So, I'm back playing this game since almost two years ago and been loving it so far (big thanks to Fractal Softworks and the modding community for making this space-born Kenshi). Anyways, I had the idea of starting new campaign as an AI-worshiping group centered around some modded ships, namely the Cassowary from Seeker - Unidentified Contact and the Eylamn, Nicke, and Taath from the Legacy of Arkgneisis mods (because the Cass' just looks like those LoA ships so they seem fitting). The idea is that the Cass' will be a mothership piloted and crewed by humans repatriated as AI infused humans, similar to the Borg, while the rest of the fleet will be completely AI controlled much in the same sense as Remnants. They intend to outlive humans, even fight them if needed, then inherit the Sector once they are all gone. My personal rules are that I can never use human pilots or crew, save for the Cass', as all the other ships will be those named LoA ships will be entirely AI Core controlled. Human crew on the Cass' will be, at least lore-wise, Repatriated humans to act as servitors.
Now comes the two problems that are preventing me from making my AI run a reality...how do you take a non-Remnant vessel and make it in effect unmanned and capable of being AI Cored like the Remnant ships? Also, is it possible to start with said altered ships without causing Starsector to implode with errors or crashes? My main concern with the later question is that I would basically be starting off without the skill that allows for the capture, use, and core installing of actual Remnant ships, so would Starsector have issues with adding AI ships to start settings? As for the former, what files need editing and what edits are needed to make say the Eylamn an AI ship that will be able to accept an AI Core, even if only later after unlocking the previously mentioned skill? While the Cass', for simplicity's sake, be left as is so that leaves the Eylamn, the Nicke, and Taath ships being central to this issue.
Finally, I'm already aware of at least on mod that kind of does this through the use of hull mods, but I'm hoping for a simpler approach towards converting manned ships into AI Core ships, but I'm open to any suggestions nonetheless.
Edit: So after doing some experimental tests, I may have found the solution. As it turns out, I seem to have been correct in assuming that initially possessing (in this case starting out with) AI ships render them unusable as expected until the needed skill is unlocked to use them...meaning you need a minimum of level 5. Thankfully, neither the game nor my system opened a rift to the Warp and catch fire, so my testing at least didn't cause any problems so far. Meanwhile, I found that simply editing the respective ships' files, loalt_taath_r.ship for instance, and adding the line "builtInMods": ["automated"], seems to do the job of making the ship work in the same manner as the Remnant ships. I haven't yet tested if an AI core can be installed on such a ship, but everything else in the game seems to treat it as an AI ship. And, the game seems to run just fine without issue, so it might have been an easier process than I thought. I'll be gone for most of the day today. Turns out, sun and outside and real social interaction...actually good. Plus, I'll be at an airshow...I like planes, so...anyways, when I get a chance I'll report back with any problems of changes in process needed should anyone else have had the same questions I had about modding ships to be AI controlled.
