***Sol System BETA, UPDATED***

really nice looks yery good "i gazed across the sea of stars and laughed for i had conquered them all" - dandel (old terran empire leader)

I smell a Starlancer mod... <img src=smilies/icon_smile_wink.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle>

Man, that system is a blast! One or two points, though. A) The Sun is a type G2 Medium Yellow star, not a G8 Medium White star. I know this is a Sol-TYPE system, so I won´t mention it again. But it pays to be picky <img src=smilies/icon_smile_wink.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> <img src=smilies/icon_smile_blackeye.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> Venus is a white-yellow, not a turquoise blue. C) Saturn is also white-yellow in colour. D) Mercury and the Moon have no atmosphere to speak of. Neither does Charon, but I didn´t notice if it had one. Pluto has a fleeting, seasonal atmosphere, which I believe is currently gaseous. E) Charon is about one half the size of Pluto. Pluto is a little smaller than Mercury. Mercury is about the size of (a little larger than) the Moon. Mars is about half the size of Earth, and Venus is about the same size. The Mars/Earth size ratio seemed to be about the same, but Venus looked larger. It may just be my mind playing tricks on me, though. F) The jump holes are too linear. It shouldn´t just be Earth to Jupiter to Saturn to Uranus to Neptuen to Pluto. Did you plan on adding more? You should. Keep up the good work! I´m absolutely drooling to see the finished product!

Now THAT´s modding! Ambitious work, man... but since the astronomical physics of the game´s engine itself are laughable at best, I wouldn´t worry with the actual details. The size of your Sol system is 5 times bigger than most systems in the game, which is just the perfect example of the things I would like to see more of, in future developments for the game that is. The systems provided in the game are too small, too linear and too thin. Oh... and there is one thing I do hope you´ll use with your system - the Z axis (!!!). FL has all its stars in constant eclipse, which adds dramatically to the laughability of its astronomical design. ------------------------- When the sun sets, short people make tall shadows.

dont worry i will add a z axis <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> , they say police planet because i have not added their base to the planet yet (the base doesnt exist, so FL gets confused and just says &quot;police Planet&quot; its really called mercury tho, and it will show up once i put the base in) also, i was limited in what planets i could use because there is a limited number of different types of planets, <img src=smilies/icon_smile_sad.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> i have the whole list if yall want it (of all the planet types) there WILL be more jumpgates, the asteriod belt, moons, the oort cloud, bases, and info text <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> i am planing on adding some cool stuf on the z-axis for adventurers <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> i am also thinking of making nebulae clouds around the gaseous planets to make them look bigger one other thing, i just realized that i didnt add a readme to the zip, so heres what u have to do with the files: the autosave is docked at Earth, for convienence universe.ini goes in DATAUNIVERSE and replaces the old one make sure you add sol.dll to freelancer.ini earth.ini goes in DATAUNIVERSESYSTEMSSO01 (thats S capital O zero one) Sol_03_base.ini goes in the BASES subfolder, and the bar, and trader type files go in the BASESROOMS subfolder

Hrmm... I was just thinking, if they can reskin a ship, can´t they reskin a planet, too? This didn´t even cross my mind last night, so... There are (poor) compilations of the surfaces of every planet but Pluto, I believe. They´re just the planets´ surfaces unwrapped, like a map. They were taken with the HST, but I think they´re very small. But like almost everything in astronomy, there´s probably a big version somewhere. I think that would be awesome, if it were possible. Not that I have high hopes for it or anything, though. Did I mention how much I love the scale of this thing? It´s fantastic! Nothing in the game is quite so in proportion. I can´t wait to see all of the stations. And an Oort cloud! How are you even going about doing that? A giant, 550K radius sphere with an almost as giant 520K exception zone (yes, I know that would but Pluto inside the cloud. Sue me.)?

i was planning on making it(the oort cloud) about 150-200k in size spaning one corner of the system (probably opposite the pluto system) the oort cloud is not THAT big like you said it was, its the cloud where all our comets come from, and since noone really knows EXACTLY how big it is i can make up some stuff (and maybe hide a little surprise inside? <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> ) btw, since mars´ moons arent really &quot;balls of rock&quot; and more like asteriods, i am simply planing on making them big asteriod bases (maybe research centers?) and making a small asteriod dust field slightly bigger that the asteriods so it looks like small fragment of the asteriods are orbiting around them, i am also going to make Io (one of jupiter´s moons) the only place in the system to get alien organisms <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> if u dont understand why, look up in the scientific journals about Io <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle>, also dont worry, the asteriod belt will be a BELT, and not a little strip where u are likely to pass through, (one of my friends was worried about this) **edit** oh yeah, one other thing, i am gonna put in planetary rings too (yes Uranus´ will be aligned on the z axis like it should be) Edited by - Dracon on 10-04-2003 18:28:31

is it possible to make the planets moove or the game just wont suport that?... ---------------------------------------- In an interstelar burst, I´m back to save to universe!!! Edited by - KID A on 10-04-2003 19:19:51

