Ruthless Sector

Old VersionsChange Log
Compatible with all known mods.
Integrated with Version Checker.
Can be added to existing games.
Can be removed from games in which it was already used.
Highly configurable. See the OPTIONS.ini file in the mod folder.
The goal of this mod is to provide difficulty options meant to incentivize challenging gameplay.
More XP and Rep for winning tough battles. Less XP for easy battles.
[REDACTED] in hyperspace.
Penalties for save scumming.
Far less free money.What exactly does this mod do?Note that all of this can be disabled or reconfigured by editing "RUTHLESS_SECTOR_OPTIONS.ini"Adds [REDACTED] to hyperspace outside the core worlds. The further you venture, the more powerful the fleets you encounter.
Replaces the combat difficulty XP bonus with a multiplier that scales based only on the ships you deployed.
Rewards the defeat of fleets more powerful than your own with improved relations with one of the factions hostile to that fleet.
Makes it harder to become friendly with every faction by periodically reducing relations with a random faction if you have high enough relations with one of their enemies
Adds range bonuses to all derelict automated defenses, making them a relevant opponent.
Penalizes save-scumming by reducing xp and reputation rewards for the next battle.
Removes progress toward the next level if your entire fleet is destroyed.
Reduces stipends from faction commissions and the Galatian Academy by 90%.
Doubles the bounty payout from faction commissions.
Reduces the length of the Galatian stipend from three years to one.
Overrides the "danger stars" seen on fleet tooltips do indicate more precise estimates of battle difficulty.
FAQsSpoiler
How much harder does this make the game?
It depends on how you play. It's entirely possible that this mod could speed up your progress.
Ruthless Sector is meant to make the game more fun, rather than simply more difficult.
How can I adjust or disable part of this mod?
Everything Ruthless Sector adds can be removed and/or adjusted by editing RUTHLESS_SECTOR_OPTIONS.ini in the mod folder.
How is the XP difficulty multiplier calculated?
By default, it's (e / p - minDifficultyToEarnXp) * xpMultiplierAfterReduction where:
e is the total strength of all enemy ships
p is the strength of all the ships you deployed in combat (not including pursuit)
minDifficultyToEarnXp defaults to 0.5, but is configurable in the options file
xpMultiplierAfterReduction defaults to 3, but is configurable in the options file
How are the strength of ships calculated?
It's complicated, unfortunately. There's a detailed breakdown in the options file.
Can I add Ruthless Sector to an existing game?
Yes. It can also be removed without causing any problems.
How does the anti-save-scumming mechanic work?
The reload penalty reduces the difficulty rating (and xp/rep by extension) of the next battle you fight
It increases by 20% (configurable) each time you reload without saving the results of a battle
Saving the game will reduce the penalty by 100% (configurable) for each battle you've fought since the last save
This feature will work even if you Alt-F4 out of an iron mode game.
Does Ruthless Sector conflict with any other mods?
Not that I know of.
Will all those [REDACTED] fleets in hyperspace cause performance issues?
No. They are dynamically generated near you and they despawn when they're too far away.
How can I allow Ruthless Sector to change the relations of my modded faction toward the player?
You can PM me the faction IDs to include, or include the whitelist file in your own mod.
\data\config\ruthlesssector\faction_rep_change_whitelist.csv
How can I prevent Ruthless Sector from changing the relations of my modded faction toward the player?
By default, it won't, unless the user has modified RS settings to bypass the whitelist.
To prevent RS from changing relations even in this case, it can be added to the blacklist.
You can PM me the faction IDs to exclude, or include the blacklist file in your own mod.
\data\config\ruthlesssector\faction_rep_change_blacklist.csv
Any faction that doesn't appear on the intel screen will automatically be blacklisted.
MiscellaneousSpoiler
ThanksAlex and the rest of the
Fractal Softworks team, for this excellent game and it's outstanding modding API.
LazyWizard, for making this mod much easier to test using
Console Commands.
Gothars, for inspiration. (
Rep gain based on relative fleet strength was his idea)
kazi, for the
guide on setting up Intelij IDEPermissionsAll assets from this project may be used without obtaining explicit permission as long as...
No laws are broken and Fractal Softworks' terms of service are not violated
The original authors of any code or assets used are credited
Nothing taken from this mod is used for nefarious purposes