• Version 0.92b
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• Create Date 11. November 2023
• Last Updated 11. November 2023

I-War 2 Unleashed

Update 2023-11-12: Fixed a problem where the player wasn't able to dock to Jaf's rescue ship when ejecting after their ship got destroyed. Thanks to IronDuke and Alalkelele for figuring this out.

/// INTRODUCTION:

This add-on to I-War 2 Edge of Chaos was designed to improve and expand the game in a number of ways. In many cases it also tries to make the game more true to the descriptions of various ships and technology which are shown in the game encyclopedia available at Lucrecia's base. For example, if it says that a ship mounts PBC turrets, then it really does, and not Assault Cannon turrets. In other examples, many cops really do have disrupters, and some capital ships mount anti-capital ship beam weapons and missile racks. Ships which have mount points which are not used now have them used, and various other watered down or stripped ships and systems are now fully implemented.

One of the major features of this mod is a constantly running event handler which adds a number of new features to the game and fixes some bugs. For example, there are now active pirates in the world which attempt to rob freighters just like you, and also have transports to pick up their loot. On the flip said, corporations will also try to recover their stolen pods (on the spot, they will not follow you are Jaffs to your base). Scavengers will also try to steal freely floating cargo, and will get hostile if you interfere with them. Ships in general are more aggressive, and will defend themselves readily, including some freighters which now mount point defenses and light turrets.

Another area touched by this mod is graphics, animations, and sounds. Many ships have been overhauled and improved. For example, nonplayer tugs which don't by default appear to be mounting any weapons, and fire instead out of their command section dockport, now do have visible weapons which they use properly. Or in another example, the Capital Class Carrier which had it's turrets both upside down and floating in space by default, now has them both properly mounted and enabled. Most player and nonplayer ships have generally improved audio effects. In fact, every single ship in the game has been retouched, fixed and/or improved in at least a few areas.

The last aspect this mod touches on is game balance. For example, many heavier ships have stronger armor while very light ships like fighters have even less armor. There is also greater separation of firepower between various classes of ships, and while the default game only uses about 20% of available technology for nonplayer ships, now you will almost all available technology in use as appropriate. Well funded organizations like the Navy tend to have very high tech weaponry, while independents use what they can get.

Please back up your save game files before using this mod, and be aware that saved games made with Unleashed active may not work without it active. Also, you should not use this in multiplayer games unless everyone else is using it.

/// DETAILS:

"Pinguin" Privateer Carrier:
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The Pinguin replaces the Storm Petrel, and is available starting in Act I.  It will be available throughout the rest of the game.

This ship is named after the WWII German Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC) of the same name. The namesake was a warship disguised as a merchant ship, and a famous raider during that war. It has a long list of exploits, including sinking numerous merchant and navy ships in addition to capturing a large prize fleet. It is not named after any small black and white aquatic birds.

This vessel is a standard NS-FR100 City class freighter converted to function as light carrier/gunship. The freighter comes equipped with five universal dock ports in addition to five specialized drone fighter dock ports. It also has a nose dockport compatible with station unloading and refueling ports.

In the fashion of Yellowstone truck variants used by dissident groups, this version of the NS-FR100 freighter has four missile launchers mounts bolted on, effectively turning the ship into a missile boat in addition to a carrier and freighter. Unlike the truck however, the Pinguin also has three large weapon mounts and two Light Assault Cannon Turrets. The turrets have a combined firing arc of the entire space around the ship.

The Pinguin also has three LDA shield mounts, two point defenses, and two countermeasure mounts. Although potentially well armed and shielded, this ship is a large target with limited maneuverability. It is faster and more agile then a typical City class freighter, but cannot out turn most military ships and has difficulty evading incoming weapons fire or tracking agile targets with it's high inertia.

The Pinguin is best used a long range heavy and missile weapons platform and a carrier. It may carry up to five Vespa Drones which have an unlimited control range. Drones may be piloted from it's on board control center. With its low signature hull plating it can stay safely hidden while deploying drones. When piloting a drone, Lori and Az can fly the Pinguin and will respond to normal wingmen commands through a special set of key bindings. The Pinguin may be ordered separately from your other wingmen. Use the special keybindings shown at the top of this file to give the Pinguin orders.

The Pinguin comes in two configurations, with a sister ship developed especially for Jafs. His version is designed for hauling heavy cargo loads, and unlike typical City class freighters which hold 10 pods, it holds 15 cargo pods. It is also equipped with turrets.