Since it´s obviously gonna be a conception of SOL in the future, you could put in some stuff we presently know nothing about. Maybe there´s another planet in absolut synchronized orbit with Earth that travels on our exact same path but on the exact opposite side of the sun, being hidden from our view at ALL times. Just my idea. I´ve always thought that would be pretty cool to find out. &quot;Mercy is the mark of a great man. ::stabs guy with sword:: Guess that makes me a good man. ::stabs guy again:: Well, I´m all right.&quot; - Malcom Reynolds, Captain, Firefly-class Starship &quot;Serenity&quot;

yes, i gues i could modify some things a bit, maybe i could make jupiter a star, for instance, or maybe a blackhole (if they exist in-game, i havent seen one yet) on the outskirts of the system?, or a planet instead of a blackhole? btw, what do yall think of making gas nebula around the planets to make them look bigger? good idea or not? also, how do u make exception zones? that would make making the asteriod belt ALOT easier <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> (instead of having like 50 asteriod elipziods ringing the system)

There is a black hole model, but apparently isn´t not used in game. It´s a giant black sphere. I´m sure there´s a good amount of info about it somewhere in the forums. The asteroid bases for Martian satelites is a great idea! The Oort cloud, if it actually exists to any great degree, surrounds the solar system on all sides. It´s probably most dense in the plane of the ecliptic. Here´s a pretty good sketch. http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/oort_cloud.html Don´t worry, though. You´re not letting anyone down by pushing it back into a corner. I won´t tell any planetary astronomers <img src=smilies/icon_smile_wink.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> Here are some ideas to think about: We know there´s no alternate Earth (but do we care?), no matter what Spider-Man says. The gravitation from another planetary body in Earth´s orbit would throw satellite´s off course as they orbit the Sun. What we don´t know, though, is if there´s another solar body in our system. The Nemesis theory is not taken seriously by most people, but it was dreamed up to explain why every several million years (70, maybe?) there´s mass extintion on Earth. The idea is that it throws a bunch of comets into the system, and they go smashy smashy on top of us all. Basically, BEYOND the Oort cloud, there could be a small red dwarf, brown dwarf, or solar mass black hole. Something like that would make for a great outlaw base, not to mention some wrecks! There´s also the wunderous Planet X, which is supposed to be twice the mass of Neptune and well beyond Pluto. This has been shown to be non-existant (but again, does that matter?) That would make it somewhere near the size of Saturn, only it would probably be blueish in colour due to the higher concentration of methane in the outer solar system. It would almost certainly have a ring of small Kupier objects, and could be at any angle due to collision with larger, Charon sized ones. I think you should have trade lanes out as far as Jupiter, and maybe even Saturn´s moon Titan. Sure, they´d take a long time to use, but you just HAVE to have one or two of them going through the asteroid belt. How else will we hear that lovely phrase: &quot;Tradelane Disrupted!&quot; Use the jump gates to access planets on the opposite side of the sun, and trade lanes to access the ones on the same side. Don´t forget that Jupiter has the Trojan asteroid fields ahead and behind it in its orbit. There´s another good palce for a research station, or pirates. Also, Earth and Jupiter have very strong radiation fields around them. Saturn also has a strong radiation field. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto have none. I don´t know about Uranus or Neptune. They don´t have to be &quot;OH MY GOD! I´m DYING!!!&quot; strong, but any probes that are to orbit Jupiter have an expected lifetime of only 2 years. That´s all I can think of right now. Keep up the good work!

QUOTE DRACON: &quot;also, how do u make exception zones? that would make making the asteriod belt ALOT easier (instead of having like 50 asteriod elipziods ringing the system)&quot; Hey dracon I havn´t messed around with exception zones yet *made my own, yet* but from what I see it´s pretty simple, you make a zone area in the system *use one the exemption zones from like li01 for example as a basis* then in the acuttall asteriod ini file (ex: sol_asteriod_belt.ini) theres an [exemption zone place and just add it there. Check the other´s for examples, if ya still can´t figure it out, then ur an idot <img src=smilies/icon_smile_tongue.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> j/k bro. It´s shouldn´t be to hard to figure it out, i have a good idea just havn´t done it yet *made one*. Hope that helps. James &quot;Quickshot14&quot; Greenwood&lt;br&gt; http://welcome.to/qsd -Quickshot14´s Domain http://qwc.web1000.com -Quickshot14´s Warcraft III Site http://qfl.web1000.com -Quickshot14´s Freelancer Site

you do have to remember though, that this is nearly 1000 years in the future, and spaceships probably have alot better radiation protection than we do, after all, there are plenty of systems wit NO radiation damage, that SHOULD have it, so there is no real point in making the radiation fields, cause it would kinda suck if you got damaged for hanging around earth btw, if you could give me the planetary archetype for the black sphere, that would be great, the closest thing i have is the neutron star archetype <img src=smilies/icon_smile_sad.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle>

