[Mod] JK_Variants 1.8.0.0 - 175+ 'Mechs and 125+ Vees, Rarity Tables, and more

[GenTask]

Have you thought of making your mo compatible with the BTML and modtek?

Working on that for @Justin Kase . When I get that done, looks for news from him for that.

 

[FreiBier]

Oh boy! We both drop our big mods and then they have the gall to update their own game? How inconsiderate of them!

Please notice:

Note that the public_beta branch is still on Release 1.0.3 plus the additional Beta Launcher for BATTLETECH - we will also be advancing public_beta to contain 1.0.4 plus Launcher later this week.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/live-battletech-1-0-4-release-notes.1099787/

So problems could be just ahead

 

[Justin Kase]

@Justin Kase -- did I see you were thinking about changing the salvage to only require two partial mechs to create a whole, to mitigate the impact of the higher number of variants?

If so, I fully support that as a stopgap until when/if HBS changes salvage to be by the basic chassis instead of the variant, or otherwise compensates for their own added mechs and variants at some future point.

Yup, a totally optional file for anyone who wants to use it.

It changes 1 value in the data/simGameConstants/SimGameConstants.json file. Basically decreasing a 3 to 2.

I uploaded it to Nexus Mods, but it really is a very simple change - so I am placing it here as well.

Just expand and then place this OPTIONAL file in \\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\data\simGameConstants folder (backup original file first). This will adjust salvage to be 2 salvage parts create a 'Mech (instead of 3 parts).

Please notice:

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/live-battletech-1-0-4-release-notes.1099787/

So problems could be just ahead

Thanks - I had just seen that.

The good news is that this mod certainly works for 1.03, but it also appears to be working (after reapplying the MDD and VM fiiles) in 1.04 as well.

 

[Justin Kase]

Just got an infinite loading screen - so SOMETHING seems to be off...hmm.

Sorry to hear - did you try reapplying the VersionManifest.csv? And the MetadataDatabase.db (if you are using the Campaign option)?

Are you using any other mods? Or did you manaully add lines?

Are you able to pull the Output log after a crash? Located at : \\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\output_log.txt

 

[Lyrch75]

Well, just got a rather taunting piece of salvage. A command console

Will I be able to install it into a Command Mech, if its gets blown out??

 

[Justin Kase]

Well, just got a rather taunting piece of salvage. A command console

Will I be able to install it into a Command Mech, if its gets blown out??

LOL - the game is just trolling you now

I believe the only way it will work, is if you collect enough pieces of a -DC salvage to build a new one. It should then pull all requisite items from inventory. But, I honestly don't know

What I do know, is that it is currently too big to be manually installed

 

[Morricane]

Sorry to hear - did you try reapplying the VersionManifest.csv? And the MetadataDatabase.db (if you are using the Campaign option)?

Are you using any other mods? Or did you manaully add lines?

Are you able to pull the Output log after a crash? Located at : \\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\output_log.txt

I can check if it happens again. Also using the true random number values mod that doesn't bias the hit percentages.
In general it works, just sometimes a random mission gets stuck in a loading loop. Happened twice. Might be completely unrelated to your mod though (which is mad fun btw - especially the feeling of "grr I want this variant" since I play stock for added challenge) though
Not really time to play the next couple days though :/

 

[Justin Kase]

If it does lock up - try to grab that log file and copy it to your desktop. Then upload it here - or post it on GoogleDrive and let me know

There may well be a mismatch somewhere in all the stuff that I added that is causing a conflict. I know it takes longer to load (due to all the choices) - sometimes I Alt-tab out and come back and that seems to help it catch up.

I've also noticed that installing the 'fixes' for the Minor Adjustments mod seem to help a bit. Working to make it BTML friendlier - rather than a straight up replacement.

 

[don Zappo]

That is a great point with the Minor Changes mod. It does help with mod loading and stability. Those little changes can make a huge difference.

 

[Justin Kase]

HEADS UP​

Please replace the vehicledef_APC_Wheeled_SRM.json file with the attached fix (for version 1.03a)

The old file has a typo that causes it to hang.

This will be fixed in the 1.04 upload this evening.

 

[Morricane]

If it does lock up - try to grab that log file and copy it to your desktop. Then upload it here - or post it on GoogleDrive and let me know

There may well be a mismatch somewhere in all the stuff that I added that is causing a conflict. I know it takes longer to load (due to all the choices) - sometimes I Alt-tab out and come back and that seems to help it catch up.

I've also noticed that installing the 'fixes' for the Minor Adjustments mod seem to help a bit. Working to make it BTML friendlier - rather than a straight up replacement.

Regarding the loading looping - the game went and just infinite-loading screened on editing a mech in skirmish's mech lab as well as whenever trying to load a save, so I think its just busted and not related to your (or any other) mod. Even hangs when I remove all mods . Full reinstall time and then let's see if I encounter issues again

Edit: okay it hung again right now. but its the SRM2 issue you already fixed Forgot to apply the fix.

 

[don Zappo]

This will be fixed in the 1.04 upload this evening.

Do you remember the days when we used to play games instead of endlessly updating mods for games?

