Ashes of Cardassia Mod

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posted on March 31st, 2014, 2:56 am
I have had an idea to make this mod for Fleet Ops for a very long time, however several things kept me from the attempt (mainly my Sigma mod and waiting for Fleet Ops 4.0). With the announcement of NX and the possibility of the next release being quite aways off, I felt like I would start working on this in my free time to feed the hungry waiters until NX's eventual release. So what is this mod?

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Ashes of Cardassia aims to add two races into Fleet Ops, namely the Cardassians (a highly demanded race amongst the community) and the Breen (just a personal favorite I've always wanted fleshed out). Each race will have three Avatars, and the five original Fleet Ops races will each be receiving a third avatar as well and there will be an effort to balance the two new factions against the five existing ones. Ashes of Cardassia will attempt to stick as close to Fleet Ops canon as possible, with changes being made as more information about the Cardassian NPC race and their story in the Fleet Ops campaign surfaces.

This mod will be made for Fleet Ops 3.2.7, and will most likely be ported over to NX when the time comes. Lets explore what I'll be making:

The Cardassians
A very popular and often asked for race to be in Fleet Ops, the Cardassians have been all but devastated since the end of the Dominion War. They lack the resources and infrastructure of the other races and are effectively crippled from expansion. This puts them in the dangerous position of needing aid from other races, lest they face a slow resource starvation. On one side the Federation has attempted to aid in reconstruction efforts, while the Dominion presses for support from loyalists who would not turn near the end of the war. Because of their unique position as a crippled empire the Cardassians are lacking in the larger battleships that the other races can field, instead opting for a larger selection of smaller and cheaper ships. The Cardassians will also have a heavier emphasis on supply rather then Dilithium and Tritanium, and different ways of obtaining the red resource will be looked into.
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Cardassian Avatars
Legate Mayln Ocett
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A distinguished Gul during the Dominion Wars, Ocett was present at the battle of Cardassia and ordered the fleet to turn against Dominion forces after the bombing of Lakarian City. For her efforts to drive the Dominion from their homeworld, Ocett was eventually promoted to the rank of Legate. She has since worked with the Federation in instituting reconstruction efforts, despite her personal bias against Starfleet.

Gives Access to Two new Units:

* Damar Class Destroyer
* Tongo Class Cruiser

Gives Access to the Following Benefits:

* 10% increase in supplies delivered to Reconstruction Center
* Increased Defensive Value for all Ziyakar Yard Vessels
* Increased System Value for Galor and Keldon class vessels by 5
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Legate Aman Evek
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Aman Evek was a Gul prior and during the Dominion wars, notable for his heavy involvement with anti Maquis movements and maintaining order amongst the Demilitarized zone. He was a staunch supporter of the Dominion and it is rumored that he refused to turn against them on the order of Gul Ocett. For his service and accomplishments during the Dominion Wars he was promoted to Legate and now manages various scout fleets in search of unclaimed resources. Legate Evek seeks to mend the link between the Cardassians and Dominion and has secretly been working with them.

Gives Access to Two new Units:

* Mark II Nerok Class Scout
* Netel Class Destroyer

Gives Access to the Following Benefits:

* Increased Offensive Values for Hideki Destroyer and Telok Class Cruiser by 1 and by an addition point for every two ranks.
* 25% sensor radius increase to all ships and stations with cloak detection.
* Reduced Supply Cost for all Ziyakar Yard Vessels
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Judge Makbar
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Judge Makbar served as one of the highest ranking members of the Union's Tribunal. During the Dominion Wars she suffered horrible injuries during the bombing of Lakarian City, wounds she refuses to treat and repair. Since the end of the Dominion Wars she has adopted a strict xenophobic policy and has worked to rid of both Federation and Dominion influence over Cardassia. Though not a true member of the Cardassian military, her power and influence over various Guls and Legates via the Tribunal has put her in the unique position to manipulate and control various fleet operations.

