Distant Stars Mod Blog


Feedback of any kind is always welcome. Ideas, balance changes, and bug reporting of any kind is always useful!

Version 1.00 Released!

Make sure to ask for permission before republishing any part of this mod to the public!

Downloads

Rebellion Logo

1.05 + DLC Compatible:

0.12 ALPHA Release:
Full Download:
http://distantstars.mmobase.com/rebellion/Distant_Stars_(R)_ALPHA_0.13_[45189661].7z

Full Download MIRROR:
http://www.moddb.com/downloads/distant-stars-rebellion-alpha-013

MD5: 69486D2FCD3F35E46E6F5EF8C9F1634A

Diplomacy Logo

1.34 Compatible:

1.01 Release:
Full Download:
http://distantstars.mmobase.com/diplomacy/Distant_Stars_(D)_1.01_[45685832].7z

 

Entrenchment Logo

1.051 Compatible:

Beta 0.9951 Release:
Full Download:
http://distantstars.mmobase.com/entrenchment/DS_Entrenchment_Beta_0.9951_[36672852].7z

SoaSE Logo

1.14 - 1.181 Compatible:

Version 1.01:
Full Download:
http://distantstars.mmobase.com/soase/Distant_Stars_v1.01_[453701567].7z

Make sure to ask for permission before republishing any part of this mod to the public!

Multiplayer Games:
We've setup a thread for everyone to organise their multiplayer games in and also setup example times and dates for most people to meet up and start games. These are what we hope to be the main times for people to be around and want to play games together.

The times are:
4pm EST (9pm GMT) Saturdays & Sundays
9pm EST (2am GMT)
Saturdays & Sundays

If you want to organise other games please go ahead using the same topic to consolidate all the information in one place and hopefully get more games together within our community. These games are for PvP, PvAI & PvPvAIso come along and we'll get some games going!

Screenshots:
We've setup a thread so you can all post your screenshots to share with us the Distant Stars team and its players. Im sure we're all intrigued to see what kinds of battles and events you've all been having on the mod aswell.

Lore:
We know some of you guys love to role play whilst using Distant Stars, and here's a topic for you guys to post all of your role playing stories, character profiles and anything else you can imagine.

Maps:
Some of you avid map makers out there have produced some great maps but never really had them recognised because they've got lost. Well here's a topic for you to post a link to the download (we can even provide mirrors if necessary) a screenshot or two of the map for us all the preview and if enough people like it we'll even include the map in with the actual mod!

Please visit our website and for more information, change logs, downloads, and to report bugs. Our website can be found here: http://distantstars.mmobase.com

Bug Reporting

If you want to report a bug please use the Bug Report feature on our website:
http://distantstars.mmobase.com/?m=reportabug

Please include as much information as possible, if you have an error log feel free to post it on these forums and we'll take it from there. If you can reproduce the error please include the error log (read below to find out how to enable error logs) and include as much detail on how to reproduce the problem.

To enable logging:
Windows Vista/Windows 7:
C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting
or
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting

Open the user.setting file (using Notepad, Wordpad or any text editor) and scroll down to the bottom 7 lines from the bottom is the line:
LogOutput FALSE
Change FALSE to TRUE
LogOutput TRUE

and from then on any Log files will be saved to the debug folder:
Windows Vista/Windows 7:
C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Debug
or
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Debug

If you get these log files to us (you can just paste them in to a forum post) we can hopefully get your issues sorted.

Frequently Asked Questions

All files are compressed using 7Zip to shrink the download filesize. To extract these files you must use WinRAR or 7Zip.
Any Patches should overwrite the original install directory, either by extracting over the original folder, or cut/copy & pasting over the existing file/folder structure.

1) My game keeps crashing, is there anything I can do to stop it?
i) Are you running the game on maximum (highest) settings? if so, lower them to High or Medium, there is a known issue with the game using up too much memory, there is nothing we can do about this, also no matter how powerful your pc is, it is affected by this issue no matter the pc it is not above this crashing issue, it is a game problem not a hardware one, so quite simply lower your settings. If you still have an issue with crashing see point two.
ii) Give us as detailed information as possible about the crash, what was happening at the time of the crash, what races, ships, abilities were involved. If you can supply a Debug Log (see above for more information about logging) and post a bug report on our website.

2) The loading screens and portrait pictures dont appear properly, whats wrong?
i) This is an issue with ATI based graphics cards (rarely affects Nvidia based cards) we're looking in to the issue.

