[MOD] [TC/AP] X3 Rebalance Mod (XRM) - Total conversion - v1.30d (02.12.13)

Colseg · Post by **Colseg** » Fri, 18. Jul 14, 22:42

I was just starting to test out CODEA with XRM and was looking into docking computers for PAR fighters, I like the idea of keeping the ware size for the Docking Computer high for most ships, however being that PAR ships are optimal for carriers I wanted to see about adding the Docking Computer to the default equipment for them. I found reference to the possibility of adding that to the game in the old Ship Rebalance Mod thread, however I could not find any further discussion of how it would be done. Could anyone give me any info on what would need to be edited to do this?

Post by **Sparky Sparkycorp** » Sat, 19. Jul 14, 08:45

Hi there,

There's a script for changing the Docking Computer size to small for CODEA comparability on the 1st page (search for "CODEA").

If you only want PAR ships to use it, perhaps there is a way to modify things but I don't know. It may just be easier to exercise personal discipline when shopping.

Regards,
Sparks

IceExplosive · Post by **IceExplosive** » Sat, 19. Jul 14, 16:54

Hi...
I think it was probably many times mentioned... but about that Gauss Cannon I don't believe it's really balanced weapon... by me it's the only one that needs little rework.

1) It's one of the anti capital ship weapon... it actually has best range of 10km. Others are 8km and less so its 80%...

2) 2,5k of bullet speed. Most of others anti capital weapons that I looked have about 0,5-0,7 so it's about 20-30%...

3) Needs of ammunition was removed in XRM so it has become laser weapon... but it doesn't even have huge Energy Consumption to balance this weapon.
To compare for example with Quatum Shockwave Cannon which also have 300/s that QSC have +1,9k of shield DPS, but range -2k (again it's about that 80%, and speed 510 so about 20% only).

Problems that I see:

- With that 20% boost in range it can start fire earlier at cap ships and it have time to fire pretty nice amout of volleys thanks to low speed of capital ships about ~40-60 most of them.
- Also it gives player advantage in cap fight, because he will just stop so he won't be in enemy's fire range so early... AI won't do that.

- It's almost impossible to miss/dodge because of that incredible speed (for so strong weapon) and again slow move of cap ships.

- Because these weapons are really strong, they have low fire rate which is fine, but that power means that if you (turret) hit fighter with a single volley it's most probably instant death... except maybe for Eclipse and Xperimental shuttle which are able to mount 200MW shields.
This is solved (that fighters can at least for a while survive near cap ships) by the low speed of bullets... but it's not a problem of Gauss riffles.
- What I mean there is, that fighter often needs (and AI will do it anyway) closer range to attack... let's say ~2 km but this range is deadly for them because of gauss cannons.
- If I compare it for AI it actually don't turn so offter/aggresive so it's easier for turrets to hit them in compare to player.. which can also find and make use of safe spots.

I know that AI there will never be so good as player, but also it's not good to give player huge advantage... thats why i talk about it.

By me.. the main problem is that bullet speed which gives huge advantage, but there is nothing to balance it... (huge Energy Consumption for example)...

My solution that I suggest:

1) Lower bullet speed... to ~1-1,3k
- It's higher than average anti cap weapon (200%+), but it will reduce that efficiency againts fighters and still it will be enought to make use of 10km against cap ships.

2) Lower range AND speed... first range: ~5,3-5,5km which will make it's range disadvantage to compate with other anti cap weapons but leave it's advantage of speed so it will be great weapon against fighters and still it will have same efficiency against cap ships at closer range.
- Speed lower just a little to be still usefull against fighters... ~2-2,1km
- AI is going at short range in any case, if I am right, so that would not be a problem for it in fight of capital ships.

Don't know actually how is this weapon described in game so it would not fit perfectly... but I believe that there must be something about ammunitions which is also not true right now

and it's just a little problem.

In both cases it will remains a usefull unique weapon with both advantages and disadvantages... but as it is now I don't see it balanced.

What do you think about that?

