Message: Priority One
Starfleet Command Headquarters
Planetary Sciences Division
CHANNEL OPEN
Hello everyone, Ambarenya here for an important announcement.
Over the past few months, there may be some among you who have gathered from my various cryptic statements on the forums, stirrings of something major going on behind the scenes. Although I have continued to do my usual string work and other QA tweaks, you may have noticed that I have been somewhat distracted as of late. I am here to declare that the time of subterfuge is over. After many months of research, brainstorming, and lastly, igniting the primordial fire of development, it is with great pleasure that I am now finally ready to officially announce what Max and I have been working on.
Although I have not been, as some might say, the most prominent of the devs here on the Armada III team, I believe that I have always worked behind the scenes to help make our mod the best that it could possibly be. I started as a lowly String Editor all the way back at the end of 2013, right after the 0.95 beta was released, and through a lot of trial and error, hard work, and with a lot of help from all of my fellow devs, I gained a solid understanding of a wide range of aspects of the mod's development, contributing in small ways wherever I was able. Having been a long-time and very dedicated fan of Star Trek and Star Trek games, being able to work on this mod has been a dream come true, and I can only hope that what I set forth today will be a worthy addition to our existing content. Star Trek: Armada III - The Final Frontier is in many ways my gift to the team and to all of our supporters and fans - it is a complete overhaul of the Armada III universe, bringing to you a system truly worthy of the Star Trek we all know and love. With the invaluable assistance of our dear leader, the exceptionally talented Max Loef, my dream of bringing "infinite diversity in infinite combinations" to your Star Trek gaming experience will finally be realized.
So, Ambarenya, you've prattled on about yourself, but what is your motivation?
The predominant motivation for The Final Frontier is to address something which I personally felt was sorely lacking in A Call to Arms: a sense of exploration and grandeur. Currently, you build your scout ships, and send them out without a care in the world what happens to them. You detect a planet and then forget about it until you can capture it. There is very little interest or concern in what you find, because it's all so expected. The random setups are predictable and unrealistic: tons of full-size planets, very few empty gravity wells or other phenomena, nothing that really inspires a sense of wonder, allows you to take advantage of a tactical situation, or devise truly unique paths to victory. It can be said that despite all these brilliant, realistic ship models, the universe surrounding them doesn't feel alive or real.
Looks like we've got a wise guy! So, what are you going to do about it, eh punk?
Star Trek: Armada III - The Final Frontier will completely revamp our existing planetary system, turning it from one of limited dimensions into what is arguably the most sophisticated and ambitious planetary system ever created for a Sins of a Solar Empire mod. Using principles derived from real-life exoplanetary science and the science of Star Trek, Max and I have crafted an expansive and highly-detailed planetary system that presents the player with a diverse and more realistic (and fun!) interstellar experience. You will encounter strange new worlds, you will seek out new life and new civilizations, you will boldly go where no one has gone before. As you may have seen from the Planetary Science Division seal, the motto of The Final Frontier expansion is "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" (IDIC), and while we may not be able to provide truly *infinite* diversity, we can provide enough diversity to give the sense that it is.
Well, Ambarenya, your silvered tongue may get you far, but I need to see the numbers.
Star Trek: Armada III - The Final Frontier brings to your computer the full diversity of the Star Trek universe. You will see many familiar vistas and faces in your travels in The Final Frontier, and a few new ones as well. But it all has all been designed with *you*, the Star Trek fan, in mind.
In its current state, the expansion is planned to have (or already has):
+ Nearly 100 distinct planet classes and corresponding moons, based on planets seen or described in Alpha and Beta canon, ranging from Class A Geothermals to Class Y Demon Worlds. We will likely include a number of "unique worlds" (i.e. Earth, Bajor, Cardassia) to be depicted in specific scenarios as well.
+ Nearly 150 distinct gravity well types, ranging from natural space phenomena, ancient space junk, capturable stations and ships, to resource sectors, and even the occasional ambush!
+ Over 40 distinct star types, including a full spectrum of main-sequence, dwarf, and giant stars, unique binary stars, as well as mysterious magnetars, and deadly Wolf-Rayets!
+ Nearly 200 class-based (and scientific or lore-inspired) planetary bonuses, ranging from strange geologic formations, to hostile flora and fauna, to rare mining deposits, to powerful relics of antiquity.
