Random Event/Colonization Event Mods and MetaVerse.

from GalCiv2 Forums

I would like to request that most, if not all, random event and colonization event mods that are made and submitted to the Library please be both approved and be allowed to be used legally in all MetaVerse games without a flag being raised.

I request this because as it is now, no random events or colonization events or being modded, and no modding utility has even been made to enable people to even make random or colonization events to be made. From what I have heard, this is because currently no random or colonization events are allowed to be used in a MetaVerse game without raising a flag.

One of my favorite things about GalCiv 1 was the ability to use, create, and submit random events and colonization events. One of my biggest dissappointments with GalCiv 2 is that modders have been scared away from creating random/colonization event creation utility and random/colonization events, due to the MetaVerse policy disallowing such user created events in scored MetaVerse games.

Thank you for your consideration.   
ideas
6,267 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No mods *period* can be used on the metaverse that do anything aside from change graphics. While we'd all like to have the game tell the difference between 'safe' mods and 'cheat' mods, the devs have opted not to do this because of the inherent large overhead and false positives/negatives such a system would involve.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
A simple solution, imo, is to only allow approved mods to be used in MetaVerse games. As I understand it, you and a few others do the mod approving? You could just use user-created random/colonization even mods in non-MetaVerse games and use your best judgement as to whether certain mods are cheat mods or legit mods, and then approve the ones that are legit mods, and not approve the ones that are cheat mods.

I wouldn't ask you to spend your whole time doing it, just 2-3 non-metaverse games with some user-created mods in them per week. The paid programmers at StarDock wouldn't even have to get involved with testing mods.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
why people want mods on the meta? all of this stuff making it die! the metaverse is dying!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
why people want mods on the meta? all of this stuff making it die! the metaverse is dying!


At the moment u after choose between a metaverse game vs a modded game/scenario game/campaign. Wouldn't it be great/cool/fab if every game u played could be a metaverse game? So u did not after choose. Having to choose means less metaverse games being posted.

Surely with all the clever developers, players etc... that a system could be found to allow this to happen at some time in the future. As anyone got any clever ideas to allow this?

Here is my idea:-

How about with mods a - on the metaverse score, so u can use the mod but get a - on yr score at the end. Example a mod that just uses new logos, pre-designed ships has -0 (ie no change as game balance not effected, just cosmetic changes), on the other hand a mod that gives +100% economy bonus u get -50% on final score. U get the idea?

Now its probably too late to do this for GC2 and GC2:DA.

BUT GC is an on going franchise, so perhaps an idea for future development? It's only designed to be seperate, that design could be changed in the future...
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
A simple solution, imo, is to only allow approved mods to be used in MetaVerse games. As I understand it, you and a few others do the mod approving?


And how would the game know whether the mods you have added to it are approved or not? It cannot, and even if there was some sort of flag added, users would eventually figure out how to forge it and just mod meta games on their own regardless of approval or lack thereof.

How about with mods a - on the metaverse score, so u can use the mod but get a - on yr score at the end. Example a mod that just uses new logos, pre-designed ships has -0 (ie no change as game balance not effected, just cosmetic changes), on the other hand a mod that gives +100% economy bonus u get -50% on final score. U get the idea?


As I said above, anything like this won't happen because the game can't distignuish between good and bad mods, and making it do so would not be feasible. FYI, those things you state as examples--user-created ship designs and logos, can already be used with meta games since they don't have anything to do with the data files.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I just want to see random event creation programs and user-created random events, like there was for GalCiv 1.

From what I've heard though, nearly everyone cares more about MetaVerse games these days, as opposed to GC1, where random events were created and used constantly and were very popular. I don't know if they were allowed in MV games in GC1 or not, but random event mods were quite fun and popular back in GC1 days.

Today, it seems if it isn't allowed in MV games, no one wants to create it.