Looking for a list of mission types and random mech generators

[Curtis Cook]

I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong part of the forum, because I'm not looking to create a mod, but I thought that modders would be the most likely people to have this information.

I'm looking for a few things:
1) A list of the 'generic' scenarios (not priority missions or Flashpoints)
2) a range of difficulties for each generic mission (such as 'B Team, 1/2 to 2 1/2 skulls')
3) a random opfor generator for each level of difficulty
4) a list of the npcs who can be on your side, their mechs and their skill levels (such as 'Flapjacks, Urbanmech, 3-2-1-2')

Pointing me at these would be fine; there shouldn't be any need to create them.

 

[MarkDey]

On a Windows machine, with a Steam game installed, you can find a bunch of information in this directory.
\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\data\contracts

 

[Curtis Cook]

On a Windows machine, with a Steam game installed, you can find a bunch of information in this directory.
\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\data\contracts

Thank you for replying. I'm playing on GOG; should I look for something similar?

 

[MarkDey]

Thank you for replying. I'm playing on GOG; should I look for something similar?

Yes. The beginning directory will be different, but the \BATTLETECH\... part of the path should be the same.

 

[Hobbes__]

Amechwarrior's post on this subforum for Flashpoint Authors (it's a sticky post on the mod subforum) contains an Excel file attached with a lot of the info you're looking for.

 

[Curtis Cook]

MarkDey — On an iMac I could find things, but I have no idea how the directory works on my Windows machine. I can find the shortcut for the GOG Galaxy program, but I can't figure out where the actual program is or what's inside it.
EDIT: I just spent over half an hour with a very patient Dell tech support guy and at least until I forget it, I am now able to find that folder and read the files in it. The problem will be figuring out what it means. Some of the other data files (mech pilots, dropship improvements) are much easier to understand than the contract files. The one thing I was most interested in — a random lance generator for a given difficulty level — doesn't seem to be there, or if it is I can't identify it.

Hobbes — I've looked through Amechwarrior's post twice and it's Greek to me. I found a worksheet, but it had very little in it* and I couldn't make a copy of it that I could use. It did produce what it called a copy, but the original had close to 200 lines and the copy only had four, which I don't understand at all.
* = 'very little' means a list of the generic scenarios, which is one of the things I was looking for; unfortunately they all disappeared when I made the copy. It listed difficulties, but all of the difficulties were either 2, 5 or 8 which I understand to equate to 1, 2 1/2 or 4 skulls, and I know most or all of these have difficulty levels inbetween those three. And I found nothing about which mechs (or vehicles or turrets) were available at which levels… although if the information had been there I presumably wouldn't have been able to copy it, either.

 

[Curtis Cook]

Oh, and thank you both for the help you've provided. Do you think it would be useful for me to try pming with Amechwarrior, to see if he could explain how to read the contract files?

 

[MarkDey]

You might have luck with @Amechwarrior since he seems to be active again. However, let me offer some additional info while I'm here.

In the /data folder, there is a /lance folder. In it there are several files that (I think) are used to generate the lances that you might encounter in the game, based on difficulty levels. For example, there is lancedef_mech_d1_dynamic_lightBattle.json as an option. In that file, there is a definition for LanceUnits which has two Mechs. The first mech must match these tags:

            "unitTagSet" : {
                "items" : [
                    "unit_light",
                    "unit_mech",
                    "unit_lance_support"
                ],
                "tagSetSourceFile" : "Tags/UnitTags"
            },
            "excludedUnitTagSet" : {
                "items" : [
                    "unit_noncombatant",
                    "unit_urbie"
                ],
                "tagSetSourceFile" : "Tags/UnitTags"
            },

To me, that means that it must be a light mech with the unit_lance_support tag, that is not an Urbanmech. The second Mech must have the unit_lance_assassin tag.

That is helpful, but not the complete picture. To figure out the random lance that would be created, you'd need to look at the other set of files that is being cross-referenced. Those are in the /data/mechs folder. Each mech file contains a list of tags on the top. For example, the mechdef_commando_COM-2D.json file has the unit_lance_assassin tag, as well as a number of other related tags.

I don't know of a single spreadsheet or reference that you could look at to tell you all of the mechs that could be included for all of the different kinds of difficulties, but hopefully this provides an adequate starting point.

One more thing - for any DLC content, those files are stored in a separate place that is not normally accessible by users. Fortunately, there is an online reference for those files here.

 

[Amechwarrior]

You might have luck with @Amechwarrior since he seems to be active again. However, let me offer some additional info while I'm here.

In the /data folder, there is a /lance folder. In it there are several files that (I think) are used to generate the lances that you might encounter in the game, based on difficulty levels. For example, there is lancedef_mech_d1_dynamic_lightBattle.json as an option. In that file, there is a definition for LanceUnits which has two Mechs. The first mech must match these tags:

            "unitTagSet" : {
                "items" : [
                    "unit_light",
                    "unit_mech",
                    "unit_lance_support"
                ],
                "tagSetSourceFile" : "Tags/UnitTags"
            },
            "excludedUnitTagSet" : {
                "items" : [
                    "unit_noncombatant",
                    "unit_urbie"
                ],
                "tagSetSourceFile" : "Tags/UnitTags"
            },

To me, that means that it must be a light mech with the unit_lance_support tag, that is not an Urbanmech. The second Mech must have the unit_lance_assassin tag.

