Freelancer Modding Tutorials

[Dusty Lens]

[color=#33FFFF]= Mission Tutorial =

By Igiss

Since the ideas about new missions are floating around, I'll make a brief tutorial on how it's all done.

1. Population zones

To enable some area of system for missions, you have to add population zone there. Population zone should contain the type of NPCs against whom you are making your mission.

Population zones are created using the "Zone Population" tool in Freelancer Explorer. You can later adjust the code used for the zone, for example, change encounters and make it oval instead of round-shaped. Use pattern from other systems to do this. It's a good idea to copy some original/Discovery encounter into your zone.

2. Adding mission zones to systems

Missions cannot exist without zones where they take place. Look here:



The green zones of standard size (10000) are mission zones (so-called vignette zones). Mission zones must reside within boundaries of population zones. Size is the same for all systems, and Freelancer Explorer allows to create standard mission zones using "Mission Targets" tool.

Note that one of the zones has a small yellow exclusion zone right in the center. This zone is for stations. Its size is 600, and it should be located precisely in the center of the mission zone (optional).

This code would be the same for all such zones:
shape = SPHERE
size = 10000
sort = 99.500000
And all the rest FLEx will prompt you to set up.

"Mission Targets" has two sets of parameters.
First set is related to location of the zone:
1. exclusion - zone in an asteroid field with an exclusion zone in the center
2. open - zone in open space (and possibly nebulas as well)
3. field - zone in asteroid field

Second set is related to lawful/unlawful status, it's possible not to use it at all, or experiment with different values depending on the faction(s) you are creating your mission(s) for.

3. Adding missions to mbases.ini

Specified in the base faction parameters located in the start of mbases.ini entry for each base. For example:

[BaseFaction]
faction = fc_ou_grp
weight = 100
offers_missions = true
mission_type = DestroyMission, 28.478237, 53.365005, 100

for Malta and

[BaseFaction]
faction = li_n_grp
weight = 13
offers_missions = true
mission_type = DestroyMission, 0.000000, 0.112387, 30
[BaseFaction]
faction = li_lsf_grp
weight = 13
offers_missions = true
mission_type = DestroyMission, 0.000000, 0.112387, 20
[BaseFaction]
faction = li_p_grp
weight = 30
offers_missions = true
mission_type = DestroyMission, 0.000000, 0.112387, 50

for Manhattan (NPC entries omitted).

Let's look on one of the entries:
mission_type = DestroyMission, 0.000000, 0.112387, 30
"mission_type = DestroyMission" is standard for them all.
"0.000000, 0.112387" specify complexity of mission. The numbers should be copied from the base that you use as "pattern for complexity". So, if it's very easy, you use Manhattan and Liberty stations, if it's most complicated, use Malta, Crete or Tripoli etc.
Last number ("30") is percentage of missions that particular faction will give out on this base. If there's one faction, put 100 there like on Malta. If there's more than 1, you can set the share of each faction. Sum must be 100, and I won't suggest to put 0 there. So, it could be 10+90, or 50+50, or 20+20+20+20+20.