Ascendancy [Archive] - Page 3

Oskatat

16-10-2009, 07:32 PM

I strongly disagree. That's one of the major reason why I think the AI in this game really suck: they simply can't do anything right.

I always colonize all the planets which are available for me. I of course colonize the most useful planets first... But leaving uncolonized planets in your systems only lead to big and even bigger problems in the long run.

Here is the list of the bigger problems in order of importance:

1: Production, ressources and especially population in strategy games are exponential. Meaning that the better the start of your civilization, the higher the maximum end output will be. This can be reflected in mathematics as a linear graphic. The maximum possible is a straight line from the very start to the very end, while the real output would usually be lower with a lot of curves with human players.

Leaving opportunities behind, those you can accomplish and which can't harm you in the short or long run, simply serve to lower your maximum output. There is no way around this fact, other that you of course don't need the maximum output to win most strategy games (especially not Ascendancy).

Since you practically give out free resources and, more importantly, free research away by not colonizing all the planets that you have at your disposal... You are giving away part of your total production and speed of research.

2: Not colonizing all the planets in a system right away often lead in having them claimed by an opponent. They can then in turn create an outpost and, if not taken care of swiftly, can be a real pain in the behind. Sometimes you need to take care of a huge territory with a small amount of ships and it's simply impossible or really hard for you to react fast enough, and you get stuck with the problem.

Colonizing all your planets right away nullifies this problem since the AIs in this game are too dumb to colonize the most nearby worlds by force. They prefer to design and send "colonizers" to the nearest uncolonized system to "expand" their territory. This of course lead to even bigger problems for AIs since it is way harder to defend further colonies efficiently, and I always end up grabbing those colonies by force. To return to the subject at hand, it also mean in the early game that colonized planets are virtually invincible up to the point when you can actually afford to build ships which are not purely designed for colonization or for attack/defense. This leave you a long time before you can worry about being invaded, peace of mind and a winning strategy.
3: If you look at the definition of strategy games in the dictionary, you will probably see micro management written right next to it. MM can't be removed from good strategy games because otherwise you would end up with an automated action game commonly referred as RTS games. If you really can't stand MM, strategy games are probably not for you...

-EoF

1: yes, but, as you mentioned it is important to get the bigger and better planets first. nothing i said gainsays that

2: read again. theword i used is devellop. I am very sure i mentioned the use of smaller planets as defence bases

3: this is not about not standing micro management. Have you played a game in which you had to mm60+ planets? that is what this is about, finding a balance between game enjoyment, and you cant tell me you enjoy 30 minutes of looking at "this planet completed this" screens, and strategy elements

as i mentioned, in the early game, the 1, 2 or maybe 4 science points from a small planet count, just like you say. Later on, they dont matter as much, and you can leave the micromanagement behind of updating those planets to your current tech and upgrading other small fry. They'll never be a big contribution, not compared to the other efforts.

The AI wont colonize small planets or moons, no fear for shared systems...

Zaru

14-11-2009, 08:56 AM

I've not played this title for some time now until last week. The game is quite nice, I must say, but the micromanagement, while fun with less than 10 planets, gets really annoying and tedious when your empire reaches several dozens of them.
The planet auto-management is completely broken with the computer AI building structures on inappropriate squares and picking some crazy facility combinations. I just can't believe construction queue was not implemented here. I mean, the game just asks for it. And even hardcore strategy geeks will find it annoying to manually set construction orders for each planet every time a structure is build on them.
3: If you look at the definition of strategy games in the dictionary, you will probably see micro management written right next to it. MM can't be removed from good strategy games because otherwise you would end up with an automated action game commonly referred as RTS games. If you really can't stand MM, strategy games are probably not for you...I will never agree with such a statement. The thing with the strategy games is they make you to think on your next moves. They force you to do a long time planning. But how can you do long time planning when you're constantly bothered by hundreds of tedious build reports coming from each of your hundreds of planets every single game day? And if you really want good colonies, you have to micromanage them because of said AI. But why micromanage when, from the very beginning of the game, you already have the idea from what structures each planet's surface should consist of? I just see no point in MM in such a wide-scale game.

PS.
1: yes, but, as you mentioned it is important to get the bigger and better planets first. nothing i said gainsays thatI think the planets you should get to with the highest priority are those with Xeno digs, even if such a planet is the smallest in the whole system. Xeno digs are uber-important, but I'm sure it's already been said here. With their help I've been able to reach the maximum technology level with my Govoroms by turn 1700 (and I'm sure that with aggressive expansion it can be achieved a lot, lot earlier). Right now I'm dismantling all my laboratories and building industrial mega facilities instead, to produce those hi-tech capital ships while other races are still using pulsers.

The Fifth Horseman

14-11-2009, 10:55 AM

You could get faster on the tech tree with Chamachies.

Zaru

14-11-2009, 11:22 AM

You could get faster on the tech tree with Chamachies.
Are those the one with a special ability that allows you to instantly discover a technology that is currently being researched? Yeah, I guess they would let you reach the tek-peak real fast. Combined with xeno digs... it's scary to even think about it.:drool:

Speaking of races... What I like about this game is that it allows you to play very unique looking alien races. Also, that is one of the very few 4X games (if not the only one) that doesn't include humans.

Mrylanxus

25-11-2009, 09:40 PM

Well, finally got around to fixing some errors on the Ascendency site I created.

Fixes:
-- Fixed an error in the Research Screen cheats.
-- Added an animation showing how the planets orbit the star.
-- Fixed numerous typo errors.
-- There are probably others I can't remember.

Ascendency (http://www.udava.info/ascend/)

rmfr

liamloga

09-12-2009, 09:54 PM

how do i run this game? sorry i am a n00b(self insulting) i am using a vista

The Fifth Horseman

09-12-2009, 10:12 PM

DOSBox. (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=14406)

Borodin

10-12-2009, 12:35 AM

We really should have a popup that appears whenever someone first visits the site, offering the words, "Whatever you want to ask, the answer is DOSBox," with an appropriate link. Would save time.

another_guest

10-12-2009, 02:29 PM

We really should have a popup that appears whenever someone first visits the site, offering the words, "Whatever you want to ask, the answer is DOSBox," with an appropriate link. Would save time.

Indeed :) that and the "why are some games not available for download" response...
That being said, I'm amazed at the patience of some people here who keep answering nicely, e.g. The Fifth Horseman :thumbs:

The Fifth Horseman

10-12-2009, 02:47 PM

You mean you didn't see my evil alter ego tear off his head? :p

Saccade

10-12-2009, 03:12 PM

We have been playing with the idea of DosBox internment/concentration camps for people (mandatory 2 week stays for new sign-ups), but we still need to secure funding from the "re-education through labour" people...

Eagle of Fire

10-12-2009, 05:19 PM

And I'm not nice enough to be mentionned? :(

Or am I the evil alter-ego? :p

liamloga

12-12-2009, 02:07 PM

DOSBox. (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=14406)

sorry about being so needy but how do i run games on dosbox using a vista? sorry:wall:

dosraider

12-12-2009, 02:54 PM

sorry about being so needy but how do i run games on dosbox using a vista? sorry:wall:
Take a look at the tutorial section:
http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/forumdisplay.php?f=90

The Fifth Horseman

12-12-2009, 03:32 PM

sorry about being so needy but how do i run games on dosbox using a vista? sorry:wall:
What I linked you to was a tutorial for beginners.
You didn't bother to read it, did you?

Takahashi

08-07-2010, 07:36 PM

Currently playin' the "unofficial soundtrack" I found the other day... draggin' me back to an age when I actually had time to do stuff I wanted to do... :max:

Silver Duran

10-07-2010, 01:32 AM

I used to play this game a lot as a kid, and i still love it. and it can keep me busy for hours on end. I'm glad I was able to find it on this site :)

Oskatat

14-07-2010, 07:29 PM

What I linked you to was a tutorial for beginners.
You didn't bother to read it, did you?

if you didnt know yet, to add to the Horsemans post, you need dosbox to run most of the very old games. it simulates the old DOS environment for it. There are many programs around that simulate such "environments". Dosbox is one of the best for DOS games (not for high seas trader) but there are also simulators (called emulators) for, for example, playstation, nintendo or nintendo gameboy platforms. I assume the term platform is known to you

to reply/add to some old posts, galactic civilizations is in some ways very much the same, though quite different. the map, for example isnt 3d, you can just look at it from different angles. costumizing starships is fun, making em beatifull may take time though.

to add some advice for this game actually, i usually colonize ALL planets in a system. Even at the highest ai settings with some patches, the AI still ignores planets without improvements. Having only orbital batteries in place basically means they'll ignore it even as it is shooting at it. Having long range orbital whoppers in several orbits will destroy any enemy before he can invade. system defence batteries. Wont work when the planet revolves around the sun and cant hit the enmey, but its worth that posibility

expanding moon colonies to full colonies is NOT worth it, nor is it for any colony without significant bonuses, since by this time your economy and research dont need it anyway. Having a weapons platform being ignored can be wrth much more

note also that planetary shields have a HP total and any attack lowers it, and it never, or very slowly degrades/increases strength again. Once a planet has been attacked it is usually best to replace the shield. Having more whoppers (are you sure this game isnt sponsored by burgerking) is better than more shields, also since you wont know which one to replace

to be honest, even with ai patches etc, this was one of the easiest strategy games i played

Adenosine

16-07-2010, 08:41 PM

It was a cool game and I really liked it when I was a kid.
Especially the ship design section and the assortment of highly original alien species got me :)

But it also got a lot of flaws:
Tedious colony managment with exponentially increasing overhead
Unfair , cheating , but nevertheless stupid AI
Fiddly and confusing navigation
NO MULTIPLAYER (that one really pissed me off)

But still a game of high nostalgic value for me :OK:

cizra

24-07-2010, 08:07 AM

Hi there. I took the trouble of writing down the tech tree and generating a nice directed graph out of it, so I'm attaching it to this page. If you notice any mistakes, or if you even just find it useful or interesting, give me a message.

arakish

04-09-2010, 01:32 PM

I have made some additions to the website I posted here.

I forgot my password and since use hotmail, had to make new profile.

The website is now hosted here.

Ascendency (http://havran.zoka.cc/ascend/)

Of course, this site is an OWIP (ongoing work in progress). As get new stuff to add, I'll do so and post here.

rmfr

Oskatat

04-09-2010, 07:48 PM

i read your guide only a bit and i already have 2 points of issue:

yes you can build more growth buildings, but it may take space that you cant spare and then, later on you'll have to demolish it. waiting some turns istn that much a hassle and actually keeps down your micromanagement

and your most powerful weapon? ridiculous, since it cant be used unlimited times and you still need weapons to kill someone. yes it works fine against an opponent who brings only one ship, BUT it doesnt actually guarantee a complete energy drain, so the ship may still fire on you. Its in the wrong category: most useful MISC, but not the best weapon, since it wont destroy anythin. I challenge you to destroy some orbital defences with a ship with only this "weapon"

also, habitats and similar structures are very, very, no not just very but completely useless as soon as you can automize structures. destroying them is again a pain in the micromanagement butt. And destroy them you should because they just take the space of actually productive units

i find it better usually to wait for that, and just use high industry or inherently large planets for my first shipyards

on the megaprojects: if your tiny planet will support only a few colonist, maybe you should first build a factory or farm, then the other from what you just had ans simply not worry about it. i know small planets are not "worth their effort" economic wise, but, as i said before, they make great system batteries, for an enemy will usually try the best planet first

I've found moon like planets to be extraordinairy good defensive platforms. dont even bothe with shields most of the time, those planets will be ignored

placing the colony on a green square also renders it useless to any farm you want to build on it, so consider carefully!

arakish

09-09-2010, 05:00 AM

Thanks Oskatat. Good Points and thanks for pointing them out.

I edited those two pages on my site. I left the original text and added Errata.

rmfr

Ascendency (http://havran.zoka.cc/ascend/)

Oskatat

09-09-2010, 06:45 AM

wanted to clarify the green square thing:
if its a big planet and has only a few green squares (you know which type i mean) you'll be better off building farms there. Those planets, dispite their lack of bonus squares, are often great for shipyards for the sheer quantity of space available, which ofcourse is no longer an issue after you discover terraforming

one concession: those buildings that improve planet size can be useful. When you are playing in a smaller size galaxy, with fewer planets, it is a critical point in improving production. In larger galaxies, you'll gain more advantage by expanding to new colonies and leaving your older planets to plot along untill you can terraform and automate. Even then, your tactic is probably more powerfull, but as your empire grows, you dont want to spend an hour per turn on buildings, i hope

races: i'd like to see a description and your view on the races and their benefits
i usually prefer to play those gas clouds, the lizard thingies (chamanchy?) or the gaians, though the last one can be frustrating at times, since its power only affects your smallest pop. planet, not any planet you choose. If anyone can hack the game and code that they'd be insanely powerful!

also my view on misc:
usefull:
molecular tie down; bring to a halt any enemy ship and take pot shots at it with orbitals and any other ships
positron bouncer; why drain a ships energy? this baby will bounce em so far away, by the time they are back they wont be able to fire weapons
myrmidonic carbonizer; Is actually a weapon, but its like an axe. enemy to close and they get hit with the wood, too far and you dont hit either, right range, instant kill often. If anyone wants to figure out right range, applause
Lane destabilizer; not only to get your ships there all at once, but also to get your enemy there when you're completely ready and dont feel like waiting ________
speeding up red lane travel: any red lane you control, put a ship with a lane destabilizer at one end and cut your journeys short by many, many turns, just make sure there is a refit nearby
Accutron; increases all weapon range, what more to ask?
Remote repair: useful yet not essential, mostly important for guarding ships that cant be allowed to withdraw for the time it takes to repair em

as for weapons... Range is of the essence, since there are so many ways to push someone away. It is also of the essence to bombard planets without getting whopped (is this game sponsored by BK or what? orbital whoppers?)
the only requirement is that you research energy sources enough to keep up with your weaopns. Since energy is kind of the most important to any ship, this was some useless advice. However, in energy provided and firepower shown, you dont have to play even with ship design
my favorites are the molecular disassosiator, the plasmatron and hypersphere driver, all for range, but good damage too. However, killing someone before they can hurt you is really part of the plan, or as mentioned before, pushing them away as soon as they get close enough and THEN killing them

defences: if you play it right, you will hardly need them

sensors: nice, but hardly needed, it wouls only be needed if you could actually use the data, but any weapons that destroy specials etc are all still random, even when you know what you want to target

engines:
again nice, but after a certain point not needed. When you can cross a star system in one go, you really dont need more engines (hardly ever more than two, one always)

hyperspace: all ships should have it, unless they are at a sector with a refit (if not a shipyard) where they are supposed to stay and die defending

computergoodguy

26-10-2010, 08:43 PM

you build them in space

Sgt_V3n0m

19-02-2011, 12:54 AM

DarthHelmet86

19-02-2011, 04:35 AM

Either this was corrected when we got in trouble the first time and the download was removed or it has been found to be sold by a legitimate company and has been removed due to that.

The Fifth Horseman

19-02-2011, 07:26 AM

We were sent a request to remove this title earlier this month. I forgot to leave a note about this.

VulcanTourist

20-03-2011, 06:47 AM

They converted the original game recently into a mobile app (IIRC it was for the iPhone). I didn't save a link to it because I had no intention of encouraging them after 15 years of complete total apathy (and no promised sequel). That's why they're enforcing the IP so belatedly.

The Fifth Horseman

20-03-2011, 08:08 AM

Oddly enough, they never confirmed their authorship of the C&D (as was requested - anyone can use the contact form).

Sgt_V3n0m

06-08-2011, 04:53 AM

Oddly enough, they never confirmed their authorship of the C&D (as was requested - anyone can use the contact form).
Hmmm, if they didn't prove that they own it, can't you contact them and ask them for proof then? Because if they didn't provide proof, maybe they weren't the owners of the Copyright, in which case it can be put back up on AB! :D

I kinda hope that that's the case, this game looks bloody awesome and I would love to try it out.

Borodin

08-08-2011, 01:30 AM

Todd Templeton wrote me in January this year about Ascendancy, since I'd given them a very enthusiastic thumbs up review, many years ago, on its release. He was looking for a review of the mobile app, it turns out, and dropped the contact quickly when he found out I don't look at those.

Don't know if that helps, but it was from him, for what that's worth.

arakish

23-09-2011, 06:56 AM

Well, been gone for quite awhile again. RL won't leave me alone.

I have moved my Ascendancy online handbook. Link below is the new official one.

Ascendancy (http://conceptvisions.net84.net/ascend/)

Added a little addenda blurb about Logic Factory re-releasing Ascendancy for iOS. Wonder if this version is better. But I don't ever plan on owning any iOS thing again. Cool items, but I don't like them.

As requested, I have been working on adding my thoughts on playing each of the species and playing against them. I am only up to the Baliflids (I think). I will get to them all as I can and will post when I get ur done.

For all those who missed the chance, sorry you cannot get it free anymore. I still have the original CD.

rmfr

MrGoatMonkey

31-01-2012, 05:12 PM

So does anyone know if any of the legal (semi-legal?) download sites have this game available? I'm late to the party and just found out about sites like Abandonia, GOG, etc. I'm not a big video game person, so it's usually not worth paying a lot of money for them. I get bored after a few days. Still, I paid $5 for SimCity 2000, and that entertained me for a weekend.

Is this one of those issues where the copyright holder is going to refuse to release the original game because they think it would hurt sales of their stupid iCrap version? Bah.... Even if I had an iPhone, I wouldn't buy it.

-MGM

The Fifth Horseman

31-01-2012, 09:01 PM

Is this one of those issues where the copyright holder is going to refuse to release the original game because they think it would hurt sales of their stupid iCrap version?It is. Unfortunately, if a there's a reason a game does not qualify as abandonware (and the copyright owners' interest in it certainly counts), it also prevents us from providing assistance for obtaining it in any other fashion.

My advice? Contact Logic Factory, ask them if they have any intention of re-releasing the PC version of the game - for example through GOG.com.

Oskatat

13-05-2012, 03:48 PM

been playing a long time now in antag mod to make the ai smarter on using planets. Aside from them actively using the dig sites, I havn't seen much improvement

Eagle of Fire

14-05-2012, 03:29 AM

You're unfortunately right. I never seen a difference either.

