Powered Power Armor
Release 1.4 beta

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Why is this a beta?
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You've probably noticed the Crash Fixer file listed next to the main download. This mod conducts reference walks to place lootable upgrades and detonation tokens into the inventories of NPCs - it periodically steps through all of the NPC references in the currently loaded cell, checks to see if they are wearing power armor, and if so, adds the appropriate stuff to their inventories. The way this was implemented in the 1.3 releases was causing frequent crashes, so I uploaded to Crash Fixer to disable them entirely - it stopped the crashes, but also prevented the power armor explosions and lootable upgrades.

Release 1.4beta contains, among other things, a reworked system for conducting the ref walks. First of all, it is able to conduct them during gamemode (thanks to some help from Pkleiss, Cipsis, and Bonedog over on the Bethesda forums) without glitching out NPC's AI. That means no more "New NPCs Encountered, please wait..." messages. Second, rather than determining which upgrades and tokens to randomly add all at once, it instead places the same token in every PA equipped NPC's inventory. Object scripts running on those tokens then make the necessary additions after the ref walk is complete, spreading the code out over several frames rather than trying to cram it all into one. It also uses a method gleaned from the TES Construction Set wiki to ensure that the walks are only conducted once after the player moves into a new cell, rather then every 5 seconds or so as was the case with R1.3.x. All in all, I've tested these changes extensively, and the CTDs seem to be gone. Just in case, I've included menu options to disable ref walks, or disable them during combat only, in the event that they start causing crashes for people.

I'm releasing this as a beta to determine if the new system will work, or if I'll have to pursue other options. You'll no longer need the Crash Fixer .esp, or the recently uploaded Level Up Crash Hotfix - the ref walks can be disabled via menu, and the hotfix has been incorporated into the main file. If you experience crashes after installing this, first try disabling combat-mode ref walks, and if that doesn't help, disable ref walks entirely. Be sure to post a comment or PM me to let me know if it works, doesn't work, or needs to be partially disabled.


Description
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This mod initially did two things - it made power armor require occasional recharging to keep it fully functional, and it added a number of power armor upgrades available from various vendors throughout the wastes. The upgrades are probably nothing you've never seen before, with the exception of the increased jump height - I've incorporated a method of preventing that obnoxious hangup that normally happens on the way to the ground when the PC jumps too high.

As of release 1.3, certain changes have been made to accomodate lore. Advanced Power Armor (the armor worn by Enclave troops) as well as T-51b Power Armor both run on long lived MicroFusion Packs that carry as much as 100 years worth of fuel, while T-45d armor originally ran on microfusion cells, the energy weapon ammo. As of this release, APA and T-51b armor will initially run on inexhaustible power supplies, but will be limited to upgrades that do not require a significant increase in power output (no liquid cooling or thermal regulation override). Power source conversion kits will be available for these armors that will enable the use of all upgrades. Ultracapacitor conversion kits will require recharging, but the rare experimental high power fuel cells will not (those cannot be purchased, but rather found in the wasteland). There is also an option (enabled by default) for nuclear powered power armor to explode if the wearer is killed by a final shot to the torso.

Also new to release 1.3 is UnderArmor - Recon Armor was initially intended to be something worn under power armor. These low damage resistance armors can be equipped, and power armor can then be put on over them. They provide a minor increase in damage resistance as well as a number of benefits, like increased radiation resistance or automatic splinting of crippled limbs.

See the Merchandise List for details on the upgrades, but bonuses include things like fall damage reduction, increased carry weight, increased run speed, and better melee/unarmed damage. If you see two different upgrades that alter the same stat, the effects will stack when both are installed, although you can only install one of each upgrade. Both the player and NPCs can take advantage of the upgrades.

Whether you have upgrades installed or not, you will need to keep most power armor charged for it to work properly. Charged power armor provides a 75 lb. increase in carryweight (based loosely on the power armor strength increases from Fallouts 1 & 2), but reduces sneak skill by 20. All of the normal bonuses given by power armor also apply (they're completely untouched by this mod, so if you're using an overhaul, its changes will be preserved). Fighting the servos or hydraulics of uncharged power armor will reduce your agility by 6, your strength by 2, and cut your run speed in half. You'll still have the benefit of armor and radiation resistance, but you won't be moving around much.

