[Question] Replicating MechWarrior4: Mercenaries slot limitation system

[SentosKarum]

Would it be possible to replicate the MechWarrior4: Merc slot limitation system in this game (BattleTech)?

For those that aren't familiar with it:

In Mechwarrior a BattleMech had both limitations on what type of weapons could be mounted and as to how big they could be (in addition to free tonnage on the 'mech).

As an example, take the just invented Large Laser Boat. It mounts

Left Arm: 1x Large Laser (a 2 field slot)
Left Torso: 1x Large Laser (a 2 field slot)
Right Torso: 1x Large Laser (a 2 field slot)
Right Arm: 1x Large Laser (a 2 field slot)

In BattleTech, tonnage permitting*, I could replace those with PPC's, because BattleTech at the moment doesn't care how big a weapon is, just that its type is permitted there. In MW4: Mercs, I could not do this because this 'mech only accepts energy weapons of a maximum size of 2 slots there**.

I feel that a similar restriction would help making some Mechs different form each other, particularly if somebody*** can't help himself from screwing with weapon weights.****

So to come back to my question: Is possible to do something like this in BattleTech, modding wise? I had some pokes around various files but didn't see anything that looked like could be altered to support this, but maybe somebody knows wether it can or can't be done?

If it can be done, would you mind pointing me in the right direction (files)?

If it has been done, linky plz?


*or, you know, using notepad.
** Meaning I could on the other hand cram 8 medium or small lasers (both 1 slot sized weapons) in there.
*** Me.
**** Yes, I could screw with slot size too, or the ammo count, but I have resisted so far.

 

[Dialcaliper]

What you could probably do in most cases is a combination of two things:

1) Reduce the number if critical slots available per location of the mech - in the ChassisDef this is called "InventorySlots" under each location. It won't change the appearance of the mechbay portrait though. Sounds like you don't want to do that.
2) Make a placeholder item that's one slot and zero tons, and add it to the ChassisDef as a fixed item to use up slots and make "dividers"for locations as appropriate, that would interfere with placing an item larger than "allowed". The only place it wouldn't really work well is if normally, a location is entirely filled with weapons/ammo - there wouldn't be crit slots to "burn" to put placeholders in.

 

[SentosKarum]

Yeah, neither of those do what I want, sadly.

In MW4: Mercs they only thing that went into those spaces was weapons. Ammo was a counter you incremented on the weapon by ton steps, heatssinks, jump jets (and engine rating) in something similar over by mechdetails along with a checkbox if you mounted ECM or not.

In BattleTech (or Roguetech) you have to cram all those (and much more) into those crit spots so effectivly reducing crit spots just to enforce weapons size limitations strikes me as a bit suboptimal.

Hm, does the game throw a cow if I add crit spots?

 

[Dialcaliper]

If you add crit spots, it does not complain, but the UI assumes the basic number of spots, regardless of what the number is set to. This means that if you add more slots, items will “spill off” the existing 1/4/8/10 slots. If you have too many items, sometimes it gets confused and simply wont show all of them

 

[SentosKarum]

It throws a calf then. Now, from what I have seen of RogueTech they convinced the UI to show 4 slots for the head bit, so the UI might be pliable?

 

[ronhatch]

It throws a calf then. Now, from what I have seen of RogueTech they convinced the UI to show 4 slots for the head bit, so the UI might be pliable?

I seem to recall hearing somewhere that the UI is one of the most difficult things to mod... no idea about the exact details, though.

As far as the overall slot system you want, it's probably possible at the coding/DLL level. I would expect it to be a lot of work.