Babylon 5 Mod

[Val]

[WeaponComponents.txt

<Fixed as per above>

Here are the revised weapons along with a few more to compare(Light-Heavy Laser, Spinal Laser, Interceptors I&II, Ballistic Missile, Medium Plasma Gun, Slicer Beam, Lightning Cannon, Neutron Laser & Standard Particle Beam) - they all now use one tech (for testing purposes) called B5 Weapons.

so add:

Name := B5 Weapons
Group := Weapon Technology
Description :=
Maximum Level := 10
Level Cost := 5000
Start Level := 0
Raise Level := 0
Racial Area := 0
Unique Area := 0
Can Be Removed := False
Number of Tech Req := 0

to TechArea.txt as well.


Also, can you send me what you have for Armor/ECM when you get a chance? Thanks!

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: Val ]

[ 06 February 2002: Message edited by: Val ]

[Val]

Ok, here is the revamped Tech Areas for the above components:

TechArea.txt

[ 06 February 2002: Message edited by: Val ]

[Suicide Junkie]

Val: in all of those new reactors, the output in the description does not match the actual ability amount.

Working on merging what you've sent already...
No go.

SE4 chokes on:
Tech Area Req 1 := Fission Research
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Tech Area Req 2 := 1
Tech Level Req 2 := 1
Tech Area Req 3 :=
Tech Level Req 3 :=
and its in all of the components...

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: suicide_junkie ]

[Suicide Junkie]

I have the B5 Sensors & ECM ready.
NOTE: I stuck the four additional tech areas in at the top of the file, and the components are a page or two below.
I also need "sensors" and "combat support" to go up to at least tech level 8, and I've noted that in the file.

The scale of the modifiers might need to be increased for the SF-crossover mod, depending on how powerful the other race modifiers are.
I kept these to a maximum of +/-56%, so you can't evade 100% of the shots from point blank range just because you've got great ECM .


PS:
Regarding racial armors.
Between shadow, vorlon, minbari, and the refractive armor, is there any serious difference aside from tech level (ability amount) and paint job?

If not, should the component images progress through the colors of each, or should there be a choice of any color at each level?

[ 06 February 2002: Message edited by: suicide_junkie ]

[Val]

Sorry, was merging during a 15 min break at work and didn't have SE IV to test run the components. I'll check the sheet and remerge. How were the weapons?

Good call on the ECM - hated missing something when they were almost in the same square!

Vorlon armor is able to 'heal' damage and Shadow armor is able to absorb and shunt off a certain amount of damage. Other than that they are also both more advanced (obviously) than the other races armors.

Minbari armor is just a more advanced Version of the same stuff you find on the EA and Narn and Centauri ships (well, dif material but same as far as SE IV would be concerned). It's their jammers that make them tougher than nails

If you want, once we have the basic armor pics made I can easily recolor armor for the major races (EA & Narn - Grey, Centauri - Purple, Minbari - Blue) or we can have the armor progress through the colors, it's your call!

[Val]

ReactorComponents.txt

EngineComponents.txt

Fixed the Engines & Reactors - I had accidently set the same merge field in two locations!

WeaponComponents.txt

Fixed the weapons - one of the family names had a decimal point and the seeker speeds and damages weren't there

[ 06 February 2002: Message edited by: Val ]

[Val]

I just did a quick sim with your ECM and the weapon samples (sans armor) and it was quite a bit different! Took 1 Cruiser armed with the Shadow slicer, stacked elite sensors and 2 PDFs against 4 Cruisers with 2 Lrg Lasers, 2 Med Lasers, 1 PDF, 2 Basic Missiles and stacked advanced sensors. The slicer beam was ripping the opposition to shreads! Can't wait to add armor and give this a shot

Now it's almost time to concentrate on the AI - any takers?

[Suicide Junkie]

Note to the AI takers: if you want a quick utility to run through any file and make repetitive, boring changes, AND the rules are too complex to use the search-replace method, just ask

Something like "add engine ability calls to all designs that are allowed to have them" (and increment "num ability calls", and use the right "spaces per item ##") could be worth a program, and would give me a reason to work on the required/related parts of my AI Patcher.

[Val]

EVERYONE:

Trying to come up with a list for all the B5 components to be added and all the B5 facilities, here is what I have so far:

Shadow - Living CPU - I thought we could use the master computer for this, to represent the living human used to pilot the ships.

Everyone - Shipboard Teep - Telepaths to combat Living CPU, equiv to a virus.

Everyone - Automation - Components to cut down on number of Crew Quarters and Life Support.

Everyone - Scanners - Should we use the existing scanners or create new ones?

Minbari - Jammer - SJ, could you integrate this into the ECM? Should make locking on to a Minbari ship twice as hard and also mess up sensors. There should also be something to counter this for the Ancient races and can be researched by others to null.

Centauri - Cloaking - Fighters and Destroyers (and smaller) are able to cloak to a degree. The fighters are more true stealth, while the Destroyers just had a Chameleon suite to mess with sensors.

Torvolus (Ancients) - Cloaking - This is 'true' cloaking, thinking about using cloaking as it is but expanding out past what 'normal' sensors can detect.

Everyone - Colonize - Want to remove Gas Giant colonies from being researchable unless someone plays a GG race (of which there are none in the B5 mod). I see Ice colonization more as 'waterworld' colonization, which would be more conceivable.

Everyone - Jumpgate construction - Want to change the open wormhole to a base only component and make it bigger and more expensive. Then you will have to build the base at the location and activate the component to open the point. I would like it to also destroy the base to represent the material used for the gate. I also might make a shipboard component that is REALLY big and can only fit on the large explorer ships (since it is mentioned that EA Explorer ships could make gates).

Everyone (Especially Raiders) - External Fighter Rails - I was thinking we could use the armor ability to represent the vulnerability of these components (they should almost always be hit first as they are exposed). The tradeoff is the ability to carry more fighters for less internal space.

Everyone - External Supply (Cargo) Pods - Same as above.

Everyone - Gravity - I was thinking about 3 classes: None, Gravity Generators, Artificial Gravity. These would give the ships bonuses/penalties to hit/defense to encourage their inclusion and research.

Everyone - Elite/Expert Crew Types - Different components to give different bonuses to a ship (eg: Crack Security Team - Double the efficiency against boarders)

ALSO:

Wanted to add some mounts -

Improved Weapon (less space, less supply, more intitial cost)

Advanced PDF (increases to hit and damage)

Advanced Weapons (standard SE IV mounts)

[Val]

SJ:

What extra abilities should I add to the Reactors and Engines to make the AI modding easier? I can easily add and regen the text!