Customizable Balance Mod Pack

[Cooper]

Getting tired of the over-powered Psi-Amp and Blaster Launcher ruining this awesome game, I just made the "Customizable Balance Mod Pack" (my first public mod, yay!).

This is 7 different options for reducing/changing theese weapons, like requiering line-of-sight to use the Psi-Amp, making the Blaster Launcher so heavy that only very very strong soldiers can carry it, or simply removing Blaster Launcher from the game.

https://www.openxcom.com/mod/customizable-balance-mod-pack

Edit: New link to the mod: https://www.openxcom.com/mod/customizable-psi-blaster-balance

Edit 2: Latest version is attached to this post!

[Cooper]

Question: Will this code still allow aliens to use the Blaster Launcher?

Code: [Select]

items:
- delete: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
 
- delete: STR_BLASTER_BOMB
   

manufacture:
- delete: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
 
- delete: STR_BLASTER_BOMB
   

ufopaedia:

- delete: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
 
- delete: STR_BLASTER_BOMB
   

research:
- delete: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
 
- delete: STR_BLASTER_BOMB
   

[Arthanor]

if you delete the item, then what do you think the aliens will be equipped with? I would expect the game will crash when it tries to give a blaster launcher to an alien and finds it doesn't know what a blaster launcher is.

You can simply add requires: STR_NOT_AVAILABLE to the blaster launcher, which means that it will be unusable, but still researchable (so that XCom can still know just how devastating a weapon the aliens have).

Or did you want the aliens to not use it either? The you need to remove it from the alienDeployments section as well.

[Cooper]

Good point. Hmm I guess I should do more testing before I publish stuff.

You mean like this?

Code: [Select]

item:
  - type: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
    requires: STR_NOT_AVAILABLE
Cant get it to work..

[Cooper]

But this seems to work:

Code: [Select]

item:
  - type: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
    requires: STR_SOME_RANDOM_TEXT

[Cooper]

Code: [Select]

items:
  - type: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
    requires:
    - STR_JUST_SOME_RANDOM_TEXT_12321

manufacture:
- delete: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
- delete: STR_BLASTER_BOMB

[Orz]

if you delete the item, then what do you think the aliens will be equipped with? I would expect the game will crash when it tries to give a blaster launcher to an alien and finds it doesn't know what a blaster launcher is.

Actually, it won't! I learned by sheer happenstance the other day. On my original TFTD mod, I was making Sonic weaponry ammoless, so I painstakingly removed every single clip from the alien's arsenal (alienDeployment). When I went about to do the same on my UFO/EU mod... I just deleted each Plasma clip instead (items.rul) without removing them from the alien's actual itemset. I would have expected the game to crash, but... lo and behold: it didn't. Aliens simply spawned without clips even though they were still listed in their itemsets.

If I only had known this earlier I would have saved myself so much time!

[Arthanor]

Uh? That's interesting. One time when OpenXCom is more robust than I'd expect (CTDs are pretty common when modding...)

That works for removing ammo, but if you remove the weapon too, those aliens would spawn with nothing to fight you except a grenade if they're lucky. Not fair!

[Orz]

That works for removing ammo, but if you remove the weapon too, those aliens would spawn with nothing to fight you except a grenade if they're lucky. Not fair!

Of course, that'd be pretty bad for the poor guys. Not to divert the topic, but I merely made alien's weaponry ammoless to (1) prevent X-Com from acquiring so much money-making loot (even though I had already cut sell prices in half for all recoverable alien items & UFO components) and (2) give the poor aliens a slightly higher advantage. Naturally, Laser weapons now require clips/batteries just like Gauss. Besides, ammoless Sonic weapons make much more sense (and why not, Plasma tech too). Sound-waves should require no ammo!

[Arthanor]

Takes energy to make plasma or sound, even if the raw material (an atmosphere to turn into plasma by superheating it, or an atmosphere to support a pressure wave) is free! Those "ammo packs" are batteries!

[Orz]

Takes energy to make plasma or sound, even if the raw material (an atmosphere to turn into plasma by superheating it, or an atmosphere to support a pressure wave) is free! Those "ammo packs" are batteries!

Umm, err... well, you know, let's just say those "batteries" are incorporated in the weapon system itself then! I very much do love the idea of having clips for all projectile weapons. The reloading aspect of it makes it all the more "tangible," if that makes any sense. It just feels great. But then again, I really need to limit looting. It's too indiscriminate!

[Arthanor]

Use clips but make them not recoverable? Without clips, you are saying "this weapon has so much energy in, it can pew pew forever", with clips, each batteries has a finite life. Say they are Elerium/Zrbite batteries which degrade quickly after battle, then XCom has to devise their own system to manufacture clips then, which also means you can give them various power ratings compared to the aliens!

[Dioxine]

I really need to limit looting. It's too indiscriminate!

There's no such thing. You have no idea how heartwarming it is that basically every large OXCom mod is using some of my resources Just don't be sloppy with your credits, like Hellrazor

[hellrazor]

There's no such thing. You have no idea how heartwarming it is that basically every large OXCom mod is using some of my resources Just don't be sloppy with your credits, like Hellrazor

So i do have a "sloppy" creditlist? Creditlist
I tried to include every information i found/find, to name the creator of a Sprite or ruleset i use, i do not think that this is in any way sloppy, even thou i do not track the Mods (for what)?

EDIT: Obviously Dioxine was making a joke, which as usual i did not understand at all...

[Meridian]

You get excited too easily hellrazor. Chill out, it was just a friendly joke from Dioxine...