Modding Question

I will bet your using out dated reference files from the Developers. 

Look for harpos. I have not had a chance or the will to update mine yet.

A lot of modding tutorials at SoaSE.weebly.com/modding.html

What do you mean by don't take effect? Can you apply the mod but nothing happens? Does it crash?

If its a crash follow myfists advice. If nothing seems to change, does your checksum change when you apply the mod? If it still says 0, then the game isn't reading your files, probably because you set up your folders wrong. The weebly should have a explanation on that too.

I'm copying my gameinfo files right from my own files in the entrenchment folder so i dont think outdated files are the issue.

I just realized, the checksum does say 0. What could some problems be?

Make sure your entity files are in a folder called "GameInfo" (capitalization matters), in another folder called "Your Mod" (name doesn't matter). If you are adding new entity files rather than editing old ones there is another step but worry about that later.

http://soase.weebly.com/placing-mods.html

Hmmm..

seems to work now. Thanks a million!

Hi i am going to try my first mod today distant star looks great, downloading it now my ultimate goal is to increase fleet size, stronger capitol ships, and maybe some changes to the research tree for diplomacy. 

Assuming i get distant star working right away any recommendations for mods that would complement it well or others that would get me more of what i am looking for, or for that matter just any really good ones that are compatible.

I am updating to trinity (v1.34) the newest version from impulse ATM thanks  

Here's a list of planet mods...they won't be compatible with DS but if you're interested in adding new planets to your own mod, then there's a bunch of different mods you can pull textures and meshes from...

Incorporating those into any personal mod of yours will require some work and I suggest you use a guide (like the Weebly) to make sure you don't forget any steps...

DS has some "add-ons" that are compatible with it (check the DS thread) such as graphics mods or music, but mods in general do not easily stack well...extensive mods, especially any of those that add content instead of simply changing it, make changes to what I guess you could call "universal" game files...

If my mod changes entity file ABC and your mod changes entity file XYZ, then there'll be no problem merging to the two mods...

But if my mod changes capital ship experience in the Gameplay file and your mod changes the speed of culture in the Gameplay file, then you can't simply put both Gameplay files in a mod and get it to work...you'd have to actually go through the two files, identify the changes made by each, and create a new Gameplay file with all the changes you want...there are other files such as the GalaxyScenarioDef, the String file, and the Entity Manifest (all the manifests, actually) that cannot be easily merged, and in some cases two different mods that seem to affect completely different aspects of the game in fact will have conflicting changes so merging two mods may require a lot of judgement on your part...

It may sound like a lot of work (and in some cases it is) but it sure is gratifying when you get something put together and get to actually play it...

Someone more knowledgeable than I can put up some links to effects and sound mods as I am not real familiar with any of those...I will say though that virtually every SciFi universe out there has its own conversion mod (just look at the first 2 or 3 pages of the modding section of the forums)....

thanks for the list i did get DS working so i have been playing around with that

also thanks for the brief overview of of how mods work i have never moded anything and as i said DS is the first mod i have actually played even though expansions to games are basically mods in themselves.