Fun with armor!

[Devnullicus]

I decided to try a little experiment with a new armor type and I was shocked when this actually worked exactly as I intended it to. How ... unusual.

Code:

---

Name                                            := Neutronium Armor

Description                                     := Super dense armor that absorbs massive damage, but slows a ship down.

Picture Number                                  := 280

Maximum Level                                   := 11

Tonnage Space Taken Formula                     := 20 - trunc( [%Level%] / 2 )

Tonnage Structure Formula                       := 1000 + ( ( [%Level%] - 1 ) * 50 )

Cost Minerals Formula                           := 500 + ( ( [%Level%] - 1 ) * 10 )

Cost Organics Formula                           := 100 + ( ( [%Level%] - 1 ) * 5 )

Cost Radioactives Formula                       := 500 + ( ( [%Level%] - 1 ) * 10 )

Supply Amount Used Formula                      := 0

Ordnance Amount Used Formula                    := 0

Can Be Placed On Vehicle Types                  := Ship

Can Be Placed In Ship Sections                  := Armor

Component Type List                             := Technological

General Group                                   := Armor

Custom Group                                    := 0

Number Of Requirements                          := 3

Requirements Evaluation Availability            := 1, 3

Requirements Evaluation Allows Placement        := 2

Requirements Evaluation Allows Usage            := TRUE

Requirement 1 Description                       := Empire must have at least tech level 10 in Armor.

Requirement 1 Formula                           := Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Armor") >= (10 + ([%Level%] - 1))

Requirement 2 Description                       := This vehicle can only have half as many neutronium armor components as it has engines

Requirement 2 Formula                           := ( Get_Design_Specific_Component_Count("Neutronium Armor") * 2 ) < ( Get_Design_Ability_Component_Count("Movement Standard") - Get_Design_Specific_Component_Count("Neutronium Armor")  )

Requirement 3 Description                       := Empire must have at least tech level 10 in Stellar Manipulation.

Requirement 3 Formula                           := Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Stellar Manipulation") >= (10 + ([%Level%] - 1))

Number Of Abilities                             := 2

Ability 1 Type                                  := Component - Is Armor Type

Ability 1 Description                           := Armor protects the ship from damage.

Ability 1 Scope                                 := Space Object

Ability 1 Range Formula                         := 0

Ability 1 Amount 1 Formula                      := "Normal Armor"

Ability 1 Amount 2 Formula                      := 0

Ability 2 Type                                  := Movement Standard

Ability 2 Description                           := The massive density and weight of this armor reduces the movement of the ship

Ability 2 Scope                                 := Space Object

Ability 2 Range Formula                         := 0

Ability 2 Amount 1 Formula                      := -5

Ability 2 Amount 2 Formula                      := 0

Weapon Type                                     := None

---

[Q]

Did you try this in a ship with no engines or a ship whose engines were destroyed?
I tried something similar in SE IV, but there the game crashed when the total movement got negative.

[Fyron]

Did you try that in the latest versions? Less than 0 movement was a problem in SE4 pre-1.60, but it was fixed in Gold.

SE5 doesn't tend to have any problems with negative values; better edge condition testing seems incorporated everywhere than SE4 started out with.

[Phoenix-D]

As of the last time I tried it (~1.30?), any ship that gets negative movement becomes extremely quick instead.

That is, the movement value wraps from 0 to the highest possible positive movement value.

[Captain Kwok]

Brad over at SE5.com made a mini-mod for Balance Mod that had weighted armor.

Link:
http://www.spaceempires5.com/en-US/node/4061

[Devnullicus]

The way that formula works, you can't get negative movement. Each engine has 5 move points and each piece of that armor added subtracts 5. The placement requirement limits you to 1/2 as many armor components (rounded down) as you have engines.

I suppose if someone did damage that skipped armor and destroyed your engines, it could have problems, though. I'll have to test that.

However, I did test that with a ship with no engines (wouldn't allow placement), a ship with partial engines and full engines. In each case, it would allow up to half as many armor pieces as you had engines and then it wouldn't allow more placed armor.

[Q]

Fyron I am not sure which was the version of SE IV that had problems with negative movement. It is good to hear that this was fixed in the final version and then probably it is no problem in SE V.