Module Editor

The Module Editor is a tool for adding downtime scenes between combats.

A player is always within exactly one active Beat, which itself can contain one or more Moments. Beats are like a room and Moments are like the things you can do in that room.

A module's State is also often relevant, serving as the memory of a module, accessed through variables which can also be updated or checked inside combats and preserved until needed.

Beats

Beats determine what the player can do with the Lancers character-sheet-wise whenever another Moment isn't currently active. The available values:

Hidden

All Lancers are hidden. The player cannot open characters sheets or see who's in the current party.

None

The player can inspect character sheets, but not spend repairs or otherwise modify their Lancers.

Short repair

The player can spend repairs to restore Structure/Stress or destroyed systems and mechs, but not modify their current loadout.

Full repair

All stats are restored to full and the player is free to modify loadouts.

Level up

On entering this beat for the first time, all Lancers increase in License Level. Otherwise acts as a full repair.

Moments

The current Moment types are:

Combat Briefing

Shows a preview of a combat with any available sitrep and map information. Players can press Launch to start the combat. There's also a checkbox to skip the briefing screen and jump straight into the combat as soon as this Moment becomes active.

Exposition

A flexible text box, optional image media, and player choices.

Dialogue

Runs a cutscene of characters speaking to each other, defined in the Conversation tool.

Branch

Automatically proceeds to one of two connected Moments depending on whether its condition returns true/false.

Signal receiver

Immediately becomes the active Moment when a Trigger emits a matching module signal effect and proceeds to whatever it's connected to.

Trigger

Runs some number of effects (as long as its conditions are met) and proceeds to whatever it's connected to. The interface for defining trigger conditions and effects is the same as in the Combat Editor but the list of what effects are available is different.

Media

When a UI element needs to display a player-defined image, it does so through a Media picker.

The current Media types are:

PNG

An arbitrary static image. Players can place .png files in the media/ folder within their module folder.

Diorama

A miniature map, created in a feature-reduced version of the combat editor.

Mech

The image of a mech from a module origin character or NPC.

Pilot

The image of one of the player's character portraits.

NPC

The image of one of the module NPC portraits.

Backgrounds

Available media types: PNG, Diorama, Combat

Beats and Moments can specify a Background Media, which underlays all the downtime UI and buttons. Unless an active Moment specifies otherwise, a Beat determines the current Background.

Currently, only .png filenames that begin with the text "bg_" will show up and be available for backgrounds. (This is likely to change.) Backgrounds are recommended to be at least 1280x720 or a lower multiple with the same ratio.

Handouts

Example of an Exposition Moment screen with a Diorama provided as the Handout Media.

Available media types: Any

Exposition moments can specify a Handout Media which shows up alongside the text.

Handout images will be rendered at a maximum of 512x512

Banner

Example view of the screen where you pick what module to play, showing the description and banner.

Available media types: PNG

Shown above your module description when picking what module to play. The required dimensions or format of module banners may change in the future.

Currently, only .png filenames that begin with the text "banner_" will show up and be available for banners.

State

Any variable names can be used to store state, and any variable can store any data type.

Example

A variable called Has_Player_Found_Secret_Pirate_Treasure could be assigned a boolean value of True during a combat (perhaps if they stand in a certain area and use a specific action) and then checked after that combat to give the player more rewards. Once set to True in this fashion it will remain True until altered again, and (while it is probably a bad idea to do so) nothing stops you setting this variable to the number 14, or the string "no" at any point.