News - FX:Galaxy mod for Homeworld: Remastered

As of 27 July 2015 we only upload stable (tested) releases to our ModDB and main Steam page. The reason for this is that we noticed that each time we update our mod it has new bugs in it, and some of them are very annoying. However, the Steam workshop forces every player to use the latest version of the mod, so people cannot use older, stable versions.

This means that both ModDB and our Steam page will see less frequent releases, but that each release that does appear here will have more content in it and be stable with relatively few bugs.

Users who have access to the Steam version of Homeworld Remastered and enjoy the FXmod can subscribe to our BETA release page (here). BETA releases appear more frequently, but are untested (=likely several bugs). With your help we can track them down faster and finalize the next official release. Thank you!

When Homeworld Remastered was released back in 2015 we created a simple ModDB page to serve as the basis for the continued development of our HW2Classic version of the FXmod (FX:Commander) in the remaster. Under a new name (FX:Galaxy) the project also took on several new goals, varied in nature but united in the idea that we wanted to tap into the new modding possibilities that came with the remaster and do many new, exciting things.

Today, on the day of Homeworld’s 20th Anniversary, we want to give you an insight into what has secretly been in the works ever since the day we brought the FXmod to the remaster. Homeworld3 is coming, but before we travel to the future we’d like to invite you to a journey of our own – a journey across a living, dynamic Homeworld galaxy, where your choices will define and shape your own adventure. Welcome to FX:Galaxy’s RPG Mode. Welcome to Homeworld: The RPG.

About RPG Mode

RPG Mode is, as listed on the main page, a unique spin on Homeworld’s traditional Single-Player mode. We are keeping the RTS and Homeworld elements everyone knows and loves, but are expanding on it by adding an RPG-themed sandbox aspect to it. You will be able to freely travel to and between maps, complete map-specific quests, and build up your fleet in different ways. At the same time RPG Mode overhauls and adds more depth to several existing systems; the default RU system, for instance, has been replaced by an elaborate trading system in which will you gather the raw materials yourself. These materials can then be sold for money or processed into higher tier items, which in turn can be used to craft your own supplies or, ultimately, even assemble your own ships.

Overall, the theme of RPG Mode is freedom. Where you will go, what you will do and in what order is all up to you. We are stepping outside of the idea of a fixed, linear campaign by introducing new things you can do between (or alongside) following the main story for your faction of choice. Maybe you’d like to go exploring the galaxy and see what quests (and stories) are available in different maps. Maybe you’d like to become a trader, and convert your profits into an awe-inspiring fleet. With these options and more to truly carve out “your” own path and playstyle, your journey in RPG Mode will be a journey in every sense of the word.

At the same time we intend for RPG Mode to be a community project, through which both players and HW modders alike can realize some of their wishes (e.g. quests, map ideas). Together, we will be able to truly create a living, dynamic Homeworld galaxy.

The idea is that from now up to the point where we have a first (early) playable release ready for you – we are aiming for the next big update (FX v1.40) – we will be releasing periodical RPG Mode-themed newsletters, each previewing a different aspect of it. In this first entry we want to give an introduction to the project and its history, and give you an idea of our progress and the things to come.

History

The concept for RPG Mode dates back to 2010, when Hw_Lover started making Trading Mode for the Fairy Empire (Yaodu) mod. If you haven’t heard of it, it is a famous mod among Chinese players, where most members of the team are from too. Anyway, it was a huge success, and many players enjoyed this feature.

Since then many new ideas and possibilities came to mind, and since Hw_Lover had decided to make Trading Mode for the FXmod in the first place, development on what would become known as RPG Mode began back in 2014 in the v2.0 series of FX:Commander. At the same time Trading Mode continued to be updated in the Yaodu mod too, so two variants were being developed at the same time.

In 2015 Homeworld Remastered was released, and the team’s focus was shifted to porting the FXmod over to the remaster (FX:Galaxy). Efforts were complicated when Gearbox released the 2.0 patch for HWRM in 2016: due to some reasons the team had to spend another ~2 years on making the FXmod compatible with this version of the remaster. In December 2017 this finally culminated in the release of FX v1.25, and we could slowly shift our focus back to the future.

