BCMM Origin
Note
This was originally written by bridge modder Lurok91 in 2011 to lay out the proof of concept behind what has become known as the Maelstrom Mod
Intro
As this is expanding from idea to ongoing long-term WIP thought be better to start dedicated thread. Even if total mod doesn't happen - and that would be long way down line - experiments may throw up new mods which could be released individually (e.g., new TOS-to-PDW/STO era crew mods; alien races) or incorporated into established mods like DS9FX.
WHY BOTHER?
Good question. Especially for any Trek fan/sane person. Well, simple answer is BC's SP (Single Player campaign mode aka Maelstrom Missions) was a product of its time with a few quality and canon problems: low quality first-gen stock character bots, TNG-era Rom bridge in PDW-era, etc. I doubt creators thought game would survive beyond initial curiosity period . Two-three years interest max. But almost a decade later (A DECADE), game not only surviving but thriving. Building on successes of great BC modders (3rd Era Bridge Team, scripter USS Sovereign, mod creator Blackrook32, numerous ship creators), the plan is to update SP campaign game to 2011/2012 standards as if game being released now (though obviously with same graphic engine, lol).
CONCEPT
Update/upgrade single-player campaign game with new and improved mods. Upgrading and replacing stock ships, planets etc been easy part to now; changing bridges, characters etc been more tricky due to script and animation issues. Aim of this WIP is to attempt to tackle those issues and provide single player with more choice and flexibility as well as improved gaming experience.
Proposed changes:
- replace stock bridges with new versions (and hopefully new more-canon Sovereign bridge by time of release).
- possible option of substitute DS9/PDW bridges (e.g., Defiant, Excelsior, Intrepid, Miranda, etc)
- replacing all stock characters with EF2-style versions and improved bodies/textures where possible (i.e., new Klingon bodies; new UVW mapping to allow asymmetrical costumes such as Romulan and Klingon sashes)
- replacing viewscreen bridges & backgrounds with new/improved versions more canon to story era
- overall ship/textures/HP upgrades
Note: due to locked narrative/characters/voices, proposed changes will initially only feature DS9/post-Nemesis eras and not TOS/TMP (but poss TNG). Although it may be possible to 'edit' the voice scripts/files to remove any DW references, thereby allowing more generic story using same characters. So Picard for example could be an ancestor or alternative-timeline version in TOS/TMP version. Just an idea...
WIP TO DATE:
STOCK BRIDGE CHANGES: stock Galaxy (Dauntless) changed to Galaxy Refit with modifications, and Sovereign to brand new Nemesis-style bridge model. Animation issues fixed. New Sovereign bridge also has Nemesis crew positions (Miguel/Science at helm console; standing Felix at tactical console to rear)
STOCK CHARACTER MODEL CHANGES: The EF2 Bridge Crew mod was a big breakthrough in 2007, bringing a better realistic quality and crew variety to BC. But as creators acknowledged, it was an alpha release (since abandoned) with known mesh bugs due to limitations of stock BC game biped and its animations, and didn't include alien races such as Klingons, etc outside of a few EF2 crew heads (Korban, Chell, etc).
After experimenting with meshes have decided to abandon also, and instead created new body models for TOS/TMP/TNG/DS9-VOY/FC-NEM/PDW Fed crews, and Cardassians. More successfully imported and adapted EF2 Klingon and Romulan bodies/heads, as well as missing EF2 heads such as Sydney, Jurot and Telsia.
STOCK VIEWSCREEN SET CHANGES: Slowly working through changing viewscreen sets so Klingons now on Rotarran bridge; Romulans on DS9-era Warbird; new office sets for FedStarbase, Haven, Geki, etc; and Fed captains on relevant bridges (MacCray on Akira, Haley on Nebula, etc)
