A question about setting up designs. DevNullMod.

[Arc.Smiloid]

This isn't specifically a DevNullMod thing, I'm trying to set up the AI_design file.

I'm working on the AI for my custom ship set the Kushan using the DevNullMod. Working on the AI design file I've hit a bit of a snag.

What I want to do is design a missile ship with missiles and anti-fighter missiles for extreme range fighting and a ship that has APBs and PDCs for moderate-range combat.

The problem I've hit is that PDCs and Anti-fighter missiles are in the same weapon family and I distinctly want each of my ships to use the assigned PD weaponry. Is there any way I can accomplish this without screwing around too much with the Mod data files?

Plus, there are the Mini-PDCs that I want to avoid using that are in the same family. (Like PDCs but smaller, less ranged, and with better damage/tonnage ratio)

The DevNullMod gives PDCs minesweeping ability but takes away their ability to target fighters. While Anti-Figher Missiles hit fighters, same tonnage as PDCs, fires every other turn at very long range and more damage.

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[This message has been edited by Arc.Smiloid (edited 18 June 2001).]

[nerfman]

Lee while you are at it, I noticed something odd during a solo Devnull Mod game. I have Contra Terr-Whatever-the-Hell engines (level 4) and just discovered fighters, yet I only have ion engines available. Shouldn't I get the fighter-size CT engines w/ the +1 move bonus? Let me know.

[Suicide Junkie]

You need fighter tech level two, probably.

[zen.]

Yup, it all depends on how developed your fighter technology is. I have quantum engines right now and only had the most basic fighter engines for the longes time. The Tech Tree considers Fighter Tech to be specialized technology, and must be developed separately.

zen

[Deathstalker]

Arc. You need those weapons (the pdc wpns) to each have a different weapon family number. currently they all are in family number 6, (along with reactive armour I to III), just create a new family # for each weapon and put them in there. Currently the wpn family goes to 118. So if you give them #'s 119+ it 'should' work. Then you can use them in designs.

If this doesn't work then you have to add them to design by 'abilities', ie, point defense is added to ships by the 'point-defense' ability, mine sweeping by 'mine sweeping' and solar sails by 'Extra Movement Generation'. So a different 'ability' needs to be added (maybe point-defense1, point-defense2, etc), then you can add these in the 'misc' abilities lines. This should work (now that I think about it, this should work better than my above suggestion, I tried having pdc as a secondary weapon once, there were no extra pdc added vs a normal ship, so try this.)

If this does not work then I am smoking something and do not know what I am talking about. Try Dev, he might know. Currently I'm just pi**ing into the wind

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"The Empress took your name away," said Chance.
Owen smiled coldly. "It wasn't hers to take. I'm a Deathstalker until I die. And we never forget a slight or an enemy." -Owen Deathstalker.

[Jubala]

Uhm, you can't add abilities. They're all hard coded in the game engine and listed in abilities.txt. The game doesn't use abilities.txt, it's just there for us modders to know what abilities we can play with.

[zen.]

Really. I didn't know that. I'm currently trying to set up a 'Starfleet Academy' of sorts. It's basically a starbase-based lower-powered Version of the ship and fleet training facilities. Can only fit in a Starbase, and doesn't provide the amount of experience that the planetary facilities do.

This goes against my usual idea of only incorporating things the AI can use too, but it's nice for multiplayer and is definitely a limited resource. It's not a transphasic torpedo, in other words.

zen

[Suicide Junkie]

An interesting twist on the training facilities is to set them up like this:

TF1:
3% per turn, max of 6% training
TF2:
2% per turn, max of 12% training
TF3:
1% per turn, max of 20% training

So, for fastest training, you need to build three different facilities, and your ships have to go through 2 turns of basic training, then graduate to the intermediate for 3 turns, and finally do almost a year of the advanced courses.

[zen.]

Heh heh...actually, my Academy will be something like that. I think I capped the levels at 5%, 10%, and 15% so that they can't compete with their more expansive planet-bound cousins.

Imagine the rivalry between Earth-trained and station-trained crews.

zen

[Devnullicus]

The reason those are in the same weapon family is mainly for AI ship design. If they are in different weapon families then AI ship design has fewer choices about PD weapons to choose from.


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