Will this mod work in conjunction with most other mods?
Yep! Since this isn't truly a mod (more a set of maps with a standardized method behind them), they should work with virtually any mod, and those that encorporate Sins Plus planets. Initially I am doing two versions of all maps: vanilla ones for non-SinsPlus, and SinsPlus versions.
Outstanding!I will definitely be watching this and, if you allow, use it in my personal merge of mods.My guess is it will work with other mods that don't modify the galaxy file themselves?On the note of gas giants: Do you make a distinction between the 'Sins Plus Enabled' version and the normal version?
Even if they do modify the galaxy file it should still work, as it keys off of the standardized planet type names (not the lists). And yes, there is a major difference between the vanilla and SinsPlus versions. If you try to use the Sins Plus without the mod enabled you get an instant crash.
Sins originally tried realistic solar system layouts. But as you can imagine, that creates some problems because there's no longer much individuality and uniqueness to maps because everything is always in the same place (volcanics near the sun, rocks farther away, etc) which isn't quite the best thing for Multiplayer balance and variety.This is a good mod effort because I know lots of people like few players per system but lots of systems and such, so I'm not bashing it, I just wanted to set the record straight about why Sins is the way it is, and that realistic layouts have been tried
Everything I've seen so far indicates that normal sized solar systems with vanilla planetary bodies would definitely create plain "cookie cutter" systems, so in that point you are absolutely right. However with the addition of Sins Plus planets, with some of the randomizer tweaks I've made, and with slightly larger solar systems, it gets MUCH more interesting. I fully plan on promoting Sins Plus as the mod to use (or merge) for gaming with Sins and TrueSpace maps, simply because of the level of variety and immersion it gives.
Yes, and that's the beauty of it. Mods like this mean that more players can get more enjoyment out of the game because they can tailor it easily to their own preferences.
True there. People are free to take the maps I make and change them to their own tastes, just not to alter mine and release them as their own.
Eventually I will distribute a "TrueSpace How-to" type document that explains how the systems are constructed, why, how to change them, etc.
Very Interesting;I can see some issues with strategic bottlenecking with so few phase lanes per planet per system. I think my concern would be massing hug fleets at the star is it seems to be the primary choke point. Also since each star system essentially has multiple "dead ends" or branches if you will, comming off the star, it would reason to me that players would specifically tailor their empire to place (or spam) non tactical structures at the edges of the system (the dead end of the branch) and focus (or spam) an obscene amount of tactical structures at the inner planets. Every system would be like a fortress, There wouldn't much strategy other than massing a hug fleet and ramming it up against the central defesne. No sneak attacks, diversions, or multi-pronged attacks, etc.Irregardless, its a very interesting take on the universe, and I really do look forward to giving it a run.PS, Rhedd, Jaga, it is also very nice to see some fellow TES members of old around.
Well you and I think alike - originally I thought the same thing about defending a solar system. Just drop your defenders in the solar gravity well and you have a single point of defense. But then I actually played a game with TrueSpace, and completely changed my way of thinking. That's how I arrived at "less phase lanes connecting to the star is good", because you end up defending the planets around the Star, not the star itself. Attackers can simply jump into your star's well, and immediately jump to an adjacent planet with minimal damage. Some mods correct for this, making your star defensible, but usually its difficult to defend.
And yes, it is one thing to capture and control your own system, and totally another to both hold yours and capture systems belonging to others, all the while trying to keep what you take. That to me is true strategy, and the essence of interstellar war.
As for sneak attacks, multi-pronged attacks, and the like... they will be very valuable due to the extra Dead and Portal systems I added into TrueSpace. You can think of those systems as staging points, places to hide fleets, mini resource caches, etc. Since you enter in at someone's star, you can jump there from any other star, making the use of any solar system valuable.
There are a couple people that are going to be testing out some multiplayer maps this week, and I'm very excited to see what they have to say about them.
