The problem is nothing I mess with is correcting the problem. Also if there is a better way to get the effect I want (basically magnetize), like using applyforce, let me know.

Thanks--yes.  I haven't actually implemented new, modded planets before and did this on the fly without really looking to see how it is done.

Your comment cracked me up.

I get it now--thanks psychoak as well. 

You got a problem with decorated folders!?  It makes them purty.

Are you both thinking that the seventh added planet type was a separate problem?  Just curious. Removing one variant seemed to eliminate it. 

Finally, I don't want my new planets to be part of the random maps--will leaving the default template blank work for this?

P.S. Did you ever get your planet issue fixed from a bit ago Goa?  I have one with the same problem.

If this was in the planetType section, I don't think it was the number of orbitBodys that was the problem. Maybe your count was off or something.

Default templates are simply what militia and things get spawned with the planet at start. planetTypes are where most of the action is. Add the orbitBody to the Random, RandomTrue, etc. templates will make it appear in random maps. If you just add it to its own planetType, and nothing else, it will have to specifically called for in a map. Existing maps will never use it.

Not really, no. Unless I'm missing something in the mesh, it seems that the blue areas are created by the planet.fx pipeline effects shader, as part of the transition for the light side of the planet to the dark side of the planet. This is actually what makes ice planets look more blue than white. In my case, it looked extra bad because the texture was of pretty low detail, so it looked more like a bad ocean rather than a endless tundra. In more detailed textures, it looks much more natural, hence why I'm having to spend time retexturing this...

That said, if that isn't an option for you, you get the planet entity to use either the Asteroid or the Volcanic shaders by changing the relevant lines, which won't have this issue but will probably have worse ones without readjusting the textures, and may or may not eventually be made to get the effect you want.

Good info.  I did try some variations on my own planet and I think it is the sort of texture I have that's the problem.  It also isn't spherical which makes it more of an issue to learn on (it's the only darn planet I plan to do).

I had tried the asteroid vs. planet and the like but nothing comes out very well so far.  I basically put it on the shelf until I finish other things.

Back to the original point, I changed the labels in my files and get a "name is not available" error.  I'm doing all this between real work and errands here which is terrible and am also "winging it" which usually I take a bit more time and care.

Just wondered if using similar names so much might be a problem or is that error just indicating I probably missed another set of entries somewhere?

@Coronal

One problem is the finish condition for BuffFRANDtarget, it needs to be LastSpawnerNoLongerHasBuff, not FirstSpawnerNoLongerHasBuff...

I got it to "work" in that ships would be "attracted" towards the target...of course, the problem is that they just keep moving, they don't stop and clump together...I tried having a secondary buff applied via BuffFRANDSpawner with a shorter range that resets the physics state or applies an impulse but that doesn't seem to work, nothing seems to kill or counter BuffFRANDtarget other than its own finish conditions....

Unfortunately you may have to use the apply impulse in TK push to get this to work....

Have you looked at the Celestial Bodies or Distant Stars mod and then looked at the Black Hole and it's abilities?  I made mines a year ago that do exactly what you are saying--they pull everything to them and then detonate after a time delay. All the ships stayed glued until they went boom.

Thanks! I think I can make them stop and clump. brb.

@Simperium no I have not, do not have those mods. Would you pm or post that particular ability file?

Sinperium, is there in fact a hardcode limit of 6 for the number of times you can reference the same entity in the GSD?  Or was it some other problem?  I ask only for future reference, as I plan to be toying with the GSD in the near future...

I don't know.  I fubared the files--they were correct but I hadn't added all the references I needed.  I'll be trying to fix it tonight and tomorrow I'll post and let you know.  I don't think that's the case.  most likely I messed them up (no sleep and a 102-degree fever last night).

I've always done ships and abilities and that was my first stab at planets.  So I'll post tomorrow.

I'll post up the files here for the black hole too. I don't have my final ones (taken by a bad HD) but I have a prototype.  Give me a few to dig it out.

The abilities are taken from Celestial Bodies and later were made part of Distant Stars--so credit them accordingly as needed.

I can't fine my  mines but here are the abilities from Diplomacy (not sure if they're the originals or ones I modified).