Concept

In order to give some more context to what RPG Mode is and does (outside of the description on the main page) let us consider the regular Homeworld experience for a bit.

Traditionally, Homeworld’s campaigns make you (the player) follow a set story; you have some freedom in the sense of how you choose complete a mission (especially in HW1), but things like objectives, key strategies and the “path” you follow through the galaxy are all set in stone. Everyone of us who has played Homeworld1 has assumed the role of the Kushan, and followed the same path to Hiigara; we all escaped the Nebula by destroying the Kadeshi Needleships, toppled the Super Nova Research station by utilizing the shielded veins..you get the idea. The point is that the key focus of Homeworld has always been its compelling story and combat, and while this indeed worked out wonderfully this also means that there has not been much room to explore other aspects that you’d also expect to come with life in space.

Through RPG Mode, we have a means to give you an insight into what happens “behind the screens” in Homeworld. For instance, instead of just ordering your collectors to harvest with one click and you then putting ships in the build queue with another you will be harvesting the raw materials yourself. As a normal person in space, you will need to consider those things that you logically expected to be there but you didn’t see or have to deal with as a Fleet Commander.

At the same time, we wanted to keep this sense of freedom. You can harvest raw materials and process them, but that doesn’t mean that you must – you may prefer to travel the galaxy and earn the majority of your income through quests and collecting space debris or lost goods. In such a case, your exposure to the logistics aspect would be limited to keeping an eye on your fuel and other supplies. Or you could do both, and alternate between the two.

A similar concept was applied to the system of travel. We wanted to keep the idea of a big “main” campaign for all factions on the table, but at the same time we also wanted to offer some alternatives. In RPG Mode advancing the campaign for your race is encouraged (e.g. rewards upon completing certain parts, new areas that are unlocked upon reaching certain levels), but it not the only thing you can do. You can decide to go back to that previously visited map and suddenly take a left turn to explore other areas of space, or decide to take a breather by building up your fleet, income and supplies before proceeding.

RPG Mode: An Introduction

Now that we have elaborated a bit on RPG Mode as a concept let’s take a look at how this translates to the game itself.

As mentioned previously, the goal of RPG Mode is to create the image of a big, living, dynamic galaxy. To that end we are aiming for a total of five playable races: The Hiigarans, Turanic Raiders, Taiidan, Kadeshi and Vaygr. As things are looking now the first build will launch with the Hiigarans as the only playable race with some content, but later on we will add other races with some starting content while also adding new content to the already playable races..you get the idea.

Each of the five races starts in its own quadrant of the galaxy, with their own maps, and own big main quest or campaign (story). Later on, as you travel further and farther, you’ll find areas that are used by several races, or might even venture into enemy territories, where some endgame systems may be set to take place. As you travel the galaxy you’ll learn many different stories and see many different things – among the map concepts are new areas of Karos, a military development and testing site for AIs, and a map where once a terrible battle was fought and sometimes actual ghost ships may be spotted.

Basics

Since the goal of this first newsletter is to give an introduction of RPG Mode, let’s start by taking a look at those strange new UI icons you may have seen in some of the above screenshots:

1. Funds – The galactic standard currency, replacing RUs as your money. Funds are acquired from (and used in) all manners of transactions; think purchasing (or selling) ships and items, repairing owned ships if you don’t have the supplies or units to do so yourself. They are also commonly awarded through quests.
2. Trade Level – Your trading proficiency. Doing business (selling items), refining or crafting items (processing), and completing non-combat tasks or certain quests will all contribute to your trading level. A higher trading level will unlock higher tier cargo vessels for purchase, allowing you to carry more items.
3. Military Level – Your combat proficiency. Your military level is raised by destroying enemy units or completing combat-oriented tasks or certain quests, i.e. everything you are used to doing in Homeworld. A higher military level will unlock higher class and stronger combat vessels for purchase, increasing the combat capabilities of your fleet.
4. Population – Your fleet capacity (current/max). Each unit takes up a different amount of capacity. Your fleet capacity is increased alongside your trade and military levels, but can also be increased further or improved via the skill system.
5. Skill System (WIP) – Your available skill points. Skill points are obtained as you increase your levels, and are used to unlock global research upgrades of various types. Think in terms of boosts to ship stats but also increased harvesting efficiency, sensor ranges. We will talk about the skill system in a later newsletter.
6. Date – The current date and time in GSY (Galactic Standard Year). Some tasks will have a deadline, and will need to be completed before that date. Think in terms of an item delivery (economy) or an attack on a certain ship before it leaves the area (military).

