Re: Modding SEV Thread Questions
 

No it’s my fault, allow me to explain where it started and it will become clear.

SE4 may have used CX; however I made the StarFire mod and started playing it exclusively. In StarFire the CX becomes the CV and the Light Cruiser the CL. When I read the title I figured the LC was a simple type-o; a letter reversal either not noticed by you or noticed and discarded as being to minor to warrant correction. A simple mistake compounded by me working on a StarFire Mod for SE5; which happens (as Kana pointed out already) to be the current source of all my annoying questions.

Case statements
 

About the case statement of the form:

case my_var
1:
2:
call Task_One
3:
call Task_Two
endcase

1). if my_var = 1, does it call Task_One?
----- Invalid (empty) case statement; won't compile
2). if my_var = 2, does it also call Task_Two?
----- No.
3). if my_var = 0, does it skip both tasks?
----- Yes.

Plague extension
 

I was thinking it would be nice to extend the current plague system, maybe as follow:

1] Be able to use a formula for the amount of damage each turn, depending on the turn number (could make damage go down, like plague becoming less active, or up exponentially to force a quick resolve and simulate pandemia).

2] To be able to use amount2 as a "plague type". In that case a plague prevention component/factory could only cure the corresponding "plague type" (or several if several such abilities modded in the facility).
This way we could create plague used as virus, destroying only master computers, or facilities and so on.

Re: Plague extension
 

Well if the plague entry has a formula line then you can make some kind of formula. Any line in the data files, that has the word 'formula' in it, can have a formula.

Re: Plague extension
 

But do you know the variable (like %range%) corresponding to the number of turns ?

Re: Plague extension
 

This line comes from the components text but where is “Beam 10”? In the effects folder I see Beams_01 to 07 and there appears to be 4 beams per bit map. What if I want to change a weapon to another display beam type? I hope the modding gets easier as the game is developed more, or at least a really good guide is created!

Anti-Proton Beam
Weapon Space Display Effect Name = Beam 10

Re: Plague extension
 

That's specified in BitmapEffects_SpaceCombat.txt.

Re: Plague extension
 

You see now I was thinking that, hence the reference to 4 per bit map. I just didn’t want to say it and sound nuts. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: Plague extension
 

Just think of it as a wealth of modding possiblities...

Re: Plague extension
 

Would someone know about the functions that can be used in facility requirement ?
I would like to create requirement such like :
Planet already has one facility with ability X
Sum of amount1 of ability Y on Planet <= Y

Would you know such functions (like I know already for component) ?

(My SEV boxed copy arriving beginning of next week http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif)

Re: Plague extension
 

I’m a little confused here, I see this descriptor however how does SE5 know to only place one per ship?

Ability 3 Type := Description Only
Ability 3 Description := Only 1 Survey Instruments per vehicle effective.
Ability 3 Scope := Space Object
Ability 3 Range Formula := 0
Ability 3 Amount 1 Formula:= 0
Ability 3 Amount 2 Formula:= 0

Is there another entry that controls this, there must be but what is it? What is the limit for how many I can place; as in SE4 where I could place up to 10 per?

Re: Plague extension
 

That is not any sort of restriction, it is just a tag to inform the player that the other abilities of the component do not stack. The AI is generally set up to only add one such component per ship, since extras are redundant.

Adding a max per ship can be done via the vehicle hulls, as in that LCX thread, or you could probably work something into the placement requirements of the component.

Re: Plague extension
 

Ya the “Description Only” thing was kind of a dead give away. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

What I was asking is where is the control for this? What line?

Re: Plague extension
 

You can control how many are placed by the player by using restrictions. Controlling how many the AI places requires messing with the AI scripts, which I haven't done much of yet.

(and if you think components.txt is weird, the AI scripts are going to make your head explode).

If you mean the controller for how many actually work, that's defined by the ability itself IIRC.

Re: Plague extension
 

I’m looking to control how many the player can put in. For example in SE4 if I wanted to keep the player from using more than four I would add the restriction “Four Per Vehicle”. In SE5 I am not seeing this except I have noticed that when the description says “Only 1 _blank_ per vehicle effective” another ability will have a number “2” in the Amount 2 Formula line. I will check to see if they are connected.

