Now, out of several different things I am experimenting with developing for this mod so far, I'd like to explain what I am currently focusing on adding.
What I have just started work on right now is a comprehensive system of randomized weapons and randomized conditions for weapons, but weighted by NPC faction, rank, and the age of the weapon's themselves.
In addition to this, repair prices will be increased to 10-12 times what they currently are, this sounds excessive, but the base price of the guns has been vastly decreased, and repairing weapons still amounts to less than buying them from a trader.
So how does this factor into the randomized weapons? Well, I already mentioned that condition is randomized for weapon spawns on NPCs as well as the weapons themselves, so what this will change over the course of the game is that it will make pretty much every weapon in the early part of the game broken or semi-broken, and if you don't want them to jam, you will have to pay many times what the weapons cost by themselves just to make them functional.
Here is the table that I am using to calculate most of the condition values:
Condition averages:
By faction:
Stalker = 50%
Bandit = 40%
Dolg = 75%
Freedom = 65-70%
Merc = 80%
Monolith = 30%
Zombified = 20%
Soyuz = 55%
Jackal = 75%
Dawn = 40%
By rank:
Rookie = -15
Experienced = 0
Vet = +20
Master = +25
By weapon age:
Pre WWII/WWII = -33% of sum
1950s-1960s = -25% of sum
1970s-1980s = -15% of sum
1990s-2000s = -5% of sum
Brand new = no penalty.
Example, Mosin Nagant:
In the hands of stalker = 50
then modify by rank, rookie = 35%, exp = 50, vet = 70, Master = 75
then modify by age: rookie = 23%, exp = 34, vet = 47, master = 50
In the hands of bandit = 40
rank = rookie = 25, exp = 40, vet = 60, master = 65
age = rookie = 17, exp = 27, vet = 40, master = 44
Now keep in mind, these condition values are the average, per faction/rank/date of manufacture.
There are many of the same types of weapon in each spawn table that has a different condition value, some fall close to the average, some are outliers from it. Rank is quite unique in how it plays its role in this, since it is independent of percentage, it just subtracts/adds total points to the final percentage. So its place in this system guarantees the creation of a rank gradient, or what some refer to as a "hobo-phase." During the earlier areas, where more experienced NPCs do not usually roam.
People can download and test a portion of this new system here: Sendspace.com
And here: Moddb.com
Currently, it only applies to novice stalkers and novice bandits, but it gives a general "feel" of the first area.
Sounds interesting, even if excessive.
Let's see how it works out.
Best of luck with your RL issues.
Version 6 of the random weapons experiment is now out. I fixed the crash relating to a wrong file path, and now added experienced stalkers and bandits to the configs.
Sendspace.com
This is the last version I am releasing of this before 1.07, since I have to incorporate new weapons and possibly suits into these, it might lead to missing file conflicts if I ever decided to release them, so this will be the last taste of the new system in place.