(Existing) Systems

Below is an overview of the planned systems for RPG Mode. There is a lot more to RPG Mode than what you see below (e.g. setting unit stats and prices, descriptions, creating maps, quest dialogues and rewards, event triggers), but we hope it will give you an indication of how far we are along and what will be coming in the future next to additional playable races and content for said races (quests, story, goods, etc).

Existing Systems

• Trading System (Operational): The core system of RPG Mode.
  -Harvesting System: In RPG Mode the traditional harvesting system (RUs) was replaced by our Trading System. Through harvesting you will obtain various raw materials, which can be used in several ways.
  -Processing System: Raw materials can be processed into higher tier items, which in turn can be used to craft supplies. Additional (ship) recipes will be added later.
  -Buy/Sell: Items and ships can be purchased from - and sold to - space stations or specific (NPC) units. An added gimmick is that the speed at which items are delivered is based on how close you are to the station. As a whole, you can refer to this aspect as the stevedore system.

• Questing System (In Progress): RPG Mode offers three types of quests: a campaign-style big or “main” quest (akin to Homeworld’s campaigns) that is automatically updated, map-specific (regular) quests, and dynamic objectives. Objectives are a fast way to earn funds and trade EXP, and are reloaded each time you complete one or change maps.
• Skill System (Operational (Early Alpha)): See above. The framework of the skill system is finished (all 12 planned skills have been implemented and are functional), but we will be further polishing its UI and icons before the first release.
• Ship Management (Operational): Some eligible units can be refit from one type (e.g. military) into another (e.g. cargo). In other cases, key weapon systems may be swapped out. This, along with repairs, can be done via the [Manage] tab when near a Shipyard.

Planned Systems (Near Future)

• Ship Module System: An addition to the Ship Refit System, this allows you to further modify your ships, based on subsystems.
• Ship Assembly System: The item processing (trading) will be expanded so you can build/assemble your own ships with materials.

Planned Systems (Distant Future)

These systems will remain in concept stage until both the existing and planned systems for the near future have been completed and implemented:

• Dynamic Event System: As part of a living galaxy, there will be a variety of possible events that can occur. Some may happen at specific moments, i.e. be scripted (e.g. a large Vaygr attack on Hiigara at some point), while others are randomly selected from a pool of possibilities (e.g. a damaged transport spawning on your map and creating additional [Event] quests for a limited time). The pool of randomly selected events may vary based on your current map, trade and military level.
• Broadcast System: As part of the above, there will be a broadcast system to tell player what is happening in nearby areas. For instance, if a dynamic event starts on a nearby map you may see a message, and be able to instantly teleport to that map for the next ~2 minutes in return for a small fee.

Coming up next..

With that we have come to the end of this first (20th anniversary-themed) newsletter. But worry not - you can still check out the [Images] section for more previews, or try out the mod itself while waiting for RPG Mode. We have also setup a preliminary Discord server that we hope to expand upon later: discord.gg/ekG3Wry

In the next newsletter we will be taking a look at the trading system in more detail, but for now do let us know what you think about RPG Mode so far - what are things you are looking forward to, want to know more about, or hope to see in this mode? Let us know in the comments (guests can post), and together we can truly create a living, dynamic Homeworld galaxy for you to travel in preparation for Homeworld3.

And with that, we will see you the next time!
-WH

Hello Hello, this is WildHeart speaking. How do you do?

At this time we're roughly half a year after the release of FX 1.39, and with Homeworld3 on the horizon the big question is: "What now?".

The short version is that Yes, we'd definitely like to try modding in HW3. The long version? You can read that below:

With the release of FX v1.39, the FXmod project has been put "On Hold". We are currently waiting for Homeworld3, which should be a lot easier to mod thanks to UE4. For us, it simply doesn't make much sense to go out of our way and have sleepless nights over building newscript libraries now, in HWRM, when a lot of that hard work will soon be obsolete in Homeworld3.

