Motherships Mod v0.1

[Goblin Wizard]

Motherships Mod v0.27
It's still beta version.

Mod adds buyable motherships, fighters and pilots. You can buy them at any maintenance station.

Changes: see changes.txt or inside the archive.

Important things:
- Some quests check the mothership you are flying. If you'll get info like "World is unfair. Game over." you will know why.
- Maintenance station dialog is not refreshed automatically. That's why I added REFRESH option. You'll need it to see new options after you buy a firmware pilot or a perk.
- In order to teach Bryna & KT new perks you have to let them suck some experience points from other pilots first. If girls have any of the Learner perks they do this better .
- if you put any pilot as a mothership pilot even for a while, Bryna & KT taught perks and skill points will be lost (thanks to Trucidation for pointing this problem). Because of engine limitations I can do nothing about it.
- When the game is supposed to give you a new pilot script checks the total number of your pilots. If you have too many the dialog appears and you have to choose and remove one or more pilots. Due to the 6 pilots cap, near the end of the game, you'll probably have to remove all new pilots. Pilots being removed have their progress saved. If you'll loose some of the main storyline pilots you can go to the maintenance station and get the previously removed pilots back with all progress restored.
- Just in case of possible bug you can dismiss your new pilots at any maintenance station too.
- Right after you hire a new pilot, all his perks cost are 0. Just jump through any gate and everything will be ok.
- If you won't hire any new pilot you shouldn't see any difference in storyline progress.
- If you want to play my mod with Nanaki's Fleet mod - you have to install Fleet mod first and next Mothership mod. DO NOT USE the file from Nanaki's GoblinCompatible.zip archive.

Install:
Just copy zip archive to your SW3 folder and unpack.

Info for those who want to help debug this mod:
1. Try to keep 6 pilots as often as you can.
2. If you encounter any issue (CTD, storyline progress stopped, etc.) let me know. Try to give as much information as you can (actual quest, sector, which pilots you have, last displayed message or dialog and who said that).
3. Sometimes pilots could be removed even when not necessary or removed not enough. If you encounter such a situation let me know too.
4. I do my best but english is not my native language. If you see any glitches let me know. Not much text in this mod but still..

Any type of feedback and new ideas are welcomed.

Credits:
Huge thanks to the peoples form StarRover forum. They impregnated me with some great ideas. Thanks again.

Download: Motherships Mod v0.27

Alternative download links: Mirror1

I'm adding these screens as reference. These two perk trees are combined for one firmware pilot named "Bryna&KT". Only difference is "Precursor Technology Adaptation" perk (right after "Alien Tech" perk) for 200 skill points.
Bryna.jpgKT.jpg

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Hello again!
I've just found my old Star Wolves modding archive. I turned out that an unreleased 0.28 version of my mod was hiding inside . AFAIR it contains some small changes to the code and two unbalanced, totally OP motherships: Alien Frigate and Alien Dreadnought (made for tests and fun). The mod may also contain other changes I've forgot about and IT MAY CRASH (or has other smaller issues) due to the simple fact that I've stopped working on it just somewhere in the middle. So, you use it at your own risk.

Motherships Mod v0.28 UNFINISHED BETA, Mirror1

[Nanaki]

Heh, you use the final battle with El in Star Wolves 1 as a guideline for your custom system, intriguing.

Currently the mod feels more like debug tools than anything else, but it is a great start

Here is what I would recommend:
1: Keeping it to maintenance stations... having to go halfway across the galaxy to purchase a new mothership is a pain in the butt (Especially when you do not have insta-hyperspace), and maintenance stations could use a little spice.

2: I am not sure about pilots... As long as there was a way to get rid of them in order to make room for the storyline pilots, I did not see anything.

3: Disabling the purchase of motherships until after you get the repainted (non-pirate) Mastiff, and disabling it again after you get your final mothership, will eliminate all of the issues with "World is unfair. Game over." error. The game only makes exactly 2 checks between the acquisition of the repainted mastiff and the acquition of your final mothership. One of these checks is in the optional Astarte mission, the other is in the outofmission.script file.

[Goblin Wizard]

Originally Posted by Nanaki

1: Keeping it to maintenance stations... having to go halfway across the galaxy to purchase a new mothership is a pain in the butt (Especially when you do not have insta-hyperspace), and maintenance stations could use a little spice.

