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[WOTC] Ablative Vests

This mod "basically" swaps +HP bonuses on vests for +Ablative points. I have always wanted vests to provide ablatives, and no HP bonuses because... well, I think that makes more sense. Also, please take note that ablatives cannot be 'healed' ( most of the time ;) ) but helps with wound times.

Feature list:

1. All vests and platings to Vest Slot: Assigns all vests and platings (from LW2 Utility Platings) to Vest Slot (configurable - default is Yes). Basically you can only equip either a vest or a plating.
   
2. Spark gets Vest Slot: Does this make sense? No. But is it fun? Yes. Don't like it? Feel free to disable it (configurable - Spark gets Vest Slot by default)
   
3. Additional Ablative: Provides additional ablative points per vest on top of the conversion from HP to Ablative (configurable - default is 1). For example: A +2HP vest will instead get +3Ablative points. I did this so that vests can be competitive with LW2 Utility Platings in terms of ablative points.
   
4. Ablative Multiplier: This is mainly to provide compatibility for Beta Strike (configurable - default is 1). Just update to 2 if you use Beta Strike. Untested, please let me know if something wonky happens. If you are not on Beta Strike, this will make you have way too many ablative points.
   
5. Retain HP Bonuses: If you feel that you want to keep the HP bonuses on vests and let this mod add ablative points only, you can configure this to true (configurable - default is false). I personally will not use this as it will make your soldier very tanky. But who knows, maybe I will need it in future. I heard more Mutons are coming and they carry big guns!
   
6. Blacklist: You can include items into this mod's blacklist. Basically these items will not be touched by this mod (leave the HP bonuses alone and not add Ablatives; and not assign it to vest slot - leave it as-is. I do not know how to make this clearer LOL). More details in XComAblativeToVest.ini. There is a default list based on my modlist so if you see any items that should not have been affected, you can include it here. Typically, these are items that are created as vests and assigned to enemy units (like Custodians!). You don't want to buff enemy units with this mod. I have also included a couple of items that the mod registers as vests but not really vests e.g. Musashi's 'MicroStim' Implants
   
7. LW2 Utility Platings gets proper UI stat: I made a small patch as part of this mod to fix UI Stats for LW2 Utility Platings so you can easily compare ablative points between platings and vests.
   
8. Mid campaign installs with strategy save file is fine. Not tactical. Better backup your save files :)

• Vest Slot is required. Please sub to it!
  
• Highlander is required for compatibility with other mods.

Nothing is perfect my dear friends.

• Vests' Tactical Info in armory are not updated to reflect that the vests give Ablative instead of HP. No time to figure this one out but since its purely cosmetic I am leaving this as-is for now. The UI stats in armory will tell you how much Ablative points you are getting (see screenshots).
  
• If you see any issues, please let me know.

Let me know if you stumble into conflicts and/or incompatibilities. I do not have time to test with all mods.

• [WOTC] Dress for Success - Compatible. I included some logic so that 'assign to vest' slot feature does not collide.
  
• [WOTC] Iridar's Vest and Plating Overhaul - Untested. However, from the looks of it, the mods will play with each other nicely. If you are running both, please report back. I intend to test this in my next campaign.
  
• Mod added vests are covered as long as they use 'X2EquipmentTemplate' with 'defense' itemcat. You will see their +HP converted to +Ablative.
  
• Regen Weave vest from Additional Vest Types mod: This mod will not be able to convert its HP bonus to ablative due to how the HP bonus is applied. That's the only one I found so far. You can still use the vest with no issues.

Mods I personally use with this mod

• [WOTC] LW2 Utility Plating - Compatible. Good thing about this mod is you get starter ablatives from the first tier plating. +2 ablatives in early game so that should help your soldiers a bit.
  
• [WOTC] Damage Calculation Tweaks - Armors get hit first before Ablatives. Highly recommended.
  
• Iridar's Armor Overhaul - Highly recommended for its gradual increase in survivability. I think they work well with each other.
  
• Additional Vest Types - Yes. You want this.
  
• [WOTC] Reinforced Underlay Plus - Another complementary mod. After you complete Purifier Autopsy, you get another +1 Ablative (default config).
  
• There are raider faction mods that introduce new vests in the game, they work fine with this mod.

• RustyDios for essentially doing the quality assurance work and pointing me in the right direction.
  
• Iridar for the original Defensive Overhaul which inspired this mod and for always answering questions on XCOM 2 Modding Discord.
  
• Hotl3looded for the codes to assign vests to vest slot. Of which I enhanced a little to make it compatible with [WOTC] Dress for Success.
  
• Mitzruti for his Additional Vest Types which added a lot more flavors for our defensive options.
  
• Buying me a cup of coffee keeps me going![www.buymeacoffee.com]

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy making it. Thank you for reading!