3) Why dont you support converting Distant Stars in to TXT format?
i) Quite simply many things can go wrong with converting your mod to TXT, we cant help you with something you've probably broken yourself.

4) Can I mod Distant Stars for myself?
i) Yes you can however please do not distribute our mod or our mod that you have edited to the public. You must ask for permission to do so, we will regrettably stop distributing our mod to all if users abuse our work.

5) Your mod is in BIN format I can't edit the files, what can I do?
i) You can convert the mod to TXT format however we wont offer any support to versions of the mod that have been converted to TXT.

6) Why is Distant Stars distributed in BIN format?
i) Mods load faster in BIN format and are less likely to have issues in this format.

7) I'm having trouble installing the MOD, do you have any more instructions?
i) Carbon was kind enough to do some more advanced instructions out here.

8) Is there any way to make new maps for Distant Stars using GalaxyForge?
i) Within the Distant Stars Extras folder there is a folder called Galaxy Forge, Copy and Paste this folder (or its contents) over your original Galaxy Forge folder (or its contents) replacing any files if it asks you to. When you start Galaxy Forge next you'll be able to use all of our planets.

Or, the DIY approach (without custom icons):

ii) The GalaxyForge supplied by the devs will still work with our Mod, however to be able to access all of our planetary bonuses, templates, planet types and stars you will need to take our GalaxyScenarioDef.galaxyScenarioDef (found in the GameInfo folder of the mod) and place it in to your GalaxyForge folder, overwriting the original GalaxyScenarioDef.galaxyScenarioDef (if you still wish to make maps for the original game keep a backup of the original file). This will allow you to use all of the Galaxy changes included in our mod.

Note: Any maps made for Distant Stars will not work with other Mods. See #8.2 for DIY instructions for map making or take the appropriate files from Entrenchment, they're cross-client compatible.

Some statistics...

Since August 2009 to February 2011 we have had over...

400,000 Unique visits to the website
12,000GB (12TB) of data transferred from our website

That equates to over 60,000 Unique downloads of the entire mod, excluding the excess of 20,000 Patches downloaded. 

Thanks to everyone that has supported us this far and making our mod as popular as it is!

dyMRNwSFh9gw

Comments (Page 111)
562 PagesFirst 109 110 111 112 113  Last
on Dec 04, 2009

Hey, the research isn't available for the gunships, is this intended?

 

*edit* Nvm, fixed it.

on Dec 04, 2009

thx for all the great work guys! really makes entrenchment shine. cant wait till u get bug(s) worked out so i can play a full game without it crashing.

on Dec 04, 2009

-Ue_Carbon
- Planetary Defenses have finally been researched by each of the factions
- Anti-Strikecraft Gunships have now been rolled out

HUZZAH!!!!!

 

i loaded up the mod real quick, but i cant find what planetary defenses are, can someone explain what this is that was added?

on Dec 04, 2009

Under the respective defense tree you should see a new research called planet defense something. Research it, build the new tactical structure, watch the show.

on Dec 04, 2009

i dont see it, did i patch it right? i opened the zip, and then copied the contents of the patch folder into my version .90 folder, and overwrote

on Dec 04, 2009

Repeatable, recreatable bug:

A minidump immediately occurs if the Halcyon casts Anima Tempest while Gunships are among its squadrons.  This is consistently recreatable, and I've checked with different numbers of gunship squadrons.  Anima Tempest works fine with all other squadron types.

I also posted this on your bug tracker, but wanted to do so here in case that wasn't currently in use (speaking of which, I get errors on there when using apostrophes - kinda weird).

edit - in case this info is useful: it's occuring for me in Entrenchment, Kingdom of Heaven 2.0 map.  I haven't checked other maps, but I'm thinking it will be the same situation.

on Dec 04, 2009

adecoy95
i dont see it, did i patch it right? i opened the zip, and then copied the contents of the patch folder into my version .90 folder, and overwrote

 

disable the mod. Change .90 to .95. Load game, re-enable mod; shazam.

on Dec 04, 2009

Star Dragon
Repeatable, recreatable bug:

A minidump immediately occurs if the Halcyon casts Anima Tempest while Gunships are among its squadrons.  This is consistently recreatable, and I've checked with different numbers of gunship squadrons.  Anima Tempest works fine with all other squadron types.