I think the only difference is that they are more prone to declare war early. This mean that in a game in which your home node have a lot of open nodes around then it might get a little hard to fight them all at once. But I most often than not start in a dead end style of system anyways and it really change nothing in the short or long run.

Borodin

17-05-2012, 09:30 PM

You're unfortunately right. I never seen a difference either.

Nor have I. They're more aggressive about declaring war. Otherwise, they're no wiser about planetary construction, battles, or diplomacy.

jamotide

26-05-2012, 08:19 PM

Nor have I. They're more aggressive about declaring war. Otherwise, they're no wiser about planetary construction, battles, or diplomacy.

Well, the readme file of the antag patch says that it makes the AI more aggressive and gives it an advantage in industry and research. Pretty much standard difficulty increase in all strategy games.

Eagle of Fire

26-05-2012, 09:58 PM

True. The problem is that it is completely unnoticeable in game for veteran strategy gamers like us.

I've always considered Ascendancy a great game for strategy game newbies.

Borodin

31-05-2012, 03:03 PM

Well, the readme file of the antag patch says that it makes the AI more aggressive and gives it an advantage in industry and research. Pretty much standard difficulty increase in all strategy games.

Indeed. A smarter AI would have needed a much more extensive rules set. The cheap way out is unfortunately giving the AI special benefits and making it more likely to declare war on the human player--which as you point out, is pretty standard on higher difficulty levels for strategy games.

I really do wish somebody somebody would redo Ascendancy.

Nicheal

17-07-2012, 08:46 PM

Hi Folks!

Has anybody in here ever played the Logic Factories 2011 Android Version?
The Graphics look better, seems buggy, but is the AI better now?
Would be a Reason for me getting an iPad...

:lol:

Tried that Sojurn Mod, does not work. Downloaded both, the no-CD
Ascendancy Version and the Antagonizer Patch. Own the Game itself,
but no-CD is better for me and my DOS-Box...

:omg:

That Antagonizer had two Problems once, i think: No Internet available 1995,
and it does nothing better, but even worse. Yes, all the AI Enemies make
War, not Love, with the Human Player, but they love each other it seems...
Logic Factory thought perhaps, that will cause huger AI Fleets cause no
Ships are destroyed AI versus AI, that will cause much more Planet Buildings AI,
cause the less Effort of Ship-Building, and that will cause much more Science.

Wrong thought. Its boring that the AI makes War only versus Human Player,
and War AI versus AI moderns the destroyed AI Fleets, and builds up huger
AI Empires by Extinction of the others... and THAT causes huger AI Fleets,
much more Planet Buildings while the other Planets build Ships, and much
more Science... the Antagonizer is much more aggressive, but its Diplomacy
fails at last, and its Ship-Building is even worse, cause of the many Colonizer-
and Invader-only Ships. That all is my Opinion.

But what i wanted to say to you all, which dream about a better Ascendancy.
Try the NotePad-Editor and the Modification of the Ascend00.COB File.
There you can easily modify the whole Ship-Stuff, the whole Planet-Stuff,
Solar System Names, much more aggressive Diplomacy and so on!!!

:OK:

My Ascendancy Mod is quite finished and a damned aggressive and super Game.
And what i dreamed about since 1996 when i played that classic Game first,
came true: These Enemies are damned aggressive like in Antagonizer,
but damned aggressive all versus all. I managed to create an Ascendancy Mod,
in which the damned stupid AI is even better than the Human Player, and while
its Ships are still damned stupid, ... or far beyond of even damned stupid...
it is a bit nasty being beaten by a huge AI Fleet and Weapons far better than the own...

i wanted to tell all the Ascendancy Fans out there: It is possible to modify
Ascendancy to get a much much much much better!!! Game.

And if there would be a legal Way to share my Ascendancy Mod with you,
i would do, cause a Dream came true!!!

My Mod is damned heavy and a real Joy and Challenge for an Ascendancy Fan like me...

:hello:

O yes, and by the way... i use the original Ascend.exe, the no-CD Ascend.exe, and it is really great!

Eagle of Fire

17-07-2012, 10:21 PM

The Fifth Horseman

17-07-2012, 10:37 PM

Edit that file using Notepad O.o
I'm not sure if you realise it's binary data and not just plaintext. Notepad will fuck that up completely.

What you should be doing is use COBExtractor to unpack the COB file and edit its' constituent files before using COBExtractor to repack them into a new COB.
You can get COBExtractor here: http://legolas558.iragan.com/index.php?option=downloads&catid=8&Itemid=50&-MODding-Tools (just click the [V] icon, the detail pages are broken), and http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/GAMES:Ascendancy#Other_Modifications has instructions on using it. The Mod Guide explains a bit more about the actual files inside the COB and editing them: http://legolas558.iragan.com/index.php?option=downloads&catid=14&Itemid=50&-Ascendancy-I-MODguide

Nicheal

17-07-2012, 10:58 PM

Why would it take so much space? Simply copy
the files you modded and offer your mod to those who already have the game.

This game has been up on the site for a very long time. Many if not most of
the old members here have it already.

no. Why is Ascendancy NOT available in here? "esa protected", that means,
that the Logic Factory is interested in its Deal "Ascendancy as Universal App",
and NOT interested in another Downloads "Ascendancy as poor old PC Game".
If it would be in the Logic Factories Interests, Ascendancy would be downloadable.
So it is NOT in the Logic Factories Interests, to make Ascendancy or Mods available,
and so it is illegal to "simply copy modified Files in here"... i think.

The Logic Factory probably asked Abandonia for stopping the Ascendancy Download,
for bringing the Deal with the AppStore on its Way as exclusive Product,
and so every modified File would probably be deleted by Abandonia.

If @The Fifth Horseman or if @Abandonia or @The Logic Factory
allow to upload my Modded Files, i would do. Not more than 1 MB.

@The Fifth Horseman

I'm not sure if you realise it's binary data and not just plaintext.
i do not know nothing about that binary data stuff.
But you should have visited the Ascend00.COB FIRST, and THEN tell yours...
the Ascend01 and Ascend02.COB are completely encoded Data Files,
including all Graphics, Sound and Programming Algorithms Stuff, but the
Ascend00.COB includes the specific Attributes and Values, Dude.

There you can simply change every Value, and you will get it into the Game!
For example to change the Turn Costs of MegaFacility, it is only necessary
to change a 120 into a 180, and if you change it into a 1200, like i did,
you have to change a blank Space into that new Sign to not getting the
Parameters malfunction, without compiling for sure.

Notepad will fuck that up completely.
that must be a modern day miracle, cause i played that already, and it kicked
my ass like i modded it in, Dude... but yes. The Programming Algorithms change
their Behavior caused by the new Data! But thats what i expected!!!

That COBExtractor did nothing, only to write a Text-Editor Notation, which
Files it found in 01 and 02.COB... and that i knew already by only reading them.
Believe me, Fifth Horseman, it damned WORX!

:whistling:

The Fifth Horseman

17-07-2012, 11:31 PM

The Logic Factory probably asked Abandonia for stopping the Ascendancy Download,
for bringing the Deal with the AppStore on its Way as exclusive Product,Yes.
and so every modified File would probably be deleted by Abandonia.No. As long as all you upload is the modded file, it's OK - they are useless if someone doesn't already have the game.

But you should have visited the Ascend00.COB FIRST, and THEN tell yours...
the Ascend01 and Ascend02.COB are completely encoded Data Files,The COB format is itself a file system containing the actual data files. When editing it, you probably saw a bunch of weird symbols early in the file - that was raw binary data describing the locations of the files inside the COB.
that must be a modern day miracle, cause i played that already, and it kicked
my ass like i modded it in, Dude... but yes. Then it is a minor miracle indeed. All it would take to mess things up is Notepad reading or saving a character or two wrong (been there, done that; using Notepad for editing something that is not plaintext is a bad idea) or merely changing the length of any file inside the COB by a single byte.

That COBExtractor did nothing, only to write a Text-Editor Notation, which
Files it found in 01 and 02.COB... and that i knew already by only reading them.It seems you need to create directories named ascend00 ascend01 and ascend02 first. For some reason the program is unable to create them by itself.

Nicheal

17-07-2012, 11:48 PM

No. As long as all you upload is the modded file, it's OK -
they are useless if someone doesn't already have the game.
then i could upload the whole Mod, without all primary Game Files?
Wrote a small README, wrote a small BATCH File for all the three Difficulty Levels,
created three Difficulty Levels "Kicking hard", "Kicking harder", and "Please stop kicking me"...

:perv:

The COB format is itself a file system containing the actual data files.
yeah. And encoded it is damned Work to locate every single Data, true.

When editing it, you probably saw a bunch of weird symbols early in the file -
that was raw binary data describing the locations of the files inside the COB.
yeah, too.

Then it is a minor miracle indeed. All it would take to mess things up is Notepad
reading or saving a character or two wrong (been there, done that; using Notepad for editing
something that is not plaintext is a bad idea)
or merely changing the length of any file inside the COB by a single byte.
Totally right. To change binary encoded Material is senseless, and causes
a total Malfunction, for sure. To add only one Byte to the Ascend00.COB,
it causes the same. But i change Bytes without doing any other Changes,
and thats enough to give Ascendancy a new... Bite, and thats a Miracle,
i was so happy about, so i told you. That this little Ascend00.COB and this
little Modification causes a brandnew Feeling, and thats a Miracle, i could
have done ten Years ago...

It seems you need to create directories named ascend00 ascend01 and ascend02 first.
For some reason the program is unable to create them by itself.
nice Information...
but to change Graphics or Sound, THAT was never the Problem of Ascendancy.
To change the AI would perhaps be impossible for me, and to change what
i already changed is enough for a sweet new Bite.

I will take the whole Stuff without the whole primary Game Files, and upload,
next Days, and you will surely check...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

here: a Supremacy Super Mod it seems... (http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://old.zfx.info/Data/IOTW/20040608.jpg&imgrefurl=http://old.zfx.info/IOTW.php%3FID%3D127&usg=__4j_ONazDfJNXITv5Dr6RTkwcKTg=&h=1050&w=600&sz=180&hl=de&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=Cb58BM0kiUkw1M:&tbnh=151&tbnw=92&ei=vl9qTqW4JeOP4gSA9sTfBA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dascendancy%2Bsupremacy%2Bprojekt%26um %3D1%26hl%3Dde%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1W1ADRA_de%26biw%3 D757%26bih%3D742%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=209&page=1&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=95&ty=41&biw=1280&bih=802)

here: another Guy had the same .COB Idea... (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showpost.php?p=196684&postcount=297)

I call my Ascendancy Mod

ASCENDANCY THE SUPREMACY

or the SUPREMACY AND TOTALLY CRACY MOD.

Very proud of, and very very happy to at last be able to play Ascendancy like i ever dreamed.

Some Problems i have, cause the AI Plus in Factory/Sci must perhaps be
better balanced... it kicks heavily, and three actual Test-Games ended up with
one Extinction of the Human Player and one total Overthrow of... the Human Player.

Thats a big Problem: I play Ascendancy not as hard as i could, a poor Practice
over the Years, but i should do, cause SUPREMACY! balances the Stupidity of the AI
by a huge Factory/Sci AI Plus, and that AI Plus might be too heavy.

I saw in Ascendancy, that to play Average Star Cluster and four/five Species will bring
a great AI Enemy perhaps, but for example the Nimbuloids in SUPREMACY! Average Star Cluster
and five Species made some bad Shots, extinct one two three, and now they are supreme,
and to win that Game will perhaps be impossible.

If you will play SUPREMACY!, you should know some Things:

-The AI is still stupid!!!
-Perhaps you will get a traditional boring Game
-Perhaps it will be a short Game (for you)
-You should play hard, SUPREMACY! is not the original Ascendancy

If i could edit the "AI Art of Ship-Building", in binary Stuff, so that the AI Ships would be better built,
less of all these special Weapons the AI does not use anyway, and more of Shields and Energy,
that would be a huge Thing to me. But now... hope you enjoy.

Take the CRACY.zip and SUPREME.zip in your Main-Folder Ascend and unpack.
There should be 2 new Sub-Folders SUPREMACY and CRACY.
Sub-Folder SUPREMACY includes the Easy00, Middle00, PHeavy00, Heavy00, PSupreme00, Supreme00,
and Original00.COB, the RESUME.GAM, my Nougat.LF, plus the actual Ascendancy Logo, =10 Files.
Sub-Folder CRACY includes the CEasy00, CMiddle00, CCHeavy00, CHeavy00, CCCracy00, CCracy00,
TEasy00, TMiddle00, CTHeavy00, THeavy00, CTCracy00, TCracy00, and the RESUME.GAM, =13 Files.
In Main-Folder should be my BATCH File, its CHOICE.COM, my README Text, and the new SUPREME.EXE,
=4 Files.

An Absolute of 27 Files.

Unpacked, you have to choose your MOD out of these three: SUPREMACY, CRACY, TOTALLY CRACY,
and you have to choose the Difficulty out of their six available Difficulties.
To copy the chosen MOD Difficulty in Main-Folder and renaming it into ASCEND00.COB, you can use
the BATCH File, it will open by automatically using its CHOICE.COM, and offering the Options,
and automatically copy the required Files into the Main-Folder. By using the Directory:
BATCH and CHOICE must be in Main-Folder, and its required Files in Sub-Folders as i told above,
so that the BATCH can copy out of the Subs the chosen MOD Difficulty in Main-Folder and renaming it.

Or you can copy and paste one of these 3 MODs x 6 Difficulty 00.COBs in Main-Folder and renaming it
into ASCEND00.COB. You would have to take the RESUME.GAM with it, copy and paste without renaming.
But please remember, that well written and working BATCHES are a nice little Thing. Sounds complicated,
but will bring some nice Ascendancy Games.

+++Now you could play the SUPREMACY MOD Easy, Middle, Prometheus-Heavy, Heavy,
Prometheus-Supreme and Supreme Difficulty. I decided to create these new two Prometheus Difficulty Levels,
to increase the Human Players Factory Plus also. The Middle, Heavy and Supreme Difficulty Levels increase
the AI Factory Plus 20 > 30 > 40, and to increase in Prometheus 1 > 2 will bring the Human Player more Chances,
more FUN! Many Changes Ship-Stuff, Planet-Stuff, Diplomacy, Solar System Names.

+++Now you could play the CRACY MOD Easy, Middle, Cataclysm-Heavy, Heavy,
Cataclysm-Cracy and Cracy Difficulty. I decided to create these new two Cataclysm Difficulty Levels,
to increase the Human Players Factory Plus also. The Middle, Heavy and Cracy Difficulty Levels increase
the AI Factory Plus 20 > 30 > 40, and to increase in Cataclysm 1 > 2 will bring the Human Player more Chances,
more FUN! With redirected Prerequisites.

+++Now you could play the TOTALLY CRACY MOD Easy, Middle, Cataclysm-Heavy, Heavy,
Cataclysm-Totally Cracy and Totally Cracy Difficulty. I decided...
more FUN! CRACY MOD plus most Special Weapons disabled.

For Example the Lane Endoscope was useless in Original Ascendancy. You get that Special
at the End of the Tec Tree and Game, but at this Time all Solar Systems should be explored anyway...
That Special makes more Sense at the Beginning of the Game.

For Example the good old Ship-Stuff like Mass Barrage Gun or Ion Wrap, or even small Ship Hull.
All these Things i never used in Original Ascendancy. The CRACY MOD tries to redirect the
Prerequisites for some Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff to balance these Things.

For Example, who knows what the Gravity Distorter does, or the Fleet Disperser, or the
Gravimetric Condensor? Ascendancy includes many Specials, which are almost the same...
they are called like Sci-fantastic Super-Things, but even i forget who is who and which is for what,
and the stupid AI does not use all these Super-Things anyway... so i renamed some Stuff slightly.

And the TOTALLY CRACY MOD disables as the next and final Step the most of the Specials.
Wanted to try to change the AI Art of Ship-Building. All these Ships include many Specials,
which are never used. And all these Energy Weapons cannot be used, cause of the loaded Shields
and the less of Energy. To disable the most of the Specials brings a Plus of Energy into the AI Ships.

An old Game with a damned huge Lack in AI Planet Modernizing, Ship Modernizing, Ship Building,
Fleet Movement and Ship Battle-Actions which i cannot delete. These Things just arent programed.
The Logic Factory tells, that for Example Master of Orion 2 uses AI Cheats to increase the Challenge,
which Ascendancy does NOT, but there are only two Ways to get a Game welldone:

To program a welldone AI, or to damned cheat the AI up.
The Logic Factory tells, that in Ascendancy there are much Ways to succeed, and it is not necessary
to end up all in War, so the "damned huge Lack of the AI" is not relevant, but that Game is called
"Ascendancy", and every Game needs a Challenge, and the Lack of the AI and its Cause to kill the Game

is out of any Question, i think. I tried to increase the Games Aggression and AI Factory Plus,
tried to balance the Tec Tree and the Prerequisites of the balanced Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff, and
tried to do all i can modifiying just the Ascend00.COB to get a much better Game, and so
i could play the SUPREMACY MOD as basic MOD, or the CRACY MOD with redirected Prerequisites,
or the TOTALLY CRACY MOD with disabled Specials to increase the AI Ship Strength.
Did everything i could to make that old classic Game to a bite more Challenge, and to that Game, i ever wished to play.

Hm. 24.7.2012. I think, i call that sweet little MOD beta-done.
And now, for anybody who will play this...

Have Fun.

;)

O yes, and a last Thing:
To get some Hints, or Error Messages, or Fun Messages, would be wonderful.

O yes, and a very last Thing:
Managed to do my Batch File 64bit also, hopefully it works on 64bit Systems now!!!

:)

42/41 Downloads of Cracy, and Supremacy ZIPs. Thanks. BUT:

-REMOVED- 1.6, final Version, out now. 8.4.2013.

Passing Questioner

15-08-2012, 04:38 AM

I have a question concerning this games invasion system (this was the only forum I found with an actual active thread on this old lad).

It happenend multiple times to me allready, that an enemy vessel warped into one of my perimeter systems, but stayed out of range of my orbital missile batteries. I couldn't do anything but to wait for the next day(/s - sometimes they wait), only to get a popup that my system has been invaded and taken over... .
Those perimeter planets are usually equipped with two orbital shields and three missile batteries, and yet they just sneak past them. (the last time that made me somewhat ragequit and search for solutions had even additional 2 ground shields for invasion resistence to counter this behaviour....)

