agent mod [Mod] Dr. Kit Pedler

[Caischcer]

I have been looking through out the code and I have seen a lot of "ghost units" code snippets. Are this the ghost division from the pre-Alpha? they seem to be able to cloak, I think it would be interesting to see them in-game.

 

Also there is this "epic weapons" among them the biodart (I don't remember its name the dart gun that has a 7 turn CD) there is also an X-ray rifle in there which seems like unused code for a rifle that could be shot across walls.

 

In fact there is a lot (A LOT) of unused code and comments throughout invisible inc's script files.

 

if you go to line number 255 on scripts/sim/engine.lua you will find a rather weird and unexpected comment it is also very funny

 

[Cyberboy2000]

The ghost units are not actually guards, they are pieces of information storing the last known state of a location or unit, like when an enemy leaves your field of vision but you still know it's there. So sadly no ghost division.

 

[Shirsh]

Ghost division just MKI with invisibility and their vision cones always hidden, I "mod" them in at winter when was waiting for final release, as grenade throwers without guns, because with pistols they too cheaty.

Actually after some trials and errors I force them use melee brain, but they going to annoyance overwatch loop almost everytime, and there's no good melee weapon for them (to use badass smacking animation etc): Monofilament Baton works nice but it put agents in permanent no-revival and non-draggable state, like laser-beams long time ago. Cant remember what was wrong about regular tazers (maybe only my wish to see that non-tazer melee animation).

Baton by itself require rework anyway: it's too cheaty easykill weapon with no drawbacks beside cleaning fee. Interesting stuff for modding practice for sure.

 

Also when I started to make this mod I was trying to give Pedler weaponless melee 1KO attack, and even tried weapon-augment - it could work but after equipping another tazer I failed to force him equip that augment-melee back. Maybe it's more likely possible by making custom ability though, but it should be connected to melee overwatch etc. Real programming skills required.

 

I keep pirated alpha-copy btw (sadly not final alpha build, but prefinal) for reference, that's where I take string of code for shields. I can search in it for more ghost division and psionics details.

[Caischcer]

I keep pirated alpha-copy btw (sadly not final alpha build, but prefinal) for reference, that's where I take string of code for shields. I can search in it for more ghost division and psionics details.

 

Don't you think that maybe it could have possibly been a little bit of a tiny minuscule bad idea to mention that on Klei's official forums?

 

But if you happen to find the code for the ghost division I would be interested on looking at it 

(just a peek) but about psionic units I don't think you'll need to look for that I think there is an unused guard trait that finds agents randomly. 

[Caischcer]

So I've been working on a way to rebalance Pedler's augment because once I found him on a detention center and I felt like he was a bit underpowered. So basically he is a PWR producer agent but he only does that if he is meleeing people and since later on the game koing guards is less common I thought I could give him buff by modding your mod.

 

Once I heard someone complaining about how costly it is to shoot a flurry gun with anatomy analysis, so I thought what if there was a way to reduce the PWR cost of PWR consuming items? So my idea for on-file Pedler is that he is this kind of seed program but on PWR consuming items. it would work as follows:

 

on-file pedler has an augment function that subtracts 2 PWR cost out of every PWR 

transaction this includes:

 

1. PWR consuming items:

a. All volt disrupters

b. tag guns

c. the flurry gun

d. scan grenades

 

2. PWR consuming augments:

a. Anatomy analysis

b. Subdermal cloak

 

3. The siphon daemon.

 

basically any case in which you did not spend power using a program now costs

2 less power IF peddler is the one using the item.

 

 

What do you guys think? Is it overpowered? 

Archive Pedler would have a maximum augment of 8 augments but would only have 4 augment slots open (by the way on-file pedler has a max of 4 and 4 slots open, because you know, he's a robot) but would have a movement penalty of 6 that means that he would be 2 movement points slower, which kind of makes sense because he is a robot. I had suggested before that it would be interesting to have an agent with a negative skill stat (like starting with level 0 speed instead of speed 1) and I feel like being a bit slower can be compensated by installing a Predictive Brawling or something like that. Archive Pedler would not be ko'd by augment machines either because, well... he is a robot, am I right? 

