@modmatarael, just so you know, it's generally bad practice to put a '!' in filenames, due to the way that filenames are often parsed and the fact that '!' is treated as a command in many environments. With regard to any parsing issues affecting your plugin, if the '!' is present in the filename, the mod will get bumped down significantly in the load order (Lasers are Lasers!.esm never loads where I actually place it in my LO, but ends up near the bottom of my LO instead). This is because of a parsing issue caused by the '!' in the filename. If I remove that from the filename (and be sure to also remove it in plugins.txt) then it loads where I place it as it should without any issues. This is an easy fix that I've obviously already implemented for myself, and that anyone else reading this can easily implement for themselves as well with a simple file rename, but thought I'd let you know that it would be best to remove the '!' in your next update, and refrain from that practice moving forward. I would also avoid including '#' or '*' in your filenames.
To the author modmatarael or anyone else who might be in the know:
This mod conflicts with Dark CombaTech - All-In-One. Both mods change the Equinox and Solstice. I love both mods, so I decided I needed to keep them both.
I loaded Lasers are Lasers and tried to reverse engineer it in order to make a patch for Dark CombaTech. This is what I found:
Lasers are Lasers appears to touch two entries in each of its affected weapons:
1) Ammunition > Override Projectile 2) Art > Impact Data Set
I also noticed a change in Form > Form ID but that doesn't seem to be anything the user can directly control?
For Override Projectile, all the weapons have been changed to "EquinoxLaserBeamProjectile". For Impact Data Set, a couple weapons were changed to "FXProjectileElectricArcImpactSet" and a couple others to "FXProjectileCutterImpactSet".
Finally, the Stealth Muzzle OMODs for all these weapons have had their Forms changed to "LaserBeamSmallProjectile".
If I've gotten this all correct, I can patch my own game (and other people can do the same) so that DarkCombaTech or any other mod that conflicts can have Lasers are Lasers functionality carried over to them. Have I missed anything?
Thank you for the analysis. Kindly note that creation of a patch through SF1Edit depends on if any of the newly non vanilla entries are inside of an esm that is flagged as a large master file. Any other type of master file will not work. This said the esm from this mod seems to be flagged as a large master so it is possible to copy the entries into a custom patch. Royal galaxy btw also conflicts with this mod but as it is also a large master the conflicts can be resolved through the patch. I could not copy the projectile record though what might be related to the SF1Edit version I am using 4.1.5J (latest build).
Correction on the above this mod is a small master file edits of it inside SF1Edit are currently not allowed. Vanilla records can be copied but any to this mod unique record (will have the mods ID code in the record ID) will not be able to be copied to a custom patch. This said the created patch does work as it uses vanilla records at least on the current version of this mod. In the case of compatibility with Royal Galaxy, this mod uses the default range value for the cutter so the modified range setting on RG will be overwritten though you could load this mod in front of RG even if it is a small master.
Here is a patch for you that I made using xEdit 4.1.5K. The order of Lasers are Lasers and Dark CombaTech doesn't matter, but just be sure to have the patch loaded after both of them, and you'll be good to go. This patch only has Starfield.esm as a master, it doesn't even technically depend on the Lasers are Lasers or Dark Combatech plugins to be loadable (though it is only a patch and doesn't contain the full feature set from either mod that it's patching, so wouldn't really be a useful mod standalone).
All that was needed to make the patch was to make copies of the two layered material swaps for the equinox and the solstice from the Dark Combatech replacer mod into the patch, and then insert them into the weapon records for the equinox and the solstice in the same way that the Dark Combatech replacer mod does. Then in those same weapon records (in the patch), drag over the changes from Lasers are Lasers (which are just two changes in the forms, the Override Projectile field under WAM2 - Ammunition, and the Impact Data Set field under WVIS - Art Visuals Data). And that's it. Patch done. Alternatively, if this patch were to be made in the CK (where you're allowed to set an ESL-flagged plugin as a master) you could just override the two weapon records from Dark Combatech replacer for Equinox and Solstice without having to make separate copies of the layered material swaps, since you could set Dark Combatech replacer as a master, and then copy the changes from Lasers are Lasers into those weapon records. In this case, the patch would have Dark Comabetch replacer as a master, but would not depend on Lasers are Lasers in the same way, since the changes that Lasers are Lasers makes to those weapon records are using vanilla records. This would also allow for the patch to be an ESL-flagged plugin (lite master) instead of the full master that it currently is when made with xEdit.
I am curious if this mod is the same as "https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/9839" this one. I do agree that the lasers should be laser and not a projectile that's why I'm currently using the other mod. Although I'd like to know if there are any differences with this mod. I do can see that the visual laser on your screenshot looks good.
I looked at the mod you linked and according to the author of that one, it appears the sound and the beam don't quite match up? That issue doesn't exist with this mod, however be aware this one doesn't create a continuous beam. Think of the beams in this mod more like a short lightening burst (but straight, of course, not jagged). You know how you look up at the sky and it takes just a split second for the entire bolt of lightening to appear? That's what the beams are like in this mod. You pull the trigger, the whole beam flashes in front of the muzzle and is then spent until you pull the trigger again.
To eliminate recoil, you need to edit the aim model field for each affected weapon. That will take care of the majority of the game moving the weapon X units per shot fired, etc. Some weapons might have animations that could still impinge on that, though.
The vanilla type of lasers are probably supposed to represent pulse lasers. Sort of. Pulse lasers in real life pulse every few nanoseconds, but it is conceivable to have a laser that pulses much much slower with insanely high peak power if we ignore burning the laser up as a problem.
You have made a continuous-wave laser, which as the name suggests, works continuously until disengaged. Lower peak power but higher average power.