I wouldn't even care so much, if it was that easy to take them back for me too (high developed production planets are bordering close to these, so I could quickly raise invasion and intercept vessels). But whenever I try this tactic, I get shot and destroyed. By the same cannons even, that just refused to shoot approaching enemys, because they belong to them now.
Every step that moves me closer to the planet is an opportunity for them to shoot, and I need multiple of them. I made the ships able to stand a bit under fire with one shield bubble, but they cannot last longer than the fourth round or so. Which wouldn't be that terrible again, since I usually reach the planets in the second round allready, but then I somehow can't enter orbit. Whenever I click the planet, my ship just vanishes and spawns around him again, as if it just left orbit. Of course the enemy is getting a free shot at me after any of these attempts.

So as a quick summary:
- My planets cannot make the same 'shot for every step they approach you' thing, that the enemy throws at me
- Instead they don't do anything to defend themselves, just let the enemy into orbit (which never worked for me in x^4 tries and fails) and get taken over so quick that I just get a notification in the next round, that something went wrong and I lost a fully developed colony, including all of their defenses to some lonely weasel marodeur ship .. nice!

So I guess I am doing something wrong - maybe some configuration I overlooked? Or is there a special commando tactic equipment - stealth maybe? (didn't research that one jet)

How to counter? What to do?

Oh, and of course I have tried enough to get these systems back by real force and just destroy all their defenses. But still being a few rounds away from large ships with allready available plasma weapons, my medium warships are just not capable of overcoming such heavily fortified planets.
So one time I assembled 3 warships at once, which is quite the armament considering, that I just owned around 10 systems at this point. ..And they failed miserably. Whenever one of them got hit, this ship and EVery other lost around 2,5 barrs of energy.
At first I thought it was some sort of unfortunate racial trait of my enemy, but then I found out.. it's not.
So jeah, I don't really get what the point of attacks with multiple ships is, since you can only use one for real - because if the enemy is able to fire back at the same rate, the rest of your ships cannot do anything anymore, since their energy is allready 'somehow' depleted.
I don't know how they are justifying such nonsense. I even had my ships coming from different lanes, so one them was far appart, but they still all loose energy. Area drain effects from mere Missile Batteries, yeah.. ok.

The game still seems to be pretty easy, but random jump-at-you border-conquering like this is really annoying. And unfair - I cannot do the same.

I hope somebody here is still fit enough in this game to help.

The Fifth Horseman

15-08-2012, 11:19 AM

IIRC, the orbital weapons need to be fired manually.

Passing Questioner

15-08-2012, 08:09 PM

I know, but that is not possible if the enemy stayed out of range. They wait on the edge of the system and then jump at you in one quick between turns time. You don't even see it happening.

While the player has to encounter an enemy planet stop and go wise, where every step provokes one weapon to fire, the KI is either shot with all weapons when within range, ..or just not.
So it seems, if they just have enough engines or energy to reach you in one turn, NOthing is ever going to stop them, or what?
But even if I would likewise be able to get to their planet without being shot, I would still not be able to enter orbit if there are cannons around, because that appears to be a KI only trait too.

..Different mechanics for human player and KI, I hate that. Natural unbalance.

Eagle of Fire

15-08-2012, 10:17 PM

In fact, it is not even a different mechanic for the AI. It is simply that you need to be there to fire those guns manually and you are not when you end your turn.

The best way to prevent such a situation is to have a defensive ship of your own patrolling the system. The AI plain suck very big time in Ascendancy so it is more than easy to design a ship which can destroy anything in its path.

Another option would be to pass your tactical turn. I think there is an option to do that in the planetary system menu. This would take the opponent ship into range before they land to your planet and you'll get a chance to hit it.

Passing Questioner

15-08-2012, 11:55 PM

Ah, thanks! Never thought of trying that out. As allways when something is obvious and easy.
I think that will do the trick \(OuO )/

Oskatat

19-08-2012, 05:21 AM

It usually does. If the attacking ship has weapons it'll close in to fire, unless you outgun him a lot, usually only counting ships. If the AI is using molecular disassociators and you have orbital batteries you might be in trouble, since they'll outrange you, and however stupid, they'll sit there and shoot instead of comming within range. Where the AI then messes up is if a shorter ranged weapon got put in too, it'll now close in (if energy is left) so you can shoot it to pieces

Eagle of Fire

19-08-2012, 03:40 PM

My normal tactic is to get excavations relics and get way, way ahead in tech than my opponents. Then I research weapons which outperform my enemies (early game it is the red gun) and gun them down from orbit, leaving the ship in the system to destroy whatever they try to rebuild orbitally. This prevent them from building up defenses and the AI is too stupid to build anything else so it deadlock that particular system up.

I hate shields which suck up energy as you activate them. I always use those which are way less powerful but are always active (simply don't forget to activate them when you build or refit the ship as they are built off by default) and try to stay out of range of harm. If the ship take a beating I get it back to a manufacture playet with a dock and refit the ship to get armor back (and/or better components upgrade at the same time) and rinse and repeat.

Once all the opponents planets in a given system are beaten up, a single ship firing on every planet every turn deadlock them. AI is terrible building ships too so they are not a problem either when I encounter them.

Doing this and securing checkpoints early game guarantee me the win in every single game.

Nicheal

16-12-2012, 02:11 PM

Has anyone of you played my Ascendancy the Supremacy and Totally Cracy Mod?

The Download Files, and their including Batch File is 64bit now.
For sure, the Game is old, and Dos-Box, but i would think, there are still some
Gamers out there, who would like to play an advanced Ascendancy.

You have to download the two Files, HERE (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?p=444087#post444087), and to paste the whole Stuff
into Main Directory Ascendancy and unpack. Then load the Batch
and choose one of the three Scenarios, Supremacy, Cracy, Totally Cracy,
choose one of the six Difficulty Levels, the Batch will automatically load
an Ascend00.COB, and the Resume.GAM, into Main Directory.

Then you can play Ascendancy by using the Supreme.EXE.
And then you have two Things:

-Are there new Names for the Solar Systems? If yes, lets play.
If no, my Mod was not loaded.

-Do NOT build any SciFactories, these Buildings are for stupid AI only.

Thats all.

If the Batch has not loaded automatically, look into a Sub Folder and copy
and paste one of the existing "00.COBs by renaming into Ascend00.COB,
and the Resume.GAM into Main Directory, thats all. You need only one of all
these "00.COBs renamed into Ascend00.COB, and the Resume.GAM in your
Main Directory, and Ascendancy will be whole new and much better.

And i would be happy to hear at least one Guy out there, who played the Game,
and tells me some Words, that would be fine! Have Fun.

IF THE SOLAR SYSTEM NAMES HAVE NOT CHANGED,
YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED MY MOD!!!

Frank Reif

26-02-2013, 06:53 AM

Hi Nichael !
Can we double or triple the generator-output for more ship-energy ?
Can we mod the ship-shields to permanently active without energy-use only if they are hit ? Can we mod that only one shield-generator is allowed to build in ?
What can we do that the AI use its ship-specials like "carbonizer" or the absolute killer
weapon "disintegrator" etc. ???
Here are my contact address and phone number:
e-mail: [SNIP]
Phone: [SNIP]

Frank Reif

27-02-2013, 09:28 AM

Nicheal

10-03-2013, 02:54 PM

GOOD NEWS!!!

###1

For all Guys out there, loving the good old Classic,
ASCENDANCY,
but crying,
cause of the damned huge Lack of AI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That Guy, Frank Reif, had some damned good Ideas modding Ascendancy,
and we reached finally, that the damned AI Ships shoot with Disintegrator,
Brunswik Dissipator, Myrmidonic Carbonizer, and all the other Stuff.

Now, finally, the AI chooses the very Hard Weapons, too!!!
For all Fans of Ascendancy out there: They damned hit badly, by Disintegrator!!!
That caused me, to modd a new Mod. Coming soon (like Space Rangers HD...)

:rolleyes:

Ever read the Ascendancy, and Logic Factories Homepage News,
"they are currently working on Ascendancy 2"... i dont believe anything,
these Guys tell. Eighteen Years since their Antag.exe, and nothing else,
but an iOS Version of Ascendancy "including the Antag.exe"...............
whats that? A Poison Cake? I´ll never wait for Ascendancy 2, it´ll never come,
these Guys tell a crispy Nothing, "our current Progress depends on how
good the iOS Version makes"... hahaha!!! IF that depends on that,
after eighteen Years, that damned Hell is frozen, i think.

Dozens of better SciFi Games out there, nobody needs Ascendancy anymore.
A handful Guys working lowbudget on anything, and trying to reach the Train...
tuuut tuuut! Better, to modd the good ol´ Ascendancy, thats more intelligent,
than to wait for Ascendancy 2, which will perhaps never come.

-It would have been better anyway, for the Logic Factory, to ever and ever
release Addons and small Ascendancy Patches, Year by Year, than doing quite nothing.-

:headslap:

-At the Moment i wait for the excellent Space Rangers HD - A War Apart",
and Frank and me, we have finally reached to make possible, the damned
stupid AI Ships shoot with all the Hard Weapons, satisfying very much, Folks!!!

Have nice Days!!!

:)

###2

GOLDEN EDIT, 17.3., one Week later:

Folks... this Crazy Franky had some other most crazy (and working!) Ideas...
and it seems, that we got almost everything working quite Thunder!!!
The Antag.exe, of which i was no Fan EVER, cause it broke the Diplomacy,
and made many damned sad Mistakes in Ship Buildings, seems to rock now.
The Goods and Bads Antag.exe and Ascend.exe are:

Antag.exe
+++Planetary Management
+++Ship Movement
---Diplomacy War only versus Human Player
---Ship Building

Ascend.exe (plus my MOD)
---Planetary Management
---Ship Movement
+++Diplomacy super
+++Ship Building

Now the Antag.exe works quite well in every Ways.
It is a real Joy, for a longtime Ascendancy Fan like me,
-having surrendered already, long time ago, playing that good ol´ Classic
quite badass-, and to see right now, that the Antag.exe rocks now,
and that almost EVERYTHING does, like i ever wished to play!!!

One of the most amazing Wonders, and a Kind of Modding,
i have never expected. Folks, that MOD will be Ascendancy,
like we (some true Ascendancy Fans out there) ever wished to play!!!

BOOOOOMMM!!! DAMNED!!!

:hihihi:
:bleh1:
:omg:
:)

###3

PLATINUM EDIT, 20.3., 1.3 Release:

The ASCENDANCY DELYXE AND HEAVY DELYXE MOD 1.3 is released now.
Tweaking and tweaking, it was heavy enough.
Now Ascendancy and its Antag.exe work fine. The AI Ships shoot with
Disintegrators and Carbonizers, the Game is heavy to play now.

Did what we can, Crazy Franky and me, to mod that damned Thing.
You will find after unpacking the DELYXE.ZIP a Sub-Folder Delyxe, the two
.exe Antag.exe and Ascend.exe, one small Change in, Ascendancy into !!DELYXE!!,
the 64 bit BATCH FILE and the README Links.

These Things you have to copy into your Main Directory Ascendancy.
Open the BATCH FILE, follow the Options, to load the DELYXE MOD,
or the HEAVY DELYXE MOD. Both have redirected Prerequisites, so that the
Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff need another Tecs to enable. Both have the
whole Weapons and Special Weapons, but the HEAVY DELYXE MOD has
deleted unnecessary Specials, to increase the Strength of Energy of AI Ships,
and the Weapon Powers.

The BATCH FILE will automatically load the required MOD 00.COB into the
Main Directory, one of the six Difficulty Levels of both MODs:

Easy, EasyPlus, Middle, MiddlePlus, Heavy, HeavyPlus.

The Plus is increased Factory Output for Human Player.
The Heavy Difficulty is the most heavy one, without Factory Plus.

The Heavy Difficulty of the HEAVY DELYXE MOD is the most heavy one EVER.

So, unpack your DELYXE.ZIP, copy all into Main Directory Ascendancy,
load the BATCH FILE, follow the Options to load automatically one of the two
MODs and one of the six Difficulty Levels, and play:

Do NOT research the AI Steel and Armor Tec, for AI ONLY!
Do NOT build SciFactories, for AI ONLY!

Use the Antag.exe in Peaceful Mode.

IF THE SOLAR SYSTEM NAMES HAVE NOT CHANGED, YOU NOT PLAY MY MOD!

IF YOU DONT FIND THE COLONIZER OR INVADER MODULE, HAVE A LOOK AT YOUR WEAPONS...

And now, all the true Ascendancy Fans out there: Have Fun.

:cry:
:ouch:
:OK:

###4

Bad Notice the 22.3.2013:

I HAVE REMOVED NOW THE 1.3

Get a DOMAIN ERROR SQRT Message, and a <..\race.cpp> Line 5683 Message,
then the Game crashes. Overwrote some Values too much.
Franky told me some good Ideas, after that, i got totally cracy, to mod
all that Stuff quite harder, BUT: You could SLIGHTLY change by Notepad++,
NOT too much! The Problem is:

If you add one single Bit by Notepad++, the Game crashes at the Beginning.

[If you google for Legolas Modding Tools, or Ascendancy Modding Tools, you´ll find

http://legolas558.iragan.com/index.php?option=downloads&catid=8&Itemid=50&-MODding-Tools

that. You can extract the 00., 01., 02.COBs, but by the Win Command
"HDD:\Folder\COBExtract.exe" ascend0x.cob /raw
and the Win Command
"HDD:\Folder\COBExtract.ext" ascend0x.cobfilelist /create

To unpack the 00.COB by raw Command, you´ll get all the Text Files. There you could edit
nearly every single Text, and by create Command, your 00.COB will work.]

Example: Weapon Power from 5 to 6. Thats ok. Weapon Power from 5 to 15.
Thats ok too, cause you delete one Space, and you write another Number instead,
WITHIN THE DOMAIN of that Chapter. But if you add between the Values too much,
you overstep a Domain Value, into another.
Example: Weapon Power from 5 to 105. Thats too much, cause you overstep
the maximum Domain, Chapter Size, it seems like. You surely could delete
one Bit later in the Line, so the Game opens. But the maximum Domain Size
is broken, so that the Mem is corrupted, sooner or later.

Result: The Game writes into Mem Stuff, it cannot read anymore.
You could CHANGE Bit per Bit, but you could not ADD one single Bit.
And you could add some Numbers WITHIN the Domain by changing a Space
into another Number, but you SHOULDNT overstep a Domain Value.
The Game will open and play, until the Mem is totally deadwritten.

[If you´ll use Notepad++, or Legolas COBExtractor, that will NOT help for the DOMAINS,
and that is my Problem right now: I can easily change the whole 00.COB, but i have
changed Things, i should not have. And so the Game opens, and plays, until the Mem is deadwritten.]

Thats what i did, after Frankys Ideas:
I overdosed all the Values, and the Antag.exe HATES that, by Crash at a Time.
The Ascend.exe plays along, with Tons of Illegal Reads, until it crashes at last.

End of the Song:
Franky and me, we reached to get ALL THE SPECIALS working!

The Antag.exe has now its usual advanced Planetary Management,
its advanced Dog Fighting, the Diplomacy of the Antag can work, if you
choose the Peaceful Mode, were the AI Enemies fight each other too,
and we reached to give the pure Colonizer and Invader Ships WEAPONS,
so that EVERY AI SHIP is fully loaded now.

The Antag.exe works now in every single Piece. ALL THE SPECIALS work now,
in every single Piece. And if i will succeed in re-writing the Domains,
the Game will be perfect. It is a damned old Game, i dont want to argue with that,
dying, but there is a Chance to get that perfect.

:woot:
:ph34r:

So i have removed my DELYXE AND HEAVY DELYXE MOD, caused by Corruption, Dudes,
but i hope, it will work. I prayed, i might have corrupted my whole 00.COB, by hard Work,
i prayed, it should be MY FAULT, rather than a Programmer Fault by changing the SPECIALS!!!
No, it seems, changing the SPECIALS works, and works quite well, thats a good Message!!!

Nice Days, and sorry!

###5

Good Notice the 26.3.2013:

As i told:
You´ll need, to mod Ascendancy, only the Notepad++ Editor, modding the Ascend00.COB. These Tools

http://legolas558.iragan.com/index.php?option=downloads&catid=8&Itemid=50&-MODding-Tools

are well done, and with the COBExtractor i could change the Ascend00.COB even better,
but to change the Waves and Bitmaps, or .VOCs and .SHPs out of Ascend01.COB and Ascend02.COB,
by COBExtracting by /raw Order and Fred Chlandas superb Shp Edit, the Results are very sad, cause the
Shapes seem broken after that... i did not reach to get that perfect. Perhaps its the SHP Fix Button.

The Domain Error is NOT, to increase too dramatically the Costs and Values, as i told above!
Some Values you cannot exceed from 50 to 100, yes, but to increase the Costs of, for example,
Orbital Dockyard from x to 9000, is NOT the Problem. But the good Notice is:
Ascend.exe has no Problems with all these Domain Changes, and seems to work.

To use the Ascend.exe is not a Problem, cause my Planetary Management is... for the Ascend.exe,
good enough, the Ship Building is quite aggressive, and the Ships are quite aggressive, too.
Had it often enough in Ascend.exe Games, that AI Ships, which have not enough Energy or Weapon Power,
stand still and numb, and dont even try to hide. Having enough Energy and Weapon Power, they are little Tigers!

And the Diplomacy is better in Ascend.exe Games, cause i increased the Aggression of all Species much!
An Ascend.exe Game seems to work quite good enough, with all my changed Domains, cause it is written
much more simple. The damned File crashing by changed Domains, is perhaps in a .cpp of the more
complicated Antag.exe, sad that. But Franky has NO Crashes............ and i tested every damned Piece.

The Ascend.exe seems to work quite good enough.

Nicheal

28-03-2013, 12:37 PM

###1

It is very sad, that i got no real Response, to my MODs.

