Modding SEV Thread Questions

[Baron Munchausen]

StarShadow said:
My head hurts...

Here, this will make your head hurt a little more. It is possible to get tech levels from other fields than what the weapon (or other component) itself requires. For example, I like to link seeker structure to Armor tech, and defense modifier to Defense (ECM) tech.

Weapon Seeker Tonnage Structure Formula := 30 + (Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Armor") * 2)
Weapon Seeker Defense Modifier Formula := 30 + (Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Defense Systems") * 2)

A little more tweaking (such as linking damage to warhead tech or linking seeker speed to engine tech, which is tricky with each engine type being a seperate tech now) and you could have missile launchers as a stand-alone tech and missile performance being completely independent of them. In this case, I am tempted to put missile launchers into an industrial tech field because they are a sort of 'automation' technology. Missile launchers could get smaller and/or faster as tech increases, but the actual missiles would be better as soon as your propulsion or armor or ECM tech improved. Mod the ordnance storage out of the launcher and you've got a missile system ready for an "Honor Harrington" mod.

[Phoenix-D]

the tricky part is making this all obvious to the player, and balancing it!

[Captain Kwok]

You can use blank abilities that can utilize formulas in for amount1 and amount2 that can report to the player how much resistance a missile has or how fast it goes etc - or for any description that you want really.

[President_Elect_Shang]

I was looking through the files and there are three things I don’t get.

1. I noticed “Can Use Warp Points”; does that mean you can finally make small crafts that can use warp points?

2. Isn’t there a list of all the abilities that can be used?

3. What are the weapon types and weapon delivery types? Isn’t there a list of them?

[Suicide Junkie]

Weapon types are whatever you decide to write components for.

Delivery types are pretty much seekers (with variable turning rate limits), beams and projectiles. Plus ramming warheads.
Hit/miss for beams/projectiles is decided by ECM/sensors.

Available damage types are whatever you write in the damagetypes.txt file.

[President_Elect_Shang]

I have been looking into this and I think you have it backwards. After looking at each weapon in the components file and reading the manual I see that Weapon Type is one of the four aforementioned types and that Weapon Delivery Type is what you make it.

The manual says there should be various files that are Description_xxx but I don’t see them. Did MM take them all out and if so how can we get them?

[Suicide Junkie]

Oh, I gotcha.
The arbitrary one is just a hook; you can make things (racial traits, talisman-ish components, etc) multiply damage amounts caused by the named weapon delivery type.

For example, in GGmod, I set them all to "generic"
Then for the disposable culture I set +100% damage from "generic" weapons, and for preservationists, -50% to damage from "generic" weapons.

[Kana]

Baron Munchausen said:
Here, this will make your head hurt a little more. It is possible to get tech levels from other fields than what the weapon (or other component) itself requires. For example, I like to link seeker structure to Armor tech, and defense modifier to Defense (ECM) tech.

Weapon Seeker Tonnage Structure Formula := 30 + (Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Armor") * 2)
Weapon Seeker Defense Modifier Formula := 30 + (Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Defense Systems") * 2)

A little more tweaking (such as linking damage to warhead tech or linking seeker speed to engine tech, which is tricky with each engine type being a seperate tech now) and you could have missile launchers as a stand-alone tech and missile performance being completely independent of them. In this case, I am tempted to put missile launchers into an industrial tech field because they are a sort of 'automation' technology. Missile launchers could get smaller and/or faster as tech increases, but the actual missiles would be better as soon as your propulsion or armor or ECM tech improved. Mod the ordnance storage out of the launcher and you've got a missile system ready for an "Honor Harrington" mod.

Absolutely brilliant...mind if I rip it off?

I'm planning on an HH mod, and and SFB mod, and this will help tons...

Also I hope some industrious persons start adding this to the modding section of the wiki...

[Suicide Junkie]

If you want to get really fancy:

instead of GETL, or [Level], use (min(GETL,[Level]+5])

That way, you get 5 "free upgrades" before you have to retrofit to gain more improvements.

[Kana]

Someone is going to have to write down all these equations with good explanations...I feel like I'm back in algebra class again...and that was 20 years ago...