The Praedian Records

J.G. Phoenix

Current Projects

Chapter 2 1st Draft 30%

Remnants of the Elders

Yamato 60%
Hermes 5%
Yorktown 80%
Victorious 30%
Maya 5%
Blücher 70%
Prinz Eugen 10%
Seydlitz 85%
Lützow 10%
Magdeburg 5%
Prinz Heinrich 5%
Konigsberg 5%
Type 34 Destroyer 90%
Type 36 Destroyer 80%

Favorites in Fiction

MS-14Jg Gelgoog Jäger

YF-29 Durandal (WIP)

M.A.S.S. Builder: WIP 0.10.0 Quark Model Improvement

by | May 28, 2023 | ,

M.A.S.S. Builder – WIP: 0.10.0 Quark Model Improvement – Steam News
Back with another short update this week, Quark model improvements. In 0.9.0, we’ve added in a number of new enemies and their quality has vast differences from older ones, being more detailed and more fluid.

It’s subtle at these resolutions, but the generic quark definitely looks better.

I wonder if the floating teleporter guys got an update. You don’t see as much of them as the grounded melee types, not to mention they’re constantly dimension hopping to the point it’s hard to make out any fine detail on them anyway. Still, they keep any mission they’re in interesting so hopefully they’re getting this update, too.

Cosmo Messer F2 Release

by | May 21, 2023 | , ,

The next entry in the Cosmo Messer F series is here.

Steam Workshop::Bfc 109 Cosmo Messer F2
Description

Virtually a full upgrade to the Cosmo Messer F1, the F2 is smaller, with a stronger weapons loadout, and a consolidated fuel supply. It should be noted that the F2 has no subgrids, and thus, no deployable landing gears, so when it comes to landing, it’s either the connector, mag plate, or some really strong rope. This was one of the tradeoffs to making the plane ‘printable.’

The F2 can also carry and fire custom missiles, either Kaiser specific, or those that have a hinge based connector and fit under the F2’s wings.

The original Cosmo Messer F, or F1, was well received by Kaiser pilots, however the faction’s need for greater numbers necessitated both a figurative and literal scaling down of any fighters slated for full production. The F2 was envisioned as an easily manufactured, general purpose cosmo fighter. Despite its smaller size, the F2 is better armed than the F1, and its software allows pilots to use heavy ordnance against a variety of targets.

Most of the Cosmo Messer F2s produced before the introduction of the G series were used as shipborne escorts. Where no carriers were present, light and heavy cruisers tended to carry at least a few F2s, or were escorted by ships that did. One extreme example was the Admiral Hipper, which generally operated between ten and twelve F2s.

Due to the high availability of the F2, modifications were common, and custom planes were appearing as early as a few months after the initial rollout. Many were even upgraded to match capabilities of the G and K series within a few years.

Just like the Cosmo Messer F1, you can find piloting notes in the Cockpit’s Numpad text area.

Primary Mission: Medium Range Fighter
Crew: 1 Pilot
Armament: 4x Gatling Guns, 1x Integrated Rocket Launcher, 2x Autocannons
Power Plant: 1x Hydrogen Engine (500kw), 3x Medium Warfare Batteries (9Mw)
Thrusters: 41x Hydrogen, 10x Ion, 51 Total
Hardpoints: 2x Hinges
Wingspan: 39ft (12m)
Length: 65ft (20)
Height: 18.4ft (5.6m)
Grid Mass: 97,051 (forgot what units these are in SE)
PCU: 6,315

Scripts

Admiral Hipper Update Release

by | May 21, 2023 | , ,

It’s time for Round 2 in this post-Automatons world we’ve face planted into.

Steam Workshop::KCV Admiral Hipper 2.0
It’s time for Round 2 in this post-Automatons world we’ve face planted into. Just like last time, the better looking info dump can be found here http://P.R. Blog

This version of the Hipper is what I consider to be the ‘canon’ version. There’s one more after this that serves as a major refit, among other things, and I’ll probably start work on that one after the other Hipper class ships (up to Seydlitz or Lutzow) are finished.

