My Hardcore Mod is ready for download. It can be found at:

http://www.starwarsknights.com/kotor2mods.php)

Here is the read me:

/***********************************/
/*** HARDCODE MOD ***/
/***********************************/

By: Beancounter
Version: 1.00

One thing is sure about TSL, the game is VERY easy. The vast majority of your opponents are low level and do not provide much of a challenge to the average player. Even the supposed Sith Lords are only level 20. Since your PC could technically be at level 50 this does not provide much of a challenge. This mod will make the game more challenging by increasing the level of your opponents. The amount of the level increase will be based on your level times a multiplier - the stock setting are 0.5. So when your character is level 20, it will add 10 levels to your opponents. When your character is level 10, it will only add 5 levels to your opponents. This should give a very steady increase in the difficulty of your opponents.

If the changes are too much or you want a really tough game, you can modify the Buff setting in Hardcore_Control.nss. The Boss characters have their own multiplier so you can boost up the Bosses by one amount and all the other NPC's by another.

Do not blame me if your characters get whipped using this mod! That is the whole point of it ;)

/***********************/
/*** Recompiling ***/
/***********************/

Unfortunately, in order to change the setting you will need to recompile the scripts. Detailed instructions on how to compile a script can be found at http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=143681).
The following files MUST be in the same directory as NWNNSSCOMP to compile correctly:
HC_Control.nss
Hardcore_Mod.nss
k_inc_debug.nss
k_inc_generic.nss
k_inc_switch.nss
k_inc_utility.nss
k_inc_gensupport.nss
k_inc_walkways.nss
k_inc_drop.nss
nwscript.nss

The ONLY file from the HARDCORE MOD that should be in the override directory is k_ai_master.nss.

/**************************/
/*** BETA FUNCTIONS ***/
/**************************/

You may notice in HC_Control.nss that I have included a setting to up the AI and add bonus feats to your opponents. By default, both of these setting are turned off. Both of this functions are BETA only and I have not had the chance to test them thoroughly and I do not want to mess up someone's game my turning them on. If you do turn them on I am very interested in getting any feedback on them.

/*************************/
/**** Installation ***/
/*************************/

Unpack the "k_ai_master.ncs" into the KOTOR2\Override folder. As long as this mod is installed it will be active on every save game. It is not necessary to start a new game.

/**************************/
/*** De installation ***/
/**************************/

Delete the "k_ai_master.ncs" from the KOTOR\Override folder. Please note the buffs will still be active in the current local area, if you saved a game!!


/*****************/
/*** USAGE ***/
/*****************/
Feel free to use any part of this Mod for your own work. There is NO need to ask permission. Mod away - just make it better :)


/*******************/
/*** Credits ***/
/*******************/

Many thanks to the hardworking modders at Holowan Labs! Especially Darth333, TK102 & Fred Tetra. Without them modding SWKOTOR would be just about impossible! Also, many thanks to Talchia who wrote the first Hardcore Mod for KOTOR.



I hope you guys have as much fun playing it as I did creating it! Please post any feedback or problems that you had here.

Thanks

:D
This is sure to be a hit!

Originally posted by tk102
:D
This is sure to be a hit!
In more ways than one .... har har ... ;)

Let's just hope we're not on the receiving end of too many 'hits'. Looks great beancounter, definitely a PERMA-MOD® :thumbsup:

Sorry, I am confused by one thing - the recompiling. Is that something I need to do, or is that if I just want to modify further what you have done for my own particular tastes? I seem to remember in the original thread where you said you were going to make it easy so we would not have to recompile anything. Thanks.

Originally posted by Grifman
Sorry, I am confused by one thing - the recompiling. Is that something I need to do, or is that if I just want to modify further what you have done for my own particular tastes? I seem to remember in the original thread where you said you were going to make it easy so we would not have to recompile anything. Thanks.

You dont have to recompile. You only need to recompile if you want to change the settings yourself,. Just drop k_ai_master in your override folder.

I tested this one out and its good stuff. Made the game alot better. Was in my save game just about to meet the first big group of bh's in onderon and they kicked my ass twice =). It was great.

Great work.

Originally posted by una
You dont have to recompile. You only need to recompile if you want to change the settings yourself,. Just drop k_ai_master in your override folder.

