Move aftershock cbms to base game

[Firestorm01X2]

Move aftershock cbms to base game

Summary

SUMMARY: Content "Move aftershock cbms to base game"

Purpose of change

Aftershock mods contains intresting cmbs. It is good idea to add them to base game, because:

1. Some of cbms was intentionally moved to aftershock from DDA, because they stopped fitting DDA new lore. BN lore supports this level of technology.
2. This cbms already has code support but without Aftershock it is dead code.

List of added CBMs:

1. Solar Panels CBM: "Installed on your back is a set of retractable solar panels. When in direct sunlight, they will automatically deploy and slowly recharge your power level.". It was moved out of DDA because it was deemed unrealistic. Previously was preinstalledon bionic sniper profession. Should be still good power generation option.
2. Deployable Grenade Launcher CBM:"Your right hand can fold inward to reveal a mechanism capable of igniting and firing 40mm grenades across medium distances.". Interesting option for player that want heavy weapon at hand. Buffed: increased accuracy, now can be preloaded with 3 grenades. Unique role: almost energy independent bionic heavy weapon. Good accuray.
3. Linguistic Coprocessor CBM: "The left hemisphere of your brain has been augmented with a microcomputer that moderately increases the speed that language and written words are processed, granting a 15% increase to reading speed." I don't know why it is not base game. Increases reading speed by 15%. Not 25% for some reason.
4. Dopamine Stimulators CBM: Tiny cybernetic stimulators have been installed throughout your ventral tegmental area, and trigger at set intervals using bionic power. This slowly releases a stream of reward chemicals and hormones into your brain, inducing a state of euphoria that notably elevates mood.". Kinda built in vibrator analog.
5. Fusion Blaster Arm CBM: "Your left arm has been replaced by a heavy-duty fusion blaster! You may use your energy banks to fire a damaging heat ray. However, you are unable to use or carry two-handed items, and your strength limits what you can use with your one hand.". No longer remove hand. Armour piercing buffed significantly. Projectile damage type changed to heat. Unique role: Bionic heave energy weapon.

Obviously cbm re balance will affect Aftershock mod as well due the way things are coded, but it should benefiting.

List of not added CBMs:

1. Skullgun CBM: "Concealed in your head is a single shot .40 pistol. Activate the bionic to fire and reload the skullgun.". Built in .40 pistol. Reduces intellect and perception It is joke gun mostly.
2. Cranium Bomb: "You've worked for some nasty people. People who installed a bomb at the top of your spine. They are all dead now but there is unfortunately a dead man switch if you don't check in roughly every thirty days. You need this out and fast.". Scenario based thing only. Preinstalled in Bionic Operator Aftershock profession. Should be ported only with profession
3. Wind Turbine CBM: "Installed on your body is a set of small retractable wind turbines. When activated, they will deploy and slowly harvest wind power to recharge your power level.". Wind dependent power generation. It mostly duplicates what solar does, but more randomly. Wind isn't communicated to player well, it's hard to see it and even harder to predict it.
   The bionic also kills immersion by being obviously weird in a way that can't be explained with "it's magic sci-fi stuff". It's like a propeller hat, except it makes enough power to run bionics off it.

Describe the solution

Merge almost all CBMs from Afershock mod to base game.

Describe alternatives you've considered

None.

Testing

1. Check if Aftershock CBMs funtional.
2. Check if Aftershock CBMs at least adequate balance.

• Solar Panels CBM - working. Reacting on sunlight.
• Deployable Grenade Launcher CBM - it is working. Got exception on shooting explosive but not slug. Never mind m79 grenade launcher crashes as well on explosion. It seems CMB is working, but 40x46 and 40x53 ammo need checking. It is actually less accurate than m79, so it is much description. I assume it is good compromise.
• Dopamine Stimulators CBM- +20 mood buff. 5Kj each 200 turns. 5Kj activation. Helps maintain focus at the cost of energy. No side effects. I see potential uses in long tasks. Looking good. Moved to military CBM spawn list for balance.
• Fusion Blaster Arm CBM: No longer removes hands, just integrates with it. Damage changed to heat. Armour piercing significantly increased.
• Linguistic Coprocessor CBM: buffed. Now it increases reading speed to +25% instead of 15%.

Note that balance chages does affect Aftershock users, but It supposed to be in good way.