Gives Access to Two new Units:

* Norin Class Light Cruiser
* Zhoden Class Strike Cruiser

Gives Access to the Following Benefits:

* Increased Offensive Values for all Ziyakar Yard Vessels by 2.
* Increased Offensive Value for all Torpedo Armed Vessels by 3.
* Increased Defensive Value for Turret Arrays by 3 and increased Defensive Value for Turret Batteries by 7.
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The Breen
A personal favorite species of mine, the Breen are a very secretive and isolationist empire. This lack of knowledge has often given them the upper hand in many situations, such as a surprise attack against Earth and the complete destruction of Federation fleets at Chintoka. Of the three antagonist powers of the Dominion Wars, the Breen are unique in that they ended up in a superior position unlike the devastated Cardassians and stranded Jem'hadar remnants. Though they still maintain an uneasy alliance with the Dominion, the Breen are planning something big and have been building up a significant presence on the border of Romulan space. The Star Empire monitors their movements carefully, but as will all things Breen what they will do next will likely catch everyone off guard. Breen tactics will tap into their mystique and underhanded nature, with abilities that focus on disrupting map information and otherwise misleading enemy forces.
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Breen Avatars
Thot Seyv
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The highest ranking member of the Breen Confederacy on record, little is known of Thot Seyv other then his name, assuming even that is true. He did not participate directly in the Dominion Wars, rather he lead fleets on the other edge of Breen Space against the Sheliak. Seyv maintains his watch over the unknown side of Breen Space, though his attention may be drawn to Romulan space in the near future.

Gives Access to Two new Units:

* Aidron Fighter Carrier
* Suvart Battleship

Gives Access to the Following Benefits:

* Isolation Node activation rate increased by 50%.
* Increased Offensive Value for all Torpedo Armed Vessels by 2.
* Increased System Value for Thososos Support Ship and Gar Destroyer.
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Thot Pran
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The head commander of the Breen forces during the Dominion War, Thot Pran worked directly with the Founders in their efforts to subjugate the Alpha Quadrant. Though he was forced to sign treaties with the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans, he refuses to acknowledge their validity and continues to move his fleets to the border of Romulan space.

Gives Access to Two new Units:

* Sekron Cruiser
* Val Bombardier

Gives Access to the Following Benefits:

* Increased all attributes of the Chell Gret Warship and the Aywon Battleship by 3.
* Reduced construction costs for Small Tier vessels by 20 percent.
* Increased Offensive Value for all vessels with beam-type weapons by 3.
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Thot Gor
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Thot Gor initially served as a lead general of the Breen during the Dominion Wars until he was demoted and replaced by Pran. Following the Dominion Wars Gor regained his rank but was reassigned to Breen deep space exploration and research. He harbors a grudge against his replacement, whom he believes was responsible for instigating his demotion.

Gives Access to Two new Units:

* Harkon Siege Ship
* Deep Space Fortress

Gives Access to the Following Benefits:

* Equips Chell Gret Warship and the Aywon Battleship with Tetryon Pulse Disruptors.
* Reduced Supply costs for all Small Tier vessels by 30 percent.
* Increased Offensive Value for all vessels with pulse-type weapons by 3.


The Schedule
I'm pretty busy. I'm working on two games right now with the company I work for (Subscience Studios) and the Zelda mod called Hyrule: Total War. Therefore I operate under the Fleet Ops mentality of "It's done when it's done." That being said I am more then willing to accept help from people who want to handle any non modeling work. There are a few on here (you know who you are) who have already approached me in regards to collaborating, so the more there are the merrier. Regardless, I'll attempt to get at least one new unit done a week and make a post about it in this thread.


About my models:
Everyone is free to use any of the models I create for this mod so long as my name is credited. I'm expecting people to not like my Terok style textures for Cardassian ships, so rest assured I'll release a classic yellow texture pack for the mod and other modders:
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posted on March 31st, 2014, 3:27 am
This looks awesome! i can't wait!
posted on March 31st, 2014, 3:45 am
Fantastic! I'm looking forward to it!

