Descentforum.DE

[Hunter]

Presenting Basewars, a small project for Descent 3... Or at least, so I thought. As it turns out, it ended up being a much bigger project than I anticipated. Basewars is essentially a Hyperspace spin-off that I've been working on and off for the past year. It wasn't until this year that I started putting more work in and began to realise that this project would actually work, and that it wasn't just an idle fantasy to create a level that would be unlike any other. Basewars will be a space-combat strategy project, where the players get to control and defend their own base. The bases will consist of a Command Tower, Silo, Repair Bay and other vital functions, such as Shield Generators. While it is similar to Assault, it actually won't be played in Assault. The ultimate goal is setup defenses around your base, assign someone to hold the fort, and launch attacks on the opposing teams base, eventually leading to the destruction of one base. Each team will be seperated by a series of jump-gates, and players will have to be cautious on their travels between bases. The level will include lots of content for solo-play, aswell, such as AI ships, bases and hidden areas... You'll be able to explore up to seven fictional star systems.

Some more information on the Base assets themselves:

Command Tower - This is where players will spawn. It contains an armory with which to pickup guns and missiles. Each gun and missile will have a unique respawn time, meaning the bigger toys will take longer to respawn. Only the owning team is allowed in their corresponding base. So for example, Red players can't enter Blue teams structures, and so forth.

Silo - The silo is a platform where sentry guns are generated. Sentry guns are deployable robots which players can pickup, and deploy around their base.

Repair Bay - The repair bay is where players can refuel and repair. You'll be able to recharge your Energy and Shields back to 100, assuming they are under that.

Generators - Shield Generators protect your base from being destroyed, at least, until they are destroyed themselves. All structures are destroyable in Basewars.

There will twenty weapons included in Basewars. Each weapon has been carefully looked at to ensure a better balance. Ten weapons will be readily available to players from the start. The remaining ten weapons will be "special" weapons only, that you'll be able to obtain from other parts of the environment. Suffice to say, the weapons aren't all "crazy", and some are quite simple. This project has an emphasis on quality rather than crazyness. Here's a little bit of information and fiction on the weapons.

It starts with the Small Blaster. This weapon is a semi-fast gun that delivers a simple bolt of energy toward it's target. The blaster guns are best known as the glowing blue "bolts" that you see in all three Hyperspace levels, more commonly in Apotheosis. The effects have been upgraded of course,

The second gun is the Medium Blaster. This is just a larger version of the small one, and it delivers a more lethal charge at the cost of ROF, velocity and energy usage.


" Blasters operate on a low-energy rule. They are capable of producing fast bolts of firepower that can be directed toward targets with efficiency, while still using a minimal amount of energy compared to other guns of it's time. Blasters and their sister technology, Ion cannons, are among the most widely used weapon in the alliance and all neighbouring corporations due to their ease of use and fitting. "

The third and fourth guns are Artillery Cannons. These are not like your regular projectile guns - They are slower moving and intensely shield ripping - Among the most damaging weapon in there. It comes in two types, the C4L and C6H Artillery. The only difference is damage, ROF and ammo storage. Typically, the smallest artillery will come with about 5000 rounds, and the larger no more than 500 rounds. Additional clips can be collected in the armory of course.

" Projectile weaponry isn't as common in the Alliance today as it once was. The problem with any projectile weapon is that it has to be constantly reloaded, and requires huge storage space for the ammo - Especially when used on Battleships and Carriers. Despite that, it still is widely available on the market and deployed at alliance outposts due to the cost-effectiveness of any projectile weaponry, and despite their age, projectile weapons have a sheer brute force that smaller energy weapons lack. "

Then we have the Rail Cannon. This gun has a fast ROF and a fair amount of damage. It's essentially an accelerated version of the blaster, and is not as accurate as a mass driver.