Thought I would chime in on this. Surely the power supply required for the type of laser the mod author wants would require a huge portable generator being dragged behind the shooter.
As I just so happen to have an active character who just so happens to specialize in lasers and possess an Equinox, I thought I would test out this mod. It's freaking awesome, and I think there might be a misunderstanding of what this mod is meant to do. Like you, I thought the description was telling us that the lasers would now be continuous, like the mining laser. But that's not the case. They still do fire a pulse, but it's a proper, clear, single, laser pulse as opposed to the mess which lasers fire in vanilla. My Equinox had always fired what seemed like multiple, multi-colored beams, or projectiles as the author of this mod suggested. Now, it fires a single red beam. It looks more like a laser, it feels more laser-like accurate like I would expect a laser to feel, and it looks amazing.
The only problem is that, just as I feared, it conflicts with the replacer version of this mod and certainly anything else that changes the weapons touched by this mod. So, as is so often the case with mods, I have to decide which to use.
I think what the vanilla game is trying to represent is not the laser pulse itself (which in most cases would be invisible), but the channel of super heated ionized air that would follow the path of the laser pulse. Which is also what would cause the sound of a high powered laser pulse too.
Have downloaded, installed and endorsed. I think the initial description led myself to the wrong conclusion about it being a continuous stream. These, if you like, elongated bolts are exactly how a laser weapon should appear in a lower than earth atmosphere. To the author author... please do Shattered Space weapons.
For the power supply comment from simonbateman16: Yes that is true in 2024, but I'm just assuming some hand-wavium battery tech exists in 2330.
For UlfricsRevenge's comment: I did assume it was like the mining laser, my bad. Obviously the laser "bolt" from vanilla makes zero sense, unless we bring in another hit of hand-wavium on how this tech works. Vanilla does look cool in a Star Wars-y scifi sense, but a lot of people prefer things to be closer to reality, which I do find more charming myself.
For RedDog6911's comment: That's true, the lasers irl are almost all invisible (Still will burn your eye out, wear proper eye-pro!). While I've never seen laser welders/cleaners properly ionize air like that directly, I can imagine at a certain level it's possible. It does like to nuke dust though, which looks similar-ish in dusty areas and is fun to watch (with eye-pro, lol).
Using this with Immersive Laser Tweaks (https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/11261) Does seem to work to keep recoil basically non-existant. It's still there, but it really does make the laser weapons FEEL more distinct.
43 comments
This mod conflicts with Dark CombaTech - All-In-One. Both mods change the Equinox and Solstice. I love both mods, so I decided I needed to keep them both.
I loaded Lasers are Lasers and tried to reverse engineer it in order to make a patch for Dark CombaTech. This is what I found:
Lasers are Lasers appears to touch two entries in each of its affected weapons:
1) Ammunition > Override Projectile
2) Art > Impact Data Set
I also noticed a change in Form > Form ID but that doesn't seem to be anything the user can directly control?
For Override Projectile, all the weapons have been changed to "EquinoxLaserBeamProjectile". For Impact Data Set, a couple weapons were changed to "FXProjectileElectricArcImpactSet" and a couple others to "FXProjectileCutterImpactSet".
Finally, the Stealth Muzzle OMODs for all these weapons have had their Forms changed to "LaserBeamSmallProjectile".
If I've gotten this all correct, I can patch my own game (and other people can do the same) so that DarkCombaTech or any other mod that conflicts can have Lasers are Lasers functionality carried over to them. Have I missed anything?
Thank you so much.
All that was needed to make the patch was to make copies of the two layered material swaps for the equinox and the solstice from the Dark Combatech replacer mod into the patch, and then insert them into the weapon records for the equinox and the solstice in the same way that the Dark Combatech replacer mod does. Then in those same weapon records (in the patch), drag over the changes from Lasers are Lasers (which are just two changes in the forms, the Override Projectile field under WAM2 - Ammunition, and the Impact Data Set field under WVIS - Art Visuals Data). And that's it. Patch done. Alternatively, if this patch were to be made in the CK (where you're allowed to set an ESL-flagged plugin as a master) you could just override the two weapon records from Dark Combatech replacer for Equinox and Solstice without having to make separate copies of the layered material swaps, since you could set Dark Combatech replacer as a master, and then copy the changes from Lasers are Lasers into those weapon records. In this case, the patch would have Dark Comabetch replacer as a master, but would not depend on Lasers are Lasers in the same way, since the changes that Lasers are Lasers makes to those weapon records are using vanilla records. This would also allow for the patch to be an ESL-flagged plugin (lite master) instead of the full master that it currently is when made with xEdit.
already done
You have made a continuous-wave laser, which as the name suggests, works continuously until disengaged. Lower peak power but higher average power.
Brought to you by your local machine shop nerd.
The only problem is that, just as I feared, it conflicts with the replacer version of this mod and certainly anything else that changes the weapons touched by this mod. So, as is so often the case with mods, I have to decide which to use.
To the author author... please do Shattered Space weapons.
For UlfricsRevenge's comment: I did assume it was like the mining laser, my bad. Obviously the laser "bolt" from vanilla makes zero sense, unless we bring in another hit of hand-wavium on how this tech works. Vanilla does look cool in a Star Wars-y scifi sense, but a lot of people prefer things to be closer to reality, which I do find more charming myself.
For RedDog6911's comment: That's true, the lasers irl are almost all invisible (Still will burn your eye out, wear proper eye-pro!). While I've never seen laser welders/cleaners properly ionize air like that directly, I can imagine at a certain level it's possible. It does like to nuke dust though, which looks similar-ish in dusty areas and is fun to watch (with eye-pro, lol).
Does seem to work to keep recoil basically non-existant. It's still there, but it really does make the laser weapons FEEL more distinct.