If it is controlled by hard coding now why did Aaron remove it? More importantly can he add it back in?

OMG I haven't even thought about the AI. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/Sick.gif

Re: Plague extension
 

You control the number per vehicle with requirements. Just look at the engine limits in VehicleSize.text and apply that to the actual components.

Re: Plague extension
 

Nope that’s not it; suppose it’s time to write Aaron and ask him? Thoughts?
Ops, need to READ before I write. My bad Phoenix-D

Re: Plague extension
 

Try again:
Requirement 5 Description := This vehicle can only have a maximum of 12 movement.
Requirement 5 Formula := Get_Design_Ability_Component_Count("Movement Standard") <= 12

"Movement Standard" is the ability used in the component in question. If your component doesn't use an ability, just give it a useless ability or an AI-Tag and refer to that, instead.

Re: Plague extension
 

I see what you are saying. So if I want to keep a player from putting more than one Burger King on a battleship I would have to include the restriction in the battleship section of the vehiclesize.txt. Wow, now that’s nifty and has lots of potential!

Edited I posted before I read your answer then took off to teach consonant diagraphs. Then came back read your first reply and wrote this one.

Re: Plague extension
 

If you want to do it just for the battleship, yes. You can do it for all ships by putting the requirement on the component itself, I think.

Re: Plague extension
 

It's important to note that the amounts of Engines/LS/CQ that the AI will add to a vehicle size is "hard-coded" and they will continue to follow them regardless of how you change the data file. You'll need to edit Script_AI_GlobalSettings.txt file to correct for this and recompile all the AIs.

Re: Plague extension
 

I see my answer was missed earlier:

Re: Plague extension
 

No I was just using the battleship as an example; I thought the “Burger King” gave it away (he-he). My dry humor doesn’t work in written word either I see! At least I’m consistent.

The good news is that Fyron’s AI Tag (his example) works as will any actual ability. For example I used sight range and it worked.

The bad news is the ability will not work in the components; it will only work in the vehicles.

On a last note, I have no idea why I want to stick an “a” in digraph. At this point it has become the joke of the class.

Re: Plague extension
 

Would this be a legal statement and a self terminating seeker at range 40?

Weapon Seeker Tonnage Structure Formula := 10 - iif ([%Range%] >= 40, 0)

Re: Plague extension
 

No, but that's because your iif only has two parts.
iff( <condition>, <do-if-true>, <do-if-false> )

In addition, subtracting zero from 10 equals 10.
There is also the question of what range means to a seeker in flight.

Re: Plague extension
 

Perhaps because you are thinking of "diagram"?

Re: Plague extension
 

I keep getting the error: Could not parse formula.

So I will have make a note of how they work, I have a feeling there will be plenty of other errors when I do a first test run. Hard way to learn but I will learn. I don’t have the slightest notion how it would treat range, I needed a way to make the seeker either inflict no damage or what I am truly trying for is to “self destruct” itself (so-to-speak) at a certain cutoff range. How about:

iif ([%Range%] <= 40, 10, 0)

I draw diagrams for some of the more complex digraphs so that could be it. Or maybe because it makes the kids laugh and that has reinforced it to the point of habit. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Edit:
Need to correct myself: I already have the seekers doing no damage past a certain range, well I am fairly confident that is what I did.

Re: Plague extension
 

The syntax for the forumlas has to be fairly exact.

DON'T put that space between the iif and the (, for example. Just plain iff(

Re: Plague extension
 

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen the seeker self-destructed at a range of 40! The weapon flew at the other ship and at the correct range there was an explosion and the seeker disappeared even though it was nowhere close to the other ship!

Formula used: iif([%Range%] <= 40, 10, 0)

Re: Plague extension
 

What's the range of the missile tho? They do naturally fizzle when their damage at range hits zero.

Re: Plague extension
 

That's very cool!

Re: Plague extension
 

The test range was 40 whatever unit of measurement. I was looking for the explosion. I know your probably thinking what a pointless discovery. It’s just my personal taste; something about the explosion that makes me say ahhh. Hmm, honestly this has no practical application other than to say the seeker structure can be based off range. Hay, what about a weapon that grows in power up till a certain range then decreases again? That wouldn’t be useful to me but maybe someone else could use it? Now that I think about it you could do that in the damage formula anyway. Ok so I just like the flipping explosion! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif

Re: Plague extension
 

Missiles explode when they hit max range regardless.

