Gauntlet's Race Mod 3.0 Feedback Please! » Forum Post by Gauntlet03

General Pants

Join Date 08/2006

+19

Ok, here's some feedback:

1) IMPORTANT: It isn't considered proper ettiquette to include files from other people's mods without their permission. I refer specifically to your inclusion of "my" (really MrKorx's) Implement All Racial Abilities RacialAbilities.xml file... It's pretty easy to tell that it is the one I wrote, because it has the same flavor text I used;

2) This is relatively minor, but it would be a great help if you would stop changing things around quite so much. When I cleaned out my files, I had THREE different versions of your race pics living in different places on my computer, under at least two sets of names;

3) Also, because you keep changing things, I keep having to rewrite my raceconfig.xml... I use LogicSequence's HRGM, and so I maintain his version of the major races. I also like the original minors, so I just tack your onto the end (with appropriate changes). It is getting to be a pain! It would help if we could have separate files for each race, but SD hasn't done that.

GP

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1. Considering that I spent three hours today tracking down and PM/emailing race logo authors asking if I could include their logos on the next version (as races the # of races are making the default amount of logos a hassle) I'm a little upset by your response. satyrlord is so far the only one to reply notably.

I'm sorry but I did use your work as a baseline, and changed quite a few things, I admit I didn't really see a need to change any text, I thought it was just the original game text that was meant to be used when the abilities were originally planned. I suppose its a credit to your writing sense of humor that I mistook it for the creator's. I didn't cite you specifically, because frankly I worked a good 4 hours on changing that XML file! Even then you were referenced in the Read Me. So if I have offended you I'm sorry and I'll put whatever notes you would like in the read me, or if need be I will remove that section, you've done wonderful work as we all know. Imitation is flattery though, not robbery.

2. The organization issue is an issue, originally I had planned this one to be an add-on designed to work with the previous mod, but then I would have two mods to manage, and it would require that you download the old mod then the new one to get it to work, I decided on one package. As for cleanly files, its just a matter of proper cut and paste/replace. As for you liking the original minors... well I can't help that can I? Its a mod it changes things as you well know.

3. As for different sets of names... Only Version 1, has had a different naming system, that was the old Minor Race Mod which the directions on the download page clearly state you should remove before adding this mod... Now all of my pictures are labeled in the 1000s and can simply replace any old counterparts when downloading new editions.

PS- if this turns out to become an argument I would prefer PMs rather than de-railing the thread.

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General Pants

Join Date 08/2006

+19

I'm a little upset by your response. [...] if this turns out to become an argument I would prefer PMs rather than de-railing the thread.

Hold on there... I'm not trying to be an ogre; I've made the same mistake too. The very mod you used only exists because MrKorx was cool about the whole thing. If you would please, just add the following line to the readme:

"This mod contains elements modified from General Pant's Implement All Racial Abilities Mod, used with the author's permission."

I like the "elements" wording, because it covers everything, and allows you to change how much you use without checking with me.

the directions on the download page clearly state you should remove before adding this mod... Now all of my pictures are labeled in the 1000s and can simply replace any old counterparts when downloading new editions.

Finding and deleting those specific pictures wasn't all that easy (I have over a hundred race portraits)! Anyway, glad you have standardized it.

As for you liking the original minors... well I can't help that can I?

To be honest, it isn't really that I "like" them, but that I'm just used to them. Some of them are a little on the lame side. To be fair, I was just bitching because I had to rewrite my RaceConfig.xml AGAIN.

originally I had planned this one to be an add-on designed to work with the previous mod, but then I would have two mods to manage, and it would require that you download the old mod then the new one to get it to work, I decided on one package.

Try managing eleven mods! Again, the problem is mostly that StarDock never had time to implement a folder for individual race files for minor races. That, and the "number" system. I keep having to renumber them!

If you want to do me a small favor, please skip numbers 45, 46, and 47 when you add new minors... that's where I am currently keeping the Collectives, the Hydranoids, and the Telu'uins (respectively).

