Hi, I like the look of this mod, but for me the biggest problem I have is the weapon that you chose, i.e. the mortar, how can I change the weapon from the mortar to the cannons?
If you're referring to the Legendary Howitzer Cannon, the first thing you'll need to do is find out the guid number for that Socket Item. Then replace the two references for the Mullivaan's Mortar guid number in this mod's XML with that new Howitzer guid number.
Not forgetting that an umodded Howitzer Cannon will have similar default four minute cooldown between shots in effect, and a single default blast may not even be enough to rid yourself of a single enemy battle cruiser, never mind a whole fleet attacking your lone Oil Tanker. The end result, even if you're quick enough to drop what you're doing to jump to your tanker when warning notification happens, and fire off a single shot, all you'll do is piss off your enemy who will then mercilessly sink tanker in the following four minutes of one-sided attack.
May as well teach tanker crew how to shout foul language at the enemy, instead of a giving them an inadequate weapon, for all the same good it will do. It'd be a more entertaining four minutes in game, at least.
Plus, aesthetically, the single cannon shot appearing from nowhere in mid air, as opposed to the mortar shells actually looking like they are fired up and out from the Tanker's weaponized cargo area, may look a bit off. If you care about that kind of visual detail.
But if you want that, then that's the way to go about it, simply replace the Item guids. (Foul language coach on standby. Like we'd have any need to teach gnarly old sailors how to cuss. ;) )
I think what ''crashdodgers' means, is; can you guide us through the process of replacing mortars with auto-firing cannons?
I have replaced the two references for the Mullivaan's Mortar GUID number in this mod's XML. However, I get the impression you thought we wanted to replace them with a new/different Howitzer. But, as said previously, I'd like to equip the oil tanker with an auto-firing cannon, so as to avoid what was said in the description:
"As Socket Mortars are not used autonomously by ships, you'll still have to keep an ear and an eye out for the notification that "one of your ships is under attack!" Then jump to the Tanker and take command of that Mortar cannon. If Tanker survives the battle, then don't forget to command Tanker to continue with its deliveries, as taking time out to wonderfully obliterate your enemies will put its trade route on pause."'
So, could you perhaps walk us through the assets.xml edit to make this happen? Since as you said:
"If you're referring to the Legendary Howitzer Cannon, the first thing you'll need to do is find out the guid number for that Socket Item. Then replace the two references for the Mullivaan's Mortar guid number in this mod's XML with that new Howitzer guid number."
and
"But if you want that, then that's the way to go about it, simply replace the Item guids."
And after doing all of the above, my new created Oil Tanker now has no weapons whatsoever. So, I'm almost certain other changes to the assets.xml will be needed to accomplish what we have proposed, e.g auto-firing cannons.
TL;DR
I think what ''crashdodgers' means, is; can you guide us through the process of replacing mortars with auto-firing cannons? So, could you perhaps walk us through the assets.xml edit to make this happen?
Of course, thank you for your work on this mod, it is really appreciated.
Not so simple to change out a ship's design like that. First off, an oil tanker is classed (tagged in code) as a trade ship. Actually, in a class tag of its own as oil tanker (but that being closer to a trade ship than a war ship.) To place any auto firing weapons as those types seen on battle and warships, you'd first have to class tanker as warship for those weapon types to work at all, but then no more collecting and delivering of oil as warhips are not allowed to do that. (That indeed was my first idea and experiment at weaponizing the oil tanker... and failed miserably.)
But even if finding a way to rewrite core code to override the strict roles and limitations of tagged trade ships, warships and unique tankers so as to make do-it-all hybrid ships (Not available through simple XML editing.) such as kitting out an oil tanker with all the guns seen on a battleship, the amunition when fired would be coming out of invisible turrets high above the oil tanker. Very weird. You'd have to redesign the tanker where to place turrets on its body and then work out all the correct angles where the shots (the graphics, animations and special FX like smoke) would come from and what trajectory laws the fired shells would follow when in motion. Again not done through simple XML editing.
