Well surprisingly, things are going pretty well here model-wise.  Ironically, that's my weakest point.

We have a correctly sized mesh of the Yggdrasil.

The model is finished for the "eggs" which will be called lectoids and serve as mines, fighters, projectiles, frigates, starbases, strike craft, planet modules and capital ships.  They will all look and be described the same and it won't be until you engage that you know what you're in for with one.

The model is nearly completely rigged for the singularity siege ship which will be the only vessel capable of taking down a Yggdrasil home world and it looks pretty sweet.

KrdaxDrkrun was able to hack into the Vasari military command and retrieve the first ever footage taken by an inter-dimensional probe.  Apparently after breaking into 8th dimensional space, the Vasari probe was able to convey the following data image...

Muwahahahahaah!  It's alive...it's al-iiiiiive!

Just a quick update so I can look busy...

Krdax is tweaking particle effects between classes.

I am tweaking abilities between work projects.

And still another person is slowly tweaking rigging and textures between his classes as well.

I have solved my pirate problem (in theory).  If I am correct, I can make the pirates work quite differently.

Film at 11.

Speaking of mesh's here's that copy for the guy working on it...

http://www.worldstrider.info/images/YggdarasilTri.zip

UPDATE:

I've updated some of the above old posts and here's the latest aside from them...

I've actually got a functioning mesh with crude textures and rigging into the game and have tested varying  loadouts for the Yggdrasil and lectoids. 

The Yggdrasil mothership will essentially be a titan-esque capital ship, primary lectoids are starbases and lesser lectoids will be capital ships as well.  All lectoids will have the same mesh and description in game.  You'll have to engage them to find out what they really are.

That seems very unfair in multiplayer. Would be a good psychlogical tactic, especially when capital lectoids start spitting out fighter lectoids, creating a never ending swarm. But I'm curious how your going to hide the different HP/Armor/Weapon stats.

Thanks for the feedback.

• Microing and paying attention will allow you to see some of their abilities. 
• Each unit has a custom ambient sound so if you zoom in, you can listen to it to I.D. it.
• The mothership will have a "little lectoid" swarm but not the swarming masses I experimented with.
• Lectoid fighters have 4x weapons firing in all directions and do not require focus fire.
• Lectoid ships are practically stationary--though they can microphase within a gravity well.
• Lectoid weapons fire looks & sounds identical (all use the same primary weapons) but different lectoids will utilize different weapons--antimodule, siege, antilight, antiheavy, etc.  Taking damage (or not) will be the primary indicator of what type they are.  They're multi-phased with each lectoid adapting to a specific frequency on creation.
• Lectoid armor is similar to weapons--same values but differing types.
• Lectoid abilities are the area I am still playing with.  At present, I'm leaning towards lesser lectoids having the same abilities and only the greater lectoids having potentially different ones.

The Yggdrasil mothership is heavily dependent on lectoids.  She'll require them as phase nodes to jump anywhere other than her HW.  They also serve as antimatter accumulators which the Yggdrasil can create only very slowly for herself. The mothership drains antimatter from nearby vessels or from her lectoids--which in turn get theirs from other vessels as well.  One lectoid ship type will replenish antimatter but it will do so by self-destructing.

To create lectoids requires that the mothership obtain resources which she can only do by destroying enemy vessels or draining planets.  Lectoids are generally quite costly for the Yggdrasil. 

Every lectoid has the ability to micro-drain nearby planets and they have a stackable ability similar to the Advent's "synergy" that allows them to increase the effectiveness at resource draining as more become present in the gravity well.

Lectoids also multiply armor, shields and firepower as more are present in a gravity well.

So lectoids are essentially "planetary parasites" that grow in strength as they feed and eventually de-populate planets.

It's pretty intricate in how it all plays together and I am stiull deciding how to balance abilities. 

As a summary:

• The mothership needs lectoids for full movement and antimatter supply plus resources.
• The lectoids must first be spread to a system by the mothership.
• The Yggdrasil must also protect their HW at all times. 

Not necessarily an easy faction to play.  Balance will be the challenge for me.  Also, when i say ships will be titans and starbases--that doesn't mean with the same sort of stats and firepower.  It's necessary for the abilities I need for the different units. A scout frigate equivalent will be a capital ship.  BTW, the scout is the only "free roaming" lectoid ship but it has offensive weapons.

One problem I see with that just now, unless I'm reading it wrong, but it seems like they can't leave their own HW. I mean, if the Ygg needs Lectoids to phase jump, but can only get the resources to build Lectoids when killing enemy ships, it seems like the entire race will be stuck until the first pirate fleet arrives. Which might be interesting, but that depends on the strength of the mothership/their opponents.

Then again this won't really be compatible with other mods, so it likely won't be as much trouble with the three almost generic races (not counting internal mods or anti-Ygg ships). Also wondering, but does that Lectoid stationary thing mean they are basically that long ranged, or does it mean that even the frigates act more like turrets and the like. 