Here’s an updated list of changes from the original:

  • Tower assembly placed on a rotor and two shock field cannons were added to it
  • Additional Pulse Laser defense mounts added
  • Torpedo launchers moved to the bow and increased from four to six (bow was altered to accommodate)
  • Recessed Missile Turrets installed beside the flight deck for extreme range engagements
  • Emergency thrusters added to the Hipper’s Nacelles
  • Gravity drives increased and redistributed throughout the ship for better performance (bow was altered to accommodate)
  • Gyroscopes increased and redistributed for better performance
  • Tailfins are no longer subgrids; they are now larger, heavily armored wing-like fins
  • Prow areas converted into AI core Room and Emergency Helm
  • Storage Area replaced with Science Lab; four cargo containers replaced the original two further forward in the ship
  • Added Small Grid Projector for building Cosmo Messer F2s
  • Carousel Hangar improved; current version is 4.1
  • Hangar Airlock enlarged for expected personnel traffic
  • Flight deck received sensors and guiding lights for aiding landing ships
  • Brig replaced with Pilot Ready Room
  • Briefing Room stands improved
  • Brig rebuilt near pilot ready room
  • Small Cryo Room added across from the Brig
  • Crew Quarters area extended with six additional beds
  • More doors added for better atmosphere retention
  • Captain’s Quarters remodeled
  • Main engine replaced with finless version
  • Port side retractable docking connector added
  • Willis Ducts …
  • Aesthetic tweaks to better fit the Kaiser faction the ship hails from
  • Automatons AI blocks added for futureproofing the ship

Like before, the Hipper is a heavy cruiser with only a moderate suite of offensive weapons. Her main long range weapons are her two new missile turrets and her wave motion gun. At medium range, her four 330mm positron beam turrets can wear down large targets and set them up for incoming missiles and torpedoes. On defense, she has a slew of pulse lasers, heavy armor covering most surfaces, and some hefty shielding.

Overall the Hipper doesn’t lean too much into offense or defense and is comfortable to operate in both scenarios.

The ship’s lore hasn’t changed from the previous version, but I’ll put up a condensed version here for convenience.

The first and most well known of her class, Admiral Hipper was constructed as part of a plan to reduce the risks posed to the Kaiser fleet’s battleships and fleet carriers, allowing them to operate closer to the heart of Kaiser space. The Admiral Hipper launched with Commander Paul Wilk in the captain’s chair and lead numerous supportive missions for the Kaisers. Most of these missions included long range patrols, convoy escort, anti-shipping raids, and independent investigations.

The Hipper’s most famous action prior to the outbreak of hostilities with the Repatriate Navy was making initial contact with an unknown vessel, and the subsequent operation. The Hipper was initially attacked and forced to regroup with heavy cruiser Hessen, light cruiser Magdeburg, six Type 34 destroyers, and a prototype Type 36 destroyer. The fleet’s counterattack failed to damage the unknown vessel, and the Hessen’s artificial intelligence succumbed to a cyber attack that led to the loss of two of the Type 34s, the prototype destroyer, and severe damage to the Magdeburg. The unknown vessel escaped via jump drive and Commander Wilk was forced to destroy the Hessen with all hands in order to save the Magdeburg and the remaining destroyers.

Bonus Lore

The crew of the Admiral Hipper aren’t sure why, but there’s an odd breakup in the Hipper’s paint scheme. The black waterline-esque marking running the length of the ship is interrupted just behind the flight deck. Specialist Fredricka May has a theory that since the two white brackets on each side of the Hipper’s hull roughly line up with the carousel, they must be a way for an incoming ship to quickly measure itself against the carousel for compatibility; the omission of the waterline mark obviously makes these brackets stand out more, and the flight deck would serve as the limiting factor on the height of embarking craft.

