Infantry_No_Expense

Improved Infantry AI, Increased spawn rate (adjustable 0 – 30 with ModOptions), draw distance upped from 300m to 1km, enter combat if a Mech is within 500m, and they now cast shadows.

Spared no expense, the main purpose of this mod is to try and make the infantry feel more like they belong in the game and are a part of the world.

This mod goes well with the Infantry No Damage and Infantry No Color mods.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2934901698
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2938335696

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WHY DID YOU COMBINE ALL THESE FEATURES INTO JUST ONE MOD?

I placed this assortment of changes on just one mod is for the following reasons:
1) If I separated each feature of this mod into multiple mods then many of them would conflict and overwrite one another.
2) Most importantly, I did not want to spend time creating and uploading multiple versions/permutations of this mod.

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WHAT CHANGES DOES THIS MOD MAKE TO THE INFANTRY?

Improved Awareness
This is my favorite change in this mod and what drove me to make this mod.
I increased the distance that infantry will go into combat mode after seeing a Mech to 500m.
In vanilla the range that infantry would go into combat mode from seeing a Mech would range from only 12m (yes a large portion of them actually) to 120m depending on the infantry group (what they are stationed next to).
I also improved their reaction time from every 3 seconds to every 0.5 seconds.
When they enter combat they will also alert all infantry within 100m.
** With Mod Options you can change distance they react to things between 0m and 500m **
** With Mod Options you can change how often they react to things between 0.5s and 5s **

Increased Draw Distance
I increased the draw distance of infantry from 300m to 1km.
I increased the draw distance of the low LOD model of the infantry from 500m to 1.2km.
I made this change to improve immersion as I did not like seeing them magically popping into view at the default vanilla distances.
This change also goes well with the inferno infantry mod as you can now plan ahead and snipe them at a distance.

Improved Shadows
The vanilla shadow quality is very low, would not appear on some maps, and would also disappear during ragdolls.
I improved the shadows, enabled them on all maps, and added them during ragdolls.
It might sound strange but for me this change made the infantry feel a lot more connected to the world.

More Infantry
I increased the amount of infantry that can spawn on any location from 2-3 to 4-7.
I also increased the amount of AI that can be enabled for Infantry from 25 to 300.
I wanted more infantry running around to make each world feel a more lived in.
** With the Mod Options mod you can change the spawn amount between 0 and 30 **
** With Mod Options you can change the ratio of gunners to rocketeers/(inferno infantry) **

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PERFORMANCE IMPACTS?

With ModOptions mod you can adjust the amount of infantry spawned, their detection rate and range, so you can easily lower those values if you believe you are experiencing frame drops.

Using the mod’s default values on my desktop I saw no fps drops. On my laptop I noticed a 2fps drop every so often on packed locations.

If you think you are having any FPS drops from this mod, then I recommend you test (play around with the settings on ModOptions then restart the mission or enable/disable the mod) on the following Instant Action scenario:
MDg1NTczMDIwMDE0MzMyMDEw
From spawn there are allied infantry 50m North-East and enemy infantry 300m South.

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INSTRUCTIONS

Subscribe to this mod, wait one minute, boot up the game, and enable the mod.
This mod’s default load order is set to 30.

REQUIRED MODS:
Enable Infantry
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2513326516

RECOMMENDED MODS:
ModOptions
https://www.nexusmods.com/mechwarrior5mercenaries/mods/537
This will allow you to change the amount of infantry spawned, the ratio of gunners to rocketeers/(inferno infantry), and their detection rate and range.

Infantry No Color
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2938335696
Makes various changes to the appearance of the infantry to improve immersion.

Infantry No Damage
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2934901698
So you can enjoy seeing them run around while not damaging you Mechs.
(With the Mod Options mod you can change their weapon damage between 0 and 30)

OR

Inferno Infantry
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2677856127
Allows some infantry to spawn with SRMs thus making some infantry a real threat.
**WARNING**: AI Lancemates ignore infantry even when attacked.
This is vanilla behavior, and it is something I can’t change 🙁
You have been warned!

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COMPATIBILITY ISSUES

You can ignore the compatibility warning for the Inferno Infantry mod. Both mods are compatible with one another.

May not be compatible with other infantry mods.

Should be compatible with all other mods as this mod only touches the following components:
Infantry_Master_Pawn, Infantry_Gunner_STM, InfantryManager_BP, InfantryManagerAwarenessComponent, InfantryManagerSpawnerComponent, and InfantryManagerUpdateComponent

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SPECIFIC CHANGE BROUGHT BY THIS MOD

Refer to the ChangeNotes for the changes brought by this mod.