modding tricks?

[spoon]

Two questions:

1) Is it possible to make a vehicle type that is required to have x% of a component type other than what is listed in vehicleSize.txt...
-----
Requirement Pct Fighter Bays := 0
Requirement Pct Colony Mods := 0
Requirement Pct Cargo := 0
-----
For example, can you make a Missile Frigate hull size that is required to have 50% capital missile components? (bonus question: How does the game check that there is, for example, x% of Fighter Bays present? Is it a property of Fighter Bays, or is it hardcoded?)

2) Can you make a component that renders a weapon inneffective, like what Master Computers do to Allegence Subverters? For example, could you make a Special Shield component that made Phased Polaron Beams deal no damage to ships when it is present? (Bonus Question #2 - How does the game know to make an allegence subverter not work when a Master Computer is present? Is it a property of the Master Computer, the Subverter, or is it hardcoded?)

Thanks!
-Spoon

[Phoenix-D]

No, and no. The effects in these cases are hard-coded. Anything with the "master computer" (including ship hulls..) will stop an alligance subverter, and anything with the "fighter bay" ability will count towards the # of fighter bays.

Phoenix-D

[Puke]

1: no. unless you tie those listed abilities into other components. like a supply container that has the cargo ability. i dont think that will do what you want, though.

2: thats all hard coded. the only thing you can do is (1) target specific component types, listed at the top of the file. (b) skip normal shields. (iii) skip phased shields. (&) skip all shields. (q) skip armor. by combining these things, you can make some weapons effective in different areas. but to make a drastic change, you will have to rework the weapons damage model.

[spoon]

Originally posted by Puke:
1: no. unless you tie those listed abilities into other components. like a supply container that has the cargo ability.

So if I wanted, I could remove Fighter Bays components from the game, and add this ability to Capital Missiles:
-----
Ability 1 Type := Launch/Recover Fighters
Ability 1 Val 1 := 0
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
-----
and then I could have my missile frigate hull size? Or does that introduce other problems (aside, of course, from only being able to launch fighters from planets...)

but to make a drastic change, you will have to rework the weapons damage model.

Can you explain what you mean by this?

Thanks again,
-Spoon

[Phoenix-D]

"and then I could have my missile frigate hull size? Or does that introduce other problems (aside, of course, from only being able to launch fighters from planets...)"

That would work, yes.

Phoenix-D

[Puke]

sorry about my non-conventional numbering system. what i was sugesting, is that if you get rid of the current shields / phased shields / armor paradigm, and replace it with something else, you might get what you want.

for example, i am toying with a mod that will have lasers and cannons. lasers will be stopped by a certain protective component, and cannons wont. so i will make the protective component into a shield, and make cannons skip all shields. this introduces problems with boarding parties though, so you will get into all sorts of trouble doing things this way.

and as Phoenix-D says, yep, that will work.