Inside Mac Games Volume 4 #9/IMG 40 Sep 1996.iso/More Goodies/More for Your Game/Escape Velocity/EV Plug-Ins/DS2⁄SW1 Environs #17D/DS2⁄SW1 #17D Read Me's/Velocity Plus 2.5⁄Read Me

Text File | 1996-06-18 | 10KB | 69 lines

Velocity Plus Plugin 2.5
by Marc Cooper
Airforce One & SDS Artwork by Kristoffer Andsten

About Velocity Plus Plugin: Velocity Plus Plugin is a "Super Plugin" containing a number of plugins I had originally intended to release seperately. As one Plugin however, all of the ships and weapons within can integrated better with eachother. The main concern I have about multiple plugins is that the graphics and string text for buying ship and weapons along with a few other imporant thing have yet to be divided into seperate per-item files. For instance if I make a weapon plugin and write my weapons name in Short Outfit Names and then I make another weapon plugin and write it's name in Short Outfit Names, when I play the game I will not be able to see the names of both of the weapons in the Outfit Window because EV 1.0.1 will just load either the Short Outfit Names from my first weapons plugin or my second, not both. However, if I simply combine the plugins they can have one Small Outfit Names file with both of their weapon names in it.

Pirate Carrier: The first ship included in this plugin is the Pirate Carrier. The Pirate Carrier is a very expensive ship with lots of Lightnings. You will be able to buy this this almost anywhere you can buy a Kestrel. The Pirate Carrier was available as a seperate plugin, however Velocity Plus Plugin makes that version obsolete.

Confed. Carrier: The Confed. Carrier is a large Carrier that carries a number of Confed. Gunboats. You can't buy this one though until you have completed the mission that allows you to buy other Confed. ships. The Confed. Carrier is also integrated into the Confederation Fleet by this plugin.

Airforce One: The Airforce One is a highly armed version of the Executive Transport. Most of it's armament consist of guns and turrets though so it isn't very effective for long rabge combat. At 8M the Airforce One provides a high end alternative to the Atinoda Kestrel. It is very fast and maneuverable, but it's shields are much closer to that of a Corvette. With about twice as many guns and turrets as a Kestrel however, it more than makes up for it's weaker shields in close range combat. Of course in long range combat, it's another story, atleast it can outrun torpedoes.

Salvage Ship: The Salvage Ship is a version of the Argosy specially redesigned for the purpose of boarding and capturing ships. It's Crew size is between that of a Frigate and a Cruiser. For twice the price of an ordinary Argosy, the salvage ship also boasts enhanced shielding, maneuverability, and weapons.

Rebel Invader with Super Manta's: The Rebel Invader is a new Rebel warship geared towards mobility more than armorment, it includes new well armed, highly mobile Super Manta's. You can't normally purchase the Rebel Invader, but since it has been integrated into the Rebel fleet, you will have many opportunities to capture it.

VPP Link: VPP Link is a simple mission that sets Mission Bit 247 to let other plugins know Velocity Plus Plugin is present, if you are creating a plugin and you would like it to be able to use a ship or weapon from Velocity Plus Plugin in a Mission, just set the mission to only appear if Mission Bit 247 is set. Do this by making the AvailBitSet 247.

SDS (Stellar Defense System): SDS is a new weapon. To use it, you must buy an SDS Module Hold and a SDS Module which cost a total of 6M and use 60 tons of space. To launch SDS you must come to a complete stop, select SDS as your secondary weapon, and fire your secondary weapon. A tough looking round fighter will appear. Next, tell it to hold position. Whenever you feel like it, select a target near to the red SDS fighter and it will fire at the target. The SDS Module is effectively stationary, but with it's Heavy Rockets and Neutron Blasters, it packs a punch equivelent to that of a Confed. Frigate or Rebel Destroyer. You can leave SDS in the center of a system while you run from some Kestrels, use it to aid in the ambush of a ship too powerful for you to kill alone, or whatever you like. Due to a very odd pushing effect EV 1.0.1 sometimes makes motherships apply to their fighters, SDS is equiped with engines. This is to prevent the ship from drifting off into space or being pushed by your ship at your ships maximum speed which makes it impossible to gain ground on. The ship is basically immobile though. Lets just say Stardock Alpha to Earth is quite a journey at it's maximum speed.

SAS: SAS is the offensive counterpart of SDS, the SAS system consists of a bay that can hold a number of SAS Modules. Each SAS module carries one "Rocket Guided Bomb," an unguided rocket with the power of a Space Bomb. However once their rocket is gone SAS Modules are defenseless until they return to your ship to rearm.