Captain Wilk is one of the few people who could confirm or deny May’s theory, but for whatever reason he won’t even comment on it.

Type: Heavy Cruiser
Crew: 20-80 (20 Skeleton, 80 Full)
Armament: 1x Wave Motion Gun, 4x 330mm Positron Turrets, 4x Torpedo Launchers, 16x SAMs, x2 8 Tube Missile Turrets, 6x Dual Pulse Laser turrets, 4x Quad Pulse Laser turrets, x4 Triple Pulse Laser Turrets, 15x Concealed Dual Pulse Lasers
Power Plant: 1x Wave Motion Generator (15 GW Max Output), 44x Warfare Batteries (132 MWh)
Propulsion: 1x Wave Motion Engines, 2x Subengines, x26 Gravity Drives, 4x Emergency Subengines (In nacelles)
Docks: 15x (x1 Port Dock, 8x Hangar, 2x flightdeck, 2x aft, 1x Ventral, 1x Maintenance Bay)
Width: 55 Meters
Length: 300 Meters
Height: ~70 Meters
Grid Mass: ~31,400 Metric Tons
PCU: 82,839 (From console), 92,117 (From Blueprint)

Notes

  • Check the Custom Data of the Auxiliary seat in the 1st Bridge for the full list of hotbar controls for the remote control and 1st Command Station.
  • Autopillock is installed on the ship, but since there are currently no APck Messers available, the Hipper is not configured as a carrier. This may change in the future but for now, APck is mainly used for controlling large grid APck allies.
  • There’s a weird bug(?) with WC/SBY-W that prevents the user from manually controlling turrets while using the remote control on the ship. The only work around I have at the moment is just using the remote control to toggle settings and then going back to direct piloting in combat. Aside from being the main controller, the remote control acts as more of a universal console for storing common commands anyway.
  • The shock field cannons are extremely finicky right now so they’re mostly for show; if I find a fix I’ll update the blueprint.
  • The Hipper’s been tested at low altitude on Pertam (1.2G) and can float just fine, but she hasn’t been tested with a full load of cargo and embarked craft, so bear that in mind.
  • One of the three hydrogen storage tanks behind the bridge tower is left off and unstocked. Considering they were last minute additions in the lore, the Captain would appreciate it if that forward one was only used in emergencies, as it’s a safety hazard in addition to an obstruction.
  • The Hipper’s PCU has gone up considerably from the previous version, but the ship’s actual in-game performance impact is about the same. A lot of the additional cost comes from the added SBY blocks; even the smallest ones have a PCU cost of 200 at minimum. The rest comes from vanilla addons … and gyroscopes. My goodness it takes so many gyroscopes to get this ship maneuvering.

Mods & Blueprints

  • Ribera’s SBY series: Weapons, Reactors, and Thrusters
  • Defense Shields by AutoMcDonough, Darkstar, nukeguard, Neimoh, and Whiplash
  • WeaponCore by Darkstar, nukeguard, Whiplash, and Ash Like Snow
  • Kelevra’s Arcade Machines: Tetris, Doom, and Snake

Scripts

M.A.S.S. Builder: WIP 0.10.0 New Group of Enemies In-Game Preview

by | May 21, 2023 | ,

M.A.S.S. Builder – WIP: 0.10.0 New group of enemies in-game preview – Steam News
Hello! With the last week being filled with texts and paragraphs, we’d like something more "graphical" this week… thus it’s time we showed you the completed version of the new, up and coming enemies we’ve been previewing! Have a gander!

I took a gander alright, and I have to admit, in full color, these guys look much, much better.

That said, our red whirly boy with the missile pods could still use some work. I just don’t like the proportions on this one and would prefer it if the propeller fans were larger and the overall body was longer, more like the yellow dragon. Regardless, they’re all looking much better and I’m eager to take them on in-game.

Thumbnails Finished

by | May 15, 2023 | ,

The thumbnails for the Admiral Hipper, Cosmo Messer F2, and the KM-3s missile are finished. A bit rushed but they all look decent enough, especially the F2. Have a look.