 

[Nikitian]

Considering that Agra ML- and Tronel LL- now are made purchasable from shops (and fairly uncommon/rare, from what I gathered from the new shop files), would it make sense now to make them more of a mixed bag rather than straight "-" grade variants? As is, they are actively undesirable and thus simply litter the shop list, which is probably not something to be desired.

(I could see the whole weapon variants range shifting to "-" variants as baseline instead of stock weapons as "commonly available in Periphery", but that's a much grander undertaking for a very different mod, and still wouldn't fit them being available as rare shop items.)

 

[don Zappo]

I have mixed feelings regarding those - weapons. I just got one from salvage and it made me laugh. But, I cant imagine the situation where I would actually buy them. So, while it is cool seeing them in stores, it is 100% pointless gameplay-wise. I actually advocate for stripping them out of stores.

 

[Justin Kase]

Yeah, the "minus" weapons are meant to be just that, crappy variants, based off the fluff.

They should be very rare to find in the shops - and they don't preclude other items from appearing (so they aren't taking another object's spot). Their only real benefit is that they are cheaper than their STOCK counterpart. They aren't something you would typically buy - unless you were desperate for a replacement part, then you may just wind up using it.

For the +-, -+, ++-, --+ (etc) I was just using @GenTask 's Weapon Diversity mod

 

[don Zappo]

Yeah, the "minus" weapons are meant to be just that, crappy variants, based off the fluff.

They should be very rare to find in the shops - and they don't preclude other items from appearing (so they aren't taking another object's spot). Their only real benefit is that they are cheaper than their STOCK counterpart. They aren't something you would typically buy - unless you were desperate for a replacement part, then you may just wind up using it.

For the +-, -+, ++-, --+ (etc) I was just using @GenTask 's Weapon Diversity mod

Since they don't take up another object's spot, I respectfully disagree with myself, then. Carry on, good sir!

 

[don Zappo]

I noticed your 5 movement files all are at 2x movement speed. I'm surprised by that hoice because it isn't standard. There are a lot of different ways that peie address movement and this seems like it could make things "off."

Or, maybe I'm just selfish because I want he unmodified movement files to make my life easier.

 

[Justin Kase]

Since they don't take up another object's spot, I respectfully disagree with myself, then. Carry on, good sir!

Yeah, if it was inserting crap in place of something else I could have had, it wouldn't be in there. But it is a totally separate shop file from the other stuff - though it is combined with the BLazers and MG +. So, a shot at the good and the bad

I noticed your 5 movement files all are at 2x movement speed. I'm surprised by that hoice because it isn't standard. There are a lot of different ways that peie address movement and this seems like it could make things "off."

Or, maybe I'm just selfish because I want he unmodified movement files to make my life easier.

Not sure I'm catching what you mean.

I took the base value from another 'Mech of the appropriate speed that I wanted.

Mech (MaxWalk/MaxSprint)

Base Banshee (120/200)
Banshee 3S (95/165) - slower

Base Blackjack (120/200)
Blackjack 1X (140/240) -faster

Base Cataphract (120/200)
Cataphract 4X (95/165) - slower

Base Panther (120/200)
Panther 9ALAG (140/240) - faster

Base Vindicator (120/200)
Vindicator 1AA (140/240) -faster

Or are you saying I should change the max radial velocity and acceleration?

 

[Nikitian]

Yeah, the "minus" weapons are meant to be just that, crappy variants, based off the fluff.

They should be very rare to find in the shops - and they don't preclude other items from appearing (so they aren't taking another object's spot). Their only real benefit is that they are cheaper than their STOCK counterpart. They aren't something you would typically buy - unless you were desperate for a replacement part, then you may just wind up using it.

For the +-, -+, ++-, --+ (etc) I was just using @GenTask 's Weapon Diversity mod

Um, not to mean any disrespect, but they do take up another object's spot, don't they? As shops have limits on how many non-stock items can appear at any single time (per visit), they are effectively competing for making an appearance, potentially showing up instead of something else (something positively useful). At least, that's how non-stock shop items ("specials") seem to work in general, from what I was able to gather.

Oh well. I suppose the chance is low enough that it won't matter much in the grand scheme of things; I was just a bit afraid of how bad a player might feel after seeing one of them on a shop visit instead of a ++/+++ weapon or rare equipment piece.

I will look at that other mod, thank you for recommendation, and I'm sorry for this nitpicking. This release has been great so far.

 

[don Zappo]

Not the movement distance, but the movement speed. For my mod, used a tool (linked from Rock, Paper, Shotgun) to double the WalkVelocity, RunVelocity, StrintVelocity, LimpVelocity, WalkAcceleration, and SprintAcceleration values. Since your variants are outside of the main game and there were only five of them (that needed movement files) I went in to manually change these values to bring them in line with the rest of the mod. I noticed that your Velocity values were already doubled, but the Acceleration values were not.

If I had the unmodified values I could easily change all of the movement files in the game at once by whatever factor I want. It is a very minor issue for my mod as I can stash "unmodified" files myself, but I'm concerned about weirdness with other people's games.