WOLFPACK!

Modders versus "Alleged" Pros Concept Map

It all came down to criminals...something both the TEC and Advent had in common and in plenty.  Thus was struck a deal to open joint penal mining colonies in a newly discovered but undeveloped star system.  What was unknown though to both the TEC and Advent were two things...that the Vasari had eyed the same system and that rebellion and revolution was fomenting within the ranks of prisoners.

The TEC and Advent fleets arrived in system near the same time.  Both had come to colonize newly discovered worlds to support their hastily claimed and relatively defenseless new mining and trade colonies that had been established beforehand.

No proper scouting had been done before the establishment of the commercial outposts and in short order, it was discovered that a massive series of pirate fortresses were embedded nearby in the system.  Additionally, preliminary surveys of the star's close binary  companion indicated the possibility of numerous phase points hidden within it's cloud shrouded interior system. Worsening matters, ominous transmissions indicated the possibility of another alien presence within the clouds.

A uneasy truce has existed so far as all parties rush to strengthen their base worlds and find a way through the pirate blockade to reinforce their commercial colonies.  Yet no sooner had these efforts been begun than transmissions came in reporting Vasari scouts were disrupting trade routes and capturing nearby asteroid fields.  The last communication was cut off in mid signal as the panicked colony governor reported a large Vasari vessel phasing directly into the center of his planetary system's defensive grid.

Simultaneously, activity began to increase in the pirate systems--though to what end, no one knew...no scout had ever survived a trip through their space.  Worsening matters further, many systems have turned out to be one-way wormhole Cul-de-sacs, making scouting a critical necessity.

Now the allied forces must decide to stay united and break the pirate blockade together or else watch the Vasari wolfpacks grow in strength as they plunder allied colonies for wealth.  Simultaneously, Vasari armed revolutionaries have staged uprisings throughout the far-flung colony worlds and established a fierce line of defenses near the core planets

One way or the other, this is coming down to a fight to the finish...it's up to you to decide who's.


WOLFPACK VERSION ALPHA

 

 

22,254 views 21 replies
Reply #1 Top

HOW TO SET-UP AND PLAY THROUGH

Originally designed for the Modder vs. Pro games as an asymmetric force scenario with limited fleet sizes, Wolfpack has been expanded.  Setup and strategies are outlined below.

Player slots One, Eight, Nine and Ten are reserved for the Vasari only.

Player slots Two through Six are reserved for TEC and/or Advent only.

Pirates should remain on, unless a much faster game is desired.

Locked teams is recommended but not required.  In the default setup, it is assumed two locked teams are in play so allied-by-design player worlds are separate but very close to one another at the start.  Still, it is feasible to play FFA or any variant you like.

Allied starting incomes and positions are weak and must be built by making it to more profitable systems beyond the pirates and by having colonies develop and hold nearby resource asteroids with their small garrison fleets until reinforcements can arrive.

Vasari players will want to take as many resource asteroids and disrupt allied trade in order to gain credits and experience.  Their forces consist entirely of scouts and a single capital ship each...but their dead asteroid starting bases are fully equipped with labs and construction facilities.

Can you as the Vasari build a fleet before the allies break through?  Can you as an ally coordinate with your neighbors and overcome the pirate blockade before the Vasari develop into a full-blown force? Take command and find out.  Two teams enter, one team leaves.  There can only be one and may it be...

Reply #2 Top

TROUBLESHOOTING FAQ

  • Why am I starting the game with only a single constructor and no ships or facilities?
  • Because you're doing it wrong!  Read above--one team set provides for only the Vasari as a player and the other the Advent or TEC.

 

  • It takes so long to get through all this--make it faster...can I quickstart it?
  • You can but the setup is the same.  For a faster game, turn pirates "off".  You also can use faster game speed settings as an alternative as well--though this disadvantages the Vasari player.

 

  • What the heck is up with these pirates--they made me cry!?
  • Did I mention they are reinforced pirate bases?  (Must have slipped my mind). The pirate gauntlet is needed to give the Vasari player{s) a chance to build up a fleet before you arrive at the mining colonies.

