Birth of the Federation discussion

[BanzaiCat]

The only complaint I have so far with this huge map is that there's two zoom levels - teeny and gigantic. It's impossible to discern details in the large map, and the smaller one, I'm constantly having to double click around to move the map view. I wish there were more finite controls with zooming.

[Martok]

Anyway, the only minor race I've run into is the Gorn (which is AWESOME). I've long since absorbed them into the Federation. But I've not run into any other minor race. And I set it to 'Many' in the options screen.

You ever run into that, Martok? (Or anyone else?)

I have indeed.  Unfortunately, it's a bug inherent to the super-large maps -- one which, despite the modders' best efforts, they've been unable to rectify. 

For technical reasons I don't pretend to understand, the minor races sometimes get mostly bunched up on just one side of the map (which is probably why you ran into so many on that first game with the lost save file).  It doesn't always happen, but you can expect to run into it from time to time. 

The only complaint I have so far with this huge map is that there's two zoom levels - teeny and gigantic. It's impossible to discern details in the large map, and the smaller one, I'm constantly having to double click around to move the map view. I wish there were more finite controls with zooming.

Yeah, it's a common complaint with the extra-large maps.  Unfortunately, this is a limitation of the game's engine, one the modders can't touch.  Having a genuine zoom function function is easily one of the players' top requests. 

[spelk]

This link doesn't need a login to download

http://www.armadafleetcommand.com/get-files?cw_action=fileview&file_id=1958

[Martok]

This link doesn't need a login to download

http://www.armadafleetcommand.com/get-files?cw_action=fileview&file_id=1958

Indeed it doesn't.  :) 

Major props to thunderchero for creating this all-in-one installer.  Makes things much easier, especially with regards to adding mods.  I was gonna post the link; was (pleasantly) surprised someone had beaten me to it.  8) 

[bbmike]

Does it include the MPR++ mod by Flocke?

[BanzaiCat]

Bloody hell.  :o

[Tanaka]

FYI it runs just fine on my Win 8 system.

Quick question on the mods.  Does the Balance of Power mod also include all of the fixes from the Error Correction mod?  If not, which would you recommend?

Wow you guys have gotten me back into this great game. Thanks for all the tips! BTW looks like the Ultimate Mod has what you are looking for:

"Corrections, Bugfixes and Patches
This mod would not have happened were it not for the very kind assistance of Thunderchero first and foremost with helping me come to terms with many of the new fixes now available, and numerous other topics which I struggled to get to grips with as I slowly got back into modding again. Additional big thanks must also go to DCER, Gowron, Flocke, spocks-cuddly-tribble, Quasardonkey, Joker, Peter1981, and others I'm certain (i'm sorry if I've forgotten to list them all) for their hard work, research, and tremendous insight into improving this game!

UM5 has been generally augmented, and patched with some 70+ patches and fixes with QD's Botf Patcher tool; plus the Error Correction Mod patches, and comes with the Energy screen project enhancement. Also included are a few of my own custom-written patches (based on others research/solutions), including: territorial claim expanded for both inhabited systems and starbases; no more base structure micromanagement and upgrades - upgrade is automatic with Tech increase; max 9 planets to a system (Gas giants disabled); credit output adjustments, Tech levels increased to 12 (technically 13: Tech 0-12); the required population for Trade routes slightly increased. Also I made some habit.bin alterations to fix vanilla bugs (ie Cardassians not liking desert planets, yeh go figure) and provide for the Dominion in place of Ferengi. There's probably other stuff I forgot, but that's it in a nutshell."

[Martok]

^  UM5 (Ultimate Mod 5) has become my favorite mod since Dafedz released it...<goes to look> holy crap, almost 4 years ago??!  :o  The addition of the Dominion as a major empire (and demoting the Ferengi to a minor race), new skins for a lot of the ships, introduction of many new minor races, separate of the tech tree into "Eras", and almost complete elimination of those tedious building upgrades (thereby also eliminated a lot of the "micromanagement hell" that BOTF suffers from) has really breathed new life back into the game for me. 

Does it include the MPR++ mod by Flocke?

