Speciality Modding

I don’t know what hex editor you’re using, but they all have byte order options. Try switching between the two orders, usually it’s just that.

if you want to save some single bytes you can stay away from the script method and create an entirely new file (calling it ofc a different name than the vanilla file) and enter a line with the syntax```
equipment = [name of your file]

that’s it, you need to make openSP and delete every value asking for the vanilla systems. also you have to move the main menu’s to other systems (you would recognise them in the menu anyways) as they ask for Li01 to exist. once the game does not need them at all you can make whatever you wish with their existance. btw, it is possible to make the new york and FP7 system invisible on the nav map or move them out of the map’s range, so they stay but the player doesn’t know they do.

Welcome to separate topic about destructible bases in mp.

And this topic is for mod discussion (not modification 😉 i think

dunno the exact syntax but it is possible to make data tags depend on multiple options. this way the feature would only be activated if all of the required options (this could be e.g. your openSP AND the single option) are enabled. just like the logical function “AND”.

hm, ob wohl vom letzten post abgesehen werden kann, wenn der herausgeber sämtliche veränderungen erlaubt…

actually there are four numbers in the build. though i am not public yet i use a stative first number, a second number with two digits (though only the second changed till now), the third and fourth numbers for betas where the changes amount change the 2nd last number and the fixes and minor changes the last. problem is i have four releases now and the stative first number is reserved by other mods… though i never saw a server with the number which is why i chose them in first place.

I notice your

encounter = patrolp_gov_patrol, 0, 0.500000

is calling an encounter with NPC rank (i.e. difficulty, or skill level) of 0 !!

It (NPCs of difficulty 0) does not exist, ranks are 1-19 for fighters.

These ranks (difficulties) are the dx numbers defined in the file DATA\MISSIONS\npcships.ini

Change it to:
encounter = patrolp_gov_patrol, 1, 0.500000

So it should become:
encounter = patrolp_gov_patrol, 1, 0.500000
faction = li_n_grp, 1.000000

Here’s more explanation in my usual style…!!

What it means:

The encounter patrolp_gov_patrol will be generated.
This is defined in the file defined in the [EncounterParameters] entry at the top of the same system ini file:-
[EncounterParameters]
nickname = patrolp_gov_patrol
filename = missions\encounters\patrolp_gov_patrol.ini

The file missions\encounters\patrolp_gov_patrol.ini contains the ship, wing size and type, pilot ranks, behaviour, and formation definition:-

**[EncounterFormation]
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_fighters
pilot_job = patrol_leader_job
make_class = class_police_patroller
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -1
pilot_job = patrol_job
formation_by_class = fighters
behavior = patrol_path
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[EncounterFormation]
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_fighters
pilot_job = patrol_leader_job
make_class = class_police_patroller
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -1
pilot_job = patrol_job
formation_by_class = fighters
behavior = patrol_path
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation]
permutation = 0, 3**

Hmm… See that? Very Interesting!! The encounter formation is repeated, but only the first one is called (permutation 0)! This is an error, I fixed it in my mod by deleting the second one.

OK here’s what this enounter does:

It generates 1 ship of rank d1 (which will actually be a Rank 3 pilot as we will see below) as the patrol leader, and give him 2 wingmen who will be of the leader’s rank minus 1, i.e they will be Rank 2. They will behave as defined in the pilot_job definitions patrol_leader_job and patrol_job - these are in the file DATA\MISSIONS\pilots_population.ini and I won’t list those here, too big.

From the permutation, the first [EncounterFormation] entry (encounter 0) has a 1 in 3 chance of happening in the time frame allocated for it in the zone’s repop_time value seconds), generating 3 NPCs - a leader of Rank (difficulty) of d3 and 2 wingmen of rank d2, with 0.5 chance (50% chance) of it occurring each time it is called for in this zone. The wing generation can be repeated until the zone’s density = 5 value is exceeded.

and the participating factions are:-
li_n_grp, with 1.0 share (i.e. 100% share) of the entire encounter faction capacity ( i.e. it will be them all the time, as there is only 1 faction declared).

🙂

More info for those who don’t know:-:

The NPC ranks from DATA\MISSIONS\npcships.ini are compared with the ship types used by the faction for each defined rank, which are in turn defined in the file DATA\MISSIONS\faction_props.ini…

Here’s the ship part of the entry for the li_n_grp:-
[FactionProps]
affiliation = li_n_grp
legality = lawful
nickname_plurality = singular
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_faction_li_n
jump_preference = jumpgate
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d1-3
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d4
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d5
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d6
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d7
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d8
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d9
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d10
npc_ship = li_n_li_elite_d11-19
npc_ship = li_n_cruiser_d22
npc_ship = li_n_dreadnought_d25
…

When FL is initialising it reads each of these and looks for it to exist in npcships.ini and loads the ship type, ship loadout, pilot rank (difficulty), pilot attributes, and behaviour. In this case for difficulty d1 it will use the definition below:-

[NPCShipArch]
nickname = li_n_li_elite_d1-3
loadout = li_n_li_elite_loadout01
level = d3
ship_archetype = li_elite
pilot = pilot_military_med
state_graph = FIGHTER
npc_class = lawful, class_fighter, d1, d2, d3

Note the level = d3. This puts pilots of rank d3 in this ship. And remember our encounter asked for 2 wingmen with -1 experience than the leader. This npcship entry caters for that, but if the wing leader had been a rank d1 then d1-1 = 0 and the game would have probably crashed! In this case of this error above, d0-1 = -1! And that would also cause a crash.

Therefore as you can see from this, take care when you design your own dx levels for pilots, ships and loadouts!

So to continue… This is an encounter with li_elite ships (Defenders) in formation “fighters” (the formation layout is defined in DATA\MISSIONS\formations.ini) and consisting of one wing leader of rank (difficulty) d3, and two wingmen of rank d2, all equipped with loadouts li_n_li_elite_loadout01. This loadout is defined in DATA\SHIPS\loadouts.ini:-

[Loadout]
nickname = li_n_li_elite_loadout01
archetype = li_elite
equip = ge_le_engine_01
equip = npc_shield01_mark03, HpShield01
equip = infinite_power
equip = ge_s_scanner_02
equip = ge_s_tractor_01
equip = ge_s_thruster_01, HpThruster01
equip = armor_scale_2
equip = li_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon01
equip = li_gun01_mark04, HpWeapon02
equip = li_gun01_mark04, HpWeapon03
equip = li_gun01_mark04, HpWeapon04
equip = li_turret02_mark01, HpTurret01
equip = ge_s_cm_01, HpCM01
cargo = ge_s_cm_01_ammo, 20
equip = LargeWhiteSpecial, HpHeadlight
equip = SlowSmallBlue, HpRunningLight01
equip = SlowSmallBlue, HpRunningLight02
equip = SlowSmallBlue, HpRunningLight03
equip = SlowSmallBlue, HpRunningLight04
equip = contrail01, HpContrail01
equip = contrail01, HpContrail02
equip = DockingLightRedSmall, HpDockLight01
equip = DockingLightRedSmall, HpDockLight02

So there you have the whole thing, and we found an error in the original patrolp_gov_patrol encounter in the process of probing too!

Got it?

🙂

One more but very minor thing - I am a stickler for standard naming, conventions are conventions after all…

So (I only propose to you) since you are using the Liberty Navy (li_n_grp) that I would prefer to see your patrol path name conform, i.e.
not:-
nickname = Zone_SH01_path_libertynavy01
but:-
nickname = Zone_Sh01_path_li_navy1_1

because it allows for more than one “leg” to the same path, e.g. navy1_1, navy1_2, navy1_3 etc.

and also,
not:-
path_label = libertynavy_01, 1
but:-
path_label = li_navy1, 1

But that’s just me, if it works for you then…!!

🙂

The path_label number is **path_label = (pathname), (leg number)[/b

e.g.
path_label = li_navy1, 1
path_label = li_navy1, 2
path_label = li_navy1, 3
etc.

But also note that some path legs have two path_label numbers!…

e.g. in Li01:-
path_label = bounty1, 1, 12
path_label = bounty1, 2, 11
path_label = bounty1, 3, 10
path_label = bounty1, 4
path_label = bounty1, 5
path_label = bounty1, 6
path_label = bounty1, 7
path_label = bounty1, 8
path_label = bounty1, 9

I’ve not researched it, and I don’t know, could this maybe be a directional number, for example bounty1_1 showing as leg 1 when travelling in one direction and as leg 12 when travelling in the opposite direction? The two other legs bounty1_2 and bounty1_3 support this but it’s only my theory. Anyone know for sure?

Lecture over! Hope you all learned something today!

ROFL**

guess what this is exactly the tutorial i have copied and downloaded from the starport archive. actually in my spreadsheat you can choose between ship classes and how much cargo they should have. depending on the class it calculates the mass of the ship and sets the degrees/second value. depending on those all other variables are calculated. be advised, that the strafe force calculation of this tutorial is messy for large ships (when i entered it, they strafed about a dozen times faster than their top speed with engines).
also useful would be a calculation of engine power and drag depending on mass and ship class, so all ships of the same class do accelerate and decelerate within a sensible time.

It’s ok i found the problem, i did not have a 1 after```
debris_type = debris_missile

So to get it working:

debris_type = debris_missile, 1

Ozed

You don’t change a float or anything, you change the hex itself. You should see “0C” by your cursor at the address provided, you make it “00” instead. It’s directly in the hex view.

It should work in SP too and for your last question, I’m afraid you’re looking for something that doesn’t exist.

Thanks thats exactly what i was after, works like a charm. And you manage to kill two birds with one stone.

Ozed.

make the explosion lifetime not two values but only one. this way you can make it hold on without the length is random. sure, if you want to make it a bit random, have two numbers (min&max).

Perhaps you could try using FL Hack’s “[Display] Target’s damage numerically” option to see exactly how much damage is taken.

Try to deal with the ‘palette’.

😄
I already thought about creating a range of 'enbpalette.bmp’s
from dark black to light pink to select by mod installation.

adoxa wrote:

There’s a hex edit to make cruise speed obey drag_modifier here.

:worship: Thanks again dude!

[EDIT]
There is a much simpler way to accomplish this (with items in bases) without waypoints. I am currently investigating the plausibility of this.

Yeah, you could definitely implement it using items and docking restrictions so they would need the item to dock at the base.

As for dynamically creating the waypoints, I haven’t experimented with it at all but I’d guess it would be possible to do (just not sure how exactly).

300f in content.dll, 0x116608, 0x117608 = multiplier for zone distance - increase to allow randommissions further from base ~adoxa

Increasing this constant too much may produce unwanted results:

If a vignette exclusion zone falls into this radius from a base, than vignette_exclusion zone is also accepted as a vignette zone(missions start spawn there, too). So 2 different players can get 2 different missions at the same place - looks weird.

So check vignette_exclusion zones positions after increasing above constant.

Thanks, I’ll poke around with those tools and see what I can learn.

At the offset (everything in hex!) 07C943 in Freelancer.exe, you should see the two bytes 0F 87 - change them to 90 E9 and the class will disappear. Do you want to remove the class description in the inventory, too (“Gun/Missile-Class 5” –> “Gun/Missile”)? Ah, is that what you said you already removed?