I also posted this on your bug tracker, but wanted to do so here in case that wasn't currently in use (speaking of which, I get errors on there when using apostrophes - kinda weird).

edit - in case this info is useful: it's occuring for me in Entrenchment, Kingdom of Heaven 2.0 map.  I haven't checked other maps, but I'm thinking it will be the same situation.

Well, I haven't tested yet to be sure, but I think I found the problem behind this one.  In SquadPsiGunship.entity the fighterIllusionEntityDef "" looks like this.  Meaning blank entry for Anima Tempest.  Just toss in FighterPsiGunship between the quotes, and it ought to be fine.

on Dec 04, 2009

i have no idea what is causing the problem(s) but this beta mod is basically unplayable for me. to many crashes. hopefully the 'official' release will fix most/all. apprecite your hard work & look forward to the day when this is viable for me.

fwiw, i have never had a problem playing sins or entrenchement. started playing sins 2-3 weeks before entrech came out.n

on Dec 04, 2009

First off with the planetary defenses guys we'd really like your feedback so we can adjust them to perfectly balance them before the final 1.0 release.

Orciencor
Well, I haven't tested yet to be sure, but I think I found the problem behind this one.  In SquadPsiGunship.entity the fighterIllusionEntityDef "" looks like this.  Meaning blank entry for Anima Tempest.  Just toss in FighterPsiGunship between the quotes, and it ought to be fine.

That is indeed the problem with the file its fixed locally now for the next patch.

i have no idea what is causing the problem(s) but this beta mod is basically unplayable for me. to many crashes. hopefully the 'official' release will fix most/all. apprecite your hard work & look forward to the day when this is viable for me.

fwiw, i have never had a problem playing sins or entrenchement. started playing sins 2-3 weeks before entrech came out.n

I didn't realise many minidumps were left at all anymore, can you go in to specifics of when the game seems to crash for you? also running the game on "Highest" graphical settings will cause minidumps as the game Engine can't support the sheer amount of memory used at times.
If it seems random when it crashes you'll need to enable "Logging" so the game makes logs of whats causing errors and if you re-post them here it'll really help us narrow down whats causing your issues and get them fixed for you.

 

To enable logging:
Windows Vista/Windows 7:
C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting
or
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting

Open the user.setting file (using Notepad, Wordpad or any text editor) and scroll down to the bottom 7 lines from the bottom is the line:
LogOutput FALSE
Change FALSE to TRUE
LogOutput TRUE

and from then on any Log files will be saved to the debug folder:
Windows Vista/Windows 7:
C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Debug
or
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and settings\<Your Windows Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Debug

If you get those log files to us (you can just paste them in to a forum post) and we can hopefully get your crash issues sorted

on Dec 04, 2009

AbilityPlanetDefensePsi.entity

 

TXT
entityType "Ability"
buffInstantActionType "ApplyBuffToSelf"
instantActionTriggerType "AlwaysPerform"
buffType "BuffPlanetDefensePhaseOnSpawner"
effectInfo
    effectAttachInfo
        attachType "Invalid"
    smallEffectName ""
    largeEffectName ""
    soundID ""
needsToFaceTarget FALSE
canCollideWithTarget TRUE
moveThruTarget FALSE
isUltimateAbility FALSE
maxNumLevels 1                       <<More available lvls in buff??? Same w/ other races files...
levelSourceType "FixedLevel0"
aiUseTime "Invalid"
aiUseTargetCondition "Invalid"
isAutoCastAvailable FALSE
isAutoCastOnByDefault FALSE
pickRandomPlanetToExploreForAutoCastTarget FALSE
ignoreNonCombatShipsForAutoCastTarget TRUE
onlyAutoCastWhenDamageTakenExceedsPerc 0.000000
useCostType "Passive"
researchPrerequisites
    NumResearchPrerequisites 0
nameStringID "IDS_ABILITY_PLANETDEFENSE_PHASE_NAME"
descStringID "IDS_ABILITY_PLANETDEFENSE_PHASE_DESCRIPTION"

hudIcon "HUDICON_SUPPORTABILITY_PLANETSHIELD"
smallHudIcon "HUDICON_SUPPORTABILITY_PLANETSHIELD"
infoCardIcon ""

on Dec 04, 2009

PlanetModule_Planet_Defense_Phase.entity

 