Re: Plague extension
 

Really? In the stock game I didn’t see an explosion, they just fizzled or maybe disappeared is a better descriptor.

Edited in: We are both talking about seekers? These seekers (in my rather pointless experiment) whose max damage and range had not been reached exploded when their structure reached zero which had no effect on the amount of damage they inflicted.

As I said it was a rather pointless attempt to test a thought I had.

Seekers
 

I was hoping that the structure could use outside data...Now I will be able to make a formula for the damage/structure of a SFB plasma torpedo, that will fizzle with range, do less damage, and hopefully take damage that will reduce the amount it does when it hits the target...

I'm sure that will be either one complex formula, or a combination of formula between range, damage, and structure.

Combat
 

So what are the units of measurement in Combat? The Light-Second (LS) for range, and KM/Second (KM/S) for the movement speed of the craft, correct?

Well a LS, is like 300,000 KM, that is a really long range. I dont take it there is any way to change any of the units in the game?

For SFB, that is like range 30, max range for most photons, and disruptors.

For Starfire, that is only range 2. Lucky PES...

I know it doesnt really matter what its called range 30 is range 30. Yet in some ways it would be nice to be able to compare directly between the resource material, and Space Empires.

Re: Combat
 

Check out MainStrings.txt.

Re: Combat
 

I don't even recall where it displays LS as the units of range, but I've switched things like mount range descriptions to Km myself and will probably do so to the different mainstrings.txt references to LS.

Re: Combat
 

Well when you find it share, the only thing I found was an LS reference to ground combat which really doesnt make much sense...

Re: Plague extension
 

Where are the Description_X files such as "description_abilities.txt"? They were not included in the demo, and I couldn't find them in the full game either.

Re: Plague extension
 

Aaron took them out, pending rewriting them to be up to date and more complete.

Re: Plague extension
 

OK, thanks, Fyron. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: Plague extension
 

Do you think it possible to have an incomplete version ? Would it be ok to post only the description files, although incomplete, so that we could start real modding (I still need functions for facility requirement) ?

Using a mount to change a weapon\'s firing rate?
 

I'm trying to create a weapon mount that increases the damage but slows down the reload rate. Is it possible to make a mount that changes the firing rate of a weapon?

Is there an ability like "Component - Weapon Reload Rate Percent" that we can use?

Re: Using a mount to change a weapon\'s firing rate?
 

Well each weapon has this...

Weapon Reload Rate MS Formula

Which means you can use some kind of formula here.

Didnt see anything having to do with component-XXXXX. As it is I would say no.

Re: Using a mount to change a weapon\'s firing rate
 

Does the Min and Max damage modifier formula have to be populated? For example can I enter a zero (0) there and use the Min and Max Damage at Range for my weapons with fixed damage [at all ranges] amounts?

Re: Plague extension
 

Do you think it possible to have an incomplete version ?

No. As I said, they are also out of date. Some information in them is not correct any more. It was a year ago, but things have changed since then. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Does the Min and Max damage modifier formula have to be populated?

Yes, they must have data. If you put a 0 for min, damage will range between 0 and max. If you put a 0 for max, who knows what will happen. To get a fixed damage amount, just put the same formula for each.

Re: Plague extension
 

I was looking over the components and noticed there was one for negating damage from energy weapons. So this isn’t anything new but it did give me a new thought. What would happen if you had a device that negated the damage from a tractor beam? Would this also negate the effects of the tractor (pulls target) or would it just negate the damage and still pull the target? Has anyone tried this before? Is there a way to build a component that negates the pulls target ability?

Shield Mounts?
 

I am trying to create a shield mount, but I cant figure out how to modify the shield output. I could do it in SEIV, is it possible in V? What abilities can be modified with mounts other than those used in the stock files?

Modding Process
 

A general question...

When you make a mod, what process to you follow?
How much pre planning do you do? What do you do?
Which data file do you start with first? Second?
Do you start from scratch, or do you just type over other entries?