Black Holes

The attraction field is the gravity and the other is the damage.  They are done in two sets.  The first is weaker gravity that ships can thrust in...the second set is the strong gravity that's almost inescapable.

I know the Galaxy forge isn't modding, but I figured this would be the best thread for a answer,

Upon creating a map in Galaxy forge any computer above hard (specificly i was trying to use cruel, but i did some testing) simply wont do anything. there is custom planets involved (Distant Stars) but I cant think of a reason for the life of me this is happening.

That's odd...and vague.  Sounds like a bad line or entry there. Recheck your map.

Thanks for putting that up. Unfortunately it wasn't very helpful. The attraction part is the same except for using apply force, which I do like better than initialize movement.

Current problem is overshoot, am trying to freeze the ships in place once they're close. I assume the black hole didn't have this problem since it kills/damages them.

I've thought of using a kill buff file before, but don't really want to. Would doing something like using an opposed "force field" and then disabling everything work? Or is there a way to remove the buff once close in range?

Unrelated question, what are all the options for the target friendly IFF? Enemy, Friendly, Player, Neutral, and of course constraints can restrict those...are there any others like limited to faction? I strongly doubt it but just want to check.

Hopefully you've broken that fever.

Of the top of my head, adapt phasic trap possibly (if it can apply to non strike craft) after pulling them in with the attraction field.  Other alternative would be the Vasari ability to slow speed and maneuver once in range.

So you could fire something like the Marza's radiation bomb...that creates the attraction field from the target (instead of the AoE damage)...and have a simulateneous buff with lesser range that immobilizes the ships once the reach the "inner circle".

I haven't looked at the abilities  for this purpose but I think it might work.

Fever mostly gone (staying awake is the issue now).  I have little fever now and the only cure is more modding.

The DS team said they had to play quite a bit to get a workable, in-game attraction field like that.  They had the same problems with too fast, too slow, too jerky, etc., etc.

Yeah I've had it spawning from the enemy target since before getting on here. Just added a second inner buff, "reset physics state" works good for this, in combo with something like disable engines. Also using an apply force that is opposite sign works too, so long as there is disable engines to keep them from leaving (the advantage to this is I can use a "mass disorient" effect if I want [I think...], otherwise the reset physics state is better). More details to hash out but I think I have the gist of it. Can still get the crazy looking far flyer when the target misses the inner buff ring (making it larger makes it less of a lump...trade-offs...sigh.

Yeah took me a while too, that's why I asked to see if someone else had done the work and could make it easy for me . Nice cure plan.

Experimenting with the flagship bool modifier lately and I've run into issues when trying to put it on a titan.  The intent is to give a new ability to the Vorastra to cause its owner to lose should it die.  The buff with the modifier is clearly being applied (it also has multiple entityModifiers which display on the infocard as well as the "Flagship" designation), but it seems to have no effect when the Vorastra dies.  

Is the modifier only applicable when playing on flagship victory or something?

Probably. Zombie did get titans to act as flagships, but I think it had to be that game mode.

The modifier only adds flavor text. If a ship is in the flagship entry and it dies you lose regardless of the modifier.

So what I'm trying to do then would require doing something upon death of the Vorastra with this ability researched, such as spawning and proceeding to kill the actual faction flagship?

Quick question that I'm sure has been covered before.

I've been trying to apply a passive 15% dodge chance to corvettes but it doesn't seem to work. I turned it up to 100% and it did nothing at all. Corvette got atomized pretty much instantly.

    buffEntityModifierType "ChanceToHitAsDamageTarget"
    value
        Level:0 -0.150000
        Level:1 -0.000000
        Level:2 -0.000000
        Level:3 -0.000000

Have I simply put it in negative terms, meaning it's got a 115% chance to be hit, or what?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I could be wrong but I believe that modifier only works on strikecraft....

Are you targeting the corvette (apply buff to self) or are you targeting the enemy (apply buff to target/radius)? It's possible you are giving the corvettes and increased/decreased chance for them to hit their targets, not be hit.

put the files in pastebin please so we don't have to guess why it might be wrong, which with sins there are many different possibilities.

Couldn't you just edit the player.entity file to make the Vorastra the flagship. I think that's what Zombie did.

Wouldn't that spawn the Vorastra from the beginning if someone tried playing with flagship victory though?

You might not have a choice but to do it that way.