Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

You could make the components harder to use, by toying with supplies in particular. Ditch the Resupply Depots and similar stuff, and make the Warp Opener use up all the supplies on board the vessel. Engine drain will remove a few of these supplies, making the Warp Opener impossible to use.

The other players will be able to power up the device again by resupplying it with the standard means.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

Excellent point Alneyan.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

Actually, regular players wouldn't be able to charge it up enough...

They would need to be able to build a single ship with more supply storage than the component requires per shot.

A flock of smaller supply ships won't work, since supplies are shared such that all ships get the same amount.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

They would. Resupply Depots are infinite, and aren't exactly high tech; Quantum Reactors would work for more flexibility.

All you need to do is make the engines use *some* supplies; 1 point per engine is all it takes. Solar Collectors would be enough to correct a low supply expense.

That, and the Warp Opener does not need to use many supplies, but merely all the supplies on board the vessel (which can be any amount, depending on how the vessel is designed). 3,000 could be powered up by a lone supply cargo with 6,000 or more.

I would recommend using a special tech trait for the Ancients that includes *all* their components, so as to make the computation easier... That, and Ion Engine I on Ancient ships would look odd. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

If all their components are based on racial techs, then nothing would be repairable by normal races. Which makes sense in this case, I just wanted to point that out. If the component is destroyed on use, it will only be useable once, ever.

Also you might want to keep them from using self destruct devices on all their ships, maybe by removing their reaserch ability with a trait.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

OMG!!!! That's right!!!! =)

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

The problem with the supply restricting the use of the device is that the normal AIs won't be able to use them either.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

The suggestion earlier involved deleting resupply depots and quantum reactors.
So no, they wouldn't.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

I'm keeping resupply depots and dumping quantum reactors.

I don't think the supply thing will be an issue, since each device will only ever be used once. I can have it need 500 supplies, put it on a ship with only 500 supplies. Then the second the ship is moved it can't use the component.

Problem is that once in the hands of the AIs I want to have them use it... they'd have to fleet the gate with another vessel to make use of it.

Anyhow know what AI logic is built into the use Warp Point openers? To me it always seemed random.

Re: Is this possible in a mod?
 

I think there was 2 different ways of making them. One was to make the component use alot of supplies and the AI would use them and open WP's, with the chance of them being taken by other players for use. The other is for them to use all the ships supplies but at a reasonable amount, so players could recharge them with solar panels when they took them, but restricting the AI in resupply so they would just build them and not use them. Kind of like a relic ship.