New Homeworld 2 Macross Mod

[shadow3393]

any updates for this mod

No updates, mod is on pause for now.

Buying a house, all my attention is going to that.

[Agni]

is it over???

did the mod die????

[Doomgiver]

i think the mod is still paused right now but im not sure

[shadow3393]

No it is not dead, I will continue it as soon as I get settled down, estimating around June.

[shadow3393]

Update:

Meltrandi picket in game -place holder textures

[big F]

Looking good Shadow

[Doomgiver]

nice pics shadow and welcome back

[LexThorn]

Welcome back. And hello from small group of Russian fans. You doing great work here.

[shadow3393]

Update:

The Queadluun-Rau is in game (Place holder textures)

Edited June 19, 2010 by shadow3393

[Doomgiver]

that looks good i hope something gets released soon cez i cant wait to blow something up

[shadow3393]

Update

Zentran Gunboat in game

[DarkReaper]

Sweet, only the colour of the beam needs to be changed to blue.

[big F]

Zentran green goodness, with things that go boom

[Zinjo]

I'll post this here like I did in another simiar thread....

The fasted way to resurrect or gain a buzz about any mod is to release SOMETHING!

I know coders and modellers are perfectionists and that is to be commended, but my experience in the modding community was one of build, release and update - then repeat.... This continues until the mod is either finished or the players stop playing it.

You may only have a buggy Alpha candidate right now, but release it anyway and set up a feedback forum so the users can inform the team of the "new" bugs you were not aware of. You need to get it out there not only to maintain interest from the fans, but also to get the positive feedback for the team to motivate and inspire them to continue.

The fastest way to motivate and attract talent is with fan buzz about a project.

Promising a release does nothing for the mod. Showing videos, screenshots and "plans" mean little until a fan gets to actually PLAY it.

The mods I have been involved in would start by simply swapping out the vehicles and weapons on existing maps. Then over time the mapping team would have the custom maps ready to be included. It was all a very piecemeal production, but the players didn't care.

Set specific progress goals for each release. It's better to release smaller manageable chapters of a mod than the whole damn thing all at once. It may be the best mod ever produced, but if everyone has lost interested, then what was the point of all the hard work?

The project is a work in progress, it won't be perfect on its first release, but it will be by the time its final release comes out, so send it out there and let the players enjoy what you have thus far. There will be a certain charm in playing the HW2 game story with Macross vehicles.

Each subsequent release will be more anticipated over the last and that's what you want! Players will enjoy their little taste of heaven (warts and all) and it will easily tide them over until the next release is ready.

Guys I strongly recommend you don't sit on this, get it out there and let the players get their hands on it. The rest will take care of it self.

Trust me...

[shadow3393]

Update:

Nousjadeul-Ger in game, placeholder textures. Moving into preliminary balancing and debugging phase.

Beta should be out soon, probably within the next few weeks, depending how distracted I get with SC2 and ACE R.

Edited August 2, 2010 by shadow3393

[Zinjo]

Update:

Nousjadeul-Ger in game, placeholder textures. Moving into preliminary balancing and debugging phase.

Beta should be out soon, probably within the next few weeks, depending how distracted I get with SC2 and ACE R.

Oh Gawd, we'll never see a Beta now!!!

SC2 alone is addictive enough!!

[Doomgiver]

i hope u release something soon

[shadow3393]

Update

Finished making research for the zentrandi. Moving on to meltrandi research. After that will be balancing for the 2 races.

There will be no mother-ship, players will start with 1 carrier and 2 pickets and 5 fighters. Players will call in for reinforcements, getting bigger and badder ships.

Edited August 13, 2010 by shadow3393

[polo]

Cool to hear something new, defiantly my favorite tease for a long time (in a very positive way i say this!)

[Zinjo]

Update

Finished making research for the zentrandi. Moving on to meltrandi research. After that will be balancing for the 2 races.