Like me, there ARE many Ascendancy Fans out there, still. It has smooth Gfx,
smooth Sfx, a smooth Atmosphere, and Style, and is a true DOS Classic,
and, if thats an Argument, still played on iOS.
To not getting any Response, is very sad, cause i cannot know, Errors,
Failures, perhaps OS Errors, which OS i dont have. The only Response
was Frankies, and THAT was the most amazing Wonder EVER Ascendancy!!!

:woot:

The Fact is, that i succeeded finally, modding Ascendancy up, to a heavy
damned Bitch of a Game. Thats most incredible. The Upload is the Version 1.5
of my new ASCEND DELYXE AND HEAVY DELYXE MOD, or

ASCENDELYXE 1.5

As i told:

Had a Domain Error in sqrt, in race.cpp, modding the Specials of Ascendancy up,
to real AI Function. It is very nice, the AI Ships shoot with Disintegrators now,
Brunswik, Carbonizer... but the Antag.exe perhaps includes a changed File
in .exe and in .cpp Module race.cpp, which collapses, and crashes the Game.
Sometimes never, but sometimes, and in my System, earlier and fore sure, sadly.

But the Ascend.exe, Patch from anno 1996, seems to work without Crashes.

XD

So i wrote my ASCENDELYXE MOD for the Ascend.exe ONLY, and i had a
damned broad Grin in my ugly Face, playing that MOD, played the HEAVY DELYXE MOD,
which deletes up to 14 most unnecessary Specials, Difficulty Level 4, HDBrutal,
Galaxy Size Middle. And it IS quite brutal!!!

:sneakrete:

--------------------------------------------

###2

The DELYXE.zip includes the Ascend.exe Patch, slightly changed, a Batch File,
a README, and the Sub-Folder DELYXE, and all you´ll need playing my MOD.
Use this Ascend.exe Patch ONLY, please. You could use my Batch File,
loading an Ascend00.COB into Main Directory Ascendancy, which you´ll NEED,
out of Sub-Folder DELYXE, one of the eight 00.COBs

DBrutal00.COB, DHeavy00.COB, DMiddle00.COB, DEasy00.COB,
(DELYXE MOD Difficulty Levels!)
HDBrutal00.COB, HDHeavy00.COB, HDMiddle00.COB, HDEasy00.COB,
(HEAVY DELYXE MOD Difficulty Levels!)

copied out of Sub-Folder DELYXE and pasted into your Main Directory Ascendancy,
renamed to Ascend00.COB, and the Resume.GAM copied and pasted.

The Batch File would do that automatically. And if your brandnew Ascendancy,
appears with NEW STAR SYSTEM NAMES, it is the ASCENDELYXE MOD 1.5.

The DELYXE MOD uses new Star System Names, new Ship-Stuff Values, new Planet-Stuff Values,
redirected Prerequisites (Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff needs another Tecs to enable).
The Specials work now, the AI uses them now. You´ll get four Difficulty Levels.
The HEAVY DELYXE MOD deletes up to 14 most unnecessary Specials, to
increase the AI Ship Energy, the pure STRENGTH and AGGRESSION of the AI Ships.

Perhaps all that Stuff is not balanced enough, or i overlooked some Minor Errors.
So any Responses would be welcome!

:max:

--------------------------------------------

###3

-Dont research the Advanced AI Warfare Tec
-Dont build the AI War Center

-If you wonder, why Invader or Colonizer Modules, or all these sweet little
Special Weapons, dont appear in Specials List, THATS the Reason:
Franky had the most glorious Idea, to simply change the Domain 5, all these
Specials have, into a 0, which means, they are used as Weapons now.
Thats the whole Trick. By changing a 5 into a 0, all Special Weapons are
true Weapons now, but still including their Special. So you´ll find the
Invader and Colonizer Modules, and all Special WEAPONS, in the Weapons List.

To change these Domains, caused some Problems:

For Example, the DisIntegrator, and the BackFirer (now called Cruzifier),
include a Special to destroy Ships totally, or to damage Ships.
To change the DisIntegrator Domain from 5 to 0, causes, it is used like a Weapon now.

Problem: The AI builds into its Ships the Weapon with the best Weapon Power...
the DisIntegrator, and the Cruzifier, include no Weapon Powers!
They include Special Effects ONLY. So, the AI will use every Mass Barrage Gun rather,
as first Weapon, than a Special without any Weapon Power.

Problem: If i would have given DisIntegrator, or the Cruzifier, Weapon Power,
they would be able, if i would enable these Functions, to shoot at Bubbles,
Orbital Structures, AND Ships, that would be great! BUT: IF a Special Weapon,
which includes a Ship Damage Special, and now includes a Weapon Power,
DESTROYS a Ship by Weapon Power, the Game crashes.

Example: The DisIntegrator includes a 30 Weapon Power, so it is built by
AI Ships as first Weapon. The Enemy Ship has a 20 Hull Defense.
The DisIntegrator will kill that Enemy Ship not by Special Effect, but by Weapon Power,
Game End.

To give all these Special Weapons Weapon Power, too, and to change their Domain
from 5 Specials into a 0 Weapons, would make possible to enable the Bubbles or
Orbital Structures Target. Only Weapon Power has Effect on these, but the most
Specials would be too special for that, sadly. BUT: Weapons like DisArmer, Brunswik,
Shield Blaster, Carbonizer, ... should i say more? Are true FIRST WEAPONS now.
It is a true Joke, to recognise myself laughing at, while the AI kills my own Ships,
booom booom booom, by heavy Firing. And Difficulty Level 4 HDBrutal... should i say more?
The AI Enemy has MORE Tec, MORE Ships, BIGGER Ships, BETTER Weapons, HEAVY Weapons,
booom booom booom, End of that Battle. It is a true Wonder!

>Every Special Weapon, which includes a Ship Damage Special, cannot include a Weapon Power, sadly.
>Every Special, like Tractor Beam, moving Ships around, cannot shoot at Planets. The next Code Error.
>And the Antag.exe includes some Files, perhaps, crashing by Domain Changes, perhaps.

--------------------------------------------

###4

Changes in my new MOD:

The SciFactory Invention, out of my Supremacy MOD, Laboratories had to be the AI Factory Plus,
is changed into the Cloning Plant, now called AI War Center. So the Game, to build Factory,
or AgriPlot, or Laboratory, is included in my new MOD, the Research will be much more heavy now.
The AI War Center is placed onto a Tec Slot called Advanced AI Warfare. Franky told to me,
that he likes to automatize Planet Building, and that is possible now. To not research this
Advanced AI Warfare, does not allow to ever build AI War Centers, thats all for the stupid AI ONLY.

The Special Weapons work. The Invader and Colonizer Modules include a Special Thanks(!!!).
Thats the Reason why they are listed in Weapons List (!!!).

And the four Difficulty Levels Easy, Middle, Heavy and Brutal are quite better, for both MODs:
ASCEND DELYXE AND HEAVY DELYXE.

But for now:
Have Fun, with that most incredible

ASCENDELYXE 1.5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-REMOVED- 1.6, final Version, out now. 8.4.2013.

Eagle of Fire

29-03-2013, 04:02 AM

The last time someone posted a "mod" for Ascendancy it didn't work.

If you do have a working mod which do work without changing vanilla then I'm all up for it. If your mod change a bunch of other things within the game though then I will consider it just like another mod. And I hate mods.

Nicheal

29-03-2013, 09:08 AM

Well, the last Time a "Mod" for Ascendancy was posted, it was me,
and my Supremacy and Totally Cracy Mod, and actually it did work.

(Perhaps you were the Guy, not reading any Forum Post, or my README,
not knowing the NEED and the MUST HAVE of a working Ascend00.COB in Main Directory.
Had a Response, that "nothing has changed", since the Unpacking of my Mod...
that Guy was excited much, and after that damned Mod very frustrated and disappointed:

YES, if no single File was changed in Original Game, it can only be the Original Game...
the only Way to change the Lack of the Original Game, is to change Files... so you
HAVE TO use one of my Ascend00.COBs out of Sub-Folder pasted in Main Directory as
Ascend00.COB... and if the Solar System Names have changed... ET VOILA!)

What do you mean with "without changing Vanilla"?

If your mod change a bunch of other things within the game though
then I will consider it just like another mod. And I hate mods.

YES, my Mod changes the most Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff!!!
The Gfx and Sfx still are quite the same, only the Ascend00.COB was changed, MUCH!!!

But i dont know, what you mean exactly. IF you´d LOVE to get, finally,
a WORKING and HOT Ascendancy, but without Changes, you´d get the same old Lack.
And if you´d love to play Ascendancy like it should have been since 18 Years,
you could play this one. As i told often enough: ALL the Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff
is changed, and needs other Tecs to enable. The Weapons are much better now.
Everything is tweaked to a much better Gameplay. Example:

The Lane Endoscope. You get, in Original Ascendancy, the Lane Endoscope pretty late in Game...
this Gimmick allows to watch nearby Solar Systems, without moving in...
but at this Time of Game, you already WERE in. So this Gimmick is totally useless at this Time...
but two thousand Years earlier, it could have been worthy.
ALL the Ship-Stuff and Planet-Stuff is changed, to a much much better Gameplay.
The Special Weapons work now. The Diplomacy is MUCH more aggressive. So what.

If you´d love to play Ascendancy, finally, WORKING and HOT, you should play this one.
And if you´d like to cry for that good old Classic, cause of its pitiful Lack,
so do it, but it is not necessary anymore! The Answer is very easy:

Every true Ascendancy Fan out there, waiting since its Release for a working
Ascendancy, with all its Fun-Stuff working and fighting, COULD HAVE HIS JOY NOW!!!

Its your Decision. But i, would be damned happy, to play that finally!

The other Option would be, instead of playing a WORKING and HOT Ascendancy Mod,
with a DisIntegrator SHOOTING, to wait for the Logic Factory and its wonderful
Up to Date Releases, all these Year by Year Patches, which made me sooo happy,
or better: To wait for Ascendancy 2 MultiVerse, announced, 2025.

If any true Ascendancy Fan out there, would love to play a working Game,
he should use my Mod. The only other Option would be, to cry, while the boring Original sucks.

As i told: I cannot understand, your Doubts. That Mod IS Ascendancy, like it should be.
Its a true Wonder and Dream, for every true and sorely afflicted Ascend Fan out there!

Currently play my first real Testgame... and its pure Insanity!!! It is the best Ascendancy Game
i ever played... play HEAVY DELYXE MOD, Difficulty Level 4, HDBrutal... insane, totally insane.

Play as Swaparamans, Galaxy Size Middle, and the Marmosians sent Fleet by Fleet, while i was defending
a "Kings Cross", building up my last 6 Ships versus Fleets about 10, 12 Ships, building up, Step by Step,
Major Ships (Huge Hulls), then XenoArcheology, Gigantum Ships (Great Hulls). After the glorious Defeat
of the Marmosian Invasion Fleets at "Kings Cross" System (the Capelons were their bigger Enemy!),
we decided to push. Right at the Time, were we succeeded finally, on the other Border the Mebes
were extinct, and the Capelons almost conquered my Home System, 7 Gigantum Capelon Ships.

The Defeat of this Capelon Fleet, 2 of my 4 Home System Planets were shot down and conquered,
was a huge Victory. We tried to conquer the next Marmosian System... and four Gigantum Marmosian Ships,
were awaiting our 3 Gigantum Ships, firing at us by HyperSphere Drivers out of Range, and Shield Blasters...
EVERY DAMNED Marmosian Giant, has 1 HyperSphere Driver, and at least 3 Shield Blasters as Main Weaponry,
plus a Shield Blaster Special Weaponry... and, you know, these Weapons are FIRST WEAPONS, with heavy
Weapon Power, and the Disable Shields Special... we HAVE TO move back!!!

The Guy, being a big Ascendancy Fan, but NOT playing this Mod, what a Pity, its the best Ascendancy ever.
You have to face that: Currently, the Turn over 2000, we as Swaparamans have defeated the Marmosians,
but we are the THIRD EMPIRE, after Capelons and Frutmaka, the third out of four, three are gone.
Perhaps the second, cause we have 12 Ships, the Frutmaka only 10, but more Planets. And to have a Look
at Gigantum Frutmaka Ships, is quite a Shock: Up to 5 Brunswiks, three as Main Weaponry, plus.

Absolute Killers! These Guys would shoot my whole Fleets to Hell, without any Efforts... insane!!!

:woot:
:OK::OK::OK:

ironnails

29-03-2013, 05:29 PM

Now WHERE would i get ascendency to make this mod work? It's now a protected program due to them selling it as a i'app. I have the original CD-ROM but the damn thing is too scratched to be any worth :(. I used to LOVE this game over MOO :)

Eagle of Fire

29-03-2013, 07:43 PM

If it's about the same than your last mod then it wasn't really worth all that cap letters and red stuff all over the place. It did work but I didn't see the difference and since you played with some buildings to make the AI cheat over the player I felt cheated. And all this for a difference so small in difficulty (if there was one) I didn't see it.

If it's the same again I'm not interested.

Nicheal

29-03-2013, 08:13 PM

Well, @Eagle of Fire, i wont sell you a Car.

You perhaps did not see any Difference, cause there was none, as i told one thousand Times.

For that special Case, that NRTFM (noone reads the f**ing manuals), i wrote
in damned red huge Letters, that if the Solar System Names havent changed,
you simply NOT played my Mod. You need to change the Ascend00.COB,
therefor i wrote a BATCH and a README, and all these Posts in huge and red.

I NEED to "cheat" for the AI, cause it colonizes not every System, builds no
massive Empire, builds no special Fleets, and dont defends its Border Systems.
To give the AI an Industry-Boost causes a damned heavy, super Game.

And all this for a difference so small in difficulty (if there was one) I didn't see it.

If it's the same again I'm not interested.

It seems, you did not read the one thousand Hints in damned red huge Letters...
you simply downloaded the .zips, unpacked, and wondered why your Ascendancy Game,
seems to be "not so much more difficulty"... but i suppose, it was THE SAME,
cause you havent used my BATCH, havent read my README, and havent changed
the existing ASCEND00.COB into another. It was just the same Game as ever.
Or changed the Solar System Names into new ones?

You dont understand. My Ascendancy Mod is simply insane, awesome, incredible!
No Joke. The AI USES ALL SPECIAL WEAPONS now.
It is a super super super Game now. And if you dont want to play... just your Loss.

If you want to play my Mod, you have to use a modded ASCEND00.COB.
I have modded the ASCEND00.COB, and THAT FILE, you have to exchange
in your Main Directory Ascendancy. The old ASCEND00.COB out, one of my
00.COBs out of Sub-Folder DELYXE into Main Directory Ascendancy and rename
into ASCEND00.COB. Thats the last Time, i should write this damned Fact.

If there are no Changes, there are simply, no Changes.
And if you would succeed exchanging this simple File, you would be happy.

@ironnails

1.
Google for Ascendancy free Download. A few Sites have that Game, but NOT Abandonia!

2.
Could you delete in your Post that whole ugly Quote, please?

The Upload of my Mod is for all the Ascendancy Fans out there.
I hope to reach many of them, so that they could be happy too.

:OK:

Eagle of Fire

31-03-2013, 06:56 PM

You keep taking for granted I don't know how to install a game.

I do.

I played your "modded" game. And I didn't see a difference.

Do we need to continue this discussion again? :/

Nicheal

31-03-2013, 07:12 PM

Ok, ok, Dude.

I know the wise Saying: Dont argue with Geniuses, cause they beat you.

:blush:

But you could generously admit, there WOULD be a Change, obviously,
if an AI Ship shoots at you, with a DisIntegrator? There were big Changes already,
in my Supremacy and Totally Cracy Mod, but what i did now, by the amazing Ideas of Frank Reif,
is to enable almost all Special Weapons as MAIN WEAPONRY shooting at you.

Carbonizer, Brunswik Dissipator, Shield Blaster, DisArmer, DisIntegrator,
all these sweet little Specials are MAIN WEAPONS now, with a Special and Hull Damage!
The AI uses all these cute little Things as Main Weaponry, a lot in all Ships.
I currently work on Version 1.6, and i can say, it is LIGHTYEARS better than i ever hoped,
and worth every Effort, Sir!

:OK:

And if you are an Ascendancy Fan, PLEASE, give yourself the Pleasure to play that Mod!!!

:cry:
:)

Eagle of Fire

31-03-2013, 07:28 PM

I didn't see a difference because I play so fast that the AI have no way to react fast enough. If I get enough of the galaxy then it's too late, upgraded AI or not...

There is a real reason why I always said and continue to say that Ascendancy is a strategy game for newcomers to the genre. It is exceedingly easy and there is no difficulty levels...

Play any other strategy game out there, like Civilization, Colonization, SpaceWard Ho!, etc... You'll see what I mean.

Nicheal

31-03-2013, 08:11 PM

I cannot believe.

My Supremacy and Totally Cracy Mod had the so-called SciFactory included.
The former Laboratory, then used for the AI only, as a huge Industry-Boost.
Only that caused, that you CANNOT be "fast enough", it is simply impossible,
playing Ascendancy the Supremacy on highest Difficulty Level, to being faster
than the AI. And caused by the aggressive Diplomacy of that Mod, an unbeatable
Enemy declares War on you... you played the Mod, with changed Solar System Names,
and you were "too fast"... i cannot believe.

Played MoO2, Pax Imperia, Civilization all, Colonization highest Difficulty,
Galactic Civilization II and Space Rangers 2 Revolution are good Advices.

But there ARE Difficulty Levels in Ascendancy! My current Mod 1.5 includes 4.
And, tell me, how would you defeat a Giant Fleet out of 6 Enemy Ships,
full to the damned brim with Brunswiks? I tell you that: Even IF you would
dominate that Game, you would grin like a drunken Idiot, like i do.

If I get enough of the galaxy then it's too late, upgraded AI or not...

Yes, i thought that, too. But since the AIs Giant Ships include 4 Brunswiks
Main Weaponry PLUS Brunswiks, Shield Blasters and DisArmers as Specials,
you cannot be sure to stand the next Century, Dude, even if you think,
you are good enough, thats my Experience with ASCENDELYXE 1.5, honestly.

:sick:

I try to get up to four Difficulty Levels, and a Kind of "total Insanity"...
that you could get already in the 1.5.

:mischief:
:cry:

Leonidusx

02-04-2013, 02:27 AM

First of all thanks for the Ascendancy Mod.

