Unified Hiigaran Fleet mod for Homeworld 2

Unified Hiigaran Fleet 0.0.3 - Released September 19, 2008
-- A Homeworld Universe Mod --

Please read the entire readme file for a near complete list of issues.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the file UHF-0.0.3.big into your HW2 data directory, and copy the shortcut to wherever you like - usually the desktop.

Sample Shortcut Target:

"C:\Program Files\Sierra\Homeworld2\Bin\Release\Homeworld2.exe" -mod uhf-0.0.3.big -nomovies -luaTrace -hardwareCursor

The included Shortcut and path will work for standard installations of HW2, modify the shortcut if your HW2 is in a different location.

FEATURES:

108 Ships converted from Homeworld 1 & Homeworld Cataclysm (19 not worth building yet)

Three full additional races: The Kushan (which feature Kushan, Hiigaran & Kiith ships) the Turanic Raiders & the Taiidan
One partial additional race: The Bentusi - unfortunately there has been no work on this team since 0.0.2

AI Enemies:

NEW for 0.0.3 - Kushan, Taiidan & Turanic Raiders as well as the original Hiigaran & Vaygr have full working AI,
the Bentusi do not.

Note: I have noticed some differences in game play when using the Turanic Raiders as an AI opponent (don't know if
it is a good difference or not). Should work well with most combinations of enemy teams.

NEW for 0.0.3 - Research: Has been implemented for all races except the Bentusi - Custom Salvage and debris

NEW for 0.0.3 - Team Colors: On all Kiith, Kushan & Taiidan ships, Partial coverage of the Turanic, None for the Bentusi

NEW for 0.0.3 - Homeworld 1 Ion effects for Destroyers & Ion Frigates - A few specialty levels - A few custom nebulas

NEW for 0.0.3 - A few custom Turanic subsystems & fighter models

NEW for 0.0.3 - All of the Homeworld 1 backgrounds - There are a few that have black triangle bugs & a few that
the color of the background does not shade into the black (un-modeled? space). Most of these backgrounds
are used with "Crimson Bond" as the level data for now.

Homeworld 1 Audio Tracks - Track six does not work, all others are fine

NEW Ships for 0.0.3: 48 New Ships added (10 not worth building yet)

Credits: Listed in game

Comments, suggestions and feedback of all types are appreciated.
Contact: chris80502@hotmail.com

Please keep in mind that this is still an in process project and as such there are a bunch of things which are unfinished or at various stages of completion. Uploading now, awaiting moddb authorization.

chris80502 - 9-19-08

IHello again, though it is not like me to update two days in a row, after writing up the things I have been working on I was inspired to go back to my Special Teams edit of Mikails Special Fleets mod. After a little work, and a bunch of WTFs I have figured out both how to restrict ships & research, and figured out a way to add either team of the shared prefix without having to always have the primary team mothership jump in as well. Two problems remain, sending a global variable to restrict.lua so it knows which team version the player is selecting (so it knows which ships not to build per team so like: playing Kadesh, so restrict Taiidan ships or vice versa - where the Taiidan & Kadesh are coded as the same team to share the TDN_ prefix) & finding a work around for that random race position, thus it does appear that this will solve the race problem for good as it seems that you could add any number of races using this shared approach. Considering that the AI will build about anything you dump into it that it can it would appear that it will work as an AI opponent as well, too bad you can only play six at a time.

- chris80502 - 10-28-08

Hello everyone, I'd like to inform you all of a new mod idea that is just starting.

Forums.relicnews.com

This is a Homeworld Universe mod idea wherein the community decides which content gets into the mod and also who leads the mod. I have donated the bulk work of UHF to this project. I have nominated these materials to be used for the classic Homeworld 1 and Cataclysm eras. If this new project does get off the ground that will be where these teams are showcased. We will be starting a new Moddb site soon that will list the nominated material & team members, but for now the thread above has all the information about what this is and what we'd like to do.

I have also re-hosted my original website for UHF, Chris80502.obxhost.net , though kind of a mess and not updated too recently. It does have a relatively up to date Somtaaw page and also provides a tutorial for importing Homeworld 1 & Cataclysm ships into Homeworld 2 - this can also be used as a template for getting any model into Homeworld2.

- chris80502 - 2-10-09

Hello again, we've had some breakthrouh concepts come to life over the past few days on the forum thread. Two functional ways of incorporating any number of teams to HW2 period. I'll let the viewer read the discussion on the thread but here is a screen of the Kadesh race previously unavailable for play in 0.0.3, there is also a pre-release edition on the forums, keep in mind it is an alpha of the next UHF - and take note of the settings to be used - I should have all the teams added to the scripts within a few days. One final note, only the Taiidan Kadesh team combo is avaialbe in that release and have since changed the Kushan to be solid Kushan for the normal team and Somtaaw for the first alternate team.

Chris80502.obxhost.net

I hope everybody likes it, I'm still a little in shock that I got my version to work so well and easily adjustable or scaleable. I'll also be putting out a new UHF with these new features and the other improvements some time soon, the number system is being revised as well do to multiple alpha releases - the version on the forum will be 0.3.4 - (0.3.3 was still messed up and is still in a post in the thread, so no need to download that one). Have fun.

- chris80502 - 2-14-09

Another update, a full scale mid-release is being offered to showcase my team switching idea. There are eight races featured:

Hiigaran - Turanic Raiders
Vaygr - Beast
Kushan - Kiith
Taiidan - Kadesh

I will be adding the rest (Bentusi, Progenitor & more) at a later time, and keep in mind this version is again a pre-release and has many issues - it's basically to promote the idea. Also this version has no issues as far as options, just pick the race from the player setup, and switch to alternate in the game options if desired. You can find the download at the forum thread linked above - v0.3.5.

- chris80502 - 2-16-09

Hello everyone, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has been here for the Unified Hiigaran Fleet Mod, your kind words and constant support helped me to create this mod. It's been a great run, ranked number one for days in a row at times here on moddb and not just of Homeworld but of all of moddb (specifically on release dates, 0.0.1 & 0.0.2), and I thank you all for that as well. I'm just glad I could bring you all a little piece (the Kushan & Somtaaw) of the Homeworld Universe that we were all missing. Though not totally complete UHF will cease production at this time. Don't worry though the bulk work of UHF will more than likely be used for the individual classic teams of the Homeworld Universe mod and if there is anyone who would really like to see the UHF team for the HWU mod, its as easy as scripting so give a shout out and I'll see about getting it done.

Heres the new moddb page: Moddb.com

The forum page is the same and there has been quite a bit of progress. There is also a new alpha version avaialble in the signature of my username, chris80502A.

Again to everyone, thanks for everything, from ideas to a helping hand to donated material, and to all the people who created the wonderful freeware tools that made it possible to do, to the creators of the game, it's designers and concept people, its modelers and texturers and all the other people involved in the creation of the games and for the fact that they went to the effort to make the game (HW2) so mod-able, so flexible and just plain so much fun and to even help with some of the tools needed to get started.

chris80502 - 3-14-09