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By on April 13, 2011 12:05:46 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Sinperium

Join Date 02/2010
+207

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs43/i/2009/115/7/0/cosmonaut_by_himnotep.jpg

 

This is the place to ask and recieve specific modding (mod making) questions and answers. If you have a mod making question, post it here.

If your question involves long snippets of entity files and the like, please don't paste the entire file contents here but put them at the incredibly easy to use http://pastebin.com and then provide the link to your paste in your question posted here.

Please do limit  "just comments" here to brief posts please.  If you don't know the answer or can't point to help--don't post.  Please note that a random, uninformed guess isn't an actual answer.  

You can refer people to another source--IF it actually helps answer their question.  This could be in the form of links, outside sites, specific modding-useful programs, direction towards another post or poster, etc., etc.

Remember--specific questions, specific answers.  Only respond to the ones you can help solve.  Also, feel free to amplify, clarify, suggest alternatives to or correct answers seen here if such actions are merited and help provide a real solution. No flaming, insults or put downs here in the answers or other posts please.

Thanks in advance for your help and cooperation.  The reason for the rigid rules here is those this thread becomes a usable resource in the future to new people looking for answers.

NOTE: If an answer resolves your issue, please share it here.  These answers will help others coming along later too.  Karma is a great way to respond to people providing help without clogging the thread or bombing their forum mailbox here. Thanks!

 

OTHER SINS HELPFUL MODDING LINKS*

*Links are updated regularly.





The Soase Idiot's Guide

Confused?  No idea where to even start?

Determined to work at it?

This is the place!

 


 

 
   

Sins Modding Wiki

Vanilla Syntax

Entrenchment Syntax 

Diplomacy Syntax

ZombieRus's Eclipse Wizardry

 

     

Modding Home

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MyFist0's full modding site.

Emphasis on modeling  and

texturing.                            

 

 

 




                    

REBELLION MODDING TOPICS

Rebellion Modding Q & A

Mesh Editing

Changing Diplomacy Files to Rebellion

IT REALLY HURTS MY BRAIN--HOW TO START

An Idiot's Guide To Getting Started

MyFist0's Modding Megasite!

MOD DOWNLOADS

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Directory of Planet Mods

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Eclipse Definitions Wiki

3dS Texturing Toool & Tips

Ship Fleet Calculator

SoaSE Eclipse Plugin Project

Mesh Resizing Tool--courtesy of the Reqiuem team.

Harpo's Sins Utility Package -- Filefactory

Harpo's Sins Utility Package -- Dropbox

The Sins Optimization Project (TSOP)

Sins Data Converter by BCXtreme

EXPLANATIONS & DISCUSSIONS

How to Add a Fourth Race

User-updatable Ship Reference Chart

Sins Modding Dictionary

Adding phase Effects to other weapon types

Culture, Explanation/Discussion

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Shield Mitigation & Armor, Explanation/Discussion-1

Shield Mitigation & Armor, Explanation/Discussion -2

Graphic Chart of Sin's Counters

Annotated Guide to the Developer.exe

In-Game Map Creator

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April 30, 2012 12:36:34 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

On the Research menu I want to be able to change the titles of the tabs. Meaning changing "Military" or "Defense" etc. Where is that value stored?

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April 30, 2012 1:06:22 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Unikraken,
Where is that value stored?

In each race's player.entity file, which in turn probably references to the string file.

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April 30, 2012 1:19:51 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Everything word wise is in the String file.

