Galaxy Forge 4 Wishlist

from Sins Forums

After extensively using Galaxy Forge 3, and seeing that 80% of the ideas I have and should be able to make, aren't feasible, I decided to put toghether a wishlist, that would make the editor, that much more functional. You can post your suggestions if I missed anything and I will update the list

Features:

  • Better representation, preferably a three dimensional representation of the map, with a scale of 1:1 with the ingame map, also it should show gravity well sizes and resource asteroids. And if anyone says that it will be cluttered, there is a zoom function after all. And when you zoom out, smaller objects willnot be represented. The reprisentations could be just sprites, identical to the icons we have now.
  • Full planet editing control:
    - freedom to modify the Z axis on planets, giving us the ability to precision place them. Also will allow us to make moons, I don't know whether anyone else does this, but most of my maps feature moons. Moons being asteroids so close to a planet that they could be inside its gravity well, the only reason they aren't is because they either apear above or bellow a planet.
    - freedom to modify planetary gravity well, again I have this in my wishlist, so that I could make more feasible moons, giving a miniature gravity well, say a home world has 100, the moon will have 15. I know other people will have a use for this function, either making good looking outposts and stuff.
    - working object placement.
    - freedom to place and choose type of resource asteroids.
    - [IF POSSIBLE] ability to modify planet size
    - ability to choose planet texture, after choice of planet type
  • Importing extra planet textures into the game in an easy and user friendly fashion. This will allow you to create any planet you wish, be it jungle planets or water planets and so on.
  • Full control over pirate and mercenary factions. I noticed a lot of people requesting this, seing as I have not yet wanted to make pirates or mercs, I'll just leave this here. Someone please post the features you would like, that have something to do with this. Will update post.
  • Ability to add custom artifacts and planet bonuses to the game.
  • Undo function.
  • Working Templates, all of them.
  • Ability to use different galaxyscenariodefs from different mods without having to manually delete and copy files/folders into the galaxyforge folder perhaps like the way mods are handled in vanilla sins.
  • Easier way of getting maps into the game.

I will add anything else I think of, and yes I am well aware that this list is about creating a game editor, more so than a Galaxy Editor, but aren't these features badass.

I know that most of these things can be achieved, either by editing the map in a text editor, or by other means, it just makes more sence and would be easier if they were functions of the editor.

Please excuse my grammar and bad english, I am not a native english speaker.

modding
10,383 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

okay, let's start-

1) a number of settings you want control over in your proposed "Galaxy Forge 4" are actually controlled in entity files. I'll use the # of resource roids as an example- this value is controlled in a planet's entity file.

2) the same goes for gravity well radius/diameter. Also controlled in entity files.

3) I fully support the Z-axis alteration idea. Excellent I must say.

4) an "in-engine" editor will probably not come; unless you intend something like a representation when zoomed out to the max in Sins (where you have the solar system spiral-things), in which case that might be doable, but might not be a good idea. A 3D-rotatable representation is a FAR better idea.

5) Planet textures are a function of the planet meshes. Each planet entity lists 2-3 meshes, each mesh has a different texture set.

6) we don't need beer in Galaxy Forge 4. And when you express it, do so like this: :beer:

7) I didn't notice anything bad about your grammar/spelling. Well, very little anyway. But enough people who speak English and can't spell already inhabit large swaths of the Internet, so its pretty unnoticable.

That about sums it up. A tip though- if you want to edit GW (<-shortened term for "Gravity Well") sizes, simply convert the entities from BIN->TXT so they are readable in a text editor, then edit the file by hand in Notepad, WordPad, or Notepad++. NP++ I recommend. Same goes for editing resource 'roid values.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

All I want is working Templates GUI.

Star Control: Origins
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

@Whiskey144
I thought that a 3D representation would work too, until I figured out that you either need to

1: Make a small engine to handle the rendering.

2: Use sprites.

But both lack the aspect of being able to see how it would look in game, this is for distances mainly. But if it is well presented, that is to say, what you see in the editor will be what you see in the game, only in the game it's prettier, than yes. And for the enteties point: Yes I know, but isn't that too much of a hasle, when you could simply have it in the editor. This isn't a wishlist, wishing new things to be added, it is also about improvements. And for your point about textures, again I say, would it not be much more user friendly and simple to be able to edit those from the editor itself in some way.

And also, thank you for the constructive criticism.

@-Ue_Carbon

Added it to the list.

 

This also could be an official wishlisht thread if enough people post suggestions.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

A good chunk of your list is sadly impossible because they are not handled by the map files, including...

 

preferably a three dimensional representation of the mapgravity well sizes and resource asteroids freedom to modify the Z axis on planets,

freedom to modify planetary gravity wellworking object placement.

freedom to place and choose type of resource asteroids.

[IF POSSIBLE] ability to modify planet size ability to choose planet texture,

after choice of planet typeImporting extra planet textures into the game in an easy and user friendly fashion.

This will allow you to create any planet you wish, be it jungle planets or water planets and so on.

Easier way of getting maps into the game.

 

These must all be either done viea mod or in the case of the latter, built into the game. They would be nice to have, but sadly you list will have to stay just that, A wish list.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

MY desired list of improvements to galaxyforge are as follows

1 full support for quickstart and normalstart in templates(should have been in galaxyforge 3 so is a BUGFIX).

2 ability to use different galaxyscenariodefs from different mods without having to manually delete and copy files/folders into the galaxyforge folder perhaps like the way mods are handled in vanilla sins.

3 support for spawning starbases or at a minimum the starbase builders with the starbase builders autobuilding the starbase.

4 defaulting to placing the galaxy files in the userspace galaxyforge folder and not 'my documents'

 

as I see it ideas 1,3 & 4 are fairly easy to do, but #2 will require a lot of work and might not be practical.

harpo

 

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

@harpo- I believe several mods (Distant Stars springs to mind) have done SB spawning.

The workaround for different galaxyscenariodef files is simply extract multiple folders containing GF3, and then drop in the custom scenariodef files into each one. The easy way to remember which is which is simply rename the folder to "[modname] Forge 3"; e.g. "Deadly Forge" for 7DS, "Distant Stars Forge" for Distant Stars, "Battlefleet Gothic Forge" for the BFG mod, ad nauseum.

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

@harpo- I believe several mods (Distant Stars springs to mind) have done SB spawning.
End of quote

 

Its a pain in the ass though with GF in its curent state. We had to edit the GalaxyDef file, along side manually adding SB's to the map.

 

Again this issues boils down GF not doing Templates correctly.

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Whiskey144, reply 7
@harpo- I believe several mods (Distant Stars springs to mind) have done SB spawning.
End of Whiskey144's quote

its a tricky thing and very much a work around, what is requested would simplify things a lot

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

Wait a minute. Why not just create a mod version of GalaxyForge, and script an in-game editing interface and load/save system?

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

I logged in just to congratulate you on your firm grasp on the English language. I find it impressive that you are not a native speaker.