After my time with GUI modding I have some new cool ideas for this mod, so looks like it's gonna have a 3.0!

I can add actual buttons to the planet view you click to apply attachment defenses, as well as bring back the actual attachment button that used to be on the UI!

Also looking to remove the leader trait bit, as I really don't like the unecessary added complexity from it. I want the mod to be as simple as possible. I'll find another way of granting the techs.

So that's the current outlook for 3.0!

First, this edition probably has some bugs. I'm watching the comments closely and please let me know what you find!

Beyond this, here is a list of other changes and updates I'd like to put into the mod as time goes forward:

If "triggered_army_modifier" was added to the armies files from paradox I could do a LOT of unbelievably cool stuff to accurately implement the mechanics all of paradoxes flavour text hims at (e.g brood coordinators actually giving strength to other xenomorphs, commissar squars improving slave armies). I have submitted a moddability request on the modding den discord but no luck with a response for many months now so it doesn't look too likely, which makes me pretty sad. Maybe they missed it.

A couple of story/lore/flavour entries still need to be filled in. Sorry about that. I'll get to them later, I find creative writing very draining!

I'd like a new path for the "Unyielding" tradition tree. Previously in the mod a bunch of infrastructure was locked to it, but I've removed this gating as it removed a lot of otherwise fun attachment variety - particularly at the early game. I initially implemented that, too, because of the tech spam issues of the original mod, but that's all resolved via the archaeotech type event system now.
So... what I might add one day is three or four new attachments, probably infrastructure, all belonging to the unyielding tree. Anyone have any cool concepts? It'd be defense oriented. Neo-Trenches, laser walls, that kinda stuff.

The supremacy path could be slightly re-themed to triple down on mechs and only mechs (currently the start of the path is with battle striders, which are merely "mech-like" and tbh I would rather this cool idea from paradox isn't gated behind a tradition tree [though that opinion might and is welcome to change])

Bonus attachment forces spawning could be handled a little differently with regard to defences and occupations.
- Currently, these bonus forces are spawned only when combat begins, so you can't know in advance what you're about to face-off against.
- While this is a quality of it's own, I think I prefer the world where we can inspect alien planets and see unique/different army defences stationed there.
- Them spawning only once combat begins also means the combat AI doesn't exactly know whether an attack will go well or not (this is basically a non issue as attachment forces don't have crazy impact yet in the current version of the mod, they are mostly for flavour).

- So an alternate system would see them spawning/despawning as normal for invaders, but to be permanently stationed as defences/occupations around your empire (or when an occupation starts) as soon as the policy is picked.
- And then when you turn off the policy, they despawn again.
- This ALSO would mean you can slowly wear down the HP of those armies.

- It's probably better overall. Something I may do next time I'm looking at the mod.

I'll have a patch at some point adding logic to the AI so their chosen attachments are always as thematic as possible (e.g police state civic = military police corp attachments being used instead of others)
- I'm also unsure how often the AI assigns generals to offensive/defensive invasions since galactic paragons. It used to NEVER send defence generals and I had a whole separate mod for it. But I don't know any more. This is obviously important because if the AI barely touches their generals... they won't ever discover attachment techs. Can anyone let me know how common this is? And if they basically never do it then I'll either release a mod forcing them to use generals a lot, or patch in a workaround to this where they get a free discovery every 5 years or something (which would be lame).

All the policies can in theory have faction interactions (for example use primitive chattel and tick off your xenophile faction)

I'm somewhat interested in implementing Army Attachments as a proper "concept" with that new UI stuff, but havent looked into it.

Am still looking for fun ideas for other the missing attachments also. There are a couple of slots missing (vehicles, infrastrcture, etc). Baseline I want the mod to have 3 options per tier, but am happy to go to four as well - as is already the case in several situations.

I ESPECIALLY STILL would love art for the mods icons! It feels really incomplete without them. There are three different areas this mod would benefit from icons:
1. Icons for the new leader traits (not many of these, just a couple, and I'm sort-of OK with the ones I'm using in game atm (icons from vanilla but recoloured))
2. Icons for the attachments themselves (that show up on the policy view) Want these more than anything!
3. Icons for the attachment armies. (Again I'm just using recoloured vanilla ones for now, it's pretty lame. T1 isn't even a different colour so they look identicle to normal armies (ideally I would have made them green)


On that last one, I think ground combat would actually look super amazing with cool army icons for all the new attachment units - there would be a bunch of variety. Imagine it: You literally see a bunch of raptor icons facing off against a horde of mutants. I have no talent for making art. Anyone interested at all please add/message me anywhere.