Short of adding it to the load out, ie the addon = ge_gf6_engine_01, internal, 1
addon = ge_fighter6_power01, internal, 1 thing, It would be hard to add to a hold and not be able to sale, drop it.

What about making them different levels, so the fighters could only mount lvl 1, and the other ships could mount lvl 2? Is that doable?

Are you wanting to make it a buyable item to install, but not remove?

Or only to a particular ship built in only. If built in, you could mod a differnent type to each type of ship. There are mods available that let you change sheild, armor, engen, thruster, scanner. Look at one of them and see if what they did matches what you want.

it would be a pointless mod if it were only on one ship, as you may aswell just increase the cargo hold the usual way.

im not sure of a way you can do what you want with out some further details about the addon, and some code would be nice too.

OK. The object of the addon is to make it possible to purchase "cargo expansions." Now, to the best of my knowledge, you cannot increase the cargo capacity of a ship beyond the number specified in the INI files. However, you can add addition space in the INI file, and then have different pieces of equipment take up space. My idea was to take a shield, engine, scanner, or power supply, and use it as a template for my cargo hold items. To make it work, every ship would be required to have one of these cargo hold items. The stock cargo hold would have no mass, and take up 200 cargo units (the maximum space in the INI files would be increased accordingly), leaving the ship in question with the same amount of cargo space before the change. When you bought an upgraded cargo hold, it would take up less space, at the expense of adding mass to your ship - the less space, the more mass. The problem is that in order for it to work, the cargo hold item must be required for take-off - otherwise you could just sell it to free up the cargo space, and it would defeat the purpose. The freighters would be the only ships able to do this, as it wouldn't make sense in a fighter. Therefore, I need a way to put a cargo hold that takes up zero space and has zero mass - but it can't be usable on a freighter, otherwise people would just take the one from a fighter and put it in the freighter. It needs to be sellable, so you don't have low-grade ones taking up space and weight... see where I'm going with this? It needs to be like a shield that doesn't produce a shield, and is required for takeoff.

MISC_EQUIP.INI -
[Scanner
nickname = sw_cargo_exp_1
ids_name = 564704
ids_info = 564704
volume = 200.000000
mass = 0
range = 0
cargo_scan_range = 0
lootable = false

The problem is, I can't define a hardpoint or give it a level, like a gun - otherwise it would be easy. If I could make the fighter cargo hold impossible to unmount, that would be ideal - then it would stay in the fighters (while being unbuyable), so the freighters would come with the lowest level cargo hold (see code above), and then work up from there.

[Scanner
nickname = sw_cargo_exp_2
ids_name = 564704
ids_info = 564704
volume = 150.000000
mass = 5000
range = 0
cargo_scan_range = 0
lootable = false

That would be the second lowest quality hold. (the mass is tenative - that will require playtesting adjustments). Obviously, more than the code above is required to get it in-game - but all that is is defining the item in the appropriate goods file, and making it for sale on a given base/planet. I attempted to use the same notation as for guns to no avail - even if I didn't define I hardpoint for it, it could still be mounted. In the "addon" section you mentioned above (thanks for that, I didn't know about it), I don't see any way to limit what is mountable. I understand that this is complex and I may have left something out. Please ask if you don't understand something...
OH, other problem - it unmounts your other scanner when you apply this. I assume that making them combinable would resolve that issue - but that leaves it so this item is not required for takeoff (as the other sensor is already present) Obviously I'm in over my head, because nobody seems to know how to do this stuff. Perhaps I need to just try to define another type of item? So confused....

If I could make the fighter cargo hold impossible to unmount, that would be ideal .....


remove the goods.ini entry for the fighter cargo hold, and then use the addon technique describe above to add it to all the fighters.

as for your other problem i cant really see how you could do it, unless you intergrated cargo holds with sensors, then you wouldnt be able to launch with out having one already mounted.

what about cargo containers that replace weapons? is that possible?

that might work , like the transports , they have a special mount called HpCargo01. you can these hardpoints internal make items and mount them onto it , of course it takes allot of scripting

love the idea! Since it's hardcoded as to what a ship needs to take off and combining a cargo hold expansion with an engine or a scanner detracts some from the idea (and will make using new scanners/engines pretty unworkable in conjunction) how about something in IONcross? Players can be kicked for having stuff they shouldn't so can they be kicked for not having something they should? Just a thought... May be rubbish

to the cargo pods: check this thread



Fjord

---------------------------------
Excelcia Mod Leading Developer

@Daekar: If you look here you'll see that I tried going at this the other way around. If you can figure out how to make a weapon nonsellable but dismountable you can make a cargopod mod. I couldn't figure it out.

My plan was to give a ship 20 extra units of cargo space per pod it could carry. Then make each pod have a volume of 20. Put the pods in the ship's package and make them unsellable. If the pod was mounted to a weapon Hp then the cargo hold would "expand" by 20, reflecting the cargo pod. If the cargo pod was stored in the hold then the hold size would be normal.

So, if a Starflier usually has 20 hold space, I'd raise it to 40. Then add a cargopod "weapon" to the package that has a volume of 20. The good thing about this is it will force a player to give up firepower for cargo space. The idea came from Nebulaewolf in one of the Newbie Question threads.

Of course if the cargo pod can be gotten rid of then it can be used as a cheat. Maybe you or someone else who knows how can make a Hp like the engine's that doesn't allow the cargo pod from a ship to be sold?

If this was already part of your intention then never mind. I'd just really like to see someone figure out how to do this as I think it would add alot to the trading and smuggling side of FL.