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Sci-Fi Expansion Pack

Extending a mod without touching it

The Sci-Fi Expansion Pack adds an energy shield, a gravity field and more to M.A.W.S. – as a separate add-on that only uses modded class and a few hooks the base mod exposes.

In plain wordsThe add-on changes the base mod's classes from outside (modded class). The base mod keeps a few empty methods ready that the add-on fills in.

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Sci-Fi Expansion: laser disruptor, AGL40 implosion, gravity distortion, energy shield, EMP rockets, vehicle hacking — Three new modules and three systems built into every walker. The AI crew uses all of it.

Systems

Energy shield

A damage filter inside the walker's own damage model, a local bubble effect, beam weapons that stop at the bubble.

Gravity field

Lift everything around the walker, hold it in the air, slam it down - server phases, owner physics.

How an add-on hooks in

The base mod exposes a small extension singleton with empty virtual methods. The add-on mods that class and overrides only what it needs. Without the add-on, the base mod runs its defaults – no checks, no #ifdef, no load-order tricks.

Example code – free to use

// --- base mod
class MyWalker_Extension
{
	protected static ref MyWalker_Extension s_Instance;

	static MyWalker_Extension Get()
	{
		if (!s_Instance)
			s_Instance = new MyWalker_Extension();	// with an add-on loaded this creates the MODDED class
		return s_Instance;
	}

	//! Damage that reaches the zones after armour. Return what is left.
	float FilterWalkerDamage(MyWalker_DamageModel model, float damage, BaseDamageContext ctx)
	{
		return damage;
	}
}

// --- add-on
modded class MyWalker_Extension
{
	override float FilterWalkerDamage(MyWalker_DamageModel model, float damage, BaseDamageContext ctx)
	{
		damage = super.FilterWalkerDamage(model, damage, ctx);
		return model.MyShield_Absorb(damage, ctx);
	}
}

Notemodded class replaces the class everywhere, including new calls inside the base mod. That is why a plain singleton is enough as an extension point.

State lives where it already replicates

New replicated state is added to components that already exist on the walker (damage model, module manager) via modded class with extra [RplProp] fields. No new components in the base prefab, no prefab edits in the add-on.