Darwinia: Enemy Within [Parts 1, 2, and 3...]

[thefrogger]

I've had a few emails complaining about the Dishes in that level for one reason or another, but in all honesty, I can't see why.

Perhaps the easiest/fastest thing to do, is just slightly move the position of the dish[es] in question, and as long as they still work for you in the new location, the problems experienced by others may just go away.

The one in the screen shot shows the entrance to the dish well above the level of the landscape, which may account for the failed entry. The only way I could get 4+ squaddies through the dish was to walk them around to the high ground on the right, and enter from there. Even still, it took several tries to get 5 out of 6. (Which I settled for).

I don't know what to say, other than what Landscape Detail setting are you playing with?

Looks like it was set to Medium. I had tried that at one point, but it made zero difference in the frame rate and I just forgot to switch it back. That's very likely significant to the problems reported.

All levels in the mod were designed with the Landscape Detail setting on High, and no testing was done for any other levels.

If there are system configs out there where rendering speed is the bottleneck (high CPU/low video card), lower detail settings may be a very valid user condition, and it would be beneficial to run smoothly in those modes when such changes are easy to make and not detrimental to the 'normal' configuration.

[trickfred]

NOTE:: The Intro script in '?' level is not firing properly - it requires an Engineer in a ScriptTrigger right at the beginning, but anytime you edit a level, the RunningUnits section disappears, and I forgot to add it back in after a last minute edit. Plus, you may/may not need that Engineer to complete the level. Damn MakeAvailable for not working! This will be fixed sometime tonight or tomorrow. This fix will be compatible with current profiles, if you haven't reached, or are at, that point.

Perhaps the easiest/fastest thing to do, is just slightly move the position of the dish[es] in question, and as long as they still work for you in the new location, the problems experienced by others may just go away.

Probably what I'll have to do, or stick flattened areas underneath them, though they look ugly that way.

All levels in the mod were designed with the Landscape Detail setting on High, and no testing was done for any other levels.

If there are system configs out there where rendering speed is the bottleneck (high CPU/low video card), lower detail settings may be a very valid user condition, and it would be beneficial to run smoothly in those modes when such changes are easy to make and not detrimental to the 'normal' configuration.

...And that takes time to test ten or so levels (and all the cutscenes) to make sure that all buildings function properly/landscape is navigable in all 4 Landscape Detail settings. I weighed a much later release date against the probably very few people I assumed that would actually have issues, and... laziness won out.

[thefrogger]

...And that takes time to test ten or so levels (and all the cutscenes) to make sure that all buildings function properly/landscape is navigable in all 4 Landscape Detail settings.

It's acceptable in a venue like this to let users find such issues and report them. I just meant being agreeable to fix them once they have been reported, which it now sounds like you are. Sorry for misinterpretting your use of, " I don't see anything here that needs to be fixed."

[trickfred]

...And that takes time to test ten or so levels (and all the cutscenes) to make sure that all buildings function properly/landscape is navigable in all 4 Landscape Detail settings.

It's acceptable in a venue like this to let users find such issues and report them. I just meant being agreeable to fix them once they have been reported, which it now sounds like you are. Sorry for misinterpretting your use of, " I don't see anything here that needs to be fixed."

Knowing the cause of the issue changes things. Without being sure you were on a different Landscape Detail setting, I really didn't see anything that needed to be changed. But changing that changes everything.

I've added a few flattened ares that should fix the problem, I'm testing the Detail levels now.

[xander]

trickfred: with regards to using flatten areas under radar dishes, I think it is a really good idea. If done right (i.e. lots of tweaking), and the flatten areas are small, they are almost unnoticable. I use that trick a lot in Insurrection -- for instance, I would never have been able to build the shrine Image without flatten areas. I also use them in Database, Rebellion, and a few other levels. For the most part, you can't even tell that they are there. The other thing that you can do is create a very small land tile that is just a little bit taller than the surrounding area, and turn down the noise frequency and amplitude. That might make it easier for units to get in...

xander

[trickfred]

I've used them before in that regard, and to patch holes in landscape, etc... I'm just crabby that people aren't playing at high Landscape Detail and making more work for me. ;D

Edit: Update's up.

http://stellarmatter.net/static.php?page=ewpart3

It should still be comaptible with your previous profiles, as I don't think I changed anything in game.txt.

Edit2: Update again. Fixed a CTD in the ending cutscene, to dissuade people from mailing me explosives.

[trickfred]

It's my thread, I can double post if I want to.

I've added a mini-faq to the first post of this thread with regards to some questions I've had about Part 3. It might be slightly spoilerrific in nature, so I've marked it as such, and have tried to put the questions in the order that one might come across them while playing the mod, for those that want to chance reading the first few if they get stuck playing.

You do not need to read the mini-faq to play the mod, I just put it up because there are some things in the mod that are a bit different than any other completed mods I've seen so far*, and some people have either posed the questions, or just not realized there was a question to begin with.

*(but to be fair, I haven't really played any new mods lately, for fear of seeing something duplicated in Part 3, and then not wanting to do it because it's been done before, if that makes any sense to anyone other than me).

[michiel14]

i realy like this mod i was full excitement when i played part 2
and sorry if i say it but i used my modrights in the game to make the levels i cant complete easier to finish i hope it doesnt hurts
but anyway this is the best mod i have ever seen

[Kromak_]

Trickfred, I've played EW 3 twice, going different ways each time, but I didn't get the "long" ending...

Any hints for the third time?

I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't say anything else, maybe we can talk through PMs?

Thanks!

[Kromak]

I recovered my long lost username... so if you plan on PM me, do it to this one please...

EDIT: Offtopic. Wow... I signed up the new one on the exact same date 4 years later... what are the odds of that?

[NeoThermic]

I recovered my long lost username... so if you plan on PM me, do it to this one please...

EDIT: Offtopic. Wow... I signed up the new one on the exact same date 4 years later... what are the odds of that?

1 in 365?

NeoThermic

[Kromak]

1 in 365?

NeoThermic

More like 1 in 1461... pretty slim

[xander]

1 in 365?

NeoThermic

More like 1 in 1461... pretty slim

How do you get that number?

xander

[trickfred]

Kromak twins: Did either of you happen to stumble across Promy?

As to where he got that number...

(365 x 4) + 1 = 1461

I guess the one's for a leap year? (I am not condoning the use, or even the conception of this number as anything considered valid, just explaining how I thought he derived it)

[xander]

Kromak twins: Did either of you happen to stumble across Promy?

As to where he got that number...

(365 x 4) + 1 = 1461

I guess the one's for a leap year? (I am not condoning the use, or even the conception of this number as anything considered valid, just explaining how I thought he derived it)

Yeah, I kind of figured that is how he got that number.

xander