To enable Jaf's version of the Pinguin, you need to have the Custom Jafs mod, and you should setup your flux.ini file to read:

jafs_ship = ini:/sims/ships/player/pinguin_jafs

"Vespa" Fighter Drone:
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The Vespa Drone is a variation of the REM Fighter, built around a Hornet Police Fighter chassis. The chassis in this version is completely redone with a custom paint job, fully animated thrusters, and typical player audio effects. It has little armor or hit points, but is extremely maneuverable given its lack of a human pilot to limit it's force tolerances. Lack of a human pilot also allows this version of the Hornet Fighter to replace the life support systems with an additional accumulator to power a Light LDA.

The Vespa has a slave piloting systems which is directed via a central controller, which can be installed on many medium ships. The NSO-2002 Devastator Class Heavy Corvette may dock and control up to four Vespa Drones, while a NSO-1950a Tachyon Class Advanced Patcom may dock and control two.  You may remote link and control them, or they will fly with an AI autopilot. Drones are manufactured using REM Fighter blueprints. REM Fighters obtained in trade may also be converted to Vespas. Lucrecia's Base has the necessary blueprints to manufacture additional fighters.

If you remote link to a Vespa Drone, after a few seconds an enhanced remote interface will activate which gives you full HUD information along with engineering access and other normal ship features. You may also order you wingmen using the drone's targets. To break the enhanced remote link, you must either dock to your original ship or remote link back to it. While using the enhanced link, you have nearly unlimited range and can safely engage the drone's LDA drives if you wish and fly across the solar system.

The Vespa drone mounts a Dual Light Assault Cannon and a Communications Laser. This combination allows it to effectively attack most threats. While the cannon is effective against smaller targets, the Communication Laser can be effective against slow, heavy targets such as capital ships as it bypasses their LDA shielding. It won't take out a capital ship very quickly, but with skillful piloting it can be done. The Communication Laser has been improved in this mod to have a slightly increased armor penetration value.

To launch Vespa Drones, use the [ScriptKeys.NextPlayerShip] binding which defaults to the PageUp key. To redock your drones, you can give them a manual dock order, dock them yourself remotely, or press the PageDown key which should be bound to [iUnleashed.DroneReturnToShip]. It is recommended that you use the provided keybinds for docking and undocking them for best results.

"Makwa" Interceptor Drone:
---------------------------

The Makwa is a version of the VS-IN01 Storm Petrel Interceptor designed for a AI or remote pilot control similar to the Vespa Drone described above. It is equipped with two Light Assault Cannons, two Communication Lasers (linked fire), and two Defense LDAs. It has full effects, including visual thrusters and audio, and a custom paint job.

The Makwa is carried only by the Pinguin Freighter. Like the Vespa, it can be manufactured in Lucrecia's Base, however you must first obtain Turret Fighter blueprints. Turret Fighters captured or obtained in trade may also be upgraded to Makwas. At the start of the game, there is one Makwa in your base inventory.

A human piloted version of the Makwa is also used by a few outlaw faction.

Escape Pod:
---------------

The escape pod is a new ship designed by Skyquake.

All player ships now come with a built in escape pod. When the ship is destroyed, your escape pod will eject with the crew and speed away from the exploding craft. A short while after ejecting you will automatically send a distress signal to Jafs who will then come and pick you up and bring you back to base. You can also attempt to putter back on your own (the pod has an LDS drive). Your resource total will be deducted the cost to replace your ship, or all of your resources, whichever is less so that your ship will be ready for you when you return to base.

The escape pod can remotely link to Vespa Fighters and other compatible ships, however, this is not the enhanced system installed on the Pinguin. Vespa Drones will continue to follow your commands while in the escape pod, but need a few seconds to reorient themselves before they respond after your primary ship is destroyed.

Any drones alive at the time your ship is destroyed may be recovered and returned to your base by Jafs. To do this you must MANUALLY dock the drones to Jafs when he arrives to pick you up. Do this BEFORE you dock your escape pod to Jafs. As soon as you dock to Jafs with the escape pod, he will head back to base and you will not have any further opportunities to recover your drones. Even if they manage to follow you back, they will be lost from your inventory.

Jafs will pick you up even if the area is covered in hostiles, however if they fire on him, and his armor goes into the red zone, he will flee and not make a second attempt.

If you are in the middle of a mission and wish to try to complete it with your escape pod and drones, Jafs will wait for you until you are ready to leave.

Light Assault Cannon:
----------------------------

The Light Assault Cannon is designed for small Fighter and Interceptor class ships.  Similar to a regular Assault Cannon, but smaller and less powerful. This weapon has very low armor penetration, but high damage, high velocity, and long range. It is effective against small and agile targets.

