Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yea I think so. I haven't actaully got ver 1.78 yet but I've read the history and I think the changes should be pretty easy to put in.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

uhm, i think i killed your program David http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/blush.gif

I accidently selected an empty "Data" dir in the "Open" dialog, it got stuck there, i shut down the program through the task manager, but when i run the program again it gets stuck every time, probably trying to open that empty "Data" dir....is there anyplace where i can reset that or something?
Removing and reinstalling the program doesn't work.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oops. I'm surprised uninstalling it doesn't work but yea it is stuck in a loop looking for that *BEGIN* in a non exixtant file. To fix it run regedit.exe and search for "SE4Viewer" and either just delete the entire key or change the /Settings/RootDir key to a valid directory.

edit-&gt;

this is the registry key name
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\SE4Viewer

[ August 26, 2002, 03:42: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

wheee, it's alive again http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

New Version 1.5 now done.

New Features:

- Ver 1.78 additions
- editable System Types
- editable Quadrant Types
- Ability to create family of components or facilities
- Will play 'new' sounds.
- Misc bug fixes including most bugs mentioned in this thread (I think)

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG: Looks like a very nice App. If only i had an idea for a unique MOD http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

David G your da man... Why if you didn't live so close to steel town I would head down there and buy you a beer

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

David G. This is a very well designed program for making mods. Superb. Very good work. My thanks to you for your time and dedication to this pinnacle of the programmers art. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Thanks for all the positive feedback http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif (without which I'd likely lose the motiviation to keep working on it)

P.S. Any suggestion on what I can add next. I guess Races is the obvious one but man some of those files are long and complicated.

P.S.S. Any VB programers know if VB has a limit of the number of controls you can have in an app?

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">There is a limit on the number of controls on a particular 'form' -- but not in an app (unless it's 64k cntrls - which I doubt). I've never run into a limitation except in VB3.

[ September 01, 2002, 00:19: Message edited by: Elowan ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The 'obvious' next utility might not be so easy. We really need a formation editor that can handle the new 100 ships limit. Manually laying out a formation and writing the X/Y coordinates is a royal pain even for the old 30 ship limit. Now it's 100!? Eek! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif The formation editor that was available previously (might still be in the download area?) worked well enough. It let you use a 'click & drag' interface to position the ships. It's just not able to handle 100 ships and the author refuses to try to update it.

[ September 01, 2002, 03:32: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG, I love your SEModder 1.5 and am starting my own mod. I have a question though.

On the left side a tree is displayed where you select the part you want to mod. One branch of that tree is Races, but you cannot alter anything in those Races files. Is this function not yet incorporated? If it is not do you plan to incorporate at some future date?

Thank you for an excellent modding tool. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">hehe. I actually meant to hide that when I compiled the final ver 1.5. Ooops. I was thinking about incorporating Races but after taking a closer look at the Race .txt files they seem insanely complex compared to the data txt files so i'm not sure. I think for the imediate future I'll add some more of the txt files in the data directory like formations.txt and maybe the settings.txt

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG, I am further along on my mod now and have found a problem area, not critical, but needs some improvement.

I was making a new set of weapons just for bases and weapons platforms. The first weapon was Base Point Defense. I used the ship point defense as a template to make the first Base PD. Saved that and went to the new listing at the bottom of the weapons list. I wanted to make a group of 5 so I used the create group button with the Base PD still highlighted. It asked for the damage increase percentage, I put in 25. For the range increase I put 1. My original Base PD had a range of 8, damage at all ranges 60. After clicking OK I watched the group files added to the weapons list, neat http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif . I then went and looked at the 4 new listings. Mostly good but the damage at range was not what I was expecting. The original was 60,60,60,60,60,60,60,60 and I was expecting 75,75,75,75,75,75,75,75,75 what I got was 75,75,60,60,60,60,60,60 you can see what happened. It did not increase the max range only the range of increased damage. Is this how it was intended or a programming error or oversight?

I still love SE4Modder but you asked for any errors or suggestions. I think you need to add a couple of controls on the Group window, one for setting damage to increase the same over the whole range of the weapon or incrementally. Another for the range, increase max range or just damage increase range.

Again thank you for an excellent modding tool.

Harold

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG, I'm sorry, I think I found another slight problem. Please don't yell at me. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

I was changing system types to how I want them and those that I changed moved the suns and I did not realize it. Evidently when SE4Modder loads in the system types file it assigns Coord X,Y to the suns. However in only uses a valid number for X, Y is set to 0. I did not notice this and when I started a game I had some binary and trinary systems with all the stars in the 0,0 coordinant not down near 6,6 where they should have been. Now I'm really confused because I went back to SE4Modder and looked at the binary and trunary system types and the suns were set to coord 7,0 or 5,0 or 6,0 something like that but they were at 0,0 when I went into Mapmaker to lood at the systems in the quadrent.

Just thought I should alert you to this little minor strange problem.