+ Around 40 Neutral factions, including some revamped old faces such as the Tholians and the Ferengi, but also a large number of new faces, including the Rakelli and the Hirogen, and also many unknown species along the way!
+ A deeply-researched scientifically-based background to each planet type, adapted into the game. No more arbitrarily decided statistics. Planetary stats and resources are calculated using an extensive matrix that takes into account 18 different planetary characteristics, such as: average surface gravity, average magnetic field strength, surface and atmospheric stability, and even a "humanoid habitability index".
+ A chance for random encounters with implacable enemies and dangerous state security threats! But, don't fret, it's not all bad, you may just encounter a friendly space alien or a Class-2 comet! News sources will also keep you up to date on the latest economic and social trends in the Quadrant.
+ New hi-res textures and models for planets, moons, stars, gravity wells, skyboxes, and new neutrals! We seek to bring everything up to the standard of excellence championed by the Armada III team's modellers and artists.
+ New set-piece maps designed to recreate scenarios from the Dominion War era, along with old favorites, random maps, and even a small number of old SOASE maps adapted for use in The Final Frontier (I'd like to put out a poll for a top-5 or top-10, depending on the amount of time I have to devote).
+ TFF has been built with modders in mind. All Galaxy Forge users should find that despite the vast amount of resources available to you when building custom maps, everything in TFF is standardized, clearly-labeled, and easy to work with. No more frantically searching for that strangely-named ship or planet.
+ Potentially more modules as time or willpower allows.
But what if I don't want it to be real? What if I like things the way they are? What if I play competitively?
Already ahead of you, my friend! Star Trek: Armada III - The Final Frontier is designed with you in mind too! It has been built from the ground up for maximum compatibility, and will not significantly change or remove the old Armada III maps that you enjoy. If you don't want to play the new way, then you don't have to. All maps will be intricately labeled to let you know what they are, and where they came from.
So, you've got this great expansion in the works, how long do I have to wait to play it?
Work continues on The Final Frontier, and, as is usual, we have not yet set a release date. However, a significant amount of work has already been done, so a release may not be more than a few months away. The expansion will require extensive testing to ensure both the stability and quality of the mod, but we are hopeful that when it is released, it will be of a caliber equal to, or exceeding any previous releases. We will also endeavor to keep you regularly appraised of the work that is being done.
Okay, cool. What now?
In conclusion, we sincerely hope that this expansion announcement will be welcome news to everyone, and we look forward to hearing what you might have to say about it. If you have any questions, feel free to post them here, or on the Armada III subreddit - discussions are always welcome! I will be reading!
This is the righteous and faithful Ambarenya, signing out.
Looking forward to this sooooo much. Keep up the amazing top notch work guys o7
HOLY CRAP I CAN'T WAIT!!!! This is amazing!!!
The proposals that this article says it will give is really mindblowing, even for a Sins mod. Generally buzzing right now for the upcoming updates and/or releases.
Seriously, they look amazing. Keep up the great work! :D
Great news!
Squeeze my balls and call me dave but before that a question. Are you going to get the option of random maps under this new system or just the aforementioned labelled ones?
Random maps are not going anywhere, my friend! You will have the choice of both set-piece maps and random maps in TFF.
Ooooooooooohhh x
TLDR option please...
tl;dr It's full of stars! ...and planets, and moons, and a whole lot more.
One can't shorten grandiosity, friend!
Read it if you have the time.
Any new ships? New models for existing ships? Or new tech?
Yes. Potentially. Potentially.
From what max has said Primarily Retextures but not factional ships he will update on more later :)
Obviously this sovereign comes from a timeline where the empire didn't fall.
either that or they stole all our tech lol
Well, not necessarily, since the Defiant exists in the mirror universe as well. We assume that the Terran Rebellion succeeded in defeating the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance (as hinted to in later DS9), reinstating the Empire. The ISS Imperator/Sword of Tyranny is the flagship of the restored Terran Emperor.
BEAM ME UP!
*needs new pants, again*
As a fellow modder, I have to ask, but feel free not to share your secret ways. How are you guys managing to include this much content without breaking the RAM limit? Armada III is already one of the more expansive and fantastic mods out there for SOASE and this just looks incredible.
The LAA offers us some breathing room. Though something like a new Faction will undoubtedly break the game at this stage in development.
