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Many of you may remember the ancient Ares: Override plugin project that MadFax7 was working on that really had us hyped. When I heard that the plug had never been completed, I figured one day I'd work on a similar one myself (and finish it ;)). Ragashingo and I are now working with joint effort to bring you the closest thing to a multiplayer EV: Override, and this is it. We've only been in on the project for a very short period of time but managed to pull off plenty of accomplishments during that time.
For those not familiar with the Ares engine, the game allows complete multiplayer access for registered users of the game. Although Ares lacks in some areas when it comes to the requirements of Override's ship performances, it also has its advantages (such as a better AI). Ragashingo and I are doing the very best to make this project as similar to Override as possible.
Ares: Override uses the original models from EV2, tweaked with better lighting, surfacing and 3/4 view spins. In addition, the ships of Ares: Override do a much better job of projecting the size and scale of the warships and fighters.
Unlike Override, Ares allows the player to zoom in and out in real-time environment, making battles all the more exciting.
We currently have the United Earth, Voinian, and Human Renegade governments complete and fully intend on putting every major government from Override into the game (Azdgari and Emalgha currently underway). This will allow players to choose between any of the races and duke it out.
We're putting this plugin through extreme testing to ensure that all of the ships are similar as possible to their Override counterparts. Each government generally has their advantages (UE with long-range hunters, Voinians with ultra heavy-duty warships, Renegades with cheaper ships etc.).
In Ares, players can build their fleets with the resources they gather from controlled planets and stations. The bigger your domain, the more quickly your resources regenerate. You get to decide what to blow your resources on depending on your taste for ships - buy one UE Destroyer for the same amount of resources it takes to purchase about four or five UE Fighters. You're the boss when it comes to your fleets. Try to defeat the enemy by either entirely destroying his force or landing a transport on his planet(s).
Currently we've got no real date for Ares: Override to be released, but a good guess would be in about 2 to 4 months (maybe more, maybe less). If the multiplayer version of Ares: Override is a success, we'll consider making single-player versions for various governments.
Additional screenshots:
(url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/ares_override/AresScreen1.jpg")Turncoats / Destroyers(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/ares_override/AresScreen2.jpg")Toasted UE Supper(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/ares_override/AresScreen3.jpg")Carrier Assault(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/ares_override/AresScreen4.jpg")Example of Scale(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/ares_override/AresScreen5.jpg")Voinian Frigate taking some heat(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/ares_override/AresScreen6.jpg")If that UE Cruiser only knew what was behind him...(/url)
Questions? Comments?
-edit- Oh yes, special thanks goes to MadFax7 and UE Admiral for inspiring me to start working on this plug.
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(This message has been edited by Kyle Katarn (edited 02-27-2003).)
Here are some of the sprites:
(url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/UECarrier.jpg")UE Carrier(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/UEAssaultTransport.jpg")UE Assault Transport(/url) (url="http://"http://dreamwave.evula.net/AzdgariWarship.jpg")Azdgari Warship(/url)
Ares: Override also adds a considerable amount of support ships for each government (engineer pods, assault transports, transports etc.).
That is good to know
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Quite cool. Can't wait till it comes out.
------------------ If at first you don't succeed...Hit it harder! - Me -------------- Millennium. Its coming, prepare for it. Coming to the (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiaSW.com/games/ev/chronicles.html")EV Chronicles(/url).
Quote
Originally posted by Captain Carnotaur: **Quite cool. Can't wait till it comes out.:)
**
Same here. I'm looking forward to the finished product.
Awesome. Too bad the sprites for EV aren't floating around, otherwise you could do that, too.
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Originally posted by EVula: **Awesome. Too bad the sprites for EV aren't floating around, otherwise you could do that, too.;)
If you'll do me a favor and try convincing Matt to ship me a folder of the EV models, then I'd do that too.
Originally posted by Kyle Katarn: **Many of you may remember the ancient Ares: Override plugin project that MadFax7 was working on that really had us hyped. When I heard that the plug had never been completed, I figured one day I'd work on a similar one myself (and finish it;) ). Ragashingo and I are now working with joint effort to bring you the closest thing to a multiplayer EV: Override, and this is it. We've only been in on the project for a very short period of time but managed to pull off plenty of accomplishments during that time.
Turncoats / Destroyers Toasted UE Supper Carrier Assault Example of Scale Voinian Frigate taking some heat If that UE Cruiser only knew what was behind him...
this looks pretty good but IM sure UE is very OFFENDED by this !!! :p! BOOMING BRUIN
this looks pretty good but im sure UE is very OFFENDED by this :p! BOOMING BRUIN!
Offended? I doubt it.
And delete one of those posts... Already having the images in one is enough to help slow the topic down. Heh.
:redface: how dare you mention me in public? lol
I too am working on an Override scenario for Ares... Mine will probobly be out before Skyblade's (im waiting on graphics only). Granted his will be infinatly better but i feel mine will be a nice little teaser lol
------------------ Insanity has its advantages
Originally posted by U.E. Admiral: **:redface: how dare you mention me in public? lol
Heh, that doesn't sound so bad - only that I'm still working on getting the graphics for my own plug tweeked.
You should just use the original Override graphic sprites for your plug so that the final results are not too similar. That way there is a defined difference between the plugins. I think that same graphics would be waayyy too confusing.
I have several comments in response to this.
1. I never knew that the Dreadnought was so huge before. Is this because as you Ares uses better scaling?
2. Some ships are grainy in pictures. For example, the picture where three UE Fighters fight a Turncoat, it has something yellow on it.
3. Assault Transport looks like a UE Destroyer. Is it made for some light fighting in addition to transporting?
4. Ares shorthens the names to be inscrutable and gives all same types of names, so you need to remember them from EVO. Hunter Missile is shortened to HMissile and both UE Cruiser and Turncoats fighter bays are called Lanchbay. Turreted Rocket is called NMissile.
Awesome that we got a multiplayer version of EVO at last. I just need to learn some Ares, since you mentioned building fleets.
------------------ I am eager to try to ansver mission questions
Originally posted by General Cade Smart: **I have several comments in response to this.
1. Well as Captain Skyblade said we are using larger sprites in some cases to give a bigger sense of size.
2. We have some better sprites to try and fix some graphical problems and I will be implementing them today
3. An assault transports job in Ares is to take over stations, and yes it is meant to defend itself somewhat.
4. Some of that of course I can't help but I'll go back and rename the weapons to be closer to EV:O standards.
5. Yes, you should. I highly recomend the training levels found in the first few levels of Ares itself
------------------ Ares and EV:Nova plugin writer and all around helpful guy...
Ares uses an 8-bit color engine just like Override, so the amount of grain you see in the screenshots would be no different than it'd appear in EV2. Another reason it might seem grainy is because of the Ares zoom feature (and Raga, we should take some 16:1 screens to help explain). When you're in the process of zooming in and out, the ships get smaller or larger and may look somewhat distorted at distances the sprites weren't intended for. If you've played Ares though, you'll know it's a blessing, not a curse - it really makes finding your way around and executing battle tactics much easier.
Also, I am in the process of re-spinning all of the sprites. I have had no previous experience with Ares graphics, so this is a new learning curve for me (the Ares engine doesn't even uses masks - you have to use a background color that does not match any color on your ship). It's somewhat easier to work with in a way.
Aye, the Dreadnought is freakin' huge. You get a sense of its real power in the Ares: Override. The salvo rocket turret and enormous amount of neutron fire can quickly shred a small UE battlegroup. Best if engaged with hunters first.
It looks like Ragashingo covered about everything else.
Yes, if you haven't learned Ares, then this is a commercial for Ambrosia Software. Register it by all means once you have downloaded the demo and completed the tutorial. I had a hard time getting into Ares the first time I played, but once you've completed the tutorials, it's addicting (there was even a time when I put Ares over EV any day). Building fleets is all part of the game. You completely control how to build your fleets, where to send them, and which ship you command.
Originally posted by General Cade Smart: **2. Some ships are grainy in pictures. For example, the picture where three UE Fighters fight a Turncoat, it has something yellow on it.
Ohh, I see what you mean now. That is not a problem with the graphics - it's suppost to look like that when a ship is hit with weapons fire. Once a projectile or beam strikes a ship, the Ares engine shows a cool shield effect around the ship that looks good when animated but kinda crummy in screenshot stills. We might, however, turn this effect off to make the plug more similar to Override. That way weapons still explode when they hit ships but their shields do not highlight.
Ah yes, now I see why you added the Assault Transport. I forgot that in Ares you needed something to take over stations.
Btw, the ultimate network EVO would be if they made an EVO version of Vendetta... <drools>
Originally posted by Captain Carnotaur: **Ah yes, now I see why you added the Assault Transport. I forgot that in Ares you needed something to take over stations.
I don't think we'll be needing the assault transport that much for net play, but it will certainly be needed for single player. They're mighty useful when you know what they're for.
For those who are not aware, assault transports carry troopers. Their purpose is to use their firepower to disable a station's defenses and then drop troopers to take it over. This rarely succeeds unless you first take out the station's defenses yourself with a few other warships. Otherwise the troopers will get killed by the station unless it is disabled first.
** Ohh, I see what you mean now. That is not a problem with the graphics - it's suppost to look like that when a ship is hit with weapons fire. Once a projectile or beam strikes a ship, the Ares engine shows a cool shield effect around the ship that looks good when animated but kinda crummy in screenshot stills. We might, however, turn this effect off to make the plug more similar to Override. That way weapons still explode when they hit ships but their shields do not highlight. **
I think you should leave the shield effect on. I always thought that was one thing that made the Ares gaming experience more realistic than that seen in EV:O. As one idea, you could disable the shield-shimmer effect on the Voinian ships to simulate the effects of having such a small armor rating.
Also, I believe it's possible to select the shield-shimmer color for different governments. This could be an added effect to address, if you haven't looked at it already.
So far, this looks like an amazing plugin.
Regards, Solel
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Yes, you can choose whatever shield color you want for whatever nation you want. And yes, I would think that having no shimmer effect for Voinian ships would probably make it more similar to EVO in the regard that Voinians use armor a lot. Now, if I'm correct, Ares only has shields (or was it armor?), while EVO (obviously) has shields and armor. Now would that mean that Voinian ships are not invincible in the Crescent?