The other pieces of the puzzle are our real life situations, and the fact that we have more or less exhausted everything that is possible in HWRM. The increased frequency of "Out of Sync issues", which we later learned are caused by the true ballistics aspect of the 2.0 patch, meant that the mod's core concept (8 playable races in Multiplayer) had to be reconsidered. To that end we started creating additional Single-Player Content and features instead while working on RPG Mode. Then, Homeworld3 got announced.

Q: "What are the FXmod's plans for HW3? What about RPG Mode?"

HW_Lover: "It mainly depends on the difficulty of modding HW3 and the ability to mod HW3 at all, which remains unknown for now.

If it is possible to mod HW3 and it is easy enough, we will focus on building the RPG Mode in HW3.
Or, in case modding HW3 is easy but making RPG Mode on it is not, we will continue making RPG Mode on FXG in HWRM. But other than RPG, there will only be some fixes left for FXG in HWRM."

We'd like to wait and see what HW3 brings before we invest more time into developing RPG Mode in HWRM. But it would make little sense to move onto HW3 without RPG Mode having been unavailable in Homeworld Remastered at all..

RPG Mode Closed Test: How to Participate?

So to that end, after talking with Hw_Lover, we decided that we will be releasing what we have on RPG Mode so far by means of a CLOSED TEST BUILD. This build features a (very) early DEMO version of RPG Mode - there are no quests and few maps. More than anything, it is intended as a showcase of the core systems that we have made for RPG Mode so far, and for playtesting these systems.

If you are reading this and are interested in trying out the RPG Mode's closed test, you can find the instructions on our Discord. We welcome your feedback and thoughts on RPG Mode so far, and would like to know you would like to see from it in HW3/HWRM. Those ideas and wishes will help shape this mode going forward.

Q: "Can I help develop RPG Mode?"

HW_Lover: Models are always welcome. But what RPG Mode needs most are the designs of this HW universe we are going to build."

For those who are interested in helping, I advice you to get an idea of the HW universe we are trying to build by playing the RPG Mode Closed Test. You can use the Discord for discussing and giving feedback, I'll get the results via one of our guys.

The future of the FXmod will be centered around the development of our RPGMode. I'd like to interject with some more background information as to why we came to this decision below:

Back in the days of HW2Classic, the selling point of the FXMOD was that it ported over all races from HW1 and made them playable in HW2. In the present day, that is not something special - many mods have done it, though maybe not at the scale we have. But back then it was a big deal, especially since we added many new ships and features on top.

2015. Homeworld Remastered was released, and while it was great to see Homeworld get the love it deserves, there were a number of issues. Engine limitations and an overdose of out-of-sync issues (we recently learned this was caused by the "true ballistics" aspect of the 2.0 update) killed the Multiplayer aspect of FXG and many other mods.

So, while Hw_Lover and the others kept working on RPG Mode, which had been in development already, we also started making new Single-Player content instead, which had been neglected since the FXCommander days. This resulted in 3 brand new SP missions, 2 new tutorials, and the pride and joy of the HW:RM version of the FXmod: our 33-stage challenge mode, The Shimmering Path.

Now, after considering all options, we think that our focus going forward should be RPG Mode, regardless of whether that will be in HWRM or in HW3.

So far, the FXMOD told our story of Homeworld's 8 races - through Deathmatch (and later, the new Single-player campaigns). However, in the HWRM version of our mod some models still are using HW2C textures even now..and even the HD HWRM models will probably look outdated and of low quality in Homeworld3. Besides the fact that we'd have to redo and redesign all existing units, there is also the notion that the "8 Multiplayer races" model from HW2C has run its course by now.

So, the idea is that we will instead use all existing HWRM FXmod assets for RPG Mode instead of bringing the 8 HWRM factions over to HW3 as playable factions. What will come to replace it, if we decide to make other contents besides RPG Mode? Will HW3 even be modable, or will it not and will RPG Mode continue to be made on HWRM? We'll have to see!

Q: "What was the thing you were the most happy to have achieved in the HWRM version of the FXmod?

