SS2 Rebalanced Skills and Disciplines

[6740152bc3a42JDoran]

Sarge, thanks for the info.

RoSoDude, thanks mate. A couple of those I wasn't aware of, though I won't be using Inventory Fumbler. - I am clumsy enough in real life 

[6740152bc3c78JDoran]

RoSoDude, you recommend the mod Rickenbacker Automaps, but when I install it then both this mod, and SCP b4, both show a yellow warning triangle, with the message  "Status: Mod overwrites same *mis.file as other active level mod. Do not use mods with overlapping *.mis files."

What am I doing wrong, please? I have placed the Rickenbacker Automaps mod near the top of the Blue Mod Manager, and SCP is right at the bottom.

Edit: I have found two versions of the mod, the one you linked to, and one you uploaded yourself (https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=11751.msg139985#msg139985). They are slightly different archive file sizes, and I tried them both, but they both clash with SCP.

[6740152bc3eadZylonBane]

Someone for damn sure best not be recommending people install anything from the Engineering forum. There's a reason everything there isn't here in the Modifications forum. We already have a hard enough time keeping people's installs straight and up to date with officially released mods, without having to worry about loons scraping unfinished projects from Engineering.

[6740152bc4366JDoran]

Someone for damn sure best not be recommending people install anything from the Engineering forum. There's a reason everything there isn't here in the Modifications forum. We already have a hard enough time keeping people's installs straight and up to date with officially released mods, without having to worry about loons scraping unfinished projects from Engineering.

Is it best if I avoid this mod, then? RoSoDude might know SS2 well enough to avoid any glitches this mod causes, but I'm sure to walk into the first glitch and crash the game.

[6740152bc448dZylonBane]

It's. Not. A. Mod.

A zipped up bunch of files isn't a mod until it's moved here and formally declared a mod. Until then, it's just a bunch of zipped up files that you're shoving into your game, and god help you.

[6740152bc4576JDoran]

OK, I won't use it. Thanks, mate.

[6740152bc4ad0RoSoDude]

Is it best if I avoid this mod, then? RoSoDude might know SS2 well enough to avoid any glitches this mod causes, but I'm sure to walk into the first glitch and crash the game.

Nahhh, don't worry about it. The conflict warning is just because Rickenbacker automaps replaces the SCP Rickenbacker mis files with updated versions containing automaps. I know several dozen people who have played with it, with no issues reported particular to the Rickenbacker levels. RSD's changes are still perfectly compatible because the object references are all the same.

Obviously you shouldn't be reporting bugs to SCP on the basis of a further modified game, but that's already out the window with RSD and the other mods! Even if there were any issues, I'd want to know I can fix it and make my mod(s) compatible.

A mod in the Engineering subforum is still a mod, just because it's not officially sanctioned by the community here doesn't mean it's not a modification of the game that can be installed at the user's risk (like any mod, only that the risk may be higher). Come on now.

[6740152bc4f68sarge945]

The engineering subforum contains everything from unreleased mods that have been stable for a very long time (Distinguishable Implants, Rickenbacker Automaps) to extremely untested, barebones mods that are not safe to use (Deterioration, literally any of my mods, the Randomiser until a few days ago).

I understand the idea of having a mod sit for a little while as people slowly test it and ensure it works, but there are mods in there that have been stable for years and are still there.

The problem is that people upload a mod in there, aren't sure if it's stable or not, and then leave it there. It's hard to find people to test an entire playthrough and sign off on everything, so they linger.

The simple binary idea of "Don't use anything from there they are all unsafe" is not really accurate, as a result. There are plenty of mods on there that really should be in the Mods subforum but which aren't for whatever reason, usually because the author has either disappeared or just hasn't done the admin work required to get it moved.

I would argue it's MUCH safer to use some of the longstanding mods on the Engineering subforum than it is to use a recently updated Beta version of an "approved" mod, since betas in general tend to be unsafe (not trying to throw shade on anyone here, I do it too). It's not that simple.

The real problem here is that Rick automaps and Distinguishable Implants are in the wrong subforums (although I would argue Distinguishable Implants needs to be packaged properly first, since it's split among multiple files in the thread, I can do that if you'd like), not that people are using "dangerous" mods.

[6740152bc53e7ZylonBane]

The real problem here is that Rick automaps ... are in the wrong subforums

Wrong. The Rick automaps package was never intended as a standalone mod. It was created to be integrated into SCP, which it has been.

When people install it as its own mod, it WILL create situations in the future where some dummkopf has both SCP Beta 5 and that package installed, fucking things all up because it overwrites SCP's Rickenbacker mission files with outdated versions. Or you'll have people installing it without SCP, fucking things up even more.

[6740152bc5633sarge945]

Rickenbacker Automaps has been available for years. SCP B4 released 6+ years ago(!). Of course people are going to use (and recommend) these sorts of mods when we're dealing with those sorts of timeframes.

There's nothing wrong with releasing it in the meantime and slapping the old [Obsolete] tag on it when SCP 5 releases, because people are going to use it anyway rather than waiting for that long. The Mods subforum is already full of obsolete mods and we rightly call people stupid for using them, this will be no different when SCP 5 releases.

[6740152bc5968bombum]

ZylonBane
Let's have Beta 5 out and THEN deal with this stuff. As sarge said, 6 goddamn years have passed. At this point not using it is dumb, because Beta 5's release is questionable. And really, scp should be in engineering too. It's "beta" 4. Betas are "pre-release builds of software that may contain bugs or performance issues"

[6740152bc5a4aZylonBane]

Shhh beebee. Adults are talking.

