Creating systems

[Incendiary]

This is my first post, but here goes. Don't worry about my ability or experience, has anyone come across a method for creating new systems? Based on a breif search and no (apparent) posts on it in the recent time, it must either be deemed common knowledge or too much work to be possible? But I'm guessing it's the latter based on someone getting chewed out for just asking how to add power levels. So, am I just missing something, or has anyone even ventured on this subject? Again, I understand the complexity of this as no simple task, and I'll be happy to attempt to figure it out myself, but I'm wondering if my time might be better used on following someone's tutorial oppose to code crawling.

[5thHorseman]

Without cracking the executable I don't think this is possible in any more than the most rudimentary way (ie, changing the timing of the artillery beam or the number of levels in weapons). How shields work is hard coded into the game; there's just nothing there to mod in the xml files.

[Incendiary]

Yes, I was thinking as much as well, but, and I'm sorry I left this out, what about duplicating existing systems? I suppose it's probably the same, but it would depend (in my mind) on the way the executable was formatted, and that is not something I'm familiar with.

[NewAgeOfPower]

If you found a useful method of duplicating systems, either new functional systems or redundant secondaries, we'd bow down and make you the king of Mod Development.

[Incendiary]

Have people already dissected the hex?

[Incendiary]

It's a huge fluke, I'm just saying, I'm still optimistic.

[5thHorseman]

Nobody has distributed anything that uses hacked hex data. There used to be a technique to modify your crew names by editing memory locations but it was buggy.

The big problem with modifying the EXE is you have to modify the EXE. Distributing that modified EXE is illegal though as long as it contains only original work you could distribute a patch. Of course, someone would probably have to write a custom patcher, and any hack would only work for one of the OSes that FTL works in unless you made 3 versions of it.

Mostly, just nobody's ever bothered. I'd love to have more modding tools but I know I'm not going to do what's required, and I don't expect anybody else to either But if you get something working that's legal I think it would be pretty cool!

[Kieve]

I've wondered now and then if this was possible - cloning systems to multiple rooms, I mean. Assuming it's functional in-game and doesn't crash or glitch out if the "clone" system is hit, powered/unpowered, or activated (dual cloaking?), there might actually be some very creative applications here.

I have no idea what those might be, but hey, we have 0x0 rooms and those opened up some interesting possibilities.
I look forward to seeing where this goes.

[NewAgeOfPower]

@Kieve

Please teach me more this weekend. I've gotten to the limit of learning from dissecting the Obsidian repeatedly, and I need to make events & stuff.

Also, I'm borrowing a page from Descent into Darkness, my ships that have an autopilot backup (to fix those 0x0 bombed rooms) will need initial events to give them crew.

[Sleeper Service]

I've wondered now and then if this was possible - cloning systems to multiple rooms, I mean. Assuming it's functional in-game and doesn't crash or glitch out if the "clone" system is hit, powered/unpowered, or activated (dual cloaking?), there might actually be some very creative applications here.

I have no idea what those might be, but hey, we have 0x0 rooms and those opened up some interesting possibilities.
I look forward to seeing where this goes.

As shown by the picture, cloned systems with or without (0x0 rooms) physical presence on the ship are possible. I played around with that a little in the development of this whole encased system thing that carto flane also uses in his auto cruiser mod. Clone systems behave much like a glitched out single system. Enemies can upgrade them independently. The clones provide the stat from the clone that is upgraded highest, as far as i can tell. Damage dealt to one of the clones will also be dealt to the other clone system. I did't test how they behave when repaired. Also did not test it on player ships. Other than for aesthetic purpose I see little use for this.

Potential applications for this so far:
-It would be interesting to see how the clones behave when repaired. If they have to be repaired independently to restore their functionality this could be used to create weaker ships that need more repairs to get running again after getting hit.
-Depending on how enemies actually get their upgrades, cloned systems might be used to make enemies dump their scrap, upgrade points or whatever resources they use (if they do at all) into useless systems, essentially weakening them.