" Railguns are accelerated bolts of energy, similar to blasters yet compressed into a stream that is propelled through a chambre - Spewed at a speed that is over 100% faster than regular cannons. Railguns are capable of piercing targets armor from great distances, and they are increasingly becoming popular on ships throughout the populated areas. Capital version of Railguns are a recent development - And are slated to replace the beam technology that has, while effective, used up many resources within the alliance. "

That is all the player will start with, just those five guns. The following guns must be obtained from NPCs or other players who have already looted them. Some of the weapons are harder to find than others, and some might come in a limited supply.

The first is the Maltu version of the rail cannon. It's just an improved version that can make your enemy jealous if they don't have it. The next two are the Heated Plasma Railgun and Shock Prototype Railgun. These rails are lethal, and use up much bigger chunks of energy. They have limited range and slow ROF, but if you score a hit on an already weak opponent - It'll probably explode in a ball of flames. These railguns are the most powerful guns that a player can use.

The final two primary weapons are the 25mm Ion and 50mm Ion. These are just alternative weapons to Blasters. They have a slightly improved damage vs rof ratio.

Now let's move onto the secondary weapons. Again, we have two groups - five missiles per group. The first five are available in the Base Armory.

Hornet Missile

Standard dumbfire rocket with a limited heat seeking ability. Hornet rockets are small and effective, and are used on nearly all fighters and bombers in the alliance. Delivering an explosive charge with good ROF and velocity - They are not to be sniffed at.

Tornado Missile.

Tornadoes are upgraded versions of the Hornet's. They have a slightly better heat seeking system, and deliver a unique kind of explosive charge designed to tear apart hull plating.

Paradise Missile

Paradise missiles are the smaller brothers of the famous Cruise Missiles. They contain a substance dubbed as Thor Energy - It's fairly bright and pretty, making them a unique weapon - Mixing beauty and destruction. Like all Cruise Missiles, the Paradise is fitted with the most advanced tracking system that can be used on missiles of this size.

Blood Cruise Missile

This is a smaller version of the Cruise Missile used on Battleships. It's designed to be carried mainly by bombers, but can be fitted to smaller ships that have the latest missile launchers. It tracks with deadly accuracy, able to make a full 360 degrees turn before it'll burn it's fuel up - And even if it can't find it's target, the warhead will still detonate hoping for even a bit of damage to be delivered.

Doom Vulture

The Doom Vulture is a warhead that has recently been developed by the Alliance. It's barely out of the testing stage, but scientists believe it is ready for deployment. Despite that, anyone using this warhead should be advised to get some distance before detonation. The Doom Vulture uses a large amount of Thor Energy combined with a chemical that produces a terrifying reaction - It opens up a brief subspace portal in the layer of space itself. Much like the Paradise that paved the way for it's creation - the Vulture is both pretty and deadly.

Palermo Invader

This special issue Palermo Invader has been engineered for use on Mercenary Confederation craft. It has no special computers onboard, but packs a pretty big punch if it actually hits it's target. The Palermo Invader is their answer to the standard Hornet Missile. It is packed with Gleam Energy making it a very effective dumbfire missile, and it is rarely found outside Mercenary controlled space.

Rekhmir Cluster

The Mercenary Issue Rekhmir Cluster is another brilliant weapon mastered by Confederation scientists. It is believed the Maltu Orion Legion were originally behind their creation, but somehow, the Confederation were able to obtain the prototype and all related documents. The Rekhmir Cluster was a weapon originally conceived as an upgrade to the Swarm Cluster bomb, widely used on many platforms. The popular "blue" flashing effect was a sight well known to pilots - But the Rekhmir uses Gleam Energy in an attempt to improve the damage of it's warhead. Cluster bomblets from the Rekhmir are also capable of dodging objects to reach their target.

Sphinx Bomb

The Gemini Sydnicate construct the most brutal ships and weapons alike. The Sphinx bomb is a classic design inherited from many hundred years before. Although not commonly used by the Alliance today, the Sphinx is still an effective warhead to be deployed during a dogfight. It sits silently for 30 seconds before exploding.

