So it's been over a year since this mod was last updated. I know in that time that it hasn't been compatible with v1.3+, but I'm cautiously hoping you might be willing to re-explore it again? This mod made Vanilla BattleTech so much better, and I would love to be able to re-incorporate it into my game.
While I understand your reasoning for not updating this mod, I'm still saddened by your decision. This mod was a great mod, easily my favourite of all the mods that exist for BattleTech.
I've put forward the suggestion to HBS -- via the Paradox forums -- to incorporate the mechanics of this mod into the base game. Hopefully they'll work it in.
This mod fills two roles that Flashpoints, as far as I can tell, have highly variable impact on.
1: Realism/Roleplaying. Merc deployments are contracts for exclusive employment during a conflict, they constrain the ability for the unit to switch sides at will and prolong the conflict, they allow a power to retain the guaranteed services of a potentially elite unit, they allow a unit to be contracted during peacetime at peacetime rates and paid at peacetime rates even after conflict breaks out, etc. This is a goal that you seem to be aware of, and that Flashpoints probably does impact on - because the narrative structure of them lets you tell the player that these things are going on - but I should note that I'm 1142 days into a campaign and I've seen one flashpoint and it was over a hundred days travel away, so I doubt that they'll have that much impact even if this is a focus of them (which I suspect it's not).
2: Practical gameplay purposes. Particularly with other mods running like the Inner Sphere map, travel times can be prohibitive and a merc deployment contract prevents that from being an issue since it reimburses your operating expenses. It's an incentive to move to a new area and not just stay on the same planets running the same missions for the same employer, which is pretty much the optimal strategy otherwise. Even without the full Inner Sphere map, a merc deployment is a reason to slow the company down - at the default settings it's common for the company to be making less money than they would running regular missions, but at a higher potential risk. That's a key choice - do you take financial security for the loss of freedom - that the base game doesn't really offer but the universe in fiction clearly does. This is, most notably, the way that Wolf's Dragoons operated for their entire infiltration mission. Flashpoints have little to no relevance to this, unless the scripting system for them turns out to be much more powerful than I expect!
I get the impression you've noticed the first one but not the second one. Yes, Flashpoints are a way (and probably a better way) of running multi-mission deployments with twists and turns. But they're not contracted employments and they don't provide travel and they don't make up anywhere near enough of the available missions to replace merc deployments, to my mind, so it'd be a shame to see this fall by the wayside.
I mean yes you are right, but modding this game, without the proper tools to make it easy, then having a huge popular project like RT that thousands of players play daily and in general having new ideas and wanting to do something new, just has to be a balance.
I know FPs are not 100% merc deploys, the question is, do i want to spent days and days of my free time rebuilding something i have done already for haveing a second system that's close enough on FPs how much would the game get better with it vs it would get better with a compeltely new mod? Then i always have to see all my mods in RT content. So how much would RT improve by me bringing this mod back? Especially now with multible people working on new FPs.
All in all i agree FPs != Deploys, but currently i don't see the need and don't see the time invest to revive this mod.
I'm having an issue, I accept the contract and once completed I don't get another. I'm sure that its due to the fact that the game has been updated to 1.3 but I was wondering anyway.
This mod had randomized and repeatable long-term deployments. Flashpoints are totally scripted, and so far are not repeatable.
There is a repeatable flashpoint mod, but you're just repeating the same scripted missions rather than randomized ones. And, as of today I think, there is a fan-made flashpoint over on the Paradox forum, but still: it is just a prototype for a single scripted flashpoint. No random content.
This mod is what 1.3 should have had. I hope it does get updated.
almost everything you have made is on my mod-list. I love how they make the game feel, without being too much kitchen-sink like some of the big content-and-rebalance packs.
Good idea nice mod. I just have a question i chose a 2 skull deployment and i got like 20 missions all 1 skull. I thought they were supposed to be +-half skull from the contract any ideas?
Thanks for the reply. I did alot more contracts and ALL missions are locked and in like 40 missions now they are all the same difficulty never any half skull up or down i am wondering if there is something wrong in my end. Is there something to check? (have installed 4.1 btml, latest random contracts etc.)
Really enjoying your mod (version 1.4) as part of the DZ package. But I am running into a bit of a problem. About 1,5 months into my current deployment I have gotten a mission every day for 7-8 days now. Half my mechs need repair and 9 pilots are injured and 7 fatigued. So, if this goes own I don't think I will make it the last 11 days until the end of the contract.
Question is if this may be a problem with the mod and if there is an easy fix. Otherwise I will roleplay it and tell the Arano restoration to go screw themselves.
Playing on the current skill test build for BT, using version 1.3.3 of this mod. ended up with each deployment i've done so far (two, both 6 month ones) only giving the first mission, and not spawning any more missions for the duration of deployment. Also ended up with a bug where i cannot click the button to finalize travel to another system (but can still accept travel contracts fine). I assume this is just incompatibility with the unstable build, will try deployments version 1.4 and report back if any issues.
