Dear Patreon Supporters,
Here is a new Early Access version for the Solaris VII mech gladiator games, and it features already a 2nd Arena: The Marik Factory!
Mod v0.2 Downloads:
OneDrive: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvPmUYHEcNJx0hapjPVXKkuH58ve?e=j5pbUv
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/tL1RBQYA...
2023-05-29 02:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreons, dear Support Community!
If you want to test out the first Solaris VII Arena (in a super primordial stage;) – here in this post, you can find the first early access mod download for "vonMissions" for Mechwarrior 5!
Load it with a high number so nothing overrides it (my standard load order: 26)
Download Mirrors:
OneDrive: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuNDshz...
Dear Patreons & Supporters - there are BIG news for MW5!
Basically, it all started with me reading Number 48 of the classic BattleTech books – a story about a guy arriving at Solaris VII, the "Game World".
I remembered that back in 2021, I tried once to make a custom mission for Mechwarrior 5 without big success. But now, with my (vastly) improved knowledge of MW5 editing, unreal 4 game art, scripting and modding, I thought why not… let's see how it goes and give it a second try.
So – why ...
2023-05-10 03:27:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreons,
I spent the holiday doing final adjustments, fixes, and some improvements (along with some experiments… but for that later:) to bring you vonBiomes 12.5 - and there it is as fast download:
OneDrive:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvPmUYHEcNJx0WYu_IZKVao8bzy4?e=rtnm5l
Mega:
2023-05-02 00:08:56 +0000 UTC
View Post
Dear Patreons,
Just a quick heads up: the next version for vonBiomes should already get ready by already tomorrow! This update overhauls the fogging system - there will be again more clear skies and the fog system is further fine-tuned.
This should mark the next-gen final lighting for now - I hope;)
It has been a hard and time-intensive process to get things right with the extended sun class system, new random factors and other variables. There will be additionally many new background sceneries and the miss...
2023-05-01 02:03:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreons,
and here it is! Find your exclusive vonBiomes 12 version linked right below as a fast download for the new mod version, extending Mechwarrior even more. .
Download Options:
The last two weeks have been quite a ride to extend the quality, mission variety and in-game interface for you Mechwarrior out there. And after tonight, I can finally say that the new version 12 will be coming tomorrow, Monday, to your Merc company!
Meanwhile, please enjoy this image gallery of screenshot taken from today's test runs above, showing the new upgrades and how different every mission now looks like.
Sidenote: Discord users may have already seen those in the Special WIP channel - if you have Discord but not yet j...
Dear Patreon Supporters!
Another big update for vonBiomes is ready for your Inner Sphere shenanigans!
This new version brings two new biomes and many new upgrades. I wanted to provide you with a new download before I have to go on work travels next week – and here it is!
You can drop your lance now on a Winter variant of No Man's Land (dubbed Snow Man's Land;), with frozen wrecks and snow weather. And secondly, there is "Bamboo Forest" - a whole new natural b...
2023-03-27 03:45:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreons!
Here is a quick update to vonHUD, including the vonCommander Interface. This is basically a DLC4 update, with a design of the new mercenary battle grid icons included.
As suggested, I have also increased the zoom-out cap, so you can have a better full view of bases and environments from farther away.
In other news..
I have discovered a major bug, basically in vanilla Mechwarrior 5: It seems the various sun types, that you see on the star map, are not even considered in th...
2023-03-20 01:28:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Supporters, one more update to go!
This now should be the final Early Access special version for vonBiomes 11. This new updated includes the latest fixes and tweaks, and also has the darker nights and better underwater looks inside.
Download Link: vonBiomes_v11-1_EarlyAccess.zip
Sorry for the chain of updates in the last days, with the new lighting looks and long list of updates, it took s...
2023-03-01 03:34:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreon Supporters!
The first version of the vonBiomes version 11 was now more of a prototype;)
Download this update and enjoy a new Mechwarrior 5 experience in terms of what missions can look like!
Download Link: vonBiomes_v11 - EarlyAccess-V2.zip
The last days I spent with extending and fixing things in the lighting system – and learning. MW5 utilizes already Global Illumination and A...
