PM's mods

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PM
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Found another snag is my quest to optimize ZapSats to playability: noFriendlyFire does not work on neutral objects. However, it is not limited to that. I tested the standard ICX to see if it had a similar problem and sure enough, ICX will blast neutral targets. Thus, I posted a ticket on the problem.

Another quick note: I added the planet camp check back, but only for the player (because only the player can try to exploit that), and it checks once every second (instead of every tick like it used to). So far, it seems to work without problems, and it prevents player from hiding in the planet while sats shoot everything.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
IronParrot
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Is it OK for me to review your equipment?

Edit: and add a way to search by tag in GODMODE?
PM
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If you are asking about giving feedback, by all means, especially if it is too powerful or unbalanced.

I am working on an update now. I am refactoring code for some things like the zapsats, which means an update will not come immediately. (I want to get it done so I can try another game in the beta release.)

Some things to note:
* The consumables (like the level up rom) are broken. Sorry about that. The level up ROMs are already fixed at my end, just not ready for release yet.

* I have changed few of the missiles for the Fiend launcher. I was not fully satisfied with it, and I have merged the Archfiend and Horde missiles into a new Archfiend that splits into three Racer x4s. There are few other weapons that I am not fully happy with, but will probably leave them alone unless I think of something I like better.

* Since it seems much easier to detect ore with weapons, I am strongly considering retiring the ore scanner, or if I keep it (for preservation reasons), probably have one level 5 item. Part of the reason I kept the old scanner was because finding ore was hard or tedious. Now, as long as the player has a miner's hold and a mining weapon, it does not take much to probe an asteroid for results.

* I will very likely add some mining beamers.

* I have merged type-B and type-C zapsats into the type-B. It evolves into the old type-C after leveling up.

What do you mean search by tag? I think Godmode supports criteria code when spawning items or objects. (Godmode really needs to be updated to 1.9b1 as well.)
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
IronParrot
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PM wrote:
Fri May 01, 2020 2:04 am
If you are asking about giving feedback, by all means, especially if it is too powerful or unbalanced.

I am working on an update now. I am refactoring code for some things like the zapsats, which means an update will not come immediately. (I want to get it done so I can try another game in the beta release.)

Some things to note:
* The consumables (like the level up rom) are broken. Sorry about that. The level up ROMs are already fixed at my end, just not ready for release yet.

* I have changed few of the missiles for the Fiend launcher. I was not fully satisfied with it, and I have merged the Archfiend and Horde missiles into a new Archfiend that splits into three Racer x4s. There are few other weapons that I am not fully happy with, but will probably leave them alone unless I think of something I like better.

* Since it seems much easier to detect ore with weapons, I am strongly considering retiring the ore scanner, or if I keep it (for preservation reasons), probably have one level 5 item. Part of the reason I kept the old scanner was because finding ore was hard or tedious. Now, as long as the player has a miner's hold and a mining weapon, it does not take much to probe an asteroid for results.

* I will very likely add some mining beamers.

* I have merged type-B and type-C zapsats into the type-B. It evolves into the old type-C after leveling up.

What do you mean search by tag? I think Godmode supports criteria code when spawning items or objects. (Godmode really needs to be updated to 1.9b1 as well.)
So far in a V+CC run with the Constellation, i decided to try the Brik DR1/2 armor, and it's hightened repair level makes worse than blast plate.
Other goodies i tried in this run are a looted Jewel Auton, which carried me to rigel, and possibly beyond.
The Tier 2.0 shield is probably a bad idea for a freighter in the Arena, and will probably spell the end of that run.
And by Search by Tag, i mean find all the items from "Drake" or "EI".
Edit: Oh, and i hope you just keep advanced ore scanner as a upgraded mining hold, since mining with the Omni Ion Drill would take a while. And please don't axe the ore scooper, that thing is QoL incarnate.
PM
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Thanks for the post.

To search for items in Godmode, type "/* +drake" for all drake items, and "/* +ei" for EI items. Basically, slash followed by criteria code. I admit that the criteria assumes some knowledge of writing mods.

As for the items...

The Tier shields are kind of weak by design. Their low hp is offset by slightly faster regeneration and much faster recovery. The hp should be enough to block a hit or two, then player takes armor damage for a bit. Probably more useful for fast gunships that can dodge enemy fire, which I tend to pilot (until I get Minotaur). After playing a few games the biggest problem with the Tier shields is the Domina power Restore. In SotP, I find myself using class II/III/Yoroi and the Mammoths because Restore fills them back up in a pinch. With the Tier shields, not so much. Similiarly, armor repair items like patcher arm are not very useful once I get Restore. Just spam it between combat for free repairs. I wanted something to regenerate fast, especially when shields get brought down, but Restore throws that thinking out the window. I probably should try my mod in Eternity Port, where I do not get Restore.

