Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

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Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

So I originally planned on releasing this vanilla-ish mod as far back as New Year's day, but as often the case with modding I just find myself neglecting the project as other distractions and obligations take over my life. However, I've finally been able to put everything in one big change table/log. I've also taken the liberty of summarizing of what I think is not working in Fluids/Vanilla and how I've decided to tackle problems in my own BOTF build made from scratch. To be precise though, I do borrow many of the balance changes from fluids, though I've changed some and added new ones at my own discretion based on my observations of recent games played. Most likely Sir fluid hat is not coming back to ever update his mod, so the only option from my standpoint is to make some sort of unofficial successor to it.

So here goes... some Fluid/Vanilla issues and how they are addressed in RMPM:


Klingon Heavy Cruiser II:

At least this ship has slight defensive and offensive nerfs in Fluids, though still seems to dominate most engagements. In RMPM the defense nerfs have been rolled back in favor of toning down the disruptors a bit more per hit (from 55 to 52 damage) to minimize the first strike potential. The -5 accuracy from fluids is also retained.

Ferengi Raider II (Fluids):

A bit too powerful having +5 defense over its vanilla counterpart. Being very easy to amass and having maximum defense ceiling of 169, a fleet of these would more and more impossible to deal with as the game progresses. In this mod, Raider II will require more upgrades to be unlocked, and the +5 defense from Fluids is not included.

Top tier command ships:

These were usually inaccessible, which is a problem for those major races that need them most. This was because of the very high tech requirements, but also lvl 8 & 9 research infrastructure upgrades not being worth the money/time needed to construct them. In RMPM there will be more starting research infrastructure (at T5 especially), higher level research infrastructure upgrades are more worth the money, and these tech 10 ships will have three less tech requirements.

Tech 10 and the Cardassian Apocalypse:

There is also the caveat that they introduce new balance upsets when and if they are reached—the most glaring being the Battleship Type II in fluids and it’s extremely high defensive stats (1180 + 500 x 100 is simply ridiculous, even for a tech 10 ship). Now in RMPM the Battleship II is toned down, though it remains the king of top tier command vessels -- albeit by a lesser margin. Other ships like the Attack Cruiser II, Marauder II, Warbird II, Dreadnought II and Heavy Escort have all been adjusted to tougher defensively as well so that the power gap isn’t as huge.

Hull values and Ramming Patch:

Vanilla hull values are a bit extreme, which occasionally allows for abuse. With Ram damage being set to the nominal hull rather than current, this meant something like a cheap Cardassian Destroyer could plausibly have much more value in battle than it should. For example, it could ram a Defiant Class and survive, then ram and destroy another Defiant class. So, by using patch that sets ram damage to current hull value with a slight hull increase to many (non-Cardassian) ships, this level of abuse is significantly curbed.

Maintenance and Build costs:

A few of these did not make sense in fluids, at least to me. Examples include the Battleship I and Warbird I, whose maintenance cost were extremely high for ships that have short range and a speed of one. Then there’s the Cardassian Strike Cruiser II that costs 100 per turn while all other level II strikes cost 93. To conclude, these issues have been addressed in by making maintenance costs more consistent.

As far as build costs go, some of the top tier command vessels (especially Warbird II, Attack Cruiser II, Marauder II) were adjusted further in this way to be a bit cheaper.

# of Starting buildings:

TBA, though expect more than a few changes for all majors, especially to number of starting research and intel structures.



Buying ships versus upgrading factories:

Starting at level 6, all infrastructure costs (Industry, Food, Energy, Science and Intelligence) will depart from the vanilla price scaling to be more affordable. This way, the option for a strategy of focusing on upgrading infrastructure (rather than pumping out ships in your home systems with scrap revenue) could be conducive of allowing you to build and rebuild fleets more quickly in the late game as your colonies catch up with your core systems and popped minors.

Science and Industry costs generally tend to increase like this in this mod starting at level 6:

(6) +45% -> (7) +40% -> (8) +30% -> (9) +25%

And Food, Energy and Intel increase at this rate:

(6) 40% -> (7) +37.5% -> (8) +35% -> (9) +30%

However, the above “formula” was just a basic guideline for me and not always straightforward in application, especially for major races that fall on one side of the infrastructure cost spectrum. Further adjustment was needed as to make sure that—for example, a level 8 foundry did not cost more than a level 9 machining guild, which very well could be its upgrade if a Ferengi player was managing a formerly Klingon-ruled system.

Other quality of life changes (bugfixes and patches):
bufix 1.png
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bufix 2.png
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Change Log/Table:

KEY

White or Blank: Unchanged
Orange: Changes Introduced in FMPM
Red: Changes Introduced in RMPM
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Table (Change Log).png
Table (Change Log).png (303.97 KiB) Viewed 1520 times
Last edited by Final Run on Tue Feb 07, 2023 12:32 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

One thing not included in the table yet are specific starbase, outpost and system infrastructure changes, so expect edits to the original post in the future.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Flocke »

That comes out of a sudden, and will have to be tested I guess. But it all sounds very reasonable and well thought! Great work!! :D
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by thunderchero »

only problem is most die hard MP players only want to play in MPR++, not sure how much game play it will get.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Flocke »

thunderchero wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:04 am only problem is most die hard MP players only want to play in MPR++, not sure how much game play it will get.
from what I know there is not much graphics to convert, but great to have a volunteer :up:
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by thunderchero »