 

  • Dude, some of these wormholes lead one-way to a dead end and I lost my fleet right at the start.
  • See what happens when you don't scout properly or read the manuals first?  Check above on "Cul-de-sacs".

 

  • Can I play this with a mod?.
  • You can as long as it has the standard Sins ships and planets are in the mod--though depending on what sort of modding has been done, the results may vary.

 

  • Does this work in Sins, Entrenchment and Diplomacy?
  • Yes.

 

  • I think random maps and the ones I already like are best and yours sucks.
  • Aren't you special?

 

  • What the heck is up with all the colored fonts?
  • Christmas!
Reply #3 Top

Dude this map rocks!!!! :D

Reply #4 Top

Ooh...who knew?  Thanks.  Prepare to die on it tomorrow.

Reply #5 Top

How do i play with this map? Ive extracted the Zip into the Galaxy folder... And i cant find it anywhere inside the game ; (

 

What im doing wrong? :S

Reply #6 Top

It's in a Windows "hidden" folder.  Details of how to find it are here.

I'll be up for a bit now if you want to try it or have questions.

Reply #7 Top

OK now its working.

 

 

Wohoo it looks so fantastic =D

Reply #8 Top

My god, that was painfully good.

This is now marked under my replies. I want to see the next version come out.

Reply #9 Top

Indeed!

Reply #10 Top

Thanks for the interest all.

The modders were able last night (this morning) to playtest through quite a bit--I was crushed by a Zombie-Draak coalition that Boshimi'd over the head.  I and another player both drove our fleets into one-way cul-de-sacs during the "war".  Ow!

The Allies were able to co-ordinate breaking through the pirate's guantlet quite well--though they had a little edge in production and tech this time as they had double worlds each for supply and research.

Several Vasari strategies emerged and we have a more refined view of how Pros can play versus less experienced on this map.

We were able to compare some notes and bounce ideas for improvements for each side and there are quite a few tweaks for "WolfPack 1.2" (the next to come).  I'll keep upgrades sequential so everyone knows which is which.

Next version will have a few more additional and re-randomized phase lanes as well as slightly increased resource areas accessible to both the Vasari and Allies.

Access to the Pirate bases from the Vasari side is slightly altered.

Randomized capital ship equipped militias will now appear at some uncolonizable planets--giving the Vasari a slight ability to level up there caps more quickly and to throw a small wrench into everyone's best laid plans.

Throw in a couple of more surprises and I'll have it up by the day's end.

Good fun playing!

Anyone wanting to give balance suggestions or ask questions here feel free.  Remember, this is a map not a mod.  Has some limits.

Reply #11 Top

Quoting Sinperium, reply 10
I and another player both drove our fleets into one-way cul-de-sacs during the "war". Ow!

I will admit that I followed him in and lost quite a few ships there, but the eco boost more than made up for it. The good news is that I took the scouting suggestion to heart.

Great game. Before you mess with the balance too much, take what changes you've made and get a full team to test it again. :)

Reply #12 Top

The balance touches are very minor--a little more resources in one area...slight redirection of pirate base entered from Vasari side.  Replacement of Vasari heavy frigates with blended scouts and light frigates.

Reply #13 Top

Quoting Sinperium, reply 12
Replacement of Vasari heavy frigates with blended scouts and light frigates.

Will give you more foresight and less ability to immediately steal our bloody asteroids!

Reply #14 Top

Updated map soon.

Reply #15 Top

Wow--I am really having fun with this. I think it's the best map I have made to date--hands down.

  • I culled out as much wasted planetary space as I could while still keeping the random elements in play. 
  • In doing this I was also able to restore the full trade paths for each allied faction--they have 25+ credits per second in trade income out the door.
  • I created the "shadow empire" sort of thing Goa was wanting--on the Vasari side there is a single militia garrison and trade center at a key point which was perfect positioning for it.
  • There are random neutral militia spawns in the asteroid fields on the Allied side now--with much variety in numbers and types of forces appearing.
  • Allied scouts spawn now at the neutral facility on the Vasari side with Vasari scouts spawning slightly behind them--run fast!
  • Some Vasari scouts spawn on the Allied side now giving them a boost in starting an income.
  • Possibilities exist now to level Vasari capital ships more quickly with Vasari side neutral militia forces in place.
  • A couple of new strategic points have been created--not telling what--that add another strategy path.
  • Pirate bases are reduced to three in number.

