Abilities for objects in SE5!

[jimbob]

Andres said:

I want to define how they skip or affect shields or armor, what components it can hit ect

Exactly! It would be great to be able to list all the component families that the weapon can damage. Maybe have component family numbers like "C116, C1009, C12045, etc" and facility family numbers like "F112, F1290, etc" and then you can define all the family types that the weapon can hit (just list em off, both components and facilities).

Definitely need to have components with multiple weapons' effects.

Spoon said:

Percent Required Tags.

And you could have a "percent required tag" on a ship, and then on the next line the modder could list all the families that would fulfill the tag.

[ October 24, 2003, 00:24: Message edited by: jimbob ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

and list the ones it can't hit, in case that is smaller.

[tesco samoa]

i like cheeze 's % cloak.

I would also like all objects to be able to use all abilities ( with in reason ). That way as a map maker i can make some really really cool maps. and have some interesting planets and warp points

The idea of dependencies would be quite neat if it became an actual field

Dependency= 0 ( for no dependenices )
Dependency1 = 21 ( name of other family member that is needed to use this device )

or some thing like that. That would be really really cool and easy to track if it was easy like that.

You could also use these on the vechile.txt file ( using se4 to talk se 5 )

And I for one would like to be able to set objects for when they will be availbe for use.

Ie. This warp point will not turn up until turn 20.

This planet will explode on turn 55

This first generation engine will only work for 25 turns then it cannot be repaired.

This Plasma missle will only work for 1 battle.

And another cool idea would be not just the repair ablility. But one where you have to replace the parts. So you must go to a special space base or planet yards to get them replaced.

And yes. All objects and abilities should be mod able. Not hard coded.

And part of the SE5 game should be a good interface for moding. ( Aaron should talk to David G and Sj on this )

And perhaps in the game generation a nice big screen where you can quickly click what abilities and objects you want in a game. ( turn them off either via family or individual object ) And be able to quickly adjust their value for the game. ( this stuff could be hard coded in the game as you would not need to create a mod as it would be game vars ) So in a game I could go hey I want to increase just the cost of engines and weapons to research nothing else so i go and do it. And I want to remove the DUC so I do it. And I want to decrease the damage a PPB does so I do it. THen I accept these changes as part of the game set up. Now that would be cool

[narf poit chez BOOM]

cheese hasn't posted here. that was me.

yes, there's someone named cheese on the forums. no, he isn't me.

[atari_eric]

Originally posted by DavidG:
Destroyed on Use for Warp points. ie once you go through the warp point dissapears. Great for modding FTL type movement.

For that matter, components that get destroyed when the ship goes through a warp point. I can't think of a reason for it myself, but I'm sure some modder will...

Remember, when in doubt, stick it in - let the modders' sort it out.

[atari_eric]

Originally posted by jimbob:
Andres said:

quote:

---

I want to define how they skip or affect shields or armor, what components it can hit ect

Exactly! It would be great to be able to list all the component families that the weapon can damage. Maybe have component family numbers like "C116, C1009, C12045, etc" and facility family numbers like "F112, F1290, etc" and then you can define all the family types that the weapon can hit (just list em off, both components and facilities).

Definitely need to have components with multiple weapons' effects.

Spoon said:

Percent Required Tags.

And you could have a "percent required tag" on a ship, and then on the next line the modder could list all the families that would fulfill the tag.

---

Hmm, what about components that can only be repaired by certain repair bays/facilities? Can't get that super-dohickey fixed just anywhere - you gotta take it to a specialist...

[jimbob]

The ability to make tradeable components!! Then instead of buying the whole ship, you can just sell (or buy) individual components and plop 'em onto your ready built ship.

A mount that makes an object self-destruct. So when the enemy tries to analize your ship, that particular object destroys itself (but not the ship) = non-analizable components. Maybe even the object self-destructs if the ship is boarded?

Derelicts that can be taken over by the first player to attack it with boarding parties. The player can then scrap/use/analize the ship gained... would be particularily interesting if there were colonists on board in "suspended animation"!!

