TN's TechRunner

TN's TechRunner is a mod focused on building a new gameplay loop within Starfield by adding new gameplay features. It introduces Data Materials, a new resource you need to find by scraping terminals, looking in the data storage of defeated robots, and harvesting from computer, servers, and equipment at POIs.

You will use these Data Materials in place of physical materials in Research. (This feature can be toggled in the Gameplay Options.) You can sell data, data is weightless, and will be bought by most vendors. Some vendors will also sell you data. Data is also used in researching and installing Malware onto your NeuroAmp.

Malware works like a social skill. NeuroAmps have slots for these Malware (with increasing slots for increasing levels of the NeuroAmp. 2, 4, 6 in the I, II, and III's, plus 8 slots in the special legendary NeuroAmps. 6 legendary NeuroAmps can be found scattered around the settled systems. The Malware can range from debuffing enemies, to dealing direct damage.

Along with these new changes and the gameplay loop, computer systems have been made much more integral to your journey through quests and exploration. You can find specific NPCs (who might already be dead when you arrive) who have Clearance to use the systems at a POI. By scanning them, you can use their credentials within that POI to gain access to computers and locked doors. Some of these computer systems can give you access to the Lights within a POI, access the cameras and turrets, vent atmosphere inside a POI, or even initiate a Security Lockdown, trapping your enemies within specific rooms, unable to defend their comrades. You can even hack specific terminals within settlements to get rid of your bounty, or to remove the stolen flag from things you have 'salvaged' along your way.

To get started, it is suggested you go to Apex Electronics in The Well of New Atlantis, and purchase the various coding books for extra information. You can also purchase one of the Legendary Jailbroken NeuroAmps there if you wish (1 of 6 to be found).

• NeuroAmps are your best friend, allowing you to perform quick-hack-like attacks on enemies using Malware. (There are 6 legendary NeuroAmps to find with different special effects to change how your malware works.)
  • Use Malware in your NeuroAmp, with 8 new "Spells" used through the social menu, and the 4 vanilla Robotics abilities turned into Malware. These Malware can debuff robots, or deal direct damage, or confuse their sensors to allow you to sneak by. Malware gets more difficult to upload the more you use it, but this recovers over time. All Malware have custom UI icons to denote them.
  • Full list of Malware: Failsafe (Malware version of Diplomacy), Scramble (Malware version of Instigation), Fallback (Malware version of Intimidation), Executable (Malware version of Manipulation), Disable (EM pulse), Overheat (Catches target on fire), Overload (Direct energy damage), Exploit (Lowers resistances), Interference (Confuses target's visual sensors, lowers accuracy), Jammer (Defeans and confuses target, unable to call for allies), Nanovirus (Harness Va'Ruun Annhiliator tech as a contagious damage over time), Vent (Target's spacesuit rapidly loses oxygen)
• Several Skills have been overhauled:
  • Robotics (renamed to Mechanics) now governs your Malware. At rank 4, your Malware can target human enemies in addition to robots, but only if those enemies are wearing suits. (Suit visibility matters.)
  • Surveying governs the extra abilities of your hand scanner. Scan targets to learn their resistances and health, Mark targets so you can see them even when they leave your line of sight, Scan credentials of targets to gain access to computers, increase the distance you can apply Malware, and even slow time while scanning during combat.
  • Scavenging now allows you to salvage more off of robotic targets when you kill them, granting you more materials after a prompt.
  • Security unlocks the Backdoor Protocol on terminals, allows you to scrape data, control cameras and turrets (either through hacked terminals, or through quickhacks on the Social menu), and access a POI's network, allowing you to access any terminal that is hooked up to the network.
  • Except for Mechanics (Robotics) all skill entries are visual only, and the actual mechanics of their changes are handled in a separate perk. The Robotics skill cannot be overridden by other mods, so be careful with your load order.
• Do Research with data materials you gather from POIs. This can be toggled off if you prefer. Malware is always researched with data, no matter the setting.
• Gather Data from Robots, Turrets, Cameras, Terminals, and special interactable parts of POIs. This should work with POIs added by mods. The mod uses a dynamic system to replace static objects with activators you can use when you walk up to them. It also replaces static non-functional cameras with functional cameras.
• Use special functions on different Terminals:
  • Using the Backdoor protocol you can gain access to the cameras and turrets of the entire POI, and even have them report their location and any nearby targets to you.
  • Turn the lights off in a POI to increase your chances of Stealthing. Enemies will start to search for the cause of the power outage, but they won't know it is you.
  • Vent atmosphere inside a POI. While not overly useful in a vanilla playthrough, this can force enemies to put their suits back on (useful for applying Malware), or effect hazards depending on other mods installed. It also enables the "Vent" malware indoors, which causes an enemy's suit to rapidly lose oxygen and eventually kill them.
  • Initiate a security lockdown, so enemies are stuck in rooms. You can freely move through the doors using your security clearance, and can even lock the doors behind you again. Great for divide and conquer.
  • Clear your bounty without needing to spend credits by hacking directly into a faction's systems and removing it from their records. (These terminals will be well guarded in their prison areas.)
  • Remove those pesky stolen flags from stolen items at those same terminals, by registering your gubbins as 'salvage'.
  • Get credits from some terminals. (Credits are a crypto currency after all.)
  • Reprogram robots after you disable them with EM damage. Turn robot enemies into allies by hacking into them while they are disabled.
• New uses for old items:
  • High Speed Data Cables can skip the digipick hacking when scraping data, but have a chance to burn out when you use them.
  • Circuit boards, Digiframes, Tablets, old dataslates, and other electronics can be scraped at personal terminals by uploading their contents.
  • Prototype Equipment is renamed as Robot Control Module, and is used for reprogramming robots.
• When in the hand scanner, there is a slight tint applied, which can be Red, Green, or Blue (or turned off) within Gameplay Options.
• Craft the Neuralizer, an item that can be attached to an unconscious target to keep them knocked out until you remove it.
• Craft a Recon Grenade, essentially a portable camera you can throw ahead of you, which will highlight enemies around it so you can see them even through walls.
• Craft a Personal Terminal for your outpost or ship with the Outpost build menu.
• Find many new items on appropriate vendors, including the new craftable items, and the useful junk items above, and data materials.

A special thanks to: Tank_Girl444 for creating the model for the Recon Grenade. Check out her great mods as well here on Creations! (ModderTank_Girl444) ProfX for giving me the necessary information and know-how to add custom social skill icons! He makes the amazing Custom Weapon Icons, which you should check out. ManicPolymath for telling me how to solve the Darkstar incompatibility natively. You should still go get his Darkstar/TechRunner patch though! It has amazing features.

This mod works well with many other mods like Ideki's Lock O Plenty (since you will be using digipicks rather often), TheChanChanMan's True CCTV (so you have many more cameras to hack), and my Realistic Oxygen Meter, so that enemies will have realistic suit visibility (and other mods which add clothing to enemies to wear when outside their suits). It will also work with many mods that add new POI's, so long as those POIs used vanilla terminal/server/monitor models that TechRunner can recognize and replace.

Due to how Social Skills are put into the game, this mod is incompatible with other mods which add new interactions to the Social menu in the hand scanner. Patches will be offered for compatibility with the most popular ones.

Warning: Removal of this mod mid-playthrough may result in missing objects in POIs and cities you visited while it was installed. The missing objects will not effect gameplay, but may look bad, and will effect the mod's ability to function if re-installed.

If you wish to contact me, find me on the Nexus, or on many Starfield discords as TheTennessee. You can also join "The Stuff of Legends" discord here: https://discord.gg/K4eRYKzcAv