Afraid not.  It's not so much a mod as an attempt to port the game to a new graphics engine, and it's still very much in an alpha state. 

Bloody hell.  :o

Do it.  You know you want to.  >:D 

[BanzaiCat]

Tried, but it keeps fighting me.

First download attempt got all the way to almost the end of the 1.1GB file size, and said "download failed."

Re-downloaded and installed; everything seems to be working fine, but thus far it's given me three errors when trying to run the .exes for the mods. It's still going but apparently having issues. :(

[Tanaka]

^  UM5 (Ultimate Mod 5) has become my favorite mod since Dafedz released it...<goes to look> holy crap, almost 4 years ago??!  :o  The addition of the Dominion as a major empire (and demoting the Ferengi to a minor race), new skins for a lot of the ships, introduction of many new minor races, separate of the tech tree into "Eras", and almost complete elimination of those tedious building upgrades (thereby also eliminated a lot of the "micromanagement hell" that BOTF suffers from) has really breathed new life back into the game for me. 

Does it include the MPR++ mod by Flocke?

Afraid not.  It's not so much a mod as an attempt to port the game to a new graphics engine, and it's still very much in an alpha state. 

Bloody hell.  :o

Do it.  You know you want to.  >:D

UM5 Mod has become your favorite over the BOP Mod now Martok?

[Martok]

Tried, but it keeps fighting me.

First download attempt got all the way to almost the end of the 1.1GB file size, and said "download failed."

Re-downloaded and installed; everything seems to be working fine, but thus far it's given me three errors when trying to run the .exes for the mods. It's still going but apparently having issues. :(

Hmm.  Apologies for asking what might be an insultingly obvious question, but did you first uninstall any current/previous version of BOTF?  If not, you probably want to do so (and then uninstall/reinstall the new version), as that's been known to cause issues in the past. 

UM5 Mod has become your favorite over the BOP Mod now Martok?

It has indeed.  :) 

Not that I now dislike BOP, of course -- or for that matter, UDM3, ATA, or UCW2, which are all great mods still.  It's just that for me, UM5 has become the "best fit" for the overall changes it makes to the game.  It also helps that, thanks to the fact that UM5 still receives occasional updates, it incorporates most of the latest bug-fixes and improvements (such as the 18-ship task forces and the improved resolutions). 

[BanzaiCat]

Hmm.  Apologies for asking what might be an insultingly obvious question, but did you first uninstall any current/previous version of BOTF?  If not, you probably want to do so (and then uninstall/reinstall the new version), as that's been known to cause issues in the past. 

Nope, this is the rig I got last June...I had done that AAR on my old rig. Never did install BotF on it.

[DicedT]

Is there a way to speed up the game? Turn processing time for a large map is at least 30 seconds.

[Tanaka]

Tried, but it keeps fighting me.

First download attempt got all the way to almost the end of the 1.1GB file size, and said "download failed."

Re-downloaded and installed; everything seems to be working fine, but thus far it's given me three errors when trying to run the .exes for the mods. It's still going but apparently having issues. :(

Hmm.  Apologies for asking what might be an insultingly obvious question, but did you first uninstall any current/previous version of BOTF?  If not, you probably want to do so (and then uninstall/reinstall the new version), as that's been known to cause issues in the past. 

UM5 Mod has become your favorite over the BOP Mod now Martok?

It has indeed.  :) 

Not that I now dislike BOP, of course -- or for that matter, UDM3, ATA, or UCW2, which are all great mods still.  It's just that for me, UM5 has become the "best fit" for the overall changes it makes to the game.  It also helps that, thanks to the fact that UM5 still receives occasional updates, it incorporates most of the latest bug-fixes and improvements (such as the 18-ship task forces and the improved resolutions).

Thanks that is the mod I will try then!

[agathosdaimon]

Sweet, a Birth of the Federation thread! i guess until recently, i had just overlooked star trek games, not that i am against star trek, i enjoyed TNG and Deep Space 9, but i just didnt know what was out there for star trek strat games and so i have just bought a copy of BOTF now after seeing it on Space Game Junkie!
all those other ones look good too like Star Fleet command series!