Well, at least the Jewel is not useless.

The DRx armor has not aged well, and I am considering scrapping it. Most of it is too heavy for many playerships and will be something for me to use for capital ships if I built them. (I still need to learn a modeler program.) Its main gimmicks are integer damage reduction and immunities. They does not feel like enough to keep for player use, although it can be something for NPCs later. The main reason I kept them so far is so the Brik company has something to sell.

I will probably keep at least one ore scanning device. I need to update it though since George's mining changes in 1.9b1 do not care about ore level anymore. Even for standard items, the only difference between the scanner pods is the advanced one may have more range (but the shockwaves will probably not hit things too far away) and maybe more bang against enemies.

I will keep the ore scooper until George adds an auto-pickup feature of his own, if he does. I remember mining in Heretic in the 1.9 alphas, and it takes too long to dock hundreds of ore objects.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
IronParrot
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Other things i see on this Constellation run:
T300 swift fusion blaster + tracking + lithium booster= git rekt
and heavy jetskin makes for good auton armor, should try it out when on a wolfen run.
Edit: t300 vs phobos, due to premature detonation of shells: hard
Edit 2: the P200 seems weak compared to the T300 fusion nightmare, is there any way to buff it? And the Tachyon Bella seems very flashy for being a non-base-buster.
PM
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IronParrot wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 12:17 am
Other things i see on this Constellation run:
T300 swift fusion blaster + tracking + lithium booster= git rekt
and heavy jetskin makes for good auton armor, should try it out when on a wolfen run.
Edit: t300 vs phobos, due to premature detonation of shells: hard
Edit 2: the P200 seems weak compared to the T300 fusion nightmare, is there any way to buff it? And the Tachyon Bella seems very flashy for being a non-base-buster.
I am mulling over removing the "Track" module effect on the fusion blasters (and the plasma gun), mainly because the range is short enough that tracking may not do much good, then lower the level of the Track module to 3 or 4 and have it apply to spikers and high-ex cannons only. I will playtest it a bit more.

The T300 was meant to be a heavy weapon for bigger ships, which is why it takes two slots.

The heavy jetskin was a recent addition. Thanks to George's armor rebalance and more playerships that use heavy armor, I decided to throw a bone to heavy armor users. I am primarily in the light armor/speed camp, but it seems silly for a big ship that can use massive or dreadnought armor to use just light armor, so heavy armor as the light armor for big ships. Also, almost everything smaller (like most playerships) can use heavy armor, although sometimes with a speed penalty.

I will not buff the plasma gun. If I make it more powerful, I would need to raise its powerUse, value, or both. It is not weak, but it may be overshadowed by thermo weapons. It used to have a swivel, but did less damage and/or may have been more expensive. The T300 is a heavy weapon built for capital ships, much like the mark VII Anton uses. The P200 is a standard-size weapon for smaller ships.

The problem is thermo weapons have WMD and have massive support in Corporate Command. It makes sense to grab an omni thermo cannon and nanofac, and enhance it up to 150%. Positron and plasma weapons have almost no support. Also, until players fight Iocrym in the final system, not too many things resist thermo enough to matter once player enhances them. The only thing that comes to mind are Luminous drones with thermo shields.

Tachyon Bella is flashy because it is meant to be a special weapon on par with Lamplighter. It can be bought for now, but if I ever get around to building ships and missions, it will be locked behind a quest chain. Also, it is a launcher because I do not want it to directly compete with Lamplighter. As a launcher, it means I can give it absurd burst damage but long recharge time, which would not work as a primary weapon (because all primary weapons reload when changed, but player can only install one launcher.) As for non-base buster, not sure what you mean. It has decent WMD, and it should take out a Deimos in two or three blasts.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
IronParrot
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Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 11:49 pm

PM wrote:
Tue May 05, 2020 1:17 pm
I am mulling over removing the "Track" module effect on the fusion blasters (and the plasma gun), mainly because the range is short enough that tracking may not do much good, then lower the level of the Track module to 3 or 4 and have it apply to spikers and high-ex cannons only. I will playtest it a bit more.

The T300 was meant to be a heavy weapon for bigger ships, which is why it takes two slots.

The heavy jetskin was a recent addition. Thanks to George's armor rebalance and more playerships that use heavy armor, I decided to throw a bone to heavy armor users. I am primarily in the light armor/speed camp, but it seems silly for a big ship that can use massive or dreadnought armor to use just light armor, so heavy armor as the light armor for big ships. Also, almost everything smaller (like most playerships) can use heavy armor, although sometimes with a speed penalty.

I will not buff the plasma gun. If I make it more powerful, I would need to raise its powerUse, value, or both. It is not weak, but it may be overshadowed by thermo weapons. It used to have a swivel, but did less damage and/or may have been more expensive. The T300 is a heavy weapon built for capital ships, much like the mark VII Anton uses. The P200 is a standard-size weapon for smaller ships.

