[MOD] Racial Laser Variants (Beta 0.93)

[Gazz]

(Das entsprechende deutsche Topic ist hier.)


Racial Laser Variants or... MORE DAKKA!

Fighting in X3 is not very diverse. All ships of all races use the exact same weapons.
The races hardly matter in this universe.
So I changed that.

• Argons produce and use argon lasers, borons boron lasers... and the differences are noticable.
  
  
• Equipment docks carry energy cells.
  Now your M1 can refuel somewhere. What a novel concept...
  
  
• Equipment docks carry not only their own weapons but also those (of the same base type) produced by friendly races in the surrounding sectors.
  Their factories have to be within 6 sectors.
  
  The player can be a friendly race.
  
  Unlike with missiles or shields, ED will not pick up new base types of lasers. There is no technical reason for that. It's just that the inventory list would get too long an unwieldy.
  
  
• Equipment docks carry all shields and missiles that are produced by friendly races in the surrounding sectors.
  
  
• If an ED trades a laser that requires ammunition, it can trade the ammunition as well.
  
  
• Pirates/Yaki use lasers of their galactic region (currently just random)
  
  
• Khaak + Race 1-3 use unmarked standard lasers.
  
  
• Installing the new lasers:
  
  Only the regular argon lasers can be used in the "Weapons" frontend.
  
  Using the mouse, all lasers can be installed manually in cockpit and all turrets of your ship.
  Once installed, any turret or combat script without weapon changing should work.
  
  All lasers can be removed (uninstalled) in the freight frontend.
  
  Transferring lasers between 2 ships (Transporter oder docked) automatically installs them on the target ship.
  
  Of course, scripts can install all lasers at will.
  
  
• Problems with Equipment Docks
  This mod is borderline impossible. As a result, ED need some special treatment.
  Immediately after a new mod installation it can happen that all ED go on strike, refusing to sell their wares.
  It's also been reported that this has happened later in the game although I was never able to reproduce this.
  
  Therefore, all ED are checked regularly and "repaired" as needed.
  This does not happen if the player is in the same sector.
  
  Should this fail for some reason (I don't expect that =), there is a way to pretend a script version upgrade so all ED have to be recalculated:
  • Turn off the AL Plugin and wait until it has come to a stop.
    
  • Turn it back on.
    
  • After it's done with all the stations, save and reload the game.
    
  
  
• An irrecoverable bug with the BalaGi missions has been reported.
  The RLV script fixing (recreating) equipment docks breaks those missions because the mission script ends and never restarts when a particular ED is lost at a certain point during the mission(s).
  
  Usually you should always check if an object exists and use another if not. At least that's what all scripters are told. =)
  
  Solution: Install RLM after BalaGi is completed.

Heavy Lasers for Capital Ships:
Capital ships have a problem - their own size.
When the ship is 4km long and a turret battery is spread over such an area then a small "anti fighter" laser with maybe 2km range can't possibly work because few turrets could even reach out to the target.
Also, fighters attacking a huge ship often break before even getting into range of a "useful" and fast anti fighter laser.

As a result capital ships fare terribly against fighters.

Capital ships have access to heavy laser variants.


• A Heavy Energy Generator must be installed.
  Available in all equipment docks.
  
  
• Real capital ships with an actual size of over 1500m will be able to use the regular as well as the new heavy lasers.
  (Custom ships are often mislabeled as M1 or the likes so ship class is not a good criteria any more)
  
  
• Small "capital" ships like M6 have very limited access to these, only being able to use the smallest laser types.
  
  
• Lower rate of fire but higher damage.
  Damage/second stays the same but fewer bullets help with FPS and definitely add to the feel of using heavier lasers.
  
  
• Bullet speed increased by 50 %. This also increases range by 50 %.
  For huge ships that can not be seen as a great bonus. This offsets the far greater distances that the bullets have to travel from turrets that are spread out over several km.
  
  
• All heavy lasers are XL cargo - even the [H] A-IRE.
  
  
• Compatible with every kind of vanilla or modded ship and turret without adjustments.
  If a turret can use A-HEPT it can also use [H] A-HEPT.
  
  
• Compatible with XTM
  (except for the one laser icon that those folks switched around)
  
  
• Which ships can actually use the heavy variants is controlled by scripts.
  You can not buy a "heavy laser". Capital ships use and upgrade regular lasers as they see fit. Smaller vessels don't have the space or energy supply to use them.
  
  
• If player ships use them depends on the turret script.
  Standard Egosoft scripts work since they don't change weapons.
  MARS is compatible and does change weapons as well as convert and use heavy lasers when apropriate.

Bullet Mod:

In Vanilla X3, all lasers are about 5-6 times as effective against hull as they are against shields.
When the shields drop, the fight is over 2 seconds later.
This mod stops ships from popping like soap bubbles and a ship's hull is actually becomes a game feature.

