[QoL] Engineered Tanks 0.2 - Gives Bored Starter Engineers a Project

[Lohengramm]

Very simple mod which exists to give your starting 10 Engineers something to do. It is so short I pasted the contents of the mod below:


# Engineered Tanks 0.02 by Evan Williams / Lohengramm @ OpenXCOM Forums
#
# Give bored engineers a project when the game starts! We're paying them
# to smoke (this was made in 1994...) and play video games all day otherwise!
#
# Adding tanks to manufacture list with no requirements to begin production.
# Cost is reduced by exactly 1/2, making them a more viable opening move while
# giving your bored Engineers something to get started working on. They build
# in about 2/3 the time it takes to build the Laser and Plasma tanks due to
# their reliance on conventional armaments that don't need manufactured. Their
# sale price was reduced drastically to prevent an exploit where they would be
# even more profitable to produce for sale than Laser Cannons.
#
# Since they still use conventional ammunition which is easily purchased,
# that is how you get ammo for them. GO BUY IT. Remember: 30 shots to board
# the Skyranger, Cannon kids! Rocket tanks only carry 8 shots, though.
#
manufacture:
  - name: STR_TANK_CANNON
    category: STR_HEAVY_WEAPONS_PLATFORM
    requires:
    space: 30
    time: 800
    cost: 210000
  - name: STR_TANK_ROCKET_LAUNCHER
    category: STR_HEAVY_WEAPONS_PLATFORM
    requires:
    space: 30
    time: 800
    cost: 240000
#
# Removing tanks from purchase list, but leaving their ammo, and cutting their
# sale price.
#   
items:
  - type: STR_TANK_CANNON
    costBuy: 0
    costSell: 220000
  - type: STR_TANK_ROCKET_LAUNCHER
    costBuy: 0
    costSell: 250000


0.1 - First release
0.2 - Increased build price to exactly 1/2 the standard purchase price, it was too good at under 1/3
0.3 - Fixed an oversight that shall not be named (you could still buy tanks)

[Dioxine]

Hmm, if you're going that way, why not do the same with Heavy Cannon, Auto Cannon and Rocket Launcher, and (possibly) their ammo (ammo is arguable, even though X-Com has prototype weapons, there is probably an open-ended supply of their ammo available, plus, ammo is better made in factories than hi-tec workshops...)? After all, they're specifically-designed anti-alien weapons. Plus the player gets a CHOICE what to do with them bored engineers

[Lohengramm]

Hmm, if you're going that way, why not do the same with Heavy Cannon, Auto Cannon and Rocket Launcher, and (possibly) their ammo (ammo is arguable, even though X-Com has prototype weapons, there is probably an open-ended supply of their ammo available, plus, ammo is better made in factories than hi-tec workshops...)? After all, they're specifically-designed anti-alien weapons. Plus the player gets a CHOICE what to do with them bored engineers

Hey... Lets not get TOO CRAZY here Not a bad idea, though.

I'm actually in the middle of writing another mod right now that starts you out with more standard Terran equipment (and improved General Storage [2x space for 2x the upkeep / cost to build new ones], another Living Quarters, and Alien Containment) in exchange for reduced starting cash equal to what they would have cost you.

I just need to figure out how to change starting cash or this is sunk :O

[XOps]

I just need to figure out how to change starting cash or this is sunk :O

It's in the vars.rul under initialFunding

Code: [Select]

# X-COM 1 (UFO: Enemy Unknown) ruleset
# For documentation on these values, see https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Rulesets_(OpenXcom)
startingTime:
  second: 0
  minute: 0
  hour: 12
  weekday: 6
  day: 1
  month: 1
  year: 1999
costEngineer: 25000
costScientist: 30000
timePersonnel: 72
initialFunding: 6000 #<--------------------
alienFuel: [STR_ELERIUM_115, 50]
turnAIUseGrenade: 3
turnAIUseBlaster: 3
fontName: Font.dat
difficultyCoefficient: [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

[Dioxine]

I just need to figure out how to change starting cash or this is sunk :O

That's easy to answer

Code: [Select]

initialFunding: 800

Yes, no category for this. This is initial combined funding of the council, in 1000's of $. You will be immediately (before even the game starts) hit by full maintenance cost of your base, so such funding as this would leave you with ver little cash
There is more complex part, though...

Code: [Select]

countries:
  - type: STR_USA
    fundingBase: 15
    fundingCap: 3000
This is an example code to tweak funding on a country-per-country basis. This here means that USA will not get below $15k, regardless how low you set the initial funding (I think so, at least), and countries' funding will be proportional to these 2 numbers (fundingBase and initialfunding; the higher the base in comparison to other countries, the higher the share of their payments).  The second number - cap - says that the US won't ever pay you more than $3M per month, come hell or high water. Note that these numbers do not represent vanilla XCom

[Arthanor]

I'm actually in the middle of writing another mod right now that starts you out with more standard Terran equipment (and improved General Storage [2x space for 2x the upkeep / cost to build new ones], another Living Quarters, and Alien Containment) in exchange for reduced starting cash equal to what they would have cost you.