I'm actually able to play this solo for a bit and enjoy it.  All that remains are balancing slightly starting forces and I think the militias provide a way for the Vasari to be less targeted starting out of the gate.

The new version is not up yet but when I do release it, the title will be WolfpackBravo so it can be kept separate from older versions.

Reply #16 Top

Epic.

Reply #17 Top

Quoting boshimi336, reply 16
Epic.

It is darn it. 

Reply #18 Top

Wolfpack-Bravo is good to go and the link is updated!

 

WHERE YOU STAND...

Pirate bases are active and in the midst of a war with Vasari-financed rebels and escaped  prisoners from the penal colonies.  Allied agents posing as pirates are caught off guard in the pirate systems--giving you a chance to catch a glimpse of the epic battles as the rebels try to take over the pirate bases.  Two of the three pirate bases are in jeopardy of being taken over by the rebel militia...but the pirates are heavily resisting.

The pirate-rebel conflict has spilled over into your colonies too as both pirates and rebels have infiltrated your mining  worlds.  Base commanders inform you that enemy capital ships are bombarding some of your installations even as they report sightings of Vasari ships arriving in the mining areas and rogue raids in others.  You'll have to scramble to preserve your irreplaceable trade lines from rogue attacks while also being ready to defend against an impending Vasari assault.

One small Allied scouting force disguised as pirate-mercenaries has managed to reach the Vasari star system but has run right into a rebel camp--blowing their cover.  It will be a mad dash to escape and have any hope of mapping approaches to the Vasari worlds for a future counter-attack.

It hasn't been a free win for the Vasari either.  The rebels have attempted to stage from the training areas where you equipped and supplied them and have scattered forces through out your star system.  While contained, a lot of mopping up and retaking of planets will be required.  The militia held worlds were also the areas identified by surveyors as being rich in preserved ancient technology.  You'll want it back for the coming struggle with the Allies.

Beyond the pirate bases, mass scans indicate a cluster of large worlds.  Scouts have failed to reach them so far but the need for more resources and revenue is great on all sides.  The winner takes the spoils!

 

Reply #19 Top

Quoting Sinperium, reply 18
One small Allied scouting force disguised as pirate-mercenaries has managed to reach the Vasari star system but has run right into a rebel camp--blowing their cover. It will be a mad dash to escape and have any hope of mapping approaches to the Vasari worlds for a future counter-attack.

You remembered me. :')

 

Can't wait to get a chance to play this MP. Not this weekend for obvious reasons, but sometime soon, I hope.

+1 Loading…
Reply #20 Top

Yes--I did remember you saying that and it worked out to be a perfect solution as to how to give the Vasari a start without overpowering or under powering them out of the gate...and you get your cool mini-empire too.  It's actually fun just to start, surrender and watch the pirate militia fight.

I think neither side has any sort of significant fleet to rush with right away and this the map layered with diverse strategy on how to approach final victory.  Has a lot of subtlety to it and takes a long plan to win--not a gimmick or quick rush.

Forces (especially the pirates) may require some tiny tweaks but I wanted to speed up the pace some.

Nothing in here is eye candy--every planet and force has a purpose.

You can't see well but in the picture here there was a whole gaggle of caps and frigates in a furball directly over the pirate base and as high up as you can go on the Z-axis--with fights all over the gravity well at the same time.

Reply #21 Top

Updated to Wolfpack Bravo version, 12/29/11.

Minor changes:

  • Corrected a non-colonizing militia to colonize at vasari secondary planets.
  • Changed Allied scouts at core pirate bases to heavy cruisers.
  • Updated text description.
  • Reduced Vasari HW scout force to 4 from 8 (6 start on Ally side)

Enjoy!