There will be no mother-ship, players will start with 1 carrier and 2 pickets and 5 fighters. Players will call in for reinforcements, getting bigger and badder ships.

Is the Mother ship aspect of the Homeworld game going to abandoned or postponed until a later release?

[shadow3393]

Update:

Meltrandi research finished, moving into balance and debug phase. Want to have beta out before ACE R arrives.

I took out motherships at the beginning for now because they are too powerful. The motherships right now are the fleet flagships, they both have almost 100 weapons. You can still build them, just much later in the game.

[Doomgiver]

Update:

Meltrandi research finished, moving into balance and debug phase. Want to have beta out before ACE R arrives.

I took out motherships at the beginning for now because they are too powerful. The motherships right now are the fleet flagships, they both have almost 100 weapons. You can still build them, just much later in the game.

i hate to break it to u but ACE R came out today

[chillyche]

i hate to break it to u but ACE R came out today

Sshhh! Maybe he doesn't know! Keep balancing, Shadow!

[shadow3393]

I meant when my copy arrives

[Doomgiver]

i hope u get it soon cez i cant wait to play

[Mr March]

Weird story...I was looking through old files on my computer and found some Homeworld saved games and old artwork. Gets me thinking about Homeworld 2 again. So I decide to search Google for some high resolution Homeworld 2 wallpapers to place on my desktop and find some fan has built this amazing map (which I'm sure for some of you is old news) but here it is anyway, The Homeworld Universe (by Norsehound).

Now the story really heats up. This discovery of a new background for my comp prompts me to install and play Homeworld 2. But there's a problem: only way I can get the game to work properly (yes, it's patched to 1.1) is to uninstall my ATI Catalyst drivers and install a really old version from around 2005 (I'm using Catalysts version 4.4). Now the game works fine, but I kinda hate using such outdated drivers and would prefer a more modern solution. Anyone else encountered this issue with Homeworld 2? Any ideas?

[big F]

Now the story really heats up. This discovery of a new background for my comp prompts me to install and play Homeworld 2. But there's a problem: only way I can get the game to work properly (yes, it's patched to 1.1) is to uninstall my ATI Catalyst drivers and install a really old version from around 2005 (I'm using Catalysts version 4.4). Now the game works fine, but I kinda hate using such outdated drivers and would prefer a more modern solution. Anyone else encountered this issue with Homeworld 2? Any ideas?

Last time I had it running on my Desktop PC (currently in storage) I used one of the catalyst drivers from last year ran fine on the tweaked ATI 9800XT Pro I have inside. Cant be sure which ones but suffice to say, I was a bit anal on updating them etc so likely fairly up to date. Did read a bit on the http://complex.mastertopforum.com/index.php about issues with Catalyst but haven't been on that site for a while.

The Complex mod is an ideal stop gap though for all those wanting something challenging while the mod is still in production.

[Mr March]

It could be a combination of factors, which is what makes the problem difficult to diagnose. I have an old ATI Radeon 9600 and I know from at least version 8.9 and up, they don't work with Homeworld 2 on Windows XP. I have seen plenty of posting on the internet saying the same thing, so I know others have the same problem. It might also just be Homeworld 2. Several people have commented that the original Homeworld works just fine on Vista/Windows 7, but it's Homeworld 2 they can't run properly.

[big F]

It could be a combination of factors, which is what makes the problem difficult to diagnose. I have an old ATI Radeon 9600 and I know from at least version 8.9 and up, they don't work with Homeworld 2 on Windows XP. I have seen plenty of posting on the internet saying the same thing, so I know others have the same problem. It might also just be Homeworld 2. Several people have commented that the original Homeworld works just fine on Vista/Windows 7, but it's Homeworld 2 they can't run properly.

I did run HW2 on my Windows 7 system ok with my 9800 and it was fine. Only had problems with sound. But that was a 7 issue.

Can't remember if I ever ran it with my 9600 or what version it is as it to is in storage.

