SS2 Big Droid Immortality Protocol

[6636b822321c6voodoo47]

Tags: °SS2 °dml

Upon destruction, a droid will not explode completely, but create a wreck that will persist in the world for another 20 seconds, and then blow up normally. During this timeframe, you can repair it to convert it to your side - and do this infinite amount of times, technically making the droid immortal. Repair 3 for Maintenance droid, 4 for Security Droid, and 5 for Assault droid (and 50 nanites) required at the moment, the repairs should be reasonably difficult.

requires SS2tool patched install of SS2 (NewDark v2.48+, NVscript loaded), can be activated/deactivated mid game, load with the highest priority.

[6636b822323c9JDoran]

Thanks for this, mate. When you say "assign it the highest priority.", you mean of course that it must be above both Repairman and Turret Fixer?

[6636b822324devoodoo47]

it actually doesn't matter, all that needs to be avoided are crazy ideas like sticking it lower than SCP. also, turret fixer is now included in the Repairman (1.01+), if you still have the standalone test version, you should get rid of it.

[6636b822325f8JDoran]

Thanks (and I didn't know that Turret Fixer is unnecessary when running Repairman v1.01, so thanks for telling me that, too).

[6636b82232726tiphares]

i justed wanted to say thank you for this mod.. back in 1998 when i've played system shock 2 for the first time i expected those security-droids to be hackable/repairable, i always wondered why it wasn't implemented.. was it due to time constraints or didn't they plan that at all?
 thank you very much anyways, it feels much much more complete now   

[6636b822327fcvoodoo47]

balance stuff, most likely.

[6636b82232b97sarge945]

Can we get a version requiring 4,5 and 6 repair instead of 3, 4 and 5?

[6636b82232cc9voodoo47]

it's trivial to change the requirements - edit the dml and search for ReqTechDesc (there will be three instances, one for each droid), and set it to whatever you like.

that's one of the beauties of dml mods - you can tweak them with very little editor knowledge, in this case, almost none at all.

[6636b82233007sarge945]

it's trivial to change the requirements - edit the dml and search for ReqTechDesc (there will be three instances, one for each droid), and set it to whatever you like.

that's one of the beauties of dml mods - you can tweak them with very little editor knowledge, in this case, almost none at all.

Fantastic! It might be a good idea to put that information in the OP in case anyone else finds it interesting. Thanks for the info!

[6636b822331c2GuyFawkesGaming]

Pretty cool, you brought one of my favorite things about BioShock (more things to hack) to System Shock 2. I feel it would be cooler though if you were able to hack them without blowing them up first, via Hack skill, as an option as well.

I also think I would be a cool concept if you could hack Protocol Droids too, though given their method of attack it should only work with the Hack skill and not the Repair skill after the fact. This should also mean they'd require a lower Hack skill (3 sounds fair) given they wouldn't be immortal like the other droids.

[6636b822332bcvoodoo47]

doable, but the idea of this mod is to give more value to the repair skill - if they were hackable, nobody would bother (again).

[6636b82233450JML]

I still think, as this is repair+rewire+rewrite, it should also require a minimal Hacking skill alongside the Repair skill.
For example:
Mainenance droid:  Repair 3 & Hacking 1
Security droid:          Repair 4 & Hacking 2
Assault droid:           Repair 5 & Hacking 3

[6636b8223376evoodoo47]

the idea of this mod is to give more value to the repair skill

anyway, as mentioned earlier, changing the requirements is laughably easy, so whoever feels like they need to be bumped up, can grab a text editor and change them as deemed fit.

Code: [Select]

{
"Hack" 0
"Repair" 0
"Modify" 0
"Maintain" 0
"Research" 0
}

[6636b82233925GuyFawkesGaming]

I think you're misunderstanding, the Hack skill can be used to avoid destroying the droids first. Just sneak up on them and you're golden. However if they do get destroyed then the Repair is employed. The droids are not immortal if just hack is used, much like the turrets with the Repairman mod.

The idea for the Protocol Droid was the it can only be hacked and isn't immortal due to it's attack method; there's nothing left to repair afterwards. This makes this particular droid arguably less useful which is why I mentioned that if done the hack skill requirement should be low. Even so I can see a Protocol Droid suicide bombing some Hybrids useful in certain situations.

[6636b82233a4avoodoo47]

I understand - what I'm saying here is that hack is not part of the equation on purpose, as the aim of this mod is to make repair more useful.

but maybe I'll make the bot hackablility into another minimod - I'm thinking bots hackable but only if immobilized by the stasis field generator first. should be interesting enough.

[6636b82233d33sarge945]

but maybe I'll make the bot hackablility into another minimod - I'm thinking bots hackable but only if immobilized by the stasis field generator first. should be interesting enough.

Stasis field generator usefulness mini-mod

[6636b82233ea7System]

Is there a version of Secmod 3?

[6636b82233f83voodoo47]

no, but it would be very easy to make.

[6636b8223405cSystem]

How?

[6636b82234147voodoo47]

I'll tell you once your alpha-beta-epsilon is released. or you can post the unmodified SS2 beta files and I'll make the mod for you.

[6636b822342b5GuyFawkesGaming]

Is it normal for disposable maintenance tools to not work on the droids? Also I've progressed much further in the game, I really do like that the droids and turrets can now be repaired but feel that their damage output and resistance become negligible in later stages of the game that repairing them becomes a chore.

I do have an idea but not sure if NewDark scripting will allow it. In Bioshock 2, your hacked security can be upgraded by getting a "blue zone" during hacking. While System Shock 2 obviously doesn't have "blue zones" you could allow security devices to be modified much the same as weapons. In fact, since the Modification skill isn't very useful in it's self this could be a good way to increase it's use as well; kill to birds with one stone (assuming NewDarks script engine allows this).

[6636b822343c1voodoo47]

yeah, the droids are not maintainable at this point. should be possible to add it though - same goes for modify, but no idea whether it can be done in some clean way (meaning without a trillion of extra metaprops).

[6636b822346d3unn_atropos]

Would it be possible to let the player mount guns to the droids?: Assault rifles on every arm!

[6636b82234811voodoo47]

yes, most likely. not easily done though.