Quote:
Tutorial Name: Adding New Superweapons
Made By: Mr. Muk, from Andromeda Vector
Dificulty: Hard

Attention! If you are unhappy with your tutorial posted here, e-mail me at webmaster@ppmsite.com and your tutorial will be deleted from this board


Since I have finished my mod, ( I will keep working on it if people want),  I have decided to start fresh and sit back.  I am doing some superweapon research.  For the last week I have been messing with keywords and stuff like that.  I give you my results.  This is also somewhat of a tutorial for other people.  I am proud to announce I will be adding many tutorials to my site in the future.  Once I finish my "research", I will show how to make a lightning superweapon.  Here we go...


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THE BASICS
If you havent seen it, here is Westwood's help to the rules.ini statements:

; ******* Special Weapon types *******
; IsPowered -- does this super weapon become inoperative in a low power situation?
; RechargeVoice -- Voice to use when weapon is fully recharged and ready.
; ChargingVoice -- Voice to use when weapon begins charging.
; ImpatientVoice -- Voice to use when user clicks on weapon that isn't finished charging.
; SuspendVoice -- Voice to use when special weapon charging is suspended.
; RechargeTime -- time in minutes to recharge this special

Besides these keywords, each superweapon has a Name, SidebarImage.
Unique options are ManualControl, AuxBuilding, UseChargeDrain, and
WeaponType for Chem and Multimissile

First, lets try an easy example.  Maybe youre asking how could you make the chemmissile not need vein to charge?  You would make it look like the Multimissile.  So comment out AuxBuilding and delete or change ManualControl to No.  Like this:

;change these things to make it not need vein
[ChemicalSpecial]
Name=Chemical Missile
IsPowered=false
RechargeVoice=00-I152
ChargingVoice=
ImpatientVoice=
SuspendVoice=
RechargeTime=.03
Type=ChemMissile
SidebarImage=ChemIcon
Action=ChemBomb
ManualControl=no;yes
WeaponType=ChemLauncher
;AuxBuilding=NAWAST

Okay, that was too easy.  But lets look at what makes each superweapon special.
The keywords mentioned above do not tell what the superweapon does.  Only Type, Action, and WeaponType do.

[ChemicalSpecial]
Type=ChemMissile
Action=ChemBomb
WeaponType=ChemLauncher

[MultiSpecial]
Type=MultiMissile
Action=Nuke
WeaponType=MultiLauncher

[EMPulseSpecial]
Type=EMPulse
Action=EMPulse

[FirestormSpecial]
Type=Firestorm

[IonCannonSpecial]
Type=IonCannon
Action=IonCannon

[HuntSeekSpecial]
Type=HunterSeeker

[DropPodSpecial]
Type=DropPod
Action=DropPod

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EXPERIMENTATION WITH FIRESTORM DEFENSE

In the following examples, the code is placed under [FirestormSpecial].(or replaces some)

Type=EMPulse
Action=EMPulse
the mouse always has an out of range icon

Type=IonCannon
Action=IonCannon
works as a normal ion cannon

Type=ChemMissile
Action=ChemBomb
works as a normal chemmissile

Type=MultiMissile
Action=Nuke
works as a normal multimissile

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Unfortunately, even if you add WeaponType= and a different weapon, TS will ignore that line and use whatever the original superweapon's WeaponType was.  

For example, adding this under [FirestormSpecial]:

Type=MultiMissile
Action=Nuke
WeaponType=NewWeapon

will not use the NewWeapon weapon.  It will use the weapon that is under the MultiMissile's WeaponType.

If it was different, we could replace the Firestorm defense with a new superweapon.  However, now, even if it is the same superweapon, it can have a different name, icon, charge time, and voices.  For example, for 1 side you can make it take longer to charge than another side, even though they have the "same" superweapon.
_____________________________________________________________
CROSS-TYPES

After putting matching types and actions, I started mixing them.  It was a nice suprise.
Under [FirestormSpecial]:

Type=MultiMissile OR/ ChemMissile
Action=IonCannon
WeaponType=Bigboom

this will use the ioncannon's mouse pointer but shoots MultiMissile/ChemMissile!!  But it doesnt use the Bigboom weapon.  Still, with this, you can have 2 of the same superweapon charging seperately at the same time and it works perfect.  (Normally in TS if you build 2 of the structure that gives you the superweapon, it will only charge 1, and wont charge faster or anything.)

This shows action determines the cursor and the type is the superweapon.

With:

Type=EMPulse

the mouse always has an out of range icon
This is an exception where the Type instead of action will change the cursor.
This shows you cannot mess with the EMPulse superweapon.
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Let's try:

Type=ChemMissile (Or multimissile or ioncannon)
Action=EMPulse
WeaponType=Bigboom

Doesnt use Bigboom weapon, has the Pulse cursor (that shows Ready to fire) and unlimited range but you cant fire it and when you click to fire it doesnt start charging.  Why do I note that it doesnt start charging again?  

