How to remove mines from game? |
Hi all,
I should start by saying im really enjoying the game now that 1.58 has fixed most of the major bugs, and with Captain Kwok's BM 1.11 the AI makes for a fun, challenging game.
However, the heavy use of mines is really annoying me (this may only refer more specifically to the Balance Mod) - fair enough to everyone else that likes them as part of the game but personally I hate having to think about minesweepers etc all the time, and having entire fleets decimated seemingly at random moving through warp points etc. As you might remember, SE4 had an option to remove the use of mines in a given game. I can't see any reason why the same option shouldn't be in SE5 but sadly we arnt given that choice any more.
So - can anyone give me any pointers as to how I (no previous modding/editing experience) might go about manually taking mines out of the game parameters? I just dont want them to be used by the AI is the bottom line. Which files do I need to be looking in to do this? Stock or BM files? Is it even possible?
Any help here would be really appreciated guys. Cheers.
Re: How to remove mines from game?
You don't really need to mod any AI; just make the mines tech area have a few 1000 tech levels of prereq in the BM TechAreas.txt:
Name := Mines
...
Requirement 1 Formula := Get_Empire_Tech_Level("Construction") >= 2000
Re: How to remove mines from game?
Ok, I'll try that out on a new game and see what happens.
Thanks Fyron and Kwok for the input - Kwok, your a gentleman for offering to arrange custom files but hopefully if this works you won't have to go to the trouble.
I'll let you know if it works out.
Re: How to remove mines from game?
On the same topic...although I agree that mines are too powerful and far too randomly efficient killers of ships is there some way to reduce their effectiveness and not elimiate them completely?
For example AI sets up a minefield consisting of 20 mines, I bring in a ship with 240 shields and 420 armor in to a known minefield thinking I could absorb the damage and 1 mine kills it (19 left in field). Know the AI is at level 2 at mines and lvl 2 at warheads (i checked) which means that at best with two/three warheads a mine should be able to 80-140 in damage but it took out a destroyer!!??
I believe mines have a place but they are overpowered unless you some how catch them in sector combat.
Re: How to remove mines from game?
Reduce the damage done by the mine warhead components, and their effectiveness will be reduced. This is from BM 1.11:
Name := Mine Warhead Standard
...
Weapon Space Min Damage Modifier Formula := (50 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 5)) - iif([%Range%] > Min(10, (([%Level%] - 1) * 0) + 10), 10000, 0)
Weapon Space Max Damage Modifier Formula := (75 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 5)) - iif([%Range%] > Min(10, (([%Level%] - 1) * 0) + 10), 10000, 0)
Halve the values 50, 75 and 5, halve the effectiveness of mines.
Weapon Space Min Damage Modifier Formula := (25 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 2.5)) - iif([%Range%] > Min(10, (([%Level%] - 1) * 0) + 10), 10000, 0)
Weapon Space Max Damage Modifier Formula := (37.5 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 2.5)) - iif([%Range%] > Min(10, (([%Level%] - 1) * 0) + 10), 10000, 0)
Make sure to modify the special damage type mines by the same factor you choose to go with, to keep them balanced.
Name := Mine Warhead Neutrino
Name := Mine Warhead Ionic
Name := Mine Warhead Tachyon
====0====
As an aside, why the hell do mine warheads have a range factor?? That can easily be simplified out...
Re: How to remove mines from game?
Fyron,
Thanks!! Did you change this for your games...and if so how has it played out?
That is odd about the range unless their proximity mines...maybe...or might have something to do with giving allies minefield codes. Any idea what the 'iif' notation is?
Re: How to remove mines from game?
iif(COND, A, B)
iif is the conditional function. If COND evaluates to TRUE, the function returns the value of A. Else, it returns the value of B.
Re: How to remove mines from game?
It's possible, but is moderately difficulty to do.
Send me a PM with your e-mail and I will cook up custom scripts where the AI won't research mines.
Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod