Darwinia

[The GoldFish]

I swear I updated this!

thenextgame is UP TO DATE (woo)

You don't require a new profile to experience the changes in this update (1.3) - only Ghost Capital (Present) was changed - the version change was just to confirm the relative Darwinia compatibility.

There are potentially game stopping uber bugs - but I don't think there are, so I'm releasing it now! If there ARE, be assured I'll fix them in some way, probably! Very little has actually changed, so, it's unlikely to have caused any issues.

Got bored, did this

Stricken 1.3 <-- Rar (867k)

Stricken 1.3 <-- Zip (1.2Meg)

Assume all mirrors are out of date until stated otherwise.

LLamaBoy set up a mirror since the above links may be b0rk;

LLamaBoy's mirror (just don't look at it too hard, k?)

trickfred also kindly uploaded it to his site, steller matter, some time ago

page for Stricken on stellar matter <-- up to date!

Kyuu did something

Stricken on here somewhere <-- up to date!




Here's the most up to date FAQ;

#===========================================================================
# FAQ:
#===========================================================================

(added in 1.3)

# Sooo what's new in version 1.3 then?

- Not much. Basically, the enemy Darwinian movement code was changed so they move around differently. The result was that Ghost Capital was almost impossible. Hence, you now start with 2 armours for your own placing, and have an extra solar panel on this level. The AI targets have also been tweaked (ie, places where the enemy chooses to move to)

# What about that uh, change, where it says squad programs will now be saved when you leave a level? Does that mean I can now take a break?

- It sure doesn't! The saving of squad programs only applies to those which exist in your task manager. Since for the majority of Stricken, this isn't the case, you're just as boned as you were before. Sorry.

(added in 1.0)

# Ohh, how nice, you updated a lot the graphics for 1.0! However, I think they look ass! Give me back the old graphics from 0.9.8!

- Yeah, I'm not that sure I like them either! To replace the new graphics with the 0.9.8 ones, delete the following folders from the mod dir;

shapes
textures

Then, copy the contents of the Old_Graphics directory over the top of the mod, replacing files in the levels, sepulveda, and making a new models folder (we needed to completely remove 3 new models)

# How come you use Squadie everywhere, it should be Squaddie, surely?

- Squadie is the name used by the editor, so Squadie it shall stay!

(added in before that, like, 0.9.8 or something)

# I put your mod in my mods dir, but get 'Invalid Map File Specified' whenever I load it, or try and start Darwinia again, what gives?

- Odds are, you didn't extract the mod maintaining Directory Structures, there should be 9 directories in the Stricken folder (eg Stricken\levels\). If you get the archive, and extract it to the mods folder with (usually) a checkbox for 'use folder names', or 'use relative paths' (quoting winzip and winrar), all should be done correctly, but clicking and dragging the files won't work right.

# For some reason this performs really slowly, any idea why?

- I suggest playing with the Landscape renderering methods for best performance. Stricken is also must more intensive than the original Darwinia in general, it could be your computer simply can't deal with the entities. Reducing Graphics settings rarely helps, if you really want to kick your performance back up, start culling the sound system.

# I can redirect this radar dish and skip all of your level, you are very silly for letting me do that!

- Don't redirect radar dishes >:O, they're on your team to make it easier to get into them! Game play experience over security is what I prefer.

# Why do the Darwinians in the intro look creepy?

- Yes, I know the Darwinians in the intros aren't quite right, limitations, I'm afraid - They are supposed to be normal Darwinians.

* # Can I start a level and come back to it later like I could in the original game? (out of date but still correct!)
*
* - I'm afraid that the whole disappearing squadie effect means you can't save mid level, but *most* of the levels are quite short anyway. Your squadie is required for pretty much every level, so if he gets killed you'll have to reset. The only exception is Slipway, which has a midlevel progress maintaining mechanism - this was difficult to impliment as is the only level with one as subtle.

# OK the mod was performing well but this Ghost Capital level is dooming my computer, what gives?

- Ghost Capital is a VERY hardware whoring level, it's theoretically because of what Darwinia is being subjected to, really it's because if I increased the cell size any more the mountains looked bad. Fortunately, gun turrets are pretty self-running, so hopefully if you build them up well you don't need to worry.

# Like, this part of Slipway/Other level is impossible, what do I do?

- if you're using 'I need to upgrade', some of the landscapes will be innavigable. I'd recommend high, naturally - if you're having difficulty with some of the sections you might try lowering your landscape detail slightly, as that makes some sections easier.

# Can you remind me why I need to restart when I activate the mod?

- You still need to have it loaded at start up because the building shape files are not currently reloaded when you change mods. You should also restart Darwinia when you want to stop playing the mod.

# So, it's got lots of scripts and stuff, I bet it's full of bugs, right?

- I played it though again (for like the 10th time now) for 1.0 - I think it's pretty much free of all the bugs I can fix. If you really do get stuck, because I'm nice, come to #darwinia and I'll see if I can help - maybe someone'll write a guide.

# What about typos?

- Expect SLIGHTLY FEWER TYPOS! I've zapped most of the ones I've seen, and now in the readme as well, but I'm not perfect, and I don't care that much anyway.

# Um...?

- I know it's not really a skeletal nonagon. I don't care.

# How come sometimes levels complete in odd ways some times when I needed to go somewhere else before?

- Because safe areas remember their online status, you can 'cheat' your way around several levels. I'm aware of majority of the issues, and there's nothing I can really do about it. If you think you can cheat your way around a level to make it easier, go for it, but don't come a-whining if it mucks up.
Original first post, for anyone trying to read this thread;
OK, here's the pitch.

Darwinia was designed with a kind of Buddhism viewpoint, that really everything just goes around in a circle. Cept those poor Dallies whom were victims of a Soul Destroyer. Well, in my story, they aint dead! They're now spooky white Darwinians that go around stealing nearby souls, for the purposes of evil. Or something.

I'm taking the stance that, as the manual says, the virus didn't actually add any really new entities to the world, it merely took over and further corrupted the things that were already there. Thus in my virus free SP expansion, you'd see all things all un-corrupted... hopefully. Depends if Chris ever gets around to telling us what his model editor was, and what I can hack. Basically I want to bring bugs back and perhaps think of how to work the 'Virii' form in, maybe as Darwinians who didn't get put through the pattern buffer, or perhaps as a new program designed to get rid of things that don't belong, to help prevent viral infections again.

However, the main basis of the story is that you don't play some guy who's connected, or get hints from Dr S. I'll probably go into more detail if this ever really gets off the ground, but the basic jist is that 'someone' left a squaddie on top of one of the Soul Collectors... and poor old you, a Darwinian by nature, gets stuck inside it. Not knowing what to do with you, cleanup systems delete you - good for you that they forget about the recycle bin then. However, the problem is you're still dead, your ass is grass and all, but with your unique perspective, you can see all the creepy things that have been going on below Dr S's notice, the ghosts of the Darwinians eaten by soul destroyers, and similarly the ghosts of some of the virus entities, sneaking around and being... evil. I guess the general rest of plot is pretty open, I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen, but I'm damn sure it'll be cool, hehe.

At the moment I'm just seeing what I can and can't do with the editor and models/sound hacking. So that's pretty much what you'll see in the story, heh - I'm not really content to wait on the 1337 mod tools.

(As I'm sure some of you're aware I'm a big fan of the 'ok, here's a horrible level, here's 1 squaddy, go out and kick its ass' idea, you'll certainly be able to lose a level, or at least be forced to restart it)

Last edited by The GoldFish on Wed Dec 07, 2005 3:27 pm; edited 13 times in total

[davesoft]

I like the sound of it, a darwinian realising he's a virtual life form and that stuff goes on around him that others cant see...

Though I dunno... maybe not have the ghosts as evil.. but not good either. Like darwinians without a soul so they will attack anything in a desperate attempt to live again

[The GoldFish]

At the moment I've replaced ants with the officer model, so you have white darwinians running around stealing souls. It's pretty spooky!

[Dukey]

Whoa, nice idea. I can already imagine a legion of 200 ghosts attacking and stealing souls just so they can, well, dunno, do something with them ^^

[elDiablo]

Yay! \o/ Sounds COOL.

[The GoldFish]

I've taken a few pictures of the levels I want to show people atm

note pic3/4 are the same level, and the one I feel is the most complete at current.

edited out out of date URL! check out http://www.ph00l.com/TGF/Stricken/StrickenLevels.html instead

Last edited by The GoldFish on Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

[Icepick]

Hey, some of those levels look pretty nice!
Make sure you send the mod to TheNextGame when its done!

[The GoldFish]

Icepick wrote:

Hey, some of those levels look pretty nice!

Like there was ever any doubt

[Rkiver]

Praise from Icepick? It's the end! The end I say!

[The GoldFish]

Tacked another couple of level pictures on the end of the page, here if you're too lazy.

Also I think I've finally got a coheasive story going, so joy \o/

edited out of date URL out again - http://www.ph00l.com/TGF/Stricken/StrickenLevels.html instead

Last edited by The GoldFish on Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

[The GoldFish]

K - I should be releasing this mod around the same time as the new patch

Beta bitches should look at the beta forum

[xander]

To anyone making a mod that uses the 'firsttime' bootloader, here is something that you might want to be aware of:

Just after the lines intro_1 and intro_2 are displayed, the Mac version of the game has two additional lines that are not present in the Windows version. These lines, intro_ambrosia_1 and intro_ambrosia_2, are formatted just like intro_1 and intro_2 (i.e. small, then big), and give credit to Ambrosia Software for publishing the Mac port. If you are using the 'firstime' bootloader to display plot &c., you should be aware that these lines are here.

xander

[The GoldFish]

eeeentereting...

[The GoldFish]

OK, version 0.9.7 is now available

TO MAKE THIS MOD WORK WITH 1.0 YOU WILL NEED TO:

place the files gestures.txt and SStexts7.txt into darwinia\data

Back up, and then change the line in preferences.txt which reads;

TextLanguage = english

to

TextLanguage = SStexts7

If this isn't done, Darwinia will crash when the mod is loaded. While you're there, I'd also reccomend setting

Mod = StrickenSouls0.9.7
BootLoader = firsttime

to DISABLE THIS MOD deactivate the mod as you would normally, then restore your preferences.txt, and delete your data directory.

This mod is created with version 1.2 in mind - 1.0 compatibility is... assumed at best, please get back to me either here or in #darwinia with any issues you encounter.

edit - oh yeah, and here are some phat level screengrabs; (total around 2.5 meg) http://www.ph00l.com/TGF/Stricken/StrickenLevels.html

Edit - updated all links to 0.9.7

Last edited by The GoldFish on Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:19 pm; edited 1 time in total

[FinnG]

swweeeet

im not going to dl it until 1.2 i cba with all the tweaks