Planar Erratus - A Fury of Dungeons and Dragons Magic!

Welcome to a small corner of the Starcraft Universe named Planar Erratus. The following web pages include categorization of all units, an updated news page (you are reading now), a general FAQ info page, and a downloads page where you can find the latest version and other goodies. For advanced discussion or technical help visit the PEAI forums.

Followers of the project are well aware that PEAI has always been a lowkey project with updates and announcements delivered at a snails pace. So tho it may appear nothing is happening, the mod is constantly being tweaked and improved on. If you find something that isn't right or can use some improvement, don't be shy to voice your opinion. Any and all feedback is highly welcomed and appreciated.

~ enjoy and thnx for the continued support
   Steve H
   -- aka bajadulce

11.06.03 Update

This is a minor graft update that removes the Altar requirement from the Fcompactor build button. I don't usually upload new versions of the mod without a hefty amount of changes, but it was pointed out several times that players could find themselves in a catch-22 with respect to Ferillium (gas) and the Compactor-Altar relationship. It takes gas to build an Altar and the only thing that harvests gas is a Ferrillium Compactor which requires the same Altar!

other than that, a few minor spelling errors corrected in some strings as well as 2 button graphics slightly updated.

Tweakers Erattimus!

A list of little things that finally managed to get around to working on:
* Beleaguer portrait, sounds, and animations finalized.
* Transparent palettes for a lot of the attacks
* Updated the website which included fixing the download page = mod is available once again for public download.
* Various trigger updates. Most notably, transcendent victory paths are now limited to 1 per game.
* Computer will now react to Time Seduction
* New racial traits added (i.e. hp, train time, unit supply)
* Worgrider speed has been slightly nerfed

The Erratum undergo a little face lift!

Lord Erratus casts boki aside in favor of the wisp! You may recall that v1.2 had the chance to build super workers in the form of flying Wisps and even Greater Wisps? Being able to fly has huge perks as this means the cpu worker no longer has the potential to get stuck after constructing a building. Pathfinding is also much better for obvious reasons. You the player can also build wisps.

Honey I shrunk the kids ... AGAIN!

Spent a good deal of time resizing nearly every unit in the game by as much as 20%. This has made a HUGE difference as the units were just a tad too large and unmanageable. This wouldn't have been so time consuming had the units not had the colored shadow disk ring. Many units were reduced to a smaller selection circle size as well. Player circle4 no longer exists. T1 & T3 Planars now use circle3.

Wait Blocks!

Discovered that the few wait commands in triggers were causing replays to desync. Even tho the game itself wasn't suffering from wait blocks, the replays were all but useless to watch. A new trigger system replaces all wait commands with deathcounts instead. Replays should now be good to go.

Upkeep and tax ammendment!

Players are now taxed for ALL buildings and ANY building equally. Prior, each type of building had a taxable limit. This meant a player could build upwards of 5raxes and only get charged for the 3 limit. Many buildings were levied double (such as teslas) and some were even tax exempt. Now, each building is charged upkeep. (1st 5 buildings are free)

Trigger update!

A crapload of new and improved triggers added to the UMS maps such as new pings, instructions, notifications, and other sorts of bells and whistles that really add to the experience.

Computer UMS AI is now working!

After struggling with the UMS wheel of death syndrome, a solution was found that enables the computer to behave in an acceptable manner in UMS mode! And yes, the computer WILL PLAY THE TRANSCENDENT GAME!!!

Hotkey letters added to all buttons!

Cmdnicons now have their respected hotkey letter integrated into the button's graphic. No longer do you need to memorize or hover over the button to pick up the tooltip. Using hotkeys is now a breeze even for the 1st playthrough newcomer.

Reconstruction and changes!

Since 1.3 data has been lost forever after my reformat blunder, figured it was time for a news update describing the reconstructive process. Spent the last few days just getting all the tools back in order (the tools page has since seen some updates btw!) Losing the documentation for the mod has hurt the most, but redoing this gives me an opportunity to go back over the mod and double check all.

Hold that thought!

2 new buttons (disperse + hold position) have been assigned to the wanderer which allows for limited control. The beasts still roam around completely wild, but now can be held when they come across a juicy spot or a good place to hide.

Necromancy is Dead!

As much as I liked the "sliding" 10th button on the Altar, it might have been a bit too confusing. So a 1st level spell was dropped from the Altar. I liked the Divination icon better than the Necromancy one and so it was sent to the grave :). Requirements for the various units have been reworked as well offering much more varied opening build orders and different opening strategies.

Fighters = Free w/ Rax
Rangers = require Aburation + Divination
Rouges = require Divination + Evocation
Clerics = require Evocation + Alchemy
Wizards = require Alchemy + Clairvoyance

Doctrine Drones = require Altar
Doctrine Uniques = require Mystic Globe

Planar 1 = Lvl Shcool of Magic + Mystic Globe
Planar 2 = Lvl 2 School of Magic + Forge
Planar 3 = Lvl 3 School of Magic + Magic Shrine


* NOTE: Higher tier schools no longer require previous schools of magic. (you can train a T3 planar without having to research Lvl2)

Dawn of Conscious - PEAI campaign begins!