I also squished the frames a little to give the subjects more screen space. Once again, I think they came out decent. If only that was all I had to do before uploading these.

Cosmo Messer F2 Progress

by | May 14, 2023 | ,

It’s pretty much finished. Unfortunately there are still some workshop related things I need to do and I don’t quite have enough time for all of that tonight. Hopefully I’ll have it sorted by tomorrow or sometime in the middle of the week, but if not, next weekend at the latest.

That goes for the Admiral Hipper as well. Aside from a few minor issues I just can’t fix without infinitely more eyes, time, and patience, the ship’s finished. I’m going to chip away at the articles for them while putting together everything for the upcoming workshop entries. It’s taking longer than I’d like, but I’m glad to finally be seeing the end of this phase.

M.A.S.S. Builder: 0.10.0 WIP Tentative Changes Discussion Roundup

by | May 14, 2023 | ,

M.A.S.S. Builder – WIP 0.10.0 Tentative changes discussion roundup. – Steam News
With all the new contents being posted in these past few weeks, we’d like to shift today’s WIP update back to the topic of game balancing. We’ve been posting tentative changes and listening, discussing your feedbacks both among ourselves and with some of you in our Discord. We’d like to use this opp…

Straight out of the gate I’m happy to hear that Hard and Very Hard aren’t getting touched in difficulty balancing. VD calls them ‘aspiring content.’ I just call them ‘pace makers’ because Very Hard is the only mode I’ve played where I need to monitor my ammo if I want to stick to pure gun builds. Bosses are an absolute pain to deal with, but that’s not to say it isn’t fun overall. I’d get bored fast if things were much easier than that.

  • Auto (Both BS and ES): Increase shooting speed, increase ceiling of ammo stock. This means player will have higher DPS, but also will require more investment into MAG Load and EN Cap to achieve those DPS.
  • Detonators: A small increase in damage. They stay clunky, but should be a bit more worthwhile to wield with their low ammo count.
  • Slash EN Launcher: Slash will receive more stamina damage. It’s what the weapon was designed for thus an aspect we’d like to buff it up slightly.
  • Ranged nodes: We’re adding a node that improves ranged DPS while players are within a certain range from enemies. This is to rewards ranged weapon users who can stick with their enemies.
  • HEAT damage: We’re lowering the damage multiplier from BURN slightly, but increasing its nodes percentage. Certain players have told us they wanted their investments into certain builds more powerful and others agree in sacrificing some no-investments power in exchange for this.
  • Baseline Freeze duration will be increased slightly, and further more through investments into its related nodes.
  • Baseline Shock chance will be increased slightly, and further more through investments into its related nodes.
  • Airblast Trigger will be very slightly buffed. It’s seeing play but not to an amount we wanted it to enable some trigger-based builds yet.
  • Some new nodes suggested by players will be replacing some of the nodes currently available. These are collected from our discord channel and we’ve seen players having interest in it.
  • Some nodes for ranged play that functions the same but are separated for ES and BS will be combined.

No disagreements from me on this list. Damage and spectacle will always trend upward in a system where only buffs and sidegrades are on the table, but that kind of is VD’s mission statement, so power to them.

Most enemies are just things that rush and throw their body against you with different flavor. Why isn’t there anything else?

Community
  • Unique enemies (shielders / laser shooters / emp user) will be added back into the game once we’ve reworked them. Their current iterations are too frustrating to fight against in numbers.

Also sounds good.

Concerns about the speed of the game, how the game promotes DPS and speedy types only and players unable to play a defensive build efficiently.

Community(?)
  • We’ll repeat our words we used when discussing this in our discord for the sake of clarity here. The team would like players to also explore more about armor and defense building since not only speed/dodging is a viable defense, but investment into armor makes everything easier, at the highest tankiness we’ve played comfortably and still do enough damage to pass missions. Not fast, but not impossible, and extremely viable even in VH. Everything is not about DPS race and speed.

