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they're still a faction, must be able to change them, just have to figure out why the game requires their constant presence, and why they must be left unmodified.
 
johnhawke said:
do we know a reason for this warzog?
Yepper!
While they are a faction, all of their data is embedded in the Freelancer Engine.
Changing it in the ini files only works if it's also changed in the engine.
(Or so the theory goes, as no one's hack it, yet.)
The only Nomad data that doesn't appear to be in the engine is the ship's loadouts, and their AI.
I can only assume that this was done in order to make last minute adjustments to gameplay.
(Presumably, after the beta-testers got ahold of it.)
The AI for the Nomads is actually one of the worst in the game.
(The Liberty Rogues are very close.)
Except for mission objectives, the standard Nomad will not attack unless it's in really close proximity.
The AI just has them randomly flying around.
What makes the Nomads so formidable is their weapons, and their targeting zone.
(And the fact that you usually encounter a hoard of them!)
Their weapons are awesome, and their ship's targeting zone is about 1/20th of the ship's actual size.
This makes hitting them very difficult.
I tried resizing the targeting zone, but the game crashes.
And giving them a more normal AI makes them thrashing machines!
(Nothing survives!)
 
um, what do you man by "embedded in the Engine", is it in those stupid .thn files? Where is the actual data embedded?

On an unrealated note, you haven't seen anything from my project have you? My Friend Cold_Void just made an awesome facimile of the Laser Cannon from the original Hornet Light Fighter, and we're gonna make it a purchaseable weapon in Freelancer. It'll be a great add-on to the Hornet I've been working on. It's gonna have custom weapon FX and SFX. I'm so excited. :) I'm gonna post a pic on my site later.
 
johnhawke said:
um, what do you man by "embedded in the Engine", is it in those stupid .thn files? Where is the actual data embedded?
That means that it's in the "Freelancer\DLLS\BIN\Content.dll" and the "Freelancer\EXE\Freelancer.exe" files.
The gentleman who created the OpenSP mod, Xeres I believe, stated that he hacked into the Content.dll file to make the OpenSP mod.
He stated that it's filled with data for all of the battles, mission and non-mission.
(Which would include the Nomads.)
However, such data only involves things such as where they are, when they are, and how many of them there are, etc.
The main data appears to be in Freelancer.exe, itself.

As for the THN files...
Those are simply animation files.
They simply set up a "room," complete with: backgrounds, props, characters, and instructions to animate the entire sequence.
When you land at a planet, all of those ships flying around, the lights flashing, fans spinning, even the buildings, they're all in a single THN file.
Even the main menu, with the ships, planets, stars, etc, they're all in one THN file.
In fact, in the last mod I did, I swapped out the Freelancer menu THN files with files from 3 of the planet types that I used in the Gemini Sector.
They're in the Freelancer\Universe\Systems\Into\Bases\Rooms folder.
The ini files are named: intro1_cityscape.ini, intro1_volcano.ini, and intro1_planetchuncks.ini.
And they point to the appropriate thn files, with some additional info.
(Any "room's" ini can be renamed as any of those 3 files, and will then replace the main menu's 3 random background animations.)
 
I see... that could be difficult then. btw, I thought OpenSp only modified the M13.ini file, I didn't know it changed the content.dll too, interesting....

Thanks for the info on the .thn files, that might be useful in the mod I'm doing.
 
Additional note:
If you select a room with lights, to be used in the main menu, the lights appear as squares.
(So, disable them in the ini file.)
Also, the background music/sound effects played in most rooms won't play in the main menu.
Only the sounds of the ships flying by will work.
(So, disable/remove those entries.)
I found no way to place a ship on landing pads, in the main menu.
And none of the story animations, the ones with people, will work in the main menu.
 
Radars

Okay, I start the game and I have Tarsus, but I want to test Ferret out, and buy it. I can't, however, get my radar to the Ferret and thus leaving me earthbound.

Conclusion: Radars don't come in ship changes. I don't like that. Even if it was so in Privateer (which I actually own).
 
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