Please keep fixing these minor problems and very soon this will be the Ultimate Modding Tool for SE4. Thank you

Harold

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No worries. I like solving problems. means people are using the program http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The problem with the systems was it wasn't saving the Y coord at all. in the txt File it would read "Coord 1" Since this is invalid I guess SE4 didn't know where to put the sun so put it in the corner. I've fixed this and I'll look at the other thing and post a fix soon.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Uploaded a Version that fixes the bugs mentioned by Nebraskan. As far as the Create Family goes it currently works like this:

A damage at range of:
60 60 60 60 60 60 60
using Nebraskan's example will in Level 2 become:
75 75 75 75 75 75 75 60

Various weapons differ in what the damage of the extendeded range slots are. I may add some more options in the future but for now a little tweeking of the new componets may be needed after you use the Create Family command.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

New Version now with Formation Editor! Yes now you too can taunt your foe by arranging your ships into rude words.

Ships (up to 99) can by positioned by dragging and dropping. To delete a ship select it (selected ship turns red) and hit delete button.

Currently the 'Design Type' field is set as 'Any' for all ships mostly becuase I don't know what the vailid values are. so if someone can tell me I'll see if I can add that.

[ September 05, 2002, 03:17: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">AFAIK, design types would correspond to the AI_DesignCreation.txt files. Although you could probably put in any vehicle type there (useful for modders who create unique formations for their race), it would probably be best to stick to the default types. Also, the game seems to accept comma-delimited lists of types (see Dark Wing formation in TDM-modpack for example). Maybe a list box with toggle-able items would work here.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">According to VB6 Professional Edition, limits are:
- 32,000 unique identifiers (anything named)
- no limit on objects in a project
- non-graphical controls (all but label, line, image, and shape) limited by available system resources
- 254 control names per form
- control array indexes 0 through 32767 (counts as a single control name)
- 25 levels of nested controls (frames in frames in frames...)

The biggest hurdle seems to be the control names per form, unless you like piling everything into control arrays with lots of Select Case statements. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ September 05, 2002, 03:51: Message edited by: Krsqk ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The design type can be any text string, as far as I know. But you're probably best off sticking with the default types that the AI recognizes, as Krsqk said. Attack Ship, Defense Ship, Attack Base(ship), Troop Transport, etc.

I'll have to try this out now. Oh, and one annoying thing about the default behavior of the modder: Why does it have to make all those backup files in the same directory with your data files? Can't it put them in some other specified directory? I like to be able to zip up my data files into a neat package but I have to delete or move all those backups if I use this modder. If it would keep them in another location this owuld be much more convenient.

[ September 05, 2002, 03:59: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">hehe no reason other than I never realized it was a problem before. I guess I could make a "data_backup" directory under the mod directory and put them in there. Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks for the info Krsqk!!

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG, Sorry false alarm.

[ September 06, 2002, 18:36: Message edited by: Nebraskan ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Huh?? I kind of wish you'd left your message up. I already read it and there is a bug there although I found things a bit different than what you described. I actaully had a response mostly written but had to go to work before I posted it:

Yup bit of a problem here. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif
As a heads up to anyone using the program here is what's happening.
When you edit a component name then save it as a new component it is saved after the component you edited. This is obviously usefull for say adding one more level to a group but not if it is a brand new component. (although I'm thinking SE4 may not be too picky about the order as longs as I is before II, perhaps even if another component is in between) I'm going to create an option to specify were you want the new component insterted.

The Create Family command put all the new items at the end of the list but only named them correctly to level 5 (Ooop! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/blush.gif ) (after level 5 they all got the same name http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif )

Also the due to the nature of the Treeview the order things are listed is not necessarily the same order as in the .txt file.

I should have a fix done pretty soon and I guess I should finally get around to writing that Order components bit.

[ September 06, 2002, 22:13: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG, I am sorry. I thought that most of what happened to me was because I was changing 2 different tech level requirements in each level of the weapon. I could see part of what you described though. Makes me feel better anyhow to know I wasn't totally losing my mind. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif What you describe as happening when you modify a current component to make a new similar component was definetly part of the problem, and the Family Group putting the rest of the family on the bottom of the .txt file but not showing that in the Tree really had me confused.

I hope you are able to do something about this. It is so much easier to use your SE4Modder to make a mod. I straightened out the problems, in my mod that this caused, manually. It only took about 3 hours whereas it only took about 10 minutes to do using the modder.

Keep refining the program. It has excellent potential. Thank you.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

This is off the mark, out of the box, shot up in your face http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Thank you for putting your time and life so that you could make us lowlives who do not know what the data files do make mods.

I am eternaly grateful.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Just downloaded and fiddled with this modding tool. Very cool! I opened up the B5 mod (which is gargantuan) and it just flew through the files... Waaaay better than crawling through the text files manually!
Great Work Dave!

