I'm working on a Firefly mod for EVN..... by Lindley

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I'm working on a Firefly mod for EVN.....

POSTED BY: LINDLEY
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 15:57
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VIEWED: 5394
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Saturday, June 7, 2003 5:36 PM

I'm pretty new to these parts, though I'm among the biggest FF supporters over on TrekBBS. In any case, I've started work on a Firefly total-conversion mod for the game EV: Nova.

Yes, for the moment Nova is Mac-only, so most of you haven't played it. I realize this. Since the Windows port is in the final stages of beta testing this will soon change.

So, as to what I wanted to say.

I need help. My biggest concern is graphics. If anyone has a good graphic of a Firefly-class----or even better, a 3D model----let me know. A shuttle will also be needed, now that I think of it. Fear not; the graphic format of EVN is fairly straightforward, and I can provide pointers on how to go about creating the appropriate resources. But I do need help, so aspiring graphics artists please step forward!

Heck, even if all you can do is give me an image of a planet, I'll take it. I need those too.

Even if you're not into graphics, I could use some assistence conceptualizing the FF universe. We only heard about 25 or so planets and moons; yet supposedly there are hundreds of them. I'm content to make the FF universe no bigger than what we heard talked about plus a couple extra planets, but I would welcome ideas and descriptions for planets and moons we didn't see.

I'm not worrying about storyline just yet, but chances are I'll make the player take on the roll of Mal, either just after the civil war or maybe even prior to it.

I'll accept any level of help you want to offer, be it a single line of dialog, or full team-member status. I want to make this work!

To prove there's something to this, and I'm not just talking out of thin air, here's my first attempt at a title page:
EDIT: I want to make this a link rather than image. Is that possible with this board software?

For more information on EV: Nova, visit www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn . To check up on the progress of the Windows port, see www.ambrosiasw.com/news/upcoming .

EDIT: I take it this board doesn't use UBB, huh?

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Saturday, June 7, 2003 6:58 PM

TALONPEST

I'm happy to say that I HAVE played EV Nova, and for that matter the original and EV Override. Great games, and a fitting game engine for Firefly.

The only problem I can see you having is that there just haven't been enough ships on Firefly to do a total conversion. I mean, we've got the Firefly class and her shuttles, the Alliance cruiser, the "older model trans-U" the Reavers were using, the colonist ship from "Bushwhacked," Jubal Early's ship, and the ship that came to the "rescue" in "Out of Gas." Other than that... there really aren't many ships. And then there's the matter of ship-mounted weapons- Fireflies are unarmed, and we've only seen one instance of a ship firing- when the Alliance cruiser destroyed the colony ship at the end of "Bushwhacked." There's just not enough material to go on.

Oh, and then there's the little hitch that in Firefly there is no sound in space... would kind of make for a boring game.

Having said all that, and no doubt discouraged you all to hell, I wish you luck

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Saturday, June 7, 2003 7:30 PM

LINDLEY

Actually, all those things had occured to me. I figure that since we haven't seen many ships, I can just grap appropriate-looking ships off the online shipyards without worrying about contradicting anything.

As for weapons, I've considered that. I've tentatively decided that the Firefly-class will simply come with no *standard* weapons, and very little weapon space. Using things like mass expansions, someone could still outfit a gun or two if they wanted, so I thought of something else.

Really powerful weapons will just be too massive to fit on anything that's not a warship. I might provide a few low-power weapons for things like asteroid mining and the like, though.

Anyway, its a thought.

EDIT: Sound in space. Yeah, that's a toughy....well, I could just make weapons silent. There'd still be ambient sounds and hyperdrive powerup and the like.

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Sunday, June 8, 2003 8:22 PM

JRC

Yea!! Another Mac user in the Firefly world! I'm not a computer graphics artist, but I've also been playing Nova and the other EV games for the last several years. I can wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to seeing your plug-in sometime in the future!

Talk peace, but, carry a BIG stick.

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Monday, June 9, 2003 9:12 PM

KOFFEE

Shiny collage!!!

----------------------------------------------
“It's a real burn, being right so often.”

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Saturday, June 14, 2003 2:27 PM

LINDLEY

^Thanks.

Is anyone intersted in helping? Even if you can't do a thing with graphics, even something as simple as coming up with a one-paragraph description of a planet, either from the show or made up, would be helpful.

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Thursday, June 19, 2003 2:15 PM

LINDLEY

Hmmm, after seeing "The Message", there's both a new fighter/transport and a new weapon I'll need to include.

Is the lack of responses just because so few folks have played the game in question, or is there actually a lack of interest? This mod isn't just going to materialize (much as I wish it would), I need some motivation!

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Thursday, June 19, 2003 2:22 PM

CHRISTHECYNIC

I have to say that I think people would be more interested in a map for some FPS or the like which was simply Serenity. I'm not sure people really want to play a game where they're blowing stuff up flying one of the ships, when we haven’t seen a single ship combat. The show really suggests a more person to person combat style. Plus a level of Serenity would give us a 3-d map of her, which we would all want.

Of course I could be completely wrong.

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Friday, June 20, 2003 7:00 AM

LINDLEY

Ship-to-ship combat is only one part of the game. A larger part is trading and missions, and I think that is where this engine becomes perfect for FF.

