Jenesis on 14/5/2003 at 12:06
My copy of Terra Nova (bought on eBay) arrived today, and I'm about to install it on my laptop (Win 98, PII-400, to avoid XP problems). So, would the few who still visit this forum be interested in a newbie journal? I played the demo years ago, but apart from that I'm totally fresh to TN. 'Scuse me while I go and install...
jstnomega on 14/5/2003 at 13:08
Plz, just tell me how you got the sound to work.
Jenesis on 14/5/2003 at 16:19
Umm...it just did by itself. Sorry. The soundcard in the laptop is something obscure, nothing Creative. All I did was to follow Shadowcat's post about installing from the hard drive. I was even able to get it to install without going into DOS, by making the change he described, but which apparently didn't work for him due to incompatible video modes. Runs like a dream, although it did hang once it the hall area between your quarters and the briefing room.
Is it me, or is this the System Shock 1 engine?
Brad Schoonmaker on 14/5/2003 at 22:46
Yeah, do a journal. Never seen one for this game. It'll be quick, though. The missions aren't all that long and they're pretty straight forward a lot of times. [SPOILER]The end of the game is indeed the toughest to play because all hell breaks loose.[/SPOILER]
SS1 shares more than the engine. Some sounds are there in both. Also, the dropships and motherships from TN are in the intro to SS1
Jenesis on 14/5/2003 at 22:59
I'll skip the training missions, except to say, as above, that this looks and feels just like the SS1 engine - same controls, similar graphics, same sound effects on the HUD. I just wish I could look down.
Mission 1: Operation Cannonball
Gosh, I start high up in the air. The landing doesn't seem to hurt, though, so all is well. Right...find objective location on map, set a marker. Advance.
Aha, there's the outpost, and a couple of pirates. They seem to be out of range, though, so I'll switch to Multipulsar. Much firing and backpedalling ensues. Eek, these guys are tough. They're barely damaged. And my view is on the fritz. Well, I might as well switch to laser now, since they're closer. Very small amount of firing, pirates die. Hmm. 'Twould seem I just can't hit anything with the multipulsar. :erg: For a while I thought it was tracking the locked target, but apparently not. Well, they're dead now, but I think the next attaack by a hungry squirrel would finish me off. I'll blow up the outpost building for good measure, and then head over to the pickup point.
Total kills: 3
Time: 2:52
Health: 1% (!)
Cost of Suit Repair: 9600 Oops, I think I broke it...although if you see below, under Mission 2, these stats would appear to have been messed up somewhere.
Mission 2: Operation Panama
Ooh, a squadmate, yay! Well, let's head on over. There's the river, two semi-bridges across it, and a boat in the middle. We're attacked as we advance, just a couple of pirates at a time, and we take 'em down easily. Having forsaken the multipulsar, I use lasers only. We head on down the hill to the river, and are attacked again. They're easily dispatched, but my armour appears to be a bit thin. Happily it appears to recharge, however.
We take the left-hand 'bridge', because I felt like it, and are attacked yet again. Some pirates jump-jet across from the other bridge, which is rather cool - the AI seems pretty sensible. My armour is looking very dodgy, so I descend into a dip in the bridge and get out of sight. Walker takes a few hits, but to get into the dip I'm in requires a jump to get into from the other side, where the pirates are. They end up coming over the top one at a time, and so I can just about handle them. We move on and take out a couple more, but that seems to be all for resistance. We grab the dropship after I check that there aren't any more pirates on the other bridge.
Total Kills: 11 (Me: 11)
Time 4:30
Health 1% (again!?!)
Cost of Suit Repair: 9600
However... looking at Walker's stats, she is also supposedly at 1%, and her suit is totally destroyed - except for her Targdisk and Video systems, which are at 28562%. Total repair cost is -20480. Something here has gone a bit wrong. I'm getting these numbers out of the Reports section of my data terminal after the fact. From what I can remember of the actual debriefing, I was actually at about 70% health, suit repairs at 1200.
Mission 3: Operation Eagle Eye
I'm always a bit dubious of these 'scout' settings in games, since they tend to make these things more difficult, at least for me. However, we shall persevere. I have to ID some crates without being seen, and apparently this EM emitter will help. I don't want to go near the roads, so I'll stick to the mountain slopes.I keep perhaps 50m from the road, gradually approaching the...nuts, I've been spotted. Ah, well, let's have some fun, and attack.
There are certainly a lot of them...and they have explosives! Eek! Maybe I'll just restart the mission now...
Take 2 Right, I'll keep well away from the road this time. I skirt around the peaks of those rocky hills, and get round to the back of the base. As I go, I test out this EM emitter. Okay, it makes a blip on the map, and anything within the blip I can see. Cool. Right, behind the base. I'm hoping that randomly trying to identify everything in the base will work...I can get the odd pirate, some lights, a barracks, and a depot or two. No crates. I edge closer, no crates. A bit closer, no crates. A bit closer, they spot me. Rats. I accidentally hit the Target Camera button, only to see the word 'Sending' written there. I guess I found the crates...
