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 522)
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on Sep 19, 2012

Stant123

Quoting , reply 7753Could you upload a list of all the songs and what they're from? Please?

There's waaaaay to many for me to list, I added a lot to my copy and I don't have Rebellion so I couldn't tell you what is there if any were added or subtracted from the diplomacy release, but here's a list of places music was pulled from

Band of Brothers
Eve
ES Posthumus
Homeworld
Mass Effect
MechWarrior 2
Supreme Commander
Total Annihilation
Transformers 2

If you do some digging, you can find them all and a bunch more you might like that aren't "featured" in this mod.

 

Ok here is a better list:

Title: 'Ebla' by E.S. Posthomus

Battle 1-15: Haegemonia: Legion of Iron (AS FAR AS I KNOW, this is from Skyline era of DS. So I simply do not know for sure)

Battle 16: E.S. Posthomus

Battle 17: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen OST

Battle 18: Total Annihilation OST

Battle 19:  from Total Annihilation OST 

Battle 20: Universe At War OST

Battle 21: Transformers OST

Battle 22:  Transformer OST 

Battle 23: Transformer OST

Battle 24: Supreme Commander OST

Battle 26: Mass Effect 1 OST

Battle 27: Mechwarrior 2 OST

Battle 28: Mechwarrior 2 OST

Battle 29: Supreme Commander OST


Quite 13: Transformer OST 

Quite 14: Transformer OST

Quite 15: Transformer OST

Quite 16: EVE Online

Quite 17: Transformer OST

Quite 18: Supreme Commander OST

Quite 19: Supreme Commander OST

Quite 20: Supreme Commander OST


Sad 1: Band of Brothers OST

Sad 2: Band of Brothers OST

Sad 3: Band of Brothers OST

Sad 4: Transformer OST

Sad 5: Transformer OST


Trouble 10: Transformer OST

Trouble 11: Transformer OST

Trouble 12: Mass Effect OST 

Trouble 13: Mechwarrior 2 OST

Trouble 14: Mechwarrior 2 OST


Upbeat 4: Band of Brothers OST 

Upbeat 5: Total Annihilation OST 

Upbeat 6: Total Annihilation OST

Upbeat 7: Supreme Commander OST

Upbeat 8: Supreme Commander OST

Upbeat 9: Supreme Commander OST

on Sep 19, 2012

Stant123


Already posted...   Twice actually...   Technically three times if you count Ryat's quote of the first posting...   Please see reply number 7728 or reply number 7757

 

 

First post I've done here but just so you guys are aware, that update isn't entirely functional, it seems to crash after about 20-30 minutes of play without an obvious trigger and Sins won't fire up if it's activated already so you have to manually disable it then reactivate it in game. 

I downloaded the 1.03, then combined the 1.04 update into it and put it into the mod directory.  I am not running any other mods or the minimods which are also part of that post.  I can't remember what it exactly says but when it crashes it mentions something about an error (maybe a file missing or something?) and saves a minidump which I assume is a bunch of info about what was happening at the time.  As you can see my knowledge in these matters only extends so far.  Distant Stars was what completed this game for me and I'm looking forward to having it back, thanks for all your efforts.

- Trilo

Oh and Twi, /)

on Sep 19, 2012

@Trilobiteer - Sorry to hear of the issues. The posted "update" is done with minimal (none) testing. We are currently getting the full update soon though.

on Sep 20, 2012

The posted "update" is done with minimal (none) testing.

Don't forget to mention by someone who doesn't even have Rebellion so you're lucky it even works in the first place. 

on Sep 20, 2012

Hey guys, total noob here, so please bear with me...

I tried installing the mod and unofficial 1.04 patch, but unlike everyone else, I can't even get the mod to start. Whenever I try to activate it, the game goes to the "Loading" screen and then locks up (I have to Alt+Tab out at that point to a minidump message). I have the Realsins mod, and I can get that to boot just fine, so it's not a problem with permissions or pathing. I've even tried just loading aspects of this mod at a time (0.1 Alpha, 0.1 Extras, Better Gas Giants, Flagship). The only one I can get to "work" is the 0.1 Extras, and that seems to not modify anything on its own.

I'm sure I've done something blatent and obvious, and you're all snickering at me now, but I'd really appreciate any help, thanks.

on Sep 20, 2012

With the soundtrack being discussed so much recently, I guess this is a good as time as any to ask this question. Is there a way to listen to the original Rebellion/Sins soundtrack in game? Don't get me wrong, I love the soundtrack you guys have put together, but whenever I get to that point in a game where Ive heard that Band of Brothers Theme for the hundredth time, I start wishing for the original Sins stuff to be back. Any modding I could do on my own to revert to the original soundtrack?

on Sep 20, 2012

justinian66, you could try re-nameing the sound folder in the mod, this should remove all the sounds from the mod and when you want the sounfs back then rename the folder BACK to Sound.

hope this helps

harpo

 

on Sep 20, 2012

RomeoReject
I tried installing the mod and unofficial 1.04 patch, but unlike everyone else, I can't even get the mod to start.