 

Ok so correct me if I am wrong. Sharp is an android he is a human that installed way to much augments and now he is more machine that human, but Pedler went further than being an android he somehow loaded his brain functions into somekind of storage device and loaded it into a robotic frame right? Because even though Sharp seems very robotic he still has trouble with his waste disposal which means he still has a tiny bit of human in him, but Pedler has no trace of being a human and even when he was on pre-Alpha he never spoke like a human he had some quite robotic phrases. 

 

I tried to limit Pedler possible ability upgrades depending on the number of augments he had installed. If he had only 1 augment then he could upgrade to level 1 abilities if he had 2 augments he could only upgrade to level 2 abilities if he had 4 level 3 and so on so that you could only fully upgrade any ability if you had installed 8 augments. Unfortunately I could not find a way to implement it so -2 MP was the next best option.

 

I also planned to change other stuff

kicking a door does not cost power anymore and is available

to all agents. it still costs 1 action point though

 

pedler had his inventory size modified. instead of the previous 4 it now has the 

standard 2

 

some strings on the descriptions of items and name of load outs have been changed

 

archive pedler does not have his tazermat anymore

 

scan grenades pwr cost was set back to 3

 

archive peddler now comes with a special shield rig that works on cooldown

 

shield rigs no longer work on cooldown and are now disposable (single use only)

 

BUT my game did not load when I got all the scripts on the game it just stayed on a blackscreen but my cursor did change to the standard one when the game loads, you know the blue one. Anyone has an idea of what could have possibly failed? I am guessing it is a syntax error somewhere. If anyone whats to change the scripts I modified I could share them.

 

I tried to use the mod loader but I don't know how to implement my modifications with the mod loader.

[Shirsh]

Check game logs, reason why game doesn't work should be stored there. I have ghost division files in first early access build, but it's chain of removed to release stuff: it require to restore removed traits connected to removed abilities, messing with engine.lua and/or adapt them to changed system. Rules changes too far for me to understand how make it work.

 

Changes sound fun. About inventory: I just gave him one extra inv.slot (not a strenght 2) to have full 8 at max.strenght. Kicking door? Well I didn't gave it anyone else because don't think that anyone without full metal servo mechanics should KOing Akuma Drones, too big and unbalanced power to be cheap I thought. Shields: my problem was that they removes after end of mission, if I had idea how to keep its effect between missions I'd make it consumable. Scan grenades mostly for expert+ when vision cones of unseen guards are hidden, to check rooms by it instead of peeking, choice of power vs mp.

And you see, I make it more power efficient (less consuming, more generating) with every version and all the time have doubts that it start to be overpowered (and I mean exp+, probably at expert or lower it's super cheat >_<)

[Caischcer]

Kicking door? Well I didn't gave it anyone else because don't think that anyone without full metal servo mechanics should KOing Akuma Drones, too big and unbalanced power to be cheap I thought.

 

Scan grenades mostly for expert+ when vision cones of unseen guards are hidden, to check rooms by it instead of peeking, choice of power vs mp.

And you see, I make it more power efficient (less consuming, more generating) with every version and all the time have doubts that it start to be overpowered (and I mean exp+, probably at expert or lower it's super cheat >_<)

 

Well I have been thinking about what you said of kicking doors being kind of an overpowered ability to have for free. How about instead of having the ability from the very beginning you get by leveling up? I think speed is one of those skills which don't give you any special ability (strength gives you +1 ko on level 5 and anarchy gives you an extended item drops table) I thought of maybe unlocking the ability on speed 5 just to show speed some love, but kinking doors isn't something stealthy nor speedy, I guess. I seems to suit anarchy best, but to me it seems like if you could also obtain that ability upon maxing anarchy, anarchy would become this no-brainer ability to max out first, too many advantages. I guess speed could get the kicking door ability.

 

Now about scan grenades, I do agree with you, but I decided to increase the PWR cost of the scan grenade to make it more of "Pedler exclusive item" without making it literally exclusive. Sure anyone can use the scan grenade, but if Pedler is using it, it is much more PWR efficient.

