What can be done with modding?

[JDarthenay]

Hello. Sorry for this topic which, once again, could seems stupid but I searched the wiki, the forum and openxcom.org, and I was unable to find what can be done and cannot be done with modding exactly. Could some kind soul explain me?

[Meridian]

Hello. Sorry for this topic which, once again, could seems stupid but I searched the wiki, the forum and openxcom.org, and I was unable to find what can be done and cannot be done with modding exactly. Could some kind soul explain me?

1. with ruleset modding, you can create new content that is supported by openxcom, e.g. new weapons, new craft, new races, new ufos, new maps, new terrain, new missions, new story, etc. etc.

More info on ruleset: https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/Ruleset_Reference_Nightly_%28OpenXcom%29

2. with executable "modding" (i.e. your own development) you can do anything... for example make sectoids and floaters play ice hockey against each other

As you can probably see by now, my answer is quite vague... because your question is also very vague... maybe you should ask more specific question(s).

[JDarthenay]

Actually I believe you answered my questiion. From what I understood there is a modding system for which you only need to put the mod in a directory to have OpenXcom use it. I guess, unless there is a plugin system of any kind this mods should only be the "ruleset modding". I wanted to do a few modifications and make them available without rebuilding the game, because I don't think they will be integrated in the core OpenXcom.
The modifications I have in mind for the moment are:
1 - "your OCD is bigger than Mt. Everest".
2 - Giving a chance to have an alien infiltration mission fail, by preventing enough UFOs of the last wave from succeeding. I think there will be a base percentage success of 0% and each UFO succeeding a mission will increase this percentage by 25% or 50% according to its size.
3 - Same thing with alien base missions.
4 - When an UFO is destroyed by base defenses, the retaliation mission ends.
I don't think those changes can be done with only ruleset modding.

[Solarius Scorch]

I think the best way to check what is possible and what is not is to check several mods by yourself and see how it looks like. All data files are in plain text and all resources are normal pictures and sounds (except for maps), so it's easy.

1 - "your OCD is bigger than Mt. Everest".

How informative

2 - Giving a chance to have an alien infiltration mission fail, by preventing enough UFOs of the last wave from succeeding. I think there will be a base percentage success of 0% and each UFO succeeding a mission will increase this percentage by 25% or 50% according to its size.
3 - Same thing with alien base missions.
4 - When an UFO is destroyed by base defenses, the retaliation mission ends.
I don't think those changes can be done with only ruleset modding.

Yeah, all this would require new code.

[Meridian]

4 - When an UFO is destroyed by base defenses, the retaliation mission ends.

This is done in OXCE+ here: https://github.com/MeridianOXC/OpenXcom/commit/eb0778abf730163aadc9477e371adce1c3947842

[JDarthenay]

How informative

Sorry, that was a reference with Meridian being very unkind to me.

This is done in OXCE+ here: https://github.com/MeridianOXC/OpenXcom/commit/eb0778abf730163aadc9477e371adce1c3947842

Well, do you think all other stuff I suggest could be new options to add to OXE+?

To be honest I was afraid when I saw more than 1000 commits late in your build from Supsuper's build, but I do not see them anymore so I wonder if I was not dreaming or in a random branch of something else...

[Yankes]

To be honest I was afraid when I saw more than 1000 commits late in your build from Supsuper's build, but I do not see them anymore so I wonder if I was not dreaming or in a random branch of something else...

Yes, right now Extended (and Meridian Extended+) is behind couple of months to master, but when I finish what I doing now I will start merging masters again.

[JDarthenay]

And which ones of my thee first points would interest you if I was releasing them?

[Yankes]

And which ones of my thee first points would interest you if I was releasing them?

Depending how it will be configurable then it could be useful for modders.