Armor can be recharged in the field with fission batteries, ceramic ultracapacitors, and energy weapon ammo. There are also two recharge stations available from vendors. The RobCo Rapid Recharge Station will instantly recharge your armor and any additional ceramic ultracapacitors in your inventory. The RobCo Personal Breeder Reactor can be used to recharge depleted fission batteries. The reactor is slower, heavier, and generally less useful, but is available from more vendors, and is considerably cheaper than the rapid recharger. You can carry the recharge units with you, but they will only work in areas where sufficient power is available. See the Merchandise List for a list of suitable recharge locations.

It's assumed that NPCs keep track of their own recharging, so you won't need to worry about supplying your companions with fission batteries or anything.

One of the available upgrades, the Thermal Regulation Override, will allow you to temporarily disable the power armor's thermal governor. The increased power output will increase run speed, carry weight, big guns skill, unarmed damage, and melee damage, but you'll have to monitor the suits temperature yourself. If the upper or lower temperature goes above 135F, you'll take damage proportional to how hot the suit is. Walk, stand still, or disable the override to lower your temperature. TRO can be toggled by the "q" key (configurable) when this upgrade is equipped.

The mod is balanced for a timescale of around 4 or 5, but the power draw and rate of temperature change can be adjusted. Reducing them from their default values of 1 to the minimum of 0.05 will let you use this mod with a timescale of 30.

Some gauges will be added to the HUD. They can be repositioned by holding the config menu key (default "p") for two seconds, then using the arrow keys. If the power armor icon is dark grey, you are wearing uncharged power armor. If it matches your HUD's color, you are wearing charged power armor. If it's red, you are wearing charged power armor and Thermal Regulation Override is engaged. The suit's charge, in Kilowatt-hours, is shown to the right of the power armor icon. It will range from 0 to 300. If you have a TRO installed, the suit's upper and lower temperature will be displayed above and below the charge.

Power consumption is dependent upon the number of installed upgrades, how much you're carrying, and how fast you're running. Sprint Mod will increase your power consumption, and cause you to overheat more quickly if you're using TRO.

Upgrades can be purchased as long as you have access to the appropriate vendors, though in some cases they'll need to be invested in first. The [PA] -Config- item will be added to your inventory when you receive power armor training, or immediately upon installing this mod if you already have it.



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Detailed Directions
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Installing Upgrades:

Add the upgrade to your or an NPC's inventory, and equip power armor.



Uninstalling upgrades:

Unequip power armor. If you are trying to retrieve an upgrade from a companion, first remove their power armor. The armor upgrades will unequip themselves and become Misc. items. Remove them from your (or their) inventory, and place them in a container or on display (the models are pretty dull at the moment). Then re-equip your power armor. Star Paladin Cross's armor has been made playable to make uninstalling her upgrades possible.



Installing UnderArmor:

Put on the desired set of UnderArmor, then put on Power Armor.



Uninstalling UnderArmor:

Remove Power Armor, then unequip or change UnderArmor.



Recharging:

For a field recharge, enter the Power Armor menu by either pressing the hotkey (default "p") or by going to the armor section of your pipboy and clicking the "[PA] -Config-" item. If you have any suitable power sources, the first option in the menu will be "Field Recharge". Select it, then select the power source. Your suit's charge will be increased by the stated amount, up to the maximum of 300 kWh.

To use the RobCo Rapid Recharge Station, drop it from your inventory in a suitable area, activate it with the use key, and select the recharge item. The lights will dim, and your armor and ceramic ultracapacitors will be recharged instantly.

The RobCo Personal Breeder Reactor cannot recharge your armor directly, but it can be used to recharge the depleted fission batteries added to your inventory when you use fission batteries for a field recharge. Drop it from your inventory in a suitable area, activate it, and select "Recharge". It will take one minute, but all of your batteries will be recharged at once. You'll be notified when it's done, but you'll need to return to the machine and activate it again to retrieve the batteries.



Thermal Regulation Override:

Press the toggle key (default "q") to turn it on or off. The power armor hud icon will turn red when the override is enabled. Running, particularly with a heavy load, will most likely cause you to overheat after about 10-15 seconds. Firing a heavy, big gun, or swinging a heavy melee weapon may also cause you to overheat, but its unlikely. If your upper or lower temperature hits 135F, you'll take damage (you'll hear it) and the temperature gauge will turn red. Stop what you're doing until its green again. You don't necessarily have to toggle the override back off to cool down, just stop running or swinging or whatever.



Energy Pulse Generator:

The Energy Pulse Generator can be used to trigger an outburst of energy centered on the user, effecting any enemies within the blast radius. It has two (or more) parts, the Energy Pulse Generator, and the Pulse Modulator(s). There are four different Pulse Modulators, each of which will allow a different kind of energy pulse to be generated. If you have an Energy Pulse Generator and at least one of the Energy Pulse Modulators, press the EPG key (default "") to trigger an Energy Pulse. To switch pulse type, hold the EPG key. Your pulse type is shown by the pulse icon above and to the left of your HUD's power armor status icon. If the icon is red, the system is recharging, if it is green the pulse is ready to fire. Each pulse will discharge a significant portion of any Ultracapacitor powered armor's charge, but fusion powered armors will be able to fire indefinitely. Recharge times, however, will be significantly longer with fusion powered armors. Check the Energy Pulse Modulators in the Misc. section of your inventory to see which icon is associated with which pulse type.


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Installation
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IMPORTANT: If you are upgrading from a previous version, you should open up any saves you're planning to use, remove power armor from yourself and your followers if they are wearing it, and then re-save.
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Copy the downloaded files into your data directory, and check the .esp in your load list. Order is not very important, but see the compatibility section for details.

There are a few extra steps for getting the HUD gauges to show up.


1. Browse to Data\menus\main, and see if hud_main_menu.xml is there.

2a. If it is, open it with a text editor. Scroll to the bottom, and just above the last line (<\menu>) add the line:



3a. Save the file, and that should be it.

OR

2b. If the file is not there, browse to Data\menus\prefabs\PPA\main and move that copy of hud_main_menu.xml to the Data\menus\main folder (if the folder doesn't exist, create it).


If you install any mods that alter the HUD (like DUI) after installing PPA, it is likely that they will overwrite the changes made to hud_main_menu.xml, and your PPA HUD icons will no longer show up. If you notice that they are suddenly missing, repeat steps 1 through 3a.



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Uninstall
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IMPORTANT: You'll want to remove power armor, then save, before uninstalling this mod. This will ensure that the numeric game settings fJumpHeightMin and fJumpFallHeightMin are not permanently changed.
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Delete the .esp, and delete the PPA folders from Data\Meshes, Data\textures, and Data\Menus\Prefabs. Also open up Data\menus\main\hud_main_menu.xml, scroll to the bottom, and remove the line . Save and close.



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Compatibility
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This mod does not actually modify power armor in any way (almost), so very little is overwritten. The upgrades and charging system will apply to (almost, see description above) any armor designated as power armor, and taking up the upper body slot. This includes pretty much all power armor from vanilla Fallout, DLC, and mods (no helmets yet though).

This file does modify:

NPC: Knight Sergeant Durga
Armor: FollowersOutfitCross (Star Paladin Cross's default armor)
Container: VendorChestBuriedKnightSergeantDurga
Leveled Item: VendorCaravanWeaponsBasic2List
Leveled Item: VendorCaravanJunk0List
Leveled Item: VendorCaravanJunk2List
Leveled Item: VendorCaravanApparelBasic2List
Leveled Item: VendorChestGeneralStore
Leveled Item: VendorChestProntoFreeformListGoodStuff

Numeric Game Setting: fJumpHeightMin
Numeric Game Setting: fJumpFallHeightMin

You may want to check things out in FO3Edit. Leveled Item and Container conflicts should be resolved in your merged patch. If a mod, such as project beauty, conflicts with my changes to KS Durga, PPA should be loaded after it (or she will not have any armor upgrades for sale.) The cosmetic changes are optional.

The bigger issue is the two numeric game settings used to increase jump height and reduce fall damage. There is the potential for conficts with any mod that changes either of these values.


Compatibility patches are currently available for FWE, Super Human Jump Perk, and Ambient Temperature, and, coming soon, Arwen's Realism Tweaks and FOOK (FOOK should be more or less OK without one though).




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Credits
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Big thanks to The3rdType for making all of the custom Pipboy and HUD icons.



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Use Info
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Contact me if you'd like to use any code or techniques from this mod. I'll probably be making a standalone version of the jump fall interruption fixer, since there are a number of mods out there that could benefit from it. The fix only needs to show up once in any load order. If I get feedback regarding it I'll make it a higher priority.