 

Also with his -2 PWR augment and with a cost of only 1 PWR Pedler would be producing PWR per scan grenade throw! Which is not a bad thing, I feel like making Pedler some sort of tagging oriented agent isn't that bad, but people could just spam the grenades to get free PWR. And I could leave the PWR cost as it is but even if I make it so that if the PWR cost < 2 and the ability to reduce the cost by -1 PWR then the scan grenade would not cost any PWR at all! And again people could just spam it. I could give the scan grenade a 1 turn CD but it would be unfair if it is another agent that is using it and buying scan grenades from a store if you don't have Pedler would be pretty much not practical.

 

Although there are a few issues with Pedler. He could be OP with some item set ups like if Pedler acquires a tag pistol the pistol becomes a PWR free item, it doesn't cost PWR at all, which again is not a bad thing, and I even thought of giving him the tag pistol instead of the scan beacons for his on-file version but many people are acquainted  with the tag pistol (it's been around for longer) I would prefer to introduce people to the newly introduced scanning beacons early. Besides if the tag pistol was available to Pedler from the very beginning, people would not appreciate this item-agent set up as much, they have to earn the tag pistol before feeling the overpoweredness.

 

Another possible situation in which Pedler could become OP very early on is if he is teamed up with Nika. If Nika gives her volt disruptor to Pedler then the disruptor becomes a PWR free tazer. Although it would still cost Pedler 2 augment slots to buff it to AP 2 so that it is useful at day 3 and Pedler would only be able to use it once per turn unlike Nika, so maybe it is not that bad of a deal. 

[HumanKirby]

Finally updated for update 11, yes I was lazy >_<

Have you added the ability to see Peddler in the agent select thanks to the scrollbar, or was it Klei who added this.

[Shirsh]

 

Just do fun stuff and test it. Pedler doesn't generate power when throw grenades though - it's melee only (and code in melee ability file, it check if fighter have augment and gives power if yes, similiar as predictive brawling and Nika's augment works), but you can add it to any other ability I guess (even to opening door).

 

Have you added the ability to see Peddler in the agent select thanks to the scrollbar, or was it Klei who added this.

Klei of course, you can remember, it was there when Jason and James do a devcast from James' house (if I remeber correctly) before upd 11, at first part of video (but they switched to build without extra characters before started to play).

 

Also as "bonus" there's a kanim_rush in animdefs.lua of mod, you can use it as a skin for someone and check how's she looks in game (I didn't find any other new stuff in upd11 kwads).

[AaronAlphaNexus1]

I know there is other stuff to think about first...but did you think about his backstory too?

[Shirsh]

I know there is other stuff to think about first...but did you think about his backstory too?

I don't want to, it was a reference to a real person and characters (or is it race?) created by him, and maybe if he was implimented by Klei he would be named differently and had a backstory, but I just want to restore piece of alpha content in some way, without lore integration/fan-fiction (yeah-yeah, scan-grenades description, augment's description, tazer >_< in alpha, beside shield in some builds, he had just stronger melee and wireless scanner, ok, I'm guilty here), so I just put short biography of real dr.Pedler (in tv series he had similiar tribute btw, as scientist who united with cybermen and became cyberman himself, but they changed letter or two in his name there, here I preserved his name as it was in alpha).

[Shirsh]

upd: shields cooldown up to 25-30 (ie second use at alarm 5-6), price is bigger, 2x shield is security dispatch only (was in stores by accident)

 

offtop: did you know that you can mix different .abld in animdefs.lua? In a table next one replace elements from previous only if have it:

[Shirsh]

and I put Carbon Myomer augment to augment machines (it was in vanilla itemdefs.lua but not in stores or augment machines lists)

if you downloaded archive after previous comment but before that one (there was 1 download), if you want, you can open scripts\sim\abilities\useAugmentMachine.lua
scroll down and add this to local augmentList = util.weighted_list:
 { "augment_carbon_myomer", 10 },

 

or delete it if you don't need it, it's augment that make one extra item slot useful without encumbrance, or you can make it less than "10" to have it more rare (although there also trait grafterWeight in itemdefs.lua, I have no idea which one matters more)

