User content question

[_Pax_]

I have tried and tried to figure this out, but: I'm trying to add the Softweave armor option (from War) to a user-defined file. However, I don't even know where to begin, and certainly, have no idea how to have it modify the encumbrance value of the armor item it's applied to.

Could anyone perhaps explain to me what I need to do?

 

[Mathias]

It looks like YNT softweave isn't something that can be properly created without altering some of the mechanisms of how encumbrance is calculated, I'm sorry to say. That isn't something a user can do.

As a work-around, I'd recommend adding some Attribute adjustments on the Adjust tab - you can manually figure out what your encumbrance penalty should be thanks to this mod, compare that to what it currently is, and use the adjustments to cancel out the correct amount of the penalty.

 

[_Pax_]

Yeah, I'll have to do it that way - Agility and Reaction boosts to offset the effects of encumbrance. Less elegant, but, at least it's an option - until War! gets implemented, anyway.

Thanks for the response!

... actually, while I have your attention regarding armor encumbrance issues ... I use a houserule where Armor Encumbrance is based on [Strength + Body], rather than [Body + Body]. How might I go about making that possible in HL?

 

[Mathias]

Let me guide you through some of the tools, so that you can investigate some of that yourself.

In the develop menu, make sure that "Enable Data File Debugging" is checked.

Again in the Develop menu, choose Floating Info Windows, then Show Hero Fields.

That will pop up a list of all the field values that are stored on the hero - look through that for encumbrance-related things (these happen to be very close to the top of the list, but the next thing you're looking for may be further down).

Now, add various armors, equip and un-equip them in various combinations, and watch these values on the hero change - figure out which of those values is doing what.

Next, we'll figure out when those are calculated. Go back to floating info windows, and choose Show Selection Tasks. Scroll down that list to an item called "Hero (actor)", check that item, and say OK.

Look through that list for encumbrance-related things - you'll see that the maximum is calculated at Traits/6100, and the penalty is calculated at Traits/6200. So, what you'll want to do is change the maximum from Body + Body to Strength + Body. You can do that by subtracting Body and adding Strength. Since the current value is calculated at Traits/6100, and that value is used at Traits/6200 to calculate the penalty, you'll want to make your change between those two times. Traits/6150 should be good.


Okay, the best way to do this is with an item called a Mechanic, but I haven't had the time to add that tab to the editor yet, I'm sorry to say.

So, open the editor, create and save a new file, and then close the editor. Now, open a text editor program or XML editor (like Notepad) (not a word processor - those may try to add special coding to the file that might interfere with HL's use of it).

Look for:

<document signature="Hero Lab Structure">

and

</document>

Between the ">" of document signature and the "<" of /document, paste the following:

<thing
  id="mechPaxCmp"
  name="_Pax_'s Campaign House Rules"
  compset="Mechanics">
  <usesource source="PaxCamp" parent="UserParent" name="_Pax_'s Campaign"/>
  <eval index="1" phase="Traits" priority="6150">
    <before name="Calc Encumbrance Penalty"/><![CDATA[
    herofield[acEncumMax].value -= #trait[attrBod]
    herofield[acEncumMax].value += #trait[attrStr]
    ]]></eval>
  </thing>

You can change what's in the id="", just keep that to 10 characters or less with no spaces. You can change the name="". In the <usesource line, you can also change the source="" (same rules as id="") and name="".

Once you've pasted that in, save and close the text editor, and go back to Hero Lab. In the Develop menu, choose "Quick Reload Data Files"

Now, go to the configure hero form (ctrl-k), and at the top, you'll see "_Pax_'s Campaign" (or whatever you changed the name of the usesource line to). While that's checked, this mechanic will be used, and it will apply this house rule. You'll probably want to change the default settings, and then open any other characters that need this and change their settings, too.

The file you created can be emailed to the rest of your play group - they'll put it in the same location, and then they'll have access to this, too.

If you have any trouble with that, please tell me.

 

[Mathias]

I just thought of a script that should work for YNT Softweave:

Phase: Traits, Priority: 6075

~if we're not active, just get out now
doneif (activated = 0)
 
~only do this if the armor we're on is equipped
doneif (parent.field[grIsEquip].value = 0)
 
~our parent armor has already added to the ballistic and impact encum fields on the hero - we'll subtract the same values the armor has added to those fields
herofield[acEncumBal].value -= round(parent.field[defBall].value * parent.field[defEncMult].value,0,-1) 
herofield[acEncumImp].value -= round(parent.field[defImpac].value * parent.field[defEncMult].value,0,-1)
 
~now, we'll add our own versions of those with a -2
var ballencum as number
ballencum = (parent.field[defBall].value - 2) * parent.field[defEncMult].value
herofield[acEncumBal].value += round(ballencum,0,-1)
var impacencum as number
impacencum = (parent.field[defImpac].value - 2) * parent.field[defEncMult].value
herofield[acEncumImp].value += round(impacencum,0,-1)

(This won't be how I implement the final version - I'll still store the -2 in a new field, but hopefully this will work).

 

[_Pax_]

... I am only beginning to understand the implications, but, thank you very very much for taking the time to post this.

I had no idea HL was so complex under the hood. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think it was simple, either ... but it's still an order of magnitude more complex than I had thought!

 

[Canis]

I'm with you Pax!!!

Hopefully my question is easier.... I've created a mod called a 'Frost Module', which is a variation on a Fetch intended to run a single IC program for the purposes of securing one's commlink. Essentially a node guard for those non-hacker types.

Anyway, I've succeeded in making the Race, Program and the Program, Agent and the Equip: Mod. However, when I equip my Frost module the module itself doesn't appear on the list of options to 'run on' - the Fetch Agent can run on a 'Fetch Module' but I can't find how to create the 'Frost Module' in that list cos I can't find where that list is coming from.

It's not a major deal, I can leave it as independent (like we do with Pilots on vehicles etc) but I know it'll annoy the hell outta me every time I see it )

 

[Mathias]

When you add your mod, does the Frost Module display on the gear tab (compare it to a fetch module, which should show up there).

If not, take a look at a copy of the Fetch module in the editor - click the tags button, and you'll see the Helper.Shadow tag there - make sure your item has that. Also make sure it has the same Equipment.IsWireless tag.

 

[Mathias]

The complexity means that there's a lot of power and flexibility available, letting me handle almost any screwy rules a game designer throws at me, but it also means that unfortunately, there's a lot to understand when you try to go beyond the basic mechanisms that we can encapsulate in the various checkboxes and options in the editor.

I've started putting together some material for Pathfinder as I have time: http://forums.wolflair.com/showthread.php?t=21688 - the details will differ from Pathfinder to Shadowrun, but the fundamentals are the same for all game systems within Hero Lab.

 

[Canis]

Thanks Mathias, that did the trick