[A17 released] Launch Pods without Pods Launcher from anywhere.

[Wishmaster]

========= edit: Mod released =========

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1169411104
soon on forum
https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=30708#msg313430

========= ========= ========= =========

I am working on a new mod that adds a new pod.
The MK1 Transport Pod.

The main point of this topic is to discuss the balance of this.

MK1 Poddoes not need a pod launcher and will not vanish when landing.

It can land anywhere on the world, and be used from the world map (no local map generated unless you land to one).
It has its own fuel tank and cargo.

You can land to a friendly outpost and trade with them. (this feature could be very OP...)

You can send the pods without anyone on board, but you will need to use your comm console to trade. Only possible with factions of tech level >= industrial .

Has enough fuel to go as far as a vanilla pod one way. (tbd).
It should use a little bit more fuel (3 per tile instead of 2.25) and perhaps an extra 10 for every trip (tbd).
The cargo size should be a little higher than the vanilla pod (180 instead of 150).
Building the pod costs 50 steel, 30 plasteel and 2 components (tbd).

The research required is the same as the vanilla pod.

Let me know what you think of this balance.
suggestions welcome !

https://github.com/Wishmaster01/Self.Launching.Pods

[AngleWyrm]

Back and forth to anywhere I hate starting a new game of Rimworld; wanna know why? Because I have to re-roll the planet over and over, spending a gaming session just looking for a place to land. Transportation across the planet could remove caravan range issues from consideration when selecting a landing spot, thus making more of the planet colonizable and reducing time spent in the pre-game menu system.

[SpaceDorf]

OP Maybe a bit ..
but at least more realistic ..
It always hurts my suspense of disbelief if something expensive like drop pods is a single use item.
I always thought that was the one thing space travel ( or good engineering in generall ) seeks to avoid.

In my head I always plan a small Airport next to trade partners, which I could supply from my main base, just to send Traders Back and forth. But I have not built one so far .. maybe this time.

This System would be more useful and not as OP as Cpt. OhU's Freight Ship.

[Wishmaster]

I never play with Orbital Hugs United. I have no idea how OP is this.

Also if only I knew about this earlier. I am totally looking at it now... It could at least make my job easier in creating this mod.

[Cpt.Ohu]

This System would be more useful and not as OP as Cpt. OhU's Freight Ship.

I can still nerf the sh** out my ships if it helps balance. Though what aspects are that OP if you take into account high build costs and fuel consumption ?

@Wishmaster: Feel free to rummage around and ask if questions arise.

[SpaceDorf]

This System would be more useful and not as OP as Cpt. OhU's Freight Ship.

I can still nerf the sh** out my ships if it helps balance. Though what aspects are that OP if you take into account high build costs and fuel consumption ?

Please don't Nerf them
I have not tested the long time use and fuel price cost, but considering that logs are more or less free,
I can't imagine that it is too high for a late-mid to endgame colony, which can afford multiple Freight Ships.

The OP Part is the total freedom of movement around the planet you gain with this ship, and the amount of Freight a single Pawn can move, without being in actual danger.

Which is totally awesome, especially in the Warhammer 40k Setting, but it loses the vanilla feel somewhere ..
the Pods feel more like Rimworld Lore.

On the other Hand .. Glitter- and Midworlds should have a similier Techlevel to at least reach todays Airtravel.
Which brings us back to the freighter

[Wishmaster]

This System would be more useful and not as OP as Cpt. OhU's Freight Ship.

I can still nerf the sh** out my ships if it helps balance. Though what aspects are that OP if you take into account high build costs and fuel consumption ?

@Wishmaster: Feel free to rummage around and ask if questions arise.

oh glad to see the mod author here :p...

So I've tried hard to make this mod and tbh it was not easy and now while a lot of things work fine, the code is a real mess. To works half on detours and half on clean new defs and classes. There are even some almost copied/paste code with few changes...

For now only traveling from map to map seems to work fine.
Traveling to new maps (encounter) or from a tile does not work for now.

I really wanted to keep as much as vanilla code as possible. No new gathering supplies job giver and drivers.
Not rewriting that pods chain from scratch (Building pod, leaving pod, traveling pods, incoming pod, active pod, building pod again).

I kept the vanilla CompTransporter, CompLaunchable and CompRefualable and assemble them all to one building (the new pod).

CompLaunchable has been swapped by my own CompSelfLaunchable.

Also I need for the world object "Landed Pods" to be like a caravan but should be able not move. I created a class from Caravan just like you.
Btw yours can walk to right ?

Code Select Expand

LandedShip : Caravan


However I had a look at your mod and it seem you had a different approach for quite everything
You have created your job drivers and givers, your ShipComp and ShipBase.

Now I'm thinking about reworking a lot of my code. Perhaps use some of your code (with your permission) ?

Mod teaser btw

[AngleWyrm]

Space Freight Trains
Cargo container modules to add to the basic ship.
And maybe mother-ships that can be placed into orbit as an in-betweeny base, with cargo container storage and shuttles.

[Cpt.Ohu]

Btw yours can walk to right ?

Code Select Expand

LandedShip : Caravan

Now I'm thinking about reworking a lot of my code. Perhaps use some of your code (with your permission) ?

Nope, my ships won't move. You can click all you want. Take a look at the Harmony patches to see how to do it.

I assembled so many new classes because the droppod-system was too limited in my opinion for what I wanted to do. It you really want to you can take a look at it and adjust it to your needs though.

[Slimy_Slider]

Are you planning to launch a demo version of the mod for trialling at all? It sounds like a good way to increase transport flexibility without going all the way with the Ohu Dropship and I would like to give it a try.

[Wishmaster]

Are you planning to launch a demo version of the mod for trialling at all? It sounds like a good way to increase transport flexibility without going all the way with the Ohu Dropship and I would like to give it a try.

I would totally post a pre release unstable version here for the most aware users.

[AngleWyrm]

A neat feature of github:
"there have been 4 commits since this release" is pre-release.

So pre-release is everything between release tags, no extra effort required.

[Wishmaster]

Good news. I made major advancements and the mod is decent for use now.

But is still experimental... If you really want to try it now, you can.
https://github.com/Wishmaster01/Self.Launching.Pods

Limitation remains.

   
• Map generation not supported. You can land on a site or an enemy village but nothing will happen until you unload your caravan.
• Pawns inside a pods fleet in world are not ticked.
• Prisoners will flee after landing.
• You have to unload your caravan from your pods fleet to do anything such as trading.

Discussing balance:

   
• Launching a pod costs 10 fuel + 3 for every tile.
• It can store up to 200 fuel units (instead of 150).
• It costs 60 steel, 30 plasteel and 2 components to make.
• It requires the same research as the vanilla pod.

Feedback is more than welcome.

[SpaceDorf]

Discussing balance:

Range and Cost is balanced, but I think you should include an additional Research Requirement for the Advanced Pods.

The reasons being :
a.) ADVANCED PODS - not same Pods
b.) unlocking them both at the same time practically removes all value of the base pods from the game.
c.) Advanced Research should lower the fuel costs of the base pods to keep them relevant as a player choice.

[Wishmaster]

You get a point. But personally I think I won't use the vanilla pods anymore.
Also I almost never had to use them for a one way trip.

Another way to balance maybe to require pod launcher to refuel.