I'm planning about 5-6 entries to my system. 4 portals in the corner systems of the map and 1-2 in the center. It's easier than converting stations. Portals that will lead you back will be added too. Name the systems you like.

Originally Posted by Nanaki

2: I am not sure about pilots... As long as there was a way to get rid of them in order to make room for the storyline pilots, I did not see anything.

There is nothing bad about pilots until you use one of each. I can add removing function. It's not a problem. I can even add warnings before critical quest which could possibly add a storyline pilot. EDIT: warning can come along with dialog which will fire pilots of your choice. Is it good enough?

Originally Posted by Nanaki

3: Disabling the purchase of motherships until after you get the repainted (non-pirate) Mastiff, and disabling it again after you get your final mothership, will eliminate all of the issues with "World is unfair. Game over." error. The game only makes exactly 2 checks between the acquisition of the repainted mastiff and the acquition of your final mothership. One of these checks is in the optional Astarte mission, the other is in the outofmission.script file.

You mean adding whole thing to the quest system. Unfortunately, I'm having some problems with quest tracking. For now mod will stay directly attached to the locations. IMO It's easier just to disable one checking function in some quests than making their own. I'll take care of it.

[Nanaki]

There is nothing bad about pilots until you use one of each. I can add removing function. It's not a problem. I can even add warnings before critical quest which could possibly add a storyline pilot. EDIT: warning can come along with dialog which will fire pilots of your choice. Is it good enough?

My original point was that it was too incomplete to decide either way on, but yeah, that is good enough.

I'm planning about 5-6 entries to my system. 4 portals in the corner systems of the map and 1-2 in the center. It's easier than converting stations. Portals that will lead you back will be added too. Name the systems you like.

It took me five minutes to convert every maintenance station in the galaxy... and the changes I did meant that I could remove your modified location folders without harming the script.

[Goblin Wizard]

Originally Posted by Nanaki

It took me five minutes to convert every maintenance station in the galaxy... and the changes I did meant that I could remove your modified location folders without harming the script.

If you only change activation parameter - yes that's easy. But it's not all. Script contains reactivation of portals after you bought new ms. It will work only in the system with the same portal names like in Elio. I other systems you'll get a lot of errors.
Second problem is original maintenance stations behavior. If you want to keep stations acts normally and use my shop dialog at the same time it needs some more changes. Buying firmware upgrades is still useful option.

[Nanaki]

If you only change activation parameter - yes that's easy. But it's not all. Script contains reactivation of portals after you bought new ms. It will work only in the system with the same portal names like in Elio. I other systems you'll get a lot of errors.

Portals do not use very complex names... always something like PORTAL_A and PORTAL_C and PORTAL_E... Doing a blanket activation of A through Z should fix that. It may cause a little slowdown and generate some internal log files, but otherwise would work perfectly. You could eliminate the internal errors by just adding checks for each portal, Something like if PORTAL_D exists, then activate PORTAL_D else null.

Also, I kept the original maintenance station behavior with what I did. Basically, all I did was add a sixth option to original Maintenance station dialogue which, upon selecting it, takes you to the Goblin Shipyards dialogue script.

Here is the code:
<DialogAnswer name="ans06">
<answer>#L_DR5_msg00</answer>
<lua_function>OnStationStartGW</lua_function>
<go_message_name />
<multi_pass>true</multi_pass>
<sound_name />
</DialogAnswer>

[Goblin Wizard]

hmmm...nice ideas here. Thanks a lot. This should make all script more universal.

[wmaynard80]

what would i have to edit to be able to add the mothership pack from sw2 to your shipyard goblin.thanks

[Nanaki]

what would i have to edit to be able to add the mothership pack from sw2 to your shipyard goblin.thanks

You would have to import that mod to SW3 first, than edit the script and add all the custom motherships.

[Goblin Wizard]

Originally Posted by wmaynard80

what would i have to edit to be able to add the mothership pack from sw2 to your shipyard goblin.thanks

Which mothership pack? Give me the link.

btw I've just imported some fighters from SW2: bastard, mataris, raven, scolm and two angorian's and angorian frigate (my favorite design) as mothership. All work except frigate that needs guns placement. It takes much time so I'll do this later.
Thanks to your suggestions Nanaki I've reworked the scripts so now no changes to the locations are needed. All stays in dockstation.script and every maintenance station has access to my shop. Existing portals are checked and activated if needed. Now only pilot hire/fire script left.