But you're right, a FPS would be good too. Perhaps someone will make one. I recall something about a Quake 3 map on the official site awhile back.

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Friday, June 20, 2003 7:22 AM

BELLGAMGEE

Hiya, great idea about the game!

I was just thinking, about the planets...aren't most of them pretty much the same as Earth? Becasue they were terraformed and all...I'm not sure cos I haven't been watching it long but aren;t they like Earth except they're different sizes, like sometimes moons have been terraformed and they're smallish.

"We will blow a new crater in this little moon!"

xxxxxx

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Friday, June 20, 2003 8:15 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Quote:
Originally posted by Lindley:
Ship-to-ship combat is only one part of the game. A larger part is trading and missions, and I think that is where this engine becomes perfect for FF.

But you're right, a FPS would be good too. Perhaps someone will make one. I recall something about a Quake 3 map on the official site awhile back.

In that case I take it back, it sounds perfect.

As far as I the Quake 3 map, which was also to serve as a 3D layout of the ship for us fans, was canned with the show.

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Friday, June 20, 2003 9:02 AM

RAW53X

hi i like the idea. both as a firefly fan and a game nut.

but at one point. correct me if i am wrong in one epersode (train job i think). once mal and co have the bust up in the bar at the begining. and are chased out. after he comes to the resque dousent walsh say some thing alog the lines of "dont thay no a cargo ship dousent have any weapons".

and jane in the eposode were mal gets married.

have to open the airlock to shoot out the grapler net.

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Friday, June 20, 2003 10:36 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Jayne was the one who said it had no guns. If you read all that he said (I think it was in his second post) he mentioned that for the game he decided that a firefly has now weapons standard thus allowing you to shoot stuff.

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Friday, June 20, 2003 11:39 AM

ARCHER

Dunno 'bout the game, but add me to the list of admirers of the art. I especially like the semi-transparent Mal over Serenity.

Sweet stuff, amigo.

There ain't nothin' I can't overcome or come to know. So lay your heavy load down on me, strip everything I have away. I am not your prisoner, I am not afraid.

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Saturday, June 21, 2003 9:19 AM

LINDLEY

No, what I said was that I'd make the Firefly-class not come with any weapons, but give it some space where weapons or other upgrades can be installed.

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Saturday, June 21, 2003 1:58 PM

GROOVYAL

Hi Guys!
You might not know me coz im not posting a lot, i check this board quite often though.

First of all i think its a great idea to make some sort of game,what ever it is, on ff.
Though i never played this nova game since im not a mac user but, it sounds quite fun.

A while ago i tried to start up somthing like this but it was lil bigger and i guess it was too big and too blurry for the people to be convinced, anyway. It would be cool to make a game but im not quite sure if a space sim would do the trick, an rpg would be better, i think, since the whole show is about people talking, fighting, interacting with each other, the space and the ship is just the "stage" for them to play so im not quite sure if its possible without inventing too much.

As to this quake 3 map, which actually was/is a ut2003 map: there has been a project, "game to geek" or "geek to game" something like this it was as far as i can remember, nobody seems to know what happend with it after the cancelation, maybe "the innner circle" like mr fillion could know more 'bout it?

Actually i would like to start something like a fan-community-project where everybody who is interested could participate and create something like an ut mod.

And finally to answer your first question, yes id like to take part in your project, since i've got some Photoshop experience i could make some GFX but i have no idea when it comes to 3d modelling.

Peace

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Sunday, June 22, 2003 7:24 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

I need to check my typing better I meant to say "no weapons" I probably typed "now eapons" and then added the w to weapons without checking to see where it went. Sorry for any confusion.

Good thing you caught me miss quoting you quickly, that’s a big difference.

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Sunday, June 22, 2003 8:16 AM

LINDLEY

I'm a Mister, just FYI.

If you'd like to help, just do something simple....say, make a planet or moon graphic in JPEG format, and email it to me. It doesn't have to be huge----here's a pic of a planet and station in the normal game. I'd prefer the scale to be a *little* closer to accurate, but planets should be no more than three times that size at largest. I'm going to try something to make the pic a link rather than having it show up....
[code]

[/code]

Anyway, if your work looks good, I'll send you information on other graphics I could use. Or if you prefer, I could give you some worlds to write up a description for.

My email is lms at andrew.cmu.edu (figure that out, spam bots!).

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Tuesday, June 24, 2003 2:59 AM

GROOVYAL

Sorry!
Just didnt get your mail correct.

What was it again?

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Tuesday, June 24, 2003 3:00 AM

GROOVYAL

Sorry!
Just didnt get your mail correct.

What was it again?

PS: dunno why but the pic you've posted doesnt seem to work
how bout you mail it to me:
"alexraev@gmx.net"

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Tuesday, June 24, 2003 3:57 PM

LINDLEY

I don't like this board software. It won't let me post a link to the pic, it tries to display it. I tried using a UBB [ code ] tag, but no luck.

Here, I'll post a link without the extension. Copy it, and add .jpg onto the end.

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/images/evnwin_pic4

As for my email, lms at andrew.cmu.edu . Replace " at " with "@". Keeps out spam.

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