[6740152bc5c0abombum]

ZylonBane
I can certainly see that.

[6740152bc5d62ZylonBane]

Just a heads up regarding the AddText function in this. As I've recently discovered when expanding it to support more than one substitution per string, the Squirrel built-in function format() is basically C's sprintf(), so it can replace the entire SpliceDataIntoString function. The version of AddText in SCP has now been reduced to this:

Code: [Select]

function AddText(strID, strFile, strDefault = "", subVal1 = "", subVal2 = "") {
local strText = Data.GetString(strFile, strID, strDefault);
if (strText != "") {
strText = format(strText, subVal1, subVal2);
ShockGame.AddText(strText, "Player");
}
else {
print("ERROR: String \"" + strID + "\" not found in \"" + strFile + "\"");
}
}

[6740152bc6060sarge945]

ZylonBane
Oh that's cool!

Here is the horrible mess I was using before...

Code: [Select]


function GetStatString(sVal, dVal)
{
local strText = Data.GetString("misc", "StatReq", "Item requires %s of %d");
local s = strText.find("%s");
strText = strText.slice(0, s) + sVal + strText.slice(s + 2);
local d = strText.find("%d");
strText = strText.slice(0, d) + dVal + strText.slice(d + 2);
return strText;
}


[6740152bc6169ZylonBane]

Would it be possible to make the damage from Remote Psionic Detonation scale with PSI level? Assuming it doesn't already do that. The vanilla description doesn't say it does, so... eh.

[6740152bc626aRoSoDude]

I actually did that already, psi mine damage is now 5*PSI. Same as the original 30 damage at PSI 6, but can be pushed higher. I just noticed that I didn't actually enable overloading up to PSI 11 like with the other projectiles, though...

[6740152bc637dZylonBane]

Huh, I skimmed the change notes and didn't see that mentioned.

Would be interesting if instead of just blowing up, psi mines had a fixed amount of damage they could deal, and would sit there zapping enemies until it was all used up. That would be a somewhat radical change though.

[6740152bc65e3RoSoDude]

Huh, I skimmed the change notes and didn't see that mentioned.

That is apparently because I never mentioned it in the changelist. Will fix that in the next update...

[6740152bc6765Salk]

Hello!

In the OT I read: "Installation and Mod Compatibility
Requires SS2 v2.48 patch or above. SS2-RSD is built for SCP Beta 4 (and hopefully beyond), which is required."

Can someone confirm that the latest version is fully compatible with the SCP Beta 5 changes?

Thanks!

[6740152bc6851RoSoDude]

It's unfortunately not yet compatible, I've been away from my main PC for about a month. I have a beta version I will upload soon to test for SCPb5 compatibility.

[6740152bc6a7aRoSoDude]

Okay, I've uploaded 2.04 BETA to the first post. I have not 100% verified that everything is working in the levels, but I did play up through Hydroponics.

#### 2.04 BETA ####
-Updated for SCP Beta 5 compatibility and reverts
   -SCP Beta 4 is no longer compatible
   -Grenade Launcher base damage not increased by 85%
   -Worm piles cannot be destroyed by most damage types (only incendiary and anti-annelid)
-Removed debug logspam for frobbing psi pull items
-New headshot system for Pistol and Assault Rifle bullets
   -Weapon base damages decreased by 25% (Pistol 4->3, Assault Rifle 8->6)
   -Headshots deal an additional 66% damage (25% more than before)
   -Damage type weaknessess/resistances apply to bonus headshot damage
   -Hybrids, Monkeys, Midwives, Assassins, Rumblers are susceptible to headshots
-Decreased bullet projectile size by 80%

[6740152bc6eb9ZylonBane]

-Worm piles cannot be destroyed by most damage types (only incendiary and anti-annelid)

Annelid worm: Dies to wrench and bullets and harsh language.
Smaller, weaker, immobile worms: INVULNERABLE

You sure you thought this through?

Worm piles are such a non-threat that the only reason SCP makes them killable is because they should be killable. As worm research says, "they're so easily killed it hardly matters".

So tacking on specific requirements to kill worm piles doesn't make lore sense and misses the point of them, which is that they're only a threat when not noticed. Even in unmodded SCP I expect most people will rarely if ever bother shooting them, because just walking around them is easy and costs nothing. They're so trivial a threat that they're, on average, worth less than a bullet. Raising their destruction requirement above the level of a bullet eliminates this calculus, pushing their destruction completely into "not worth it, ever" territory. Boring.

[6740152bc7297sarge945]

So tacking on specific requirements to kill worm piles doesn't make lore sense and misses the point of them, which is that they're only a threat when not noticed.

This reminds me: I need to randomise worm positions in the randomiser. If I wanted to get fancy, I could even re-randomise them when returning to the map if it has been a long time.

Maybe in a future version. I barely want to touch it for now.

Also, making worm piles not destroyable makes sense gameplay wise because they are supposed to be floor hazards. There are certain areas (like one of the interview rooms in Ops) where the challenge is jumping properly to avoid them, not "noticing them", and this change maintains that gameplay. I agree they are mostly a non-threat in the typical case, but you do have to keep at least some mental awareness to avoid them, especially on return visits to areas where you're less likely to be paying attention.

I completely understand the lore objections, though. It doesn't really make too much sense that you can kill one worm but not a swarm.