More work, modding and modelling skills required than I currently have. So before I abandoned the project of weaponizing the tanker, I thought, hmmm, is it possible to give an oil tanker an item socket? And if so, would I then be able to add an item to that socket, like those socket item weapons that warhips can have? Or even just give it a white peace flag so enemies totally ignore the tanker? I wonder?
And so that is what the project "evolved" into, a last ditch attempt (that had some success) before it was scrapped.
Finally opting for the mortar cannon item rather than a peace flag, as enemy oil tankers would also come with peace flags when built, meaning I cannot sink them. They will likewise come with mortar cannons as the player's tankers do, but without an advanced tweaking of the core AI - to match that of a human - the enemy just doesn't know to use a tanker's mortar cannon to fire back at anyone. Can't say I didn't give it a fair and equal chance, but it's just too thick to know it has the facility to use. Or perhaps, more like, I'm too thick to know how to code the AI so it knows it has the facility to use. (You do that wrong and you inadvertantly give birth to the rise of Skynet in the real world. Whooops.)
Aye, a fine balance of lacing the XML with just enough military Socket coding, without making it a military ship and breaking its main oil ferrying duties. And just like the Oil Cargo slot can only be a single slot, same with the Military Socket has to be single only. Try to give it more than one - which is possible - and broken ship once again. Fine faffing around indeed. Especially since the only way to fill that single Socket is during the building at shipyard process. No other time can it be done.
But the end result? Terrific smashing those enemies out at sea when the tanker is all on its lonesome without help. Don't need help anymore.
How can you put an item into the oil tanker socket? The button for trade is inactive. I had the same problem in the past, not the socket but how to put an item into the socket. Then my other problem was If I change the class to trade ship and able to put socket it wasn't able to carry oil after that. Currently I'm doing some tests with this mod just to see how you solve these problems.
Well yep, it's all in there in the XML. Figured out and finally functional. Like I say, the balance of what to add and what not to add, and where to add it, to make it a safe and fully functional hybrid is key.
It certainly took me many failed attempts to get the order right. Because I know a lot of folks have tried it before, to no avail. And I've been tinkering with games and their XMLs for a heck of a long time. And what is it they say about what's most important? "Location, location, location." Get that right with the Trade/Military coding, and bingo!
I'm trying to transfer an item from the harbour to the tanker but it is inactive, even the interaction with the traders is inactive. I don't know how it is work but from my side is still not working
Ah, I see your issue. As I said in the original description, you cannot use tanker to buy an item from traders. You cannot use another ship to drag/drop items from that ship to a tanker. These game rules still apply, as ever.
You have to build a new tanker, which will come with mortar weapon installed as standard. Older tankers do get the the new Socket, but it's empty, and they cannot buy or be given an item. Essentially this mod is not for older tankers. They are beyond help. Sell them off. This mod is for new tankers you build to pick up the new function.
Build a new tanker at shipyard, and it will come with the mortar cannon already fitted. That is the only way. I hope that makes it more clear on how this process works.
12 comments
Not forgetting that an umodded Howitzer Cannon will have similar default four minute cooldown between shots in effect, and a single default blast may not even be enough to rid yourself of a single enemy battle cruiser, never mind a whole fleet attacking your lone Oil Tanker. The end result, even if you're quick enough to drop what you're doing to jump to your tanker when warning notification happens, and fire off a single shot, all you'll do is piss off your enemy who will then mercilessly sink tanker in the following four minutes of one-sided attack.
May as well teach tanker crew how to shout foul language at the enemy, instead of a giving them an inadequate weapon, for all the same good it will do. It'd be a more entertaining four minutes in game, at least.
Plus, aesthetically, the single cannon shot appearing from nowhere in mid air, as opposed to the mortar shells actually looking like they are fired up and out from the Tanker's weaponized cargo area, may look a bit off. If you care about that kind of visual detail.