I was going to ask what the point of this would be (you are essentially removing player choice by saying: "Here, I built you the base I like and took away your money to cover the cost") but I guess it is the fact that you don't have to wait for it to be built?

[Lohengramm]

I was going to ask what the point of this would be (you are essentially removing player choice by saying: "Here, I built you the base I like and took away your money to cover the cost") but I guess it is the fact that you don't have to wait for it to be built?

Eh I'm backing off on the facilities part of the mod just because not having to wait to build Alien Containment / more Living Quarters actually does present a balance change. Enhanced General Storage though, I do not think is a real concern Just less fiddling around with the least interesting facility in the game.

[Arthanor]

More storage is something I can support for sure. It's stupid planning to start with full warehouse when your main objective is to reclaim goods..

Commander: Soldiers! Bring back all that UFO Tech!
Soldiers: Yes! Sir!
*Soldiers come back with half the squad but a bunch of stuff*
Facilities Management: Sorry, but we can't keep this junk, no space...
*Everything is sold except a sample of alien alloy for the scientists to work on*
Morale plumets, on the next battle soldiers blow up the whole thing and just bring back the scraps instead of suffering casualties. Humanity loses the war because it never got the right samples to make its breakthrough.

[Lohengramm]

More storage is something I can support for sure. It's stupid planning to start with full warehouse when your main objective is to reclaim goods..

Commander: Soldiers! Bring back all that UFO Tech!
Soldiers: Yes! Sir!
*Soldiers come back with half the squad but a bunch of stuff*
Facilities Management: Sorry, but we can't keep this junk, no space...
*Everything is sold except a sample of alien alloy for the scientists to work on*
Morale plumets, on the next battle soldiers blow up the whole thing and just bring back the scraps instead of suffering casualties. Humanity loses the war because it never got the right samples to make its breakthrough.

Exactly. Go check it out

Enhanced Armory

[moriarty]

# Eventually I will add the ability to recover tanks and repair them.

you know what would be nice? make the tanks true to their name "heavy weapons platforms" - allow them to carry every kind of available heavy weapon.
- the original manufacture project creates a chassis.
- additional manufacture projects allow for assembly of the chassis with available heavy weapons.

this would make tanks more versatile - you could fit a standard tank with a heavy plasma once you have one. you could even make the unarmed chassis faster than the armed versions, making it more of a scout unit.

[Lohengramm]

you know what would be nice? make the tanks true to their name "heavy weapons platforms" - allow them to carry every kind of available heavy weapon.
- the original manufacture project creates a chassis.
- additional manufacture projects allow for assembly of the chassis with available heavy weapons.

this would make tanks more versatile - you could fit a standard tank with a heavy plasma once you have one. you could even make the unarmed chassis faster than the armed versions, making it more of a scout unit.

This is a really good idea. Also, I think I made tanks too cheap to produce. They're no brainers, not a decision point, with this mod.

[Lohengramm]

So, I dealt with it. They cost substantially more now than in v0.1, but are still probably too good an investment to pass up on, ESPECIALLY if you're using other Better Tanks mods like the one that comes with OpenXCOM.

[Dioxine]

you know what would be nice? make the tanks true to their name "heavy weapons platforms" - allow them to carry every kind of available heavy weapon.
- the original manufacture project creates a chassis.
- additional manufacture projects allow for assembly of the chassis with available heavy weapons.

this would make tanks more versatile - you could fit a standard tank with a heavy plasma once you have one. you could even make the unarmed chassis faster than the armed versions, making it more of a scout unit.

lol, this is actually what I'm working on now for my mod (and long overdue at that

[Arthanor]

I have a version of the XAE with modular tanks, where you build a chassis, add a cannon (I think it makes more sense to use aircraft weapons, since in vanilla it is those that unlock the HWPs) and a few components, to get your working tank.

If you go that route, it is good to also have disassembly projects that allow you to recover the weapon, chassis and component, so you can remove one turret and add a different one. I decided that a tank wreck could be repaired into a chassis, but that the extra components and weapon(s) would be lost.

Also, if you want tanks with two weapons, it starts creating a LOT of assembly and disassembly projects.

I've attached my rulesets if you want to use them to get started on the full tank building project.

[Lohengramm]

I have a version of the XAE with modular tanks, where you build a chassis, add a cannon (I think it makes more sense to use aircraft weapons, since in vanilla it is those that unlock the HWPs) and a few components, to get your working tank.

If you go that route, it is good to also have disassembly projects that allow you to recover the weapon, chassis and component, so you can remove one turret and add a different one. I decided that a tank wreck could be repaired into a chassis, but that the extra components and weapon(s) would be lost.

Also, if you want tanks with two weapons, it starts creating a LOT of assembly and disassembly projects.

I've attached my rulesets if you want to use them to get started on the full tank building project.

Wow. That is a bit beyond what I need, but impressive all the same I am just interested in small QoL stuff right now... besides Weapon Roles