Flocke wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 1:58 pm
thunderchero wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:04 am only problem is most die hard MP players only want to play in MPR++, not sure how much game play it will get.
from what I know there is not much graphics to convert, but great to have a volunteer :up:
who volunteered?
problem 2 is, MPR++ issue in build screen randomly crashing in MP. This has been confirmed many times.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Spocks-cuddly-tribble »

Final Run wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 11:46 pmOther quality of life changes (bugfixes and patches):
Image
Image
Colony Starting Pop/Building Index Fix -> reads lower values -> MP folks might not enjoy this
Monster Cloak for Edo God & Combat Drone -> has to be tested for MP balance issues for different starting eras

If not added use 'Wrong Ship displayed after Successful Ramming (Fix)': viewtopic.php?p=54579#p54579

If you want the AI a bit smarter in combat add two patches from bottom of this post (first 1 then 2): viewtopic.php?p=52751#p52751

1.) Improving AI Commands in Tactical Combat -> Cumulative Multi Patch
2.) Code deviation for 'Improving AI Combat Commands' patch reading current hull points as expected ramming damage
I don't know how many bugs is too many but that point is reached somewhere before however many in BotF is.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

Spocks-cuddly-tribble wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:34 pm
Colony Starting Pop/Building Index Fix -> reads lower values -> MP folks might not enjoy this
Monster Cloak for Edo God & Combat Drone -> has to be tested for MP balance issues for different starting eras
Thanks for the heads up with these two. Actually I was debating with myself if the colony pop/building fix was worth it-- now that I think about it, it's probably better to keep starting colonies feeling as 'original' as possible.
Spocks-cuddly-tribble wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:34 pm
If not added use 'Wrong Ship displayed after Successful Ramming (Fix)': viewtopic.php?p=54579#p54579

If you want the AI a bit smarter in combat add two patches from bottom of this post (first 1 then 2): viewtopic.php?p=52751#p52751

1.) Improving AI Commands in Tactical Combat -> Cumulative Multi Patch
2.) Code deviation for 'Improving AI Combat Commands' patch reading current hull points as expected ramming damage
Can't think of any reason yet to not include these ones.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

Flocke wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:45 am That comes out of a sudden, and will have to be tested I guess. But it all sounds very reasonable and well thought! Great work!! :D
Thanks. I should've started making this literal years ago, but better late than never I suppose. :razz:
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Flocke »

thunderchero wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:39 pm who volunteered?
Your negative attitude revealed yourself! :twisted:
Either that or you had a really bad day.
thunderchero wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:39 pm problem 2 is, MPR++ issue in build screen randomly crashing in MP. This has been confirmed many times.
One project at a time. Already at work I have about 4 projects to work on simultaneously, not to mention the many other stuff I need to care.
If you have further details on it, it would however be great to have some crash log (botf or ogre one), or the windows event log error, whatever tells more on the cause.

But that's all completely out of topic and not relevant to the great work Final Run put into his mod! :up:
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Flocke »

Final Run wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 12:27 am Thanks. I should've started making this literal years ago, but better late than never I suppose. :razz:
Whom are you telling... :roll:

To my opinion it doesn't matter. Agreed there are less people playing the game nowerdays, but a great mod still is a great mod like a great game still being a great game. Plus there are many much older games that still are being played alot. Finally BotF is a unique piece of art and I'm sure that'll never change! :cool:
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

So again, progress on this came slower then I originally planned since the OP, but I managed to log all the changes made in the mod not included previously. This includes starbases/outposts, infrastructure output and pricing, and more. One thing in a recent check-up FMPM is that buffed outpost stats can be really weird and inconsistent— Outpost level 1 having more hull points or shield recharge than level 2, among other anomalies. I'm assuming these weren't intentional and were probably part of an oversight.

Anyway, I plan to include a few more patches as suggested, (Ramming ship display and better AI in tactical combat) but most of the work is done. Another final step may to be to simply change the map back to 4:3 grid.

Here:
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Last edited by Final Run on Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

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Log Update 3/21/2023 (Miscellaneous Items)

Heavy Escort defense rating adjusted: 148 to 147
Heavy Cruiser (Klingon) defense rating adjusted: 138 to 137
Attack Cruiser range changed to from SHORT to MEDIUM.
Space faring minors now have two levels for all ships (level one being quite a bit weaker to prevent very imba minor mono spam on low tech level games).
Trade Center for Ferengi now provides only +60% credits per system instead of +75% (IIRC, it was only +50% in Vanilla)
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by Final Run »

Spocks-cuddly-tribble wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:34 pm
Final Run wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 11:46 pmOther quality of life changes (bugfixes and patches):
Image
Image
Colony Starting Pop/Building Index Fix -> reads lower values -> MP folks might not enjoy this
Monster Cloak for Edo God & Combat Drone -> has to be tested for MP balance issues for different starting eras

If not added use 'Wrong Ship displayed after Successful Ramming (Fix)': viewtopic.php?p=54579#p54579
Is there any place where this patch can be downloaded?
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Re: Preview of "Rai's multiplayer Mod" (Release planned for early 2023)

Post by thunderchero »

Final Run wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 9:50 am Is there any place where this patch can be downloaded?
most patches are in "tools/bof patcher\Patches" each folder in patches are mod patches (ECM, UDM, MUM, UM5 ...)

Tools can be installed using top 10 mod installer.
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