But if you want that, then that's the way to go about it, simply replace the Item guids. (Foul language coach on standby. Like we'd have any need to teach gnarly old sailors how to cuss. ;) )
I have replaced the two references for the Mullivaan's Mortar GUID number in this mod's XML. However, I get the impression you thought we wanted to replace them with a new/different Howitzer. But, as said previously, I'd like to equip the oil tanker with an auto-firing cannon, so as to avoid what was said in the description:
"As Socket Mortars are not used autonomously by ships, you'll still have to keep an ear and an eye out for the notification that "one of your ships is under attack!" Then jump to the Tanker and take command of that Mortar cannon. If Tanker survives the battle, then don't forget to command Tanker to continue with its deliveries, as taking time out to wonderfully obliterate your enemies will put its trade route on pause."'
So, could you perhaps walk us through the assets.xml edit to make this happen? Since as you said:
"If you're referring to the Legendary Howitzer Cannon, the first thing you'll need to do is find out the guid number for that Socket Item. Then replace the two references for the Mullivaan's Mortar guid number in this mod's XML with that new Howitzer guid number."
and
"But if you want that, then that's the way to go about it, simply replace the Item guids."
And after doing all of the above, my new created Oil Tanker now has no weapons whatsoever. So, I'm almost certain other changes to the assets.xml will be needed to accomplish what we have proposed, e.g auto-firing cannons.
TL;DR
I think what ''crashdodgers' means, is; can you guide us through the process of replacing mortars with auto-firing cannons?
So, could you perhaps walk us through the assets.xml edit to make this happen?
Of course, thank you for your work on this mod, it is really appreciated.
But even if finding a way to rewrite core code to override the strict roles and limitations of tagged trade ships, warships and unique tankers so as to make do-it-all hybrid ships (Not available through simple XML editing.) such as kitting out an oil tanker with all the guns seen on a battleship, the amunition when fired would be coming out of invisible turrets high above the oil tanker. Very weird. You'd have to redesign the tanker where to place turrets on its body and then work out all the correct angles where the shots (the graphics, animations and special FX like smoke) would come from and what trajectory laws the fired shells would follow when in motion. Again not done through simple XML editing.
More work, modding and modelling skills required than I currently have. So before I abandoned the project of weaponizing the tanker, I thought, hmmm, is it possible to give an oil tanker an item socket? And if so, would I then be able to add an item to that socket, like those socket item weapons that warhips can have? Or even just give it a white peace flag so enemies totally ignore the tanker? I wonder?
And so that is what the project "evolved" into, a last ditch attempt (that had some success) before it was scrapped.
Finally opting for the mortar cannon item rather than a peace flag, as enemy oil tankers would also come with peace flags when built, meaning I cannot sink them. They will likewise come with mortar cannons as the player's tankers do, but without an advanced tweaking of the core AI - to match that of a human - the enemy just doesn't know to use a tanker's mortar cannon to fire back at anyone. Can't say I didn't give it a fair and equal chance, but it's just too thick to know it has the facility to use. Or perhaps, more like, I'm too thick to know how to code the AI so it knows it has the facility to use. (You do that wrong and you inadvertantly give birth to the rise of Skynet in the real world. Whooops.)
And just like the Oil Cargo slot can only be a single slot, same with the Military Socket has to be single only. Try to give it more than one - which is possible - and broken ship once again. Fine faffing around indeed. Especially since the only way to fill that single Socket is during the building at shipyard process. No other time can it be done.
But the end result? Terrific smashing those enemies out at sea when the tanker is all on its lonesome without help. Don't need help anymore.
It certainly took me many failed attempts to get the order right. Because I know a lot of folks have tried it before, to no avail. And I've been tinkering with games and their XMLs for a heck of a long time. And what is it they say about what's most important? "Location, location, location." Get that right with the Trade/Military coding, and bingo!
You have to build a new tanker, which will come with mortar weapon installed as standard. Older tankers do get the the new Socket, but it's empty, and they cannot buy or be given an item. Essentially this mod is not for older tankers. They are beyond help. Sell them off. This mod is for new tankers you build to pick up the new function.
Build a new tanker at shipyard, and it will come with the mortar cannon already fitted. That is the only way. I hope that makes it more clear on how this process works.