TXT
entityType "PlanetModuleStandard"
minZoomDistanceMult 2.000000
ability:0 "AbilityPlanetDefenseTech"
ability:1 ""
ability:2 ""
ability:3 ""
ability:4 ""
MaxAntiMatter 300.000000
AntiMatterRestoreRate 0.500000
numRandomDebrisLarge 3
numRandomDebrisSmall 16
numSpecificDebris 0
armorType "Module"
hudIcon "HUDICON_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALSHIELDGENERATOR"
smallHudIcon "HUDICONSMALL_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALSHIELDGENERATOR"
infoCardIcon "INFOCARDICON_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALSHIELDGENERATOR"
planetUpgradeSlotType "Tactical"
planetUpgradeSlotCount 3.000000
basePrice
    credits 1000.000000
    metal 150.000000
    crystal 175.000000
NameStringID "IDS_PLANETMODULE_PHASEORBITALDEFENSE_NAME"
DescriptionStringID "IDS_PLANETMODULE_PHASEORBITALDEFENSE_DESCRIPTION"
planetModuleRoleType "SHIELDGENERATOR"
statCountType "ModuleUtility"
Prerequisites
    NumResearchPrerequisites 1
    ResearchPrerequisite
        Subject "RESEARCHSUBJECT_PLANETMODULEACCESS_PLANET_DEFENSE_PHASE"
        Level 1
MaxHullPoints 3000.000000
HullPointRestoreRate 2.000000
BaseArmorPoints 6.000000
MaxShieldPoints 0.000000
ShieldPointRestoreRate 0.000000
maxShieldMitigation 0.000000
ExperiencePointsForDestroying 50.000000
resourceExtractionType "Invalid"
cultureSpreadRate 0.000000
isAffectedBySimilarModuleCostResearch FALSE
placementRadius 850.000000
nearPlacementDistOffset 0.000000
farPlacementDistOffset 9000.000000
spawnCount 1
swapMineType ""
angularSpeed 19.999992
rotateSoundName ""
rotateFacingType "TowardsOrbitBody"
rotateConstantly FALSE
ShieldMeshName ""
renderShield TRUE
NumSoundsFor:ONATTACKORDERISSUED 0
NumSoundsFor:ONCREATION 0
NumSoundsFor:ONGENERALORDERISSUED 0
NumSoundsFor:ONSELECTED 1
SoundID "PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALSHIELDGENERATOR_ONSELECTION_0"
NumSoundsFor:ONSTARTPHASEJUMP 0
MeshNameInfoCount 1
MeshNameInfo
    meshName "PlanetModule_TechOrbitalShieldGenerator"
    criteriaType "None"
meshNameIncreasedEffectName ""
meshNameDecreasedEffectName ""
ExplosionName "PlanetModuleSmall"
mainViewIcon "MAINVIEWICON_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALSHIELDGENERATOR"
picture "PLANETMODULEPICTURE_TECHORBITALSHIELDGENERATOR"
minShadow 0.000000
maxShadow 0.500000
formationRank 3
baseBuildTime 75.000000
buildEffectName ""

on Dec 05, 2009

Just had to say, I love this mod. No problems encountered so far, good work to all involved.

 

I do have a comment though. After enabling Ryat's Pirate mod, I noticed that the pirate raids are led by a capship that is an excellent rendition of the "Arcadia". For those who are not familiar with obscure anime titles of the 80's and 90's, that is the Space Battleship belonging to Captain Harlock, Space Pirate. (Harlock Saga, good OVA, better manga)

 

After losing a couple of planets to Harlock and his pals (I wasnt expecting THAT many capships) I had to go root through my anime collection to re-watch Harlock Saga. Thank you for the great mod, whomever did that, I love it!!

on Dec 05, 2009

Oh, and the researchable levels for phase out fighters is screwy too. I can't seem to get it to work past 3 lvls, when I try to go the whole hog it just starts dumping...

on Dec 05, 2009

vishnu79
Just had to say, I love this mod. No problems encountered so far, good work to all involved.

 

I do have a comment though. After enabling Ryat's Pirate mod, I noticed that the pirate raids are led by a capship that is an excellent rendition of the "Arcadia". For those who are not familiar with obscure anime titles of the 80's and 90's, that is the Space Battleship belonging to Captain Harlock, Space Pirate. (Harlock Saga, good OVA, better manga)

 

After losing a couple of planets to Harlock and his pals (I wasnt expecting THAT many capships) I had to go root through my anime collection to re-watch Harlock Saga. Thank you for the great mod, whomever did that, I love it!!

gotta give the credit to Thoumsin, he did the artwork and to EvilTesla who allowed me to use that mesh

562 PagesFirst 109 110 111 112 113  Last