I tested this one out and its good stuff. Made the game alot better. Was in my save game just about to meet the first big group of bh's in onderon and they kicked my ass twice =). It was great.

Great work.

Glad to hear it! Your butt getting kicked that is :p Like una said, the recompile is only necessary if you want a harder or easier game and you change HC_Control.nss.

I included that because it is difficult to balance the game for everyone. Some people like a really diffilcult game, while others like myself want it to be challenging, but not impossible. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a way to adjust the setting without recompiling the scripts.

Just load k_ai_master in your override folder and try it out. I am sure it will be harder.
:D
Don't worry about recompiling unless you want a REALLY hard game.

Thanks so much Beancounter, this is going to make the game so much better for me. Thanks for all your work!

Khai

Question:

the stock setting are 0.5. So when your character is level 20, it will add 10 levels to your opponents. When your character is level 10, it will only add 5 levels to your opponents. This should give a very steady increase in the difficulty of your opponents. So then when you're at Level 30, then your opponents will be at level 45. At about level 33 or level 34, you opponents will be at level 50. Based on xptable.2da you would be recieving an insane amount of xp points for a majority of the game, meaning that you'll level much faster. Wouldn't this mean that your opponents would hit the level ceiling fairly early on in the game? Wouldn't this also mean that you would actually close the gap as the game progresses toward the harder bosses, possibly making them easier? By the time you head to the final planet you and your opponents could both be a level 50 (or very close to).

I realize that each player can edit all this progression, but I thought it might bear pointing out...if only to help me understand what I'm missing.

Thanks and great work!

Ok, just loaded up my game and here are my results. I am fighting a bunch of Exchange thugs in a certain location so this is a good test.

Battles are definitely a bit harder, maybe still a bit on the weak side, but I'll have to play more for sure - these are just basic thugs after all. It seems to take about 2 rounds of combat to take one out, when previously they were dying after a couple of flurry attacks.

What the mod appears to have done is up their defense by about 10%. I replayed both before and after the mod and took down the combat results:

Before the mod, the basic Exchange thug had a defense of 23: 13 level + 10 base. After installing the mod, the defense went up to 26: 13 level + 10 base + 3 dex. So the mod looked like it added the 3 dex to their defense.

Didn't really look at their attack rolls - they did do more damage, but that may have been because they lasted longer. I probably should go back and check that out.

Don't know if this is what you expected Beancounter, but I thought I'd give you the numbers I was seeing in the combat results.

Originally posted by Achilles
[B]Question:

So then when you're at Level 30, then your opponents will be at level 45. At about level 33 or level 34, you opponents will be at level 50.

That assumes that they are at the same level you are - and I don't think that is true. I don't know who this all works, but I am fighting Exchange thugs with a total level 17 Jedi, and they are at level 13 according to the combat results. They seem to be trailing a bit.

I'm not sure about the experience part either - the mod doesn't seem to change their levels - it seems to add a dex modifier to their defense based upon what I have seen.

I've been waiting for this one thanks beancounter :D

Originally posted by Achilles
Question:

So then when you're at Level 30, then your opponents will be at level 45. At about level 33 or level 34, you opponents will be at level 50. Based on xptable.2da you would be recieving an insane amount of xp points for a majority of the game, meaning that you'll level much faster. Wouldn't this mean that your opponents would hit the level ceiling fairly early on in the game? Wouldn't this also mean that you would actually close the gap as the game progresses toward the harder bosses, possibly making them easier? By the time you head to the final planet you and your opponents could both be a level 50 (or very close to).

I realize that each player can edit all this progression, but I thought it might bear pointing out...if only to help me understand what I'm missing.

Thanks and great work!

At the stock setting the mod will add 1/2 of your level to the NPC's level. It will add a full 100% of your level to the bosses. So if you are level 50 and the NPC starts off at level 5, after the mod runs they will be equal to level 30. (Their initial level of 5 plus 1/2 of your level). If they are level 20 and you are level 50 their effective level will be 45.

If you are fighting a boss who's level is 20 and your level is 50, their effective level would be 70. (The initial 20 + your PC Level). The bonuses are not capped by the 2da because all of the adjustments are based off of calculations.

