Weapon data has been externalised to a JSON file in The Force Engine. The data is located in ExternalData\DarkForces\weapons.json.
Altering the data in weapons.json will alter the way that weapons behave. If the JSON file is removed, renamed or corrupted, weapons will not work correctly. (In this case, an error message will be logged.)
Note that all text in the JSON is case insensitive (uppercase, lowercase or a mixture may be used). The weapons and their properties can be listed in any order.
Mods
A customised version of weapons.json can be included in a mod's ZIP file. A modded weapons.json will take precedence over the base version.
Modded versions of weapons.json need to include definitions for all 10 of the weapons plus the gasmask. If any weapon definitions are missing, they will not work when the game is played.
Note about offsets
xPos and yPos offsets are based on a screen with width 320 pixels and height 200 pixels.
Gasmask
The JSON also contains data for the gasmask.
| texture | The texture (BM) to use for the gasmask. |
| xPos | X (horizontal) offset on the screen. |
| yPos | Y (vertical) offset on the screen. |
Weapon data
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| frameCount | number (integer) | Number of animation textures. Maximum of 16. |
| textures | array of string | Textures that are used for the weapon's animation. Number of entries should match frameCount |
| xPos | array of integers | X offsets for each texture. Number of entries should match frameCount |
| yPos | array of integers | Y offsets for each texture. Number of entries should match frameCount |
| wakeupRange | number (integer) | Enemies within this range (in DF units) will be alerted when the weapon fires. Setting this to zero has the effect of creating a "silent" weapon. |
| variation | number (integer) | Aim variability. A higher number will cause the weapon to "spray" more randomly; lower numbers give greater consistency of aim. |
| ammo | string | Type of main ammo used by the weapon. The count is shown as the large red numbers in the HUD. Options are ammoEnergy, ammoPower, ammoDetonator, ammoShell, ammoMine, ammoPlasma, ammoMissile
|
| secondaryAmmo | string | Secondary ammo for the Assault Cannon. Same options as above. This ammo count displays as the smaller green numbers on HUD. |
| primaryFireConsumption | number (integer) | Amount of ammo consumed per primary fire shot. |
| secondaryFireConsumption | number (integer) | Amount of ammo consumed per secondary fire shot. |
| animFrames | array of animation frames | Animation frames for primary fire. See below for details. |
| animFramesSecondary | array of animation frames | Animation frames for secondary fire (repeater, fusion gun, assault cannon). See below for details. |
Animation frames
Each animation frame contains the following 4 data items.
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| texture | number (integer) | Index into the weapon's array of textures. The first item in the array has index 0, the second item has index 1, and so on. A given texture can be referenced multiple times if desired. |
| light | number (integer) | Amount of extra light for this frame. This is used to create the "muzzle flash" effect when the weapon fires. A higher number gives a brighter flash. |
| durationSupercharge | number (integer) | Duration in ticks that this frame will display when the weapon supercharge powerup is active. (Typically this will be a shorter duration than normal.) |
| durationNormal | number (intger) | Duration in ticks that this frame will display normally (no supercharge). |