Sinperium Sinperium

Modder's "Get-an-Answer" Thread

Modder's "Get-an-Answer" Thread

Answers from Modders, for Modders who "Ask a Question"

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 when requested.





The Soase Idiot's Guide

Confused?  No idea where to even start?

Determined to work at it?

This is the place!

 


 

 
   

Sins Modding Wiki

ZombieRus's Eclipse Wizardry

 

     


Tutorials

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

ZombieRus5's Mod Yard

Directory of Planet Mods

STEAM

STEAM Sins Forums

DEVELOPERS

Sins Developer Journals Forum 2007 to Present

REFERENCE FILES

Research Modifier List

MyFist0's Exported Models & Files

Modifier List

Harpo's Converted Sins Reference Files 2011

THIRD PARTY TOOLS

3dS Texturing Toool & Tips

Ship Fleet Calculator

SoaSE Eclipse Plugin Project

Mesh Resizing Tool--courtesy of the Reqiuem team.

Harpo's Sins Utility Package -- Dropbox

The Sins Optimization Project (TSOP)

Artificial Unintelligence (Mod and AI info)

Sins Data Converter by BCXtreme

EXPLANATIONS & DISCUSSIONS

Rebellion Updates by Blair Frazier

How to Add a Fourth Race

User-updatable Ship Reference Chart

Sins Modding Dictionary

Adding phase Effects to other weapon types

Culture, Explanation/Discussion

Weapons, Explanation/Discusion

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

Weapons Banks & DPS

Combat Mechanics

Rebellion Shield Mitigation & Focus Fire testing

PARTICLE FORGE

Particle Forge Help Thread

GALAXY FORGE

Adding Artifacts

Working Template Examples

SemazRalan's Template Guide

Pirates Base Start Template

SOUND RESOURCES

[SFX] Black Sun SFX/Music Resource for Modders

MODELING & TEXTURING--SOFTIMAGE XSI, 3DS MAX

XSI Texturing, Tutorial

3dS Model Exporter

3DS Max Rigging, Texturing & Exporting, Guide

Modding/Modelling/Texturing/Converting, Tutorials

WIKI'S

Sins of a Solar Empire Official Wiki

 

7,618,585 views 2,761 replies
Reply #2076 Top

I think you would want to remove the MainViewIcon for said entity...IIRC, the smallHUDIcon is what goes in the empire tree...

Reply #2077 Top

Ok, ill try deleting the MainViewIcon and report back. Thanks.

Reply #2078 Top

Does anyone know if it is possible to change rebellion ship movement behavior (ships turning around in place) to the way it used to be in vanilla (ships moving forward while turning around) ?

Reply #2079 Top

No.....but, in the vast majority of situations the current system is superior....is there a particular reason why you want them to arc instead of doing point turns?

Reply #2080 Top

Quoting ParadePartizan, reply 2078

Does anyone know if it is possible to change rebellion ship movement behavior (ships turning around in place) to the way it used to be in vanilla (ships moving forward while turning around) ?
End of ParadePartizan's quote

 

This depends a lot on their maneuverability (as in, acceleration, turn rate, mass etc) It also depends on their current movement and their destination. If you tell a ship to move to a location behind it, most of the time they will stop, turn around and then move.

 

Basically ships will use the fastest method to move to their destination. So if it is faster for them to do a 'halt then turn' than to do a continuous 'turn while moving' then that's what they will do.

 

You might be able to change the behaviour by tweaking the linear acceleration/deceleration, angular acceleration/deceleration (turn rate) and mass. The maxrollrate has some effect too (that's how fast the ship can roll sideways when turning)

 

This is the section of the ship entities that you need to play with (this is from the FrigatePhaseColony.entity):

maxAccelerationLinear 100.000000 - Forward thrust
maxAccelerationStrafe 10.000000 - Sideways/strafing thrust (used when moving a small distance sideways of up/down)
maxDecelerationLinear 500.000000 - Reverse thrust (or 'breaking speed')
maxAccelerationAngular 1.650000 - Turning speed
maxDecelerationAngular 9.999996 - speed that a turn is stopped
maxSpeedLinear 500.000000 - max speed a unit can travel
maxRollRate 2.000000 - speed which ship 'rolls'
maxRollAngle 35.000000 - max angle a ship turns when rolling (anything higher than 90 doesn't work)

Reply #2081 Top

@Seleuceia

The reason for my request is that it just looks better for the star trek mods i like to play (SOA2/Armada3). The ships use fighterattack style and it bugs me when they completely stop  while turning around for a new attack run ( the fighters move while turning though ).

 

@Wintercross

 

Already tried out various combinations. I even gave ships same movement stats as fighters  - nothing worked. There has to be a command somewhere like "if turn > 45 degree --->  then stop moving"

Reply #2082 Top

Hi, modding community

 

I think this is my first post on these forums and I need a few answers to help me with my beginning modding attempts.

