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    Maelstrom New Horizons


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Offer of help and suggestions.

O

owly7

Landlubber
Sadly, I have not tried out the recent build mod, as my laptop doesn't have a wireless internet connection at the moment, and my main computer can't run them. However, I do have some suggestions to do with your build mod that I hope will be of use.

The different campaigns look good, but personally I think there should always be the option of playing the original game and creating and designing a new character from stratch in a setting of the players choosing.

Example: A blond haired man called John Doe, an English nationality, starting off in the port of Port Royale.

I think that perhaps a new mod being created, with the express purpose of simulating naval and land combat at the time. The player can enlist in the English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch or later American army or navy, as a soldier/sailor or an officer if they prefer, with randomised scenarios, such as seek and destroy, eliminate a company of enemy soldiers.

I admit that this would require a bit of work, but I am a quick learner and if you could reveal your secrets of modding I'm sure I can do most of the work myself.

Also, forgive my pedancy but I'm sure that I saw some incorrect naval rankings, Royal Navy ones here a while back, which involved the ranking First Lord of the Admiralty. Now the First Lord of the Admiralty was a government office, and not a naval one. The Chief of the Royal Navy is called the First Sea Lord, but he wouldn't be in the Caribbean, the Chief of the Royal Navy-Caribbean would typically be a Rear Admiral or a Vice Admiral, but I suppose for interests sake, the two higher ranks were right to be included. The officer ranks at the time of Napolean were as follows.

Midshipman
Lieutenant (there were different grades but they were appointments and not ranks)
Captain
Commodore
Rear Admiral
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Admiral of the Fleet

Thank you.
 
We do have the intent of adding a "Customize Character" interface at the beginning of the game,
allowing you to start any storyline with a character of your own choice.
The button for this has already been added, but the interface hasn't. But one day it'll be there. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":yes" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />

Having more actual navy work, rather than privateer work, would be a very good addition as far as I'm concerned.
But, as per usual, we'd need someone to add it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/modding.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":modding" border="0" alt="modding.gif" />

These are the current Build 14 Alpha 8 rank names:<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->    rNation.Ranks.1 = "Midshipman";
    rNation.Ranks.2 = "3rd Lieutenant";
    rNation.Ranks.3 = "2nd Lieutenant";
    rNation.Ranks.4 = "1st Lieutenant";
    rNation.Ranks.5 = "Commander";
    rNation.Ranks.6 = "Captain";
    rNation.Ranks.7 = "Commodore";
    rNation.Ranks.8 = "Rear Admiral";
    rNation.Ranks.9 = "Vice Admiral";
    rNation.Ranks.10 = "Admiral";
    rNation.Ranks.11 = "Admiral of the Fleet";
    rNation.Ranks.12 = "First Lord of the Admiralty";<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
Any suggestions for improved realism?
 
Perhaps a promotion from Lieutenant to a 'flag officer', where the lucky promotee would either be promoted to Commander (if he buys a small ship like a schooner or sloop) or a Captain if he buys a large ship (like a frigate or battleship). He could be promoted and demoted between Captain and Commander depending on what ship he owns.

In short, I'm trying to say that a Commander wouldn't be first officer on a capital ship until later on (19th century). He'd be the chief officer aboard a small ship. And that First Lord of the Admiralty rank still troubles me. Perhaps, Commander in Chief of British/French/Spanish/Dutch/Portuguese/American Naval Forces in the Caribbean?

Also, could I please see the officer and soldier uniform skins please?
 
Oh god, do not, but NOT critize too much of the work, otherwise you can do it yourself! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=295217:date=Jan 2 2009, 01:01 PM:name=owly7)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (owly7 @ Jan 2 2009, 01:01 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=295217"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I just see these as potential improvements to improve realism.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Look in the PROGRAM\NATIONS\nations_init.c file for the ranks that Pieter posted above. Change them as you wish. Don't forget to change the ranks of all the other nations as well. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> You can use these in your own game without problems. There are probably other places that need to be changed, but that's the place to start.

If it's not obvious, you need to come up with 12 ranks.

Hook
 
You need to edit RESOURCE\TEXTS\INI\ENGLISH\common.ini as well after making the changes to nations_init.c. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":yes" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />

As for the soldier skins, have a look at Thomas the Terror's threads.
 
Ah, thanks. I have just three questions.

Firstly, how do you open these files?
Secondly, can you make backups of these files to restore it if you want to?
And finally, how do you create unifroms and missions?

Thanks in advance.
 
You open the files with the TXconverter, which converts them to tga files, which you can edit with photoshop, or the free program gimp. With those programs you alter the skin, save it with another name, convert it back with the txconverter. Then you need to copy the model where you took the skin from, open the model with a hexeditor and look for the line .tga, then you alter the name of the skin to your texture name (must be the same lenght as the orginal)
 
just a thought about the ranks what about adding perks to each rank Like cheaper ship repair in that nations ports, More crew avalible, Very cheap weapons, Ammo and Gunpowder on islands of said nation.

its just an idea anyway


thanks

Captian matt
 
Something like that should be part of a proper navy mod, I think.
 
With your permission, gentlemen, I would like to begin work on a mod focusing on naval missions and combat, rather than normal privateer stuff. It will be realistic, using accurate data from the navies of the time. However, as a rookie modder I would like guidance and possibly help.

By the way, this will be a basic mod, probably with lots of bugs and certainly with nothing like what captian matt suggested. I think I'd leave that to much more capable models. Thank you.
 
I think that would be really good a navy mod. maybe we could look at giving an alternative to pirate hunting missions so that you get a random selected mission type when you ask the governor for work.

if there is anything I can do to help let me know I can do any sound and video stuff and I'm a rookie coder so I might be useful to you

thanks

Captian matt
 
Thanks for the offer of help. Feel free to contribute. Should we take this to the brainstorming area to think of ideas, quests, uniforms, etc?
 
This sounds good. I recommend you first make a plan on what exactly you want to do and we'll try and give you some pointers as to how to do it.
As for models/skins, you can probably convince Thomas the Terror to make some. He's been working on soldiers and navy officers for a while.
 
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