VFE - Ancients: Dragon's Overhauled Vaults
[img]https://i.imgur.com/qGBxoXc.gif[/img]
Features
This mod overhauls the original vaults from [url=https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=2654846754][b]Vanilla Factions Expanded - Ancients[/b][/url], by reworking each vault design, but sticking close to the original concepts. Both sealed and looted variants are included.
The primary purpose of this mod, is to address some of the design issues with the original vaults, that really bugged me, as well as add light mod support to make the vaults more playable. However, I also wanted to do my best in respecting the original vault layouts, so that people who are familiar with the original designs, can still find their way around. The overhauls follow similar design principles that I used for making my original vault designs in my other mods, so if you like those, you are sure to enjoy these overhauls too.
I stuck to using objects used in the original designs, but have added some optional objects for light mod support. If you want more specifics on what I changed, refer to the overview below, or check out the comparison images.
[b]General overview[/b]
[list]
[*] General layouts have been preserved, but sensible adjustments were made where deemed desirable.
[*] No random missing vault walls (since you can't build them as a player, they should not be missing in a sealed vault imo).
[*] Roofing has been reworked, fixing missing tiles, and otherwise extending/simplyfying it where fitting.
[*] Flooring under walls is now consistently rough stone of the matching type, instead of steel flooring or otherwise.
[*] Outer walls are still 2 tiles thick, and I made the reinforcement struts more consistent, while introducing thicker outer stone walls to match my own original designs.
[*] Original sorrounding mountain stone type is respected, but simplified to the most dominant type of stone in cases where there were multiple.
[*] Mountain formation has been smoothened out, and defined more clearly to be less blocky, while respecting the original silhoutte.
[*] Steel plates fully cover the impassable structures like the pipeline junction.
[*] Vault entrances were modified for better vehicle access to the interior.
[*] Flooring has been reworked a bit, and roughened up consistently across all vaults.
[*] Soil tiles have been added to the front entrance area of the vault, to help indicate the main entrance, and keep the entrance clear.
[*] Some vault doors were removed in cases that seemed a bit unnesesary, and in some cases moved to other parts of the vault for better early game balance.
[*] Regular steel doors, were replaced with powered vault doors where it made sense (again, you can't build them, but you can always replace them with regular doors).
[*] Messy power conduits were cleaned up and simplified in some cases. Conduits inside inaccesible structures/walls were completely removed/moved
[*] The circular vault was almost completely reworked to better fit the geothermal generator inside, without breaking the wall symmetry. The vault got a bit wider as a consequence.
[*] Amount of appliances, loot and clutter has been preserved, with some additions where it made sense. In a few cases, some items have been moved around, to make early game a bit more feasible.
[*] A few [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3014906877][b]Vanilla Vehicles Expanded[/b][/url] wrecks and vehicle parts will be present if related mods are enabled.
[*] [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890901044][b]Combat Extended[/b][/url] Ammo for both firearms, turrets and vehicles will be present, fitting with what is available in the vault.
[*] Minor compatibility bonus for [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3333419387][b]Expanded Materials - Metals[/b][/url] , by adding copper piles for making conduits.
[/list]
Like my original designs, there are no vaults that rely on specific mods to function, but there are additional support for some popular mods if those are present. If not, then the respective items simply wont spawn.
Note, that due to the workload of updating the preview images on this modpage, there may be slight difference ingame, as I improve the vaults by e.g. adding support for other mods. This enables me to spend more time on making more vault designs instead.
Known issues
There are currently some limitations when making custom vaults, terrain covered by floor tiles, do not carry over into the vault layouts (seems like terrain under walls do), and the spawn position of your colonists can only be adjusted horizontally, which leaves 1 vault where you don't spawn in the room that connects to the outside. If the vault has a lot of outdoor open space, and generates on top of a pre-existing mountain, it will normally leave behind any roof tiles that was generated by the natural terrain, causing floating overhead mountain and similar. I have a solution for this, but have not gotten around to fixing it for this mod, though I did test it out on my other mods.
How to use this
Just add to your modlist after [url=https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=2654846754][b]VFEA[/b][/url].
Why did I make this?
I realized, that even though you can remove the original vaults from the starting scenario, you will still run into them when getting associated quests. I wanted to try my hand at overhauling them to my own standard, and instead of keeping this mod to myself, I figured I might as well share it.
If you want to try your hand at making your own vaults mod, I have compiled a bunch of relevant information here: [url=https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/3433266774/598519626423362286/][b]How to make your own vaults - tips and tricks[/b][/url]. This mod is a bit different, given that it applies patches to the original vault defs, but the principal is still the same. I suppose you can also use this mod as a stepping stone to make your own custom adjustments, if you understand how to make new vaults, you should also be able to understand how my patches work.
How can I support your work?
If you enjoy the content I put out, consider supporting me, it would be greatly appreciated!
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