Has anyone tried adding extra skill levels for mechwarriors?

[Panpiper]

I find that when my ability to improve my characters approaches the maximum permitted in any game, my interest in continuing to play takes a nosedive. I am at the point now where my pilots are all one or two skill points away from ten across the board, and rather than shelving the game, I am wondering if it wouldn't be possible to mod an extra ten levels for each skill?

Sadly I have little expertize with the file structures used in this game. It seems clear to me that several existing files would have to be modified and a great many new trait files created. I am half way motivated to try to make it work despite the size of the task, except I worry that I would do all the work and then discover something like the engine itself not being able to display more than ten ranks of skills, or something.

Does anyone have more expertise in this than I who could advise me? Is this a fool's errand?

 

[Fiona Marshe]

I don't have the files handy, but its a simple change. 'max skill level' from 10 to another number. UI won't support more than 3 skills (I think there is room for up to 5, but needs testing)
However, at 10 (without changing the base to hit chance and other mods) you're already maxing out at 95% success rate, so it just becomes 'easy mode'.

Better off starting a new game with a slower advancement.

Starting Values
"PilotLevelCostExponent" : 2,
"PilotLevelCostMultiplier" : 100,

Two separate options; changing the exponent affects the bell curve; the multiplier is linear.
Exponent 2 = <level>^2 = 100, 400, 900, 1600 etc
Exponent 2.5 = <level>^2.5 = 100, 596, 1591, 3200 etc
Exponent 3 = <level>^3 = 100, 800, 2700, 6400 etc

I'm doing my *first* runthrough at Exponent 2.5 AND a full balance pass from another thread (65% base accuracy, updated range/movement modifiers). My commander only just got her first ability (after finding Argo).