Question (for diplo 1.34)

I want to replicate the "Magnetize" effect, only for ships. I want to apply the ability to one hostile ship and it attracts other hostiles to it. It does not need to apply at the same rate or apply damage. I want to make a "lump" of hostile ships that can't separate themselves for a time.

I will probably need this in detail. Can send PM. Thanks.

General process:

• You will need an ability file with buffInstantActionType "ApplyBuffToTarget"...I'd use AbilityShipCripple as an example or template...this will make it so that the ability will target a single enemy entity and apply a buff to that target...in that ability file, you can set the target filter (this will only be what you initially target with the ability, not what ships will be "sucked in") as well as the AM cost, cooldown, and other things...set the buffType to the buff referred to immediately below....
• You will need a buff file with a periodic action with buffInstantActionType "ApplyBuffToTargetsInRadius"....use BuffRepulsionFieldCaster as an example....that periodic action needs to apply a buff to all enemy ships within a certain range....use the target filter to affect only frigates...set the buffType (within the periodic action) to the buff referred to immediately below...
• You will need a buff file with an instant action that causes movement towards last spawner...use BuffRepulsionFieldTarget as an example...if you use that file, make sure the speed values are positive, as negative would push the ships away...

Basically, you just need an ability file that uses ApplyBuffToTarget and applies some tweaked version of repulsion to an enemy ship....

Look at the Distant Stars/Celestial bodies Black Hole entities for a good gravity pull effect.  Lol--you can look at the Maw too if you want overkill.

Has anyone done any experiment with getting phased out objects to move, or even shoot weapons? Or are they hard coded to pretty much just sit there?

Also still looking for anyone who can basically tell me how to get a white planet (like ice worlds in vanilla sins) to be white, instead of the mostly blue look it gets from the star light. Generous amounts of Karma are available while supplies last!

I have not, although invulnerability would pretty much cover it.

Working on it, thanks for the replies guys. It's sort of working. The problem I have right now is the effect (inverted repulsion+bool: abilitiesdisable so i can clearly see if its working) on nearby ships is flickering on/off every half second or so. Whats up with that?

Might be the finish condition on the target buff. Will look around.

I realize that, but there are other reasons for wanting to use Phased Out besides leaving the object invincible.

Try making your specular channel in the planet cl texture all black (alpha channel).

Edit -

I use the illusion ship modifier if I want something to look like it's phased out but still move.

entityBoolModifier "IsIllusionShip"

The inverted repulse is working, but something is instantly resetting it. The periodic interval time again activates it, only to instantly be reset. Any ideas?

I experimented with pulling off an ability that allowed a ship to fire while "cloaked" in SOA2.  It didn't go well.

Movement is easy, but brief periods of vulnerability and weapons fire are buggery in effect.  You get weapon shots doing no damage frequently.  Even when you get things adjusted for acceptable behavior, a slower computer throws it out of wack under load.

The issue is probably the "FirstSpawnerNoLongerHasBuff" finish condition....needs to refer to the proper buff (which I assume is not "BuffRepulsionFieldCaster")

He could also be using "PrioritizeNewBuffs", which would cause that issue.

Yeah got it to work regular now, except reversing the sign on repulse and making it positive isn't pulling the ships in, instead it's making them move like slugs, almost freezing them in place. I could do that with disable engines....I want to pull them in.

Goa, in RR, I removed the "PhasedOut" status from POH when used on friendly and removed a few others to enable movement while "phased out."

An idea I'm throwing around in my head is that Gravity Pulse and Phase Cannons could work with POH to deal bonus damage to ships phased out.

I just had a look inside the entity and remembered that it only delt with integers.

harpo

Then you should copy Magnetize.  I'm reasonably sure you could remove the damage on impact and add frigates to the target table for the various buffs and it should do what you want.

Ok--regarding ghost ships.  Look at the phantom ship ability for the Illum and I know for a fact that you can use Diplomatic Immunity--which gives you all the benefits and none of the liabilities of being phased out--and still fire.

My experience so far when trying to change the can't shoot bools and the like for phased out is they don't change and seem hard coded.

Combine the phantom ship with Diplomatic immunity and you sort of have it.

Your other option is to make a small mesh and the ship hull itself a a bigger particle effect--that changes when you call your immunity/cloak buff.

Just some thoughts--sorry for the lack of detail--haven't gotten around to it working it all yet myself.

I'm trying to figure out what causses to AI to do what, more specificly im trying to get the AI on x difficulty to build more capitals, though in the reference files i see nothing labed AI or anything like that, someone wanna point me to the right file?

Also is there a way to limit a weapon to a single target type? lets say capitals, or strikecraft? basicly like how the anti-structure cruisers work, just with a different filter?

or is there a way to change what damage percent weapons do to different types? for example if i wanted to set verylight weapons to only do damage to verylight

Sorry guys, I guess I should have explained what I'm trying to do in more detail. I don't care about the cosmetics of being phased out either. I'm trying to get the AI to use an ability better. One of the things you can do to narrow a target filter is define if that target is in normal or phase space. If I were to make an entity phased out all the time, but could still operate as a normal ship, and made the ability only target objects in phase space, that would eliminate the vast majority of targets I don't want this ability to be used on.

The AI is not really modifiable. You have to change other things to sort of trick it into working how you want, but you can't do anything to change the fundamental way it operates. That said one modder reported making an AI only tech (I.e. placing it off the research screen) that reworks how mass transcendence to basically make AI capitals start at level 3 makes them build more. He does a total conversion though, so he didn't have to worry about screwing up this tech for the normal races.

Also there is no way to get what level of AI is in the game.

No, magnetize will kill the frigates upon impact, which I assume is not what he wants....

Trying removing all finish conditions and see if it works to any degree, then add them back in one at a time...

More likely though, it seems that the instant action reset physics state may be the culprit, try removing that and see if it helps....

Magnetize was the first thing I tried, but in the target filter despite putting "frigate" in, it wouldn't attract them. I search the mod forum briefly and found another post that seemed to indicate magnetize was for SC only.

Removing "reset physics state" didn't help.

Currently everything is good except that the frigates don't move towards one another, they just get slowed down to a crawl, but are not "attracted" towards the selected frigate at all.

Phase out while moving is very much possible. I've played with that.

Edit: Oh phooey forgot I used "IsIllusion" instead of "PhaseOut."

Link the files you are working with here...

How?

Well, you will need to upload them somewhere...I personally use mediafire as there's no BS ads or "wait times" or whatever when people just want to download one file from you, but really you could use whatever you want, there may be better options out there....

Wherever you have your account, upload it there, copy the download link to your clipboard, and make a hyperlink in your post (the chainlink thingie makes a hyperlink of the selected text)...

Hmmm....I will get back to this.

Another question, has someone successfully managed to make an ability that causes hostile ships fire on each other?