One last stupid question... do they automatically lose if the mothership dies?

If the mothership dies, it automatically respawns at it's HW.  There is never more than a single mothership on the Yggdrasil side.

The Yggdrasil mothership can jump--but it needs a greater lectoid to act as a phase gate if it wants to bypass lanes--which is important when your primary fleet is one ship. It can still use wormhole and phase lanes.

The greater lectoids can't leave the system where they are spawned--but lesser lectoids they have spawned can phase to any system with a greater lectoid..and the HW always acts as a phase gate.

Lectoids are very hard to kill.  They are "turtle defense platforms" with mostly defensive and support capabilities.  All Yggdrasil have much faster hull and shield regeneration than standard Sins ships.

The mothership has an AoE antimatter drain effect on enemy ships near it.  It can run through a system and steal antimatter then phase out.  Yggdrasil are jump inhibitor immune but only the mothership and scout lectoids can phase jump

So Yggdrasil are almost like chess pieces--they have to be placed and when placed by the mothership become a "square" that other friendly pieces can jump to.  Yggdrasil from every system can change positions in any combinations they want.  So at any moment, the entire makeup of a system's defense can be shifted or changed.

Lectoids do utilize long range weaponry and can microphase in combat. 

Until I have most things finalized, I won't know for sure but it may turn out to be a good npc race too.

Interesting, so its basically a chess game where nearly every piece is a queen but the King puts you into checkmate, rather then the other way around. Must say its the most Unique faction I've seen/heard of yet, and i can't wait to see how it works in practise. Does make me think it might be slightly better in smaller, single system games rather then the massive large ones where enemies can set up massive trade and culture networks.

But then every race needs a weakness, even the greater devourer. Must say though, even if the idea of them as a good NPC race doesn't work, it sounds like they will be incredibly scary as pirates. I'm guessing they won't have research or anything like that as well... Which, now that I think about it makes rather good sense thermatically. The desprete struggle to hold the line as the eggheads in research attempt to come up with something, anything that could drive them back.

Until they reveal their strongest, most devastating super weapon.... a second mothership. Not sure what's more impressive really, the ideas for the race, or the way you've been able to completely change the rules of Sins to fit it.

Thanks--"unique" is what I was shooting for. 

The "every piece a queen" analogy is well stated. I'm hoping the implementation will be as fun as the concept and am planning a lot of work on atmospheric sounds to give it that Lovecraftian air--hopefully I can get across the sinister feel.

They are designed to be a greater and greater threat if they are allowed to grow uncontested.  Eventually they'll choke out life on every colonized world where they are present.  the only way for them to win is to destroy all the enemy--they don't trade, colonize or do diplomacy.  The homeworld has a permanent infrastructure level to suck any credits away (things they would pick up from bounties, etc.) so they'll have no income either.

In the ultimate sense, the pinnacle of their evolution would be each of the lectoids develop into motherships (that would be the end of the horror movie).  That would be a bit overpowered though. Sort of like the movie, "The Mist" where when the fog clears instead of the army there are more and bigger monsters.

At present, the greater lectoids can have a self-destruct ability that opens a black hole in the system where they were present--which affects friend and foe alike.  They are designed to be defeatable.  The idea was not to make an unstoppable faction--just to make an alien and unique one.

Here's some sneak peeks.  I've finished (I think) the scout Lectoid.  If you want to test drive it, there's a mini-mod link and it plays as the Vasari Scout.  It will run in any mod as long as you have the relevant Vasari ships and abilities and textures still inside with their original names.  So it will go in Distant Stars, etc. as well as vanilla.

This is a ship sample demo  mod--not something you'll actually be playing normally (unless maybe you aren't normal).

Here's the mini sample mod link: Lectoid Scout Demo

And here are a couple of pictures:

A phase jumping Lectoid scout. I don't think you can see the interior details here very well but if you download the demo, zoom in when you phase and you can see the secret toy inside the model.

Here's a lectoid scout investigating a pirate base--and angering the pirates...but hey, it's a lectoid and doesn't care.  

The sessile (non-moving) concept is working on my next lectoid prototype now.  They can "warp to" friend foe or any constructed structure, planet, star, etc. but are incapable of movement other than that of a normal turret.

So a scout or greater lectoid can be present in the system and another scout/greater lectoid or mothership can act as a phase node at a distant  gravity well allowing them to warp there.

To reach the phase point from the gravity well they are in, they warp to any object just past the borderline of the system and then can jump from there.  Ideally, you place units at the borders to act as beacons and in fact there will be a beacon unit which is a big "turtle" that can soak up attacks and move very slowly but has no offense or jump capability itself.

So it's sort of like a flock of sheep with shepherd dogs to manage their movement.

Warping to friendly units has no ill effect but warping to enemy ones performs the same function as the Subverter's ability.