Experimental AI Turrets:
-------------------------------

This mod includes two new types of turrets, which replace the Docked Turret and Point Defense Turret. The Pinguin Freighter also carries custom versions of these turrets. A new AI routine has been developed in an attempt to make turrets for controllable and intelligent. It is an early implementation, but hopefully it will solve some current problems, and will improve in later versions of Unleashed.

The first type of turret will attempt to fire on the target which you are currently firing on, or if a ship is attacking you, it will target that ship. If no ships are attacking you (or trying to), and the you are not firing on any ships, the turrets in most cases will also not fire, even if there are hostile contacts on your HUD. They also try to avoid destroying freighters ships and will not fire on freighters which are fleeing.

The second type of turret is a variation of the point defense turret. It will fire on missiles within 10 kilometers of your ship. It will attempt to destroy any missile on a trajectory which it believes may collide with your ship. This variation of turret only activates when their are hostile targets in the area, and will not fire on your own missiles, or missiles belonging to your wingmen.

The turrets can be turned on and off with a keyboard command bound to [iUnleashed.TurretToggle].

Pirates and Scavengers:
-------------------------------

You are no longer alone in the universe. The pirates you heard about now exist. Various unsavory factions roam the universe looking for loot and even have transports to drag their spoils home. They may also target cargo you have liberated, or try to shoot up Jafs for his cargo.

Pirates are most commonly found flying Makwa Interceptors and older corvettes, but you will see them in just about any obtainable ship which can mount a weapon short of a Flitter. Some even use Jeep class transports as a sort of mobile base and missile boat. If you see a pirate Jeep, its a good idea to get out of it's immediate area. They are known to use both proximity mines and mining charges. Also, if you see pirates in general engaging in their activities, be prepared for a possible fight or stay well back - they don't appreciate witnesses.

Pirates will only attack freighters with docked cargo. Mostly they will go after corporate shipping, but rarely will they attack independents, government, and military. They will almost never attack League or related factions unless fired upon first.

Scavengers will also sometimes show up if they see cargo floating in space. They may call in a freighter of their own faction to try to pick it up. The more ships there are of a given faction which sees cargo in the same area of space, the higher the chance there is that they will try to recover it.

Corporate Enforcers:
--------------------------

If you attack corporate freighters, they may send in a wing of ships and armed transports to recover their cargo.

New Traffic:
---------------

You will see much more traffic in the world, including roaming patrols which may include capital ships. Even Junkers roam around looking for junk. Not all new traffic is friendly to you. You may even see a faction assault the station or ships of an enemy faction.

/// OTHER NEW CHANGES:

-- Most ships in the game should load faster and be easier for the game engine to render.  However, many of
the ships which where speed up, would be slowed down by their new complexity.  So I'm not sure how this works
out in the end.

-- Added hundreds of new ship names. Cultural and nationality links to factions have been watered down to some degree. Corny names have been replaced with even more corny ones.

-- Ships attacking your drones or other wingmen are now set to hostile on your HUD.

-- Marauders no longer attack their own stations or MAAS stations. If the game decides to spawn a Marauder station assault group, this mod changes their orders to patrol the station, not attack it.

-- Vespa Drones are protected from losing their wingman status due to game bugs. You may see a message about wingmen being added on your HUD when this activates.

-- Combat AI in general is upgraded somewhat. For example, ships will now switch targets to which they are being attack by instead of blindly chasing after their original target while being killed from behind. Capital ships also use their turrets more effectively.

-- Ships will take steps to avoid being fired upon by their allies. In most cases, they will try to move out of the way.

-- Freighters will defend themselves if they have weapons to do so. They will stop attacking if they give up and want to flee instead. If this happens, they will no longer show up as hostile on your HUD.

-- Deadshot and Seeker missiles do 20% more damage.  Deadshot is slightly more accurate.

-- Harrower missiles do 10% more damage

-- Added 10 seconds to the travel time on all remote missile types

-- Small factions like Independents and Outlaws no longer have access to Heavy Cruisers or Carriers or even modern Heavy Destroyers. If their stations are attacked they will respond with ships no larger then Corporate Cruisers. They may however be able to attract assistance from Government, Navy, or Police forces in some cases.

-- Marauder AI has been improved. They will no longer blindly attack stations while being killed. They will first attack anything hostile and only fire on a station when not otherwise threatened.