[Darrtallion]

I wonder if you have a sound blaster sound card there was a issue with that card on windows 7. I think they made an update for the drivers not sure but my roomate had a problem with the sound card and windows 7 when it ran games.

[Mr March]

I'm not running Windows 7. I'm running XP, but I read people with Vista/Windows 7 having no problem running the original Homeworld, yet had problems with Homeworld 2. I'm guessing it's something wrong with the way Homeworld 2 operates.

I'm on mission 12 now. Forgot how much I hated this one mission. I mean this game was never easy, but this mission was a particularly bad example of level design, ridiculous difficulty and micromanagement frustration that managed to sap all the fun out of the game. It's a good thing this one mission is pretty much as bad as the game gets. I'm trying the mines with platforms strategy this time

[Doomgiver]

i hope u get the game soon

[Major Focker]

I'm on mission 12 now. Forgot how much I hated this one mission. I mean this game was never easy, but this mission was a particularly bad example of level design, ridiculous difficulty and micromanagement frustration that managed to sap all the fun out of the game. It's a good thing this one mission is pretty much as bad as the game gets. I'm trying the mines with platforms strategy this time

perhaps not level design per se, just the difficulty scaling algorithm gone bonkers. depending on your fleet size at the end of M11, the game scales up the number of BCs you encounter on M12. IIRC retiring some or all of your frigates in M11 results in a more reasonably sized vaygr force in M12. you can rebuild a good number of frigates before things get hairy.

against 10-15 BCs coming in waves of 4-5 the level design is able to present a challenging and varied mission eg. one can opt for pre-emptive strikes on shipyards, or hit BC engines to stagger their approach, or hit an run vaygr groups to prevent them from converging etc. beyond 15 BCs the level design is overpowered by the scaling and it devolves into a nearly impossible slugfest, which has happened to many players who came in with maxed fleets.

the most fun i had with this mission was when i had a captured vaygr BC with a hyperspace module (from M11)

Edited August 27, 2010 by Major Focker

[big F]

I must get back up to speed with this game. Since being reduced to a min laptop I have not played it. Gotta break out my Desktop and plug it in

Mr March Just to let you know I did encounter the soundblaster bug while beta testing for 7. Then changed over to another card and got the Realtech bug. Now I have an Auzentech and no more sound problems

[Mr March]

Major Focker

I've never managed a workable method for capturing ships work in Homeworld 2. I've no idea how capturing is supposed to work in the sequel, if at all. I can only use the Marine Frigate successfully for "event" captures as part of a mission objective of the story. The marine frigates (or MF...an appropriately vulgar acronym for this useless vessel) either get blown up as soon as they target an enemy - which means one must micromanage the MFs in order to avoid this - or the MFs just sit there inert after "capturing" a vessel. It's such a shame, especially after the ease with which one could capture and secure ships in the original game (which was a ton of fun).

Nonetheless, I've finally beat mission 12 after a WAY-TOO-DAMNED-LONG 5-hour game. I will admit, the minelayer corvette added a bit of fun to what is otherwise one of the worst grind levels in any video game I've ever played. Watching an attack group of 3 enemy destroyers and a battlecruiser get reduced to 1 destroyr and one half damaged BC before a shot is even fired off is incredibly satisfying, especially on this level. I then played and completed the following mission 13 in about 20 minutes I swear, whoever designed mission 12 should be shot. It's a ridiculously annoying blemish on what is otherwise a great game.

Big F

I've never had any sound problems with the game. IN fact, the game will actually run with new drivers, it just won't "draw" any ship or detail properly. The frames and texture maps simply will not render, meaning all your ships are invisible (except for running lights). Also, the drivers cannot draw the nebulae, leading to a multi-colored array of what look like gouraud shaded objects stretching across the map. I'm just sticking with Catalyst Drivers 4.4 until I'm done playing the game, after which I'll reinstall current drivers. It's just inconvenient, but I guess for lack of a better solution, I'll endure it to play this amazing game.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Mr March