The problem is thermo weapons have WMD and have massive support in Corporate Command. It makes sense to grab an omni thermo cannon and nanofac, and enhance it up to 150%. Positron and plasma weapons have almost no support. Also, until players fight Iocrym in the final system, not too many things resist thermo enough to matter once player enhances them. The only thing that comes to mind are Luminous drones with thermo shields.

Tachyon Bella is flashy because it is meant to be a special weapon on par with Lamplighter. It can be bought for now, but if I ever get around to building ships and missions, it will be locked behind a quest chain. Also, it is a launcher because I do not want it to directly compete with Lamplighter. As a launcher, it means I can give it absurd burst damage but long recharge time, which would not work as a primary weapon (because all primary weapons reload when changed, but player can only install one launcher.) As for non-base buster, not sure what you mean. It has decent WMD, and it should take out a Deimos in two or three blasts.
Ah, that makes sense. Would've just left a like if the forums wouldve allowed it.
Edit: don't know why i was expecting the Bella to onehit a Ares Commune...
Edit 2: Also, All Items Known does not identify all the ROMs
PM
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Updated Drake Technologies for 1.9 beta 1 Transcendence, and uploaded it to Xelerus.

I kind of rushed this near the end. Added are some mining weapons and few other items. Also various bug fixes. Some items are removed, namely old disposable launchers and some missiles. I almost added an advanced drone command device, but reverted that change at the last minute.

I may write some ideas down in a later post. I need to think about which items I really want and/or being interesting/useful enough, then cull the rest.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
PM
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Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:54 am

Updated Star Castle Arcade to 1.9 beta 1, and uploaded that to Xelerus too. Hyperdrive and Shield are implemented as new ship classes (Wedge and Wing) instead of as extensions.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
PM
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Playership Drones has finally been updated to 1.9 beta 1, and uploaded to Xelerus. There are two tdb files included. One for the basic mod itself, and another to enable more playable ships via repairedClass. Field Repairs are back and may be used on most wrecks. Ships found only in expansions (Corporate Command) or other adventures (Eternity Port, Vault of the Galaxy) are not yet supported. I may add support at a later date, but what was done so far is now available to avoid delaying release any longer.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
PM
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Reuploaded Drake Technologies to Xelerus. Features some minor bug fixes and alterations. Unfortunately, it breaks saves (because I removed some obsolete types).

My workload for the other mods include:
* Let player acquire ships exclusive to Corporate Command, Etenity Port, and (maybe) Vault of the Galaxy in Playership Drones.
* Update Godmode to 1.9 beta 1 (or later).
* (Maybe) Update other minor mods to 1.9 beta 1. Those I do not update may be removed instead.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
IronParrot
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Any way i can help with getting modded ships added to playership drones?
PM
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I have not tried adding mod ships, but any ship that is a starter or available at the Ship Broker should be able to be rebuilt automatically if you find a wreck somewhere. No need to do more for those (I think), unlike in earlier releases of Playership Drones. It is those NPC-only ships (usually with GenericClass) that need work.

Those that are NPC only and not normally available either need to be made a playable ship as either a new starter, available at ship broker, or anything with "repairedClass" attribute.

Most NPC ships (generally with genericClass) are not playable out of the box (no reactor, or bioship using mechanist or humanTech interface), and repairedClass is a custom playable version that is neither a starter or ship broker ship.

For rebuilding, it checks for starter ship, then ship broker, then repairedClass. For example, in Corporate Command, it will use the Manticore that starts in Tau Ceti instead of the one with repairedClass that normally gets used in a no expansion game.

Of course, none of that addresses if you can even find the ship in the game, since most if not all of them are only available as a starter ship. In that case (assuming no cheating), you need to add the ship to the Ship Broker, which has nothing to do with Playership Drones.

The stress test will be making ships (that are normally genericClass) in Vault of the Galaxy playable in Playership Drones. I am not looking forward to doing that task, despite something I should do eventually.
Download and Play in 1.9 beta 1...
Drake Technologies (Alpha): More hardware for combat in parts 1 and 2!
Star Castle Arcade: Play a classic arcade game adventure, with or without more features (like powerups)!
Playership Drones: Buy or restore exotic ships to command!

Other playable mods from 1.8 and 1.7, waiting to be updated...
Godmode v3 (WIP): Dev/cheat tool compatible with D&O parts 1 or 2.
IronParrot
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Ah, that's good to know.
Also, aparrently having TSB, TBR, and PSD loaded at the same time and checking the cheat menu for generic classes causes a crash to desktop.
I suspect that's a George Problem, since the game ran out of memory around S ships :P
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