Also, the adjustment should NOT increase their XP value. So you will not rise in levels faster.

Grifman - besides uping their attributes the mod will also jack up their vitality points, saving throws, THAC0 and force points. That is why the regular thugs are lasting for two rounds - they probably have an extra hundred hit points.

Ok, here's the feedback on on their attacks.

Pre mod, I'm fighting some Gamorean Exhange thugs. Ignoring the die roll, their base attack is base17 +3 strength for a total of 20. Hell, they couldn't even hit my Jedi. I just sat there and watched not attacking, and the thug missed three straight times. He just couldn't overcome my defense.

Now post mod, his attack is base 17 + 3 strength + 8 effects (whatever that is) for a total of 28. Now again, sitting there and doing nothing, he will hit my Jedi almost everytime.

So the mod actually appears to have a greater impact on offense than defense.

That said, I still have to say it is too easy. In all of my tests, it's just been against my base Jedi character with his items. I am afraid that with force powers he would still slaughter them. So far the mod seems to have compensated for items to some extent, but use of the force will probably still make them easy to kill.

I will definitely use this and continue to give feedback. I'll try pre/post mod when I come to some other gamepoints and let you know what I see.

Again, thanks.

Originally posted by beancounter
Grifman - besides uping their attributes the mod will also jack up their vitality points, saving throws, THAC0 and force points. That is why the regular thugs are lasting for two rounds - they probably have an extra hundred hit points.

Yeah, I assumed it was doing other things. I was just focusing on what the combat table was telling me - unfortunately you have to guess at HP since you don't really know what those are from the results. I wasn't fighting force users either. Again, thanks for the work.

Thanks for the feedback.

The +8 you are seeing on the too hit is the mod. I am curious if you have fought any of the bosses and how much harder they are.

If it appears to be too easy I would be more then happy to show you how to take it up a notch. Believe me you can make the game impossible by playing with the setting.

This is great beancounter. With the release of The Segan Wyndth jedi armor's for TSL here in a short bit as soon as the upload completes things will be really wicked and nasty.

Originally posted by beancounter
Thanks for the feedback.

The +8 you are seeing on the too hit is the mod. I am curious if you have fought any of the bosses and how much harder they are.

If it appears to be too easy I would be more then happy to show you how to take it up a notch. Believe me you can make the game impossible by playing with the setting.

Haven't gotten to any bosses with it yet, but I'll let you know what I think as I progress. I appreciate the work a great deal - the ease of the game was killing my enjoyment.

Let me know how it goes. If the overall consensus is that the game is still too easy, I can re-release the mod with tougher settings or I can walk you through how to bump the setting up yourself.

Either one is pretty easy.

Originally posted by Grifman
That assumes that they are at the same level you are - and I don't think that is true. I don't know who this all works, but I am fighting Exchange thugs with a total level 17 Jedi, and they are at level 13 according to the combat results. They seem to be trailing a bit.

I'm not sure about the experience part either - the mod doesn't seem to change their levels - it seems to add a dex modifier to their defense based upon what I have seen. The autobalance.2da basically states that your opponents will be at 75% of your level. So if you're at level 10, they're at level 8. Beancounters stated that a level 10 PC would be going up against a level 15 opponent, so it sounded like he had modified this as well.

At the stock setting the mod will add 1/2 of your level to the NPC's level. It will add a full 100% of your level to the bosses. So if you are level 50 and the NPC starts off at level 5, after the mod runs they will be equal to level 30. (Their initial level of 5 plus 1/2 of your level). If they are level 20 and you are level 50 their effective level will be 45. But isn't the stock level based on yours via autobalance.2da? By adjusting the level column I was able to confirm that at set 5 (with a 1.1 modifier) my level 25 pc was going up against level 28 opponents. If you are adding half again, then at level 10, my opponents would be level 13 [10*0.75(10/2)]. I could be wrong, but I suspect that the character level in the .utc file is meaningless, hence why all the numbers seem so low.


If you are fighting a boss who's level is 20 and your level is 50, their effective level would be 70. (The initial 20 + your PC Level). The bonuses are not capped by the 2da because all of the adjustments are based off of calculations. Uhhh...ok. I'll have to take your word for this. I'm not sure how the game would apply bonuses that aren't built into the 2da files, but I'm sure there's an explanation for this.