I'm not sure if I'm missing a trick here, but I've not been able to get this mod to work since the 1.2 update. I've updated BTML, ModTek and this mod but I'm still getting simple travel contracts, and very rarely at that.
Any ideas?
Cheers
EDIT - never mind, I worked out it was user error! it's such a great mod!
After latest patch i updated to most recent mercdeployments and wartech but noticed they werent active. Ive now updated btml and modtek but i just get a black screen with what looks like a fps counter in top right when i start the game. Verify files and it corrects 1 file but then it just loads the non modded game. Any ideas what im missing?
Did a fresh install of battletech and started again with mods. Initially had same issue so took the mods out and ran game with just btml and modtek and it loaded fine. Added the mods back in 1 by 1 and the game loads fine each time and says its on the modtek version. Majority of the mods dont load though, mercdeployment does but ISM,no campaign etc dont. Cant get into sandbox mode.
162 comments
I've put forward the suggestion to HBS -- via the Paradox forums -- to incorporate the mechanics of this mod into the base game. Hopefully they'll work it in.
This mod fills two roles that Flashpoints, as far as I can tell, have highly variable impact on.
1: Realism/Roleplaying. Merc deployments are contracts for exclusive employment during a conflict, they constrain the ability for the unit to switch sides at will and prolong the conflict, they allow a power to retain the guaranteed services of a potentially elite unit, they allow a unit to be contracted during peacetime at peacetime rates and paid at peacetime rates even after conflict breaks out, etc. This is a goal that you seem to be aware of, and that Flashpoints probably does impact on - because the narrative structure of them lets you tell the player that these things are going on - but I should note that I'm 1142 days into a campaign and I've seen one flashpoint and it was over a hundred days travel away, so I doubt that they'll have that much impact even if this is a focus of them (which I suspect it's not).
2: Practical gameplay purposes. Particularly with other mods running like the Inner Sphere map, travel times can be prohibitive and a merc deployment contract prevents that from being an issue since it reimburses your operating expenses. It's an incentive to move to a new area and not just stay on the same planets running the same missions for the same employer, which is pretty much the optimal strategy otherwise. Even without the full Inner Sphere map, a merc deployment is a reason to slow the company down - at the default settings it's common for the company to be making less money than they would running regular missions, but at a higher potential risk. That's a key choice - do you take financial security for the loss of freedom - that the base game doesn't really offer but the universe in fiction clearly does. This is, most notably, the way that Wolf's Dragoons operated for their entire infiltration mission. Flashpoints have little to no relevance to this, unless the scripting system for them turns out to be much more powerful than I expect!
I get the impression you've noticed the first one but not the second one. Yes, Flashpoints are a way (and probably a better way) of running multi-mission deployments with twists and turns. But they're not contracted employments and they don't provide travel and they don't make up anywhere near enough of the available missions to replace merc deployments, to my mind, so it'd be a shame to see this fall by the wayside.
I know FPs are not 100% merc deploys, the question is, do i want to spent days and days of my free time rebuilding something i have done already for haveing a second system that's close enough on FPs how much would the game get better with it vs it would get better with a compeltely new mod? Then i always have to see all my mods in RT content. So how much would RT improve by me bringing this mod back? Especially now with multible people working on new FPs.
All in all i agree FPs != Deploys, but currently i don't see the need and don't see the time invest to revive this mod.
This mod had randomized and repeatable long-term deployments. Flashpoints are totally scripted, and so far are not repeatable.
There is a repeatable flashpoint mod, but you're just repeating the same scripted missions rather than randomized ones. And, as of today I think, there is a fan-made flashpoint over on the Paradox forum, but still: it is just a prototype for a single scripted flashpoint. No random content.
This mod is what 1.3 should have had. I hope it does get updated.
almost everything you have made is on my mod-list. I love how they make the game feel, without being too much kitchen-sink like some of the big content-and-rebalance packs.
(edited)
Really enjoying your mod (version 1.4) as part of the DZ package. But I am running into a bit of a problem. About 1,5 months into my current deployment I have gotten a mission every day for 7-8 days now. Half my mechs need repair and 9 pilots are injured and 7 fatigued. So, if this goes own I don't think I will make it the last 11 days until the end of the contract.
Question is if this may be a problem with the mod and if there is an easy fix.
Otherwise I will roleplay it and tell the Arano restoration to go screw themselves.
I tried changing missionchanceperday to 0.01 without success.
Cancelled the contract and problem is solved.
I'm not sure if I'm missing a trick here, but I've not been able to get this mod to work since the 1.2 update. I've updated BTML, ModTek and this mod but I'm still getting simple travel contracts, and very rarely at that.
Any ideas?
Cheers
EDIT - never mind, I worked out it was user error! it's such a great mod!
what was your fix?
Verify files and it corrects 1 file but then it just loads the non modded game.
Any ideas what im missing?
Fixed it, i was missing random travel contracts.