Starfighters! [3.9]

With this mod there are seven basic types of strike craft (and three level of advancement per type), corresponding to the five types of basic kinetic and energy weapons and the two types of point-defense. Unlocking each requires you to have the proper level of strike craft technology and a matching level in the corresponding weapon technology. Several additional types of strike craft are unlocked by researching various event/exploration/crisis based weapons. Finally, genetic ascension will give you access to upgraded Amoeba Flagella while psionic ascension will allow you to unlock special shielded strike craft.

For example, if you have Carrier Operations and UV Lasers you will unlock Laser Strike Craft, with Improved Strike Craft and Flak Cannons you will unlock Flak Interdictors, and with Advanced Strike Craft and Gauss Cannons you will unlock Gauss Starfighters.

Flak and PD technology will unlock strike craft with fighter behavior (will focus on enemy SC and guided weapons) while laser, railgun, autocannon, plasma and disruptor technology will unlock strike craft with bomber behavior (will go straight for enemy ships).

This mod works well on it’s own, but is intended to be used alongside two of my other mods: Refined Weaponry and Signature Weapons. The three mods are 100% compatible and can be loaded in any order.

Each type of SC will carry a weapon with stats derived from the S/P variant of whatever weapon it’s based on. However, the damage modifiers used will be those from my Refined Weaponry mod and will differ a bit from the unmodded game. Specifically laser/railgun SC will be strong vs hull instead of vs armor/shields, but other weapons have the usual modifiers.

Original SC from the unmodded game has been converted into the laser SC from this mod. Scout Wing is now a primitive sort of flak SC.

Special strike craft are unlocked with the following technology combos:
– Cutting Laser Strike Craft: Carrier Operations + Mining Drone Lasers
– Energy Siphon Strike Craft: Carrier Operations + Frequency Tuning
– Null Void Strike Craft: Carrier Operations + Null Void Beam
– Disintegrator Starfighters: Advanced Strike Craft + Extradimensional Weaponry
– Psionic Starfighters: Advanced Strike Craft + Precognition Interface + Psionic Shields + Phased Disruptors
– Oracle Starfighters: Advanced Strike Craft + Precognition Interface + Psionic Shields + Predictive Algorithms
– Avatar Starfighters: Advanced Strike Craft + Precognition Interface + Psionic Shields + Telepathy
– Gene-Seeded Amoeba Flagella: Amoeba Breeding Program + Gene Seed Purification
– Leviathan Amoeba Flagella: Amoeba Breeding Program + Gene Seed Purification + Genetic Resequencing

There are also a few general changes to SC compared to the unmodded game:
– all SC gain either the energy or the kinetic weapon type in addition to the strike craft weapon type
– SC have double hull, but no shields
– basic strike craft (tier 1) evasion increased from 65 to 70 and they are considered to use basic sensors
– improved strike craft (tier 2) evasion unchanged (80) and they are considered to use Gravitic Sensors (+5 tracking)
– advanced strike craft (tier 3) evasion increased from 80 to 90 and they are considered to be using Subspace Sensors (+10 tracking)
– Improved Strike Craft technology now also requires Ion Thrusters and Gravitic Sensors
– Advanced Strike Craft technology now also requires Plasma Thrusters and Subspace Sesnors

The various SC types also come with AI weights to guide the AI in using them. You can expect the AI to switch from energy based to kinetic strikers when the Unbidden arrive or to start using disruptor SC when the fallen empire next door awakens.

This is a gameplay altering mod and as such it will prevent you from getting achievements.

The mod replaces two files:
1) …/Stellaris/common/component_templates/00_strike_craft.txt
2) …/Stellaris/common/component_templates/00_weapons_critters_amoeba.txt

Additionally the mod overwrites the technology entries for the three strike craft technologies, though this is done in a new file. The modified technology entries use the weighting from StarTech AI so they are compatible with that mod. As a side effect this does make the AI abnormally eager to research SC techs if you aren’t using that mod, but that only ensures that the AI will have quality SC to use against you.

It will be incompatible with any mod that also edits these same file, but should technically be compatible with all the mods that don’t. It may still be practically incompatible with mods that change weapons or the way combat functions too much.

The technology research UI will show the strike craft technologies as giving you better strike craft, but doesn’t inform you which ones exactly (if any at all – you might not have any relevant weapon techs). Likewise weapon technologies will show that they give you strike craft even if you do not have the required strike craft technology.

I would be grateful if you could rate the mod with either thumbs up or thumbs down. If you rate it with a thumbs up and you really enjoy it, please consider also marking it as a favorite. If you like this mod you might also like one of my other mods.

I also created a Discord server[discord.gg]