Rapier Docking System: The Rapier Docking System consists of a Rapier Dock and a navalized Rapier. Unlike other fighter carrage systems, the Rapier Docking System allows the Rapier to dock ontop of it's mothership and use it's engines to carry it's own weight, only the 10 ton docking equipment uses weapon space. However, only one Rapier may be carried in this manner.

Neutron Turret: The Neutron Turret is a turret version of the Neutron Blaster, it is a primary weapon, not a secondary weapon however so as that it can be used simultaneously with Neutron Blasters. SDS Modules also use the Neutron Turret.

EM Charge Cannon: The EM (Electro-Magnetic) Charge Cannon is a new gun weapon that offers a high end alternative to the Proton Cannon. Unlike normal gun projectiles, EM shots are atttracted to their target and rarely miss when fired at close range. EM Charges are specifically designed to eliminate shields so they are not a very effective weapon for use against armor, their less than rapid maximum speed also makes them ineffective in high speed chases.

AO Beam: The AO (Accelerated Object) Beam is similar to a standard Mass Driver with one exeption, it sends scraps into hyperspace before they hit their target. The result is catostrophic damage to any ship in the path of the objects. To send a steady stream of objects into hyperspace until it heats to the point that it must be allowed to cool for a minute, the AO Beam must use lots of fuel. A Typical firing uses enough fuel for a starship to make one hyperspace jump. Currently, the AO Beam costs 8M, but expect it to only be available after completing a certain mission in future versions.

Mobility Enhancements: Velocity Plus Plugin includes three mobility enhancements. Twin WM (Wing Mounted) Engines enhance speed. R/L (Right/Left) Thrusters enhance turn rate. And, an SF (Solid Fuel) Extension dramatically overenhances acceleration.

Improvements:
Improvements likely to appear in Velocity Plus Plugin 3.0:
*More ships including the Confed. Heavy Bomber and Troopship I mentioned.
*More weapons.
*A few missions with powerful weapons as rewards.
*More original graphics.
*A few missions involving the CDF (Confederation Defense Force).
*Lots of other stuff if EV 1.0.2 is released much sooner than I expect.

Improvements since 2.1:
*Added new Rebel ship with new fighters to rebalance Rebel/Confed. battles.
*Added Mobility Enhancements.
*Added a new gun and a new beam weapon I thought of.
*Added some fun pers resources of Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Bob Dole. (My pers "Marc Cooper" has been in their since 1.0)

Improvements since 1.0v2:
*Removes altered System resources which probably were causing crashes reported when hyperspacing around Pirate Worlds. If anyone was experiencing these crashes please tell me if they are gone.
*Pirate Carrier and Salvage Ship now are included in generic person resources as opposed to in a dude resource to avoid having to alter system resources.
*No more pirates that don't fight back in pirate worlds.
*Changed version system again to avoid confusion. Bug fixes will add .1, feature additions will move the version number up to the next 1.
*Mission for linking to VPP renamed, fixed, and Yes/No Dialog Box for mission now has text.

Improvements since original Velocity Plus Plugin Release:
*Fixed Airforce One graphics and added original graphics for SDS.
*Added SAS, Salvage Ship, Rapier Docking System, and Neutron Turret.
*Added tranparent link enabling mission.
*Moved some ID's back 10 to avoid conflicts.
*Switched to Claris style version system.

Contributions: If you have developed a really cool EV plugin and will allow me to
include it as a part of the Velocity Plus Plugin so they can work better together and for the general convience of "one stop shopping" for plugin users, send it to me ([e-mail]) or send me a URL for it. If I like it, I will make it a standard part of the Velocity Plus Plugin and include you name and your description of what the plugin does to this Read Me. (Velocity Plus Plugin is and will remain freeware, I will not be making money off of your generous contributions) Also if you feel inspired to draw original graphics for a ship added by this Plugin that is still using graphics from a standard EV 1.0.1 ship, feel free to send them to me, I lack the ability to draw and would really like all my ships to have original graphics.

Freeware: Velocity Plus Plugin is freeware, you may upload it to your favorite FTP Site or BBS, but may not distribute altered versions of it or distribute it without this Read Me.

Updates: Velocity Plus Plugin will be updated often, to get it's newest features be sure to look out for updates on the net. A good place to go is The EV Web Page at http://www.globalnet.ca/ev/

030's: If you are running Escape Velocity on a Macintosh equiped with a 030, the presence of certain new "Carrier" ships which this plugin adds may cause poor performance do to the raw processing power required to deal with the large number of fighters these "Carriers" will launch. This may or may not be a problem, I have an 040 and cannot test such a situation.