reactor sizes are hard coded

[bvanevery]

I'm making this thread as sort of a clearinghouse about reactor modding.  It has come up in various different threads, sometimes with testing work to go with it.  Then I forget where the hell that information is and I can't find it again.  So this time around, I'll make sure it says here, in one findable place.

A number of us think the Fusion, Quantum, Singularity power progression is completely broken and destroys the game.  They're pretty much the One True Weapon platforms to obtain.  Get these, and you will stomp anyone who has less than you do.  Game design wise I liken it to handing out a big box of candy to someone who is already winning.

In my own mod, for a long time I tried delaying Fusion reactors until the very end of the game.  It was pretty annoying to have them jump suddenly at the end of the game though.  So I restored it to something more like the stock game.  Fusion Power does come later in my mod, say late midgame, but otherwise the sequence is pretty much like the stock game.  I wasn't prepared to make the bold move of removing advanced reactors from the game entirely.  It has tempted me, but I also like my missile tips to have a radius if I'm going to use them.

I've theorized about different integer sequences for reactor size.  For instance the sequence 3, 4, 5, 6 would make the reactors merely double in power over the course of the game.  Unfortunately those are also some pretty big nukes....

The point is moot though.  The values for reactors in alphax.txt, despite appearing to be moddable, are hardwired.

Code: [Select]

;
; Reactors
;
; Name, power, preq
;
#REACTORS
Fission Plant,        Fission,     1, None,
Fusion Reactor,       Fusion,      2, Fusion,
Quantum Chamber,      Quantum,     3, Quantum,
Singularity Engine,   Singularity, 4, SingMec,
Sources of my claim: me trying to change them.  tnevolin trying to change them.  Yitzi commenting on the possibility of changing this behavior:

How difficult it would be to make HP values for various reactors in alphax.txt correspond to actual values, i.e. make them soft-coded, rather than hard-coded?

Should be fairly feasible.

But to my understanding this implies it was not changed in any Yitzi patch.  The behavior stands.  If any .exe modders ever become interested in this issue, it would be nice to be able to separate reactor hit points, from air unit range increases, from missile radii.

Also would be nice to be able to specify reactor size when creating predefined units.  I'm given to understand that the Scient 2.0 patch actually has that capability.  I haven't investigated other patches.

[Geo]

if the Scient 2.0 patch gives the possibility to let predefined units start with a higher reactor, my suggestion would be to let all mechanical units start with the second reactor pack, and reserve the basic reactor for native life and basic foot units.

This way you only have double progression of reactor size throughout the game, and a simple rename of the fission reactor (native metabolism or endurance or whatever) should do it for the ingame lore.

Now if only foot units could be blocked from being designed with anything else but the size 1 reactor...

[bvanevery]

I don't think reactors are a meaningful concept for indigenous life forms in the stock game.  Scient's patch does make a reactor size assignable for them, but I don't know what hilarity ensues.

The lore of the game is actually pretty dumb about this.  It's such a big deal to get the simplest of orbital probes into space, yet even a freakin' Scout has enough refined uranium lying around to power their every finger flex?  I guess Planet's crust must be loaded with the stuff.  "Here kid, I broke this fresh rock open on the ground.  Have some more uranium!"  "Gee thanks Dad!"  "Don't mention it.  We'll have you blending in with the native life in 3 generations of mutation."

Uranium, uranium, children love uranium
(must imagine your best 50s jingle here)
I'm uranium, you're uranium, we're uranium 2
I can go across the moon
A whole lot better than you

The lore is so dumb I question fighting it.  What other explanation do I try to give to these big backpacks on everything?  9V batteries?  Tins of Wheatabix?

[Geo]

I don't think reactors are a meaningful concept for indigenous life forms in the stock game.  Scient's patch does make a reactor size assignable for them, but I don't know what hilarity ensues.

Since the current ingame native life uses dedicated graphics instead of the assembled parts of human/most progenitor units, the point is moot.

[bvanevery]

I was thinking more like what bugs it might cause.