[Mod] NMod Lite - October 29th - v2 for 1.26i

[Kartoshecka]

- With side skirts APCs are tankier than light tanks, and particularly can't reliably be cracked by RPGs. It does always irk me in vanilla when they don't get any side skirt bonus, but seeing it in action I think its to much.

I agree. APCs are probably too robust now, even at early tech levels. By the way, excellent review, very impressive!

[newageofpower]

I've been busy the last week with IRL stuff, and then when I finally had time to sit down for some Shadow Empire modding, Vic dumps a huge update with promises for a complete rework of the political system and more...

Echoing karto, holy shit what a great review. I have implemented some of your suggestions already (in the dissected, google sheets spread all over the surgery table edition) but this is some good stuff.

- With side skirts APCs are tankier than light tanks, and particularly can't reliably be cracked by RPGs. It does always irk me in vanilla when they don't get any side skirt bonus, but seeing it in action I think its to much.

That is why I gave them a reduced pop divisor early-mid, they're like recon buggies but on steroids with 100mm + MG. I'm thinking I should make Side Skirts less of a flat value but increase with regime tech or something so that early game RPG teams get a chance, say +100 (down from 200) vs inf and increasing by 15 per tech level (so by the time they're equal to vanilla you'd be nearly tech 7)

- I think the machinery cost + mm nerf to Heavy Combat armor together is to much. I have a level 3 Heavy Industry doing 240 machinery a turn and I felt neither capable, nor pressured by opposing Heavy Combat Armor infantry to upgrade my own infantry into Heavy CA. There are a lot of infantry, and the survivability difference is not high enough. I think either reversing one of these nerf, or extending the machinery cost to also affect normal Combat Armor (which has such a transformative quality it makes non-CA inviable once fielded) would be an improvement.

- Similar thoughts on Battledress. HiTech for mere infantry is a massive cost, and although battledress infantry is very strong, its now competing with walkers and honestly more expensive than tanks. A small elite squad for difficult terrain might proof worth the investment, but then they should actually be a menace to non-Battledress infantry similar to tanks and retain their old mm values.

I'm considering reworking the "protects whole body from artillery" armors by treating them as exoskeletons:

-10% strength (health) nerf to Combat armor, and also give it a 10% speed malus, to simulate poor grunts lugging around an unpowered exoskeleton.

-HCA/Battledress now cost fuel/energy to move (pseudo-motorbike) but give a 10% speed boost

-Hv.Battledress a 20% speed boost since it has a microfusion reactor (rad cost)

-Halved IP for HCA/Bd/HBD since making them cost machinery/hitech/rads is secretly also an additional IP tax.

- I like the new walkers. I only got a handful of light walkers, no heavies, but they carry a lot of firepower still, while now are actually being relatively vulnerable and needing cover. They now have an identity as an infantry attacks heavy firepower for difficult terrain which feels really nice.

Yes! That is exactly what I wanted to achieve. There were some people complaining on discord with my mod Mk1 walkers could no longer trade efficiently with Mk4 tanks in open terrain... GOOD. JUST AS PLANNED.

Also, those APC sprites look really good.

I think I'm gonna play a vanilla game next (mostly to check my memory of how oppressive nuclear weapons are and because there may be a bug with city mergers I want a clean slate to report), but I am looking forward to the next releases here.

My art skills are actually awful and I'd love someone who is good at art to help me mod...

And no problem, I'm going to wait another week or two, seeing if Vic drops any more of that Republica on us.

[Pymous]

Wow great job newageofpower!!! Keep up the good work!

[newageofpower]

Wow great job newageofpower!!! Keep up the good work!

That means alot coming from you!

It's a bit impudent asking this, but would you mind shooting over the files used to make Motorbikers with envirosuits + energy shields?