User:Kopachris
History
Kopachris started his piloting career near the end of the 14-Year War aboard the GTD Galatea. He was later transferred to the GTD Bastion when the Galatea was taken down by the Lucifer during the Great War. On board the Bastion, Kopachris served the GTA and played an instrumental role in defeating the SD Lucifer before it reached Earth.
After the Great War, Kopachris signed up with GTI and was transferred to the GTD Krios, playing a major part in defeating the Hades Rebellion. A long period of inactivity followed, until the NTF activated the Knossos portal in Gamma Draconis. Kopachris played several roles in the Second Shivan Incursion, including several undercover missions, escort mission, and tactical strike missions. Kopachris was one of the few pilots stationed on the GTD Aquitaine to see both the unveiling and the destruction of the GTVA Colossus.
Kopachris died at the end of the Second Shivan Incursion. Eyewitnesses say he didn't make it to the Vega jump node before Capella went supernova.
Projects
Kopachris is currently planning several major projects. First on the agenda is a collection of FreeSpace tools for Linux. This includes a VP Editor, a launcher, and a POF importer for Blender. These tools are being designed to make modding a simpler, more straightforward process. All of these tools are initially going to be programmed in Python, but may be ported to C/C++ at a later time.
After creating these mod tools, Kopachris plans to use them in the creation of a grand mod consisting of three feature-length campaigns, with a collection of new ships, weapons, command briefing animations, and cutscenes. Kopachris will document the entire process of creating these campaigns in order to create an all-in-one guide to FreeSpace modding.
Linux Mod Tools
A VP Editor, called "Linux VP Manager", or LVPM, is currently in the detail planning stage and the beginning of the programming stage. A simple command-line Python script at first, version 0.1 will support extracting single files, a list of files, or an entire directory from a VP archive, as well as creating a VP archive from a directory and listing the entire contents of a VP. Later upgrades will include the ability add files to an archive, remove files from an archive, and eventually a GTK+ interface.
Following LVPM, Kopachris intents to create a simple launcher to run on Linux that will help integrate FS2_Open with Linux. The launcher will likely be written in Python with a GTK+ libglade interface and will do nothing more than write arguments to the data/cmdline_fso.cfg file. It will also have an option to install a launcher in the GNOME menu.
The final project for the Linux Mod Tool suite will be an import/export script that will allow Blender to use POF files. This tool won't be limited to Linux, however, and should make modding simpler on any platform. As of right now, the plan is to use empty meshes in Blender to represent point and normal data (such as weapon fire-points and the eye-point) and untextured cubes for subsystem data and other parts that require volume. The exporter will include a tool to set data and options before exporting.
Three Campaigns and Grand Tutorial
The first campaign idea takes place immediately after Capella goes supernova and is from the point of view of the squadron leader of the 70th Blue Lions. The player and the rest of the Blue Lions are transferred to the GTD Messana to help refugees fend off pirates and the dregs of the NTF while the Aquitaine is sent to either integrate with a new fleet or set up a new HQ for the 3rd Fleet (the decision hasn't been made yet). Though the bulk of the plot hasn't been decided upon yet, Kopachris has revealed that the campaign will include a return to Capella (now a nebula).
The second campaign goes through the same events and timeline as the first, but from the point of view of the pirates. A few missions will remain mostly the same, and the plot of each campaign will mingle, but each is meant to tell its own story of what happens after Capella. As opposed to how most user-made campaigns treat pirates, both of Kopachris's campaigns intend to make pirates take on a more clever, sinister role in mission design. Rather than being endless waves of cannon fodder, Kopachris's pirates will have a goal and will use whatever technology they have to reach that goal.
The final cutscene of each of those two campaigns will be the same—15 years later, and contact with Sol is restored. This cutscene will be intended to serve as a preview for the last campaign, which will describe what has been going on with Earth these past years and how the Earth-bound humans and the Lost Generation interact when they finally meet again.
And of course, the construction of these campaigns will be fully documented in order to create a tutorial of modding FreeSpace. The tutorial will cover such topics as plot design, modeling, texturing, animation, FREDding, music design, and voice recording. Along with documentation, the tutorial project will also include a large reference manual from both canon and non-canon (but highly appraised) sources and all the development files (screenplays, models, textures, sheet music, etc.).
