Alternative Avenger buildings
Warning at the start: my wording today is shit, so apologies to anyone reading this.
Would anyone else be interested in seeing more building options for the Avenger? Buildings that don't overlap with anything(be they buildings or other bonus sources) but would actually be interesting or allow you to shift your game play style. Additional building options could be ones that boost aiming for all soldiers, reduce scan time, or other bonuses. There are some what I have thought about and will include below(that I am sure are not balanced at all).
Now if I am correct there are 6 buildings that are required to finish the game/build in all slots. Correct me if I am incorrect about the number or missing one(I have only finished one campaign so far so could be wrong). Those are: 1x Proving Ground 1x Shadow Chamber 2x Power Relay 2x Resistance Comms
That leaves 6 slots open with 6 buildings to place into them. Now, I know people will say that these are needed for a successful campaign, but they aren't required to finish the game. Advanced Warfare Center Guerrilla Tactics School Laboratory Workshop Defense Matrix Psi Lab
So then what are some buildings that you can think of that would not compete with the needed buildings but could compete with the other buildings for space depending on play style(either for the entire length of the campaign or for a part of it)?
Part of the idea would be to also have some buildings that might not be as useful at either the start or end of the campaign, so you would have a reason to place a building in then change it later when it is no longer useful.
A few that I can think of(again, likely unbalanced or even missing exact bonuses) for examples(that you should feel free to say are bad ideas or suggest adjusting):
Shooting range: +5% aim for all soldiers +5% aim for aimed weapons(pistol, sniper, rifle) +5% critical for aimed weapons(pistol, sniper, rifle) Aim bonuses only present for hostile for whom a corpse has been collected Critical bonus only present after autopsy completed Power: 2 Engineer slots: 0 Cost: 80
Reasoning: a literal shooting range that is more designed for aiming practice then the one Shen has. As you get corpses and finish autopsies the dummies of enemies can be created allowing our soldiers to practice aiming at the weak points.
Data Processing: Scanning Time reduced by 50%(does not reduce time on supply drops or contact) All Intel collected +25% Power: 3 Engineering slot: 2 Cost: 125
Reasoning: Additional computers are installed in the Avenger providing additional processing power to processing scan data and received intel.
Remote Network Assault: Reduced hacking defense for all purely robotic enemies by flat amount 20 points(50) Reduced aim for all robotic enemies -5%(-10%) Power: 3 Engineering slots: 1(+1 when upgraded) Cost: 100(150)
Reasoning: Providing systems that are connected to the Advent Network, while being isolated from the Avenger's systems, provides a means to put pressure remotely on an area of the Advent by attempting to hack onto it. The result is robotic enemies that depend on the network experience reducing functioning.
Automated Production: Creates 1 additional item of any Proving Ground Experimental project upon completion of that project. Uses no additional cores, increases supply cost by 50% MUST be built next to Proving Ground to function Power: 3 Engineering slots: 0 Cost: 120
Reasoning: by adding an automated system that is able to copy our work from the Proving Grounds we are able to produce an additional product of what we made.
Unnamed: +1 damage for all soldiers +2 damage for spread weapons(Shotgun, cannon) +2 shred for spread weapons(Shotgun, cannon)(unlocks after upgrade) Power: 2 Engineer slots: 0 Cost: 80(60)
Reasoning: YEAH SHOOTY SHOOTY MAKE HURT! MAKE SHOOTY SHOOTY MAKE MORE HURT!
Also, I have 0 idea how to mod but want to learn. So if anyone one would like to take the idea and see what could be done, let me know, I'd actually like to work on this with someone and learn if possible.
TL;DR: Let's expand the number of buildings that could be build to tailor what is on the Avenger to different play styles. What would you like to see as a building option on the Avenger?
Posted Mar 13, 2016, 12:47 AM UTC
It's probably a fair amount of work to do. I don't grasp what Firaxis' approach is but... See all those sections of circuits and lights surrounded by girders when in Avenger view? They're all room size. I don't know if it's Firaxis' own plans to use those spaces or if they just set the standardized size to make more rooms easier for modder creation.
So your ideas need the following: A framework to allow clearing of those machinery spaces and placement of a 'room' parcel--there's a room stats config mod that could be a foundation for it. New meshes for each room--to begin with you can use existing room parcels. New animations for specific actions of actors within each room.