I figured as much, but I was also guessing that 100+ planet textures and the like wouldn't exactly be kind to the RAM usage either haha
MIRROR UNIVERSE!!! YES!! Well played.
This is really what I'm looking forward to. TERRA MAGNUM IMPERIUM
Very excited, this is an extremely ambitious project and I really wish the Dev team every success. The focus with Sins is around conquering and expanding territory so I would like to know how the exploration aspect will work. Are the plans to upgrade the scouts and have them gain bonuses by simply being the first to get to certain worlds? If so, then the element of risk with either a positive bonus or a negative impact on the race. It would be great to see a Dev diary with a more detailed discussion on the upcoming changes.
Well, bonuses will not really be bestowed onto the factions themselves, but the rush to discover what's out there will drive players to pay more attention to their scouts and what they're finding. Furthermore, there will be events that scouts will not be able to just outrun, so you'll have to pay more attention to them. You will not expect what's out there because of the level of diversity. You could find anything - some good, some very, very bad. It's not just planets, asteroids, and neutrals anymore.
But yes, I'll definitely be writing up more about each aspect of the Final Frontier in the coming weeks and months. I'd like to provide at least two dev diaries a month, and hear the feedback as things progress.
It's not safe out here - it's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid.
Thank you so much for doing this! I have always wished for that little bit more from the exploration side of things :D
Nice, really looking forward to it. And that Terran Empire Sovereign-class just looks vicious, it's gorgeous!
I really love the passion you guys put into this mod, keep up the good work!
Oooooooh myyyy! This has got me almost as excited as I am for X-COM 2! Keep up the awesome work. o7
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wen dose it com out
This is fantastic news! Are there any plans to develop the way a player can interact with the other AI players, like negotiations for say a peace treaty or alliance?
I'm not quite sure what you mean. If you mean develop diplomacy more, then I'm afraid the answer is no. While I would love to see the diplomatic aspect of the game further developed, the game engine simply doesn't allow for it. :(
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I just want to say although I haven't had an account with Mod Base until now I just want to say that your work along with everyone apart of your hard working team have made an incredible mod to Sins of a Solar Empire. I never play one player games besides sins of a solar empire Star Trek - Armada III.
I am filled with excitement of the new mod for this game!
My only fear is when I do get to online play with friends, (or LAN party, yes I still do that, much more tactical) we typically crash :(. I dont know what it is but if there is away to make it more stable please do.
Keep up the astonishing work.
Regards,
-Pulsater
We might be able to help with those crashes if you give us more details.
Does it usually crash after about 10-20 minutes of gameplay?
Could it be possible to add the Constitution-class cruiser?
I have lobbied for it very heavily. Ultimately, it's up to Max to decide, but I think there is a very good case to be made for the Constitution refit to show up in some minor capacity in the game. It would never be a buildable ship, probably a one-off appearance in a warp-in fleet, or as a capturable derelict. If it were implemented, it would likely be equivalent in defenses and firepower to a TNG-era destroyer.
Will the Terran Empire be playable, or would it be possible for you to create a patch that re-skins TUFoP?
You will be able to capture Terran Empire ships, but on the whole, you will not be able to play as the Terran Empire (except in the sense that you can change your character portrait to a rogue-looking captain and your symbol to the Terran Dagger). The reason for this is that it would be an inordinate amount of work to reskin and redesign every Federation starship to fit the Imperial scheme, not to mention that we want to avoid adding any new playable factions for fear of game instability. A couple of new ships for neutrals is fine, but a faction with 40+ new starships, a new tech tree, new abilities, buffs, and new voices and sounds, is a problem. I think with TFF we are fast approaching the very limits of what this game can handle.
is it possible for you guys to remove the capital ship cap and fleet supply based on research and instead replace it with a kind of scaling to the number of planets and the development level of those planets? ive been playing sins for a while now and star trek armada for about half a year and thats always bugged me, the fact that no matter how many planets i control in the late game, im stuck with the same caps on my fleet... those same caps which i had when i only controled 1 sun.. instead of the 3 i have later on... i believe this would improve the late game challenge as, with most of the games ive played at least it end up with 2 or 3 final competitors... i want to have several ongoing titanic engagements while still being able to somewhat guard my territory from attack not have to separate my fleet peacemeal to protect my territories and then despatch what is frankly a pitiful force to conquer stuff... apart from that though, i ******* love this mod!!! keep up the brilliant work guys :)
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This is too awesome to handle