[HumanKirby]

upd: shields cooldown up to 25-30 (ie second use at alarm 5-6), price is bigger, 2x shield is security dispatch only (was in stores by accident)

 

offtop: did you know that you can mix different .abld in animdefs.lua? In a table next one replace elements from previous only if have it:

01.png

Could you post an example of code. I really like the exevutiv with the guard basecap and the Pedler with the Omnihead, I never really was into the animdefs. Also, isnt Carbon Myomer a rare item from monster

[Shirsh]

Could you post an example of code. I really like the exevutiv with the guard basecap and the Pedler with the Omnihead, I never really was into the animdefs. Also, isnt Carbon Myomer a rare item from monster

ok, in every agent or guard kanim there's a part like:

 

   build =

        {

            "data/anims/characters/agents/executive.abld",

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_hits_01.abld",    

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_attacks_a_01.abld",         

        },

        grp_build =

        {

            "data/anims/characters/agents/grp_executive.abld",

        },

    

Ceo with cap wil be:

 

   build =

        {

           "data/anims/characters/corp_FTM/ftm_med.abld", -- here is FTM guy added

           "data/anims/characters/agents/executive.abld", -- exec have no headgear, FTM cap will be here

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_hits_01.abld",    

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_attacks_a_01.abld",         

        },

        grp_build =

        {

          "data/anims/characters/corp_FTM/grp_ftm_med.abld", -- didn't tried, but I guess it should be here too

           "data/anims/characters/agents/grp_executive.abld",

        },

 

on the screenshot he was also with K&O grenade guy .abld on the top (there's collar left from it)

[Shirsh]

I had a lot of fun with 20 rooms option, mission generator can create real gold with it, laser barriers starts to matter, and it still possible to check everything and run away, but with too many rooms even "more guards" have problem with providing challenge.

So I add 3 levels of guards spawn: MANY, LOTS and PLENTY, (it's simply MORE +1, MORE +2, MORE +3 and +camera drone) to play with 20 rooms (or have headache at 10 rooms or less).

[HumanKirby]

ok, in every agent or guard kanim there's a part like:

 

   build =

        {

            "data/anims/characters/agents/executive.abld",

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_hits_01.abld",    

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_attacks_a_01.abld",         

        },

        grp_build =

        {

            "data/anims/characters/agents/grp_executive.abld",

        },

    

Ceo with cap wil be:

 

   build =

        {

           "data/anims/characters/corp_FTM/ftm_med.abld", -- here is FTM guy added

           "data/anims/characters/agents/executive.abld", -- exec have no headgear, FTM cap will be here

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_hits_01.abld",    

            "data/anims/characters/anims_male/shared_attacks_a_01.abld",         

        },

        grp_build =

        {

          "data/anims/characters/corp_FTM/grp_ftm_med.abld", -- didn't tried, but I guess it should be here too

           "data/anims/characters/agents/grp_executive.abld",

        },

 

on the screenshot he was also with K&O grenade guy .abld on the top (there's collar left from it)

Ok, got it (I think I did something like this with wireframe one time, whenever an agent was hidden, he looked like Decker.). I will try some things out and maybe even work on some guards for cyberboys challenging enemies. (I have some cool ideas)

[Shirsh]

+ small update today: pedler_1024.png (agent upgrade screen): colors adjusted to fit other agents more, less blurry head (pic in main post updated).

[Shirsh]

After tinkering for couple of days:

- Shields can't be properly transferred to workshop mod because it depends on engine.lua that I can't see a way to modify through mod api.

- Can't find the way to add loadout to agent (it adds two separated agents).

- agent screen pic and icons improved (I have a pen tablet now ), running noise slightly bigger than default, slightly modified scan-grenades visuals (simply smaller scale)

 

Main problem, advice required:

- Emission intercept augment gives 3pwr per melee (and after game update it works with volt disrupters), but now there's Olivia from dlc, who generate power same as KO damage from melee.

 

So I tried something different and make Pedler to be walking augment driller/surgeon without ability to add new aug slots (can be turned on though). What do you think, is it too overpowered to always have drill on the hands? On the other hand it's actually not very useful ability for non-endless =/

 

Or save "augmentSurgeon" ability for different case and make something different, to "electronic scanning" direction, or some combat stuff (high melee damage as in alpha, or something like hand-mounted dart-gun)?