HW_Lover: "The Shimmering Path. Its popularity and the players' reactions to it are really beyond my expectations. The new AI is cool, too. Easy to adjust, being able to mine, repair ships and dock units, very challenging."

WildHeart: "For me, it's the Taiidan mini-campaign and the "bonus" stages of Shimmering Path. If only you could see all the work that went into the TAI Mini. . . designing a big map, thinking out every possible scenario, what players could do, making sure everything happens at the right time.. Did you know that there are 30+ pages of .lua code just for making the Keepers in HW2 M08 and M10 do what they do?"

And that's it for today! We hope to see you pop by the Discord for the closed test of RPG Mode - and even if you're not participating, you'll still find us there for updates, gameplay tips and matches from and with fellow FXmod players, and more.

See you in HW3,
-WH

Hello Hello, this is WildHeart speaking. How do you do?

The thumbnail for this newsletter might look familiar to you - and if you visited the mod's page in the last few days (or played the FX:Commander version of our mod in HW2C), it should! The Vaygr Defense Cruiser is here as the latest addition to "biggest & baddest" category of Homeworld spaceships, and it is packing enough heat to warm up even the coldest Outer Rim nights. If you checked out its official reveal you already know that getting anywhere near this thing is not recommended, and we will be looking to you to truly make the galaxy understand this.

FX v1.39 - A Special Release

The Vaygr Defense Cruiser is one of the many extras we were able to cram into the upcoming 1.39 build of the FXmod since the previous patch preview was posted. Codenamed "Last Stand", we truly have gone up and beyond with this beast - everything has been smoothed out and rebalanced, new content and features have been added, and the whole package feels more a lot more solid, finished and complete than the FXmod ever was before.

The best part of it all? It may well be coming to you before the year is up! At the time of writing this the last tests have already concluded, and the patch notes have already been sent over - all that we are waiting for now is for our guy to find a moment to finish compiling everything. When this will be?

We are aiming to deliver FX v1.39 right under your Christmas tree.

If Santa's helpers go on strike it will be before the end of the year and otherwise, in our worst case scenario, you will be playing Build 1.39 no later than in January 2022!

From Here on Out: 2022

FX:Galaxy, RPG Mode, and Homeworld3.

While designing the new Taiidan mini-campaign, we came to feel that "Last Stand" would be an appropriate name for the 1.39 Build for various reasons. Not only because you are attacking the Vaygr's last stand in Taiidan space, but also because we felt "Last Stand" reflected our plans for the mod as a whole.

With Homeworld3 set for arrival in Q4 2022, now more than ever we need to think about the future. This was hammered down the other day when Complex, which started around the same time as us back in the days of HW2Classic, announced that it will conclude its Homeworld activities in February 2022, marking the end of an era.

We don't know what the future holds, and life has made us realize that nothing can be set in stone - nothing can be taken for granted. Thus, our plans for the FXmod are as follows:

1. First, we felt that we really wanted to release at least one more build in the V1.X series of the FXmod. Not only simply because we wanted to add more content, but also because we felt like we wanted to tie up some loose ends, and just make the mod feel more "complete". This is the upcoming FX v1.39 build.
2. FX 1.39 will, for the time being, be the last planned REGULAR release for the FXmod in Homeworld Remastered. The other idea behind this release and name, "Last Stand", was that if no new version of FX is made (or is able to be made) in the future, we can at least look back with satisfaction and think "Yes, we left the FXmod for HWRM in a good place".
3. In 2022, we will put our full focus on our RPG Mode. Aside from having one more regular release, our other goal was (and is), to release a playable DEMO version of our highly anticipated RPG Mode before Homeworld3 is here. This is our second biggest goal, which should culminate in the release of FX v1.40 - RPG Mode (demo) somewhere in 2022.
4. Many players have asked us about our plans for Homeworld3. The short version is: Yes, we will try to mod HW3 when it comes out. "Try" is the keyword here. I will elaborate on this answer with the longer version:

FX:Galaxy in Homeworld3 (?)

Homeworld3 is set to use the UnrealEngine4. This has already made some modders declare that they will be migrating to HW3 when it comes out. Of course, we are big Homeworld enthusiasts and modders, so we would like (and will) try to mod Homeworld3 too.

