SE4 modding an Admiral/Hero Command Unit:: How to?

[Dizzy]

I want to add some RP to my game using personalities as command units to improve a fleet. So what kinds of possibilities have been done before to get personalities/Heros to work in game?? Also, it has to work for the AI as well.

My goal would be to introduce a component that would take into account the leader/heroes abilities which could vary or be unique in nature.

Perhaps even tie the component to planet based facility universities to train them or something.

I know there are components that improve a ships abilities based on the highest experience level of a ship in a fleet, so components based off this approach may work, but I know there are others.

The trick would be to get the AI to use them, but not on every ship... What can be done, what ideas are there out there for this kinda thing?

[Suicide Junkie]

Well, at best you will get the AI to randomly use them.
Requiring AI compatibility kills a lot of good ideas.

The Neural Combat Net does the best experience thing, but if you can train one ship up, you can train them all.

Now, you could simply make the NCN smaller and easier to use... combine that with reduced training rates & maximums.
Given those changes, you will end up with combat veterans being spread out to "command" their own fleets. Of course, only humans can do that.

Another good way is to have oversized command ship hulls. This would be something extra large so it carries lots of cool stuff, but by using mounts and hull-based maintenance reduction, you can make it take a long time to build (but still be reasonably cheap to maintain)
You end up with a few big powerful superships, and lots of cheap cannon fodder to protect them.

Some mods also go with special bridge components, which will increase or decrease maintenance costs while providing combat bonuses or penalties.

[Dizzy]

Hrmmm what about a bridge mount? Or even a bridge component... One that adds abilities to the ship. Someone must have made a mod that has something similar to a neural combat net component but geared more towards the leader/hero bonuses type.

Man, I'd like to know this game better to come up with some slick stuff... I know there are things and features you can give ship hulls, and mounts you can give components, and limitations to each... If I had something to go on as an example of how someone set one up that;d be ideal. Im sure there's a mod that has something like this... Does anyone know of one?

[PvK]

In Proportions Mod, I use organics partly to represent specially trained personnel. Most shipyards have a low organic build rate, so if you want to build elite units, they take longer to build. There are also improved versions of the ship control components to represent extra investment in training and equipment, which is expensive but can push the envelope.

However in general, I tend to think of Fleets as elite commanders, officers, and personnel. The best ones come from actual battle experience, and they can be transferred from ship to ship, can be wiped out but also can survive the loss of a ship, and they cannot just be manufactured, except to the degree they can be trained. So, I just name my fleets things like "Captain Kwok" and so on, and I think that works fairly well.

[Dizzy]

What about a component that will train a ship instead of a facility? That way a ship can be have devoted command and control components and act as a true flagship...? Can that be done?

[Suicide Junkie]

Yes, but the training rate from each ship adds, and it still trains everybody in the sector... and once they are trained they don't need to stay with the training ship.

In one of my mods (P&N for PBW IIRC), I moved training onto components, but had an exponential increase in organics cost, with very high maintenance to prevent abusing them.

[Dizzy]

Thx for the help guys. There are so many cool features and tools to use in such cases, but is there a quick run down on some of the basic ones somewhere, like which components and facilities would be good?

[Atrocities]

I just made them a racial trait and used images from the image pack for them. I gave them a combat bonus along with an AI Tag and added the Tag to each design in the Design file. This worked well.

I also made them into facilities.. Govenor, General, Admiral, etc and gave each of these one of the facility traits like improved system combat, improved training, etc. Of course I removed these traits from use in other components.

You can also set them up as a Bonus used like Bezerker or such. Just add them to the traits and use them like that.