-- Added NSO-X99 Experimental Turret Fighters to a few high-end NPC ships which are able to equip them. They rotate and fire just like player turret fighters. They will undock and dock on their own accord and will defend their parent ship to the best of their ability.

-- Added Firestorm variant of the turret fighter. This is a special version of the Firestorm only available to the Marauders which manufacture them. Marauder corvettes will often carry a single Firestorm mounted beneath the ship. It can rotate and fire, undock and dock just like other turret fighters.

-- Marauders have received a considerable force upgrade. In addition to using Firestorm Turret Fighters, they now also use a few smaller capital ships.

-- Most capital ships now equip sensors which are superior to other smaller ships.

-- All fighter ships in general mount smaller weaponry, typically Light Assault Cannons, and carry less missiles then larger ships, if any at all. This change makes much more sense to me as some fighters where originally configured with weapons like Assault Cannons which are nearly 5 times there size. They also have decreased hit points and are much more numerous.

-- The VS-10130a Capital Class Carrier now carries missile weapons. The turrets have also been repaired and are no longer upside down and floating in space. They are also larger and more visible. Carrier turrets fire Pulse Accelerated PBC bolts over a wide arc. Mountpoints buried in the hull are fixed. The carrier has much more hit points as would make sense considering it is almost as large as a station. It has two additional LDA shields. Additional types of spacecraft are now carried onboard, such as Patcoms.

-- VS-10220-A Nova Class Heavy Cruiser is now much more deadly. All of its turret mount points are in use and it carries many types of missiles. Turrets are better positioned and its bottom turret is no longer buried in the hull upside down. Its center nose section now mounts two anti-capital ship beams. Left and right main guns now fire Megabolts. Its hit points and armor are both increased and it equips two additional LDA shields. All LDA shields have improved alignment. It also mounts a Particle Screen. The cruiser's fighter bays are also activated with a small compliment of fighters. Dual countermeasure launchers are installed.

-- NSO-929x Dreadnought Class Corvette has a greater variety of weapons which face both front and rear. Pirates have a special version of this ship with specialized weaponry. Hit points are increased.

-- NSO-2002 Devastator Class Heavy Corvettes mounts heavier weaponry in greater variety. Some also mount docked turrets and point defenses. All carry beam weapons and rockets of some variety. Some varieties have improved or additional LDA shielding. All have increased armor and hit points.

-- The VS-101C Cutter Class Corvette now has a dual PBC turret like it is supposed to have. It is a fair bit more deadly. Unlike Assembly MOD, it is now a real turret, but it only fires on the front half of the ship as the graphic does not support rotating. All carry beam weapons and rockets of some variety, with Marauders carrying a Cutting Beam. Some varieties have additional or improved LDA shielding. Marauder varieties also mount a single Turret Fighter.

-- NSO-1210f Danube Class Cruiser has an additional turret in the front top section. Turrets all fire Heavy PBC bolts and have increase hit points. Turrets have been repaired and are no longer upside down or floating in space. It also mounts various missiles. Left and right main guns now fire Megabolts. Multiple missile racks are installed in the lower section. This ship has increased armor and hit points.

-- VS-220-x Capitalist Class Corporate Cruiser comes in more varieties. One variety sports an anti-capital beam weapon. Most have missile weapons and countermeasures. Some are better armored and have more health. One variety carries four internal fighters. Some have improved or additional LDA shielding. I also fixed the collision hull so that it is not jutting out too far forward.

-- NSO-1102e Bastille Class Destroyer comes in two more varieties. One variety uses the original turrets which are included in the game, but where not activated as they where broken. The turrets are now fixed and fully functional. Some of these ships mount beam weaponry and have external visible forward weaponry. Some destroyers also carry rockets and missiles. Some variants mount an Aggressor Shield. Bastille destroyers all have more hit points and slightly increased armor. Some have improved or additional LDA shielding.

-- NSO-2101c Guillotine Class Heavy Destroyer has improved turrets and additional forward facing weaponry in addition to greater hit points. The forward turret has been installed. Its LDA shields are better aligned. The dockport is better aligned. It has increased hit points. Some variants mount an Aggressor Shield. Guillotine Destroyers should now consistently outmatch Bastile Destroyers in combat.

-- NSO-F650b Jeep Class Freighter now comes with PBC Turrets. A specially designed version of the Jeep is used by pirate factions and mounts an arsenal of missiles and mines in addition to mining charges. This version of the Jeep comes with additional LDA shielding. All mountpoints are better aligned with none floating in space or buried in the hull.

