. [;)]

I am concentrating on finalizing my ships configurations. That along with building and testing my static campaign between the Cartel and the Brotherhood.

I simply have to quit tweaking the ships. I have to let my babies out of their hangars and leave them alone. [:'(]

I've also created an additional structure. Example below.

I desire to have a final upgrade to my basic Cartel.zip made available to those interested and then only have to deal with additions to the campaign files.

My mod has grown to over 29mb. Those ship graphic files add up.

It's fun and gratifying work. Once everything is completed I desire to start a server for online play with others in Starshatter. At least that's the plan. That and continue to learn about building textures for ships etc. etc..

What is everybody else up to? How are your projects progressing? [:)] Inquiring minds want to know.

Although they don't appear until in the game... there are antennas on the rear poles and two Vanguard turrets on top of the armored HQ building.

For those of you interested... I have a Commanders Checklist document in Word and PDF versions. The Checklist provide more detailed information about all of the craft, designer, and the Cartel. PM me if you desire a copy to read.

Full update coming soon. [:D]

[wdboyd]

Gee, interest and comments are simply underwhelming. [:D]

It's probably a good thing that I simply enjoy the modding work for its self. [:'(]

[Adonnay]

Oh... rest asured I always read your threads and I'm very impressed by your enthusiasm and I hope you'll stick with Starshatter for a long time

[MQG]

I find that more people lurk than post. Great work...look forward to working with you in the future.[;)]

[wdboyd]

ORIGINAL: Adonnay

Oh... rest asured I always read your threads and I'm very impressed by your enthusiasm and I hope you'll stick with Starshatter for a long time

Thanks Adonnay. Still, it is encouraging to here from other players and modders every now and then.

Back to modding. Restarting my effort to get hovertanks represented groundside. I don't give up easily do I?[;)]

[Papi]

I'm not a modder in any extent, but love to play the work of those who can. And you surely can! Keep 'em coming, maybe there's more of us silent but grateful out here.

[wdboyd]

Hi Papi,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Keep em flying. [:)]

[wdboyd]

Salutations,

In the works. Ravage Heavy Hover Tank. Preferred HT by the Brotherhood. It is heavy, slow and can take a punch. It is easy to maintain and repair.

[wdboyd]

Ming Class Cartel Heavy Hover Tank.

[wdboyd]

Stinger Class Medium Hover Tank.

Though it lacks the punch of the heavy tanks... the Stinger does have anti-air capability built in. Life is good. [:D]

[Kuokkanen]

What weapons those tanks got?

If we could get BattleMechs to play with [:'(]

[wdboyd]

Hi,

The deffing the weapons hasn't been determined yet. I've been concentrating upon getting them to move in the game predictably. [:)]

I have yet to decide upon rotating turrets for them. Then there will be a mission created to playtest and balance their power out with the games other weaponry and targets. I don't want them to be overpowering in any respect but I want them to be a worthy addition to a ground mission.

I plan to have a version that has anti-air capability built in too.

Battle Mechs would be difficult to simulate. Articulated legs can't be emulated in the current simulation. Any such Mechs would have to be anti-grav or like my hover tanks in game movement. It could be done within these limitations.

Stay tuned for further developments. [:D]

Proposed Cartel Mech:

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: wdboyd

Proposed Cartel Mech:

Now wait a moment! Are you going just to take some Catapult from BattleTech universe and throw it in to your own? Mixing up different scifi universes may work with parody movies but I advise against it with this game.

I have suggestion about VTOL with capability to transport ground forces. I'd imagine it to be carrier which lands to surface (like BattleTech DropShip but it don't has to be Union-class) and orders vehicles inside to exit. Then ship takes off and provides covering fire for vehicles.

[wdboyd]

Naw, the mech was a tease. [;)]

The appeal of mechs, to me, is the actual display of walking mechs. Like I had previously mentioned, this can't be simulated well in the current Starthatter game engine.

I'll stick with hover and anti-grav vehicles. They fit better in the Starshatter Galaxy. [:'(]