 

StringInfo
    ID "IDS_TECH_RESEARCHFIELD_COMBAT"
    Value "Military"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_TECH_RESEARCHFIELD_DEFENSE"
    Value "Defense"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_TECH_RESEARCHFIELD_EMPIRE"
    Value "Civilian"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_TECH_RESEARCHFIELD_DIPLOMACY"
    Value "Diplomacy"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_TECH_RESEARCHFIELD_ARTIFACT"
    Value "Artifacts"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_TECH_RESEARCHFIELD_FLEET"
    Value "Fleet Logistics"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PSI_RESEARCHFIELD_COMBAT"
    Value "Hostility"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PSI_RESEARCHFIELD_DEFENSE"
    Value "Security"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PSI_RESEARCHFIELD_EMPIRE"
    Value "Harmony"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PSI_RESEARCHFIELD_ARTIFACT"
    Value "Artifacts"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PSI_RESEARCHFIELD_DIPLOMACY"
    Value "Understanding"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PSI_RESEARCHFIELD_FLEET"
    Value "Fleet Logistics"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PHASE_RESEARCHFIELD_COMBAT"
    Value "Warfare"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PHASE_RESEARCHFIELD_DEFENSE"
    Value "Fortification"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PHASE_RESEARCHFIELD_EMPIRE"
    Value "Empire"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PHASE_RESEARCHFIELD_ARTIFACT"
    Value "Artifacts"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PHASE_RESEARCHFIELD_DIPLOMACY"
    Value "Manipulation"
StringInfo
    ID "IDS_PHASE_RESEARCHFIELD_FLEET"
    Value "Fleet Logistics"

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April 30, 2012 2:38:22 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Holy cow--Stant liiiiives!  Hi guy!

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May 1, 2012 12:54:35 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I never left, I'm just not modding anymore until a non steam version of Rebellion is released. 

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May 1, 2012 1:41:19 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

How can i add a new ship to the game ?

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May 1, 2012 10:40:02 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Stant123,
I never left, I'm just not modding anymore until a non steam version of Rebellion is released. 

Well...at least you're here.  Resistance is futile there I think.

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May 2, 2012 1:44:40 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting GrandMoffDima,
How can i add a new ship to the game ?

For such a simple question it's actually quite a long and complex answer.  Distilled down to the basics, you need a mesh of the ship, you need textures for the ship, you need to add the infocard entries into the string file, you need to add it to a few places in the galaxy scenario def file to allow it to appear in the game, you need to add in the entity file for the ship so the game knows what it is and how it works as well as any entities needed for special abilities that you've given to it, you need to add in the effects for any custom abilities created, and finally, you need to add the ship to the player(race) file in the proper section for each faction that you plan on allowing to build it.  It's probably best to start off customizing an existing ship until you're familiar with the process.

Visit MyFist0's site http://soase.x90x.net/ for a much more inclusive and thorough explanation of the process as well as guides to help.

 

Quoting Sinperium,
Resistance is futile there I think.

I can resist just fine, cancelled my preorder when it was announced and have absolutely no intention of ever dealing with Steam or Valve ever again.  I gave my word on that and when I give my word, it may as well be chiseled in stone because I don't ever go back on it.  It's called integrity.  ;]

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May 2, 2012 5:17:46 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Stant123,
It's called integrity.  ;]

 

Oh, well funny how that one night you promised me the world...yeah Im still waiting on that. 

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May 2, 2012 8:16:28 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Is there any way to change the orange ornamentation on the Advent Rebel Titan to teamcolor?

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May 2, 2012 10:16:12 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting -Norbert-,
Is there any way to change the orange ornamentation on the Advent Rebel Titan to teamcolor?

You are going to have to learn how to model and texture for this.  It isn't just a quick swap of files unfortunately.

integrity

Awesome!  Then this means the night you promised to finish my mod for me means that you'll be doing it.  When will you be done?

 

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May 2, 2012 10:51:21 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting -Norbert-,
Is there any way to change the orange ornamentation on the Advent Rebel Titan to teamcolor?

It will look a bit crappier after you did it too as you'd have to modify the cl which is in compressed DDS. The thing about compressed DDS is they are lossy images unlike compressed TGA which is lossless in detail.

 

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May 2, 2012 11:17:27 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

...and I am already lost.