2023-02-25 22:08:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey, dear Patreon Supporters! :)
I spent the last 5 days to the knee (or better: neck) in improving the Mechwarrior 5 Look & Feel in terms of Lighting, Nights and Weather Effects.
Before finalizing everything, here is already a Preview Version for you and your Mercenary Adventures!
Download: vonBiomes_v11_EarlyAccess.zip
This mod update adds handcrafted Space Nebulas, makes rain refractiv...
Dear Patreons & Supporters,
I was hoping I get through the finetuning and polishing phase of the next big version of vonBiomes earlier, but it takes some more time for testing and improving. In the meantime here is collection of Work in Progress screenshots from various places across the Inner Sphere!
The new vonBiomes version will feature a complete night sky overhaul, with not only a new (twinkling!) starfield based on real astronomical HDR images, but also hand-crafted high dynamic range nebu...
2023-02-21 04:02:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreons - we got it! The new "vonCommander" interface, included in the vonHUD Mod is now in a first working state. With the PageUp Key, you can switch anytime to the Satellite View, and with just some mouse clicks, you can issue orders to your AI lancements. The key is re-bindable via the regular keybinds settings panel of Mechwarrior 5.
With a 1st click you can select your lancemate and issue a order for:
> 2nd click any location: Move to location
> ...
Dear Patreons and Supporters!
attached to this post you can find a new Early Access version of vonHUD with a Work in Progress update of the vonCommander Interface. It is already possible to command Mechs around when accessing the interface with "PageUp" key on your keyboard (can be rebound in options).
Click a lance mate > click on landscape - easy as that. ;)
Clicking on other Mechs (not tanks currently) should issue an attack order.
Best use it in ...
So many posts!;) With a new DLC, things need to be updated and - like here - even hot fixed.
Users on Nexus reported a crash bug in the first DLC 4 ready version of VonBiomes when encountering an enemy mercenary unit. This quick hotfix should patch that problem. Band-Aid for your latest Mechwarrior. Sticky.
Here is the updated Early Access Patreon Supporter Version! (linked above)
But there is more! Secondly:
It would be boring if a little hotfix is everything, right?
That's why I have also added t...
2023-01-29 16:01:20 +0000 UTC View Post
The Mechwarrior 5 DLC 4 dropped yesterday. And here is already the DLC compatible version of vonBiomes with some quick fixes applied!
This mod version is for sure, including the cave biome prototype as usual. Also, some sky body objects like planets and moons have been overhauled for better looks.. tiny side task!;)
Next Steps:
First, I will get vonHUD to a compatible state. This will take a little longer since there are new icons in the DLC for mercenary mechs, and also it has more interactin...
Dear Supporters - here is something big.
With this new Mod Version you can play a new vonBiomes - the Drylands - and it also includes a full dynamic lighting and cloud overhaul. Building on the work done with sun size based on planet orbit system, this release extends the whole environmental lighting with more variations, custom-built atmosphere conditions, better nights, a new fog system and more!
If you have the hardware, you can as well now enable Volumetric Fog via the Mod Optio...
2023-01-21 23:50:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Volumetric Fog can be a very atmospheric element in games - it adds mood, depth and visual overall quality. For an upcoming vonBiomes Mod Version, the already implemented custom dynamic lighting system (aka vonSkies;), which greatly improves the variety of missions based on planet orbit data, will be extended with volumetric fog options and more lighting improvements.
It is a tricky beast - I do not want it to be *just* another overdone fog effect but a dynamic system, that included parameters like planet position in the solar sy...
2023-01-19 19:56:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Welcome to the new year!
I hope you had a wonderful new years eve and arrived well in 2023.
Over the holidays, I continued working on both vonBiomes and vonHUD - for the latter, here is an updated download.
It has been (and still is) quite a challenge, but my ultimate goal is to make the integrated Satellite View into a Commander's interface. Issuing orders does not work yet - but you can already select units. That does not result in much in practical terms for now, but hey.. progress! :)
But there are also further quality...
2023-01-09 03:42:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Right before getting on a train to go to the family, here is a first preview version of the Underground Cave biome!
It sure needs many, many hours more work put into it, but it is already the first playable version, and for the first time in Mechwarrior 5, there is an underground cave environment. Also, it serves as a proof of concept since it needed quite some experiments to get it working with procedurals, space use, and mod compatibility.
