Taehl wrote:if I understand correctly, one cannot simply change such variables directly
Actually... You use data:extend(table) to add
new data. To
modify data that exists in the base game (or another mod) you don't use extend but instead actually do so 'directly' via data.raw (which of course means that what you are modifying needs to be loaded before your mod using the dependencies in info.json, though it defaults to requiring base if you don't specify it at all in the info.json) ex:
--note apologies if this is a bit detailed/obvious for some, I try to provide such explanations for when people use the search feature and find the threads later
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data.raw.type_of_what_you_are_modifying.name_of_what_you_are_modifying.property_of_what_you_are_modifying = new_value
when one of the indexes (the names preceeded by a '.' in the line above) have '-' or spaces in them you have to use the table["name"] format instead of the table.name format so that lua doesn't get confused about what you want (trying to subtract or causing illegal syntax errors).
to modify the spawner you'd use
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data.raw["unit-spawner"]["biter-spawner"] = new_table_with_ALL_info_including_things_you_did_not_change
or
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data.raw["unit-spawner"]["biter-spawner"].max_health = 700
data.raw["unit-spawner"]["biter-spawner"].healing_per_tick = 0.04
-- note you had a nested table for spawning_cooldown, that's not how it is in base!
data.raw["unit-spawner"]["biter-spawner"].spawning_cooldown = {3600, 1500}
that last can be shortened a bit to
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local spawner = data.raw["unit-spawner"]["biter-spawner"]
spawner.max_health = 700
spawner.healing_per_tick = 0.04
spawner.spawning_cooldown = {3600, 1500}
The second/third is the preferred method since you won't overwrite data that some other mod may have modified (including when Factorio updates) when you didn't explicitly intend to.
note: the code would either go in data.lua or a file required by data.lua
Let me know if I didn't make that clear enough
For more examples download a mod that modifies the base game and see how they do it (here's
a link to DyTech Core's base edits on github)
Also feel free to look at Factorio/data/core/lualib/dataloader.lua