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May 2, 2012 12:04:46 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I already did look into the cl and da files (for my unschooled eye it looks like the da files is for glowmaps and similar stuff, like the honeycomb pattern on Advent ships), but I couldn't find any trace of how the teamcolored areas are marked in either file.

Those places that do have teamcolors, only show a normal grey texture in the cl file.

Here's a little comparison-shot I made. On the right is a piece of the Titan_PsiRebel-cl.dds and on the left is, how the same spot looks ingame: http://imageshack.us/f/822/titanpsirebcomposite.jpg/ (If anyone wonders I got that angle on the ingame screenshot of the titan by turning the camera upside-down thanks to the "Camera: Enable Twist" option, to make the comparison with the texture file easier).

I viewed the files both in Irfanview (just for the first quick look) and Photo Impact, but both times without any success in figuring it out. Do I need another programm for this?

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May 2, 2012 12:17:08 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting -Norbert-,
Those places that do have teamcolors, only show a normal grey texture in the cl file.

The cl has the team color in the alpha channel.

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May 2, 2012 12:34:52 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Ah, that explains how I could overlook them... I used an outdated version of Photo impact that didn't support alpha channels.

But with GIMP 2.0 I can see them now. Thanks for the help so far

 

Edit:
Well... the first attempt didn't go so well, but I'll get there eventually!

Edit2:

But the second attempt met with success, even though it was just a tiny area to work out how it's done.

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May 2, 2012 6:41:17 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

So I'm trying too get the planets from the maelstrom mod into the Sacrifice of Angels, and Stargate Invasion mods as practice. I made the maelstrom mod switch too dynamic movement, and adjusted some combat values such as damage and planet bombing, but I really want to expand the planet choice. In the hopes of clarifying I'm doing all this in practice for making my own mod, so that's why I posted this here. So what I'm trying to ask is how to I add, move around, etc planets and their effects?

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May 2, 2012 8:23:44 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Short answer: You need the planet's entity, mesh, and texture files, you'll need the entity and any other related files for their effects.  Put those in your mod.  Then you'll have to copy the sections in the galaxy scenario def file for the planets that you've added and adjust the section counts accordingly.  Add in the planet info and special effects in the string file and adjust the count accordingly as well.  Someone else can expand upon this since I'm in a hurry and can't spend an hour typing it all out.

 

 

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May 3, 2012 6:47:33 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Okay I am having a problem with my mod for DIP 1.34, every time I try to test to see if my new races and ships will work with the DEV.exe it will give a mini-dump without giving me an error of what is going on.

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May 3, 2012 6:55:20 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

It will take more info than that to help.  Essentially that happens a lot when a file is set up to use something it shouldn't.  putting an incompatible ability on a unit, missing meshes, etc.

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May 3, 2012 7:52:02 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Would using the starbase mesh on a ship cause it?

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May 3, 2012 8:21:43 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Yes--starbase meshes have a lot of "stuff" in them and some of it isn't normal on a ship.  If you look at a TEXT version of the mesh file, you'll see the ability points and all--some are starbase specific.

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May 3, 2012 9:34:08 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Okay thank you so that will hopefully fix the issues.

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May 4, 2012 12:39:20 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Thanks for the answer Stant, but yeah someone expanding on that would be help as....I can only figure out about half of that. 

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May 4, 2012 12:47:29 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting CommisarHark,
Thanks for the answer Stant, but yeah someone expanding on that would be help as....I can only figure out about half of that.

For each planet you'll need to take an entity file from the GameInfo folder, a mesh from the Mesh folder, and 1-3 textures from the textures folder. Do it in that order because the entity gives you the mesh name and the mesh lists the textures if you open it in notepad (see one of the data converter links above if it looks like gibberish).

That is the minimum you need for the planet. However, to actually get it to show up you'll need to edit the GalaxyScenarioDef file, and things like the planet icons and strings will involve yet more textures and file edits. The Maelstrom planets can also have unique abilities and planet bonuses that you'll either need to discard or include as well.

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