The next step is fleshing out tile after tile, making...
Dear Patreons, I needed a little break from the tile building for the Cave Biome and continued working on the vonHUD Satellite Link - a special feature!
Here is a brand new Work in Progress Build for you to try out; it is already quite extended:
* Engage Satellite Link with PageUp Key
* You can set the key in the controls settings in MW5
* MouseWheel Zoom is already in
* Dead Mechs and tanks have their markers removed
* Betty Sound added
* If new enemies appear: restart the Satellite Link to have markers appear (I hop...
Currently, I dive more into blueprints - this will be necessary for many things. I need to get to know my way around variables, functions, and all the non-visual stuff, too, to make stuff both in biomes and other mod endeavors more dynamic, changing on parameters, and flexible.
To put the learning to use, I have started with a little feature coming right from Mechwarrior 2: Satellite Link for vonHUD!
With a keypress, the camera zooms out, and you see a battlefield overview. In the future, that could also lead to mor...
2022-12-02 03:58:50 +0000 UTC View Post
vonBiomes 9.3 is live and ready! Here is a quick download option for you, the Supporters, via a OneDrive link. (Same version as on Nexus or Steam)
This is more or less a service update - with two major upgrades! First, it does not rain/snow underwater anymore (built a whole system for that, boy, that took time;) and secondly.. 2 first test tiles for caves! Find them in the jungles and forests, and hold the ground, caveman style! This is an early foreshadowing of the outcome of the Patreon Supporters voting...
2022-11-28 01:45:09 +0000 UTC View PostWith the release of Space Port City, the question is:
What should be the next big biome in the Mod, or which task you like to see done?
I have compiled a list of suggestions from the vonBiomes Discord server, some own ideas noted, and cool stuff - Let's introduce them, and then let's vote on what to prioritize!
* Slum City
A slum/shanty town-like scenery using the Space Port City Tileset
* Storm World / Meteor World
Two biomes, both with impacts on the env...
So.. finally it is official and released:
Get the Update of the vonBiomes Mod on the Nexus: https://www.nexusmods.com/mechwarrior5mercenaries/mods/441 or Steam workshop.
The new and major part of this update is a brand new Underwater System, with animated distortion effects, water drag slow-down, caustic lighting effects and new looks! But where is much water? In rivers! So I spent my free time the last week(s) adapting and c...
Just wanna quickly say thank you to the new supporters here on Patreon (and to all the existing ones for sure, too;) - If you want to stay live in the loop with the development and new stuff in the works, join the vonBiomes Discord via this invite: https://discord.gg/pbPzX9eyss and shoot me a message in #thebar. I will upgrade your account, and you will have access to the #supporters channel, where I constantly post screenshots from the work sessions and also (for sure) am...
2022-11-06 03:59:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Patreons, dear Supporters!
You may have seen it - Space Port City found its way as the first "Mega Biome" into the latest vonBiomes release 9.0 on Nexus and Steam! I also want to add my 100tons-worth-of-weight THANK YOU here on Patreon; without your support and help, it would not have been possible <3 ;)
What's next:
I have announced it already, but now in November, the list and poll for the next bigger thing will be ready. I am gonna send you a notification when i...
In companionship to the new release of vonBiomes 9.0.8b: here is a small gallery of tile overhauls and work-in-progress shots I took during the last weeks of going through every tile once more and adjusting locators and spawn points.
I did not take a screenshot for every tile (there are over 90 of them now in Space Spot City), but just some as a visual reference of sweat and tears ;)
Last shot is by the way a new overhead smog cloud system I built replacing the volumetric clouds in Space Port City to improve performance.
<...
2022-09-30 18:12:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey, dear Mod Supporters!
Today the work on a new build for Space Port City has been finished, addressing many mission bugs reported by the Beta Tester crew on Discord. Basically, it meant going once more through every one of the over 90 tiles to fine-tune positions, move markers around and fix locators one by one. During a modding night session, I found out who to display and preview the locators in a map tile to actually see what is going on, and this knowledge is worth gold!
In the course of this step, I...
2022-09-30 18:04:47 +0000 UTC View Post