It doesn´t have one, you need to write a new solararch entry that points to the sphere´s .3db file. Edited by - Nephilim on 11-04-2003 14:11:35

Okay, I am not a smart man. I downloaded you beta and tried to follow the readme you posted on here after realizin you hadn´t put it in the download. Problem is, I can´t follow it because I can´t find some of the folders you said to put stuff in and my computer doesn´t display filename extentions like .dll or .ini or .exe It just has the file type next to it. So, what file type are .dlls and .inis? I know .exe is an application. Anyhow, I was wondering if you might be willing to take time out of your life to write up a more detailed a idiot-friendly instruction. Also, another stupid question, as massive as this system is and as it has jump holes and whatnot, I have to ask, is this a system to be reached from a point within the Freelancer universe or does his replace the Freelancer universe just for the sake of flying around and seeing what´s in there? Thank you for your understanding in my stupidity. I have great respect for you modders. I can´t for the life of me figure these things out. &quot;Mercy is the mark of a great man. ::stabs guy with sword:: Guess that makes me a good man. ::stabs guy again:: Well, I´m all right.&quot; - Malcom Reynolds, Captain, Firefly-class Starship &quot;Serenity&quot;

ok, dlls look like little machine cogs (the icons do) and the dll goes in your freelancerEXE directory (the folder called EXE) there is a file in the exe directory also clalled freelancer.ini (ini files look like notepad icons with little yellow medal type thingys in the bottom left corner of the icon) open it up (its not encrypted so you can read it) and look for some lines that say something like: DLL= infocards.dll ; blahblah ........ ...... ..... add this to the end of that list: DLL = sol.dll now, go into your DATA folder inside that folder there is a UNIVERSE folder put universe.ini in that folder (it will replace an old one) inside that folder there wil be a SYSTEMS folder inside the SYSTEMS folder there is a folder called Li01 put Li01.ini in there BACK in the systems folder CREATE a new folder called SO01 put earth.ini in there in that folder create a new one called BASES put sol_03_base.ini in there create a new folder inside of the BASES folder called ROOMS put the rest of the ini files in that one now you have AUTOSAVE.fl left in your MY DOCUMENTS folder, (or whatever yur comp calles that folder) there is a folder called My Games inside that folder there is a freelancer folder then there are a few folders inside that, search around until you find the Single Player folder in that folder there should be all your save files, replace you AUTOSAVE file with mine now launch frelancer and load your autosave, you will be docked at earth, make a new save file in case you go somewhere else and dock. enjoy! PS, i created another archetype in solararch.ini, and it just crashes, if you could tell me EXACTLY what its supposed the say, then that would be helpful (or point me to a link about how to do it)

Thank you VERY MUCH for the walkthrough! I greatly appreciate it. Haven´t gotten a chance to test it yet, but I will soon. Thanks again. I expect a big forum party when you get the final version finished up and ready for distribution. Can´t wait! Good luck with that and thank you again. You modders are everything I´ve ever wanted to be. Keep up the top-notch work! &quot;Mercy is the mark of a great man. ::stabs guy with sword:: Guess that makes me a good man. ::stabs guy again:: Well, I´m all right.&quot; - Malcom Reynolds, Captain, Firefly-class Starship &quot;Serenity&quot;

Dracon: the code´s quite simple. <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> &quot;Ok, here´s what´s going on...&quot; [Solar nickname = BlackHole_Sphere type = NON_TARGETABLE DA_archetype = solarlackholelackhole_core.3db mass = 1000000000000 Then, to place it in your system: [Object nickname = BlackHole_Sphere pos = x, y, z ambient_color = 0, 0, 0 archetype = BlackHole_Sphere spin = 0, -1, 0 Hope this helped.

thx, lets see how this turns out <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> btw, its friday <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> so i have all weekend to work on this <img src=smilies/icon_smile.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> *edit* uhhhhhh, is this just my comp, or do you get the same little sprite image plastered to your starsphere when you use the blackhole well model? (in the Misc folder) Edited by - Dracon on 11-04-2003 23:35:01