19 User Interface Problems

[DirectorTsaarx]

quote:

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Originally posted by AlphaKodiak:
A minor point, since I agree with the rest of your post, but Acid Globules and Enveloping Acid Globules are both Weapon Family 29, and Plasma Charges and Hyper Plasma Bolts are both Weapon Family 26 in the standard components.txt file.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jubala:
Eh, no, they are not. I just checked to make sure. Acid Globules are in family 2033, Enveloping Acid Globules are in family 2034, Plasma Charge are in family 2028 and Hyper-Plasma Bolt are in family 2029.

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Well, you're both right; remember that weapons have TWO family designations. A component family and a weapon family. I think the component family determines whether a component is upgraded when the "Upgrade" button on the ship design screen is used. I think the weapon family is used in the AI design files to determine if a particular weapon is used on a given ship design.

In other words, the acid globule and enveloping acid globule are in the same weapon family, and therefore the AI can use the same design entry to design ships with either weapon; but they're in different component families, so a human player can't just "Upgrade" a design with acid globules and get enveloping acid globules.