Custom Races Modding ?

Yea, I'd second that. If someone could list all the files that the stock factions depend on, that would be cool. It would save a lot of 'Arg! It didn't work There must be another file I need to find....' trial and error time.

I wrote a guide how to create a new race, including own star system, colours, technologies and ship components.

Each chapter also mentions which files you need to copy and modify. It's work in progress and will be extended whenever I find the time to work on it.

However it is written in German, so I do not know how much this will help you.

If interest is high enough, I could also provide an English version here in the forum.

Vielen Dank, da ich Deutsch kann kein Problem ^^

Großartige Hilfe bisher ! Wirklich sehr gut! Nurnoch ein Problem hab ich bisher:

Was bedeutet dieser Satz hier ? <!--        <HomePlanetName>FACTION_BLUES_PlanetName</HomePlanetName> --> bzw ist er relevant und was muss da genau rein? Ist das einfach die zuweisung auf das Sonnensystem, wenn ja wieso nimmst du nicht VerthSystem ?

Ist hier drinnen : <RequiresHomeworld>true</RequiresHomeworld>
        <HomeStarSystem>VerthSystem</HomeStarSystem>
<!--        <HomePlanetName>FACTION_BLUES_PlanetName</HomePlanetName> -->

Und noch die zweite:

Wofür sind die Texte relevant:

  <StringTable>
    <Label>VerthSystem_Name</Label>
    <String>Verth</String>
  </StringTable>
 
  <StringTable>
    <Label>VerthSystem_Dec</Label>
    <String>The Jülziish home system.
Habitable worlds Class 11
and 4.
1 Frozen, 2 Dead worlds and 1 Asteroid Chain.</String>
  </StringTable>
  <StringTable>
    <Label>Verth_Name</Label>
    <String>Verth</String>
  </StringTable>
 
  <StringTable>
    <Label>Fryjund_Name</Label>
    <String>Fryjund</String>
  </StringTable>  
  <StringTable>
    <Label>Gatas_Name</Label>
    <String>Gatas</String>
  </StringTable>
 
  <StringTable>
    <Label>Gytüll_Name</Label>
    <String>Gytüll</String>
  </StringTable>
 
  <StringTable>
    <Label>Alpasim_Name</Label>
    <String>Alpasim</String>
  </StringTable>
 
  <StringTable>
    <Label>Bnaypüsh_Name</Label>
    <String>Bnaypüsh</String>
  </StringTable>

Für die angezeigten Namen ? Kann ich diesen einfach so übernehmen, nur mit eben meinen Namen  ?

Solltest du ihn übersetzen wollen und Hilfe brauchen kann ich gern mal etwas zur Hand gehen.

Quoting Dirtyface83, reply 1

Yea, I'd second that. If someone could list all the files that the stock factions depend on, that would be cool. It would save a lot of 'Arg! It didn't work There must be another file I need to find....' trial and error time.

His guide is really great, worth reading it. U have code examples in English the rest is German.

@Ronner, wie hast du deine Blues eigentlich Hintergrundslos bekommen also das rundherum?

Well, between my bad German, Google Translator, and the download you hid in your post, I will muddle through lol.

Not sure if this will help you out, but I recently posted the process I went through to create custom colors for race UI and map icons/influence--that is available here.

This will maybe get you started in compiling the proper xml files for a custom race mod--though changing the colors doesn't require you to mod a race entirely in xml. For this, you can simply mod the colors and create a custom faction using the new colors--or you could integrate the color changes with a fully modded custom race. That's up to you! Good luck!

I will answer in English:

You can use <HomePlanetName> in the factiondefs.xml to overwrite the home planet name that has been specified in the planetdefs.xml. it will then also change the name of the star and change all planets to generic names. E.g. if you specify here <HomePlanetName>Azrael</HomePlanetName> then your home start system would be renamed into Azrael and the planets be named Azrael I to Azrael X

If you are happy with the planet name specified, then do not use <HomePlanetName>. That's why it's not used in my example. The <!--- --> means it's only a comment and not used. Usually instead of deleting lines, I just mark them as comments in my XMLs.

The string texts are for the planet names, yes. They refer to entries in planetdefs.XML and StarSystemDefs.xml

I note when you modded the StarSystemDefs.xml you used the "FactionStart2" as the group internal name so it seems we can do this to add custom start star systems? Does it appear in the list when you create another custom race in the game?

I went through google translate with it too.

No, unfortunately only the stars with internal name FactionStart will show up as home star system for custom races.

The only way I found is to copy the complete StarSystemDefs.XML and append the stars you want to have. As I wanted to be compatible with other mods, I chose the lesser evil and defined my own star group internal name.

I can use them for races created as a mod, but not with the ingame tools.

Hi again,

thanks for ur help guys.

Specially ur guide ronnar told me my way to do.

I have some troubles at the moment, errors even if just cosmetic.

Firstly all my planets are named with _Name at the end (In my home system), also the Star.

(If I wanted to have a binary star as home star is that possible ? )

Secondly despcriptions are not working. Or at least some. Sometimes I have them correct in text and sometimes only the command and the headline is from the Iconian Refuge.

Also i dont have any graphical input for my civ beyond the portrait and logo (the big pictures are missing, but i think you also don't inserted them in the guide did you ?) .

I wanted to improve it a little further

Thx again

Counds like you haven't defined the labels in the text/english/ folder so the game is treating them as literal strings, or maybe you have made a spelling mistake when you defined them.

  <StringTable>
    <Label>UnimatrixZeroSystem_Name</Label>
    <String>Unimatrix Zero</String>
    </StringTable>

Thats my description of one of these i tried to erase the _Name but it didnt do anything!

this is the star define:

 <Star>
    <InternalName>UnimatrixZeroStar</InternalName>
    <DisplayName>UnimatrixZero_Name</DisplayName>
    <ObjectType>Star</ObjectType>
    <Type>BlueStar</Type>
    <ArtDefine>BlueStarArt</ArtDefine>
        <SFXDefine>STAR_AMBIENT</SFXDefine>
  </Star>

But at least its playable

I think the issue is that in the /Game/StarSystemDefs.xml you have <DisplayName>UnimatrixZero_Name</DisplayName> and in the /Text/StarSystemText.xml you have <Label>UnimatrixZeroSystem_Name</Label>.

I did the same thing with the UI_Color_[RaceName] DisplayName and was so confused as to why I had the DisplayName in the game and not the string.

Hope that helps!

So erasing the Display Name one will help me out or what do I need to change ?

The DisplayName element has to match the Label in the text file exactly. So "UnimatrixZero_Name" should be "UnimatrixZeroSystem_Name" to match the text Label. Does that make sense?

It does thx (make sense)