Because when you try to clone a superweapon, to make a new one, these "New" superweapons (that dont work) give you the cursor, when you click it starts recharging but never fires the weapon.
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If you change firestorm special with:

Type=MultiMisssile
Action=Nuke
WeaponType=MultiLauncher

and you have the multimissile and the FS defense going at the same time,
when you try to launch the FS defense, it will launch the multimissle and start recharging the Multimissile(even though you clicked on FS).  The Firestorm will never start recharging until Multimissile stops recharging(is sold or destroyed).
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So, you cant change anything with EMP, type or action.  You can interchange the Ioncannon, multimissile, and chemmissile's, types and actions perfect.  You can also put in DropPod for the Type and action.(it uses Ioncannon's mouse even though it has a different action.)
The action will set the mouse cursor and the type will launch the weapon (that is the original superweapon).  ex.TS will ignore WeaponType.

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In all these instaces, the Firestormsuperweapon's icon, name, chargetime, and voices have remained intact.  

So, if you copy the multimissile in the above example, you can make it have a different icon and everything but still shoot the same weapon.  So if you gave it to both GDI and Nod, Nod could make it faster and they could have different names, such as GDI Multimissile, and NOD multimissile.
_____________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION

Almost everyone agrees the Firestorm Defense is useless.  It is a defensive superweapon.  Now we can replace it with a "new" one.  Although it will do the same thing as the MultiMissile, Chemmissile, Ioncannon, or Droppod, you can make it have a different cursor and everything else different, such as RechargeTime, cameo, voices etc.


Other info:
Just commenting out a superweapon from the list will not stop it from being made.  You must comment out the line on the building that says Superweapon= for the superweapon you want stopped.


Well, I hoped you liked this report and learned something.  TS is still cool despite RA2 being released.  I hope more people will start editing TS.  Stay tuned for Part2 of superweapon research, which will be about Hunter Seekers.

Please reply with your comments.







*************************************************************
HUNTER-SEEKER RESEARCH
*************************************************************

Info:
-It is really 2 superweapons, one for Nod and for GDI.  The unit to use is specified under NodHunterSeeker and GDIHunterSeeker.  
-The HSBuilding entry must have the building that has Superweapon=HuntSeekSpecial so the HS will pop out of it.  You can have additional buildings under HSBuilding that do not have Superweapon=HuntSeekSpecial, it doesnt matter.
-The NHUNTER or GHUNTER uses the weapon it has to destroy itself and the building(I think).

There currently is a way to edit the nod hs to make it look like you've added a new superweapon.  There is a tutorial at deezire's site, but here is the basic steps:
1.Change the NHUNTER weapon to a new weapon.
2.Add a new superweapon to the list (7=newsuperweapon)
3.Clone existing Hs superweapon entry and write WeaponType= and the weapon you gave in step 1. Of course, you can change stuff like name and recharge time.

So that way you can add 1 new superweapon that is totally NEW.
_____________________________________________________________
NOTES

I clone HuntSeekSpecial and name it HuntSeekSpecial2.  I give this to GAPILE(GDI barrracks). I write GAPILE on the HSbuilding.  It works like a Hs.

Change image to HMEC.(Mammoth Mk.II)
HuntSeekSpecial2 looks like it.

I have 2 huntseeks going and they come out of the same building.  If there is two buildings on HSBUIlding it would work for a while but then they would stop coming out for a while.  With one it appears to work fine.  They have different icons and recharge time but are both GHUNTER.  Now many multiple HS can be charging?
Can you do this with other superweapon?


_____________________________________________________________
MORE EXPERIMENTS WITH HUNTER SEEKER

Under [IoncannonSpecial]:

Type=Hunterseeker
Action=ioncannon

It says 'release' but has the ion mouse.  Thats why hs dont have action because they dont have a cursor.  Same for Firestorm.

Random thought:
Writing Action=HunterSeeker does nothing.(because it is not an action, only a type)
--------------------------------
So Action=HunterSeeker does nothing, and Type=HunterSeeker will only do something if there is no Action.
--------------------------------
Here I cloned the IonCannon in an attempt to have multiple running at the same time.
Adding:

[Ion]
Name=Ion Cannon2
IsPowered=false
RechargeVoice=00-I156
ChargingVoice=
ImpatientVoice=
SuspendVoice=
RechargeTime=.08
Type=IonCannon;HunterSeeker
Action=Chembomb;HunterSeeker;IonCannon;ChemBomb
SidebarImage=IONCICON

will act normal(charge, play voices, show cursor) but never fire the weapon.  This shows you cant add new superweapons unfortunately.

<Mr.Muk says "BBBBLLLLAAASSSSTTT!!!!!!!">

I wonder if you can make new supeweapons in RA2.  I highly doubt it since it uses the TS engine and they rely too much on the hard coding.  I think Banshee was having some problems with this.

Strangely, you CAN CLONE the HunterSeeker and get multiple to charge at once.

Follow this example:
1.Clone [HuntSeekSpecial]














Random facts
The Hs must have a fly locomotor to go anywhere when released.  To make a cool thing, make a  normal unit the hs(with HodHunterSeeker= ) and everytime the superweapon is ready you will get a new unit.