Questions here: an inquiry thread! [Updated Sep 15th, 2014]

[meklozz]

Just came in to say you can use Slipstream to unpack the files. File > Extract Dats...

Looking forward to trying your ships!

[Braxbro]

How do you balance a ship so it isn't OP?

Test it! Look at other ships, decide which ones provide a challenge you like and use that as your base.
Generally speaking:
I make my ships have 7 power
2 shield bubbles at the start is too OP
OP weapons obviously make your ship OP
Cloaking at start can be OP
A large crew can be OP
Lots of augments is OP

This really helps for testing: http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=22613

Where can I effectively and quickly get help coming up with fresh strategies for modded cruisers?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean?

Where is the line between challenging a player and being mean enough to drive them insane?

Don't worry! Build it to your preferences and it'll be fine. You can always edit it later and make an easy and a hard version if you feel like it!

Are GIMP and Notepad++ suitable tools for modding?

Yep! You'll also need 7-Zip or something similar.
If you want to share your ships, I would recommend dropbox for file hosting and imgur for image hosting.

How should I unpack the data files to use?

I unpacked them so long ago I can't remember :S Shouldn't take you to long to find on these forums though......

Speak of the devil. I have 7-zip... it came in the software stuffs I got with the PC...

[Braxbro]

How do you balance a ship so it isn't OP?

Look at the Shrike. Then back to your ship. Then back to the Shrike. Then back at your ship and then back to the Shrike. If your ship is more powerful than the Shrike, then it's probably OP

Where can I effectively and quickly get help coming up with fresh strategies for modded cruisers?

Look at other mods and video runs of them? Find out how they worked with the ship and see if you can implement certain ideas into it?

Where is the line between challenging a player and being mean enough to drive them insane?

Rock A, Stealth C.

Are GIMP and Notepad++ suitable tools for modding?

Those are my bread and butter tools. Used to be Wordpad but Notepad++ is easier to find what you're looking at

How should I unpack the data files to use?

I think there's an unpacker somewhere.

I use 7-zip right now... I just take the files I want unpacked onto my device with 7-zip and unpack them... keeping them there until the mod is finished (all my tools are there)

And you really like bringing the Shrike into things, don't you?
Not my personal favorite (I am half-decent with boarding at best) but it is a good ship... Before I reset my profile, I had the Shrike and took to making it a flakship, beamship, or missile ship every time, using Lanius boarding to trash systems I really didn't like.

Well, I use 7-zip on the stuff 7-zip likes or google an unpacker...

[Braxbro]

On a new note,

Does Crystal Vengeance work with Rock Plating? So when the Rock Plating blocks a shot, can it still trigger the Vengeance?

I am working on a modded ship to replace the Crystal Cruiser that relies on that working; if it doesn't, then I may have to resort to a messy workaround with a placeholder augment...

[stylesrj]

On a new note,

Does Crystal Vengeance work with Rock Plating? So when the Rock Plating blocks a shot, can it still trigger the Vengeance?

I am working on a modded ship to replace the Crystal Cruiser that relies on that working; if it doesn't, then I may have to resort to a messy workaround with a placeholder augment...

Just did a quick test. 100% chance of negation, 100% activation chance of Crystal Vengeance... and nothing fired.
So the ship's gotta take damage in order to retaliate
There goes that idea for you.

[Braxbro]

On a new note,

Does Crystal Vengeance work with Rock Plating? So when the Rock Plating blocks a shot, can it still trigger the Vengeance?

I am working on a modded ship to replace the Crystal Cruiser that relies on that working; if it doesn't, then I may have to resort to a messy workaround with a placeholder augment...

Just did a quick test. 100% chance of negation, 100% activation chance of Crystal Vengeance... and nothing fired.
So the ship's gotta take damage in order to retaliate
There goes that idea for you.

Welp, time to go to the Crystal Repair drone idea... Who doesn't like a drone that moves as fast as an attack II and repairs almost indefinitely?

Does the Vengeance get triggered by drones, fires, and boarders?

[stylesrj]

Welp, time to go to the Crystal Repair drone idea... Who doesn't like a drone that moves as fast as an attack II and repairs almost indefinitely?

I think repair drones are hardcoded to vanish after 3-5 repairs and you can't get one to hover about repairing your hull indefinitely. Which would be something awesome as you could make a fragile ship that repairs insanely fast.

[Braxbro]

Welp, time to go to the Crystal Repair drone idea... Who doesn't like a drone that moves as fast as an attack II and repairs almost indefinitely?

I think repair drones are hardcoded to vanish after 3-5 repairs and you can't get one to hover about repairing your hull indefinitely. Which would be something awesome as you could make a fragile ship that repairs insanely fast.

That's no fun xD Hmm... well... What would happen if you gave a weapon a negative damage value? Would it heal your ship?

[stylesrj]

That's no fun xD Hmm... well... What would happen if you gave a weapon a negative damage value? Would it heal your ship?

I think that's how hull repair bombs work.
Don't drop them on the enemy ship though. Works on them too.

[Braxbro]

That's no fun xD Hmm... well... What would happen if you gave a weapon a negative damage value? Would it heal your ship?

I think that's how hull repair bombs work.
Don't drop them on the enemy ship though. Works on them too.

Ooh... that could be nice... Crystal Repair bomb that doesn't cost missiles is definitely an option... And if you did drop em on the enemy ship, well, all the more time to kill their crew Though I could see it being abused... perhaps just for kicks, I will make it heal crew as well... Hmm... what if... I made it be like a Repair Bomb (Hull) where it will repair your hull regardless but repair it twice as much if in an empty room, at the cost of no system repair... It would allow me to give it a universal healing purpose so I didn't need to put a medbay on that Crystal ship...