Adding new chassis

[MinusOne]

There is some mods for configs, some .exe patches, but i never seen mods that changes the models of units or adding some new chassis, which is strange. Is there some ways to add new chassis type, and, maybe, give to it some special properties without patching the .exe file?

(I thought about adding the airships, which is supposed to be the early aviation and be the good air transport, as they meant to be something like unarmed and unarmored gravships, but now it seems to be impossible for me, as it requires much more than adding a couple of lines in alphax.txt)
Btw, if you saw some mods with 3d-models, post it here - it will be interesting for me too.

[bvanevery]

I don't think there's any way to do it from just a *.txt file.  I do remember looking into it, and trying to add #CHASSIS entries, and posting about it, and getting no result at all.

[Maximus Thalos]

I doubt you can add a new unit but rather change on of the existing one. Like the grave ship. I was going to mess with the idea but I'm too deep into my current mod.

[Geo]

Your new 'graphic' would need to match the number of components (the caviar files used to assemble it ingame) as the old though.
For example, a new graphical representation of the grav unit might fit with the rover unit.

[golingarf]

I have been trying to figure this out myself. For example, if I want to change the infantry chassis graphic to the formers chassis graphic, to make them tanks, is that possible? It's interesting that in the whole big graphics thread there is no mention of modding the unit graphics.

[scient]

The maximum chassis parsed in are 9. So without modifying the code, you would be limited to changing an existing one. The functions that handle drawing unit start with vehdraw_* specifically vehdraw_construct_vehicle(int vehID, Caviar *). These handle logic that parse unit data and interface with Caviar functions. I haven't really spent that much time looking into these yet.

[golingarf]

The maximum chassis parsed in are 9. So without modifying the code, you would be limited to changing an existing one. The functions that handle drawing unit start with vehdraw_* specifically vehdraw_construct_vehicle(int vehID, Caviar *). These handle logic that parse unit data and interface with Caviar functions. I haven't really spent that much time looking into these yet.

I'm thinking I might wait for your OpenSMACX project to be functional, rather than trying to putz with this.

[Maximus Thalos]

I'll give it a shot at some point. Iv'e always thought the grav-ship was a end game super unit and ruined the effort of conquest. And the leap between rover and hover tank was excessive. I think a basic tank, tankette would be a good addition.

[bvanevery]

Super units can be rebalanced for availability and cost.  They don't have to have new artwork.  Did it in my mod.

[Maximus Thalos]

Turns out making the basic tank I wanted was a lot easier then I thought it would be! A nice tracked tank that moves slower then a speeder. Unfortunately I'm not to informed about the inner workings of the independent settings a unit can have. Does anyone know how the hovertank or chopper can attack multiple times in one turn? Is it a power/reactor variable or some setting in alphax.txt I missed?

[bvanevery]

I think the attack capabilities are simply hardwired into the position of the chassis on the table.

[JoGr223]

chasis idea (or special ability): a unit with kind of teleport moving pattern similar to chess' knight/horse maybe instead of moving 2 squares away it would move 3 or 4 and ignore zoning rules

[bvanevery]

Orbital insertion in the late game is basically teleporting.  Non-combat units have to end their turn after they drop.

If you want this capability earlier in the game, you'd need to ask why it doesn't unbalance combat.

You can use drop pods in midgame, aka a "Paratrooper" in other Civ-style games.  You're limited to a range of 8.  You'll take wounds if you land outside a city.  That said, one could design a "drop transport" as one typically does for orbital insertion warfare, and just use it for 8 squares in the midgame.  For some reason the passengers don't take wounds.  You'll still have to end your turn because the drop transport is a non-combat unit, but at least your units will be full strength next turn.

Drop units can't land in enemy zones of control, are thwarted by Aerospace Complexes, and can't land in water.

Are you expecting to be able to jump around in the early game?  That's pretty imbalanced.

A "transport truck" is a bit of an exploit on land.  I refuse to play with it, because the AI doesn't how to attack with it or defend from it.

[JoGr223]

Are you expecting to be able to jump around in the early game?  That's pretty imbalanced.

no i don't obviously and nothing I wrote even remotely suggest that; I think you have a tendency of "putting words into someones mouth", deliberately faking someone's words to make it sounds worse, I saw it in many of your posts; this obviously sound like some kind of rhetoric as you could say the exact same sentence in much simpler, neutral way, eg

"I think it would be very imbalanced if such chasis/ability was possible in early game"

combat is already imbalanced with needlers and copters much too early;
such knight/horse could work if chassis progression would be:
-1
-2
-4 sea
-6 sea
-3 hover
-3-4 knight  (cannot move 1 or 2: only 3-4 or attack) and not in straight horizontal/vertical line

then the rest

[bvanevery]

Are you expecting to be able to jump around in the early game?  That's pretty imbalanced.

no i don't obviously and nothing I wrote even remotely suggest that; I think you have a tendency of "putting words into someones mouth"

I think when I ask you a question, it's a question.  Not a statement.  You getting angry about a question, is your bad.  Like your answer could have been "No, I'm not" without the drama.

neutral way,

I will admit that I am wondering about your level of experience with orbital insertion warfare.  You did correctly sense my pointy subtext in that regard.  You can confirm or deny your expertise in orbital drop mechanics as you like.

I don't see any need for this new tool in the late game.  At least, not against any AI opponent in the original game, or any of the major mods including my own work.  By the hovertank era, if you haven't figured out how to win the game already, you're just fooling around sandboxing.

Against human opponents, I am not clear on how the dynamics of the game goes.  I've played almost no human opponents, and not anyone competent.