I'd offer help, but I unfortunately lack the relevant modding skills....
posted on March 31st, 2014, 7:37 am
For someone very busy your sure can produce a lot in a short amount of time.

A big fan of the Cardassians here so I am looking forward to this.
posted on March 31st, 2014, 7:46 am
Majestic wrote:For someone very busy your sure can produce a lot in a short amount of time.

A big fan of the Cardassians here so I am looking forward to this.


If only I had no job and all the free time in the world, I could probably get a model done every day. :shifty:
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 2:53 am
Last edited by The Undying Nephalim on April 2nd, 2014, 4:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Today I'll put up renders and stats of three units for both the Cardassians and Breen:

Norin Light Cruiser
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The Norin Light Cruiser was introduced into the Cardassian fleet near the end of the Dominion Wars, with only a few seeing active service. Their production has since been stifled, though their cheap construction cost is making them more popular amongst Guls. Judge Makbar has issued Guls under her influence to begin creating these light warships in bulk to defend Cardassia from outside influence.

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Offense 15
Defense 15
System 8
Weapon Range: Medium

Armaments:
1 Spiral Wave Disruptor (Forward Facing)
4 Rapid Spiral Beam Cannons (Forward Facing)

Special Ability:
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Beam Barrage - The Norin focuses all of its power into the Rapid Spiral Beam Cannons, reducing movement speed and Defense by 5 while increasing Offensive Value by 5 for ten seconds.

Tonga Cruiser
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The first Tonga Cruisers date back to the 23rd Century. Until the introduction of the Galor they were the primary warship employed by the Cardassian Union and were slowly cycled out until the outbreak of the Dominion Wars. While few served during the conflict, they were completely discontinued from production by the war's end. Gul Ocett has seen fit to begin building this elder class of Cardassian ship. With a few small additions and mounting a modern Spiral Wave Distuptor on its hull, the modern Tonga packs nearly the same firepower as the Galor while being cheaper to produce.
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Offense 19
Defense 22
System 9
Weapon Range: Medium

Armaments:
1 Spiral Wave Disruptor (Forward Facing)
2 Plasma Warhead Launchers (Forward, 180 degree)

Special Ability:
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Scatter Warheads - The Tonga repurposes its warheads to explode and scatter shortly after launching, hitting up to three additional targets. Warheads do 50% increased damage to small vessels, 25% increased damage to medium, and no additional damage to large.

Galor Cruiser
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The Galor Cruiser has long served as the bulk of the Cardassian fleet since the start of the 24th Century. Once ahead of its time, many of the other Alpha Quadrant races advanced past the Galor's design and rendered it somewhat outdated. The modern Galor has not changed much since its Dominion War iteration, only minor weapon adjustments have been made.
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Offense 20
Defense 25
System 10
Weapon Range: Medium

Armaments:
1 Heavy Spiral Wave Disruptor (Forward Facing)
1 Spiral Wave Disruptor (4 Mounts, Omni)

Special Ability:
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Covering Fire - The Galor fires spiral wave disruptors in rapid succession from all of its weapon mounts. While each shot deals significantly less damage then a normal burst, up to three enemy vessels near the Galor will be forced to target it instead of other Cardassian ships. Lasts six seconds.


Gar Destroyer
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The Gar Destroyer is a swift attack ship deployed by the Breen for raids. Though they did not see much action during the Dominion Wars, an armada of them was sent to participate in a surprise attack against Earth. Lightly armed and armored, the Gar Destroyer is fast and can wear down enemy shields caught in its forward firing arcs.
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Offense 16
Defense 10
System 5
Weapon Range: Short

Armaments:
2 Breen Tetryon Distruptors (Forward Facing)

Special Ability:
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Evasive Action - The Gar Destroyer temporarily increases its speed and adds a 10% miss chance to all weapons fired against it except for beams. Offensive value is reduced by five while the effect lasts. Lasts seven seconds.

