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 527)
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on Oct 14, 2012

Just checked and both links work and take you to working files to download.  Like Harpo said:

  1. click that link to be taken to my original post with the update
  2. click on the links in that post to be taken to the files on my google sites account
  3. click on the HERE in "Click here to download your attachment."
  4. click save on the download window that pops up.
  5. get yourself a drink, maybe something to snack on, and wait for the download to finish.
  6. unrar the archives and follow the instructions included.
on Oct 14, 2012

Stant123
Just checked and both links work and take you to working files to download.  Like Harpo said:


click that link to be taken to my original post with the update
click on the links in that post to be taken to the files on my google sites account
click on the HERE in "Click here to download your attachment."
click save on the download window that pops up.
get yourself a drink, maybe something to snack on, and wait for the download to finish.
unrar the archives and follow the instructions included.

 

Im sorry I just dont understand these instructions. Something about reading the README, and having to do work to get it to install.

 

Man, why cant you guys to make it simpler to use a mod. I swear, if you were on ModDB, you would see how true modders distrubute their mods.

Fucking noobs.

on Oct 15, 2012

Now now Mr. Sarcastic...  It's not about installing anything.  It's about getting the right files.  Now I can understand the occasional net hiccup that prevents files from being available, I actually think it's because google sites changed things up a tiny bit and there's an extra page you have to go to now rather then just downloading directly from the links I gave.  It is possible that he tried to get those files during the transition.  I have no idea when this transition occurred, but it's possible it happened during, or shortly after while things were still settling into the new format.  But if he comes back on saying it still doesn't work after I've checked and know for a fact it does...  Then by all means...  Enjoy.  >=P

 

Awww shit....  I just realized I'm missing Walking Dead...  Son of a ......

on Oct 15, 2012

I really hate people who ask questions before reading the ReadMe. FFS it exists for a reason people!

on Oct 17, 2012

It just gives this.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/DS%20Update.rar?attredirects=0

 

It says "click here to download your attacement" and the download link contains the same page link.

on Oct 17, 2012

Will throw it Stant way (if he doesn't see it himself) to check.

on Oct 18, 2012

Already checked the link the first time and had no issues.

Liondrome
It says "click here to download your attacement" and the download link contains the same page link.

Stant123
click on the HERE in "Click here to download your attachment."

And yet, when I click on it (not even logged into my account, using a friend's laptop, I get a downloaded file called "DS Update.rar" just like I expect.

 

I think what the problem is, is that you're logged onto google yourself and the link you're ending up at is trying to access my files as if you were me, which obviously, you can't do.

The link that I posted is http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/DS%20Update.rar

not https://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/DS%20Update.rar?attredirects=0

The first being a public link, the one you posted being a secure connection (notice the the https in yours, and the lack of a redirect count in mine?) which happens after you've logged in.  Copy the first link (the public, non secure address) paste it into your address bar, and hit enter, and when you redirect to the other page with the secure connection, paste the public link back in the address bar and hit enter.  For me it starts the file download.  Another option would be to log out of google when you try.

If it still refuses to work, I'll put the file on my network hard drive for ya and PM you with instructions on how to download.  Why don't I just do that in the first place?  Because it's a huge pain in my ass to set up a file for public access on my drive and even when I do get it all set up, people usually get confused on what they have to do to get the file the first time they try which makes the whole ordeal not worth it to me, and even if that wasn't a problem, I have no way to guarantee any amount of stable connection or up time.  My router is a bitch like that sometimes.

on Oct 18, 2012

I posted this in general, but given that this is my favorite thread on the forum, with my favorite modders, id like to post it here too to get reactions.

I am fond of ship comparison charts, especially mixed scifi ones. I couldn't help but notice there is not, in the entirety of the internet one containing Sins ships that I could find. Sins being a favorite universe of mine i decided to do something about this. Using carefully put together screenshots I have tried to accomplish this. the project is ongoing, but id like to share my first two results to see what people think. Let me know if you think im missing anything, or if i got my scaling off, (tried to be meticulous about this)

 Here is the gallery where ill be posting the images. 2 so far. More to come

http://postimage.org/gallery/1sowubj2/

on Oct 18, 2012

Nice

on Oct 18, 2012

on Oct 18, 2012

That one above is just a thumbs up to distant stars. Desktop I made for myself since I was so fond of the loading screens from DS

on Oct 18, 2012

Nice

on Oct 19, 2012

Stant123
Already checked the link the first time and had no issues.


