Balanced Arsenal Mod 1.2/1.12b

Distribute and discuss mods that are functional. Moderator - Grognak
leycec
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:42 am

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby leycec » Fri Apr 05, 2013 11:36 pm

Sleeper Service wrote:Thanks for the great feedback! A new version is up and it validates correctly with Grognack's now. That validate button sure is a great feature, might use that excessively in the future. ;) (Still get one error message for dashes in bluprints.xml that shouldn’t touch, but cant manage to find where that happens).


Thank you, Sleeper Service. And, yeah: that Validate button is dangerously addicting. :geek:

https://github.com/Saturate/FTL-AET/blo ... xml.append

I also did recheck the spelling (not my mother-tongue, sorry).


For a non-native speaker, you did a fine job! If I find the time, I'll take another look and see if I can spot any other lurking mistakes.

The events have now unique names. Still one question: Eventlists in appends do overwrite the originals, right? I thought I saw that in other mods. Cause for the events its somehow important that the original event don’t occur any more. Would it work like this?

Code: Select all

<eventList name="NEUTRAL2">
   <event load="PIRATE_CIVILIAN"/>
        ...
   <event load="BA_ASTEROID_EXPLORE"/>
</eventList>

[/quote]

That should work. I think. Maybe. The data/newEvents.xml.append file bundled with the AET mod appears to do something similar:

Code: Select all

<eventList name="NEUTRAL2">
<event load="PIRATE_CIVILIAN"/>
<event load="PIRATE_STATION_CROPS"/>
<event load="REBEL_TRANSPORT"/>
<event load="ASTEROID_EXPLORE"/>
<event load="MERCENARY"/>
<event load="DISTRESS_BEACON"/>
<event load="FRIENDLY_SLAVER"/>
<event load="PIRATE_BRIBER"/>
<event load="AUTO_DEFENSE_MAP"/>
<event load="AUTO_DEFENSE_ITEM"/>
<!-- <event load="TAVERN_HIRE"/> -->

<!-- CUSTOM AET EVENTS -->
<event load="AET_GIFTS"/>
<event load="AET_PREFTL_PLANET"/>
</eventList>


That said, there's a caveat: if you take the above approach, your mod will conflict with any other mod also replacing the "NEUTRAL2" event list. At the moment, a better approach is to append directly to data/sector_data.xml instead. For example, the following adds a new event "YOUR_EVENT" to the first sector:

Code: Select all

<sectorDescription name="NEBULA_SECTOR" minSector="0" unique="false">
       <nameList>
          <name>Uncharted Nebula</name>
       </nameList>
       <trackList>
          <track>deepspace</track>
          <track>void</track>
       </trackList>
       <rarityList>
          <blueprint name="engi" rarity="4"/>
          <blueprint name="mantis" rarity="4"/>
          <blueprint name="energy" rarity="4"/>
          <blueprint name="slug" rarity="3"/>
          <blueprint name="rock" rarity="4"/>
          <blueprint name="human" rarity="1"/>
       </rarityList>
       <startEvent>START_BEACON_NEBULA</startEvent>
       <event name="STORE" min="0" max="1"/>
       <event name="ITEMS" min="1" max="3"/>
       <event name="NEBULA_STORE" min="1" max="1"/>
       <event name="NEBULA_EMPTY" min="4" max="4"/>
       <event name="NEBULA_HOSTILE" min="5" max="6"/>
       <event name="NEBULA_NEUTRAL" min="7" max="8"/>
       <event name="DISTRESS_BEACON" min="1" max="3"/>

    <event name="YOUR_EVENT" min="1" max="1"/>
</sectorDescription>


Yes, this sucks. But that's FTL, at the moment. There's some discussion at this thread about making a new .xml.merge file format for modders, which would help alleviate these issues. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that Grognak has the time (or interest) in implementing support for such a format. It really needs to happen at some point, but... well, who wants to be the one to do it, right?

For the moment, I'd honestly encourage you to consider dropping the events. By adding events, you are guaranteeing conflicts with other mods. Players will have to choose between your mod and other, probably more elaborate, event mods. Is that really worth it?

tl;dr

Until Grognak improves GMM, weapons mods really need to just be weapons mods: no events, only weapons.
User avatar
Sleeper Service
Posts: 2305
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:49 pm

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby Sleeper Service » Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:18 pm

For the moment, I'd honestly encourage you to consider dropping the events. By adding events, you are guaranteeing conflicts with other mods. Players will have to choose between your mod and other, probably more elaborate, event mods. Is that really worth it?

tl;dr

Until Grognak improves GMM, weapons mods really need to just be weapons mods: no events, only weapons.


Well that seems reasonable, also way less complicate than the sector_data.xml solution. Thanks again for your support.

For now the main release will not include custom events any more. There will always be a "b" version of the mod available that still includes them, in case anyone out there plays without event mods.

Looks like we already get into the modding territory with FTL where compatibility versions of mods can fix some of the compatibility issues. If the lists conflict than the eventmods simply could include the custom events of other mods in theirs and release that as a compatibility version. Should work as long as the other mods are loaded before the event mod, right? Then we finally have to pay attention to loadorder again, just like back then with Oblivion and Fallout 3. And what would modding be without loadorder problems. :roll:

If any of the eventmod crews want to start making compatibility version, well you know:

Also feel free to use any of this mods content in your own mod.
;)
ThePieman
Posts: 43
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 4:05 pm

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby ThePieman » Tue Apr 09, 2013 1:31 am

I found a Naginata beam. It was amazing.
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Sleeper Service
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Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:49 pm

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby Sleeper Service » Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:03 am

ThePieman wrote:I found a Naginata beam. It was amazing.

I hope not to amazing (aka op), should roughly be as amazing a finding a glaive beam though. ;)


Version 1.0 is up, concerning content this will be the final release for now. I'm of course still interested in your feedback and experiences with the new weapons for further balancing but for now I'll be working on new project.
TheNewbie
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:56 am

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby TheNewbie » Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:41 pm

Hello SleeperService! :D I want to use one of your weapons as a base for my ship mod! :roll: I just want to ask permission from you to use the weapon positioned right to the gigantic hull laser :mrgreen: .
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Sleeper Service
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Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby Sleeper Service » Sat Apr 13, 2013 11:49 pm

Permission granted!

All the weapons are free to use for anyone anyway, but giving credit would still be appreciated.
I also remembered having some spillover ion beam sprites lying around here which in the end haven't been used for anything. If anyone wants to put them to use you can download them here.


Image
Last edited by Sleeper Service on Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
TheNewbie
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:56 am

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby TheNewbie » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:09 am

Thank you! :D
TheNewbie
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:56 am

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby TheNewbie » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:19 am

I have an idea for a weapon! What about an ion beam which has tiny length (around 3-5),a huge re-load time (25-30 secs.) and cost around 120 scrap? It doesn't sound OP to me. :roll:
Last edited by TheNewbie on Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sleeper Service
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Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:49 pm

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby Sleeper Service » Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:09 pm

Beams like that where meant to be in the mod, therefore these sprites where created. But right now ion damage on beam weapons is totally buggy. Shields are always completely depleted with the first room hit, even on four shield enemy’s, no matter how strong or weak the beams is.

So right now proper ion beams wont happen.
TheNewbie
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:56 am

Re: Balanced Arsenal Mod

Postby TheNewbie » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:34 pm

I think that as the ion beams can deplete a shield so easily , why not making a tiny length beam which would roughly ionize more than one system and the shield. With the super long charge time it wouldn't be totally OP. :roll: