'Equal Terms' 1.0 Mod Discussion.

[KingMob4313]

With the 1.0 version now out, I am looking to branch to a 2.0 version with the following changes and release schedule:

I already have a 2.0 version planned, with the following changes to be done:

Code: [Select]

Future plans:
 ■ projected  + likely  * problematic and complex
Version 1.8  - Oct 2014
 ■ add another step into alloys research tree: Alloy Manufacturing (Dependency: Alloys)
 ■ Alloy research allows for Alloy Reinforced Armor
 ■ add alloy ammo types for powder weapons, adjusting normal ammo's damage down towards standard, and current values will be for the alloy rounds (Requires: Alloy manufacturing + Any autopsy unlocks Alloy rounds)
 ■ adjust explosive damages back down to standard
     ■ create alloy rockets/grenades with higher damages
     ■ create human elerium high explosives and rockets
 ■ add/replace body armors
     ■ Improved Light Armor: P: 24 AP: 65% HE: 75% PL: 95% (Dependency: Alloy manufacturing - Consumes 1 light armor and 2 alloys )
     ■ Improved Tactical Armor P: 28 AP: 55% HE: 60% PL: 90% (Dependency: Alloy manufacturing - Consumes 1 tactical armor and 3 alloys)
     ■ adjust game armors
         ■ Personal Armour (Original Stats P: 50) P: 34 PL: 80% HE: 60% AP: 55%
         ■ Heavy Personal Armor: P: 46 AP:50% PL:75% Requires 6 alloys
         ■ Power Armor (Original Stats P: 100) P: 60 AP: 45% HE: 50% PL: 65% now requires 7 alloys
         ■ Scout Power Armor P: 60 AP: 45% HE: 50% PL: 65%  now requires 6 alloys
         ■ Flying Armor P: 60 AP: 45% HE: 50% PL: 65% requires 7 alloys
     ■ adjust damage resistance and armor for aliens to match new paradigm - More resistance, less armor.
 ■ shift laser weapons to require alloy research (Dependency: Alloy manufacturing)
 ■ shift plasma weapon research to require alien power supply research first (Dependency UFO power Supply + Alloy manufacturing)

Version 1.9:
 ■ Alloy Manufacturing allows for creation of alloy crafted interceptor
 ■ add DMR, SMG and SAW/LMG versions of laser and plasma rifle. Will require the proper technology sniper rifle and rifle both to be researched
     ■ shift laser pistol lose autofire and gain damage
     + change so that Heavy Plasma and Plasma pistols cannot be manufactured by humans.
         + clips for those weapons, along with the DMR, SMG and SAW/LMG versions will be able to be manufactured, along with a new Plasma Magnum to differentiate with alien plasma pistol.
         + X-Com can still use the Plasma Pistol and Heavy Plasma captured and returned from the battlescape, but just can't manufacture them.
- The heavy plasma and plasma pistols will be slightly better than previous versions of this mod
Version 2.0:
Final Version


[Arthanor]

Yours is a very interesting mod. The starting weapons of the vanilla game are so disappointing, it is nice to see someone working on improving them. Great work!

I had a look at your plans for version 2.0 and it looks very promising but.. Isn't that too much for a single mod? I can list:

- Alloy Ammo (Already done, but would need to be redone for your mod)
- New alloy armor
- Explosive tweaks
- Laser weapons tweaks
- Plasma weapons tweaks
- Alloy interceptor

Those are 6 different and unrelated topics, except maybe in the overall game balance that you achieve through using all of them. Maybe it would be better to keep Equal Terms as the "starting human weapons" mod, and work on further individual mods that are intended to be used together?

I find reading large rules files for ambitious mods to be difficult. More importantly, it also makes it particularly difficult to use the "compilation" mod with other mods, whereas one could much more easily pick and chose some of yours and others' mods to create the experience they want.

Kind of like how it is better to build many small functions and larger functions that calls upon them, within a larger program. If you build many small mods, you can make a larger mod that is based on the small one while still allowing someone to build something different based on your work.

And it is much easier to share work on multiple mods between multiple contributors than trying to coordinate everything within a single mod

[KingMob4313]

Yours is a very interesting mod. The starting weapons of the vanilla game are so disappointing, it is nice to see someone working on improving them. Great work!