Colseg · Post by **Colseg** » Sat, 19. Jul 14, 18:07

RE: Docking Computer in PAR ships.... what I could do is give you a line in the alternate entries text file to copy and paste into warelists which puts the docking computer in as a built in component. Its quite a straight forward edit. That way those of us who consider it an emersion killer don't have to have it.

This is the text for the post from Paul from the old ship rebalance mod, it is from back in 2010 so I am not sure if the mod structure is still the same or not but I was wondering if this was still possible and if so how to go about doing it.

IceExplosive · Post by **IceExplosive** » Sun, 20. Jul 14, 20:11

I have one more, hope that last, question...

How to remove a weapon from the game so AI won't have problem with it in XRM and just replace them with another weapons?
I have problem with mass drivers... pirates just spawns near my freighters with these mass drivers(never saw with different weapon) and even when I just jump to that sector and fly straight to that freighter I usually won't make it in time and if yes I need to send it to shipyard (usually sector out of trade route) and repair it.
That means lose of time, profit and most irritating to repair them every time...
But I lose almost every ship before it can even repay itself...

I know I can add escorts/patros... (well don't have credits for that) which can solve problem that freighters won't die but that annoying part still remains... I still have to repair these freighters and/or patrols every time a pirate will spawns even if it is a single M3... and M6 full of mass drivers is really irritating...

It's nice that trade routes are not safe all time time so you have to defend it, but well that shield bypass weapon is just making this part of game (economics)
- boring
- useless (since your profit is so greatly lowered by destroied ships and time when they must go to repair)
- IRRITATING (yes, I used that word again!!!)

I found old post:

"The more I think about it the more it comes down to mass drivers on pirates being the primary block to my industrial happiness. After you get the warning that a ship is under attack and track down your distressed vessel you find he's already at half health and full shields. So you make a mad scramble through menus to tell him to make an emergency jump and then all you can do is watch while he gets killed waiting for the drive to warm up. Favoring Terran starts hasn't helped me to regard mass drivers in any better light. Facing mass driver turreted Centaurs on the front lines and mass driver main gun Pirate Excaliburs in the rear sectors has made me a mad mass driver hater. I'll learn how to mod mass drivers out of my own games."

but don't know if he managed to remove MD from the game... and I absolutely agree with him that it ruins "industrial happiness"...

Atheist101 · Post by **Atheist101** » Tue, 22. Jul 14, 06:34

New to this game but loving every minute. Played a bit with just vanilla then decided to head into some mods. First tried the BSG mod, that was great. Now im on this one. Noticed this after i had it up and running. Started a new game everything worked great, but when i would hit SETA to 1000x the engine trails jump ahead of the ship and cause the game to slow down quite a bit. It runs fun with the trails normally but when in SETA 1000x the trails jump ahead of me, turn in front of me as well, and cause a massive slow down. Anyone know of a fix for this? Even if its to remove the engine trails since i dont really care to much for them. Not sure how to do it. Thanks in advance.

DevilishMoney · Post by **DevilishMoney** » Tue, 22. Jul 14, 07:32

Hello Paul

Will All Plots Complete - Albion Prelude / Enable Hub and PHQ Plots for Terran Start http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=324378 work with the XRM

Thanks

jack775544 · Post by **jack775544** » Tue, 22. Jul 14, 14:57

@athiest101
You can't fix the bug with the engine trails, it is a vanilla engine problem. The only reason why you don't see it in the base game is since trails are invisible. Also the trails jumping in front of you aren't the cause of the slow downs rather the slow downs cause the trails to bug out (meaning you would get the issue without the trails anyway). If you run on 6x SETA you shouldn't get the issue. You can manually delete the trails but I forget how to do it

@DevilishMoney
It should work.

gastovski · Post by **gastovski** » Thu, 24. Jul 14, 13:45

Hello guys, i want to edit some ships in XRM but i can't find "t" files. Any tips would be great (using xeditor2).

vukica · Post by **vukica** » Thu, 24. Jul 14, 13:49

gastovski wrote:Hello guys, i want to edit some ships in XRM but i can't find "t" files. Any tips would be great (using xeditor2).

