Modding Ability Bonuses

try deleting the .customracexml files

try deleting the .customracexml files

Really? I was trying to get new choices into the options at the beginning. I would have never thought about that. I shall give it a try.

Brian

This did not work. Can anyone give me more precise instructions on this? Cari's wonderful post doesn't describe where to put this file nor what other files to delete.

Thanks,

Brian

As I understand you, you need to have a look into english.str as well, besides abilitybonus.xml. There you'll find the localized strings for the bonuses, look for [TABLEALIAS AbilityOptions]. After you changed them for your needs, it schould appear ingame. Consider both files as a pair.
Hope that helps you.
If you want, download my AbilityBonus Mod from the library and look into it, if you still have trouble. You do not need to delete any file, if I got you right

Thanks for answering me MrKorx.

So you are saying that i need to modify the english.str AND the abilitybonus.xml files in order for it to work? I shall try that straight away. I don't recall that instruction being in Carielf's mod guide. I'll have to go back and reread it. As a programmer though, it would seem to me to be just as easy to do it from the abilitybonus.XML file except for the multilanguage support. But even so...

Brian

I am sorry to say that this didn't work either. The files i modified are in the following directory. Perhaps i am modifying the wrong ones.

C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar\Data\English

Brian

That is wright, however you cannot add custom abilities, only change the present ones.
You have to:
-create 2 folders, in your case
C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar\Mods\ (skip if it exists)
C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar\Mods\Your_ModName
start game and set under options your modsfolder, then you may have to restart the game
all subfolders will be created then
-alter/add choises in abilitybonuses.xml as you wish
-enter the same keys/values into english.str matching the proper AbilityID
-place both files into your modsfolder Data directory
Play and have fun, this is how I did it.
If you still have trouble you need to describe a bit closer what you are planning to do

PS: you need to do the same procedure for plain DL if you want to play DL, that may explain it?

For example, i tried to add this under economics:

.Option3Text>Magical./Option3Text>
.Option3Bonus>50./Option3Bonus>
.Option3Cost>5./Option3Cost>

this under population growth:

.Option4Text>Om Waka Wawa./Option4Text>
.Option4Bonus>100./Option4Bonus>
.Option4Cost>10./Option4Cost>

under research:

.Option4Text>Einstein./Option4Text>
.Option4Bonus>30./Option4Bonus>
.Option4Cost>5./Option4Cost>
.Option5Text>Hawkings./Option5Text>
.Option5Bonus>50./Option5Bonus>
.Option5Cost>8./Option5Cost>

under espionage:

.Option2Text>Sneaky Bastids./Option2Text>
.Option2Bonus>45./Option2Bonus>
.Option2Cost>3./Option2Cost>

under trade:

.Option3Text>Privateers./Option3Text>
.Option3Bonus>50./Option3Bonus>
.Option3Cost>6./Option3Cost>
.Option4Text>Smugglers./Option4Text>
.Option4Bonus>80./Option4Bonus>
.Option4Cost>8./Option4Cost>

under creative:

.Option1Text>Frighteningly Creative./Option1Text>
.Option1Bonus>50./Option1Bonus>
.Option1Cost>3./Option1Cost>


I also wanted to toy with negative abilities, but i would be happy to get these working first. For example, under economics:

.Option3Text>Spend-o-holics./Option3Text>
.Option3Bonus>-10./Option3Bonus>
.Option3Cost>-1./Option3Cost>


Thanks,

Brian


PS The "." are there because if i don't put them there, it doesn't recognize the XML tags and displays them right justified.

The first part looks fine though, as I said, you must Add strings at the right place in ENGLISH.STR --[TABLEALIAS AbilityOptions] --in order to show up, then and ONLY then it should appear ingame.
eg.:

[AX_Option0Text] Mostly Faithful
[AX_Option0Bonus] 10
[AX_Option0Cost] 1
[AX_Option1Text] Devoted
[AX_Option1Bonus] 20
[AX_Option1Cost] 2

where X in AX is the AbilityID which refers to [AbilityIndex] in abilitybonuses.xml

Concernig negative vals, I haven't tried that

Brian,

Download MrKorx's Logistics and Miniaturization Mod, and see what he did. Just don't use his files... his files are from a MUCH older version of the game. Anyway, this is what I did, and it has worked wonderfully.

Jon

MrKorx,

The negatives were to see if i could make a much more flexible race. For example, how about a race that was:

+20% Research
+1 speed
-10% social
-10% military
+5% economy
-15% espionage
+1 trade route
-5% growth

I would imagine that some negatives might blow up the game as it may cause a div/0 error or cause production to go negative so that you take more weeks every week to make something, but if used in moderation, it might make for some interesting combinations, especially if the negatives weren't too low that would screw things up. The idea was to perhaps greatly unbalance a particular race and see what would happen. Give it more bonuses at the costs of some serious negatives. -20 weapons and defenses would allow for me to afford +20% research and a maxed economy. In a galaxy with all aggressive creatures, this could make for some interesting play at the higher levels. I would imagine picking the right political party could aid in offsetting some of the negatives picked.

Brian

General Pants,

If his is much too old, perhaps you would share yours instead since they are off the newer version.

Thanks,

Brian

bpleshek wrote:



Because I regard my mod as a mod of MrKorx's mod, I am afraid I cannot distribute the files without his permission (already requested on another thread). If MrKorx will allow, I will either post my version or hand over the files to him for posting.

@GeneralPlants
I've just uploaded an uptodate version of the mod for DL/DA(unfortunately last update wasn't an update Ive uploaded a wrong zip then I've read your comment in the library and then this one--bad timing, please feel free to contribute your work to the comunity.
Think of your work as continuation of mine, since I also added all the Abilities for testin purpose but didn't upload it, cause I though it'd probably destroy the sense of the superabilities and might inbalance the game.
If you want, give a credit to my work, I don't consider the whole thing as a big "CopyRighted" Property since the stardock folks wrote the two files and I added just a tiny bit, i'd would be differnt with the GC2IDE though

Many many thanks, Mr. Korx!

Uploading now, hopefully it'll be approved by next week.

Thanks again,

Jon

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