I had a look at your plans for version 2.0 and it looks very promising but.. Isn't that too much for a single mod? I can list:

- Alloy Ammo (Already done, but would need to be redone for your mod)
- New alloy armor
- Explosive tweaks
- Laser weapons tweaks
- Plasma weapons tweaks
- Alloy interceptor

Those are 6 different and unrelated topics, except maybe in the overall game balance that you achieve through using all of them. Maybe it would be better to keep Equal Terms as the "starting human weapons" mod, and work on further individual mods that are intended to be used together?

I find reading large rules files for ambitious mods to be difficult. More importantly, it also makes it particularly difficult to use the "compilation" mod with other mods, whereas one could much more easily pick and chose some of yours and others' mods to create the experience they want.

Kind of like how it is better to build many small functions and larger functions that calls upon them, within a larger program. If you build many small mods, you can make a larger mod that is based on the small one while still allowing someone to build something different based on your work.

And it is much easier to share work on multiple mods between multiple contributors than trying to coordinate everything within a single mod

Well, the ideas are supposed to be balanced together, but it does make it harder to extract bits you like.  Maybe I'll break down the 2.0 version to four different add ons under the same theme:

1) Equal Terms - Wolfram Solution: Level 0 - 0.5 gear (Base weapons and armor and improvised alloy gear)
2) Equal Terms - Coherency: Level 1 gear (laser - full run from pistol, mag to sniper and alloy manufactured gear)
3) Equal Terms - Fourth State: Level 2 gear (plasma - full run, power armor)
4) Equal Terms - Retaliation: Alien-only Particle weaponry and elite units

[Arthanor]

That sounds like a good plan. Described like that, all the steps look quite interesting.

I am just about to get to work on a XCom version of the Alien Armoury Expanded (freshly posted it), to expand the craft selection of XCom, and provide conventional and laser equivalent to the new weapons in the Alien Armoury.

It looks like what you propose to do could cover the need for conventional and laser weapons. How do you think your "level 2" pack would interact with the Alien Armoury Expanded? I guess one could just disable the AAE weapons pack and only keep the UFOs, but that would also take away the work done to keep different weapons "active"..

[KingMob4313]

That sounds like a good plan. Described like that, all the steps look quite interesting.

I am just about to get to work on a XCom version of the Alien Armoury Expanded (freshly posted it), to expand the craft selection of XCom, and provide conventional and laser equivalent to the new weapons in the Alien Armoury.

It looks like what you propose to do could cover the need for conventional and laser weapons. How do you think your "level 2" pack would interact with the Alien Armoury Expanded? I guess one could just disable the AAE weapons pack and only keep the UFOs, but that would also take away the work done to keep different weapons "active"..

 I haven't even looked at that mod yet, so...

[KingMob4313]

Okay, will download that mod and check the overlap between it and my mod.

[Arthanor]

No worries! I'm just trying to save you some work in the plasma department by mentioning the other mod. It has 3 new plasma weapons, but no tech tree restriction, like the original plasma.

Either way, it is certainly a mod worth checking out, as the new UFOs add some complexity to the game. (especially those fighters blowing up all my interceptors before they can disengage!)

[KingMob4313]

Mod 2.0a - Wolfram Solution is 80% done.
This is the one closest to the current version.  I still have to make all the new ammo views and code, new armors (easy) and the new interceptor code and view.  Also will need to push out other changes already in the code to be modularized: you can chose if you want to balance the laser and plasma weapons against the new weapons, even without the other mods.

Wolfram Solution: Version 1.8  - Sept 2014
 - modify weapon damage down towards standard
   - this includes explosive damages
 - add another step into alloys research tree: Alloy Manufacturing (Dependency: Alloys)
 - Alloy research allows for Alloy Reinforced Armor
 - add alloy ammo types for powder weapons, adjusting normal ammo's damage down towards standard, and current values will be for the alloy rounds (Requires: Alloy manufacturing + Any autopsy unlocks Alloy rounds)
   - This includes explosive weapons
 - add another step for research: Alloy Armor
 - add/replace body armors
   - Improved Light Armor: P: 24 AP: 65% HE: 75% PL: 95% (Dependency: Alloy manufacturing - Consumes 1 light armor and 2 alloys )
   - Improved Tactical Armor P: 28 AP: 55% HE: 60% PL: 90% (Dependency: Alloy manufacturing - Consumes 1 tactical armor and 3 alloys)
 - adjust game armors
    - Personal Armour (Original Stats P: 50) P: 34 PL: 80% HE: 60% AP: 55%
    - Heavy Personal Armor: P: 46 AP:50% PL:75% Requires 6 alloys
 - Alloy Manufacturing allows for creation of alloy crafted interceptor
    - allows for creation of short range heavy damage missile
   - allows for creation of longer range medium damage missile
 - create option ruleset for other adjusted weapons
   - this means adjusted damage and such, but no new weapons
 - create option ruleset for other small changes

Mod 2.0b - Coherency is 60% done.
I just finished up the BigObs views of all the new laser weapons, I just need to make floorobs and handobs and put together Ufopedia views of the two new cannons for interceptors. Need to set up modularization so that you can chose if you want to balance the gunpowder and plasma weapons against the new weapons, even without the other mods.