Quoting Liondrome, reply 7896It says "click here to download your attacement" and the download link contains the same page link.


Quoting Stant123, reply 7892click on the HERE in "Click here to download your attachment."

And yet, when I click on it (not even logged into my account, using a friend's laptop, I get a downloaded file called "DS Update.rar" just like I expect.

 

I think what the problem is, is that you're logged onto google yourself and the link you're ending up at is trying to access my files as if you were me, which obviously, you can't do.

The link that I posted is http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/DS%20Update.rar

not https://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/DS%20Update.rar?attredirects=0

The first being a public link, the one you posted being a secure connection (notice the the https in yours, and the lack of a redirect count in mine?) which happens after you've logged in.  Copy the first link (the public, non secure address) paste it into your address bar, and hit enter, and when you redirect to the other page with the secure connection, paste the public link back in the address bar and hit enter.  For me it starts the file download.  Another option would be to log out of google when you try.

If it still refuses to work, I'll put the file on my network hard drive for ya and PM you with instructions on how to download.  Why don't I just do that in the first place?  Because it's a huge pain in my ass to set up a file for public access on my drive and even when I do get it all set up, people usually get confused on what they have to do to get the file the first time they try which makes the whole ordeal not worth it to me, and even if that wasn't a problem, I have no way to guarantee any amount of stable connection or up time.  My router is a bitch like that sometimes.

 

Sadly it still does the same thing. :/

And thank you for the PM thing with the instructions.

 

Why not put it the same link as the current mod? Since we cant revert back to older patch so would it not be more productive to the alpha 1.4 patch on it?

on Oct 19, 2012

@StarFall, Pretty pictures.

My only criticism is that the ships/structures are known to be out of scale with each other, so any size chart built from a single in game image with the ships lined up doesn't accurately represent the size relationship that they're actually supposed to have.  Any chart made in that manner is misrepresenting the truth.  To get accurate sizes, you have to take separate images and resize them so that common features are the same size, or use screenshots from each ship in game and build a scale of the ship based on features that can have their size estimated in a fairly accurate manner as I discussed in this post last year: https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/409268/page/1/#2946589 and then using those scales to create true size comparisons.  You must also carry assumptions over to each ship (like the height requirement for each deck on a TEC ship) otherwise you blow your own scale apart and do a lot of work for nothing.  I know I talked about sizes in this thread in relation to present day trucks and boats, but I can't find them anymore.

I did some digging after making that post I linked to above and did find out that officially it has been stated that the smallest ship (strike craft) is 10 meters, and the largest is a kilometer in length, so that helps a lot when figuring things out.  That information was in reference to the original game and things have changed since then, especially with the inclusion of titans.

That's the biggest reason why you aren't able to find size comparison charts, no one has done the work to do an accurate job of things.

 

Liondrome
Why not put it the same link as the current mod? Since we cant revert back to older patch so would it not be more productive to the alpha 1.4 patch on it?

The thing is, I don't have Rebellion, so I cannot test anything I release, and thus release them as unofficial/use at your own risk.  If it works, great, if not, I tried, and someone else can use what I've done to make something that does work...  There is no official update until Nacey gets around to it whenever that is.  We're all real busy people in real life so these things take awhile, especially when there is an available working solution.  Another issue is the fact that since my update appears to work for more people then it doesn't, more effort is being put into the Beta build which is actually for Rebellion, rather then the Alpha builds, which is a port over from Diplomacy which creates lots of broken things in Rebellion.  So you're really left with a choice, beg for more official alpha updates, or let me worry about those and release unofficial ones while those team members that do have Rebellion work on the internal alpha which will become the public beta once they're happy with it.

on Oct 19, 2012

I was not aware of any idea that the ships were not to scale in game. What is your source that how they apear in game in relation to eachother is not accurate? I mean obviosly they are off scale with the planets, but comparing how they appear in game to the cinimatic made for the rebbelion intro, they seem to match pretty well. In the cinimatic they look about on scale to how they are in game, and given that the cinimatic is suposed to look like somone had a video camera at the battle, Im not sure that the scale is actualy off in game.

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