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Heya guys.  Long time, no speak.

Trying to get BTC updated now that the final version (for now, at least!) has been released.  Figured I'd reserve a page here for issues I run into as I try to work with some of the new settings.

Largest issue I am running into thus far: can you no longer attach trails to non-model projectiles?  Previously I was able to put trail effects on even sprite projectiles (I actually like the effect) but now, with the release version, they only seem to work if I have a model and skin set?  I'm hoping this isn't the case and that I'm just screwing something up, but I saw the update about a physics-based particle system and thought maybe that was responsible.

Other than that, thus far, I really love all the changes since I stepped away a bit.  Kudos to all the folk at AT.

I know some of these are already in BTC as well (though I haven't been around as much as of late, waiting for full release at this point).  While there aren't omni slots I got around that by making different variants of the ships with different hardpoint configurations to tailor to personal desire (like gunships rigged for ballistic or energy, your choice, with the strengths and drawbacks to each.)

There's also at least a -slight- bit more endgame in the fact that if you want the best Experimental stuff you have to go hunting for fairly rare larger ships in high-security space.  Take them down and you'll earn data core fragments as possible loot rewards, which are then used to upgrade existing gear.  The experimental gear isn't just higher-tuned regular stuff either; all of them have unique characteristics.  (Hulls have better flight performance or unique bonuses compared to regular, and there is an entire subset of experimental weapons: energy torpedoes, tri-focus beams, ballistics that can track locked targets, gauss rifles, MIRV missiles that split and even semi-autonomous combat drones with their own railguns and missiles.)

I'll make sure I get BTC up to snuff if anything needs to be changed, probably over the weekend.

Already got you hooked up via some friends for some press, I'll letcha know when you might get free shout-outs.  Three major multi-game guilds, a few Wildstar podcasts/streamers and a few MOBA streamers will be doing a little cross-action advertising for VE once full release hits; I have friends in high (and low!) places and they know I've put both a lot of time into my mod and have been listening to me sing the praises of the Void for a while now.

Gonna try and get a sort of perma-server running for BTC post-launch as well, since I know some guys with spare data center space who run a buncha Arma3 servers.

Are you locking your target with 'R'?  Generally weapons that have homing require a target lock, beyond that it's simply a matter of some projectiles homing better than others.

Also, if you lose lock homing projectiles will go 'dumb' and resume a straight trajectory.

I had considered that as well, but if that's the way it is computed then there must be a decimal tossed in somewhere since otherwise it'd take like a full tank of gas to regen 10% of a capacitor.   1/1000 would probably make sense, though.  So a 90-cost generator would consume around 0.09 fuel per energy regenerated.

But yeah, it's that kind of little stuff that I think would be most useful to modders, though that's just my opinion.  Otherwise it's asking here or trial and error for things like the generators or stuff like the various handling bits and varying decimals there (acceleration and maneuver being XXX.XX% percentage based but cruise/strafe being 0.XXX% based.)  Just a small thing, though, and the only thing I could think of for adding to the wiki.

Addition: For 'stuff we couldn't possibly know except through trial and error', I do know it'd be handy to have an explanation of some of the more odd values present in the XMLs; 90% of them are self explanatory, but the rest really aren't.   Like the stuff that's been discussed in the modding forums but people might have to search a ton to find, like how armor works, or how the flight system is modeled (the latter still confounds me from time to time, when trying to balance maneuver vs. acceleration vs. mass vs. everything else, hee)

Example from a generator:
<effect_type>energy_production_generator_value</effect_type>
<effect_base>45</effect_base>

<effect_type>energy_capacity_value</effect_type>
<effect_base>1500</effect_base>

<effect_type>fuel_consumption_generator_value</effect_type>
<effect_base>90</effect_base>

Now, production value and capacity are simple: how much it produces per second and how much max it can store.  But how does consumption track?  Is it how much fuel the generator uses per second, how much it uses per point of energy produced, ect?  (I'm pretty sure it's how much is used per second active but I could be wrong.)

TL;DR a bit of notation on how values and systems work and what metric they use might go a long way.

v1.8.2 released with the new ships and ship physics; please, check it out!  Also has a new class and some minor stat tweaks, as always please report any bugs you encounter.

Sadly I couldn't get the repair module changes into 1.8.2, but that's okay.  1.8.3 won't take nearly as long I hope, and it should include the BTC version of the hull repair in addition to the shield repair module (better for combat situations) and possibly a few new goodies.  I've always wanted to make a fuel scoop that would effectively EMP your ship for a bit while you refuel in space, but I don't know if I can work the code adequately.  First two are in for sure in 1.8.3 though, as will the final tweaks to the skill system and various non-weapon gear (expect further decreases in performance from piloting skills, currently if you max piloting and get the best engine/RCS you can pull off some crazy shit.)

We'll snap to it soonish!  For me personally work has just been kicking my ass, in addition to getting BTC finally up to snuff.

Really, it's AT's fault on that last bit, though.  You guys made such a great sandbox to play in and then keep adding awesome stuff in terms of code to tinker with.

My personal thought would be maybe having a section for the equipment/hulls and the stats on it, like a reference sheet of the stuff available, and maybe some additional work on the modding section (which I'd still love to help with in some way).

Repair modules are just a recent addition to vanilla that I haven't parsed in to BTC yet; it's probably the most challenging aspect of running a full-conversion style thing, adapting to all the cool new stuff that is added.   In 1.8.2 I'll make sure that I at least adjust them to use a BTC skill, though, and then work on a final version for them in 1.8.3 (which is when I'm slated to do the skill/module/booster stuff)

So far as the tooltips, though, I'm pretty sure that's all handled by the UI in-game and not something I can adjust freely.

Also, here is a gift for everyone: a picture of the new Persephone skin, military-refit version.  It has a much better angle on the twin energy turrets (one above, one below) and the drones it has fly out of the bays near the back along the sides, while it has the same boosts/penalties of all carriers (-50% lock speed but +50% lock range to keep your prey locked in.)  I'm pretty proud of how it turned out.

Link to 1.8.1 up in the main thread, should fix the quest issues (think it was just the change to localization variables the screwed it up) as well as the missing .PNG.  Also added in the two new sound effects and threw in the hull revisions I already had done for the next balance pass.  (After I get enough feedback on the new weapons, hulls will be next, with changes coming like stepping the Hera up to an Advanced hull and replacing it with the Hercules MR cruiser, which uses the Yamato hull.)  The Artemis bomber now uses the Boomerang model, the gunships now come in ballistic or energy configurations, and the Persephone military refit should be working now but in need of testing (it replaces the huge cargo hold with two drone bays, giving the first true hybrid ship with 2 medium energy and 2 small drones.)

Huh.  I guess the scripting code for dialogue must have changed yet again.  Thanks for the heads-up on both bugs, and I'll have a fix up later tonight.  The major reason for the having the topic folder is that eventually there will be custom chains for BTC.  As it is, before it was broken, Joe's initial quest is changed in the fact that at the end he gives you a choice of entry level hulls to suit your playstyle: cargo, fighter or interceptor.

I'll have a working 1.8.1 up tonight still.  For repayment for possibly breaking saves I will include some of the new custom sound effects for weapons, too.  And thank you very much for offering the testing and feedback.

Showing off the new tri-barrel turret and plasma ejector turret.



This is a destroyer with four of the new fusion beams.  It's scary but you don't want to know how quickly your capacitor will deplete.

Bump for the release to 1.8.0!