Next I'll be working on the antimatter balances--lectoids need antimatter for most of each type's unique abilities--and warping--but also act as reservoirs of antimatter for the mothership and one another.  Lectoids have extremely low antimatter regeneration rates (0.1 typically) and gain antimatter primarily by leeching it from  enemy vessels and structures.  One specialized lectoid type generates antimatter but it has a limited lifespan. Antimatter destabilizes lectoid existence in normal space--in essence, it's toxic to them--but like stomach acid, it serves a purpose in their physical functionality on our plane. 

Basically, lectoids are antimatter deficient and need it from an external source like a vitamin supplement.

Or brainsszzzz!

They have brains...they just exist in another dimension.  Lectoids are also zombie proof.

Admit it though--those are cool screen shots.

Yggdrasil mothership with some lectoids--from in game with textures.  Team colors "blend" into the hull texture to keep the organic feel.  So this has blue highlights--others will have yellow, etc.

I've been starting to look at tactics and balance and one change is the Yggdrasil itself has no weapon hardpoints...very ability driven as are most of it's units.  Also, 90% of Yggdrasil units don't use normal movement.

P.S.  I fixed the mesh errors and got your particle effect tweaked Krdax.

I think Zombie was referring to them eating brains, but meh.

 Hmm, the lack of weapons on the mothership seems like it might slow them down a little, thus making antimatter and stuff FAR more important.

Also seems like you could 'turtle' a bit, by 'feeding' the Mothership ships and such that lack anti-matter. 

I'll be spending a lot of time playing with different mixes and thanks for the comments Sucal.  My first iteration of the mothership had weapons and while it was a blast to play in the game it pretty much destroyed everything in it's path.

While running it like this I also noticed there wasn't much of a "unique" feel to it--just a big ship with lots of guns.

So I took the guns off while making some mesh fixes and thought'd I just work on abilities--which turned out to be really interesting.

So now you have a Yggdrasil force that is always "hungry" for antimatter and gets it by consuming other ships it destroys or by taking fire from masses of enemies.  It also can park at a sun and accumulate antimatter a little more effectively.

So with just these elements, you have three strategic options to "refuel".  A fourth is to pull into a system where you have lectoids and tank up from them.

The mothership is the only capital ship in play for the Yggdrasil (with one unique exception which has only a single function in game)..  When destroyed, it reappears--though with all of it's experience levels lost (the unique capital I mentioned gives you a way around this if played carefully).

To create the "greater lectoids" (starbases), the Yggdrasil needs both antimatter and resources--in large quantities.  So after reproducing, the Yggdrasil is "tired" and needs to replenish.  greater lectoids have starbase ability slots as normal but the need for specific functions means no single lectoid can have "everything".  So one might focus on antimatter generation and transfer while another might specialize in combat capability or lesser lectoid reproduction.

The lectoids take a lot of thought and experimentation and I'll have to put together a working fourth race build--as opposed to substituting over Vasari ship as I do now--to work on balance.  Just have to get the time.

I am going to make a greater lectoid that can capture neutral asteroids (which was my first start anyway)--it drives conflict with players by making them compete and forcing them into contact.

The balance I am shooting for is that "Mother" will always be prowling about looking for "food" for herself and roving about to protect her babies from other lifeforms--as well as looking for new spawning grounds as she gets her nests in each planet system stronger.

The non-Yggdrasil players will have to hunt for her nests and exterminate them so "Mother" doesn't get enough antimatter to build more nests.  They also will need to work on containing the mothership by destroying it and keeping it's experience level low so it can't destroy their colonized worlds.

Eventually, they'll need to locate and recover the singularity siege ship wreck needed to destroy the Yggdrasil HW.  This ship has a protective field that keeps the Yggdrasil greater lectoids from capturing it and once it is leveled can siege the Yggdrasil HW.  The only two places where the siege ships can be found will be at pirate bases (not the normal ones in the regular game--hehe) or at the Yggdrasil HW itself.

I'll post the beta up with a sample map as soon as I get the time--it will be a substitution mod for testing--then I'll fix up the actual 4th race mod after some play through.

It worked!

And it looks good, I think!

now for the rest

Yes--I actually like it.  you still around?

Yesyesyes

I'm going to dedicate today to this mod.

I've informed Cthulhu you have sworn in blood to him.

Take all of the blood that you need

I have no need for it

;D

I have a custom planet request if you're interested.

Describe it!

It's the HW for the Yggdrasil--the Rift Worlds. 

They aren't physical planets but tears in dimensional space with a lot of effects on ships in the gravity well.

If you took the Distant Stars Black Hole planet effect and put them end to end with the funnels meeting in the center, you'd be on the right track (no need for the actual sphere's in the black hole effect).

Then need some sinister clouds like in the plasma storm only darker surrounding it all.  I''l have a model for custom debris and stuff inside the effect at center.

It's a start concept anyway.

Dark and sinister--no rainbow colors other than flashes of light.