Also, it would help if your readme file went into more detail on exactly what you change in each version, so I know what I need to fix.

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

GP

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Hey, since we're sorta on the topic of mod crossovers and such, could you please explain what you meant by the changes Logic made to the race config and such General Pants? Last time I checked, the only difference was in the graphics!

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The changes are as such:

1. Graphics... The only serious change to minors is the graphics, Notably though there is one other, I increased the Snathi's potent abilities drastically... and several races have a new line added called 'aggression' from the major races- I have no idea if this works or not lol... oh and some names are changed, as I hated the Lentzlendians

2.Home Systems... the major races and my custom races have home systems that more or less round out to 20... in the case of the majors I scaled them, so they have the same ratios as before. You will also see that any new custom race has a Class 15 and Class 5 planets.

Okay GP, I guess i mistook your tone, somewhat easy when speaking through this textual "series of tubes" (ha) I am sorry and will add the new line to the read-me right now...

If your having an annoying time when i update and don't want race changes to the existing minors or the majors IE home systems, then just copy and paste from the first original minor race and down... obviously you have already fixed yours, so in the future all you would have to do is add from the last point down. As for the numbering issue, well thats something allot of people may have to deal with, i suggest backing up the races you constantly renumber on a separate file and adding them with the right numbers after you add/replace the new minor races text... that way they are always at the end of the list and you won't need to rename the longer list of new things....

at any rate I can't avoid numbering them as if you number out of order it will cause problems, and thus if I skip 45 and such it will cause problems on other systems.

I'll see about more detailed info on the next version...

which hopefully will add a bunch of logos so the races won't double up on logos too much...

Thanks-

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Today is A Very good day for this mod...

I was always very annoyed by the fact that when you play your OWN race Image is almost never ever seen! To change this I found that you can make a image of your race, place it in GFX, and then under custom race file, direct your 'new robot image' to this image...

I've now tested this and I think its great, so instead of getting news from the same old robot, you get it from your own people, (this does not change the robot in the Movies though!! just your annual updates)

either way I calls it progress!

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General Pants

Join Date 08/2006

+19

Hey, since we're sorta on the topic of mod crossovers and such, could you please explain what you meant by the changes Logic made to the race config and such General Pants? Last time I checked, the only difference was in the graphics!

I think it had to do with the planets themselves, but I'm not sure. It is realtively simpel to compare LS's RaceConfig to the original, I just haven't done it (I'm on baby duty today, so I'm not likely to get to it

.

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General Pants

Join Date 08/2006

+19

Okay GP, I guess i mistook your tone, somewhat easy when speaking through this textual "series of tubes" (ha) I am sorry and will add the new line to the read-me right now...

Oh, hey, I'm no angel... my tone WAS annoyed. I was annoyed at having to do the "housekeeping" to keep up with the mod... i.e., I was being a brat

. But not about the "proprietary" issues... especially not for such a minor issue.

i suggest backing up the races you constantly renumber on a separate file and adding them with the right numbers after you add/replace the new minor races text... that way they are always at the end of the list and you won't need to rename the longer list of new things....

Actually, I just moved your new ones to the bottom. It isn't too muh of a problem now that I have a system. The graphics were more annoying.

at any rate I can't avoid numbering them as if you number out of order it will cause problems, and thus if I skip 45 and such it will cause problems on other systems.

Really? I could have sworn there were gaps in the original numbering scheme. Oh well... like I said, I have a system now. We're always going to have these problems with mod cross-compatibility. A couple of my new mods are going to have to have a separate set of .xml files for people who use Stefan's weapons pack. I try minimally to stay compatible with the KHSM, HRGM, and Stefan's pack. If I ever do minors (doubtful), I'll probably try to work around yours.

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Well now that thats settled, do we have any insight as to play issues... such as naming problems or some such... but also typos etc. Which custom races or ship sets are good/bad or perhaps whether people would want more custom races or minor races... at 30 minor races I'm in no rush to make more... however with such an expansive number of portraits I feel the need to utilize more of those...