Berserker Missile

Many Gemini Syndicate ships use a weapon that is unique to their design, and the Berserker is mainly found on larger ships. The Berserker is designed to melt away the opponents armour, leaving it open for attack from an artillery volley. It uses a simplistic heat seeking system and effective thruster to quickly reach targets.

Orion Corona

The Orion Corona has been used by veteran pilots for many decades. It has always been a product of the Maltu Orion Legion, but it's distribution has reached every corner of the galaxy. Although the Orion missiles are nowdays constructed by the Alliance, many suppliers do provide them at a hefty price. It is fortunate these cluster bombs are still costly on the market for pirates and bandits, otherwise there could be some serious damage done.

Sentry guns will consist of:

Small Blaster Sentry
Large Blaster Sentry
Cruise Missile Platform

There will be four custom player ships, although technically there are only three as one is a variation of another. The first is the "Horus Interceptor", replacing the Phoenix. It's a fast ship, weak and gets a bonus to Blaster rate of fire. It has 50% resistance to weapons fire.

The second is the Seth Fighter, replacing the Pyro. It's the midrange of the ships, with a bonus to all Railguns rate of fire. It has 70% resistance to weapons fire.

The third, the largest and slowest, is the Isis Bomber. It gets two bonuses, one is to missile rate of fire, and the second is a 50% bonus to energy usage for the Doom Vulture.

Anyway, your probably bored reading. I WANT CONTENT! Well, you'll get some! You can now download the trailer for Basewars:

Download High-Res Version (27mb)

Download Low-Res Version (7mb)

Some screenshots...







If your interested in this project, come on along http://sectorgame.com/forum and let me know. Currently this project is in the Alpha stage, but the BETA will be ready very soon. I do have some testers lined up, but it wouldn't hurt to have a few more. More information will be available on this project soon, as it really doesn't all fit into one post...

Resources

Forum: http://sectorgame.com/forum
Site: http://sectorgame.com/d3
E-mail: hunter@sectorgame.com

[Do_Checkor]

Nice thing, UK-Hunter!

[Smiddy]

*WoW-WoW-Wow*. Great! Really looking forward to the final version. Thxs much!

[zico]

Sounds really good, but:
will this Mod also be available for Linux? This would be great.

[Chefkoch]

GREAT. Looks really nice. Hope it coming sooner than soon

[Sniper]

Impressive. Reminds me from the name of the ships and the look of the video to Descent Conflict Freespace.

[VEX-Fighter]

Very nice....

[Floyd]

sup pete
massive post there, will check that tomorrow. looks great so far.

[Hunter]

[Floyd]

i saw the trailer. incredible what d3 is capable of
nice work! good story as well.

[Marix]

Couldn't watch the trailer yet, but the shots and the text look great. Can't wait to get a hand on it. Nice someone is actually doing some work instead of just spreading rumors about a D4

[Hunter]

I will need a couple more BETA testers, if your interested, pls register at http://sectorgame.com/forum

[Hunter]

Some new screenshots:)

http://www.gameedit.net/?q=node/15

[AndyX]

WoaaaaaaaaaaaaW, looks really great^4!

[Chefkoch]

Dam cool Hunter. Never i thought this is possible with the D3 engine

[Hunter]

The BETA is starting this weekend. We have a server, however, I will need a backup server. This person must be able to host a several players with a strong connection. Please contact hunter@sectorgame.com if you wish to be my backup!

[DJ-Fuck]

Nice work there Pete! Never thought u were still involved with d3 and stuff!

Looks really great!

DJ

[Marix]

What would actually be really cool is if we could get a beta to run on the DO-LAN next weekend. I'd even sponsor the comp to run it on. I mean, there will hardly ever be that many volunteers in one place any time soon

[Hunter]

The BETA is currently at 1.1, I am fixing some bugs at the moment from last weekends play. I will have version 1.2 ready for maybe Friday, then I can send to you! Please leave your name/email in the "beta" thread in the Basewars forum @ SG.

Hi DJ