Modding MechCommander - Weapon Loadouts tutorial

Parjai Skirata:

Hey Phil, I know you went over this during the stream yesterday, but any chance we could get a written breakdown of how weapon loadouts work as far as loading torsos, arms, etc? I keep losing arms and either there's no weapons (not a bad thing), or everything was on that arm, and now my mech is weaponless...

Bestia_Infernali, NGNG forums, 2015:

MCG? If so, I'll post some stuff, if not - maybe someone will verify/whatever my findings.

Anyway, hard to figure out every possible configuration, nor find any logic in it, but here's some general stuff:

Code:

// ENERGY/PLASMA
0,147, Heavy Flamer // S
1,155, C/Heavy Flamer // S

// ENERGY/STANDARD LASER
2,143, Medium Laser // S
3,152, C/Medium ER Laser // S
4,140, Large Laser // S
5,141, Large ER Laser // L
6,150, C/Large ER Laser // L

// ENERGY/PULSE LASER
7,144, Medium Pulse Laser // S
8,153, C/Medium Pulse Laser // S
9,142, Large Pulse Laser // L
10,151, C/Large Pulse Laser // L
11,139, Large ER Pulse Laser // S

// ENERGY/PARTICLE
12,145, PPC // L
13, 97, C/PPC // R
14,146, ER PPC // L
15,154, C/ER PPC // L

// BALLISTIC/STANDARD
16,102, AC/20 // L
17,101, AC/10 // L
18,100, AC/5 // L
19,112, C/Ultra AC/20 // L
20,111, C/Ultra AC/10 // L
21,110, C/Ultra AC/5 // L

// BALLISTIC/LBX
22,109, LBX AC/20 // S
24,108, LBX AC/10 // S
26,107, LBX AC/5 // S
23,118, C/LBX AC/20 // S
25,117, C/LBX AC/10 // S
27,116, C/LBX AC/5 // S

// BALLISTIC/RAIL
28, 99, Light Gauss Rifle // R
29,104, Gauss Rifle // L
30,113, C/Gauss Rifle // L
31, 98, Rail Cannon // R

// BALLISTIC/AREA
32,161, LT Cannon // S
33,160, Heavy LT Cannon // S

// MISSILE/STANDARD
34,123, SRM/2 // S
35,133, C/SRM/2 // S
36,124, SRM/6 // S
37,134, C/SRM/6 // S
38,126, Thunderbolt/15 // S
39,120, LRM/5 // S
40,130, C/LRM/5 // S
41,121, LRM/10 // L
42,131, C/LRM/15 // L
43,122, LRM/20 // L
44,132, C/LRM/20 // L

// MISSILE/STREAK
45,125, Streak SRM/2 // S
46,135, C/Streak SRM/2 // S
47,136, C/Streak SRM/6 // S
48,119, C/Streak LRM/20 // S

// SENSORS
49, 13, Basic Sensor
50, 14, Intermediate Sensor
51, 15, Advanced Sensor
52, 16, C/Standard Sensor
53, 17, C/Extended Sensor

// ECM
54, 37, Beagle Probe
55, 43, C/Active Probe
56, 38, Guardian ECM
57, 42, C/ECM Suite

// UNUSED
-1,105, Machine Gun // S
-1,114, C/Machine Gun // S
-1,106, Anti-Missile System // S
-1,115, C/Anti-Missile System // S

// REMOVED
-1,103, // L

S = symmetry
L = all on LA
R = all on RA

Case "S" if:

- two: one on each arm,
- four: one on each arm + one on each torso (order of placement? No idea),
- six: two on each arm + one on each torso (order of placement? No idea).

Note that "S" have two versions (examples):

a) 2 x C/Medium ER Laser + 2 x C/LRM/5 = C/Medium ER Laser on both arms, C/LRM/5 on both torsos,

b) 2 x C/LBX AC/5 + 2 x C/LRM/5 = C/LRM/5 on both arms, C/LBX AC/5 on both torsos.

I think, it has nothing to do with the weapon type (i.e. missile, energy, etc.) - there's a range of IDs with either S, L or R. So, if you want PPCs not packed on one arm - change its ID. Chassis seems to not play any role either.

Yes, this game doesn't give a damn where exactly weapon/ammo will go. For instance, lasers may go where missiles launchers are, while missiles will go on arms. Mad Cat/Vulture are the most obvious examples. To make proper weapon placement in case of Mechs I mentioned you'll have to put six weapons: 1 x L + 1 x R + 2 x S (non-missile) + 2 x S (missile). But missile ammo will be placed on arms, so if that arm is gone your missile launchers are out too. If you'll put more than 6 on them things will get broken.

I think, all this dumb mess is caused by their "place whatever amount of weapon/weapon types where the only limit is tonnage" awful design. And all they had to do was to create simple, external, read only by exe, configurable file, something like this:

Code:

CHASSIS_ID: X

LA: coma separated IDs
RA: coma separated IDs
RT: coma separated IDs
LT: coma separated IDs
CT: coma separated IDs

CHASSIS_ID: Y

LA: coma separated IDs
RA: coma separated IDs
RT: coma separated IDs
LT: coma separated IDs
CT: coma separated IDs

CHASSIS_ID: Z

LA: coma separated IDs
RA: coma separated IDs
RT: coma separated IDs
LT: coma separated IDs
CT: coma separated IDs

Beacuse in case of Catapult missiles lunchers are actually arms, which differs it from the rest.
Yes, stuff in CT too - Profiles already have this option, but non of weapons is going there.

and then add a code that would check if more than one of the same ID, and if true then put it symmetrically instead of pack on one arm. Hard? No. Lazy, clueless? Yes. Some exe hackery enthusiast could possibly make that, I guess. Game probably checks for chassis ID in case of ECM thus I see no reason why it couldn't for other stuff as well - but I'm not an expert in this matter. Besides fixing odd weapon placement, this kind of file would allow to restrict what weapon types player could put on Mech, making each chassis with unique role on the battlefield, something this game is lacking, IMO.

Read more about placements of weapons here.

Read more about Modding MechCommander here.

(c) by RizZen 2020 - thx to Bestia_Infernali