Additional context

Save for testing(afscbm):
afscbm.zip

Save for testing with Aftershock mod (afscmbs, s at the end of save dir name):
afscmbs.zip

[Coolthulhu]

I'd keep the wind turbine out, it's unpredictable.
Skullgun was supposed to be a joke item, I think. It's not a very good idea.
Fusion blaster AKA Megaman arm is a noob trap.

Rest looks OK, but may need balancing.
How fast does solar panel work? It's rather limited in use, so it should provide advantages over more versatile options, like battery eater and torsion ratchet.

[Firestorm01X2]

Skullgun was supposed to be a joke item, I think. It's not a very good idea.

Yeah. I get it now. It hurts player intellect and perception (like you actually replace part of your brain and head with gun) , has insane installation difficulty and worse than even basic .40 pistol.

[Firestorm01X2]

I'd keep the wind turbine out, it's unpredictable.

It can fit "passive power generation in certain condition option". Technically it don't have to be reliable. Do not require player actions or attention.

[Firestorm01X2]

Fusion blaster AKA Megaman arm is a noob trap.

It is fixable. I'll look for options.

[olanti-p]

Cranium Bomb

I don't think it even works. There supposed to be an enchantment attached to it that checks every x days whether to blow off the character's head, but it's missing in BN version.

[chaosvolt]

If it's meant to be "random chance ever X days" then it could be implemented via intermittent_activation. Though I feel like it would be better as some sort of conditional activation that I don't think we have the code support for, like a Cruelty Squad style "detonates if it decides you're mortally wounded" activation (in this case presumably below X HP).

That would be less of an RNG meme death than if it was a random chance of exploding every few days. How is it currently implemented, if at all, in DDA?

EDIT: Another option we could do under current enchantment code that offers the player slightly more control over their fate than "X chance every Y days" would be to make detonation trigger from a low-chance on-player-hit enchantment, presumably flavored as unstable ordinance rather than a killswitch.

[Firestorm01X2]

Cranium Bomb definitely will not be imported.

[Firestorm01X2]

fusion blaster surprisingly weak.
"range": 30, "ranged_damage": { "damage_type": "stab", "amount": 22, "armor_penetration": 15 },
Well, yes, armour penetration is good but damage itself kinda weak.

[Firestorm01X2]

To be fair fusion blaster is not off in comparison to other energy weapon. It seems energy weapon vs traditional weapon balance is different question and it is better to keep it off current PR, since it it is bigger question.
I'll most likely just tweak fusion blaster damage type from stab to heat and make sure that it is no longer take off player hand.
That's way it is no longer going to be noob trap.

[Coolthulhu]

Technically it don't have to be reliable. Do not require player actions or attention.

It mostly duplicates what solar does, but more randomly. Wind isn't communicated to player well, it's hard to see it and even harder to predict it.
The bionic also kills immersion by being obviously weird in a way that can't be explained with "it's magic sci-fi stuff". It's like a propeller hat, except it makes enough power to run bionics off it.

I don't see any reason to have it in core.

I'll most likely just tweak fusion blaster damage type from stab to heat and make sure that it is no longer take off player hand.
That's way it is no longer going to be noob trap.

What role will it fill?
It has to have its own niche and purpose.
Compare it to finger laser. If it turns out to be finger laser but better/worse, then there is no point in having both.

[Coolthulhu]

About the 40mm grenade bionic: it seems mostly redundant, since 40mm launchers are common and you need to unwield current weapon to use it.
If it had some interesting effects, like perfect accuracy against tiles (not creatures) at some bionic power cost, it could be interesting. Or if could be used while wielding other weapons.
I don't see a good niche for it as it is right now. It's a cheap weapon, except in bionic form.

Dopamine suffers from the same problem as music. Once you have it, other morale bonuses become irrelevant.
I guess it will need balancing with slots later. For now, it can get in, but it should not be common.

Linguistic sounds like it could be OK early on, but like it would quickly get bad later.
It might be OK if it spawns very early on and has low installation difficulty.

[Firestorm01X2]

It mostly duplicates what solar does, but more randomly. Wind isn't communicated to player well, it's hard to see it and even harder to predict it.
The bionic also kills immersion by being obviously weird in a way that can't be explained with "it's magic sci-fi stuff". It's like a propeller hat, except it makes enough power to run bionics off it.

