Hello FX fans,
Many of you have been asking about the plans for FX:Commander, seeing as the release of HW:RM is inbound on February 25th. Through this newspost we hope to provide some answers.
Before anything else, it should be said that 9CCN, like the rest of us, is very much hyped about and looking forward to the release of HW:RM. One of the guys said this:
Gearbox really gives us a wonderful Chinese New Year gift (the Chinese New Year is Feb 19th and the celebration usually lasts for 7 to 15 days)
From Here on Out
- Will FX:Commanders continue in HW:RM?
Simply said, it is too early to tell. The team is still thinking about what their next move will be. But the signs so far have been positive.
- Why is it too early to make the call now?
Because many details about HW:RM and the modding tools/support etc. remain yet unclear at this point. Furthermore, some of the old guys on the team may not have time to learn about those new mod tools and will quit, but other, younger modders are eager to try the new engine and succeed 9CCN's name.
The story of FX won't end, although we may change its name from FX:C to FX: Next Generation or something like that. We will continue our work as soon as we get used to the new mod tools
- So is there perspective?
I'd definitely say so. HW:RM has 4 playable races in MP from what we have seen (Kushan, Taiidan, Hiigaran and Vaygr), but the FXmod also has the Kadeshi, Turanic Raiders & Progenitors as fully playable races (Bentusi WIP), each with their own models/animations/effects/fx and playing styles. Basically, the FXmod has its own style. The new generation within 9CCN may thus step up to continue the project their mentors have been working on for so long.
About FX v2.2
The release of FX 2.2 was originally scheduled to be before the Chinese New Year (Feb 19), but due to the incoming release of HW:RM it has been decided to publish it sooner -- probably later this week. This version is most likely the final release of FX:C for the old or 'classic' Homeworld 2.
FX v2.2 will re-introduce the Hiigaran / Vaygr as playable races as well as allow players to try the Bentusi for the first time. Bear in mind that since this version was scheduled for release at a later point, it will be incomplete: the Hiigaran and Vaygr are still not well-balanced, and the Bentusi are far from done. Even if so, we hope the fans will enjoy this release.
I have already asked the guys if FX 2.2 will come with an English patch, will edit this post once I have an answer.
What else is there to say, thank you for following us all this time. Be sure to keep an eye on the mods list for HW:RM -- if the team decides to continue their work in remastered, a page for the mod will be put up there as soon as possible (FX: New/Next Generation/Frontier or something in that spirit).
If you have any final questions, feedback or just want to show some the team some love for all the work they have done on the mod over the years, now would be a good time ;)
Regards,
WildHeart|GENESIS & liuruoyang1995
So I guess now would be a good time for me tell my story.
My first encounter with the FXmod was when LeviathansWrath gave me the link to 1.711, the 'first' release in the series (hotfix for the bugged 1.71). What can I say, I was immediately hooked. I always loved Homeworld1, and although HW2 was great I felt it could never compare to the original -- not in atmosphere, feeling or gameplay. Back then the mod didn't really do much besides porting the HW1 models to HW2 (remember the Taiidan ships without color support and with HW1 models?), but I still loved it and stuck around.
I have many great memories of the FXmod. I played a good amount of multiplayer games with friends and enjoyed PlayerVsCpu just as much. In an attempt to help the guys at 9CCN out with their international fanbase, me and Bromly decided to setup a forum and later a ModDB page. Although we were not part of the team, we still wanted to do it. The news on this awesome mod just had to be spread -- international fans who loved this mod like we did just had to have some sort of 'beacon' or reference point they could come back to. Or so we thought.
I just want to say a big BIG thanks to 9CCN for all the amazing work they have done on this and (hopefully) will continue to do in HW:RM. I have seen the mod build itself up and develop into something that I'd personally call Homeworld 2.5. The FXmod gave me the 'Homeworld1' feeling back, and had me come back to the game over and over after I'd grown tired it.
If you weren't at PAX South you should watch the entire Homeworld:Remastered Collection panel. I think you'll find that most of what you guys use won't have changed, especially since they've had people from the modding community helping with it's development, Including some of the Complex mod team!!
even if I like HW:RM, Im just gonna end up playing FXmod on hw2 classic
also, will Hiigaran and Vaygr make a neturn in 2.2?
From what I heard they will, yes. It's up to the guys on the team to confirm or deny this, though.
Having both the option to play classic and remastered in the Collection im still going to enjoy FX:Commander, hope the best for you guys.
The Lua coding will stay the same, but coders will have the opportunity to learn new tricks. The modding tools will be oriented to 3DS max. I believe you're already using 3DS. It will only be a problem for guys like me that were using MS3D, for example. Also, CFHod editor is an open source and it will be easy to adapt to the new HOD format (I call it HOD5), provided we have coders to do that.
If you guys want to make a new game mode, just needing new assets like stations and merchant ships, just send a message, that I'll send you a PDF.
Anyway, given you'd be able to keep the skills, I still recomend that you remaster the units that you have created, like the Taiidan Shipyard. There will be a perfect spot in modding for a team that brings to the game many concept arts that never made it in the past. I know you have at least one ship made from the concept art. In HWR MOD we have the JAK's Taiidan carrier, that is way cooler than the original (IMO). But I'm not sure JKBerna will be willing to remaster it.
Thanks for your reply -- very informative. I have forwarded it to the guys so that they can take a look at it :)
Would it not be smarter to hold the upgrade to HW:RM till the multiplayer beta is over?
Although I may not have too much time working on the project, with HW:RM coming, I'll keep trying to sculpture new ships with better model & texture than these I've ever made.