Also, the adjustment should NOT increase their XP value. So you will not rise in levels faster. Again, the higher the level of the opponent the more XP you get for defeating them. XP table says so and I've confirmed it by experimenting with autobalance.2da. You can check this yourself...go change the level modifier in the 2da file, then take your PC and kill something. Note the XP you get and then find the XP against your level on the table. By modifying this column I was able to get to level 30 without use of korriban XP glitch.

I appreciate your response and any clarification you can provide.

Thanks!

The mod does not directly adjust the NPC level. You can not adjust the level directly through a script.

What it does is adjust the To Hit, saving throws and vitality points directly. If your character is level 30 and your opponent is level 20 after autobalance.2da, they will still be only level 20 when the mod runs. But, they will be a level 20 character with the To Hit, saving throws and vitality points of a level 35 character. The mod calculates the bonuses based on their class what their THAC0, VP and saves should be.

That is why it should not increase the XP value of the creature. If you check the feedback log you will see an adjust on your opponents to hit that says + XX effects. This is the mod bonus.

If you really want to see what happens I can post some of the scripts I used to verify the results of the mod. Their level never changes, they just get an increase in saving throws, To Hit, VP and FP.

Originally posted by Achilles
But isn't the stock level based on yours via autobalance.2da? By adjusting the level column I was able to confirm that at set 5 (with a 1.1 modifier) my level 25 pc was going up against level 28 opponents. If you are adding half again, then at level 10, my opponents would be level 13 [10*0.75(10/2)]. I could be wrong, but I suspect that the character level in the .utc file is meaningless, hence why all the numbers seem so low.

Uhhh...ok. I'll have to take your word for this. I'm not sure how the game would apply bonuses that aren't built into the 2da files, but I'm sure there's an explanation for this.

Again, the higher the level of the opponent the more XP you get for defeating them. XP table says so and I've confirmed it by experimenting with autobalance.2da. You can check this yourself...go change the level modifier in the 2da file, then take your PC and kill something. Note the XP you get and then find the XP against your level on the table. By modifying this column I was able to get to level 30 without use of korriban XP glitch.

I appreciate your response and any clarification you can provide.

Thanks!

If I understand your questions properly Achilles. Beancounters Hardcore mod is completly script based. It uses the K_ai_master script to constantly adjust your enemies in combat. By using simple mathmatics and if statements. meaning that depending on certain conditions it will boost your enemies depending on where you are at. this will not actually effect the xp increase generated by the enemies as the game will still see them as there proper level brought about by the autobalance.2da. If you adjust the Autobalance.2da file then XP will go up. Beancounters won't cause this because it only causes your enemies to seem like they are higher level but it does not actually increase there level.

eg. your 20th lvl and going against a 15th lvl opponent adjusted with the hardcore mod the stats get boosted as if you were fighting a 25th opponent however the game still sees your opponent as 15th lvl.

vs. changing autobalance to do the same adjustments all of the same above however the game sees the opponent as 25th lvl and rewards accordingly.

Originally posted by Darkkender
If I understand your questions properly Achilles. Beancounters Hardcore mod is completly script based. It uses the K_ai_master script to constantly adjust your enemies in combat. By using simple mathmatics and if statements. meaning that depending on certain conditions it will boost your enemies depending on where you are at. this will not actually effect the xp increase generated by the enemies as the game will still see them as there proper level brought about by the autobalance.2da. If you adjust the Autobalance.2da file then XP will go up. Beancounters won't cause this because it only causes your enemies to seem like they are higher level but it does not actually increase there level.

eg. your 20th lvl and going against a 15th lvl opponent adjusted with the hardcore mod the stats get boosted as if you were fighting a 25th opponent however the game still sees your opponent as 15th lvl.

vs. changing autobalance to do the same adjustments all of the same above however the game sees the opponent as 25th lvl and rewards accordingly.