Secondly the batch file was creating the necessary files OUTSIDE the folder (one directory before ascendancy) and once those were taken and placed inside the ascend folder, then the mod worked.

Thirdly, english is not your native language, and some good work could be done to make things sound much less weird if you would let a native english speaker rename some things (especially the technologies and ship parts).

Only played very briefly so far, but does seem like the computer will finally put up some kind of fight! Cannot wait to get into my first worthy interstellar ascendancy war!

Thanks,
Leonidus

Nicheal

02-04-2013, 10:26 AM

Hi Leonidus!

It is a great Joy to me, that some Ascendancy Fans find their Way to my Mod.

1.
Your Download includes a Sub-Folder Delyxe, the new Ascend.exe, which you
should use ONLY, and NOT the Antag.exe!!! and the BATCH and the README shortcuts.
The BATCH loads out of Sub-Folder Delyxe into one directory higher.
Thats the Cause, you should copy all my Mod Stuff into Main Directory Ascendancy.
The BATCH does nothing but to load one directory higher.
But if you succeeded in exchanging ASCEND00.COB and RESUME.GAM, welcome to my Mod!

2.
You mean the HyperScorpoide Stinger? Or the PsiAgonic DisRaptorizer?
O man! Ascendancy was EVER a kind of a "dizzy" Fantasy SciFi Thing,
with psychedelic Sounds and Graphics, and Names. It is a Wonder that the Logic Factory
did a kind of a SciFi atmospheric Masterpiece, just to make everything wrong all the times later.
I gave such "weired Names", cause half a Year ago, i had only the Notepad++,
and had to rename some Stuff Letter by Letter, and i wanted to give
Ascendancy the Names as usual. For any Help and Hint i am thankful.

3.
Had a Testgame yesterday, playing the Middle Size Galaxy, Seven Empires,
the Chamachies killed me, after a short struggling Battle with some Colonizers,
some new Colonies and a brutal small War versus many small Empires.
Built too less Orbital Shields and Missiles...

-You should know, that Colonizer and Invader are in the Weapons Menu now.

-You should know, NOT TO RESEARCH the Advanced AI Warfare, and NOT TO BUILD the AI War Center.

Have Fun!

:OK:

Nicheal

08-04-2013, 08:38 AM

8.4.2013 DONE-DATE
For all the Dudes out there, loving to play Ascendancy, i tried to accomplish
my ASCEND DELYXE AND HEAVY DELYXE, or ASCENDELYXE 1.6 MOD.
It is hard to get that damned Thing perfect while the Game lacks badly,
but i think its alright now. For all the Dudes out there, getting my MOD to work:

:OK:

For all the others: :blush:.

>You´ll need to download all 7 Packs, and unpack.
These 6 .rars include the ASCEND01.COB and a few GFX Tweaks for better Gaming.

>You´ll find a Folder ´Delyxe´, a BATCH, a README, the ASCEND.EXE
(Patch from 1996) for USE ONLY, (the ANTAG.EXE crashes), and the new ASCEND01.COB.

>Backup your original ASCEND01.COB (but youll never need it anymore).
Then copy and paste the whole Stuff into your Main Directory Ascendancy.

>Load the Batch and choose a Game: DELYXE, with ALL Specials, HEAVY DELYXE,
without 14 deleted Specials, for totally crazy and most heavy AI Ships.

>If the Solar System Names have changed, you play an ASCEND00.COB by me.
If not, please read any Manual to finally succeed in getting that Mod to work. Patience!

>Dont research Advanced AI Warfare, that allows the stupid AI
to build AI War Centers for more Industry, and AI War Engine for more Ship Energy.

>Dont build AI War Centers on your Planets, and AI War Engine
on your Ships, thats for the stupid AI ONLY, to increase the AI Enemies pure Strength.

>Build up Planets with many Shipyards and one Orbital Dock,
to being able to build huge Ships fast enough, to face the AI Industry Plus.

>Look at the Weapons Menu for Colonizer and Invader Moduls.
The most once Super Special Weapons and Colonizer and Invader are Weapons now, firing.

4.8.2013 CHECK-DATE
After a really... hard Game, for Ascendancy, some Minor Tweaks like,
forgot to change 1.5 into 1.6 in the Batch File (:ph34r:), forgot to change
the Shift Info Text for Invader and Colonizer, changed Yr. into Year, o yes,
and made the Super Hard Weapons more expensive in Energy Need,
and made the Ship Building MUCH harder for the Human Player (:drool:).

The only Thing missing, is, to perhaps get any Feedback by all those,
succeeded in playing my Mod (:woot:), or perhaps all those, NOT succeeded in (:cry:).
The Lack of the Game, no Modder could ever beat off, but i think, for a
real Ascendancy Fan, my Mod is WORTH playing. Its a pity, that nobody knows it!
Its better than i hoped before, and a real and really TOUGH BadAss Joy (;))!!!

Have Fun!

http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/attachment.php?attachmentid=1741&d=1364553444

Eagle of Fire

08-04-2013, 10:03 AM

I think you should really split from this game thread and create your own specific thread in the gaming section. ;)

Nicheal

08-04-2013, 11:17 AM

Which Section do you mean exactly?

Yes, already thought about opening a fresh new Thread, providing my Game.
Actually play a Testgame... :ouch::cry:
Pure Sadism on Difficulty Level 4, HEAVY DELYXE BRUTAL. A real "Joy".

:shifty:

Eagle of Fire

09-04-2013, 04:51 AM

The Gaming Zone.

Nicheal

28-06-2013, 10:30 AM

Any Comments?

Nicheal

17-12-2013, 01:16 PM

Any Comments?

Any Comments?

JustPassingBy

18-02-2014, 03:53 AM

@Nicheal
Just Downloaded both your Ascendelyxe Mod and the Sempremacy+Cracy Mod; Gonna Try them soon.

Meanwhile, found out that the http://legolas558.iragan.com/index.php?option=downloads&catid=8&Itemid=50&-MODding-Tools page is being down for a while; after quite a struggle I found out another source where to download the COBExtractor that otherwise seems to be kinda unfindable on the web...

here the adress: http://gazonk.org/~eloj/gamehack/

Nevertheless I couldn't manage to get it work....
Someone can restore/re-upload the the manual on how to use this tool?
Or maybe can just tell em where to find a functioning COB extracting tool?

Waiting for infos/help;

See ya ^^

Nicheal

18-02-2014, 08:55 AM

Hello Dude!

It is not necessary to download the Supremacy and Totally Cracy Mod.
The only necessary Download would be the one of my Signature Link:

Ascendelyxe 1.6 Mod and all that Stuff.

Buts a good Hint, that LegolasPage is down, no matter how or why.
Yes, i tried that COBExtractor, 7 kb of Bullshit, i got that never to work.
The original one includes 430 superb working kb, done by Implode.

You seem to be a Modder, not a Player, Dude. I would tell a Player,
that its unnecessary to download anything but my Mod 1.6, i did the best
i could to get that damned Ascendancy Game to make War not Love.

Damned Thing: You mod a Game and youll never play it.
But: As i told in README, you could download the Notepad++ to mod
the Ascend00.COB. I did, by COBExtract, my Ascend00.COB Files,
so that another Dude could easily do anything to it. So play my Mod 1.6,
or try to mod the Ascend00.COB by Notepad++. But, if you want to
check out the whole Bunch of Load, here are the COBExtractor i used,
and the Shape Editor by Fred Chlanda.

Short Introduction:

1. COBExtractor by Implode.

Added his own README HTML. You need to copy and paste your needed
Ascend01/02/03.COB into that Folder. And by that Windows File, dont know
the Name in English, you need to open up that COB by COBExtract.exe
into an already existing SubFolder, everything i did in my .RAR:

You paste your COB into that whole Folder, and use the "Line of Fire",
to give Windows that Path to execute COBExtract.exe to extract into one
of these 3 SubFolders, and you should get a damned Bunch of Data out of it.
Then you have to create it again.

2. Shape Editor by Chlanda.

Added two known .PALs. Dont know which one. The one is my own... Ruin,
the other is the original done .PAL. You need that Palette File to load into that
Shape Editor to have the Ascendancy Colour Palette. Then you can exchange
Shapes and Bitmaps, it works, but you have to know how, it is a bit... nasty
first Time, but it works. What you HAVE to do, after exchanging Bitmaps
in your Shapes, is, to fix that Picture within the Shape Grid.
You cut out a Picture, out of the Shapes File, and you cut in a Picture,
and that Picture has to be fixed within the Shape Grid, so that it fits in again.

Basically, all i gave to download here, could be fairly enough.

Have Fun!

:)

Nicheal

29-06-2016, 10:52 AM

bing :OK:

Turbo Beholder

17-07-2016, 07:22 PM

I've been playing this game since it came out, a few suggestions for stretching the fun out.

1.) The handicap
[...] give yourself a 2 - 6 hundred day waiting period before you build your first structure (aka no science) depending on your ability.
...

5) Don't rush the ruins or grab the choke point systems right away - start to colonize/capture the next system only after you have finished with the previous one.
This limits the number of your ships - in fact, you colonize 1-2 (make the first ship without hyperdrive, if the home system has >2 free planets) and forces you to either stop colonization until you research Gravimetrics (to get Orbital Docks) or scrap perfectly good ships and rebuild them from scratch. Also, may make your planet list less messy. :smile2:
The planetary grid disappears much like a cloaked planet but I can still see my buildings just not the colored grid markers for undeveloped squares. Has anyone else had this issue and how do I get around it? RTFM: "S - Toggle planet squares on and off".

arakish

14-11-2016, 12:53 AM

I notice Ascendancy is not for download.

The Logic Factory has completely disappeared for the third time!

Ascendancy is abandonware once again.

The Domain name has been grabbed by another different company by the same name. At least I don't think it is the same The Logic Factory.

Check it out at this URL: https://www.thelogicfactory.com/

Hell, I don't even know if Ascendancy for iOS is still available. I never checked since I won't have anything based on the iOS. I much prefer Android.

Regardless, you can get Ascendancy at MyAbandonware.com (http://www.myabandonware.com/game/ascendancy-2qs), or my Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/s/nswvtksmtaij364/ascendgame.zip?dl=0). Mine at Dropbox includes the Antagonizer and the nougat.lf files.

You can also download my HTML based Ascendancy guide book (https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3qibp92qpasyjw/ascend.zip?dl=0), which I have decided to try and update. Still working on it.

rmfr

Newby

27-01-2017, 04:50 PM

Before I start my question, a possible answer to the previous query, is that the other race at war with you may have the energy or power draining specialty? No? Anyhow....Any one know if plunking Lane Blockers into Starlanes are stackable? Also how big a territory of Solar Systems can one control while still being at peace with everyone? I am in control of over 30 stars, but at the edge of my territory, 9 Baffilid & Afro ships (medium size) burst through into my colonized Flammifer System. I immediatedly 'plunked' a whole bunch of Lane blockers from several ships into the Starlane joining my other territory, but the next turn, they just seem to have busted through and on their way to Bosphorus. Are Lane blockers useless? What Gives ?!?! It would have been neat if Logic Factory created Mines (as in MoO2)...this way one could create a deadly defensive necklace around each Solar System or even planet. -Thnx

tristanzz

03-02-2017, 02:57 PM

Lane blockers
My memory is hazy, but I think lane blocks can get blown up if you fire at them enough. If you have a savegame just prior to when the ships break through your blocked lane, you should watch inside the system the day it happens. Click those 'pass time' icons in the system screen, and you will see the moves the enemy fleet makes.

/e come to think of it. If you watch them blow up a lane block, you can just exit that system screen without letting more turns pass, go to the system on the other end, and fire another one into the lane.

/e #2 as for Mines. Camp an empty ship with a self-destructotron at the starlane entrance. System defense is quite fun with the patched game (aggressive AI). Because you can refit ships quickly, you can use consumable modules like the invulnerablizer or hyperfuel, more easily.

Nicheal

11-05-2017, 04:14 PM

I once figured out end of 2012, how to mod the old 1995 DOS-game Ascendancy - that was my favorite game when i was a child, and i thought to fulfill my childish dream of being able to play Ascendancy not versus a brain dead AI - my first attempt was the Supremacy and Totally Cracy Mod, a modification by the program Notepad++, but just some unsatisfying minor tweaks.

That i uploaded here, Abandonia. Then another german guy called Franky, wrote a PM to me, here, beginning of 2013, how to mod, and how to solve some other stuff. I answered, bored, that how to mod is easy, ASCEND00.COB and Notepad++, just dont mess around to actually ADD stuff, you just have to tweak stuff, and, that to solve some other stuff is obsolete, cause that game is fucked up.

Well, that guy found out, how to let the AI ships actually shoot with the special weapons! So, in my Ascendelyxe 1.6 Mod, the AI ships actually are wolfs versus your human players sheep ships. I did my very best to mod that game to a highly playable wolf game, like i ever wanted.

Now, four years later, i played some games of that Ascendelyxe 1.6 Mod, the Heavy Delyxe Mod on difficulty "Heavy" (3 out of 4), and the AI put up a fucking heavy fight. The own extinction is there, a bloody option.

Now, i found out, how to change the tec tree completely, so that, for a long long while, your battles will be middle class ship hulls, and after a long while, you ll get major class ship hulls, and after another long while, you ll get the gigantum class ship hulls - and that last tweak of that game, i will probably upload as a whole bunch of everything, so that just everything is included in one single whole pack: ASCEND.EXE, ANTAG.EXE, NOUGAT.LF, COBExtractor, Shape Editor, the original COB, my MOD, a Batch File, everything.

The Logic Factory is fucking DOWN, gone, faded away after another try for IOS, to sell the same poor brain dead game, just with GFX tweaks and touch screen - while the german guy Franky, found out, how to let special weapons shoot, the creators of that game, didnt, obviously. There is nothing to sell, nor develop anymore, nor to wait for anymore, nothing will come up, by The Logic Factory anymore.

And if a guy wants to play a most delicious SciFi game - play Gal Civ! :)

It is a hell of a joy, using Nougat.LF and Cheat Mode, to look at AI ships, full to the brim with DisArmers, and seriously ready to use them on you. We ll see, perhaps i will upload a final version, a version, to fulfill a childs dream. :) Ascendelyxe 1.6 was a brilliant MOD so far, but the 2.0 will be the high end of that poor modders development - and it will be a DOS game hell of a fun! :)

marko river

14-05-2017, 11:09 PM

Sounds awesome, I didn't know your still into it :D but I'm glad you are. I liked Ascendancy, obviously not as much as you. Do finish it and upload it, we will host it gladly.

Nicheal

15-05-2017, 11:23 AM

I didnt know either! As i told above, i left that alone for four years. Now, i just wanted a little game by the way and gave my Mod another shot.

I am a german guy, so, if i could modify my favorite game once, 1996, to a near perfection, i should do, cause it is a little effort to tweak around.

The only problem would be, that all inclusive, that game has 80 mb, packed, .rar or .zip, still 30 mb, and i remember that your site has a limit of 10 mb or something, for users, and .rar and .zip package limits. So what! Luckily, there are that many awesome games out there after twenty years, that nobody really needs Ascendancy! It is just a matter of... just tweak it ready and thanks for many lucky hours in my childhood. O, and to finally get something to work, what you ever wanted to get it to work, as a Modder, is highly satisfying, plus, i get that to work, like i ever dreamed of, as a child - even better!

We ll see! I tweak it ready. And then, i ll have a look, if, and where, to upload! :)

marko river

18-05-2017, 12:36 AM

To correct you on size suubject, we have a limit of 300MB zipped. We could use even bigger, but we tend to store bigger ones (full CDs) in ISO Cellar. So 30MB packed is no prolem, there are much bigger games on sitw for years.

And nobody may need Ascendancy, but we are here to preserve. Your improvements will surely be welcome to whoever tries and likes Ascendancy. I, as one, remember I liked gameplay very much but got bored with bad AI after few games. So, if you are willing to tweak the game to near perfection, we are willing to host it.

Nicheal

18-05-2017, 01:42 AM

O glad to get your reply, thanks! Then, your site gives wrong informations! In my upload pop up is listed, around 0,8 mb .rar, and 1,1 mb .zip as a maximum file size! I never even tried to top that.

One of the problems with Ascendancy was, that the enemies, had the tec for an advanced special weapon, even had their ships equipped with that, for example smart bombs, but just didnt use it. How boring is THAT? The AI does not understand to protect borders, to collect fleets, and sends one idiot ship by another, and they just stand still, dont use any special weapons, and are killed easily like numb idiots.

That problem is gone forever! In fact, i had enemy ships, entering your system, and trespassing it, under fire, to meet their whole fleet in the next system! It seems, that the AI just had never enough energy, to do smart things. That all is solved. Sometimes it is still an idiot, but very often, it became a real asshole!

But all of that exists since 2013, in my Ascendelyxe 1.6 MOD, all of that exists already since four years! I changed really much, for example, the special weapon of the "Container", i never remembered what the fuck that guy does again. You had much special weapons, the AI used and annoyed, like that catapult, and most, the AI didnt use and annoyed too, and many, i never remembered what the fuck they do again.

Well, i even changed the GFX of the Container and made him my favorite weapon called CI DisRaptor, Colonizer/Invader DisRaptor. If you are not able to kill the enemy ships, and you lose the battle, you can destroy all Colonizers/Invaders at least, so that they are not able to conquer anymore. That ll give you a little time. I improved all the stuff, and my "Most Like" is, that my informations about weapons and all of the stuff, give you every single value, exactly. You can read about any stuff, without testing it, what they do, and any value necessary to know.

So, i really changed things, but i loved that game once, and i still like it, so, a true Ascendancy Fanatic, at least, did the best he could, and yes, i really began to hate The Logic Factory, years ago, that they just do radio silence for decades, then announce somewhat dubious, just to turn radio silence on again, for another fucking decade, then it is IOS only... then their site is down... now radio silence again... that is highly frustrating... my patience with that dudes is just over!

They did true magic, but never got it right in the end. Now, i just tweak the tec tree in a way, i had never expected: You can play along for thousands of years not reaching its end, and you have to earn your tecs and to struggle on, that is... really... heavy. You dont get huge class ship hulls, and, like in Ascendancy Original, you never had problems, are the biggest empire since turn 1, and you have built two huge class ship hulls, and get the gigantum hulls already, and that game is OVER. Now, you suffer hell.

