I'd say you should work on the art and dialogue features first and just don't give up writing them.
Then, look at how other pilot mods do things, try and figure it out from there, give up, go on the Discord and ask someone who knows how to code stuff to help with the implementation.
That's how the Omega Pilots came to be anyway; plus while writing your dialogue and art, you can determine whether or not you actually want to implement that character/ability. I'll go through the list and talk about my opinion on some of those pilots.
Roland White: Titan Armor
When damaged by an attack, Mech gains a shield.
Well, there is a pilot who instead of repairing gets a shield... this one sounds a bit... exploitative.
Kate Shreeve: Climb
Mech can move through buildings and mountains.
Damn, been looking for that idea myself; sort of like the other half of Henry Kwan (in fact the character would have been his ex...)
Athena: Ricochet
Vek take extra damage from bumping Mech.
See about getting that one coded. I want a pilot who is their own Force Amp
Stranger: Mark of Destruction
Psions and Alpha Vek start mission with 1 damage (powered).
Unsure on this one being coded but I think it sounds like an interesting ability.
Ezekiel Gray: Hull Seal
Mech can attack while submerged.
(Ideally pilot would always get 1 reactor upgrade)
Not sure about the upgrade since promotions are random but there is an Amphibious trait some Mechs have in other mods. A pilot who does the same thing wouldn't be too hard to implement based on that. Look into this and make the pilot. Art, dialogue, this one looks like it can be done.
Mark Savage: Adrenaline
After repairing, gain +3 Move next turn.
So we have another "Better Lily Reed" pilot?
Poor Lily... I like her personality-wise though
Amelia Espada: Polyalloy Shell
Mech regains 1 HP each turn.
I remember in Pilots+ there was Atria's ability to self repair when powered along with repairing everyone else.
Not sure if that should be a powered ability here for self-regen. Alternatively - Repairing does +2HP
Esther Martin: Overwatch
Vek spawning within 2 tiles of Mech take 1 damage on arrival.
I like this one; there is someone in Mezz's pilots who does reflexive fire to the first target I think. There's also the Armed Train so the idea of shooting at emerging Vek could work fine.
Earl Deckard: Cheap Trick
Repair is replaced with a melee attack that kills wounded non-massive Vek.
So if you damage an Alpha, it's like Kazaaak striking a target on ACID?
Ehhh... not sure that's a good idea since Kazaaak is already OP.
Julia Takahashi: Sniper
After ending your turn, if there is 1 Vek with lower HP than the others, it takes 1 damage.
I should send you the code for my custom pilot Tabitha... she can strike a Vek anywhere on the field for 1HP of damage. Because I think that might be more useful.
Gargoyle: Leech
Repair is replaced with a 1 damage projectile that heals Mech.
Heh, so it's like my Omega Pilot Binah but without the ranged, self-harming laser...
Yeah, looks like you could just take that part and well... dialogue, art it up. This one is a winner.
Sen: Nature's Wrath
If Mech is set on fire, frozen, or inflicted with A.C.I.D., so are adjacent tiles.
Mezz's Pilots has that guy who can swap effects of tiles around...
And Deluge's Pilots has the robot who when repairing dumps ACID around him. The fire sounds dangerous for Time Pods but also exploitative if you jump into a forest with self-damage or something. And on an Ice Mech would be very powerful. So I'm not sure on the balance.
Simon Coil: Necrotize
Killing a Vek creates a friendly Spiderling which cannot act until the next turn. Limit 1 at a time.
Hmm... I like this idea, not sure about the coding.
Janet Walker: Blink
Moving onto a unit swaps it with Mech's starting tile and damages Mech.
So like Lucas Kendral from Pilots+ except it does damage and can swap with anyone... I'd be very careful with that power; I exploit Lucas' swap ability for free movement. This one sounds like it'd end a run if I accidentally cancel a move order.
Jai Chandra: Gravitic Drive
Adjacent Vek cannot move away from Mech.
Maybe it could be a repair ability instead; reduces movement of nearby Vek to 0 when repairing...
Alain Mormont: Drift Step
Mech can move up to 3 extra tiles, but next turn's movement is reduced by that amount.
Ah! An alternative to Lily Reed! That's... good
Alec Shaheen: Summon
Teleport an in-line Mech to your side when repairing.
(Aim in 1 of the 4 directions, grabs first mech)
So a Grappling Hook Repair? Does it grab Vek as well? Might be worth looking into...
Tang Daiyu: Vengeance
Whenever Mech survives weapon damage, Vek within 3 tiles take 1 damage.
No. Retaliation is already OP. This is like that but on steroids.
George of Mormoth: Steadfast
Mech is immune to bump damage.
I like the idea. Does this include Vek spawn blocking?
Karl Shraeder: Adaptive Nanites
Mech is immune to fire and A.C.I.D.
Maybe just ACID since we have Ariadne for the fire immunity part.
Andromeda McLear: Icy Retreat
Repairing instead freezes Mech.
Mezz's pilots has that... sort of. If that pilot not at full health when a turn ends, she freezes herself when repairing.
There's also Alice the Ice Queen who can freeze and unfreeze at will during a turn which is gloriously OP so... take that code and remove the "at will" parts so it's just freezing for repairs instead.
Marika Prochazka: Improbable Escape
Once per mission, Mech survives destruction with 1 HP.
So it's an alternative to the Cyborgs, my own trash Omega Pilot Skynet and Deluge's pilot who can eject into a suit of armour upon death?
Art it up, dialogue it...
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Yeah, so if you can look through all that, there are some real winners in there or at least that which would be "easy" to code up. Look for the mods I've suggested for ways it can be done before giving up and seeing someone who can code properly. Because it can be a real learning experience if you try it a few times, then being told where you might have gone wrong in the coding.
Be sure to post those coding attempts on the Discord for correction purposes as well.