Thanks Darkkender, I could not have said it better myself:)

^^^^

Much clearer now. Thanks for the response :D

Originally posted by Achilles
^^^^

Much clearer now. Thanks for the response :D

No problem man.:cool: Heh Heh, never thought I'd see the day where I would have the oppurtunity to explain something to one of the Masters of modding at Holowan Labs.:p

Chalk it up to my annoying habit of having to know how stuff works :)

Originally posted by Achilles
Chalk it up to my annoying habit of having to know how stuff works :)
I thought that was my job ;) :lol:

ChAiNz.2da = forever n00b

Great job!

Now i have HM and the modified autobalance.2da installed. This should make this game more challeging.

Originally posted by SpaceAlex
Great job!

Now i have HM and the modified autobalance.2da installed. This should make this game more challeging. Err...let us know how that works out :confused:

Here's to all the people out there for which one hardcore mod just ain't enough :rolleyes:

thank you so much i needed a challenge so badly

Excellent... Superb... Awesome... Magnificent... work beancounter, this will never leave my TSL override, just like Talchia's Hardcore Mod it still is in my KOTOR override! ;)
Originally posted by Achilles
Err...let us know how that works out :confused:

Here's to all the people out there for which one hardcore mod just ain't enough :rolleyes:
*Spits water all over monitor and keyboard!*

Bwahahahahahaha!!! :rofl:

Well... :roleyess: I thought that was funny! :D

All I can say is wow. I've got beefed up lightsabers on peragus and beefy stats and the sith assasins are taking anywhere from 10-15 rounds to kill when on the harbinger.

^^^^
always felt those guys were way too easy. guess thats fixed now. good job beancounter. :D

now, i'm just wondering if it beefs up a certain Sith Lord a bit......:eek:

Is anything like this available for KOTOR1 as well?

Thanks

Originally posted by andrewsk
Is anything like this available for KOTOR1 as well?

Thanks

Talachia's Hardcore MOD you should be able to find it in the tools and downloads stickies. Also I believe the Holowan Plugin included this in there.

Originally posted by Darkkender
changing autobalance to do the same adjustments all of the same above however the game sees the opponent as 25th lvl and rewards accordingly.

How can i turn autobalance on? There are 6 settings in 2da - no autobalance and 5 other, different sets - where should i set up which one is turned on?

I want to have harder opponents but i also want to earn proper, higher xp for them, so beancounter's mod is not for me.

Originally posted by su27
How can i turn autobalance on? There are 6 settings in 2da - no autobalance and 5 other, different sets - where should i set up which one is turned on?

I want to have harder opponents but i also want to earn proper, higher xp for them, so beancounter's mod is not for me. You don't...the game "changes gears" automatically. If you'd like to edit the autobalance.2da file to make the game harder while gaining more XP, try the edits discussed in this (http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=144389) thread.

Hey everyone, I am thinking about making a change to this mod. While I have no problem making changes to the mod and recompiling the scripts, I think the average user will have a difficult time with it. What I am purposing is packaging four compiled versions of the mod, each set at a different level of difficulty. This way all the user would have to do is copy the completely compiled script into their Override directory. One setting would be Easy, another Moderate, the third Hard and the last Insane. This way you could customize the level of difficulty without having to recompile the scripts.

Is this a good idea or should I just leave it as it is?

Originally posted by beancounter
Hey everyone, I am thinking about making a change to this mod. While I have no problem making changes to the mod and recompiling the scripts, I think the average user will have a difficult time with it. What I am purposing is packaging four compiled versions of the mod, each set at a different level of difficulty. This way all the user would have to do is copy the completely compiled script into their Override directory. One setting would be Easy, another Moderate, the third Hard and the last Insane. This way you could customize the level of difficulty without having to recompile the scripts.

Is this a good idea or should I just leave it as it is?
I think it would be a fantastic idea! Not only would it let the "those who fear scripts" download and use it, it will severely cutdown on the "how do I compile a script" threads ;)

BUT, for those who like dabbling in scripts, could you still leave the uncompiled version(s) as well?

Originally posted by ChAiNz.2da
for those who like dabbling in scripts, could you still leave the uncompiled version(s) as well?

Certainly. And I am glad you like the idea.

Beancounter read my mind before I read his post that said:
What I am purposing is packaging four compiled versions of the mod, each set at a different level of difficulty ... One setting would be Easy, another Moderate, the third Hard and the last Insane.

Yes! Exactly!

Originally posted by beancounter
Is this a good idea or should I just leave it as it is? It's a great idea! This will surely be a huge selling point for those who are intimidated by the thought of tackling something as complex as scripting.

I love the idea. Also if you created autobalance.2da's to go with it that may be even more enjoying. Might I suggest that you make insane like 2-4 times as hard as the current hardcore script. I personally favor the 4 times factor just because then it really would be insane but I would say the autobalance might be necessary in that one just so you feel like you can level quicker.

Originally posted by Achilles
Err...let us know how that works out :confused:

Here's to all the people out there for which one hardcore mod just ain't enough :rolleyes:

Well, let's just say that the sith assassins take around 15 rounds to defeat with my modified autobalance + HC and around 8 with just HC.

Darth Traya, Nihilus and Sion were all very hard to defeat. I could't even defeat Nihilus at hard difficulty. :D

Originally posted by Darkkender
All I can say is wow. I've got beefed up lightsabers on peragus and beefy stats and the sith assasins are taking anywhere from 10-15 rounds to kill when on the harbinger.

The impact is probably amplified early on because you are at such a low level. At higher levels I am still finding the game rather easy, though it is harder.

Originally posted by beancounter
Hey everyone, I am thinking about making a change to this mod. While I have no problem making changes to the mod and recompiling the scripts, I think the average user will have a difficult time with it. What I am purposing is packaging four compiled versions of the mod, each set at a different level of difficulty. This way all the user would have to do is copy the completely compiled script into their Override directory. One setting would be Easy, another Moderate, the third Hard and the last Insane. This way you could customize the level of difficulty without having to recompile the scripts.

Is this a good idea or should I just leave it as it is?

Good idea. And for curiousity's sake, which of these levels would you consider this version to be?

Great work beancounter, The Sith assasins where not any tougher to kill but they did resist Force Push 98% of the time. I wonder how they'll be against Force wave. I also ran into a couple thugs on citadel station that almost killed me so I would say this is Hardcore enough for me ;)

I think multiple difficulty scripts is a great idea.

I have worked up the preliminary bonuses for each setting. And since I enjoy thinking up new ways to make the game harder I have come up with a new Bonus: Immunity Paralysis/Fear/Stun. The goal of this is to prevent you from spamming Force Wave, Statis Field and Insanity everywhere. Not every NPC will have this bonus. Instead, each NPC will have a random chance of getting this bonus based on the difficulty level you are playing at. So you can still use those three Power Lines, just don't expect it to work on everyone. Also, with Force Wave it will still push everyone back, but it will not stun them. This does not effect the other powers, so your Jedi should still be able to use them without worry.

Here are the proposed changes:

If the PC is Level 10 the bonuses are:

Easy Moderate Hard Insane
Vitality Points 25 50 100 150
Saving Throws 2 5 10 15
To Hit 2 5 7 10
Defense 0 3 5 7
Bonus Damage 0 3 5 7

Special Resist 0% 25% 50% 75%

If the PC is Level 20 the bonuses are:

Easy Moderate Hard Insane
Vitality Points 50 100 200 300
Saving Throws 5 10 20 30
To Hit 5 10 15 20
Defense 0 6 10 15
Bonus Damage 0 6 10 15

Special Resist 0% 25% 50% 75%

If the PC is Level 30 then bonuses are:

Easy Moderate Hard Insane
Vitality Points 75 150 300 450
Saving Throws 7 15 30 45
To Hit 7 15 22 30
Defense 0 10 15 20
Bonus Damage 0 10 15 20

Special Resist 0% 25% 50% 75%



The special resist is Resistance to Fear/Stun/Paralyze that I was talking about above. It is the chance that an NPC will be completely resistant to those attacks.

Bosses would be scaled up by an additional 50% of the above bonuses.

All of the bonuses are graduated, it would go up each time you level. The numbers above are just to show how much your opponents are increased so you can pick the right mod for you. To give everyone a frame of reference the current Hardcore Mod is right around moderate.

So what does everyone think? Once I test out the scripts myself, I would like to get a couple of volunteers to test the difficulty out. If you are interested, please PM me your email address I will send the mod to you in the next day or so.

Sorry about the above table, I can not seem to get the columns to line up, but you get the idea.