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
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
1.34 Compatible:
1.01 Release:Full Download:http://distantstars.mmobase.com/diplomacy/Distant_Stars_(D)_1.01_[45685832].7z
1.051 Compatible:
Beta 0.9951 Release:Full Download:http://distantstars.mmobase.com/entrenchment/DS_Entrenchment_Beta_0.9951_[36672852].7z
1.14 - 1.181 Compatible:
Version 1.01:Full Download:http://distantstars.mmobase.com/soase/Distant_Stars_v1.01_[453701567].7z
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 & Sundays9pm EST (2am GMT) Saturdays & SundaysIf 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\SettingorWindows 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 FALSEChange FALSE to TRUELogOutput 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 website12,000GB (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!
Thx. Though I feel I did a better job with the others.
Cool, just out of curiosity, if I am 42, that makes you what when I was born. -20...
More like -12.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
I'm 29, Bison.
and it was a religious reference. Even of the priest is younger than you, you still call him father.
This seems nice.
Lol!
I bow to your solid year more of experience in life, father!
So much fun comes out of confusion
On a more constructive note.... I am having difficulty figuring out what to do with the front of the Hellion. Because it is a mash up, there is a LOT of intersecting parts that don't blend well. I may have to build a new model off of this one just to get it working right.
Therefor, I would like input on how to make the front look good. I like the Siege Cap shape, but there is no way to put the wings on the sides very well, unless I super elongate the missile pods.....
Gah, too many options!
A picture for reference.
Should I post this in the modeling section of the Mods topic too? Maybe for more feedback? I'm really interested in what you DS folks are interested in first, due to it being for you all
I'm not sure why you don't like the front end. I like the evil looking three prongs, and the smaller wings jutting out actually flows surprisingly well. Even the bridged section slowping down to pull it all together works well, I think. The biggest concern I've heard is that the egg doesn't fit well. I agree in part, but that would make a restructuring of the slope necessary, but I'mm not sure how until I see the eggless form.
I guess it is more of the middle part that bugs me. The strike craft bays with the sloping front just bothers me.....
And I'm going to start an "eggless" version now.
Yay. My Criticism was considered Constructive! I think.
I too like the way the front is set up The prongs sloping into the Devastator Hull looks awesomely imposing, and the front also fits with the Wave Motion Gun the current Vasari Flagship is sporting. If you could find a way to blend those together better, and managed to make the wings more prominent (probably will be accomplished with the loss of the Egg) it would be perfect.
Keep at it, SivCorp
The prongs are critical. I use an ability there (ability point 4). Plus it just looks awesome.
So, I'm guessing I got a botched up program or something. I know there should be more profile pics. I'm certainly missing the Ue soldier and the Advent chick from the Con. Meanwhile, I'm not seeing the new icons. I'll have to jump about and figure out what's up. That aside, I was just playing with the flagships a bit. Definitely a nice addition. Once we get settled on models, I'll have to come up with player cards and Tree images, unless there was someone who had a program that automatically makes those simple, monochrome images (I thought I heard someone say that). And if it's decided that new images are need for the abilities, I'm sure I can work something up.
So, can we start incorporating the new flagships into the Lore? SivCorp kinda got his wish in us justifying his (perhaps it no longer has to be immobile?!?). I have an idea how to bring one in. *giggles like ticklish three year old*
Already got my plans for TEC though we may be able to work out a compromise.
*evil little laugh*
So the homeship may be able to fly again? Exxxxxcellet!
Let me know if you want a "sighting" of my lore ship to inspire your stories in the DS lore....
And yes, the prongs are critical. It is just the slop down into the straight section that doesn't blend well. I'll get something working for it soon.
The profile pics are there in the official DS release, it's just that last column isn't being pointed to. As for the new icons, they're there too, but also not being pointed to unless you use the flagship mod. I made all of the necessary corrections for that already which Ryat included in his latest release.
I'm all for including them in the lore just as long as people know that like in Highlander, there can be only one (per faction).
Yeh! I had the same issue.
I have an idea, though I was thinking of creating a completely new mid section and attaching the wings from the Kortal and the horns from the Desolator. You may be able to come up with something good anyhow, so please don't stop trying things out on the account of what I am trying. It may be a complete failure. Matching the style and quality of the Sins textures is not an easy thing, esspecially for a hobbiest. It will be a good learning experience for me anyhow.
It will most likely be some time before I can finish it due to real life commitments also, but I should have the model without textures for people to see if they like it, done in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed. Longer again for the textures if I can get the model right.
Best of luck with it.
Oh! and nice work Ryat and everybody with the DS team, great stuff. I wish I had more time to spend playing.
