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 429)
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on Nov 24, 2011

We should have an official update soon. Like sometime this weekend.

on Nov 24, 2011

Currently hating steam for finally releasing Sins on there.

However, because of time RL issues. Dynamic Movement is now set in stone.

on Nov 27, 2011

Will the updated 1.34v include Real Capital Ships and Mad Scientist Mods?

on Nov 27, 2011

Scorpio-99
Real Capital Ships and Mad Scientist Mods

Um no. We have our own version of "Real Capital Ships" and Mad Scientist is a similar mod that went in a different direction.

on Nov 27, 2011

Yes, yes it did.  I'm going to do some redesigning to Mad Scientist once work on DS is completed.  I only added in the stuff for Diplomacy and it badly needs to be fixed up to match the rest of the mod.  I'll also be checking in with Rick (rjhughes) to see if he wants a piece of the action since he keeps his own version of that mod publicly available.  No point in two of us maintaining the same mod but with different tweaks.

on Nov 30, 2011

why are there planets with over a dozen resource asteroids on them? I thought the game was hard coded with a limit of six or something.

on Nov 30, 2011

Is it?

 

Hardcode limits:

Galaxy

enum {MaxFleetSubjectLevels = 9};
enum {MaxPlanetAsteroidCount = 500};  (IS THIS IT?)
enum {MaxTextures = 4}; //dust clouds
enum {MaxParticlesPerTexture = 200}; //dust clouds
enum {MaxNumFarStarPointGroups = 3};
enum {MaxNumFarStarPoints = 40};
enum {MaxNumHalos = 10};
enum {MaxNumPlanetElevatorConnections = 5};
enum {MaxNumClusters = 50}; //planet elevators
enum {MaxNumElevators = MaxNumClusters * NumElevatorsPerCluster};
enum {MaxNumStars = 50}; //background stars
enum {MaxNumStarTextures = 10}; //background stars
enum{MaxSkyboxMeshNames = 10};

enum { MAX_NUM_ICONS = 2000 };

on Nov 30, 2011

Any news on when the newest release will be out of DS? Not pushing, just asking. 

on Nov 30, 2011

I heard that number on the star wars requiem forum.  Someone was running into a roadblock with a map and they couldent figure it out.  Thanks for clearing things up.

on Nov 30, 2011

Few things Ive noticed after playing some more games. Dont know if they've been mentioned in the 257 other pages or not, so sorry if this has already been addressed.

 

Are the gravity wells for Gas Giants supposed to be so big? It seems to take longer for my fleets to traverse the length of one gas giant's gravity well than it does a star's gravity well. Also, Ive noticed strike craft are able to fly right through a gas giant and attack targets on the other side. Will this be fixed?

 

When I've ordered my fleets to phase jump as a group, my ships will often jump in a couple of waves/segments, instead of as a whole like it should be.  The first group contains the vast majority of the group, but the subsequent "tag-along" groups are often made up of key ships like my Capital ships and support cruisers. I've noticed that happening sometimes before in the original version of the game, but I'm noticing it a lot more now. Is there a limit to how many ships can be in a group in order for it to actually all jump together?

 

Here's another problem related to this group phase jump issue, but has also happened to ships that weren't ordered to group phase jump as well. After the bulk of my fleet has jumped, the ships remaining in the previous well will sometimes travel 2x to 3x the diameter of the gravity well pass the edge of it towards the new gravity well, and then circle back to the edge to attempt to make the phase jump.  Also, the Advent capital carrier's ability to repel strike craft (cant remember the exact names right at the moment...) creates a similar problem with the strike craft. Ive seen some strike craft repelled as much as 3x the diameter of the gravity well past the edge.  Why are these issues happening???

 

Finally, two minor issues I've noticed.  The phase jump inhibitor's new upgrade/ability (something related to Tachyon) is missing a text string on the upgrade screen. Will the Vasari and Advent equivalent of the ground defense structure (freak, cant remember any exact names right now. The one with the same art as the TEC planetary shield projector) receive their own unique art and icon model? Perhaps they could just be substituted with the Weapons Jammer and Anti-matter restoration structures.

 

Phhheeeewwww... got those all out of the way. But despite those problems, still love the mod for everything else it provides.  I'll download the mod again to see if these issues are a result of a bad download, but I honestly don't understand how a bad download could cause that to happen.  Keep up the good work though!

on Nov 30, 2011

fishyfishfishing
Any news on when the newest release will be out of DS? Not pushing, just asking.