[Deathstalker]

Don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but fully moddable Wormhole abilities. (example, specific ship sizes to enter, timed opening and closing {opens every X turns etc), one-way, multiple damage types, random exit, slowly closes so that ships must be smaller and smaller to enter, and most interesting: Mass dependent, ie, max tonnage of ships combined to go thru in one turn, or it 'shorts out' for few turns.)

[narf poit chez BOOM]

random extrance - combine with random exit for wandering wormholes.

[spoon]

Here are some ideas from a brainstorm - the good with the bad:

First, for clarity, here are the definitions:
Attributes are things you'll find in the components.txt files, such as "Family" or "Weapon Reload Rate".
Abilities are the things you'll find in abilities.txt such as "Cloak Level" or "Movement Bonus".
Examples aren't necesarily something I'd like to see in the game, and are just there to help clarify.

Stackable - Unit Attribute - Value that states how many of a particular unit can be in a stack. "0" would be no limit (or rather whatever the game max is...). Mostly applies to sats, fighters, and drones. And giant robots.

Mutually Exclusive - Component Attribute - Component A can't be put on a ship that has a component from Family x. For example, you can't use Turbo-Atheism Cannons if you have the Religious Talisman.

Create Storm - Component Ability - It would be nice if you could specify which type of storm you want to make - either by which component you build, or by being given a menu when you use it.

Shield Projector - Component Ability - A component that provides shields for all friendly ships in its sector.

Cloaking Field - Component Ability - A component that cloaks all friendly ships in a sector

Dimensional Shifter - Component Ability - can "shift" to a different dimension, so the ship can't attack or be attacked. Works like cloaking in that it can be turned on and off. Can be thwarted by other ships that have Dimensional Shifting components, by something that prevents Dimensional Shifting in a system (or sector), or by weapons that can specifically damage "shifted" ships.

Drain Supplies - Component Ability - Either a weapon that drains supplies, or damages shields only and drains supplies, and/or a component that drains the supplies of all enemy ships in the sector.

Transfer Supplies - Component Ability - Same as Drain Supplies above, but transfers the amount drained to it's own supply total.

Image Projector - Component Ability - When in combat, projects an image of itself, which dissipates when fired on. The image itself does not attack.

Disable Ship - Component Ability - An attack that completely disables a ship for a short period of time.

Variable Damage to Armor - Damage Type - same as what we have with shields... half damage to armor, double damage to armor, etc

Piercing Damage - Damage Type - damage that pierces armor and/or shields. For example, shield piercing armor would deal x% of its damage to shields, and the rest to armor/internals. Armor Piercing would deal x% to armor and the rest to internals.

Reflective shields - Component Ability - shields that have a % chance to reflect any energy attack for no damage. Maybe a small chance to reflect the attack back on the shooter.

Tracking sensors - Component Ability - a ship's Offense (chance to hit) goes up by x% per combat round.

Reduce Range - Damage Type - an attack that reduces the range of the targeted ship's weapons.

Warp Capable - Hull Attribute - a boolean that states whether a ship may use warpoints or not. I suppose it could work as a component attribute as well.

The following are an alternate idea for how warp points might work. I actually like the instaneous travel time that is in the current game, but these changes might be neat to find in a mod...

Warp Time Calculation - Game Setting - A way to mark Warp Points so they are not necessarily instantaneous... Some values this setting could use are:
- Instant (like what we have now)
- Distance (time it takes to get through a warp point is determined by the distance to the exit. There could be a corresponding Distance Multiplier value so this can be tweaked in mods.)
- Assigned (Each warp-point has a (usually ) randomly given value that determines how long it takes. see Warp Time below.
- Random (it's random)

Warp Time - Stellar Ability - the amount of time it takes a ship going through this warp point to reach the other side. The value would be the amount of extra turns it takes - default would be 0.

Warp Speed - Component Ability - If you are using non-instant warp times, this value would state how many turns you cut the warp-time by. For example, a Warp Engine with Warp Speed of 2 would cut travel time through a warp-point by two turns.