-- VS-IN01 Storm Petrel Interceptor now has four light weapon hardpoints or two light hardpoints and one missile mount. The Makwa version has a different skin. There are four new weapon layout varieties of the Interceptor.

-- MS-01x Executor Class Interceptor has slightly increased hit points, and mounts four light beam weapons in addition to Light PBCs.

-- NSO-1824e Enforcer Class Police Patcom now comes in varieties which mount disrupter weaponry. They are also better shielded and have more armor. All carry beam weapons and rockets of some variety.

-- NSO-1950a Tachyon Class Advanced Patcom now has Turret Fighter mounts for nonplayer ships. It has more hit points and more weapon variations.

-- VS-PT900 Corporate Yacht now comes in two new varieties. One variety, the Mega Yacht, is five times as large and mounts turrets. It also uses the original lighting layout which was included in the game, but not implemented.

-- MS-TG90A Spider Class Tugs now come in new varieties. Some nonplayer Tugs now mount external pylon weapons instead of shooting out of their command section dock port. The Tug is more highly armored with increased hit points. Some carry beam weapons and rockets of some variety. Tugs also have improved graphics, animations, and sounds effects.

-- NSO-590r Puffin Class Tug has increased hit points, and a wider range of weaponry variants.

-- MS-UTL45g Frog Class Light Miner now mounts mining charges and mining lasers in some cases.

-- MS-UTL98d Yellowstone Class Utility Truck comes in many new varieties with different weapon layouts. It has slightly increased hit points.

-- All freighters are upgraded in one or more ways. Some carry turrets. Some have LDA shielding. Some have more hit points.

-- All varieties of gunstars have been upgraded with increased hit points. The NSO-GST-200-A Advanced Gunstar Weapons Platform is completely reoutfitted to suit it's roll.

-- Gunstars are deployed in many places now, including the NSO-GST-200-A Advanced Gunstar Weapons Platform, which was included in the game, but not implemented anywhere. Powerful factions have better Gunstars then weaker factions. Independents rarely have Gunstars protecting their stations.

-- Player Command Section has improved audio effects.

-- Player Patcom has improved audio effects.

-- Player Storm Petrel has improved audio effects

-- The Communication Laser penetrates slightly more armor.

-- Since most ships are better armored, with more hit points, the effects of damaged systems is much more prevalent. You can now disable ships to various degrees without destroying them.

-- This mod includes a custom reticule.

-- Fixed the Light PBC bolt weight. This weapon in it's original state has a mass 200000 times greater then a standard PBC bolt. It now has about 25% less mass then a PBC. Also slowed down fire rates for nonplayer version by 0.1 as two Light PBCs are often more dangerous then two PBCs in the hands of the AI.

-- Player sensors are a little weaker. Some ships will be more difficult to detect.

-- Asteroid and debris fields have larger possible object sizes. Be careful where you are flying!

-- Turret Fighters are equipped with dual Light Assault Cannons instead of a Light PBC. You may still equip an additional medium weapon and missiles. Turret Fighters are also now a little faster so that they may keep up with Navy and Marauder fighters.

-- LDS Drives are more easily damaged, and freighters take longer to ramp up their LDS drive. LDS Drives in general are now a bit slower.

-- Other changes small and large I'm not remembering right now.

/// INSTALLATION:

Place the zipped mod file into the  <install dir>mods directory.  Activate the mod with the "Extras" menu option in the game after installed.

/// UNINSTALLATION:

Delete the file (or files if you unzipped it).  These files are additions and overrides to what is already in the game.  No game files are modified as long as you install into your /<install dir>/mods directory.

/// KNOWN ISSUES:

This mod may not work well with many other mods which change ships or systems.  It may not work well with many other mods in general.  Use this mod together with other mods at your own risk.

/// WARRANTY:

This comes "as is" with no statement of suitability or fitness for any purpose other then taking up space.  On my computer it is pretty benign, however, your computer may spontaneously combust or start speaking in tongues.  Make sure you make backups of your saved game files if you want to play it safe.

/// NOTES AND CREDITS:

My thanks to the following people:

Skyquake - Creator of the Escape Pod.
Jason Miller - Engine hum for player cockpits.
Qlippoth - Thruster audio fixes
Wetwired and Hotfoot - For Elite MOD, which was an original inspiration for doing some of the things Unleashed does. I liked it, but there were some other ideas I had for making the game more immersive and challenging. Some of Elite MODs ideas did end up in use in Unleashed MOD, though often in different ways.

Please feel free to send me comments or suggestions.

Bineshi
nathan@kinsman.org
ICQ: 1215984