However, there are a few things for us to consider.

For one, there is the size of the FXMOD. We started back in 2003, and as such are one of the biggest Homeworld mods around. While this is nice for the players, there are a few downsides for us. First, the FXmod is COMPLEX (no, I'm not talking about the other mod) - if you've read our 2.0 Developer Diary, or browsed through the Open-Source code of our mod (scripts), you will see what I mean. Something like the animation effect of the Nebula's main cannon already requires a good deal of code .. now imagine all other fx, the animations, the mini-campaigns, the AI behavior which we rewrote from scratch...in fact, the FXmod is so massive, that we had to develop our own script library (X-System) and ship it with the FXmod to make everything work.

Twice we had to redo everything already. The first time was when we migrated our mod from Homeworld2Classic to Homeworld Remastered. This was okay, but the second time was when GBX launched the 2.0 patch, which broke everything for us and other modders, and made us spent nearly 2 years solely on making everything work again. It would take another few releases on top to truly squash out all the remaining issues.

The second point of consideration is this: The FXmod was originally made as a race expansion mod, a port that brought the HW1C races into HW2C (before Homeworld Remastered, the HW1 races didn't exist in HW2). HWRM then did the same and improved the graphics, so we started expanding on content instead: new single-player missions, new systems and features, and newer, bigger spaceships while trying to bring the older ships from the HW2C version of our mod up to high-quality standards.

From the looks of it, Homeworld3 will be set all over the galaxy, and as such will be featuring many races: aside from the Hiigarans, we've seen previews for (allegedly) the Vaygr and Taiidan. If this is the case, where does this leave the FXmod? Do we continue our original concept, telling the story of all HW races in one game, or do we start over, as something brand new?

For example, if we continue with the current 'identity' of FX (all HW races in one game) then yes, we could use the ships of factions provided by HW3 .. but what about other races that may not appear in HW3, but are a key component of the FXmod and Homeworld in general, like the Kadeshi and Turanic Raiders? If we decide to continue with the current FX concept, there is the case of graphics, too - there still are many ships that use HW2 kitbashed graphics, or the "HW2.5" HQ graphics we used in HW2C. Most of these still look decent in HWRM (unless you zoom in too closely), but for HW3 we would definitely need to redo those. And what to think of the Progenitor ships and other big ships we made in HD, for HWRM? Will they still look good in HW3? Will there still be a role for those ships?

Lastly, there is the point of "time". Many original FXmod team modders left between HW2C and HWRM, and those who remained turned from students to adults/fathers. We have less people, less time..really all the work that went into the HWRM releases was done by a small group of people, who put time into those releases out of love for Homeworld - we don't get paid, or take money for modding HW. By the time HW3 comes out, will there still be a large enough userbase left to support modding? Will we still have time, or will there be people willing to pick up the torch?

As Hw_Lover put it:

It won't be easy considering the size of FX MOD, we will try to mod HW3 when it come out, to see what it would take. But we really can't make any promises just yet.

A Finishing Note

The future is not decided. But in the present, we hope you will enjoy our upcoming FX 1.39 release, and will look forward to a first release of our RPG Mode in 2022! With that, thank you for reading, enjoy the holidays, and stay safe. And as always, feel free to drop by our Discord for occasional updates, multiplayer matches, guides, or just a chat with fellow FXmod enthusiasts.

Best Wishes!
-The 9CCN Mod Team

Homeworld3 and our own RPG Mode are looming in the distance, but before you can look to the future you've still got a few matters to take care of in the present Homeworld Galaxy first. A year and some months after the release of Build 1.37, the FX:Galaxy mod is returning with a bonus release for the 1.3X series - and it will be our biggest update yet.

Read on below to discover the key features of the new build, which will be released as FX v1.39 "Last Stand". And, of course, feel free to drop by our Discord for occasional updates, multiplayer matches, guides, or just a chat with fellow FXmod enthusiasts.

1. Taiidan Mini-Campaign

The biggest reason for the delay and also the namesake of the upcoming build, the Taiidan mini-campaign is the fifth custom single-player mission to join the ranks and the most ambitious one yet.

