[MOD] [TC/AP] X3 Rebalance Mod (XRM) - Total conversion - v1.28 (21.12.12)

[MegaBurn]

Well, without docs/notes, I'm not sure, just enough info to tap into the same vision that went into crafting the facades so the ships fit better, even to the point of rebalancing some if needed. That insight is hard to get from in-game without spending a couple hours on each, and the game data on the back-end is kind of hard to piece together too.

As for the ships, I'm thinking about breaking up most of the DDTC mission/ship vending machines, with all due respect to DeadlyDa and is team, they over did it a bit with using the exact same thing for each race (could go on about that too...). A lot of these ships would work well for smaller sub/pseudo factions, something to give each a sense of belonging somewhere in the game world while also fleshing out the faction with unique ship designs. Not sure about the XTC ships, didn't see enough of them to really have a sense for what's there. For my added types/variants, MTS is a poor man's M6 with a glass jaw (one per vanilla TS, TS-SF), MTP is similar for boarding/VIP, both should be favorite's of pirates, high value traders, and cheap corporate security forces lacking the funds for a M6 (its not a super ST/UT style TS though, much smaller cargo holds). The advanced, prototype, enhanced spread will need special placement among unique NPC's or other special cases (one per vanilla fighter/M6). The other variants shouldn't need special placement, but maybe.

Also looking at using some scripts for similar effect, examples... Reusing a lot of the DDTC shipyard missions to patch together a mini-campaign. Adding a few ships via TSOG and ATF Outpost. Patching/hooking Pirates Guild and Yaki Armada to spawn some. Reallocating a fleet to Phanon corp, introduced incrementally per subsidiary/level so it seems like they are unlocking new special ships in the DDTC shipyard style (StarWars Imperial ships fit). Generally trying to avoid dropping full fleets in all at once or from a single source. Including those scripts in the patch also bolts them into XRM, each will need some trim to cover rough edges.

Overall, my patch work is going well, albeit much more slowly than I'd like. I think I'm just going stick with a XRM add-on, no grandiose community organizing campaign, if there is interest in that it'll emerge spontaneously or a moderator could use the patch as an example to encourage more cooperation. Not worrying about that will give me more time to do this right, not as a simple ship pack hack but something which pays sincere homage to DDTC and XTC, while respecting XRM.

[navetta]

hey paul, i think i remember reading somewhere that any ship can be bought... does this include kh'aak and xenon ships as well? if i remember correctly in SRM there was a SY that had X2 xenon capitals for sale, but i cant find it anymore.

edit: since i updated to 1.10 the energy cell generator, which is on the reccomended scripts list, no longer works

[paulwheeler]

Khaak and Xenon ships cannot be bought. The pirate versions of other race ships cannot be bought as I see these as standard ships that have been "pimped". Just about every other ship can.


As for the Energy Cell Gen script - I've can't think of anything I've added in 1.10 that would cause it to stop working. 1.10 was mostly revamping things that already existed.

[dESANT]

[NOValdemar]

[paulwheeler]

Right - this is how Missile Boats will function after the next update:


- The vanilla missile barrage command is no more... it has been completely removed from the game.

Sorry, but it has to be that way - the new way is better!


- All M7Ms, M8s and M3Bs will fire missiles via either the "attack all" or "attack target" turret command.


- Refire rates are slow - about one salvo every 15 secs or so.


- All missile hardpoints are used for simultaneous fire. This means most M7Ms can fire sixteen missiles simultaneously (rather than the vanilla eight via the barrage command).


- M8s have had their missile hard points increased to eight. M3Bs have had their hard points reduced to four.


- M3Bs now can only use the Tomahawk missile. Their cargo bays have been increased too for bigger stores of missiles.


- The "attack all" turret command will only fire at ships. The "attack target" command will fire at stations if the target is a station.


- M7Ms will choose the appropriate missile depending on the target - so they will fire Hammers at capitals and Flails at fighters.


Missiles have been rebalanced to fit the new method:

- Tomahawks now do less damage.
- Flails are no longer swarm missiles.
- The heavy torpedos (hammerhead, firestorm etc.) have been adjusted so it is more efficient to actually use bombers and missile frigates rather than just firing these from a standard capital ship.
- Volumes have been adjusted.


- Jobs has been adjusted. In XRM 1.11, all newly spawned M1s will have a wing of M3Bs. Newly spawned M7 border patrols will be escorted by two M8s.


- The new CWP now picks up M3Bs as missile boats and will stock them accordingly.




OVERALL:

So the slow refire means missile boats do not simply fire every missile in their cargo bay one after the other. This means they will waste less missiles and there is a serious reduction of in-sector "missile spam". You can no longer jump in, deplete a missile boat of its missiles and jump out, they simply don't fire quickly enough for that. The slow refire also gives you time to attack and/or retreat.

So in general M7Ms can fire 16 missiles simultaneously, M8s can fire 8 and M3Bs can fire 4. They then have to wait four around 15 seconds before they can fire again.

The damage adjustments means that missile boats won't be able to take out a capital ship in one salvo.

M3Bs are not much use on their own, but in a wing of four or five they can be deadly - and the AI will use them like that. M3Bs and M8s are actually effective in wings for the player as you can set a turret command globally for the entire wing.



The release of V1.11 is due probably tomorrow (just a couple of things to iron out with Litcube). It will be a part 2 and hullpacks only update - so no hefty downloading.


A big thanks to Litcube for his hard work on this - his rewritten script has made balancing things possible.

[Katorone]

Hi!

I've been playing this mod for a few days now, and liking it very much so far.
I recently acquired a Goner Ozias, and noticed that the docking bay isn't working. The information screen of the Ozias says it has a hanger for 12 ships, however when I try docking a small fighter, the Ozias doesn't show up.

I'm not sure if I should report this in this thread, or in Cadius' thread or even if it's a vanilla problem. In any case, could you point me in the right direction for a solution to this problem, or is it possible to incorporate a fix through your mod?

Thanks in advance,

Peter

[joelR]

Wow paul. Thats fantastic. I really think thats a brilliant solution to overpowered missile boats without seriously breaking or nerfing them out of usefulness. In fact I will actually use missle ships now. I wouldnt in the past because I always felt like I was cheating. Im looking forward to see how the new M3B jobs work too. That just makes sense that M1s would have them as escorts.

[paulwheeler]

[Katorone]

[navetta]

the new missile boat script sounds rather interesting, might open up for a few strategies with M1 and M7 carriers and will make M3B useful.

[Cascinova]

What are you supposed to do with the Job Files document in the ZIP files? The directions say what to do with the scripts and other files, but nothing about the job files document.

[paulwheeler]

The jobs_reset file was only used in the 1.09 update. If youre already on 1.09 or 1.10 then its nothing to worry about.

[Scoob]

Hi,

Do we know how running MARS on all AI capital ships will effect M7M performance with the new changes? I mean, MARS on capital ships with conventional turrets is a must in my view but I'm unsure how it works with a missile turret.

Cheers,

Scoob.

[paulwheeler]