That is helpful, but not the complete picture. To figure out the random lance that would be created, you'd need to look at the other set of files that is being cross-referenced. Those are in the /data/mechs folder. Each mech file contains a list of tags on the top. For example, the mechdef_commando_COM-2D.json file has the unit_lance_assassin tag, as well as a number of other related tags.

I don't know of a single spreadsheet or reference that you could look at to tell you all of the mechs that could be included for all of the different kinds of difficulties, but hopefully this provides an adequate starting point.

One more thing - for any DLC content, those files are stored in a separate place that is not normally accessible by users. Fortunately, there is an online reference for those files here.

Your description of the lanceDefs is correct. My FP author's guide does have most of that, but it's still at a 1.6.1 state. The similar charts in the Better AI Google docs in that thread has updated Stock Lance tag page to 1.9.1. The FP Author's Guide and the reference sheet are on my list to update, but at lowest priority over my mods. It will be a while.

 

[Curtis Cook]

Okay, so this will be labor intensive. I'm okay with that as long as I understand where to start. MarkDey, thank you for the explanation, especially as it wouldn't have occurred to me to crosscheck through the /mechs folder.

I doubt this will alter any of the responses received to date, but my purpose isn't to create scenarios for THIS game, but for an in-person tabletop miniatures game. One of the things I've disliked about the computer game is that when you're facing multiple lances over the course of a mission, it would make more sense for the mechs to be grouped by speed, as that's how all our local gamers group their mechs.

To take an example from a very long time ago, McKinnon's Company (The Fox's Teeth) has a command lance with Marauder/Warhammer/Phoenix Hawk/Stinger and a medium lance with Crusader/Rifleman/Phoenix Hawk/Wasp. We just shake our heads in puzzlement at this and wonder why they weren't arranged with the four heavies in the command lance and the medium/lights in a recon lance. (Partial answer: The company already had a recon lance with Griffin/Shadow Hawk/Stinger/Wasp, so now maybe arrange them into a heavy recon lance with the four mediums and a light recon lance with the four lights… except the light recon lance would be likely pounded to dust. The whole thing fascinates me.)

Likewise, in very large OpFors with three or four lances it becomes more logical to group the jumpers together and/or maybe the ones with indirect fire weapons together, but I can't do that unless I know what the whole force is going to look like ahead of time. Almost all of the source books include random mech — and less often random lance or company — generators, but those don't take into account how the OpFor would vary based on mission type or experience level of the players' pilots, which the computer game's do.

 

[MarkDey]

@Curtis Cook it looks like the 'Mech Lance Tags table in this Google Doc (the same one Amechwarrior mentions) might be helpful for what you're looking to do.

 

[Amechwarrior]

@Curtis Cook it looks like the 'Mech Lance Tags table in this Google Doc (the same one Amechwarrior mentions) might be helpful for what you're looking to do.

Yep that's it and that's current to stock 1.9.1. HBS seemed to leave off the unit_lance_xxx tags on nearly all of the new units. Not sure if that's so they can appear more often, as they only can't appear where an inclusive tag is searched for or if they had other reasons.

 

[Hobbes__]

To take an example from a very long time ago, McKinnon's Company (The Fox's Teeth) has a command lance with Marauder/Warhammer/Phoenix Hawk/Stinger and a medium lance with Crusader/Rifleman/Phoenix Hawk/Wasp. We just shake our heads in puzzlement at this and wonder why they weren't arranged with the four heavies in the command lance and the medium/lights in a recon lance. (Partial answer: The company already had a recon lance with Griffin/Shadow Hawk/Stinger/Wasp, so now maybe arrange them into a heavy recon lance with the four mediums and a light recon lance with the four lights… except the light recon lance would be likely pounded to dust. The whole thing fascinates me.)

Tactical doctrine.

The max speed of a unit (lance/company) is defined by the 'Mech that has the slowest speed, usually the heavier ones. If the commander fails to take that into account, then the 'Mechs or lances will be committed piecemeal and without proper support from the slower 'Mechs/lances who will be lagging behind.

Taking the Fox's Teeth example. If you put the different 'Mech classes into their specific lance (Light/Medium/Heavy), you'd have three lances with completely different speeds (fast/average/slow). The Recon lance would be fast but it would lack firepower, both on its own and from the rest of the company, since it would quickly outrun the Heavies. If it faced a enemy lance with a couple of Mediums then it would have to disengage out of range of the enemy's weapons, and it would be less efficient on its intended role (spotter). Or if you have all the Heavies on the same lance, they risk being ambushed, outflanked and shot in the back by faster 'Mechs.

And speed is only one of the factors that define a 'Mech, just like modern tanks, which are defined by their speed, armor and firepower. When you group all the Lights together in a lance, you're maximizing its advantages (high speed) but you're also maximizing its flaws (lack of armor and firepower). Combining different classes in the same lance makes the lance more balanced on these three factors.

Finally, the unit's role and training plays a significant factor on its composition. The Davion Light Guards focus on Light/Medium 'Mechs (and vehicles, infantry, AeroSpace fighters, etc.) because they specialize in quick raids and maneuver warfare, where armor and firepower are not the most important factor. The Davion Assault Guards specialize in attacking heavily defended positions where speed isn't an issue, thus they need heavier 'Mechs. The rest of the Davion Guards units are more multi-role, so you can see all kinds of classes.