Chel Grett Warship
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The most commonly seen ship of the Breen's forces, the Chel Grett Warship is versatile and often deployed in bulk. Slightly larger then the Federation's Defiant but faster, the Chel Grett is an ideal escort ship for larger and slower combat vessels.
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Offense 23
Defense 20
System 10
Weapon Range: Long

Armaments:
4 Breen Disruptors (Forward Facing)
1 Breen Torpedo Launcher (Forward Facing)
1 Breen Cloaking Device

Special Ability:
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Breen Cloak - Hides this unit from the enemy's sensors. Cloaking and decloaking will take 3 seconds. Special weapon energy does not regenerate while cloaked.

Aywon Battleship
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One of the largest Breen ships on record, the Aywon Battleship was introducted just in the final days of the Dominion Wars and saw little to no action on the frontlines. Though not as heavily armed as other contending battleships, the Aywon's speed can top a Sovereign's in battle.
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Offense 42
Defense 44
System 19
Weapon Range: Long

Armaments:
2 Breen Heavy Disruptors (Forward Facing)
3 Breen Torpedo Launchers (Forward, Aft Facing)
1 Dampening Missile (Forward, Aft Facing)

Special Ability:
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Dampening Missile - Disables up to two subsystems of a hostile units for 5 seconds or one subsystem for 10 seconds. Also causes a massive drop in shield energy. Long range.
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 4:01 am
You know, I wasn't sure about the grey-brown hulls at first, but they're really growing on me. Keep up the good work. :thumbsup:
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 7:18 am
Nice work mate, love the thought and detail that has gone into this. I see you went in a different direction with the Tonga than the official design. Is there any reason for that like an upgrade or just purely because you could? :lol:

Nevertheless great work, finally a Trek mod other than my own that I am excited to play. :D
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 9:37 am
this looks nice indeed. interesting ship designs. love the work on the button graphics :)
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 9:54 am
star-trek-deep-space-9-dominion-wars-1.jpg
star-trek-deep-space-9-dominion-wars-1.jpg (147.99 KiB) Viewed 4671 times

(middle: Tonga; Lower-right: Norin)
To be honest, I still prefer the original Norin & Tonga designs by Gizmo games. I even managed to play Dominion Wars on modern spec PC. 8)

See Norin & Tonga in original Dominion Wars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVzqa5XLL5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhTxNCgJKGk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsQmrKs_hFc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S4ea7dKGfM
(Mission 1-3: Norin; Mission 4: Tonga)

The hull plate texture on the mesh look nice, btw. Looking forward to your progress! :thumbsup:
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 12:35 pm
I never liked the sigma thing much because its not startrek but this...this i will love.

You should combine this with tyriptics mod and get everyone playing the cardies once again.
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 2:30 pm
This looks beautiful. I will wait for this mod desperately :thumbsup: with version 4 gone (for now) the modders can restart their cool work! :)
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 7:56 pm
Looking good, although please consider amending part of the Aywon's description from "Though not as heavily armed as other contending battleships" to "More heavily armed than other battleships", as 42/44 is only surpassed by very few ships.
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 8:32 pm
Majestic wrote:Nice work mate, love the thought and detail that has gone into this. I see you went in a different direction with the Tonga than the official design. Is there any reason for that like an upgrade or just purely because you could? :lol


I suppose I wanted a version of the Tonga and Norin that looked like they had been refitted since the Dominion War, sort of like the Excelsior Mark II.
posted on April 2nd, 2014, 8:40 pm
I agree with Cabal. Your color choice for the Cardies is growing on me as well. I get tired of the orangish look of the traditional Cardies and I like how Aad Moerman and Achilles both made their Cardie stuff more of a sand color so they weren't so glaring. Your directions is a bit grittier if you will which I'm starting to like. :)

The mod sounds awesome so far and it will be great to finally see them in FO. Keep up the great work.
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