VRE Insector rebalanced

After many hours of playing with the insector genes i started to notice a clear imbalance on how powerful or debilitating are some of the evolutions/mutations. In this mod ill try to balance them out to be around the level of:

• Evolution: 3-4 equivalent metabolic points
• Mutation: 2-3 equivalent metabolic points

Obviously many genes give pretty unique traits making them harder to balance out, for those my balancing reference is "do these genes fulfill the niche they should properly?"

i also tried to remove as many hediffs as i could to improve performance in big colonies using several of these genes

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Changes:

Cosmetics

• Cosmetic changes in ALL Evo/Mut genes are removed
• You can get the cosmetics back by choosing them in the cosmetics section, currently you need the specific gene to be able to use the specific cosmetic. i hardlocked it to avoid possible visual monstrosities, but if people want to, i can them free to use regardless of current evo/muts
• Fixed grey eyes using the red eyes texture
• Added VFEI2 cosmetics

Base:

Genes:

• Jelly dependancy: 3 met > 2 met
• Insect pheromones: 1 met > 0 met

(Pheromones are way too buggy to be wasting any met on them, jelly dep gives innate food poison immunity already)

Evolutions:

• Hiveglands: +50% construction speed > +100% construction speed
• Compound eyes: +50% sight > +25% sight
• Antimicrobial peptides: Removed immunity tag (can stack with immunity genes)
• Insect wings: +25% moving > 115% move speed jump ability range halved
• Robust midgut: 1.8 raw nutrition > 2 raw nutrition (matches with baby food efficiency)
• Megaspider horns: +10% mining speed > +20% mining speed
• Detoxifier tubules: added pollution stimulus effect
• Hypothermic slowdown: -10 comfy min temp
• Heatshock: + 10 comfy max temp
• Slowed life cycle: 1 evo point > 2 evo points
• Hardened chitin: -15% moving 75% dmg factor 50% stagger time > 80% dmg factor 50% pain sensitivity
• Jelly sack: 6 daily jelly > 20 daily jelly
• Spawning sack: +50% pregnancy speed > +150% pregnancy speed
• Cuticle shell: added immunity to gut worm, parasites and mechanites. Removed immunity tag
• Spelopede horn: +20% mining speed > +50% mining speed

Mutations:

• Ocelli eyes: 5% min sight > 50% min sight
• Immunodeficiency: 50% healing factor > 75% healing factor. Immunity tag removed
• Inflexible joints: -25% moving > 90% move speed
• Inneficient midgut: replaced hediff with -4 metabolism
• Low grey matter: 25% learning factor > 65% learning factor
• Rapid life cycle: added 2x growth points so children can learn normally
• Weakened chitin: +15% moving 150% dmg factor > 125% dmg factor
• Dormant: 180% rest fall factor > 135% rest fall factor. Removed social fight and aggresive break factors. Removed hediff in favor for +2 met
• Low octopamine: 1 mut point > 2 mut points 0% social fight and aggro mental break factors
• Protein denaturalization: 80% move speed in the sun 4x flame damage > 90% move speed sun
• Acid blood: removed hediff, therefore gear destruction on death also removed

Combat Extended:

• Insect mandibles: 24dmg 3cd 1.25mm 2mpa > 24dmg 1.33cd 0.75mm 2mpa
• Ripper blades: Cut 25dmg 1.25cd 1.5mm Stab 15dmg 1cd 4mm (equal to spelopede)

VFEI2:

These are unlockable genes, as such, they are meant to be plain better than the base ones

Evolutions:

• Pyro resistant chitin: 25% flame damage factor > 10% flame damage factor. Tail tag removed
• Fire spew (ability): 3000 cooldown 1.6 warmup > 1200 cooldown 0.3 warmup (this accidentaly buffs hellbettles!)
• Locust wings: Added +20% move speed and gliding hediff. Ability 600 cooldown 20 range > 6000 cooldown 25 range
• Acid glands: Removed mouth tag. Acid spew 15 range 1.5 warm > 20 range 0.75 warm. Acid 50 speed 30 dmg (this also buffs both venomites and acidspitters!!!)
• Infrared sensors: Added +25% sight
• Mineral chitin: added -2 met to balance out the loss of insect skin

Mutations:

• Microsized: (Too many changes) no hediffs, -0.25 body size, 0.7x melee factor, 1.15x move speed +3 met +2 mut points
• Colossal: (Too many changes) no hediffs, +0.5 body size, 1.35x melee factor, 0.85x move speed -3 met
• Chemfuel sack: Removed tail tag
• Pyrophilliac: 1 mut point > 2 mut points
• Volatile: 1 mut point > 2 mut points
• Ecdysone overdrive: 1 mut point > 2 mut points
• Acid burst sack: Removed tail tag
• Solid grey matter: 1 mut point > 3 mut points
• Passive: 1 mut point > 2 mut points
• (Alpha Animals) Echolocative loop: 1 mut point > 2 mut points
• (Alpha Animals) Photosensitive exoskeleton: 1 mut point > 2 mut points

Misc:

• Royal jelly: +5% moving > +10% moving +35% blood filtration +10 conciousness

Meant to buff the jelly injector

Combat Extended:

• Infrared sensors: 5% aiming acc > 125% aiming acc 0.9 night eff
• Mineral chitin: 10mm 8mpa max integrity 5mm 4mpa min integrity
• Insect rostrum: 24dmg 3cd 6mm 2mpa > 27dmg 1.33cd 6mm 2mpa
• (Alpha Animals) Mechanoid rending claws: 15dmg 1.25cd 3mm (mimicking slashes) + 5dmg 0.75cd 8mm (mimicking stabs). 1 evo > 2 evo points

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FAQ:

CE compat?
-Yeah, it works with Character Editor dont worry

Does it modify X mod?
-No, right now it only rebalances Insector and Insector + VFEI2

Can you buff X melee gene for vanilla?
-I have no idea how to balance vanilla values, if you suggest they are too weak ill buff them gladly

Does it add new genes?
-Aside VFEI2 cosmetics, no, i have planned to make more insect genes but those will be their own standalone mod

There are a few changes i dont like
-All of my changes are patches, you can perfectly delete them (or change them to your liking) in the mod folder if you desire so. However, in the future i might change the entire mod to be able to be modified with XML extentions

Likely changes on the future:

• Nerf the wing genes even more, either remove the gliding hediff or remove the mov buff, they are way too good to not choose them
• Increase the movement penalties on the joint mutations but make them compat with the wing genes (slow flyer)
• Im very undecided with oceli eyes, maybe ill change it to a flat reduction instead of limiting sight
• Solid grey matter rework, even with 3 mut points feels like a total waste...
• Bring back some hediffs thanks to 1.6 ticking perf improvements?
• Attempt to retexture the cosmetics

Unikely changes on the future:

• Pherocore injestions are not random, you can choose which one you wanna unlock
• Make pherocore injestions give 2 or more evo/muts each