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Sick of being locked out of contracts due to Reputation?

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SQW

SQW

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Mar 6, 2018
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  • BATTLETECH - Backer
Say what you will about role playing, the reality is the new rep system is too clunky. It's too easy to be locked out of a faction contract pool just because RNG gave you a bunch of contract from an opposing side early on. Finally, since the consequence of being hated is that you have to grind reps in 1/2 skull areas, it's pretty pointless and just a big time waste.

Here's a quick fix:

Open simGameConstants.json (Battletech/BattleTech_data/StreamingAssets/data/SimGameConstants), go to the very bottom and you see a chunk of code like this:

"LoathedMaxContractDifficulty" : 1,
"HatedMaxContractDifficulty" : 2,
"DislikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,
"IndifferentMaxContractDifficulty" : 6,
"LikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 8,
"FriendlyMaxContractDifficulty" : 9,
"HonoredMaxContractDifficulty" : 10,

Every increment equals 1/2 skull. For example, if you change 1 to a 2, you can start taking single skull contracts to recoup your rep from Loathed rather than be limited to just 1/2 skulls. Change them around to your preferences. Save compatible.

edit: There's a similar chunk of code higher up in the page. That one covers the CAMPAIGN. Thanks @ronhatch for pointing it out.

"LoathedMaxContractDifficulty" : -3,
"HatedMaxContractDifficulty" : -2,
"DislikedMaxContractDifficulty" : -1,
"IndifferentMaxContractDifficulty" : 1,
"LikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 2,
"FriendlyMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,
"HonoredMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,
 
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Thanks a ton for this. I dislike adjusting the game too much but this was bothering me too. It's my humble opinion that if you do good work for someone, even the enemy you just finished trashing will hand off a report with an ending memo of "Wish we had shelled out the cash for them to be fighting on our side" or something similar. It's not like mercenary units are given gobs of intel and faction secrets of one side - we're just hired guns dropped in to fight and get paid. Our companies aren't making business a personal matter - that's all on the employer.
 
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Yep. It was more meant as suggestions for HBS to implement as short-term workarounds and longer term fixes, but it gives players an option of what all they can muck around with in order to make the changes they want.

Each of the items is separate in and of itself, so if you don't want to muck with rep ranges, you don't need to. :)
 
I'm of two minds in this. I have been playing BT for a looong time and revel in the lore and there is a preceent here that sticks out like a sore thumb. Wolf's Dragoons served one nation after another, sure they signed contracts that meant they could not fight their last employer but the Cappies took them on, no questions asked, after the Dragoons had been happily attacking the Confederation for 4 years.

The lore is full of mercs who take various contracts for and against factions.

I do think the high value contracts should be reputation based but 0.5 to 3 ranked contracts should have no reputation block to them.

However I do feel that if you ally with a faction it should bar you automaticly from working for that faction's main two enemies as the cost of being an ally and getting the shop access. Maybe institute some special 4-5 ranked contracts only available to allies.

Being an ally represents those faction-specific merc units such as the big MAC, Lexington combat group and Northwind Highlanders (under exclusive Liao contract till the 4th Succession war).
 
@SQW thanks for this.

presently im trying keep everyone friendly and this little tidbit will help with that.
 
@SQW yep. Though keep in mind that Wolf's Dragoons and the Grave Walkers were pretty much the exception. Most merc units were either under long term contract with a single house (allied) for their life or they were somewhere in the 'disliked' to 'liked' ranges with everyone. Very few were "loathed" by houses unless they broke contract.
 
Yea, from the lore I've read (granted it's '80s lore), the better you are as a merc, the more willing anyone will hire you. Especially if they have already seen first-hand what you are capable of when you took contracts against them. Obviously if you make an alliance, this can disrupt it, but normal contracts following normal MRB rules, then no problem taking contracts from anyone. Sometimes they try to company-store you or otherwise force you to stay with them, but they aren't going to not hire a merc unit just because it use to be contracted with their enemy for awhile. They'll be happy to take you away from their enemy...
 
SQW said:
Say what you will about role playing, the reality is the new rep system is too clunky. It's too easy to be locked out of a faction contract pool just because RNG gave you a bunch of contract from an opposing side early on. Finally, since the consequence of being hated is that you have to grind reps in 1/2 skull areas, it's pretty pointless and just a big time waste.

Here's a quick fix:

Open simGameConstants.json (Battletech/BattleTech_data/StreamingAssets/data/SimGameConstants), go to the very bottom and you see a chunk of code like this:

"LoathedMaxContractDifficulty" : 1,
"HatedMaxContractDifficulty" : 2,
"DislikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,
"IndifferentMaxContractDifficulty" : 6,
"LikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 8,
"FriendlyMaxContractDifficulty" : 9,
"HonoredMaxContractDifficulty" : 10,

Every increment equals 1/2 skull. For example, if you change 1 to a 2, you can start taking single skull contracts to recoup your rep from Loathed rather than be limited to just 1/2 skulls. Change them around to your preferences. Save compatible.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that these instructions only apply to career mode... campaign mode has a section about a quarter of the way through the file and uses different numbers:
"LoathedMaxContractDifficulty" : -3,
"HatedMaxContractDifficulty" : -2,
"DislikedMaxContractDifficulty" : -1,
"IndifferentMaxContractDifficulty" : 1,
"LikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 2,
"FriendlyMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,
"HonoredMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,​

You can be sure which section you're changing if you go up a bit... you should be able to see either "Story" or "CareerMode" at the top of the relevant sections, with less indenting.
 
ronhatch said:
Keep in mind that these instructions only apply to career mode... campaign mode has a section about a quarter of the way through the file and uses different numbers:
"LoathedMaxContractDifficulty" : -3,
"HatedMaxContractDifficulty" : -2,
"DislikedMaxContractDifficulty" : -1,
"IndifferentMaxContractDifficulty" : 1,
"LikedMaxContractDifficulty" : 2,
"FriendlyMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,
"HonoredMaxContractDifficulty" : 3,​

You can be sure which section you're changing if you go up a bit... you should be able to see either "Story" or "CareerMode" at the top of the relevant sections, with less indenting.
Click to expand...

Thanks, will append to the top.
 
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