• Hull damage:
  IRE 170%
  PAC 90%
  HEPT 60%
  Flak 35%
  PSG 20%
  Kyon 80-25%
  PPC 15%
  LT Weapon 40%
  EMP 15%
  Concuss 40%
  MD/PBE unchanged
  
  
• Missiles unchanged
  That actually gives them a role in combat because against hull they could be more effective than your lasers.
  Until now Missiles were something you could have used but had no real reason to.
  There are a select few exceptions but generally, missiles were superfluous.
  

(SPK)

Installation:
Only available as SPK because this installs the custom wares.

Activate the "Racial Lasers" mod at the X3 main menu.
If the mod installation does not "take" or you want to run multiple mods you may have to install it as a fake patch.

It takes a lot of time to change the whole universe over to the new system.
The alternative would be a fast setup but your computer freezing solid for a few minutes. =)
The AL Plugin shows which race is currently being processed.

Note that equipment docks in your current sector can not be processed. They will get their treatment later.

Even though I tried to make this run smoothly in the background, especially the initial setup takes quite a bit of CPU power.
SETA will actually slow down this process.

Resources used:
Textfile 7067 (Page 17, 25000-30900)
Task ID 7067 on AI ships.

Modded files:
TLaser.txt
TBullets.txt

Libraries included:
lib.gz.race.lasers.installed . . . Returns TRUE if mod and T-File are installed.
lib.gz.race.lasers.fix.fabs . . . Fixes all factories and equipment docks of a race to produce "their" lasers.
lib.gz.race.lasers.switch . . . switch default lasers of 1 ship to racial and/or heavy leasers

[MOD] Heavy Laser Mod (abandoned)
[Projekt] Eigene Laservarianten für alle Rassen Projekt und Ideensammlung

[Gazz]

Laser data

Argon
The Standard
• Special weapon HEPT: uses Crystals as ammunition. 200rounds / unit.
  DPS +5%, Speed +25%, Range +10%, Rate of fire -25%
  
  Boron
  Sad damage but extremely energy efficient and accurate..
  30% more range than the equal split weapon.
  
• Volume +10%
  
• Energy -20%
  
• Shields -15%, Hull -25%
  
• Range +10%, Speed +25%
  
• Special Weapon Ion: Damage and Range +30%
  
  Paranid
  Generelly advanced but expensive
  
• Volume -10% (bauen auch sehr kleine Schiffe)
  
• BHEPT and all PPC: Damage/Speed +5%
  
• Energie +5%
  
• Notoriety required x2
  
• Price +30%
  
• Special Weapon PSG: Range/Speed +15%
  
  Split
  Fast firing lasers with lower range, ideal for close combat.
  
• ROF +20%, Damage -9%
  
• Energy +5%
  = more burst damage but less effective in longer battles
  
• Range -15%
  
• Speed +10%
  
• Special Weapon Mass Driver: ROF -50%, Damage x2 +20%, Range +20%
  = More effective "heavy" MD that even uses less ammo.
  When the split specialised their M3 turrets to that one weapon they had plans with it. =)
  
  Teladi
  Your bargain bin laser. Not so hot but it saves precious cargo space and shoots. Somehow.
  
• Damage: -5%
  
• Range: -10%
  
• ROF: -5%
  
• Volume: -20%
  
• Notoriety required: 50 %
  
• Price -20%
  
• Special Weapon IRE: Range +25%, Damage +10%
  It's logical that they improved that laser. What other weapon can you sell to a teladi?
  
  Xenon
  That ancient terran technology is still not outdated. Too bad the Xenon don't share!
  
• Damage +10%
  
• Range: +5%
  
• Speed +8%
  
• ROF: +5%
  
• Volume: +15%
  
• Energy: +20%
  
• Can't buy that.

[CraterFace]

This looks really really cool. And I love the fact that you haven't changed the missiles since another mod does that and makes them even more useless then they where before....which is quite the accomplishment in itself

Is there any risk for this to break savegames incase it is installed or updated? Noticed it is beta 1.

[Gazz]

[dathion]

Will M.A.R.S. be compatable in the futere :? I love this idea give you a reason to be nice with the other races. :D keep up the good work 8)

[Akula87]

I have both your Heavy Laser mod and MARS script presently installed.

I know you abanded your mod. and created this with much of the previous mod contained within it...

now this begs the question as to whether i can install this .spk without first removing the folders from your previous MOD/ MARS script?

[Deathwalker1701]

Would this work with Combat mod 2
http://www.thexuniverse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11418

[enenra]

[CraterFace]

[joelR]

Oops.


Its my own darn fault but I uninstalled this after I realized i couldnt use it with ashleys fabs. Anyhow now my ships no longer have any installed extensions. Is this repairable or is it time for an X3-X3 converter job?


EDIT: Actually the extensions are there just not visible. Also they are not buyable from EQ docks

[s9ilent]

Woah... 416??!
I thought there was a hard coded limit?

(or is the limit just in the user interface?, Or am I seeing invisible faeries again?)

[Street21309]

No theres a hard coded limit to how many shipyards can be scripted into the game. Hince why XTM has some docks and shipyards as one station

[Akula87]

has anyone docked at an equipment dock after downloading the mod?

[s9ilent]

Shipyards???

I'm refering to his 416 different laser types in the tlaser file

[Gazz]