    We’ve never designed the game for that. We’ve already told players about armor calculation and what it does but our team would like to remind them again that armor just straight up flat minus damage PER HIT. We’ve adjusted many of the Quarks’ attacks to be multi-hit and armor will be mitigating each and every of those hit, resulting in players taking extremely low damage. Their SLAMS will still be hitting hard though, and that’s where we expect players to take some damage if not dodged.

Tanking in this context probably shouldn’t just be limited to your stats and blocking strategies. The “Don’t just do something, stand there!” school of tanking doesn’t apply in any mech game I’ve ever played, so I don’t see why it would in M.A.S.S. Builder. To some extent, mobility has to factor in, so VD’s probably looking at it from that perspective.

I don’t play low difficulties in M.A.S.S. Builder so we’ll skip the credit income bit.

tl;dr – Increasing weak enemies’ spawning

We wanted to provide more player power fantasy of mowing down groups of enemies through this change. Our players have stated that there are more concerns regarding that goal as the enemies in our game are sometimes somewhat frustrating to fight against. Below are the changes coming mainly to our enemies in the next update as per our discussion with our players.

VD

Concerns on enemies being idle, melee feeling awful with requirement to chase enemies around the map, slowly searching for any stragglers, or bosses moving across the map with zero windows of attack available.

Community
  • Almost every enemy will receive changes that make them “more engaging.” An example of these across the board changes is the “warping ball throwing” enemies will have a limit to its warp range and will always be in sight of players after they warp.
  • The “worm” boss will have its “rush” mechanic damage (the one where it rushes at you from underground) numbers lowered in NORMAL. VH remains the same.
  • The “worm” boss will also have some of its attacks’ damage lowered in NORMAL. VH remains the same.
  • New attacks have been added to enemies to allow them to chase players without awkwardly running up and slowly move around. These attacks have long range, but also wind-up time so players can dodge them.
  • Certain bosses that keep running away or have attacks that put them extremely far from players are provided with new close range attacks that also provide more window of opportunity for players to hit them in close proximity without the need to boost follow across the area.
  • Multiplayer missions will be receiving difficulty adjustments. Note, we’ve made these alpha-testing missions as hard as possible to test what would happen in end-game aspect and have received lots of feedback about it. We’ll see if we have time to add another version of it but adjusted for lower tuning level.
  • Shields regain after bosses’ stamina is refilled will be removed in NORMAL. VH remains the same. Bosses’ HP and Shields numbers will be adjusted accordingly, but it should feel much better to fight against a boss without regeneratinng HP.
  • Bosses’ Ultimate attacks cooldown will be increased thus they will enter into invulnerability phase less, but their Ultimate attacks will be more devastating.
  • Elite enemies’ (Ones with larger size and more aggresive behavior) HP will be slightly lowered in NORMAL. VH remains the same.

As someone who only plays this game on VH, I am every so slightly salty about Normal mode getting rid of that annoying shield regen, but I can (and have to) live with it. Boss fights are annoying, specifically because of that regen; you’re going to burn through tons of ammo lowering that shield, then even more getting in those few precious seconds of damage, so it makes things pretty tedious. At least Normal and below will be free of that nonsense.

Concerns about enemies moving really fast and lunge at you from afar. There’s no escaping them to recharge shields and it’s almost impossible to kite them. Any changes could be done with this?

VD
  • They are designed that way to counter how fast players can be and how long players can boost/hover backwards/in circle and not engage in anything. We do not expect that to be the go-to method of play. In contrast, playing within a certain range will disable these “chase” mechanics.

Just shoot them. They can’t chase you if they’re dead.

Anyway, I’m working on a lot of things right now so I had to keep this brief, but it’s good to have summaries like this every once in a while. I’m looking forward to 0.10.0 more than ever. Once it drops I’ll start playing regularly again and try to reclaim some of my old builds. It’s going to take a while but I’ll get it done.

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