Not sure if this has been posted before but I keep getting a crash when Playing DS-Gateway upon colonizing an astroid using the Vasari colonization Capital Ship. Diplomacy V 1.2, DS V 0.99 B2 (Beta Two).
Nope will give it a run through.
What version of the game do you have, and what version of DS? It'll help us to narrow down the cause.
Not to beat an old horse already down, I don't have an ATI card, an nVidia GT220 and have this same issue, not with just dessert planets but also with many others like Terran worlds and Arctic worlds. Removing the Mesh files seems to remove the dark patches, however if I do remove it I seem to go into a dump when I go to exit the game. The only mods being used are the DS mod and it's extra files (excluding the pirate one as they give me problems enough)
I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 with 2 dual core Optrons and 6gb of ram. the GT220 has 1gb of ram of it's own. Direct X is fully patched and updated. (tried it) nVidia drivers are the latest release version so up to date also.
I'm not much of a modder but everything seems to point at the mesh files as the graphical problem source... unless something else could be causing it and the mesh files simply are a symptom of another problem that is coming to light.
Not sure how to go about checking this however.
There are ways to go about this. First, simply delete the textures for Terran, Desert, Ice and Volcanic planets. There are two each, you must delete them both (da and cl). Play the game and it should revert to using the originals provided with Sins. If the error remains, and they might, use the textures that I provided.
http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/TextureFixA.rarhttp://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/TextureFixB.rar
Play the game. If the messed up look continues to remain then yes, you have bad meshes, and you can't simply delete those because of the way the planets in DS are done. Most of the time they reference protoplanet meshes and there's no such thing in unmodded Sins, so you will crash if you remove those and they are called for.
In which case, you can keep the textures and download the meshes I use.
http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/Mesh.rar
Since I play my game using those textures and those meshes, I know there shouldn't be any issues. If there still are, then your only option at this point would be to delete the contents of your mod folder and download a new full copy of DS which will not have these issues for sure.
If that still fails to fix the problem, then it is out of our hands because there's something wrong with your PC.
I got tired of working on the eggless Vas ship.... So I took a break from the aliens and made the Kol 3.0
What ya think? Not so fragile looking now
More like a bit overdone.
Now that is a vicious combo...
Hmmm.... It's certainly beefy looking, and it sure as hell looks dangerous, but it's just so noisy. The underside especially so. The off-center Kol hull looks a tad weird too, and that connector between the two main hull segments on the top of the ship looks like a huge weak spot in the overall design.
Personally, I would center the forward part of the Kol, as well as shave off some of the superstructure on the bottom of the ship.
Beyond those personal nitpicks, I actually like the overall design aesthetic. It comes across as tank like and dangerous, and that is exactly how a TEC capital ship should look.
Almost didn't notice you added the info. Thanks.
Upon further review, it's the asteroid colonize issue experienced during the beta test causing the problem. Asteroids can be colonized, but as soon as a Vasari player attempts to grab a dead asteroid, we get the Sins version of the Blue Screen of Death. Anyway, the fix is simple and there are multiple options for completing it. They are listed in order of preference.
Option 1:
Step A: Copy the BuffPlanetConstructionBoost.entity file from the game's Diplomacy\GameInfo folder 64bit Vista users will find it here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Diplomacy\GameInfo Your location may be different depending on your version of Windows, I'm too tired to type them all up. ;]
Step B: Paste the entity file in the DS GameInfo folder which can be found here: C:\Users\(User Name)\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Mods-Diplomacy v1.2\Distant Stars (D) 0.99 B2\GameInfo Be sure to use your user name and whatever folder that you have your DS mod as. Again the location may be different depending on your version of windows and in most cases some of the folders will be hidden if you're doing the get there by going through all of the folders method rather then the copy and paste of the location link method.
Option 2:
Step A: Download the fixed file from here: http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/BuffPlanetConstructionBoost.entity
Option 3:
Step A: In the DS GameInfo folder which can be found here: C:\Users\(User Name)\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Mods-Diplomacy v1.2\Distant Stars (D) 0.99 B2\GameInfo Be sure to use your user name and whatever folder that you have your DS mod as. Again the location may be different depending on your version of windows and in most cases some of the folders will be hidden if you're doing the get there by going through all of the folders method rather then the copy and paste of the location link method, locate the BuffPlanetConstructionBoost.entity file and delete it.
Step B: Access the entity.manifest file in the folder just previous to the one you should now be in and at the top, reduce the count so that it says 2177.
Step C: Search the list for the entry entityName "BuffPlanetConstructionBoost.entity" and delete that line making sure there is no gap left over.
Step D: Save the file.
*Note* This may (Probably will) change your checksum, I don't know for sure since I play with a modified text version of DS so I can change information in the files as problems are brought up.
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