AI Shield GeneratorsOr, "Core Shield Generators," for those who played AIWar Classic.This mod adds a special faction, "AI Shield Generators," to the game. This faction consists of a number of shield generators which must be destroyed before the dire guard posts on the AI Homeworld(s) can be destroyed. The catch? In order to destroy the generators, you will need to either hack them or capture the planet they are on.
Installation:- Delete any current previous versions of the mod.
- Download the attached file.
- Unzip the file, placing the files within it in the into your main AI war 2 folder. Make sure that you maintain the folder structure indicated by the attachment
Setup:- Enable one or more "AI Shield Generators" factions.
- Set the "Faction Color", "Number of Shield Generators," and "Number to Destroyed" for each "AI Shield Generators" faction. The first two options should be self-explanatory, while the last is explained in more detail below. I suggest selecting a different colour for each faction so that you can distinguish between them in-game.
Gameplay:During the game, you will discover that a number of "Shield Generator" structures have been added to the map. These structures will be invulnerable to damage until you capture the planet they are on. Alternatively, there is a hack which will allow you to destroy them outright without capturing the planet.
Each generator is linked into either a "Strong" or "Weak" network, consisting of all of the generators spawned by one "AI Shield Generators" faction. Generators in a "Strong" network will need to be destroyed individually until only one remains, at which point the remaining generator will self-destruct. Destroying one generator from a "Weak" network, on the other hand, will cause all of the other generators in that network to self-destruct.Unlike in previous versions, generators are now no longer linked into strong or weak networks. Instead, you will be able to set a number of generators which need to be destroyed in order to cause the remaining generators in the network to self-destruct.
You will also find that an "AI Homeworld Shield Generator" has been added to each AI Homeworld. These structures are invulnerable to damage and provide invulnerability to all Dire Guardposts on the planet. Fortunately, they will self-destruct once all of the non-homeworld shield generators have been destroyed.
Compatibility:This mod uses partial records to add invulnerability to the Dire Guardposts.
If a mod adds new Dire Guardposts, a compatibility patch will be required.
The AI Homeworld Shield Generators are also considered guardposts, so modders will need to exclude them if they are generating random guard posts.
Other Notes:This is my first mod. If/when you find bugs, please report them in this thread. I would also welcome any comments or suggestions regarding balance.
I would like to thank the wonderful people in the Arcen Games discord. Without them, I would likely have never figured out how to set up Visual Studio, let alone managed to make this mod.
Updates:10/05/20 - Updated for changes introduced in Beta 2.027
22/05/20 - Updated to account for the removal of exp in v2.045
03/08/20 - Updated to work around an issue regarding partial records. Please note compatibility changes detailed above.
21/10/20 - Updated to work following several changes. No change to functionality.
10/11/20 - Updated to account for changes to FactionUtilityMethods. No change to functionality.
14/12/20 - Major update. Returned to using partial records, reworked significant parts of the code. Removed strong and weak networks in favour of being able to select a number of generators to be destroyed. AI Homeworld Shields faction no longer needs to be added to games manually.
31/12/20 - Minor update. Fixed the dire guard post invulnerability appender (was previously showing an old message describing the function of the homeworld shield generator). The mod now has a description and defaults to off. Changes should work with existing saves.