I'm saying 'parcel' but I haven't actually looked at how rooms are coded yet. Either way it's a combination of mesh/spawn-points/ animations, and then the room stats.
Also, none of your ideas seem to have a huge gain for being staffed near a Workshop. They seem to mostly function as better GTS upgrades anyhow.
More specific thoughts:
Shooting Range can use the shooting range space below Engineering where Dr. Shen shoots her newly-made weapons each tech level. Note that the cabinets on the left should only carefully be modified since Firaxis has it covering what would be a door to the adjacent unused rooms. I'd probably use this as a new location for the Cadre 'Training Session' mod that levels up recruits using a ranking soldier.
Laboratory has no reason to be in the normal rooms complex. Perhaps use the two slots at the bottom of the ship for labs, considering they're adjacent to Tygan and Shen. Hell, Firaxis may have them reserved for overhauling the labs themselves considering there's a staircase down toward them on each side. Needs to be coupled with mods to make scientists and engineers more interesting though.
Don't think my critical thought implies I'd be on this myself anytime soon. When I get to the point that I'm knowledgeable to do so I'll be working on 'resistance' or 'Exalt' base GUI and unless it's easy it'll be done quicker if you teach yourself the mod tools. If you want to work on this sort of thing there's folks plenty more savvy than me to help you get up to speed but I'll do my best to point you in the right direction for whatever your plans are.
This is less designed to add more buildings onto the chain of buildings so that you have everything by the end but to add the choice of what to build by giving more buildings than there are spaces.
In terms of them not benefiting from being near the Workshop, I agree. I had not factored that in much and will need to see how that can play in.
It actually would be interesting to be able to upgrade the preexisting places on the Avenger to get something from them. Upgrade the bar/living space to reduce chance for a soldier to be shaken perhaps.
Hmm. Then, keeping to the current amount of slots for the time-being... Wouldn't the best way to balance this in the short-term be to have the rooms be (semi)exclusive variants of existing ones? Thus building a second one would duplicate some functionality. With both, the code would just take the cheaper costs. And you can then just copy each building template, and overwrite the building template manager to incorporate all of them. Making the choices declared and blatant smooths out gameplay.
The simplest polished version I can think of:
Shooting range: GTS variant Aim and crit modifications for autopsied enemies, 'Vital Point Targeting'. If a variant of the LW Leader mod is attached to the GTS (they've allowed the entire code to be incorporated into a 3rd-party mod already), then an alternate subclass can be exclusive to the Range. GTS may purchase vital point targeting by enemy type for double cost (or a large corpse-cost so they cannot be sold so safely...) and vice versa. Since corpses are not used for target practice if there's a shooting range, it could even incorporate an autosell function that keeps just enough for future techs and equipment if you like. Having both buildings uses lowest costs.
Data Processing: Resistance Comms Variant Provides incremental scan bonuses but staffed engineers do not add a resistance contact, rather a 10% scan speed bonus with slightly reducing returns (up to 50% were someone to build 3 facilities with 2 staffed engineers each). Using these exclusively is only +2 contacts with upgrade, so cannot cover the world map with even 3. Balance-wise core game scan times may need to be slightly increased (more rumor sites would just make resistance HQ more obsolete).
Remote Network Assault: Defense Turret Thingy The standard building never gets used and has no reason to consistently be staffed so it would need a new added benefit (like reinforcing XCOM on missions with dropped turrets every 5 turns using reinforcement code?). Your numbers seem balanced enough.
Automated Production: Proving Ground Alternative Rather than require a nearby proving ground, have Auto Production cost twice as much (2 Cores+Optionals) but add the result to engineering (for 1 Core+meager cost if heavier armors) and never repeat items. With this and a Proving Ground, the regular costs would apply for new research but the manufacturing bonus would be in play. Dismantling auto-production would make the produced items no longer buyable in Engineering and allow doubles to be randomly generated.
Unnamed Damage Increase: Make these benefits buyable at the Shooting Range. Especially if the Aim and Crit bonuses are free with the autopsies. These bonuses can be bought from GTS for double cost. Require a certain number of promotions for parity with GTS upgrades as this is practically an alternative for the now cost-prohibitive Squadsize.
Well, that's just an idea. Upgrades for unmoving buildings is a good idea as well. I actually really like your concept with or without my alterations, though it still gives me a hankering for using the blank spaces on the base screen. But I'm supposed to make flat bases first...