I want to change a few small things, mostly modding the entity files which is pretty easy or as easy/difficult as modding MOO and already works as intended.

 

But I want to change the visuals of the Vasaris Spacebase and the Vasari Corvette, cause: Reasons. As I suck when it comes to grafics I intend to look around for suitable models which I can "borrow" so to speak. I already have a few in mind from a mod that is Reb 1.52 compatible, think they should work with Reb 1.8 + DLCs

The big question is, which files do I have to change to achieve my goal. I already read a bit about the various problem that I may encounter but I have to try.

I intend to rename the new graphic files so that they match the names of the existing ships. Think that will it make "easier" to do.

When this works I might be tempted to try to mod the Neutrals ships but first things first.

 

My second queston might be easier or shorter to answer. I looked at the various planetxxx.entity files, especially at the resources.

    metalResourceAsteroidSetup
        minCount 1
        maxCount 2
        extractionRate 0.400000
        refineryRate 0.060000
        maxRefineryCount 3

what the heck is "maxRefineryCount"

Some of the Planetfiles have higher maxCount than maxRefineryCounts so it can't be the maximum allowed Material Extractors you can build

...think I just answered the question myself, 3 Orbital Refineries can service this Asteroid, right?

Reply #2083 Top

Quoting Razeful, reply 2082
As I suck when it comes to grafics I intend to look around for suitable models which I can "borrow" so to speak. I already have a few in mind from a mod that is Reb 1.52 compatible, think they should work with Reb 1.8 + DLCs
End of Razeful's quote

Usually all you need is a mesh file and the textures that go with it (Do not rename the textures, just rename the mesh to that of the mesh you are replacing). And you are doing all these changes in a mod and not to the game files directly correct?

Starbases and Corvettes are slightly more complicated in that they have 3 different weapons that need to fire in different directions. You'd thus need to find a model already rigged up with weapon points in a similar manner. Also Starbases have the added complexity of changing how their mesh looks with starbase upgrades, and you'll need to get rid of all that in the entity file.

Quoting Razeful, reply 2082
what the heck is "maxRefineryCount"
End of Razeful's quote

It's the max number of refinery ships that can service the extractor at one time.

Reply #2084 Top

Thx for the answers.

 

Yeah, I know that I have to put the Files in the Mod Directory. Changeing the names to what I replace was exactly what I planned to do.

 

How can I check, whether the models I want to use have the required Weaponpoints?

 

I plan on looking for fitting mesh.files in Maelstroms Mod. He has 3 new races with lots of ships and he has definately new Starbases

As the Maelstrom-Mod has completly new ships, he should also have the entity files for them. Think I will start looking there. should at least work for the Corvette somewhat easily.

Reply #2085 Top

Quoting ParadePartizan, reply 2081

@Seleuceia

The reason for my request is that it just looks better for the star trek mods i like to play (SOA2/Armada3). The ships use fighterattack style and it bugs me when they completely stop  while turning around for a new attack run ( the fighters move while turning though ).

 

@Wintercross

 

Already tried out various combinations. I even gave ships same movement stats as fighters  - nothing worked. There has to be a command somewhere like "if turn > 45 degree --->  then stop moving"
End of ParadePartizan's quote

 

Nope, it's just those lines. You might also want to consider the 'mass' line as this can have an effect on the handling as well.

 

It takes a lot of tweaking to get them to move differently, and you won't be able to completely remove the 'stop and turn' only reduce it's effect somewhat.

In my Sins of the Sirius Sector mod it took a lot of tweaking to the Fighter craft (basically corvettes with fighter-like handling) to get them moving right.

You could try changing the values to what they were in vanilla sins and see if that changes things.

Reply #2086 Top

Quoting ParadePartizan, reply 2081
The reason for my request is that it just looks better for the star trek mods i like to play (SOA2/Armada3). The ships use fighterattack style and it bugs me when they completely stop while turning around for a new attack run ( the fighters move while turning though ).
End of ParadePartizan's quote

Wow....I did not know that when they removed the arcs, it also affected fighterattack...I guess they did that cause of corvettes...

Reply #2087 Top

Quoting Seleuceia, reply 2086


Quoting ParadePartizan, reply 2081The reason for my request is that it just looks better for the star trek mods i like to play (SOA2/Armada3). The ships use fighterattack style and it bugs me when they completely stop while turning around for a new attack run ( the fighters move while turning though ).

Wow....I did not know that when they removed the arcs, it also affected fighterattack...I guess they did that cause of corvettes...
End of Seleuceia's quote

It might only have affected other entities attempting to use FighterAttack, not the strikecraft themselves.

Reply #2088 Top

Will the Buff Terminate correctly, meaning, it will only terminate when neither "BuffNanoLeechTarget" nor "BuffNanoLeechTarget2" are on the target?