Just imagine, you crawl around with middle class ship hulls, get your ass beaten by your enemies and dance with your extinction, and if your enemy gets a better weapon by Xeno Archeology, you are fucked. For example, these Snovemdomas guys got the Shield Blaster. They have double size hulls, and just shoot you to hell, no matter what you do, you suffer losses and cry.

~~~

Let me tell that game. It was just like Master of Orion II higher difficulty, where, if you dont get over the first enemy soon, that slows down your progress too much and you stand no chance at all. The Chamachies were wardens of my side arm of the galaxy and had me close to extinction for thousand years. Once, the Snovemdomas had the whole centre of that middle size galaxy, they threatened the Chamachies hard, and brought them near to extinction. Once, i was standing right before these Chamachies after a thousand years war of bloody survival, at the end, to kill them down, to end that conquest, they offered peace and later alliance versus the Snovemdomas Empire, and i indeed needed their huge advanced ships to hold the line versus these badass guys.

My progress was good, i used the absence of the Snovemdomas fleets, to slowly conquer their colonies in that part of the galaxy, but, i was too slow, they had too much Surface Shields, and in my MOD, you have to go really down on a planet and shoot him down under fire, and you have to overwhelm a dozen of Surface Shields, so, i really had the Snovemdomas, and became the mightiest empire, but once, i was about to crush their centre, they got huge sizers, and little later, gigantum sizers, Shield Blasters, and... there was no progress, they were too huge, too heavy, too fast, and all their planets had dozens of Surface Shields.

I had them! But i quit the game, these guys are nearly impossible to kill, with their gigantum sizers and Shield Blasters, and i thought about Self Destruction Moduls, to crush their fleets. That was my last game, now i tweak again. I didnt want to struggle and see my fail coming versus my own MOD! I had more planets, they had more systems, 15 gigantum sizers Snovemdomas versus 14 huge sizers Frutmaka, and while their centre produced masses of ships directly to the front line, my reinforcements always came too late, good ships, really good ships, getting by small Snovemdomas fleets, Shield Blaster RIPs, trying to kill one single 80 hull size badass, that was... aaaaaaarg!

In fact, how i ever wanted to play Ascendancy - i defeated the Chamachies after thousand years near extinction, defeated the half of the Snovemdomas Empire, and became the biggest Empire by half conquering an old mighty Empire, tried to crush its centre, it got too good tecs, and all of my powers... tended to my defeat again around year 3000. I had not enough patience to see my end coming over another 1000 years, but to see that all happen, was amazing indeed!

~~~

To see actually the good old Shield Blaster, blast your ships away like nothing, is really both for Ascendancy Fanatics: Really a time to grin, and cry! I just can tell - it hell works!

Smiling Spectre

18-05-2017, 11:54 AM

O glad to get your reply, thanks! Then, your site gives wrong informations! In my upload pop up is listed, around 0,8 mb .rar, and 1,1 mb .zip as a maximum file size! I never even tried to top that.
There is some misunderstanding, I believe.

When marko river says about "site limit", he means limits of the hosting at the full-fledged game pages.

You are talking about attachment limits for the forum. It's the totally different thing.

And to circumvent attachment limits there are usually two ways used: full ISO with 300+ Mb hosted at the 3rd party file storing resources (like megaupload, 4shared, etc.) Check ISO Cellar (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/forumdisplay.php?f=43) for the examples. And lesser files stored temporary at the Abandonia FTP (and you need to get credentials from the supermod, of course, to be able to upload there).

Nicheal

18-05-2017, 12:25 PM

Thnx for that explanation. A kind of that, i thought to myself already, but... i dont have any accounts on these great hosting sites, i dont trust them at all, and i wont do that at all.

Also, i wont do any ISO, seems a bit weired to create an ISO for a DOS-Game of 80 mb. I would prefer, just a whole .zip or .rar package about 30 mb, all inclusive, all about Ascendancy what i could find, all .exes, all Modding Tools (2), just all of the stuff necessary, just unpack, and use Batch File plus DOS-BOX, end of the story.

As i told, i ll see, if, and where, to upload! I wont do any further efforts. :)

~~~

It would be about 40 mb .rar. But is Ascendancy Abandonware again? There was a time before the IOS release, it was Abandonware, and still, it is to download in full, on some sites. My upload would include the whole original game, all modding tools, my mod, all .exes, just, all inclusive, and a Batch File for easy going. Just, the whole bunch, like i ever dreamed of, personally, just a perfect Ascendancy Gold Edition called Ascendelyxe. :)

marko river

22-05-2017, 01:57 PM

Oh yes, silly me, this would be hosted as Extras, altough if you are providing whole game....

can you provide extras only without the game, since game can be downloaded from teh site and afterwards your extras can be added? Another option is to host your package in ISO Cellar regardless of not being ISO.

And check how big it is with 7zip. Should be smaller than rar.

Nicheal

22-05-2017, 03:06 PM

My uploads 2013 for Ascendelyxe 1.6 Mod were Extras only, possible even here Forum, just as a small bunch necessary, without the whole game. Modding Tools, Mod, all as Extras, thats what i did once.

The problem is, that, the more blah blah you do as a Modder, the less dudes out there get the point and just download and say "what a bullshit that does not work".

If i would have to say, how these Extras would have to be implemented, that would be "too complicated at all". In fact it is super simple, but my experience tells, no one reads nothing at all. It would be easier, just to download a whole pack, to use Batch File, and then play DOS-Box.

I wrote a Batch File, which loads out of the sub-folder, into the main-folder, either the Original Game Files, ASCEND00.COB plus ASCEND01.COB plus ANTAG.EXE plus delete other stuff to prevent necessarily the data override, or the chosen Mod Files, another ASCEND00.COB plus ASCEND01.COB plus ASCEND.EXE plus delete other stuff, so, my Extras should be implemented as two sub-folders and two links, into the main-folder Ascendancy, so that my Batch File could upload the whole Original Stuff, or the whole Mod Stuff while it has to delete some data written by .exe which would override the new data.

That is too much for many dudes out there, just grab the stuff, and just want to play, saying annoyed: WTF, does not work, Nicheal idiot!

So i just wanted to create an all in one package, where the english version gets english .COBs and .EXEs, and where everything is implemented, so that it is an easy going. I was a child when i played Ascendancy 1996, and if a for example young dude is searching desperately for a better Ascendancy, he barely would read and understand my even simple stuff.

If my Batch wont work, he would have to do it manually, but he obviously would not have read the Manual in the first place, and would suffer just a fail.

It is much easier, to do an Ascendancy Gold Edition, a whole pack, about 40 mb .rar / .zip, than to tweak around by copy and paste, in my opinion. There i would KNOW, that everything is compatible and will work easily. You just could use a wrong .exe, and these english .COBs run into errors, for example a german guy would use his german game with german .exe, and, DOS, error, end.

I d just upload that whole pack to ISO Cellar as Ascendancy Gold Edition or Ascendelyxe, where the right english version uses the right .COBs and .EXEs of Antag and Ascend Patch, and where you just have to download, batchload and play by DOS-Box. And it would just work fine for everyone, fine, easy, either Original or Mod, everything, you could ever get.

~~~

And by the way, many old Ascendancy sites are down now. It might be a kind of tricky to find these two working magic Modding Tools somewhere in Internet, since Legolas site is down.

Tricky to find ANTAG.EXE or Ascend Patch, Modding Tools, this Mod, cause all these sites are down. To find somewhere, just the whole stuff, just, simply, working, as a whole bunch, perhaps, my effort is the last effort, standing in whole internet to rescue that stuff as a whole!

If i would not have uploaded the Ascendancy Modding Tools here, four years ago, they would be gone forever! But these Modding Tools plus Notepad++ just work to crack that 1995 DOS game open, and thats a kind of a miracle. Perhaps we should do an ultimate bundle, thats what i think.

That one guy could just grab one .zip, and that would be all he would need at all. And thats what i am working on, currently: Just one ultimate .zip bundle, all inclusive.

jordos

02-06-2017, 07:41 AM

Hi,

I've been doing some reverse engineering on the Ascendancy AI (the antagonizer version) in an effort to improve it a little bit. My focus has been on the AI's planet development and while it is by no means perfect, I decided to release what I have so far in a patch.
All it does for now is to assign a much greater priority on the prosperity of a colony, so it will develop faster. For example, in the original, the AI would get a free factory as it's first building. But then it would have to wait 50 days for a new colonist to become available, so it hardly matters. By giving it a free agriplot it can get going much faster.
For those interested, the decision flow on what the AI would build in the original game looks something like this:

1. getFreeTiles() (white tiles count as a tile for each color)
2. if allTechDone -> set free research tiles to 0
3. if popMax - population < 2 AND population - popInUse < 2 -> habitat
4. if IND < 3 and redTileFree -> industry
5. if RES < 3 and blueTileFree and !alltechdone -> research
6. if FER < 2 and greenTileFree -> fertility
7. if IND < 4 and redTileFree -> industry
8. if FER < 3 and greenTileFree -> fertility
9. if RES < 5 and blueTileFree and !alltechdone -> research
10. if FER < 1 -> fertility
11. if FER < 2 and popMax - pop < 1 and pop - popInUse < 1 -> fertility
12. if greenTileFree and
100 / FER > 15 (?) and
popMax - pop > 3 and pop - popInUse = 1 -> fertility
13. if allTechDone
if redTileFree -> industry
if greenTileFree and FER < 5 -> fertility
else -> habitat
14. if !allTechDone
if hasHyperPower -> RES =+ IND / 2
if hasInternet -> IND += RES / 2
if RES > IND and blueTileFree -> research
if redTileFree -> industry
if greenTileFree -> fertility
else habitat
(point 14 looks a little off, it's been a while since I did this, I could be wrong)
I've changed it into something like this:
4. if FER < 3 -> fertility
5.if IND < 3 -> IND
6.if RES < 3 -> RES
7.if IND < 8
8.if RES < 8
And that's it! There's still a myriad of other problems to solve, but you have to start somewhere :) Incidentally, this also aids the player's AI colony manager.

Just extract the archive to the folder you installed ascendancy in and run ANTAG2.EXE.

Nicheal

03-06-2017, 09:59 PM

Thats awesome news, that actually a guy is able to rewrite the .exe of that game! Unfortunately i dont use the ANTAG.EXE for my Mod.

In my version of that .exe, it is biased by war, but just versus the human player, so, you get all versus you, all others are in peace. My Mod dont needs all that ANTAG.EXE stuff anyway. The Antagonizer just makes war, just versus human player, that is diplomatic crap, and it dont gets my new values to build up planets, and builds ships a kind of crap - one out of three is total crap.

Yes, it knows how to build on coloured squares, thats nice but not that games true problem if built on blue or not, rebuilds newer planet and orbital stuff, and gives a kind of a little industry and science boost.

But in my Mod, you get already an awesome AI industry and science boost, and the ASCEND.EXE patch of 1996 is fair in diplomacy - you can tweak the ASCEND00.COB to balance the diplomacy really well, but for ALL species. The Antagonizer can be used in original game and is nice - but it solves not, that the AI dont shoots with special weapons, and dont really gets advanced modding - even smaller changes crap the game up completely.

Just logical, cause the ANTAG.EXE is a tighter algorithm to focus on building and rebuilding, and just one bad change in ASCEND00.COB, and it plays John Snow and knows nothing. The ASCEND.EXE is free and just does what i mod - better ship building, better planet building, better diplomacy anyway, and it just works all the time.

~~~

For me, it would be of interest, how you managed to decompile the .exe of Ascendancy to actually be able to rewrite it successfully. A Modders Guide, a Manual how to do that, just in general, would be a lovely piece for me!

I would rewrite the ASCEND.EXE patch of 1996, just to copy and paste in, a part of the Antagonizer, to rebuild older planet and orbital buildings. All other stuff i solved anyway by ASCEND00.COB. And the ONE THING, to advance that crappy AI, to REALLY advance the AI species would be, to say that crappy AI to just colonize EVERY huge planet in the first place, and then, EVERY solar system in the second.

Just give a Modders Guide here, how to decompile the .exes of Ascend please! I would use the patch of 1996 anyway.

jordos

04-06-2017, 11:21 AM

Hi,

To mod the exe like I did you will need a disassembler, like IDA Pro Free 5.0 (https://www.hex-rays.com/products/ida/support/download_freeware.shtml).
When you open the ascendancy exe with IDA you should load it as an MS-DOS executable. When you continue it will say something like 'file has extra information at the end. Continue?'. (choose yes) This is because the ascendancy exe uses a 32 bit dos extender and IDA will only load this part. To get to the actual game code you will need to extract it (https://blog.torh.net/2015/10/30/disassemble-dos4gw/). Once you have followed the instructions in that link you can add this LE file to the part you already loaded in IDA using File > Load file > Additional binary file... Once IDA is done loading you can start the real work of reverse engineering the game code to something meaningful. :)
Be warned that you need a lot of patience.

I decided to use the antagonizer version because I *think* it is the latest version. Diplomacy was never very good in the game to begin with so I don't miss it very much. Ofcourse, if the AI gets a huge boost like in your mod it would make sense to allow the player some peace :)

Nicheal

04-06-2017, 01:59 PM

No, i wont use patience while raping it. :)

Thanks! Yes, that software i did download yesterday, to proof it. All the way, i already got, but that "extract", thanks! I will punish that .exe for twenty years malfunction. :)
"Why do you shoot at yourself?" - "Cause you made me to..." :)

No no! The Antagonizer just makes war versus human player, the AI players just are in peace, at least in my version of that .exe. Using the ASCEND.EXE patch of 1996, i was able to just make total war by tweaking the ASCEND00.COB. So, you meet a species > war, all versus all.

You have to earn peace and alliance. The problem is, what the Antagonizer was not aware of, that, if all the other AI players are in peace, they wont overthrow and conquer each other and stay small. It is better, you make a total war, so that one single huge badass enemy will come up to beat you badly, in my opinion.

So, the Antagonizers diplomacy makes it a bit more challenging in the beginning, cause all AI enemies just fight just you, but in the end you can just conquer small pieces instead of one enemy empire. War is most important, so that the AI conquers the AI, and builds better ships, by losing smaller ones. The Antagonizer fucked up the diplomacy, in my opinion, it wanted to do it better, but it just does it worse.

~~~

So, i would use the ASCEND.EXE patch of 1996, and just implement the Antagonizers better planet building and rebuilding lines. I would try to let the AI colonize much more planets and just EVERY solar system it could get. And i would try to let the AI build better ships. All the other stuff, i solved already by rewriting the ASCEND00.COB - to let the special weapons shoot, to make it much more challenging, and to get much smarter AI enemies.

In fact, the ASCEND.EXE patch of 1996 plus my new modded ASCEND00.COB are fully able, to just have solved the most annoying malfunction stuff of that game. Some minor tweaks in .exe would be fairly enough, to shoot that game over the top at all i guess! Thanks! :)
Perhaps, giving 2 instead of just one ships for a solar system would be nice.

jordos

06-06-2017, 08:07 PM

Good point, are you sure the antagonizer AI never makes war with other computer opponents though? They do declare war on each other when using the flash.pop cheat (similar to nougat.lf, but when you add this file to the ASCEND dir it makes the game play by itself instead).

tienkhoanguyen

06-06-2017, 09:35 PM

Wow! I didn't realize there were so many programmers. Locked in my small niave world of simplicity where everyone is a robot I thought no one else knew programming out there. I guess I was wrong. Well that is the end of my life aspiring to support my family now I know eBay has 500+ games for sale in the DOS section competing with mine once. I had to take mine off knowing it will never sale because I already gave it for free on Abandonia. Oh well my family will always be in poverty now. Poor me. Pity.

Nicheal

07-06-2017, 01:40 AM

Hey, no cause to whimper! :)

Just create another crappy smartphone game app by adopting another 1995 game by polishing GFX to comic style 2D, and sell it to the numb people out there! :)

Perhaps you nail Tamagochi into a smartphone, so that all these soulless, brainless mechanical animal children have something to grow and die. :)

~~~

I failed to extract the ASCEND.EXE, cause the IDA Pro Free 5.0 i downloaded from chip.de, was just the one half of the medal, it spit out just another crappy gibberish.

The other half is the software "DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender" which includes the SB.EXE, which i should use to extract by SB /U ASCEND.EXE. To copy the SB.EXE into the directory, which includes the ASCEND.EXE and to give that command into DosBox caused a line, that the whole DOS Extender is not properly installed. I would have to "set" the whole DOS Extender folder first, so that the SB.EXE will work.

I really dont know what these programmers talk about, how to "set" the whole folder, so that the DosBox realizes how to work with the SB.EXE! But anyway. Ascendancy got the special weapons shooting and the tec tree much better, and works fine for me.

~~~

The ANTAG.EXE i dont have the patience to check all the time. My check told, that it just crashes with my Mod, or dont gets to build planets correctly, or dont gets to make war correctly, so, i dont have the patience at all to tweak around til dead. I just take the ASCEND.EXE, and that works fine for me. Wished to tweak that .EXE itself, but have no patience at all, to crap around there! If extracting is that numb, i d prefer to watch a pile of dog shit to stop smelling. :)

tienkhoanguyen

07-06-2017, 03:08 AM

Nicheal

07-06-2017, 01:21 PM

Well, i finally succeeded to get an ANTAG.LE out of that by unbinding. LE means linear executable, and these LE are bind by a DOS Extender to increase memory.

The "DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender" seems to be made by idiots, and didnt work for me at all. Every time i tried to use the included SB.EXE to unbind my ASCEND.EXE, the DosBox told a "fatal error", that "it is not installed properly", and internet told that i would have to "set the DOS/32" blah blah blah bullshit. Why easy, or even complicated, when its better to make it malfunctional.

@jordos had the luck, that he was able to just grab the SB.EXE and get results by SB /U ANTAG.EXE - for me, it did not work at all and that whole software was just a numb idiot - no matter what and how i tried.

But i had the genius idea to grab PMODE/W, another DOS Extender, and i had to grab PMWBIND.EXE to get my ANTAG.LE by PMWBIND /U ANTAG.EXE - so, i had the luck one software later.

Then i opened by IDA Pro Free 5.0 the ANTAG.EXE and > Load file > Additional binary file > search for all files > ANTAG.LE, and tada! i got just an even huger pile of gibberish. I would have been lucky to find something like "if if if" but no. Just an even huger pile of fucking gibberish.