The next version notably now changes the portrait of the robot which gives quarterly reports, asks you if you want to overwrite ship designs, or 'are you sure you want to quit?' is now replaced with any custom race's own picture... notably I will be providing a RobotRace image for every race image, but to utilize it for a race you have to go into the race's xml file and change a link, I'll provide directions in the readme.

Also, I've been making additional planet types, by inverting the existing planet pics, and also rotating re-balancing etc.etc. so I'll ship it with those as every one of my custom races has a custom home-system... and I'm using these new planets and some of the existing ones that are not used enough to produce more colorful systems.... at any rate, I'm going to start looking into whether the game can instructed to use said images for random planets... I'm pretty sure it can but well see

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Gauntlet feel free at any time to use any of my mods if you ever feel the need to

Just a thanks in the readme will do fine

Great work! Looking forward to the next update

D

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Well IP rights aside, I think this mod is excellent. The artwork is well done, and all the race ideas are decently fleshed out as far as GC2 allows.
If nothing else it gives me motivation to make more custom races.

The only negative is that some of the minors are particularly stupid, at least on Normal setting. They either flood their orbital space with freighters and constructors that don't get used, or they only build a single defender. In both cases they could have either built a bit more junk defenders at least. In the one case they could have easily whipped my ships with advanced technology but they still built only constructors and freighters in the orbit space. If possible, they should at least put up a partial ring of fleets, and move to intercept powerful fleets adjacent to their planet, rather than be picked apart. Though maybe this is a challenge setting issue?

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Forgot to mention----in the case of at least the Reptilors, there is a chance of not enough logos. It may just be because I had settings to 8 minor + 9 majors, but some of the new races don't generate logos, and I have not edited the files any.

EDIT: Can this guy make it into your next version?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiloZd1H4ow

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Gauntlet, I'm just curious about something. Since you have added so many minors now, and the game only allows 8 at a time, are those 8 chosen at random from your new pool of minors or is it the just the first 8 down the list? I haven't played the mod yet so forgive me if its a stupid question. I'm just trying to make sure that I'll see different minors in different games and not just the same 8.

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Okay firstly, it does pick the 8 races randomly from the pool of 30 that exist. However it seems to heavily weigh the dice in favor of certain races, or it could be my imagination, but I think the Paulos and the Snathi are 3 times more likely to show up than the Akillians.

The logo thing could certainly exist, its probablly my mistake as in my personal version they are using more logos than is in the original game- which is why the next version will be supplying a bunch hopefully.

The Minors doing stupid things, is well, entirely out of my hands. The original minors tend to do that too, they do get a little better on harder difficulties.

The Chipmunk is too scary for my mod lol!

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So Version 4.0 is done.

Notably it is its own upgrade pack

adds 5 race images, and creates a image for each of the new race images called 'robotrace1001' and so forth... this allows you to select it for your custom races so that important news updates are issues by your own race's image rather than a robot... adds character IMO...

adds a couple of new custom races.... also my custom races got some custom planets GFX! some new blues and greens out there for ya!

The biggest add-on is 60 or 70 Race Logos, from various sources so that the logo repetition will hopefully go away.

Hope you like it! the next version will probably be the last... and it will probably add more custom ship sets and maybe planets... and races... and well who knows what else... I personally am very pleased with the Robot Race Images as I know of no other mod which does that!

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I just started the whole modding thing (as a user), and this was one of the packs installed, with 3.0 first as specified in the instructions. One question though: the mod doesn't appear in the mod list in the Options screen. Is it supposed to? Kyro's Hull mod does, so I know I'm doing something right. Thanks for the effort and contributions BTW!

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yes there should be a selectable mod in the menu the particular folder from the 3.0 pack labeled Gauntlet's Race Mod 3.0 should be placed in your mods directory under Galactic Civ.

Take a look at the readmes and make sure that the directory locations of everything are correct... also make sure that in the mod itself that there is a 'mod-description' file. If not email me and I can email you one or run you through how to make one.

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