Take 3 Got too close to the road. 'Nuff said.
Take 4 Got round the back of the base, got spotted again. (You'd think I'd have learnt by now...) I charge into the base, looking for the crates, but to no avail. They get me.
Take 5 Spotted whilst beside the base. I charge in, blowing buildings up and looking for the crates. AHA! There they are, between three buildings. No wonder I couldn't spot 'em. This feels like cheating (it probably is), but I know where they are now. If I don't stand right behind the base, I should be able to spot them...
Take 6 Get behind the base with no problems. Nudge around a bit, trying to get the crates in view without being seen. I really wish I could look up and down. Eventually, while locked onto one of the buildings, I spot the crates in the camera view. After a bit more nudging, I get them targeted. Mission complete, grab the dropship. They can't see a dropship that close to their base? Stealth seems to have gone out the window, but still seems to be working. A bit annoying, but there it is. Success, finally.
Total Kills: None (obviusly)
Time: 5:25
Health: 100%
Suit Repair Cost: 0
Phew, that's enough for now. More tomorrow :)
Brad Schoonmaker on 15/5/2003 at 00:09
Looking down and up for that matter is as easy as in SS1. I think the controls are identical in fact ('R' lifts head, 'F' levels view and 'V' lowers head).
Very nice so far.:thumb:
Jenesis on 15/5/2003 at 10:46
Oh yeah, you're right. Yay! \o/ I did read the manual. I did I did I did! I even looked at the Key Command Summary on the back of the CD case! Ah well
While I'm here, is there a way to fire two weapons at once?
Brad Schoonmaker on 15/5/2003 at 21:45
Quote:
Originally posted by Jenesis While I'm here, is there a way to fire two weapons at once? Well, yes and no. You can deploy the item you choose for your auxilary slot at the same time as firing your main weapon. This may or may not be for attacking with, though. Can't remember anything other than the turrets fitting that bill.
Shadowcat on 15/5/2003 at 22:48
A journal? Cool beans!
Welcome to the SFC, Jenesis :)
Quote:
Originally posted by Jenesis Is it me, or is this the System Shock 1 engine? Well I'm sure the games have various bit of code in common, but nothing all that obvious; given that TN = outdoors and SS = indoors, most of what you see on the screen is rendered by totally different algorithms and data structures (aside from the HUD, which might well be based on the same code).
Jenesis on 16/5/2003 at 15:02
Mission 4: Operation Sherwood
Day One
A convoy raid, eh? Right then...We drop in and head for the intercept site. Two pirates attack us en route, but they're no problem. We get down into the cutting the road makes into the hills and wait, planning to catch the convoy just as it crests a small rise. Briefly I consider moving forward to meet the convoy instead, but almost immediately it rounds the corner and we wait it out. Three vehicles pass, the first a rusty brown and very blocky, the other two grey and sleeker. Following them are half a dozen or so pirates, and we get to work. I open up with the Multipulsar, but I still can't hit anything with it :( My armour gets a little thin, but we are able to deal with them without too much difficulty. We then turn round to pursue the fleeing convoy...only to discover that the rear hovercraft has let loose another group of pirates. My front armour is looking thin, so I approach at an angle, hoping that my side armour will take up some of the damage, but it seems to fail even quicker - is the armour thinner there? I manage to take down a couple of them, but they eventually get me.
Take 2: This time, having taken out the initial pair of pirates, we head further forward of the intercept point and pick the pirates up earlier on the route the first group falls quickly, and we follow on for the second. I have to fall back a bit, having taken the brunt of the damage, and so Walker takes a few hits. The pirates divert their attention somewhat, however, allowing me to pick them off with relatively little risk. Finally they are all dead, and we can head off back to the convoy again. It stops and surrenders, and we head back off to the dropship. Yay! Though at the debriefing, I'm not impressed to hear that the hovercraft were packed with foam...
Day 2:
Right, let's get on with Mission 5...hang on, I've seen this briefing before...nuts, I must have forgotten to save :( Ah well. I load up again, and we head off. I aim for the designated intercept again this time, but Walker appears to get stuck and doesn't follow me. The convoy approaches her, and I run off to stop her being wiped out. The pirates are all concentrated on her when I arrive, and I take them all out with, in all seriousness, about three shots aimed at me.
Getting a little overconfident I charge in to the second group of pirates and take heavy damage. I peel off, and again return to wreak much havoc as the pirates occupy themselves with Walker. Mission successful. This time permanently :)
Total kills: 12 (Me: 12)
Time: 3:17
Health/Suit Repairs: Clicking on the relevant buttons seems to crash TN for some reason. I'll update this later if I can sort out the problem.
