Using Abilities in VehicleSize.txt Almost a poll

[leo1434]

This one is a request for everyone:

Which are the most interesting abilities that have any effect and can be used when modding the VehicleSize.txt file?

That is, not counting the most common ones, as "Combat to hit - Minus" and the similar, also resources productions is commonly seen in this file.

What was your most "inspired" use of abilities for a hull size? Drop your ideas, please!

[Captain Kwok]

A list of valid abilities that can be used in the VehicleSize.txt can be found in chapter 16 of the modding tutorial:
http://se4modding.spaceempires.net/ModdingTutorial.html

I've used some of the vehicle launch abilities on hulls or movement bonuses, but there a lot of other abilities that can be used to do some wierd stuff - check the ability list from the tutorial site above to get more ideas.

[Suicide Junkie]

There are very few abilities that I would put on a hull.
Almost everything should be damagable, and that can't happen on the hull.

In my Chess scenario, I used a big maintenance reduction ability on the "King" ships, so that they could support the rest of the army, but if they died, then the rest of the army would die too.

[PvK]

SJ's maintenance reduction system, which I borrowed for Proportions Mod, is my one of my favorite clever uses of that file, since it makes the maintenance reduction scale make much more sense than it does in the stock data files.

Also, changes to achieve quasi-newtonian propulsion.

PvK

[Colonel]

When I was playing around with that file I used it to add cargo space and fighter launching. But I found it more useful to just set the tonnage of a fighter bay to 0 or 1 so it could be damaged but still be on every ship.

[Captain Kwok]

I agree with the general idea that hulls shouldn't be given some abilities because they can't be destroyed, but I did give carriers in my Space Food Empires mod the launching capability to encourage there use as carriers over other ship types.

[Baron Munchausen]

I think that 'organic' ship hulls should have regen of some sort built in, but this is not easily doable in SE IV because of restrictions on the way armor regeneration and repair work. Armor regen only works on components of the same family, and repair works on all ships in the same sector, not just the ship with the ability. We'd need a special 'self-repair' ability to implement organic ship regeneration properly.

[Captain Kwok]

Are you sure that armor regeneration only works on components of the same family? I was under the impression that it would work with any component that had the ability and at least 1 regeneration point...