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Author Topic: The Network - Brainstorming and learning thread for an odd overhaul mod.  (Read 554 times)

Splint

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Hello all. I have a thread further down for something else, but I've decided to put something to up here, because I have a setting that would be... Fun. Politically charged due to some factions, but not playing favorites with anyone there.

This setting I currently just call The Network

It's a virtual world that isn't a simulation, if that makes sense. And I think it could be a kind of fun setting.

Now, I have a few ideas, but there's some issues.

1. I don't know how to do... I dunno, "serious" modding. This is a problem because lacking certain skills entirely, I can't implement things like power generators, robots, or automatic weapons and molotovs.
2. I've always been reliant on others fixing my broken stuff. Ask Hugo and ZM5, I usually go to them when I have no clue what the actual fuck I'm doing.
3. I'm an ideas man. So actually jumping in and getting good and proper stuck in... Scares me, to be honest.

So, let's begin with a few problems.

Spoiler: Main issues (click to show/hide)

Now that most of that is out of the way, let's go on to factions I have in mind. I'd like to make all of them playable eventually, save for one. For now, I am omitting two factions due to being highly controversial in nature until I've gotten further along in learning how to do shit.


And now on to wildlife unique to the setting.

Spoiler: Wildlife ideas (click to show/hide)

Now, the setting has room for all manner of craziness, and what's in the factions is just what I came up with off the top of my head, or is based on existing setting notes. Among the things I'd like to implent is, particularly for the Datajacks, some things to backfire, creating explosions, fires, or creating code-based entities like Corrs and Coderats as possible failures or even just because of bugs in thier equipment.

But in general, this mod will serve as a learning tool for me, both for what can and can't be done, how to do shit, and if people are willing to, showing me how to do shit directly. What I learn working on this could be carried into other projects (the Copper age mod, a playable civ of monastic knights, stuff like that.)

thefriendlyhacker

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Re: The Network - Brainstorming and learning thread for an odd overhaul mod.
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2018, 05:15:03 am »

Can I recommend cribbing off Fallout Equestria for this?  It has a lot of the things you want in it.  I even recently wrote an autofire script that can mimic magazine fed automatic weapons, and I am probably doing another one for multi-shot weapons (e.g. buckshot) and interaction based projectile weapons in the near future.

Lets go into details
Spoiler: spoiled for length (click to show/hide)
If you have other questions, ask away.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2018, 02:53:24 pm by thefriendlyhacker »
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Fallout Equestria Redux - that's right, it's back

Splint

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Re: The Network - Brainstorming and learning thread for an odd overhaul mod.
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2018, 05:44:06 am »

Heh, some of that is stuff I already know. I can do very basic stuff (custom entities, creatures to a degree, items, weapons, things like that.) Comes from doing stuff for myself. For example, it'd take me no time really to come up with workable raws for the Datajack's weapons and equipment. A couple hours, tops, depending on how hard I worked on it to get it done and how detailed I want it to be.

Interactions, which include any functionally magical processes such as defensive shields and tazing people to disable them with a touch, and anything needing scripts (which is basically everything else,) on the other hand, I'm totally helpless, having never looked at DFhack's scripts. Every time I look at them it gives me a mixture of "Oh god, what horrible black speech is this" and "I have no idea what any of this does or means." Kind of like how most programs are in the setting (which act as magic in this case; an average datajack can easily use a program, but that doesn't mean he has any clue how it actually does what it does; it's magic to him for all intents.)

Anything with scripts though I have no idea how to apply it, what goes where, how it does anything, nothing. I have zero background in looking at things that look mostly like random jumbles of symbols and numbers. This includes the stuff from other mods (namely creating units, item syndrome, things like that.)

Production rates: For one faction, it's the fact that they can make tons of crap (as in no quality modifier) with custom equipment for less materials - 3 shirts for one cloth at a Bolshevik Autoloom for example. Also also them to quickly provide replacement clothing, uniforms, stuff like that.

For the other, it's not lowered production rates as far as wealth goes, it's that they'd suck at farming and gathering (they're inspired by people who are stereotypically... We'll say off, and be polite about it,) so they have to essentially rely on others to bring food to them, or actively hunt larger animals for it to have a reliable supply. Dunno how I feel about not having them able to transform though, since that's sort of the point behind them in that function, not pull a dragon aspect shout.

Energy Weapons: I'm entirely willing to go with gameplay and story segregation for them. It'll be bizarre as hell, but acceptable break for gameplay purposes.

There's... A whole lot here, and I'm very tired. Let's just say a lot of this is going to be functionally opaque without someone to literally sit and walk me through it past creatures.

Putnam

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Re: The Network - Brainstorming and learning thread for an odd overhaul mod.
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2018, 06:12:56 am »

Power-producing buildings requires DFHack and, more specifically, requires actually programming in Lua.

Itemsyndrome's been outdated for, golly, I actually don't know how long, and I made the thing. item-trigger is better to work with, though slightly more complicated.

Not sure what you mean by "in-depth on armor and weapons".

Splint

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Re: The Network - Brainstorming and learning thread for an odd overhaul mod.
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2018, 06:14:27 am »

Precisely that for weapons and armor - making use of DFhack to get more out of them and let them function like they should.

Specifically via what thefriendlyhacker offered up for the assault rifles. And semi-auto pistols. And SMGs. Jesus Christ why are you a thing modern firearms. Plus there's hazard suits, respirators, AR visors, stuff like that.

EDIT: Basically I'm looking at an extremely daunting task that I know for certain requires help from outside, because I just don't know what the hell I'm doing beyond the basics of reactions, items, workshops, and entitis and to a lesser degree, creatures. Everything else demands skills I don't have yet and don't know where to even start with. I know I can break it up into smaller tasks, but even then the question becomes where to begin even with that (says the idiot who's been awake for the better part of 20 hours.)

scourge728

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Re: The Network - Brainstorming and learning thread for an odd overhaul mod.
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2018, 11:21:25 am »

This is an interesting idea, although I can't say I'll be of much help