In this mini-campaign you assume command over an elite Taiidan fleet, and use the new Battleship and its (limited) Capital Ship fleet to secure victory in an epic battle against the Vaygr, reminiscent of the Thaddis Sabbah mission in HW2. Three optional mid-mission objectives that focus on various aspects of Homeworld (e.g. capturing, guarding) can be completed to gain an advantage for the final battle and unlock new achievements.

The full backstory for this mission will be included with the patch notes.

2. New Shimmering Path Bonus Stage - EX3

Following on with the Single-Player content, Build 1.39 will add the third and final bonus stage for those who have completed (or complete) our 33-stage Challenge Mode "The Shimmering Path": Stage EX3 - Re:Match

This stage follows a rather unique setup in that the player will randomly load into one of four possible scenarios each time it is played. The maps are based on the key missions of HW1 and HW2, and so the idea is that you'll have a chance to "redo" the key moments of both games in an alternative universe in the Shimmering Path/Deathmatch style, and experience both factions' perspective.

• Re:Hiigara (KUS vs TAI) is a mix between the first and final missions of HW1 - the map itself is Kharak (M01), but it incorporates aspects from the final mission (M16) like the background, an asteroid belt separating both players, and the TAI mothership being unable to move (if you are playing against it). Both sides also start with a Scaffold, as a bit of a reference to how you could play as either faction in the HW1 Classic campaign.
• Re:Tanis (HGN vs VGR) meanwhile is set on an expanded map of HW2 M01 (Tanis), where Makaan is spearheading the assault on the Mothership himself. The music player has been disabled for both of these stages, so both stages will play their appropriate campaign tracks for added immersion.

3. AI Diplomacy System

We have previously posted a short video of the recreated Pilot View function (Enhanced Camera System), but by far the biggest feature in FX v1.39 is the new AI Diplomacy System.

In short, this is a test application of the new Selectable Conversation System and Reputation System that we recently developed for our upcoming RPG Mode. What it does? It brings the Diplomacy system from Multiplayer to Offline mode and greatly expands on it. Co-operate with allied AIs as if they were human players, and open up new paths to victory!

In-game, you will be able to talk with AIs and do various things based on Reputation system. First, you increase your reputation with allied AIs by gifting them ships or RUs. Then, depending on your reputation level, you may request ships/RUs from them yourself, or discuss tactics with them (e.g. ask them to attack/defend a target). AIs may sometimes also have similar requests for you as well, giving you another method to increase your reputation with them.

For Enemy AIs (reputation locked to -100), you can advise them to surrender - if the AI calculates that a loss is inevitable, they may accept defeat, significantly cutting the time spent on post-battle cleanups in e.g. The Shimmering Path.

These are just some samples of the new possibilities with this system. The full details on how to use it will be in the Patch Notes. We hope you will enjoy this new feature annex preview at RPG Mode!

4. Graphics & QoL

The above aspects of the upcoming build account for much of the time that went into the next release, but not all of it. Since FX v1.39 will be the final pre-RPG Mode release for our mod, we have also spent a significant amount of time on polishing. In addition to the previously mentioned Kadeshi Fleet Color support the zealous defenders of the Garden now have their own fleet command voice, for instance.

The Standard PvP Mode received an updated ruleset and new map thumbnails that highlight the locations of RUs on the map, allowing you to plan ahead while waiting for the match to start.

Among other changes is an update to the Music Player that especially those of you who like to record the FXmod for videos will welcome, as well as new achievements, bug fixes and balance adjustments. The Kadeshi (Fleet colors, fleet command voice), Progenitors (2 new HD units) and Turanic Raiders (balance rework) in particular have received much attention.

Coming Next..

At this moment we are working to finalize the next build and then move onto testing it. The goal is to release the public, tested build of FX v1.39 this summer (July/August) as a 'bonus' release in the 1.3X series. We have also been busy working on the RPG Mode, as the goal for the next big release after 1.39 (v1.40) will be to provide a playable DEMO version of RPG Mode.

As we approach the release of FX v1.39, keep an eye out on our ModDB page for other updates or previews. Thanks for reading, and we will see you at the upcoming release.

-WH