I have counterargument here. Rimworld, for example has wind turbine, solar panel and fuel based electric generator.
Solar panels provide power at day. Wind turbines, despite being unpredictable provide power all day. And fuel burner for emergencies. And I see similarities for BN.
Wind Turbine in comparison of solar panel can passively geneate power at night - and that is useful and unique.
Yes, wind communicated badly and unpredictable, but it is same as in Rimworld. But still - you are just taking what wind is get for you even at night. So if players in Rimworld still using Wind turbines, despute having solar panel, then why BN player should not? Yes Rimworld and BN has different genres, but power generation concept is similar on upper levels.

So overall - wind turbine definitely has its niche.

Yes immersion may be problem here, but that is the case for a lot of CBMs.

[Coolthulhu]

Rimworld, for example has wind turbine, solar panel and fuel based electric generator.

Stationary wind turbine. Like we have on vehicles, where they heavily impact air resistance.
The wind speed is communicated with animation speed, space constraints are a balancing factor, power produced is clearly displayed.

Meanwhile the wind turbine bionic is a power generation bionic that produces effectively random amount of power whenever you're outside. And its "lore" is completely busted.
Solar panel bionic isn't good and has the same "lore" problem of panels phasing through your power armor, but at least it has a meaningful limitation that is properly communicated.

[Firestorm01X2]

Ok. Wind Turbine CBM cancelled.

40mm grenade bionic: still need discussion. It clearly has its niche- energy independent bionic heavy weapon. Only question is balancing it. It is already somewhat unique since it can use 2 calibers of ammuniton.

[Coolthulhu]

Only question is balancing it.

If it's a single use grenade launcher, it needs to have really good stats to be worth it.

[Firestorm01X2]

If it's a single use grenade launcher

Actually grenade launcher CBM can store preloaded ammunition then inactive. So if we will make this grenade launcher contain 3 grenades, pulling preloaded launcher can make a difference.

[Coolthulhu]

"due to"

[Coolthulhu]

Also updated Aftershock CBMs description to match base game cbms description to avoid player confusion. Should I remove this items, since they are in base game now? At the other hand - it is mod things, so it is kind out of PR scope.

You shouldn't leave mods with duplicates. If the items were bn-ified, the mod should use the new version or have it blacklisted to prevent spawning.
Duplicate bionics would be very confusing, with reports like "Why can I have two solar panel bionics?".

[Firestorm01X2]

If the items were bn-ified, the mod should use the new version or have it blacklisted to prevent spawning.

Considering that I've used same ids for bn-died items, maybe it is better to just remove them from mod items?

[chaosvolt]

If they're getting moved from Aftershock to vanilla than it should be fine, as then an old save with Aftershock will still be able to find the relevant JSON in vanilla files.

[Firestorm01X2]

@Coolthulhu, confirm please, I need to just remove dublicate items that left in Aftershock? Ids of ported CBMs are the same.

[Firestorm01X2]

Ok. Ready. Duplicates removed from Aftershock. Tested with Aftershock mod.
Do not miss provided saves for testing.

[Coolthulhu]

Oops, I missed the review request. I'm checking it now.

[Coolthulhu]

Do solar panels start with the "fuel saving" mode enabled or did you set it up in the save? If it's like this by default, it should probably be changed, since it's pointless to disable solar panels unless you explicitly want to avoid having full batteries for some weird reason (like debugging).

The power shot firing mode on fusion blaster costs the same as regular single shot. It causes explosions and sets things aflame. It shouldn't deal direct damage on top of that, otherwise the only reason to use regular single shot is to avoid damaging self or terrain with AoE.

[Firestorm01X2]

Do solar panels start with the "fuel saving" mode enabled or did you set it up in the save?

I've definitely didn't enable it. Also Wind Turbine does that as well.

[Firestorm01X2]

The power shot firing mode on fusion blaster costs the same as regular single shot. It causes explosions and sets things aflame. It shouldn't deal direct damage on top of that, otherwise the only reason to use regular single shot is to avoid damaging self or terrain with AoE.

Removed Armour piercing from power shot. It should do the trick.

[Firestorm01X2]

Do solar panels start with the "fuel saving" mode enabled or did you set it up in the save?

It seems there are no built in ability to remove fuel saving by default. There is flag "SAFE_FUEL_OFF" but it is used in code to keep fuel saving state. It does not work if you just put flag in cbm JSON (obviously).
Fuel economy flag state is saving in save, by the way.

I propose to keep fuel economy default state feature out of current PR, since it is most likely will require new flag support.

For now - I've propose it ready again. Bio blaster power shot nerfed.