I am sooo close to lose my virginity! lol XD

~~~

Perhaps i should just suggest three things to change in .EXE perhaps:

- 2 ships per solar system

- AI colonizes ALL planets or, just much more

- better ship building

i am just a poor modder and no programmer! and i wont beat the shit out of me just to crap around. :)

~~~

I d even bet, that @jordos didnt even download / play my Mod actually, and that tienk didnt succeed in playing it! What has to be made clear is definitely: That the special weapons shoot, and the tec tree is much better, and the game is much better, just to tweak the ASCEND00.COB by Notepad++, nothing more needed! Not even to extract the .COB files, not even to tweak the .exes.

I ll see, to finish my Mod, but i want it to do, just... DONE once and for all, i ll see!

~~~

Another problem seems to be for me, with the IDA 5.0, that i dont get by type F5, the pseudo code. A plugin for IDA 5.0 to decompile into pseudo code and opening that option in software itself, works just version 6.4 and not for the Free 5.0, so, i dont get any pseudo code out of it.

Dont know how to find some "if orders", i understand a bit more now, after opening some .exes, how that is meant to be and meant to work, i even began to understand hex code a bit more now, but my hope to "just get" some true "if orders" out of that gibberish cake, crashed totally.

The good thing is, that, as i told, just my Mod is needed.

@jordos

You dont have to tweak the .exe at all, if you use Notepad++ and tweak the ASCEND00.COB, you can do nearly EVERYTHING. To let the special weapons shoot, to change the tec tree, to change how the ships are built, to change diplomacy, all there! It is a really modern created DOS game, with open files to mod at all! Even if the AI is crap often, but if you tweak the ASCEND00.COB well, promise, it is much less crap at all!

FIRST download my Mod, and use Notepad++ to check out my ASCEND00.COB, to find out, easy, to tweak that stuff, THEN tweak the rest .exe! My suggestion.

~~~

8.6. / EDIT 21.7.

I did stop modding, right before i finished up my new version of ASCENDELYXE 2.0 - a kind of a good thing, cause a german fellow called "Franky", the guy who found out how to let specials actually shoot, tweaks around still, and gave me some ideas which i could implement now, or later. I could tweak the special weapon of the cannibalizer, to actually being used on friends or enemies! Looking forward to try that out. :)

kdb150

04-08-2017, 02:07 AM

tienkhoanguyen

04-08-2017, 10:44 AM

Hi!

Some tips from an old programmer. If you are going to edit with a simple text editor that is usually very hard. Try editing using a hex editor. The reason is a text editor shifts a character that you edit right or left (usually right) and that affects how the game reads the file. A hex editor on the other hand will replace the value instead of shifting the rest of the values and messing the positional section up! So for instance the game will scan a value at position 3 for a troop. If you shift the value to position 4 then it could be anything at position 3 and that would make the game crash!!! Well editing a file is usually hard depending on how the game was programmed. Most game has their own format and will only read uppercase values [ie A instead of a]. Other games might read shifted characters for encryption purposes so you do not mess with it or it is harder to tamper with. Most people in the industry are out for money so they will make it hard to decipher or mess with.

Anyways I could not get the game to work so I do not know. It could also be that the game did not work in the first place? Having "cheats" can be fun!!!!! However. Good luck in figuring it out.

I have given free advice from a programmer's point of view. However I need money to live too. If you find my advice useful try to reach me somehow and donate a few pennies. hehe Seriously, a few pennies may not be much however a little from everyone makes me rich!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways I am too paranoid to give out my address#

Take care and if you do not have enough money or just a kid just be safe and stick to your parents. Listen to your parents they worked hard. Just be good and graduate.

tienkhoanguyen

04-08-2017, 12:02 PM

Remember my dad's advice: Always have a backup. - Nguyen Binh Thuy

If you hex edit your game data and it is messed up you could lose your game especially if you bought it. You will have to start all over or worst if it was bought online. Some places will allow you to receive free replacement for your lost if you have a receipt. Many places are hard about that I've found! I guess the idea is people could claim they lost it and get another one for their friend for free.

kdb150

04-08-2017, 05:24 PM

Thanks, editing was really simple in the hex editor.

Has anyone tried to edit the iOS version? I'm assuming the COB values are probably kicking around in there somewhere where they could be edited, but I don't want to waste my time jailbreaking for access to the files if not. The ability to set ship destinations from the cluster view is something I don't think I could do without on dense and very dense clusters; moving all of those ships across the cluster manually is extremely tedious.

Mystvan

05-08-2017, 01:08 AM

Hi, I am trying to make some edits to Ascend00.COB, but I can't get it to run after I edit it. All of the old guides have disappeared off the web, sadly, and I was wondering if anyone can explain how I can edit the COB file values and make it work using just a text editor.

I think I can leverage the free buildings the Antag gives the AI, and disable a bunch of useless stuff like scanners and cloakers and low-level weapons to basically give them a decent head start force them to build better early ships with more colonizers. An explanation of how to successfully tweak values and make the edited COB file run with the game would be really appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks, editing was really simple in the hex editor.

Has anyone tried to edit the iOS version? I'm assuming the COB values are probably kicking around in there somewhere where they could be edited, but I don't want to waste my time jailbreaking for access to the files if not. The ability to set ship destinations from the cluster view is something I don't think I could do without on dense and very dense clusters; moving all of those ships across the cluster manually is extremely tedious.

I think you should ask Nicheal. Nichael? Nichael Jackson? :clap: :dance: :band: :rimshot: :guitar:

I also used a hex editor to edit the location, status, etc. of the characters of the Lands of Lore. This is only for those who understand this, which is not my case... :blush:

Nicheal

06-08-2017, 08:36 PM

Yes, ask Nicheal! The great. Always a fucking waste of my time when some noobs weave into the thread and make blah blah without reading nothing.

Notepad++ can just be used, if you dont change the end of line position, otherwise the game crashes, yes. Using a Hex Editor would be an option, using the CobExtractor itself, is the perfect solution, but it is a kind of a waste of my time, telling that every person again.

The iOS version is the same fuck just with touch screen. It was iOS only, another fault in that series of faults of these broke creators of that game, anyway, they did not solve any problems there - still a pity ruin of a game with a AI like an idiot. Still crap. Doesnt matter to me at all how to mod that. To play that on a pity smartphone touch screen is an idea of a wanker. Now that company is broke anyway, and the game is dead totally, caused by the wise decisions of wankers - they had twenty years talking bullshit, and did an iOS only smartphone version, with touch screen and some nice gimmicks without solving a single crap - amateurs!

And i could talk and talk, and that half a dozen guys out there, wont even recognize anything, so just crap around with your ASCEND00.CRAP and dont listen to me! Dont download my Mod, dont listen to me, just wank and crap around, go on!

The ANTAG.EXE crashes anyway caused by the Domain Error in SQRT, it is an unstable .EXE wich increases its pain in the ass by every change you make in ASCEND00.COB, especially if you do that wisest of all solutions and let the Special Weapons shoot - so, go on, dont download my Mod, dont read my comments, and crap around silly! Useless, if you dont get the Special Weapons to shoot by AI anyway, like i did! But if you do, the ANTAG.EXE grows much more unstable and loves to crash.

The ANTAG.EXE is made by total idiots anyway. Neutral gives a diplomacy all versus human player. War the same, plus industry and research boost for the AI. Problem: All versus human player ONLY, so that all of these idiot species just make war versus you. Problem: That is a hard code fucked up problem, the AI idiot species dont make war versus each other, mostly, and so, they dont build up huge empires versus you. The diplomacy of the unstable ANTAG.EXE is total crap. If you change much in ASCEND00.COB, the ANTAG.EXE crashes much more. I, the by far best Modder of that pity old game ruin, use the 1996 ASCEND.EXE patch. You get the ships quite good, the planets good, it does not crash, you can change everything, you lose the ability of a better planetary management, yes, but all of the other stuff is quite good, like diplomacy.

The only way to use the ANTAG.EXE is on Peaceful, where the diplomacy isnt total crap, just as usual. If you modify the diplomacy values in the ASCEND00.COB, you get more aggression anyway, like i did, so you could tweak it. The ANTAG.EXE Neutral and War hardcoded bullshit, just... sucks. Lucky, that if you change too much parameters, the ANTAG.EXE crashes anyway, no matter what you do. So i cannot use the ANTAG.EXE while modding and playing a good diplomacy. My Mod is fantastic, and every guy weaving into that thread, gives a damn and asks his bullshit - not even solving the problem, that the fucking Special Weapons arent even used by AI ships, what i -the fuck- DID!

blah blah end

EDIT 1:

O wow, Mystvan and tienk teach me, that i am unbalanced, aggro and insane..... clean up your own mess first! my suggestion. That i am totally right, is totally right. It does not matter to me getting banned! My only thing is here, that i try to mod Ascendancy to a "best possible stage", end.

It does not matter to me, that i "get visits or clicks". It is just insane, that kdb and Jordos for example, dont even download my Mod. Jordos, tries to hack the .EXE down, to tweak stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you know how disgusting hard that is??? Instead of reading my comments, download my Mod, and get 99 % better results. And kdb begins to mod by Hex Editor, not even getting my solution, how to let Special Weapons shoot. That is NOTHING, if the AI ships dont shoot with the Disintegrator, it is just a childish tweaking, nothing more.

Read Nicheal FIRST. Download Nicheal Mod FIRST. THEN tweak around, fuck.

The most problems i solved already. The most stuff is solved already!

So all Specials shoot! The Tec Tree could be changed! Wow. THEN do your stuff. My suggestion.

But does not matter anyway. I try to finish up my Mod, and upload it - wherever.

EDIT 2:

The last weeks i gave the ANTAG.EXE another shot, cause the ANTAG.EXE builds nice AI ships, and uses the... english word... phase bomb? The ANTAG.EXE has a perfect planetary management, and uses the phase bomb. The ASCEND.EXE is stable, and merciful for Modders, the ANTAG.EXE really NOT. The ANTAG.EXE has a hardcoded diplomacy crap, and does not forgive Modding, and crashes if you get the Special Weapons actually to shoot at you. Pity. Pity. Pity.

We got two .EXEs with special faults. I would prefer the 1996 ASCEND.EXE patch, and a fairy gives into that, the ANTAG.EXE planetary management plus two phase bombs in every AI ship. That would be perfect. Perhaps Neutral much industry and research boost. War fucking much.

Diplomacy no hardcode, just to tweak in ASCEND00.COB, that would be lovely, but to hack the .EXE is just disgusting hard. So, i gave the last two months, the ANTAG.EXE another shot.

It failed again. But my Special Weapons grew... badass. The Molecular Tie Down has Weapons Ability now, so it stops your ship, plus damages your ship. That Positron Bouncer, another AI prancer teethless weapon, all Weapons, Special Weapons, disgusting once - the AI ships used just all of these Special Weapons, prancing around, kick you there, kick you there, manoeuvre, dont use weapons, dont use anything, stand still, die.

That was disgusting! Now my Positron Prancer is most lovely. It pushes you backwards, not really much, but just out of range, gives you a smart little ship damage, is used as main weapon, perhaps 3 of them in an enemy AI ship, is most disgusting for you, and is called Brutal Burst. A most lovely Special Weapon now, firing! You ll hate it.

ALL of my Special Weapons, are AI most functional cunts now! They dont waste time now, they turn to dust now. Ready for usage by enemy AI ships, MASSIVELY!

The diplomacy will be GREAT! Endless war, with options of alliance. All versus all.

The tec tree is completely modded, cause i found out, that you have to delete the RESUME.GAM, where the tec tree, once loaded by NEW GAME, or save game, is stored, like the solar system names, and does an override versus the ASCEND00.COB values! So, delete the RESUME.GAM, and let your ASCEND00.COB be loaded, fresh into game, so that the RESUME.GAM does not override your new written data.

I got 99 % of all of that, working, dudes!

So read my stuff, and download my stuff. Please.

Blake00

14-10-2018, 10:17 AM

Thanks @Nicheal ! I love this game and have been thinking of replaying Ascendancy ever since I did a minor tribute to it on my Imperium Galactica and similar games website ('https://blakessanctum.x10.mx/Games/Imperium/') (been 20yrs so I want to play again and do a proper big tribute to it). Your AI mod should make it a more interesting experience!

Might interest you guys to know that Ascendancy's creator recently posted on the Ascendancy FB page for the first time in 4 years about how busy his life is etc but that he's never forgotten about the dream of creating a sequel. Can't find his post now but he's since posted a poll ('https://www.facebook.com/AscendancyGame/posts/1782411778503204') on whether fans would want humans as a faction in the sequel if it gets made.

Ps I can't believe I haven't logged into this forum since 2006.. what the hell lol!!

Nicheal

16-10-2018, 09:12 AM

There is no thnx allowed, dude! I have to blame myself, I wasnt able til today, to just finish up my Ascendancy Mod, that was near perfect and I just quit, as always, the tragedy of a genius. That is really a problem to me. I just dig deep into the matter and explode by dynamics in any direction, put an effort into it, and after a while, it turns out, that the experience and fun is over, the first welcome, to take our virginity in a blast of orgies and orgasms, and now, to finish that huge amount of crappy work, it would be just a huge amount of crappy work left, and no fun at all, and then, I fucking leave. I ate the fun, and quit the work.

Right before I would finish up my vision, I lose grip and just leave, ALWAYS. So, just BLAME ME, for not doing the last two hours and finish up that Mod, since over a year. I do it myself.

Might interest you guys to know that Ascendancy's creator recently posted

No, it surely doesnt.

In Germany, there is a tale: Always a little child screamed, while being a shepherd: The wolf is coming, the wolf is coming! And all the people of the village came together in anger and fear, to kill the beast, and always, it was just a joke. The last time, when the child screamed, when the wolf actually appeared, no one came, and the child was dead.

I listen to Logic Factory announcements since 1995, and NEVER, the wolf appeared.

It might be a sad dream of a guy, long lost his momentum, his money, his crew, his company, to bad written and long gone ambitions.

Do you know, how much money, Star Citizen, got? A quarter billion. And even these guys are in an Alpha Stage still. To create, today, a huge game, and just watch Star Citizen Squadron 42 trailers on YouTube, to create such an enormous game, you need millions of dollars, you need actual support, actual... interests, greed, fire, burning, we want to eat and die! Such a thing.

The Logic Factory is down, sadly, and all of these announcements, every four years, just were bullshit, one by another. You wait for four years, get one single shot of a bullshit sentence, and then, you wait another four years, THAT, was the story of Ascendancy 1995 til now. To create a Multiverse Ascendancy 2, he would need support, and as long that guy does no Kickstarter, Crowdfunding, and a serious announcement "we want to collect at least 500.000 dollars to kickstart our ambitions again" that is ALL just steam in a toilet! :)

~~~

I really have in the dark backsides of my mind to finish up that Ascendelyxe 1.6 Mod of mine! I am just an asshole, not to! I solved nearly everything, and that game kicks asses now fulltime. The problem was two things:

1) I would have had to tweak some weapon stuff PLUS write the new values into the INFO, that was too much for me. To tweak a dozen of weapons, but PLUS, to compare all the actual values with the INFO values.

2) To compare the TURN entries of the NEW TEC TREE with the actual appearing turns in-game, caused by a slight hardcoded edge twisting turns a little.

These were my two "problems" I didnt want to go down on anymore. Brrrrrrrr. I hate compare tweak shit.

~~~

At least, I try to create a Total Conversion from time to time, I began end of 2015 to convert the Hex Game "Panzer Corps" by Slitherine into a Star General Total Conversion.