 

(I think I'll search for some old "agent suggestions" threads now)

 

upd: another option that works already - manual icebreaking that consume attack, break number of firewalls equal to alarm level (maybe need a nerf)

Could be cooler to find a way of graphics modding and just make several agents with different abilities though. Can't see how it can be achieved now, with only png files extracted.

[Shirsh]

Published on Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=557032534

with only one loadout and same as in alpha build "+2KO melee" ability, improved pics, and some "bio fanfiction".

Shields can't be properly added in soft way (engine.lua), melee power generation augment and "hacking=alarm" augment preserved for future, for some other characters (source .anim files needed more than ever >_<), drill-augment ability could be fun for prisoners (as if they black-market surgeons or something) to keep detention centres alive at endless, but looks like it could be done only through "hard way" too.

 

 

[wodzu_93]

There is an error when throwing scan grenades, looks like animation is missing. This does not break the game, but still shows up in dev console.

 

 

Scanning beacons_1079 is missing animation: can_deploy, facing = E

 

stack traceback:

[C] in function 'getFrameCount'

game/client/gameplay/unitrig.lua:784 in function 'waitForAnim'

game/client/gameplay/grenaderig.lua:144 in function 'onSimEvent'

game/client/gameplay/boardrig.lua:1034 in function 'onSimEvent'

game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:21 in function 'fn'

game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:291 in function <game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:289>

 

Viz traceback:

game/client/gameplay/unitrig.lua:784: Missing Animation: kanim_smalgrenade, cam_deploy:E(0)

game/client/gameplay/unitrig.lua:784 in function 'waitForAnim'

game/client/gameplay/grenaderig.lua:144 in function 'onSimEvent'

game/client/gameplay/boardrig.lua:1034 in function 'onSimEvent'

game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:21 in function 'fn'

game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:291 in function <game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:289>

 

stack traceback:

[C] in function 'error'

game/client/gameplay/unitrig.lua:784 in function 'waitForAnim'

game/client/gameplay/grenaderig.lua:144 in function 'onSimEvent'

game/client/gameplay/boardrig.lua:1034 in function 'onSimEvent'

game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:21 in function 'fn'

game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:291 in function <game/client/gameplay/viz_manager.lua:289>

 

Event source:

game/client/gameplay/unitrig.lua:784: Missing Animation: kanim_smalgrenade, cam_deploy:E(0)

 

stack traceback:

[C] in function 'yield'

game/sim/simevents.lua:19 in function <game/sim/simevents.lua:16>

<tail call> ?

game/sim/units/simgrenade.lua:117 in function 'activate'

game/sim/unitssimgrenade.lua:37 in function 'throw'

workshop-557032534/throw_2.lua:113 in function 'executeAbility'

game/sim/simactions.lua:79 in function '?'

game/sim/engine.lua:2088 in function 'applyAction'

game/client/states/state-game.lua:362 in function <game/client/states/state-game.lua:359>

 

[Shirsh]

Tinkering with throw_2 ability was a very messy process of trials and error in May/June (first steps into .lua, I was trying to have another effect - electronic scan as International have, but gives up in the end and beside scanning visuals it works simply as camera/vision source that exist only for a moment, there's a lot of unneeded lines inside and no comments why I tried to put there some of them at all >_<), it use the same animation that enforcers do (modified anim definition only do different scaling) and can be not quite compatible with animation of player controlled chartacters.

I'll try to do something with it of course.

[Shirsh]

His melee cost 3 movement point now. "Heavy handed" etc

But I was thinking: maybe permit melee with 2 points too? hmmm

[HumanKirby]

His melee cost 3 movement point now. "Heavy handed" etc

But I was thinking: maybe permit melee with 2 points too? hmmm

Maybe reducing the KO for every missing MP?

[Meglos]

I'm not an Invisible Inc player, but the name of this mod intrigues me, because I am a Doctor Who fan. The real Dr Kit Pedler was co-creator of the Cybermen back in 1966. Could someone please enlighten me as to why his name is being used here? Thanks!