The extras shouldn't do anything because it's just the Galaxy Forge stuff.  It's not playable.

As for the crashing, it happens.  It's an alpha release...  A straight port over from Diplomacy with just the critical stuff added and not even done 'cleanly'.  Just keep trying, I recall someone saying it took about 50 times trying before it started working without crashing.  Might want to redownload the stuff too as bad downloads do happen.

 

 

 

on Sep 21, 2012

Will do then, thanks! I'm fairly certain the download isn't to blame, have downloaded several times already just to ensure that wasn't the issue.

on Sep 23, 2012

Ive been playing a lot of DS with the unofficial update for 1.04 so id like to give some tips/possible explanations on living with the unofficial update. 

-First. If the game crashes and dumps when your trying to start it up again (sometimes happens when you first start it up), you can make it work. Just open your steam library and run the game from there. Works 99% of the time. I dont know what it is about the desktop/start menu shortcut, but just avoid it and it will work better.

-second. Dont take steam screenshots. Using F12 to take screenshots of the game it a guaranteed crash almost every time.

 

-Third. Get in the habit of saving REALLY often. The autosave is only every 15 min, and that can be a long time game wise and a crash comes any time it wants. 

 

I cant seem to find any particular cause or time frame for crash, so i cant help there. Hopefully this helps a little till The DS team can finish the big update.

on Sep 24, 2012

 ^Good points, I noticed these things myself.  3hrs into a match and it crashes all over the place. Even saving over an old slot will crash the game, so I suggest players of the rebellion alpha to save in new slots each time if you crash a lot.

 

Despite these shortcomings, as a relatively new Sins player, I just can't put down this mod....it's too amazing.  The sound effects, the new visuals and planets, the soundtrack from so many great games....really great atmosphere.  Keep up the good work on the mod folks, hope you can solve the crashing soon

on Sep 24, 2012

I have no problems with in game crashing at all. Sometimes get a mini dump on start up. This is my config and setup:

 

Windows Vista
2GB RAM
Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 2.4GHz
NVidia GeForce 8500GT

 

I run the game with all graphics set to minimum due to low PC specs currently. Game is patched to 1.04 with mod folder 1.04 containing the 1.03 DS update overwritten with the 1.04 files and associated two mini mods.

If it matters, once the game was patched to 1.04, I did run it once without the mod. Thus the game created the 1.04 mods folder rather than my creating it. I just moved the DS files into it from the 1.03 folder.

 

When the game mini-dumps upon loading (only happens a few times), I run it as Admin and it nearly always runs next time fine. However, trial and error here seems to be the way forward.

 

In game, regardless of map or map size, never have any issue re crashing. Played as all factions against all factions up to 10 opponents with nearly all settings variable - though usually it's advanced start, large fleets, pirates active (weak though they may be currently), all speeds usually on normal with research and culture sometimes faster. Only extra victory condition I tend to use is flagship. No permanent alliances/teams.

 

Feel so sorry for the poor weakened unity....they just have no economic bonus (Vasari - resource scrounging from destroyed ships/structures, TEC - economic powerhouse!) and late game weapons advantage is still seriously nerfed.

 

It's hugely enjoyable though. Hope this helps someone!

 

Note to self: Get faster computer

on Sep 24, 2012

lankymon
Feel so sorry for the poor weakened unity....

Synergy has always been their greatest asset.

on Sep 24, 2012

And Strikecraft.  Speaking of which, are there plans to increase the number of strikecraft on Titans?  4 squadrons on a ship that's easily worth 2 capitol ships seems a little small...I'd like to see that doubled, personally.  Especially since DS has 4 different types anyway.

-Twi /)

on Sep 25, 2012

Stant123
Synergy has always been their greatest asset.

 

True it's helpful but Vasari weapons late game render it fairly useless - long range and shield bypass

 

Twilight_Storm
And Strikecraft. 

 

They are very useful. However there are so many ways to build fleets to combat strike craft hordes. Agree that the titans need more of them!

 

I find it odd that the Advent loyalists (supposedly being culture specialists) don't get the communion temple cost reduction whereas the rebels do. Also advent culture is too easily repelled even at max level. The TEC are the ones who I find pushing back my blue lines with ease most often. Would be a good idea to make the advent culture, upon overthrowing a planet, bring it under your control. Sort of a passive-aggressive take over system. Good for the rebels I think as it doesn't fit the mantra of the loyalists wanting to exterminate everything!

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