 

finishCondition
    finishConditionType "OwnerNoLongerHasBuff"
    buffTypeToQuery "BuffNanoLeechTarget"
finishCondition
    finishConditionType "OwnerNoLongerHasBuff"
    buffTypeToQuery "BuffNanoLeechTarget2"

 

"BuffNanoLeechTarget2" is a weaker Version of the Original Buff I plan to use for a CapShip

Reply #2089 Top

Quoting Razeful, reply 2088

Will the Buff Terminate correctly, meaning, it will only terminate when neither "BuffNanoLeechTarget" nor "BuffNanoLeechTarget2" are on the target?

 

finishCondition
    finishConditionType "OwnerNoLongerHasBuff"
    buffTypeToQuery "BuffNanoLeechTarget"
finishCondition
    finishConditionType "OwnerNoLongerHasBuff"
    buffTypeToQuery "BuffNanoLeechTarget2"

 

"BuffNanoLeechTarget2" is a weaker Version of the Original Buff I plan to use for a CapShip
End of Razeful's quote

 

If either of those buffs are not on the target, the buff will terminate. Each finish condition is an independent check, if any of the finish conditions are true it will terminate.

+1 Loading…
Reply #2092 Top

A last question for today O:)

 

Is "Truce Among Rogues" from the TEC Rebels moddable? It sets the Modifier "FriendlyWithPiratesRebelNeutrals". Any chance of getting that modifier with only Pirates?

Reply #2093 Top

Quoting Razeful, reply 2092

A last question for today

 

Is "Truce Among Rogues" from the TEC Rebels moddable? It sets the Modifier "FriendlyWithPiratesRebelNeutrals". Any chance of getting that modifier with only Pirates?
End of Razeful's quote

Nope.

Quoting Razeful, reply 2091

Was just browsing the modding threads/links a bit and found that one, albeit somewhat old.

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/389449

has this been done, meaning, atuo-docking and undocking of SC?
End of Razeful's quote

I don't think anyone went further with that idea. It probably could be done but it is probably more trouble than it is worth. I at least have just gone with the cut the numbers of strikecraft but make each one stronger approach.

Reply #2094 Top

MyFist0 and Major Stress (I think) played a lot with the autodocking ideas.  There was no way to really make it function as they desired at the time.

Reply #2095 Top

Quoting GoaFan77, reply 2093


Quoting Razeful, reply 2092
A last question for today

 

Is "Truce Among Rogues" from the TEC Rebels moddable? It sets the Modifier "FriendlyWithPiratesRebelNeutrals". Any chance of getting that modifier with only Pirates?

Nope.
End of GoaFan77's quote

Ok, this is going to interfere with the usual maps I plan to play with my friends. with lots of Neutrals and the Open Rebellion Feature this is going to cripple the AI in the long run and it is for sure going to be a nuisance for any Human TEC Rebel player.

Time to think about a replacement

 

To resize meshes I probably need a "Graphics Programm" The small resizing tool from newboerg dumps the decimal point and doing them by hand on the Titan Meshes is going to be a nightmare after taking a short peak at all the weapon points and vertexes in there.

Reply #2096 Top

Quoting Razeful, reply 2095


Ok, this is going to interfere with the usual maps I plan to play with my friends. with lots of Neutrals and the Open Rebellion Feature this is going to cripple the AI in the long run and it is for sure going to be a nuisance for any Human TEC Rebel player.

Time to think about a replacement

 

To resize meshes I probably need a "Graphics Programm" The small resizing tool from newboerg dumps the decimal point and doing them by hand on the Titan Meshes is going to be a nightmare after taking a short peak at all the weapon points and vertexes in there.
End of Razeful's quote

What do you mean by dumps the decimal point? I haven't noticed any problems with it.

Reply #2097 Top

Original TechRebel mesh file

    MaxBoundingExtents [ 544.124084 349.426819 1030.192749 ]
    MinBoundingExtents [ -544.124146 -279.582031 -1029.139404 ]

20% resized TechRebel mesh file

    MaxBoundingExtents [ 10882481680 6988536380 20603854980 ]
    MinBoundingExtents [ -10882482920 -5591640620 -20582788080 ]

it should read

    MaxBoundingExtents [ 108.824816 69.885363 206.038549 ]
    MinBoundingExtents [ -108.824829 -55.916406 -205.827880 ]

maybe I shouldn't try to resize all at once?

 

Reply #2098 Top

ok, forget it, I'm just to dumb to use the programm.

 

It's working right now

Reply #2099 Top

On a Frigate mesh how many hard points are allowed per weapon ? what is the max?

Reply #2100 Top

Quoting rjhughes67, reply 2099

On a Frigate mesh how many hard points are allowed per weapon ? what is the max?
End of rjhughes67's quote

 

I think from memory it is 20 per 'arc' (ie: forward,left,right,backward) per weapon.
Weapon limit is 5 in Rebellion (weapon-0, weapon-1, weapon-2, weapon-3, weapon-4)