Damage type question

[KnidVermicious]

I think I understand this but I'm asking anyway:

When you select a damage type like 'Shields Only' it damages components with the ability 'generates shield points' right? The component is targeted because of its ability, not its name or some other factor, correct?

If so, do weapons that target 'security stations' destroy 'boarding defense' components, and therefore can be used to destroy Crew Quarters?

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by KnidVermicious:
If so, do weapons that target 'security stations' destroy 'boarding defense' components, and therefore can be used to destroy Crew Quarters?

No, crew quarters do not have the boarding defense ability. They do assist in boardign defenese, we know this from testing. But they do not have the actual ability listed in their component file entry. It's a hard coded invisible exception. If you give the crew quarters the boarding defense ability in the components.txt file though you should be able to destroy them with a weapon using the "Only Security Stations" ability.

Geoschmo

[ August 12, 2003, 18:43: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[Suicide Junkie]

Also:
"Shields only" dosen't destroy shield generators - it saps shield points, but dosen't harm components at all.

"Shield Generators Only" does what you were thinking of.

If you add boarding defense to crew quarters, that defense ability will fully stack with the built in 4 points of defense. ("16 troops" worth)

[KnidVermicious]

If you make the ability "0" can you just use it as a marker so those weapons will hit it?

[Suicide Junkie]

That does work for shields, so probably.
Be sure to test it before you distribute a mod using it.

[Loser]

You want it to specifically take hits when the crew defense stuff take hits? Yeah that'll work.

[edit: I think he's talking about putting Boarding Defense on Crew Quarters.]

[ August 12, 2003, 20:27: Message edited by: Loser ]

[Fyron]

That works for some damage types, yes. Shields Only and similar ones (not specific component types, just changes to how the hit is affected by shields, like skips shields, 4x to shields, etc) will not be affected, as they work against the shield points, not components.

[KnidVermicious]

My idea is some kind of Deathwand device that only kills crews. I'm hoping that if I add a "0" Boarding Defense ability to Crew Quarters and Bridge than it will destroy the "crew" parts of the ship. It will also have the bonus of killing Security Stations.

[Suicide Junkie]

Or a toxin injector missile, perhaps.

But I wouldn't worry about adding one point of boarding defense to a few components.
The attackers can always just include one more boarding party.

BTW, you will probably want to add the defense ability to boarding parties as well. They currently will provide defense just like the crew quarters without being hit by Boarding-defense-only weapons.
You can comment on the "Home turf advantage" of the boarding parties to explain it if you want.

[KnidVermicious]

Tested the Death Ray device. It doesn't work with an ability of "0' so I tested it with "1" and it worked fine. Skips armor, but hits shields.

How many "marines" does 1 point of Boarding Defense give? I could just bump up boarding parties by a few points to compensate. I intend to have Bridge, Crew Quarters, Boarding Paries, and Auxiliary Bridges have the ability. That way the Death Ray (I have to think of a better name) kills all the lifeforms on the ship. I'd thought about adding it cargo bays, too, to simulate slaughtering passengers, but it would also destroy sats, mines, etc, so I won't.

I suppose I could also leave Boarding Parties alone. They would get a minor boost to Boarding Defense, and I doubt having 3 extra points of Boarding Defense on their victim is going to change much.

Of course, this lead me to think of Shielded Bridge, Crew, etc. that doesn't have that ability (is immune to Death Ray) and possibly generates shields or something. And a Huge Death Ray for bLasting planets (Population Only).