Subset Games Forum

Okay, so I am trying to get into modding, although I never before modded anything, so I am kinda newbie.
I am already familiar with the main principles behind modding - dealing with .ftl files and their inner structure.
After reading some topics, I've got a few questions regarding currently discovered moddable features. Also I have some ideas for mods, so I think I should group up my questions prior to idea:

1. AI Pilot. A drone or new/modded subsystem that will allow to charge up FTL drive and make jumps without a crewmember in the room. Questions:

• -Custom drones? Maybe I've searched not very thorough, but so far I found nothing. How can that be done? I know that Captain's Edition have some. Is drone creating process differs from making a custom weapon?
  -New systems/subsystems? I assume that systems' number and types are hard-coded so there's no way to make a new one. But still I need a confirmation.
  -Is there a way to send a drone stationed on the board of your own ship to a particular room with a script?
  -Is drones' behavior is restricted only with repair/damage patterns?
  -AI Pilot augmetation maybe?

Comment: I remember that auto ships have ability to perform a FTL jump without manning it's navigational and engine rooms, but I don't want it to be that simple. However, i think I need to start with this, but ideally I want to have a drone or an entire new subsystem for this purpose. I think that it will prove useful for Basilisk ship. Maybe others will consider this a bad idea but at least I'll get some experience in modding FTL.

2. Small adventures. Kinda chain of events and quests that should extend the gameplay without making Rebels pursue you. So here's questions:

• -Since we can disable Rebel pursuit for the whole game, is it possible to do it temporally? Like, reducing their speed to 0?
  -Is the ship you are on can be changed for something different? And I mean not those you can pick in the hangar, but rather game-in-progress ship exchanging? I know about that mod that allows player to change ships manually (and which is actually a save editor), but I am curious is it possible to make a script that will place your crew on a new ship without triggering "Your crew has perished, game over" script?

Comment: This idea came to my mind pretty long ago but I was thinking about it again while playing Captain's Edition which I like alot. Not to mention almost impossible ambitious plans for small adventure-like station exploration quests.

Sadly most of what you are thinking of is not possible.

CrashSanders wrote: 1. AI Pilot. A drone or new/modded subsystem that will allow to charge up FTL drive and make jumps without a crewmember in the room.

It's possible to alter some parts of systems such as prices, descriptions and interiors, but defining new systems is impossible, the engine will not recognise it. Some changes are also impossible/restricted. You can have a size 12 medbay, with 300 scrap upgrades, but it will allways function as a medbay.

CrashSanders wrote:Custom drones? Is drone creating process differs from making a custom weapon?

It's very similar to creating a custom weapons and quite a lot can be done with drones. However they tend to become overpowered easily. Visually the can be modded and are usually less prickly than weapons.

CrashSanders wrote:New systems/subsystems? I assume that systems' number and types are hard-coded so there's no way to make a new one. But still I need a confirmation.

I think it's possible to create new systems but they will either not do anything or will replace another room of it's type. You may be able to have three engine rooms, but only one will actually work. So, no, not possible really.

CrashSanders wrote:Is there a way to send a drone stationed on the board of your own ship to a particular room with a script?

Boarding and Security Drones has their behavior hardcoded. You can only change the names and looks. Maybe health too.

CrashSanders wrote:Is drones' behavior is restricted only with repair/damage patterns?

I belive hardcoded 100%

CrashSanders wrote:AI Pilot augmetation maybe?

Impossible. The way playable AI ships were created was by exploiting a loophole in FTL. What it comes down to is that AI ships have all their stations considered manned at all times, and all are repaired at a fixed(and hardcoded) rate. FTL was not programmed to be moddable, it was programmed to just work and there's was very little time for other considerations since the devs had a Kickstarter deadline. The resources (data, images and sounds) can be manipulated but the engine using these resources is very difficult to fool into doing things it was not programmed to do. Simply because the ideas that we are having and discussing either never occured to the devs, or they didnt think it was usefull/there was time to implement support for them.

Quests are not something i'm knowledgeable about so i'll leave it to others. I can tell you right away that transfering control from one ship to another is impossible. Only by using an outside app can this be done, and only for player shps. When you dig deeper into modding FTL you will realise that player ships and enemy ships are actually two completely different kettles of fish. Adventure type quests/events may be possible.

Nothing of wat you are asking is possible, with the exception of the Small adventure quests, they are possible. The value you are looking for is "delay", not "speed", and that can be modeable through events easily with the line <modifyPursuit amount="-10"/>

A negative value means the pursuing fleet will be delayed, positive numbers means the opposite.. honestly i never experimented with positive values, but i suposse thats the way the engine handles the vanilla-fleet events.

Drone editing/creation is also possible.

UltraMantis wrote:Drone editing/creation is also possible.

I assumed he was talking about on-board drones, like the system repair drones/boarding drones or the anti-pers drone, those are not modeable, since the only values u can change are the speed the drone travels too target (boarding) power requirement and nothing much else. That is not really "modding".. about the attack and defense drones, its obvious they are modeable (not 100% but they are).. i think he was talking about the other ones..

Ah... yes.

Well, you can still get creative there. You could repaint/rename them to be slaves/servants. Not directly under your control, but able to repair the ship. What power use? That is only to administer a proper electric shock and "motivate" them into doing their job.