Star General, you know, one of the best Game ruins EVER, nobody knows. Panzer General. Fantasy General. Star General. Currently I worked on my Star General Total Conversion and I at least have a unit now called "Logic Factory", actually, a Logic Factory to destroy that building and to get money for. :) That will be fun! Every time my Khalian Stormtroopers will reach a fucking Logic Factory, they ll burn it. :) Yeah! Lets burn that fucking building, and earn money and buy another tank for our core troopers! :)

~~~

:)

jambalaya

10-05-2020, 08:57 PM

https://i.imgur.com/jdPYUAs.png

Hi All,

I just finalized my version of Ascendancy. I edited the weapons, buildings, and research in CAB 0 as well as the alien pictures. Included is the Antag2 version of the exe found on this forum thread by that awesome swedish guy.

Now the AI benefits a lot from additional factory and research on orbital structures, and your planet can develop a lot smoother that way too.
Some of the later structures now also act as mega buildings that provide lots of productivity.
Almost all buildings are balanced for extra utility and compelling uses.
Weapons were changed to be more balanced but be careful, as early danger can appear from enemy missiles that reach farther than your orbital missiles! (I've never actually had this happen yet, though).
The research locations were changed to make key research harder to achieve and longer to discover.
New alien pictures

I've finally tweaked this enough that I think this will be as good as it will get, without reverse engineering the code.

Don't forget to delete the resume.gam file before starting this new version! The research time won't be changed until you do it once.

Download the Ascendancy Jambalaya Mod v1.0 here!!! (https://mega.nz/file/LMwm0QAL#RTH16_NgDM44bX5phhF6bHg73_NFUmj1nzjp_kzz9 RM)

Nicheal

03-08-2022, 08:34 PM

Hello!

The idea to make research longer to discover I actually implemented in my new version. I made the Ascendelyxe 1.6 in 2013 after a guy called "Franky" found out how the Special Weapons actually shoot. After that I tried to enhance that into a 2.0 - but Ascendancy is not THAT good to play it often, and you need mood to actually play/testplay kind of a lot. My last effort was May 2020 - before all became a bit nasty for me. Now, a week ago, a guy commented my CivFanatics thread and it might be that I got my Ascendelyxe 2.0 done.

Antag2.exe for Ascendancy Vanilla (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showpost.php?p=467853&postcount=600)

COBExtractor Most Potent Modding Tool (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showpost.php?p=459333&postcount=585)

Old Ascendelyxe 1.6 Mod (http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showpost.php?p=451513&postcount=578)

CivFanatics Ascendancy Mod Thread (https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/ascendancy-mod.475081/)

To the Jambalaya Mod, and please forgive my Germanhood (being direct and rude):

1) The Antag.exe is done by an Ascendancy alien, lol. The guy "jordos" to exceed its boundaries might be a great guy - but the guy CREATING the Antag.exe in the first place was definitely no fanatic player of Ascendancy, or, totally alien to that game, lol - otherwise he would have known that to totally hardcode halt ANY wars between AI factions and just boost THE ONLY POSSIBLE war, perhaps: versus the human player, has a consequence: Since the AI is too stupid to colonize most planets and systems, it stays a kind of weak, and since it doesnt extinguish other races via AI WAR, it doesnt develop an empire, simple is that. That WEAKENS the AI! NOT strongens.

Perhaps the Antagonizer is capable of repairing ships, yes, I saw that sometimes. But the best possible way to make AI strong is the bad old war. The AI conquers vast territory and gets its ships destroyed on a regular basis, so that it builds up an empire with modern ships, simple is that. No war - no empire.

2) It wouldnt have been necessary for me to change my beloved race pics.

3) The Special Weapons still are useless and wont be used by AI.

4) The Tec Tree seems a mess, and perhaps worse than in vanilla.

5) What the AI builds up on planets is a mess, too.

The values of my Ascendelyxe 2.0 are:

1) I use the Ascend.exe from 1996, no Antag.exe or even Antag2.exe. Yes. It is still stupid and wont colonize a proper territory, and wont exchange older buildings for newer ones, yes. BUT. I tweaked it to TOTAL WAR. Peace and even Alliances are still possible, but perhaps not with Frutmaka and other badasses, perhaps with some nicer guys, but Ascendancy is full of badasses.

If you get a slow weak start you just get wiped out. It is common stuff that you hear "EXTINCT" some times before year 1000, and perhaps one strong opponent gets 30 ships in year 1500.

2) My Tec Tree also includes maximum costs in time now. That is a great thing to exceed the timeline. But my Tec Tree is a smooth runnin beauty.

3) My Planetary Buildings are balanced. Since Planetary Buildings are COSTLY, and support "Self Managed Planets" with near no micro management, and since my Orbital Structures support SOME industry and A BIT research -like the Jambalaya Mod does too-, you can see how AI creates good planets, actually, nasty good planets. If you delay in a good way and let grow in a natural way by balanced building values - and I can see the results, that will be fine.

4) My Tec Tree is smooth runnin. My planet squares are balanced. My Planetary Buildings are balanced. My weapons and ship stuff is expensive and balanced and ALL WEAPONS DO THEIR MAGIC. No excuses.

Testgame story, super interesting:

I had a testgame with Frutmaka, I got the Chamachies extinct fast, I usually suppress planets until my Invaders arrive. It was a Middle Map Five Opponents game. After that Marmosians and Minions got extinct fast by the Nimbuloids. The ONLY THING saving my game was some cheese (not so nice advantages a human player can use in games): My scout found out, in a sudden shock, that the Nimbuloids had gathered 14 Middle Class ships in a system a bit away (still rather early game and outnumbering us) - my plan had been to wipe out the Minions by myself in their home system, then colonize that area beyond, then face the last race, but the Nimbuloids were faster. (As always!) So, a slight retreat, we let colonize that territory by Nimbuloids, let enter their whole fleet into the Minion home system and they wiped the Minions out - at the end of a red star lane. So - we sent a SMALL SLOW bull ship, lol, and the whole Nimbuloid fleet came to an infinite halt.

That system was a typical cycle of some systems with two red star lanes, capable of circumventing some systems, plus that home world and that Nimbuloid fleet via the other red lane and some systems, so, first, we thought about conquering these fresh colonized systems for us, building up a STRONG FLEET, and then facing that Nimbuloids, until one of my brain cell generals had the intriguing argument, that even IF we would build up a strong fleet to face and perhaps kill them off, then travel the territory along, then enter that red lane some systems away were they gathered in the first place, then enter their deep territory - they would have another fleet ready, the moment we would arrive! Better: To halt them infinite by bull ships, lol, the year the SLOW tiny thing enters their system, yet ANOTHER has to enter the red bubble, and so on and so on - while we build up relaxed, and conquer their defenseless territories, while these fools STAY trapped, without any problems. That was perhaps my only option to actually win.

Next idea of my best brain cell general was to send them a bull ship bomb, since they liked to use Tractor Beam to pull my bull ships to their loving warmth, we equipped any new bull ship with a Self Destructotron, kahahaha, nice idea. That device has a 6 damage and small range, so, more for fun than to actually destroy them, but after all we had defeated them anyway by advanced cheese. If that Nimbuloid fleet would have taken the LEFT system instead of the RIGHT, we would have fought a desperate defensive until perhaps game end!

Yes, we would have used OTHER red lanes and our good defensive planets to wear them down, but after all, they would have conquered just a vast territory and perhaps just beaten us in a hopeless fight. Our home was perhaps 10 systems, then a long red lane, then that 2 red lane system cycle and the middle territory of about 20 systems, then the Nimbuloid deep territory after their long red lane with another 20 systems, and IF we would have lost the middle 20, you could imagine game over.

If a guy like @jordos could change the Ascend.exe to colonize most planets and systems wave after wave, and to rebuild planets better like in Antag2.exe, nice! But even without that, my 2.0 is a by far superior game compared to the vanilla.

ASCENDELYXE 2.0 is finally done. If a guy wants to play Ascendancy the best possible way, download it.

Link in my Signature, down below:

:)

Blake00

12-08-2022, 07:58 AM

Nice work mate, good to see this project come back to life again!

Admiral Loknar

13-08-2022, 01:31 PM

Hello!
ASCENDELYXE 2.0 is finally done. If a guy wants to play Ascendancy the best possible way, download it.

Hey there. I like everything about your mod and finally we have a vision of someone who actually understands the game. First the combat is so much better now in terms of balance. You can't beat AI on Energy advantage by kiting and waiting until they run out and shoot them afterwards. Fixing weapons range helps as well, cause previously you was invulnerable if you had speed advantage. Now you actually have to think and shields are useful, altho not balanced at all in terms of energy consumption.

One thing I don't understand is the Economy balance and Production Points cost in particular. How exactly does it help AI? Not only it ruins any semblance of balance for the player, but also hampers AI. I think the original intent was to make them build more advanced structures or ships more, but keeping these values close to vanilla achieves this and better. Many advanced structures cost is so absurd that you have no option to build them anyway. 600 PP is huge investment for such a small gains and there are no better structure at 600 PP than Orbital Shipyard and 2nd tier Research structure. And the later you usually build only after the planet completely developed by replacing Agripots and Factories/Labs. Basically you don't build anything except 100 PP structures until very late in the game where you basically won already.

Nicheal

14-08-2022, 03:32 PM

Oh, you like everything and then a huge list of complaints. :omg:

I was a desperate Ascendancy fanatic player in my childhood so I know EXACTLY whats crap and whats to change - as far as I can. :)

> In what way the shields are not balanced? Energy consumption?

> I LOVE these expensive planetary buildings. Spares a lot of micro management. I always found it sad, that after 1800 turns the research is over, and after 2 turns any planet is completely built up, and you dont even build all ship stuff or Huge Class Ships cause all is built so easy and cheap and fast.

I wanted to make it more realistic and slow and beneficial - the AI benefits, cause it builds up slow, so, in middle game it has enough empty planet slots to build the good stuff, and in late game it has much bad stuff. :) That just hampers the human, not the AI, cause the AI has AI War Center to boost its industry. If you want the AI faster, use Ascend00 Heavy.cob! Or even brutal. :)

Admiral Loknar

14-08-2022, 06:05 PM

> In what way the shields are not balanced? Energy consumption?

Basically the way combat works now: AI have infinite energy effectively, so the Distance management doesn't matter vs enemy ships. You have two approaches:
- wait until AI comes at you in 30 sq distance to shoot first, enable shields and disable AI ships with powerful specials to pick them apart from Distance 40 or 60 depending on your weapons.
- load up with the most cost effective one range 40 and mostly range 30 weapons, and have enough energy to kill AI in the first turn.

That 1st part is possible in the midgame cause shields take unproportional amount of energy or you have to take the full hit. And as you can see you usually need shields only for a single turn.

> I LOVE these expensive planetary buildings. Spares a lot of micro management. I always found it sad, that after 1800 turns the research is over, and after 2 turns any planet is completely built up, and you dont even build all ship stuff or Huge Class Ships cause all is built so easy and cheap and fast.

I wanted to make it more realistic and slow and beneficial - the AI benefits, cause it builds up slow, so, in middle game it has enough empty planet slots to build the good stuff, and in late game it has much bad stuff. :) That just hampers the human, not the AI, cause the AI has AI War Center to boost its industry. If you want the AI faster, use Ascend00 Heavy.cob! Or even brutal. :)

I don't get how this benefits AI exactly. Also AI builds those War Centers around turn 1000, so usually I have to cycle through them and build War Center on their Home World at the very least. I beat Brutal on Sparse map under 100 turns, but I think your mod is meant to be played at Very Dense setting, so you can't steamroll AI as easily.

The way eco progression works now on the new planets: depending on the planet you build up your planet to 11, 13, 15, 17 or 20 Industry ASAP. Usually you have about 12 PP on average with natural development of the first POP row. At this point you will also have 4 Prosperity and 1 free POP to start building mandatory Orbital Shipyard. It takes 40-50 turns usually and your POP grows during that time. After that point you build Research and Prosperity (to get to 3-4) until 1 free POP left and then do your Small Hull Colony Ship. Repeat that process until full.

Your next step is replacing Agropots with Research buildings. After that replace Factories with Shipyards gradually. OFC insert new ships when you have free slots. Then its time to upgrade Research buildings to 600 Production Points versions. You never have time to build anything above 600 PP buildings. Especially stuff that costs more than 1200. Its absurd how 600 PP Shipyard basically the same as 1200 PP Mega Factory.

I believe you wanted to balance building cost around Ships, but what ended up happening is AI taking too much time to develop new colonies due to Shipyard cost and their love to build it when they have 5 Production Points per turn. Then if they have free ship slots what will happen is queueing up ships on those new planets as well as on the proper colonies with AI War Centers. Basically for the first like 1000 turns and sometimes more AI is very vulnerable.

If you want my suggestions I will up to provide some. I'm playing Master of Orion 2 and 3 at the highest level for more than 2 decades, so I have the gist on how to balance 4X games.

Nicheal

14-08-2022, 06:51 PM

Wow, MOO2 on highest, wufff. Since I found out how MOO2 cheats on highest there is no point for me anymore to suffer cheat magic and no fun at all. So I mostly play the second hardest. I won Colonization on highest once, thats enough! :)

The problem with shields is, that the AI uses them hardcoded, it has zero, one, or sometimes, I think, two onboard, and their AI usage is dubious. My target is that human player uses these wisely, just at some spearhead occasions. I dont want them to be invulnerable for the human player - but that happens if you give them more defense and less energy - the human player builds three of them and AI FK OFF. :) No no no! Less defense and more energy, they might rescue some of your ships sending them back to dockyard highly damaged. I use the most specials like shields - they shall be a slight edge, no magic to fool the AI.

I suggest, if you have an interest to work that out, to make an account CivFanatics and write a PM - or same here, but Abandonia is a bit slow often.

Yes. The first encounter might be a pushover. Right. But I just am not capable to rescue ALL the Ascendancies stupidities, that would be a thing for programmer Hercules, some kind of greek mythological hero.

Playing MOO2 on highest you usually get a solar system gap so that you miss one early tec to reach out early to delay the human player under a booming AI steamroller. Right, the first encounter is a pushover, BUT, I played testgames Middle Galaxy size, the next encounter could be a challenge, and the huger the galaxy the more.

To be honest I dont think like a Legend player to calculate all to the last point. I want, that if you get a great building, that it is well deserved, I dont want all buildings to be cheap and easy and so, just a micro management spam, puke.

IF you want to change stuff use Notepad++ to change the Ascend00.cob to your satisfaction. Around line 7500 the planetary buildings are - I made sure you have space to change values, just dont change the endpoint, that 255, do not include more stuff over the available space or it crashes! :)

Admiral Loknar

14-08-2022, 08:55 PM

Wow, MOO2 on highest, wufff. Since I found out how MOO2 cheats on highest there is no point for me anymore to suffer cheat magic and no fun at all. So I mostly play the second hardest. I won Colonization on highest once, thats enough! :)

What I meant is Multiplayer and Optimal Runs. Single players is 0 challenge in any 4X game. You can win Huge Galaxy against 7 Impossible AI's with the best custom races in MOO 2 in under 100 turns consistently without wormholes.

The problem with shields is, that the AI uses them hardcoded, it has zero, one, or sometimes, I think, two onboard, and their AI usage is dubious. My target is that human player uses these wisely, just at some spearhead occasions. I dont want them to be invulnerable for the human player - but that happens if you give them more defense and less energy - the human player builds three of them and AI FK OFF. :) No no no! Less defense and more energy, they might rescue some of your ships sending them back to dockyard highly damaged. I use the most specials like shields - they shall be a slight edge, no magic to fool the AI.

I see. The thing is that shields completely useless now due to one simple fact: when you have enough energy to activate shields you better use it to use for speed advantage. By that I mean constantly keeping the distance and having enough firepower to kill the enemy with 40 range weapons. AI always moves to the max extent, so you can always figure out how to outrange them and shoot without being answered if they don't have 40 range weapons as well. You shoot, they respond by moving closer, you move away using extra speed, they move closer, but not close enough to answer your second shot. Repeat cycle until they die. Only possible if you have enough energy, therefore Barrage Gun can be your best weapon for a long time.

You can always include rules on the fair Shield usage and balance them properly. You will lose a lot of time if you go back repairing ships. Usually I only use Docks to refit ships. By that I mean producing ship on specialized world with all non-essential slots filled with Star Drives to refit them later.

Yes. The first encounter might be a pushover. Right. But I just am not capable to rescue ALL the Ascendancies stupidities, that would be a thing for programmer Hercules, some kind of greek mythological hero.

To be honest I dont think like a Legend player to calculate all to the last point. I want, that if you get a great building, that it is well deserved, I dont want all buildings to be cheap and easy and so, just a micro management spam, puke.

What I was trying to say that returns don't match investments at all. And think about it in terms of impact you get from a ship that costs the same or even less. I will write more specifics when I have free time on my hands.

IF you want to change stuff use Notepad++ to change the Ascend00.cob to your satisfaction. Around line 7500 the planetary buildings are - I made sure you have space to change values, just dont change the endpoint, that 255, do not include more stuff over the available space or it crashes! :)

Yes, I know bout that. I even used CobExtractors to look up Research point cost values. But I think there should be some hidden modifier I wasn't able to locate, but my best guess is that my planetary development strategy is the optimal one.

I suggest, if you have an interest to work that out, to make an account CivFanatics and write a PM - or same here, but Abandonia is a bit slow often.

The reason I write here is that its impossible for me to sign up on CivFanatics no matter the workaround I use. Admins there hate me. My account on the Abandonia still not confirmed, therefore I reduced to posting that way.

Nicheal

15-08-2022, 11:13 AM

1) I prefer not to use "House Rules", that I NEED an AI Tec, AI Energy and AI Industry is clear, but that shall be all. AI Warfare Tec, AI War Engine, AI War Center, END. Even that is considered "cheating" already - that ALL AI in ALL games cheats, and that Ascendancy needs that most, who cares. :sick:

2) Yes, Research Points include a Multiplier somewhere, I think within the .exe, but anyhow my Tec Tree seems perfect to me, a beauty, and all well established.

3) HIGHLY appreciate that I can talk a little.

4) I did the best my brain could do enhance that as good as I can. Obviously, that result was my absolute best and maximum. I worked on advanced and by far superior diplomacy for my Ascendelyxe 2.1 version, perhaps next few weeks when another testplay I could finish that 2.1 up. But that is my personal best I was capable of, and I am satisfied within these boundaries.

5) IF you think to get that done better, feel free! If some guy out there would be capable of doing that even better, do it! Since you can use Notepad++, and since you used already COBExtractor, just change that into your prefered values and send it to me. I am expert enough to see what I will see then. :)

6) But as long no good Python programmer would open the accessible .exe to enhance stuff completely - my patience with Antag.exe wore zero, and my patience with all these lacks wore into a stage where I say: I did my best, not MY fault the lack of other kants. These Logic Factory guys were capable 2011 to do an IOS only version, so these sh**y guys had some years plus easy access to enhance that game and did NOTHING. We speak about Ascendancy, a highly frustrating and lacking game from 1995 its own creators didnt find worthy to change for 50 kb in its .exe, so, that I came that far is a nice touch for me! That the Disintegrator shoots finally, for example.

7) I currently fulfilled yet another dream of my childhood - a Star General SSI total conversion so that will be my fun now! :) Ascendancy is not a thing of my total focus, that cranc little kant. :)

8) Ooo, yes, what you forgot: The slots are not infinite. So, any planet shall build at least something, and the orbit has 10 slots, a planet far more. I actually dont care at all. A human player has to build up a basic colony, then shipyard, dockyard, weapons and shields, that limits the orbital structures, but it is INTENDED that the human player would build up shipyard dockyard super orbital facilities - if the human player wants to perfect that, he still has MORE slots on planet surface, but still not infinite, so, to increase quality he should increase quality, since he could do it.

To increase research is not necessary, but possible. To increase industry would be necessary and possible, the human player can build basic structures, and if possible or necessary, could build enhanced structures, and that is costly, simply. You increase the SLOT quality when all slots filled, if necessary, cause possible. But you dont need to. In huge til giant galaxies you should do it to match the huge AI enemies OR, on heavy or brutal, the huge advantage of AI industry boost. :)

I wanted the human player to be capable of enhancing quality, or to be capable of spare that micro management orgy completely. So! You can just build up basics, then orbit, then have fun, OR, you could enhance the slots by quality building specialized super planets. I just dont think that any human out there would mass spam micro managing all planets to the bitter death. :) So, you could do all you wish, but you could spare that either, to just game. But to enhance quality is costly and comes with a cost, both, time and micro management. It is an option to increase, sometimes necessary, often just the benefit of luxury. That is intended to work that way. :)

That are my thoughts about it. And Xeno Archeology, I even wanted to increase in time, NOT decrease! :) Or to delete it completely, cause that is in any case an OP thing giving OP stuff, at the moment.