Babylon 5 Mod

[Suicide Junkie]

AAAAAAhhhhhhh!!

What did you do to my beautiful leaky armor system!

I suggested adding a useless ability to whichever ones you wanted the AI to use, like "Resource generation - organics".
Definitely NOT the armor ability, which is far from useless and basically makes the ships invulnerable!

[AGoetz]

Well, if you go back to the Leaky Armor, then the Gaim Bulkheads which were always 'Hit First' come back into use. The standard armors are much more efficient in terms of damage absorbed/size so 'Hit First' becomes the Bulkheads only true reason for existance.

I think I can see a new Component.txt file coming out soon ...

[ January 13, 2003, 02:54: Message edited by: AGoetz ]

[grumbler]

Actually, I HAD the gold conVersion, and then the new datasets messed something up (the picture files no longer read correctly - I done Somethin' Wrong).

You can do a "rough and dirty" translation yourself quite easily (if tediously) simply by:
1) In the VehicleSize.txt file, do a "replace" function and add the word "Primary" before "Bitmap Name" and delete all the extra spaces you end up with (do the first, and then copy it into the 'replace with' box). Then, copy all the "Primary Bitmap Name" lines to a new line you add below. Replace "Primary Bitmap Name" with "Alternate Bitmap Name" on this second line. It should now look like this:

[Old]
Bitmap Name := Destroyer

[New]
Primary Bitmap Name := Destroyer
Alternate Bitmap Name := Destroyer

(except that it will not always be destroyer, of course).

In the "components" file, replace all occurances of "Ships\Planets\Ftr\Sat" with "Ship\Base\Sat\WeapPlat\Drone" (although the new components file seems to have this already, double-check to be sure).

Add the following lines to the AI_Settings file for each race (copy them from an existing Gold AI file, not from here!):
Ships don't move through minefields := false
Ships don't move through restricted systems := false
Clear orders on encounter enemy := false
Clear orders on encounter all := false
Percentage of total satellites to keep as planetary cargo := 40
Percentage of total drones to keep as planetary cargo := 40
Number Of Anti-Ship Drones Per Target := 3
Number Of Anti-Planet Drones Per Target := 3
Maximum Anti-Ship Drone Target System Distance := 5
Maximum Anti-Planet Drone Target System Distance := 5

I think that's really it (I don't have my notes right to hand). If it doesn't work, the error Messages tell you exactly what the problem is, and you can usually find the solution by comparing the file in question to an "authentic Gold" file of the same type.

Note that the mod never uses drones, but the components file has to account for them.

[pathfinder]

Oops! DOH! I used star-unstable for the structural stuff...I'll use the resource generation or whatever for the regular armor....sorry

[grumbler]

I always wondered why "ship's bridge" appeared as an ability in facilities, and the like. It's the "useless ability" gig!

Glad I didn't waste time going back and deleting all of those!

Does the new components file allow you to use more than one kind of armor (like Refractive plus Scattering)? The old one didn't, and all the armor tyes were just the same, except maybe a bit in cost. Was that intended?

Also, I see you could the fact that the cargo and living CPU families having formerly been the same. I meant to mention that (I think it was causing the multiple-cpu problems with the shadows).

[pathfinder]

Grumbler: not sure on allowing more than one type passive armor...though you can use inert + scattering (Minbari do in current test game)...the AI "cheats" and puts 2+ "primary" passive armor....you and i can't do it but that AI does

Yeah, seen the multiple livuing cpu's. never figgered those out. did you fix that? How?

[ January 13, 2003, 04:02: Message edited by: pathfinder ]

[pathfinder]

Bleah....yet another miscellaneous ability line...

[ January 13, 2003, 11:41: Message edited by: pathfinder ]

[grumbler]

PF: On the armor thing, why have all these types of reactive armor if they are not being used? One of the things that makes finding problems in the game so hard is that the components file is so big. Yet a lot of components seem unnecessary or redundent (like different types of near-identical armor, or the base supply depots) so maybe we should be looking at cutting the components that aren't needed.

On another topic, is there any reason why reactors are allowed on bases? The AI seems to put them on the defensive bases, when bases already have unlimited supply.

On the shadow/cpu issue: I thought that I had figured out at least part of the problem (the fact that both living CPU and external cargo pods had family # 11008. Checked it out more thoroughly, and that didn't solve the problem.

I tried changing the size/cost/capabilities of the cargo hold to allow for a 10 kt cargo hold, in the event the AI was just using CPUs to fill empty space. No joy.

I tried making Master Computer a required ability. No joy. I played around with the "Misc Ability (x) Spaces Per One" values in the Ai files. No joy.

I deleted the redundent abilities from the living CPU (abilities 2-4). No joy.

I even made living CPUs base-mountable only. They still appeared on ships (along with bridge, crew, and LS). Something is making the AI add specifically the living CPU beyond the minimum needed.

[pathfinder]

Grumbler: Reactive armors---ask Val.

Reactors: ask Val, it's a bug.

LCPU: did extensive testing Last night, I give up. nothing worked.

All: Once I get the next AI out, that is my Last. Real life intrudes and I do NOT have the time it takes to do this.

[ January 14, 2003, 11:59: Message edited by: pathfinder ]

[Timstone]

Nomor: Do you have a good idea for a flag for the Ipsha?