About the Races/Minors/Opponents/Etc...

Cuz, gameplay variations DO matter within MODs.

from GalCiv2 Forums
Might as well startup a new thread category for a general discussion about these subjects.

First, a sort of comment about how the game actually handles the Minors and other mega-events related, popping in regularly; reading through the "english.str" file, i found the next section to be quite interesting structure-wise;


_______________________
[TABLEALIAS MinorRaces]
[MinorRace0] Akilians
[MinorRace1] Carinoids
[MinorRace2] Scottlingas
[MinorRace3] Jessuins
[MinorRace4NOLONGERUSED] Andians
[MinorRace4] LentzLandians
[MinorRace5] Paulos
[MinorRace6] Dark Yor
[MinorRace7] Snathi
[MinorRace8] Kwilasians
[MinorRace9] Alexians

[MinorRace10] Rebels
[MinorRace11] Independent League
[MinorRace12] Dread Lords
[MinorRace13] Draginol
[MinorRace14] Calor
[MinorRace15] Pirates
[MinorRace16] Moralists
[MinorRace17] Religious Fanatics
[MinorRace18] Space Monsters

[ILeague] I-League
[Pirates] Pirates!
[Monsters] Monsters!!!!
[MonsterRace] Space Shark
[Dreadlords] Dread Lords
_________________________
End of quote


A)
According to this list, for example, the Pirates are #15 while the raceconfig.xml records them as (#26)... that's okay. It's codebased. So be it.
Although while i began to design the XW-mod set of special Minors, i ended up fitting the new Pirate (notice the singular tag name) under (#27).
So the question/comment would be;
- Is there a sort of conflict between the OTHER defaults and any listed CUSTOMS once some ingame random routines activate supplemental ones?

B)
The Jagged Knife racepic was "loaded" once as raceimage59 (the yellow/Scottlingas) and picked the Germany/Flaggy as logo.
- Is this a constant occurance or a random call only?
- I would wish to somehow permanently define the graphics/default for most-or-all of these extra races via any hints you could provide, if any.

Even more questions/comments might be submitted later on, but for now please share your thoughts about A & B, above.

- Zyxpsilon.
modding
5,234 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, my experience is, when using the cheat to create a new minor there are just 5 additional minors available, provided that you set the minors to be 8 at start. This leads me to think, that the game pulls the minors from raceconfig, but the english.str just gives a variety of minors, ie (randomly?) overrides their defined names in raceconfig--sort of wrapper for their names. Basically, the english.str serves as a sort of localization table. Anything further, I also have to investigate... but quite interesting questions... probably more later, if I find some spare time ;)
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have a question about Minor Races myself. Maybe you can help me Zyxpsilon...

I want to give the Minors their own unique systems and alter some of the majors home systems a bit as well.
Any time I do so (moving the files into a Mod folder and changing tham as I wished) they wont show up in game - and yes I did select the mod in the game.

So any ideas?
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Are you talking about TA? If so, read above ;)
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I want to give the Minors their own unique systems and alter some of the majors home systems a bit as well.
End of quote


Default Majors or Customized Majors?
Both can be altered to your heart's content, AFAIK.

I know XW/Majors do pull their stuff from a personally made customplanet.xml (which gets copied into the appropriate mod-folder while i use an indirect way to call the main data for all races (39 in total!) from C:\Documents.....\DARKAVATAR--rooter and GFXs underneath for Logos & Portraits, incl Trades). This process allows for quick access to any as straight opponents to simply loadup instead of having to change the MOD/Folder, quit, re-load, and so on. Not "elegant", but much easier i guess.
As for Minors, i think the only option we have is to somehow rename their Homeworlds and a few other small details since they are defined within a supplemental raceconfig.xml instead... which begs the question, Can "other parameters" be added to Minor sections?
I'll either have to test this, before i can answer or have someone eventually at SD confirm the theory.

And, MrKorx... please do take all the time you need once you're ready to tackle these subject(s)!

I certainly would put a fixed pic in the JaggedKnife slot though. I know exactly what too. ;)

- Zyxpsilon.

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Cari would have to answer the exact mechanics of strings vs xml for minors.

JK uses a random pic/logo. The non-event minors should be customizable via raceconfig.xml (pics, etc). Event-created minors are either random or defined in the code.

I don't believe the game reads systems from customplanets.xml for Minors, only Majors. So minor home systems can't be customized.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
JK uses a random pic/logo. The non-event minors should be customizable fia
raceconfig.xml (pics, etc). Event-created minors are either random or
defined in the code...
End of quote


Shhhoots! I guess i'm gonna have to forget the ugliest and menacing custom JK face i had ready in the corridors of design for X-Worlds. And other variations of any Mega-Events-Minors. Alright.
Still, it's somehow a little confusing.

Anyhow, as i understand it... whatever remains "idle" after run-time allocation of all active race*images (incl 0 to 8 minors) can serve as event/driven assets and eventually slotted in at random. Which explains the pre-built genuine gfx files #58, 59 and so on.
I can always replace the extra "defaults" (Beigy/Nausea(!) Paulos, Browny/KitKat-Chocobar-like Akilians, etc) with mines if i ever wish to. It would have been fun to stick a permanent custom set of specific graphics to these.

(As for tables reference stuff like *str/to/xml*.etc.*, if cariElf can chime in, i'd be curious to grasp and fully realize what the code-function(s) processing steps (not asking for source or anything, btw) are in that particular case since MODs are, after all, modifying attempts claiming to enhance gameplay.)

More later about other important issues & thanks, Kryo.

- Zyxpsilon.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I am also very interested in this aspect of the game as well. I also assumed the English.str was only a localization file however I never really looked into heavy modding of the minors. So information of this sort would be very useful to say the least. I would also like to know if the race editor tool will allow minor race editing and replacement as well.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top


I don't believe the game reas systems from customplanets.xml for Minors, only Majors. So minor home systems can't be customized.

End of quote




I really hope you are wrong mate. No offense.

Becuase it completely sucks that the Carinoids live on Carinoids and orbit Carinoids. STUPID!

You can change the Star name and colonised planets names (but for some weird reason not uncolonised worlds?) in game even for minors so i dont see why you cant change it somewhere in the files.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
thats sadly true. I tried this over and over, the name for a minor race must also match the planet and the star.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Minor/=/Planet/=/Star names??
Double-shhhhooots, then!!

I never realized i was actually performing some Minor Races parameter(s) editing of the raceconfig.xml for nothing but a self-resetting code procedure.

This has to adressed somehow, SD. Please.

- Zyxpsilon.