I was trying for last weekend but it didn't go through. Maybe this weekend.

on Dec 01, 2011

justinian66
Few things Ive noticed after playing some more games. Dont know if they've been mentioned in the 257 other pages or not, so sorry if this has already been addressed.

Understandable.

justinian66
Are the gravity wells for Gas Giants supposed to be so big? It seems to take longer for my fleets to traverse the length of one gas giant's gravity well than it does a star's gravity well.

Yes

justinian66
. Also, Ive noticed strike craft are able to fly right through a gas giant and attack targets on the other side. Will this be fixed?

This is by design and in the original game itself. The strike craft have no collision detection so as to cut down on CPU processing. Again, by game, not mod, game design.

justinian66
When I've ordered my fleets to phase jump as a group, my ships will often jump in a couple of waves/segments, instead of as a whole like it should be. The first group contains the vast majority of the group, but the subsequent "tag-along" groups are often made up of key ships like my Capital ships and support cruisers. I've noticed that happening sometimes before in the original version of the game, but I'm noticing it a lot more now. Is there a limit to how many ships can be in a group in order for it to actually all jump together?

Sort of. This one gets a bit more complicated but again, its by design. Of the game.

justinian66
Here's another problem related to this group phase jump issue, but has also happened to ships that weren't ordered to group phase jump as well. After the bulk of my fleet has jumped, the ships remaining in the previous well will sometimes travel 2x to 3x the diameter of the gravity well pass the edge of it towards the new gravity well, and then circle back to the edge to attempt to make the phase jump. Also, the Advent capital carrier's ability to repel strike craft (cant remember the exact names right at the moment...) creates a similar problem with the strike craft. Ive seen some strike craft repelled as much as 3x the diameter of the gravity well past the edge. Why are these issues happening???

This is a bug. A game bug, not mod. And yes it irritating. Even the devs hate it as they cannot track it down.

justinian66
The phase jump inhibitor's new upgrade/ability (something related to Tachyon) is missing a text string on the upgrade screen.

Fixed in latest build. When it is released.

justinian66
Will the Vasari and Advent equivalent of the ground defense structure (freak, cant remember any exact names right now. The one with the same art as the TEC planetary shield projector) receive their own unique art and icon model? Perhaps they could just be substituted with the Weapons Jammer and Anti-matter restoration structures.

We had someone working on something unique for all three Races. But he disappeared. We may have to bug someone else about it.

justinian66
Phhheeeewwww... got those all out of the way. But despite those problems, still love the mod for everything else it provides. I'll download the mod again to see if these issues are a result of a bad download, but I honestly don't understand how a bad download could cause that to happen. Keep up the good work though!

Yes it was a lot. And we hope you will continue to enjoy the game and mod.

on Dec 01, 2011

We had someone working on something unique for all three Races. But he disappeared. We may have to bug someone else about it.

I had something working before and it had ups and downs. No worry. I'm working with Rot to see about new models and, even if that doesn't happen, I'm going to work on both the new icons and making improvements to existing buttons.

I'm also trouble shooting some faction icons that didn't come out the way I hoped.

on Dec 01, 2011

When we are at the topic of the defense guns, wouldn't it look better if the Advents PsyTech Defense would use the projectile graphics of the psionic surge (spirit blade) instead of heavy plasma?

And I recently noticed a really tiny bug too. When the Advent Revelation uses it's level 6 ability (I forgot the ingame name, but in the entity it's called "PlanetMania"), the icons floating above the target planet are quadrupled for some reason.

on Dec 01, 2011

It's been a while guys ^^   classes are finally settling down, all I have now are a couple tests and a speech and I'm free till January (yay)

 

Good Job on all the work guys, from what I read everything's going to be addressed, fixed, and finalized just right =3

I sill think we should change the last 4-5 levels in the capital ship tech in the fleet tree, more than 5-6 capital ships make pretty much an unstoppable steam-roller of galactic conquest(not that it's not satisfying to see around 8 capitals with full upgrades erase fleet/starbases/and entire enemy occupation in any gravity well) but it does get kinda tired after a while.

 

Was wondering if my ideas for altering the last upgrades in that tree to something like added exp gain/more armor/anti-matter/fighters per squadron/increase maximum bombing range of all the caps/anything at all that would increase the need for non-capitals instead of them being a "different option I may use on a whim"

 

yeah, large fleets settings gives you a max of 32 capital ships......far...FAR too many

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