make sure your xeditor 2 is configured for the correct directory (something in options, idk)

then, go to file, open VFS and locate Tships in types (/types for TC, /addon/types for AP)

gastovski · Post by **gastovski** » Thu, 24. Jul 14, 14:21

vukica wrote:
gastovski wrote:Hello guys, i want to edit some ships in XRM but i can't find "t" files. Any tips would be great (using xeditor2).
make sure your xeditor 2 is configured for the correct directory (something in options, idk)

then, go to file, open VFS and locate Tships in types (/types for TC, /addon/types for AP)

XRM uses vanilla ships?.

vukica · Post by **vukica** » Thu, 24. Jul 14, 15:27

gastovski wrote:
vukica wrote:
gastovski wrote:Hello guys, i want to edit some ships in XRM but i can't find "t" files. Any tips would be great (using xeditor2).
make sure your xeditor 2 is configured for the correct directory (something in options, idk)

then, go to file, open VFS and locate Tships in types (/types for TC, /addon/types for AP)
XRM uses vanilla ships?.

no... how many entries do you have in tships?

gastovski · Post by **gastovski** » Thu, 24. Jul 14, 17:49

Nvm got it thanks. But i'm curious so many" zzPLACEHOLDER" named stuff is here. Though it will take time edit ships one by one.

paulwheeler · Post by **paulwheeler** » Thu, 24. Jul 14, 20:01

The placeholders separate the vanilla entries from the xrm entries (this allows for Egosoft adding new ships in updates). They are just blank entries - they are not used by anything.

Dagla · Post by **Dagla** » Fri, 25. Jul 14, 20:25

Hi evry one.

You realy did a great work but I don't know why , It doesn't work for me. I play to AP and follow your installation guide but at the end , when I start a new game I don't get the message witch says XRM is running. I don't have any other mod nor plugin manager.

I'm just a bit confused in the first part with the dat/cat files 'cause I only have cat files. I put them on the addon folder ( I don't have any AP installation folder but I think it's the sale folder

as you wrotte it later ).

Or maybe it's because my game is in french (I'm french)

I'm realy sory to bother you with that but I'm not good in this kind of stuff but I'd realy like to use XRM

Thank you

Colseg · Post by **Colseg** » Sat, 26. Jul 14, 07:20

Colseg wrote:
RE: Docking Computer in PAR ships.... what I could do is give you a line in the alternate entries text file to copy and paste into warelists which puts the docking computer in as a built in component. Its quite a straight forward edit. That way those of us who consider it an emersion killer don't have to have it.
This is the text for the post from Paul from the old ship rebalance mod, it is from back in 2010 so I am not sure if the mod structure is still the same or not but I was wondering if this was still possible and if so how to go about doing it.

After some fiddling I figured out which WareLists.pck controls the preinstalled gear on the PAR ships and editing all of them to include the Docking Computer Ware and then dropping the modified file in types seems to have done the job, I was wondering if anyone who has done this kind of thing before could tell me if this was the correct way to do it or not. Also, I don't know what license this mod was released under, but if it is conducive to such things I would drop the modified part here for other people who might also want this change.

Dagla · Post by **Dagla** » Sat, 26. Jul 14, 08:10

I've solved my problem.

Your mod is awesome. Thank you

Methexonion · Post by **Methexonion** » Sat, 26. Jul 14, 10:07

Hi all,

My speed and target indicator are gone. I have only installed XRM (5 times now) and no other mods. I put only XRMDOCKINGWARESIZE and XRM_HULLMID . Also installed the bonus pack (and uninstalled it in case this was causing the problem). XPlugin manager lite 1.47 too.

Strangely I cannot see my speed and target indicator left and right of my crosshair. When I tried Litcube's mod I didn't have this problem, or in vanilla.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

P.S. I have played a lot of XRM in the past with no problems and lots of added scripts.

jack775544 · Post by **jack775544** » Sat, 26. Jul 14, 16:37

Was it on a clean install of the game, or did you uninstall litcubes mod and install XRM.

Methexonion · Post by **Methexonion** » Sat, 26. Jul 14, 18:49

I uninstalled Litcube's, then uninstalled X3AP, deleted the Egosoft folders both in program files and in my documents and I installed X3AP again, then XRM.