Coherency: Version 1.8  - Sept 2014
 - add another step into alloys research tree: Alloy Manufacturing (Dependency: Alloys)
 - alloy manufacturing is required for laser research
 - add new laser weapons
   - shift laser pistol lose autofire and gain damage
   - remove and replace heavy laser with sniper laser
   - add laser magnum
   - add laser smg
   - add laser dmr
   - add laser lmg   
 - add laser blaster (short range, lower damage, high hit rate)
   - add laser cannon (medium range, higher damage, low rate of fire, lower hit rate)
 - option ruleset shift laser research to start with tank heavy cannons and branches back, laser smg last.
 - create option ruleset for other adjusted weapons
   - this means adjusted damage and such, but no new weapons
 - create option ruleset for other small changes
   - this includes the changed research tree

Fourth State and Retaliation have no work done on them yet.

[KingMob4313]

Looks like Coherency and Fourth State is going to take around 20-30 hours of work, plus twice that for testing.

Going to take around 50+hours to put together Retaliation, since there will be new creatures and weapons.  One good thing will there will be no research tree for it.  Alien only means alien only.

Wolfram should be done in the new week or so, however.

My estimation of October for Equal Terms 2.0 Complete looks about correct.

There should be a 1.8 release mid August though,

[pkrcel]

Well, I must say (having shortly tried 1.01 and counting) that I personally can't wait for this.

Along with New Terrain from hobbes, Gauss from Solar and Luke's extra UFO+Terror...shoudl definitely provide a ocmpletely new gameplay.

[KingMob4313]

Well, I must say (having shortly tried 1.01 and counting) that I personally can't wait for this.

Along with New Terrain from hobbes, Gauss from Solar and Luke's extra UFO+Terror...shoudl definitely provide a ocmpletely new gameplay.

I'm glad you're enjoying the mod.  The next version will be a further extension of what has already has come before.

[pkrcel]

Great, but I have to report a bug, as seen in this thread here

at line 764 of EqualTerms_Weapons_v1010.rul, it reads:

 

Code: [Select]

  corpseItem: STR_CORPSE_UNIFORM_JUNGLE
 
while it should be

 

Code: [Select]

  corpseItem: STR_CORPSE_KEVLAR_JUNGLE
 
The issue causes a crash when a soldier wearing the Light Armor Jungle dies due to unexistent floorobject.

[KingMob4313]

Great, but I have to report a bug, as seen in this thread here

at line 764 of EqualTerms_Weapons_v1010.rul, it reads:

 

Code: [Select]

  corpseItem: STR_CORPSE_UNIFORM_JUNGLE
 
while it should be

 

Code: [Select]

  corpseItem: STR_CORPSE_KEVLAR_JUNGLE
 
The issue causes a crash when a soldier wearing the Light Armor Jungle dies due to unexistent floorobject.

Patched, thanks for the bug report.  Uploading now.

[KingMob4313]

Wolfram Lance (formerly 'Solution') is now at 1.95 and is in testing.

Coherency is at 1.80

And I've started work on Fourth State, it's at 1.20

[pkrcel]

I have to reiterate the bug report, line 764 of a freshly downloaded Equalterms_v1011.ru reads as:

Code: [Select]

    corpseItem: STR_CORP

dunno why that coudl be....

also, the proposed fix in grenades weight seems to not be there, we still have anyday grenades weight 2 instead of 3....or maybe I am mistaken?

Grenade item reads as:

Code: [Select]

  - type: STR_GRENADE
    weight: 2 # 3
    power: 75 # 50

or, lighter and more powerful than vanilla.

Same for the High Explosive

Code: [Select]

  - type: STR_HIGH_EXPLOSIVE
    weight: 4 # 6
    power: 150 # 110
    blastRadius: 4 # 0

lighter and more powerful...unsure about blastradius.