The tedious job of building a new Campaign/UMS map screen has been completed! As you can see from a sample UMS map lobby screen below, there will be no talking portraits. Any dialogue or conversation will be handled via standard literature format (i.e. new paragraph etc). The resulting interface modifications seem much more reader friendly. Mission briefings as well as objectives can cover a lot more before needing to "scroll".
PEAI UMS/Campaign Screen. Yes, the start button lights up and all the layers slide.

Story/Plot:

Rest assured there is a general plot, albeit simple. A nihilistic race lead by a maniacal creature from another plane suddenly appears with the intent to destroy everything. The 3 factions must put aside past differences and rally together to defeat the bad guys and destroy their leader. Sorry if this seems a bit simpleminded and trite. Writing isn't my thing and PEAI won't be a paperback chick-novel with a feelgood life inspiring storyline that's for sure. :D

Characters:

So far there are 3 (plus of course the 3 unique T3 planars that just happen to have a "name"), but this could change (tho I have now exasperated all unit ID's as well as most flingies. There just isn't much of anything left to mod).

Lourdes:

Yes, the main character is a GIRL! A prostitute at that with NO attack! But things aren't always as they seem. Lourdes is a shapeshifter and can polymorph to a powerful melee fighting Bear.

Lord Erratus:

The ever looming "bad guy" whose eventual confrontation with Lourdes is inevitable.

The All Seeing One:

A powerful Beholder who's job it is to prepare Lourdes for this showdown through various experiments, exercises, and pop quizzes, that will test both your combat skills as well as your IQ. You may just need to grab a pencil, paper, and calculator to complete some of these tests. Or just brave the consequences of a wrong answer. Nothing seems to please the All Seeing One more than being able to administer punishment for a botched quest.

Decisions... (yes, I am aware that option "D" is not present in that picture)

Modding + Mapping = WIN!

I always wanted to build maps and especially Dungeon's and Dragons type maps, but using Starcraft sprites to convey a fantasy world always seemed bizarre to me. I don't care how well triggered maps are, they look rather odd calling a marine a swordsman or an Ultralisk, Diablo. Additionally, modding allows for some fun tricks that trigs alone can't accomplish (see bridge example below). So this is a total new theme and mood for a Starcraft campaign and I'm pretty excited about it.

The bridge pictured above is clearly damaged! Thnx to some simple modding, it can be repaired.
Bridge over troubled water

Wanderers receive much needed support in the form of the Wanderer Chamber!

* Relieves wanderers of sole supply responsibilities by providing militia a whopping 75 supply!
* Auto Spawns 1 wanderer every 90 seconds (1 round) + 1 upon build completion
* Special construction (zerg) in which the boki is sacrificed.
* Wanderers have been reduced to 15 supply (nerfing rushing to 2x15 = 30 supply)
* Wanderer HP + Luck increased to 150 hp 350 luck (remember Luck is something you can increase via Doctrine Salvations)


Turned out pretty cool. The creep will be replaced by flagstone or some other brick-like base.

Ramifications:

The wanderer concept is a love/hate relationship. You love them when they scout the map for you revealing all kinds of goodies as well as spotting enemy Vampires, Widowmakers, and ShadowThieves. You hate them when they get themselves killed, which seems to happen a lot. Constantly having to rebuild your wanderer supply was no fun. Rather than abandon the wanderer, the 75 supply chamber now relieves the wanderer of being the sole military supply provider.

With the reduction of supply per wanderer, rushing has been somewhat nerfed. Rushing referring to the fighter class (Berserker, Worg Rider, and Butcher). Now you will only have access to 30 supply before researching the lvl 1 School of Magic and building a Wanderer Chamber. With fighters costing 6 supply each and Boki taking up a single supply, the combination of workers + fighters for pre Lvl1 Magic is somewhat limited.

The intended goal of this mod has always been to focus on small armies and different tactical moves involving all the units at one's disposal. Nerfing all-out rushing promotes this concept especially the team vs. team games. You won't see 30 Butchers rushing towards your base from an opposing team.

Transcendence... the final chapter!

Redifining the planar boundaries for better or worse, transcendent victories make thier appearance! The concept is very simple, yet the ramifications can be quite complex. Initiating a transcendent victoy may be as straightforward as forcing other players into an all-in offensive, or can be as sly as tricking opposing players to initiate a riskier transcendent path of their own thus leaving them vulnerable to attack. When a player initiates transcendence, the game ends in victory for that team/individual IF they are able to maintain the globe for 8 rounds. The game will end in defeat for the same player/team if the globe is destroyed. Once a player decides to make the bold move towards transcendence, the game is forever locked in this victory condition. There is no turning back and the game must end with someone either maintaining a globe OR the destruction of one.

8/1 - Transcendence Level 1:

Costs 1000 Gold + 1000 Ferillium
Maturity: 8 rounds
Research: 1 round (90s)
Requires: Fascination

6/2 - Transcendence Level 2:

Costs 2000 Gold + 2000 Ferillium
Maturity: 6 rounds
Research: 1.5 rounds (135s)
Requires: Conveyance

4/3 - Transcendence Level 3:

Costs 3000 Gold + 3000 Ferillium
Maturity: 4 rounds
Research 2 rounds (180s)
Requires: Phantasam

Mages get a weapon ... sort of!

One of the things the past demo lacked was that fun "pop" of more ranged units. While mages were always pretty high on the tech tree, and quite powerful as pure magic casters, they were lackluster while their mana restored. With the update, all 3 mages have replaced 2 of their 3 common spells with magical ranged attacks. With the exception of Mirror Image, mages now resemble their much more powerful T3 Planar equivalent. The mage's weapon has a very long cooldown rate.

Magic Missile for the Wizard!

I really went all out and tried to replicate what is without a doubt the most recognizable 1st level spell for all those familiar with the Black Isle RPG series. This spell turned out quite satisfactory and I refuse to upload a video or animated .gif of it in action. You'll just have to play the mod yourself to experience this one.

Color Spray for the Goblin!

Another fantastic spell recreated from the Black Isle Rpg's with a little D2 Paladin twist for those familiar with the character class.

Penance for the Necromancer!

Maybe it's the name or perhaps the symbolism or even the sound effects of this, but this weapon has left a chilling and lasting impression the few times I've encountered it.

2 new units for the Gorgon player

Those familiar with the demo release, may recognize the Claw Viper and Andariel in the Erratum race picture uploaded recently as formerly belonging to the Gorgons. These 2 units felt too "Diabloesque" or demon-like for the Gorgon theme and so they have been replaced by the Worg Rider and the T3 Planar Fire Golem. These units are much more fitting for the Gorgons and could easily be favorites.

The Worg Rider lacks the enrage ability shared by the butcher and berserker, but is an extremely fast unit.
The T3 Planar uses fire elementals for an attack (Carrier interceptors)

Difficulty level choices for AI!

3 Difficulty levels are seen as buttons on the opening DOC Globe allowing users to choose from 3 skill levels without having to exit or change any files (choices 1-3 as seen at the bottom of DOC). For multiplayer games, each player's choice counts as a single vote towards picking an overall AI. The AI with the most votes wins!

Neophyte = Easiest
Adept = Difficult
Xtreme = Insane

The Erratum have awoken!

The new Erratum race has been put together and has turned out better than expected. The new race shares a generic portrait and has limited player response sounds but is "playable" should you use a mental domination spell on any of its units. This race is not a DOC option in normal play, but will be an integral part of the planned campaign as well as eventual UMS scenarios. You can read individual descriptions of the various Erratum units here.

The Erratum's hp in general has been significantly reduced in order to allow for larger AI forces with considerable more punch. Basically you will be facing a computer that is "wounded" and easier to kill, but still punches at full strength and can easily overwhelm and outnumber the player. A small properly managed band of adventurers however should be capable of defeating these larger sized forces.

A few new building sprites added

New civics building graphics added today that mimic the Great Altar's doctrine buttons. Each building has its own unique graphic represented of the corresponding doctrine choice.

Beta v1.1 Demo released!

Yeah! After working on and off for the past 2 years, a limited demo version will be available for those interested. This release is intended to test the basic graphics and general workings of the mod.

Overview:

PEAI is a simple to learn dungeons and dragons mod designed for the casual gamer to jump right in without being overwhelmed by complex tech trees or alienating interfaces. Unique to PEAI, all default spellcasters have been reserved for the cpu. This translates to a tenacious computer with complete access to psi-storm, lockdown, stasis, scanner sweep, plague, spawn broodlings, disruption web, emp, mind control, and all the other nasty spells SCraft can throw at you. As such, PEAI is unlike your typical brute force macro AI. You will be surprised at how effective the computer is with just a handful of units.

Once you master the AI and learn the ropes (won't take long), find a playing partner to experience all the sabotage and counters that only a player vs. player game can provide.

Download:

PEAI.zip
* Beta v1.1
* requires SCraft BWar v1.16.1
* Can be played on current Bnet!
* 3 Difficulty AI levels to choose from.
* English only at this time.

Planar Erratus converted to 1.16.1

Thanks to Mauron and AofSt's helpful tips, I have learned how to search assembly code for offsets and have manually updated the desired exe edits for Firegraft 1.16.1. PEAI will no longer have to deal with pre- 1.15.2 non-cd related issues nor headaches associated with upgrading/downgrading to/from a file unrecognizable by Bnet's auto patcher.

1.16.1 is the current Bnet and thus alleviating the need for the mod to be played on private servers. re-configuring bnet registry files and downgrading really alienates those foreign to the modding experience. Now, its as simple as click and play! Text conversations are also woven into 1.16.1 replays, which is a fun bonus feature.

Planar Erratus web pages emerge!

Lucky you if you have stumbled upon these pages!