Edit: Oh and the Canadian Maple Leaf made me feel all patriotic and misty eyed too http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[ September 07, 2002, 18:42: Message edited by: jimbob ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG:
I was just looking at the help file and it mentioned what weapon damage types are allowed, but it looked like it was all v.1.49 damage types. Is it possible to use the latest gold patch weapon damage types (such as 2x damage to shields, etc.) using your program? (sorry I don't have gold Version here with me).
Thanks

[ September 10, 2002, 00:04: Message edited by: jimbob ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Thanks for the feedback guys http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Made some minor additions:
- The Create Family hopefully works a bit better now. up to 20 per group and they should be ordered correctly
- Formations now allow you to specify ship types
(ship type options are read from DefaultDesignTypes.txt (excluding Mines, Sats etc)
- Backup files are now put in a separate directory under the mod directory called "data_backup" Any backup files in the data directory currently will also be moved here.
- When saving a new item you can now specify where to save it. (ie at the end or after the Last item you were viewing

Well now for some fun programming since I ran into that roadblock mentioned by Krsqk a few Messages down. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif Pretty much means I will have to cut and past every single line a code to new locations if I want to add anything new.

[ September 09, 2002, 12:58: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yup. The program should be 1.78 compatibale now. If you notice anything that is not let me know. The help file is larely based on Imperator Fyrons Website and on the headers of the txt files (which do have some errors and omissions) . I haven't actually updated the help file for a bit.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

I keep getting a "can't create new directory" error every time I open the editor or change directories. I'm assuming it can't create the backup directory for some reason.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hmm never seen that one before. I thinking too that it must be the backup directory. Trying creating it in windows. The directory name should be "data_backup" and will be in the mods folder (the same one as the 'data' directory)

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

SE4 Modder ROCKS! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Not sure if it's been mentioned already or not. I just downloaded Version 1.53, and the help about says Version 1.51. Minor little pickyune thing, but I can't find anything else to complain about dude!

I haven't looked at it in a while. I remeber playing with an early Version of the modder, but this latest Version is awesome man. Great work!

Geoschmo

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Woohoo!! finally something to fix! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Based on the lack of Posts in here either no one is using the program or it is working perfectly. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Feel free to post any bugs or suggestions for future Versions.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

I've encountered a number of bugs recently including:
</font>

• <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Systemtypes not scrolling beyond the 7th entry occassionally.</font>
• <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Random errors while editing that cause the program to crash without notice (I'll try to be more specific next time).</font>
• <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Opening error "Unable to create mod directory"
  </font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is a very good program and I look forward to many future updates.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Suggestion: scroll bars!

I run 800x600 and a lot of stuff seems to be constantly off the screen, with no scrolling http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Phoenix-D

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Ok, I noticed something kind of wierd. Looking at the vehicle size screen, if you click on each size it shows the same image for primary and secondary, as you would expect using the stock files. But when I click on baseship, it shows the primary image as the Last vehicle size I clicked on. I am assuming this is because in the stock files it lists "Baseship" as the primary, and the stock AI races don't have baseship images. Perhaps it would be better to have the modder select some place holder image if the primary or secondary image isn't available in the selected AI race shipset.

Also DavidG, when do you think you will tackle the AI text files? Or are you even planning on trying to add those to the modder program?

Also, what about adding support for the sector types file?

Geoschmo

[ November 02, 2002, 04:41: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Geo: Yup I know exactly what you mean with the vehicle size pics. This is actually alreay fixed in the Version I'm working on.

My intention is to eventually get all the files in the data directory into the program. I've got Intel editable and was plannin on gett RacialTraits and Cultres before posting the next Version. I'm still undecided on adding the AI files.

Phoenix-D: It was definatly my intention to get it to work at 800x600. Will have to do some more testing at that resolutuion (PS You are using that button that slides the treeview out the way right? )

Casptain Kwok. So far I've been unanble to duplicate those error but will keep an ey out for them. With the Systemstyps not scrolling is it becuase the scroll bar dissappears? Or is it still there but just doesn't scroll?

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

The scroll bar scrolls, but it doesn't move the list of objects.

Another error that I encountered was also with the system types editor. I had went to an additional entry, but it wouldn't display the drop box for physical type for that entry.

However, both problems were not fixed by restarting the program - but were by restarting the computer.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Another problem I encounter with the editor is that it eats a lot of resources! I have 320Mb of RAM and it'll scoop up 45%!

[ November 03, 2002, 15:20: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I knew it was a pig that way. Didn't know it was that high though!!! I think my next Version should dramatically change that. I've made some pretty major changes (although it should look pretty much the same to the user)

PS What tool are you using that tells you the program takes that much memory?

[ November 03, 2002, 21:33: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

I just looked at "My Computer" under performance - it is usually at 80%-82% and when I only run the SE:IV Modder it drops to 35-45% depending on what things I edit.

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

When messing with tech areas, the app chokes if you try to create a tech area with a tech group that doesn't exist yet. Like if you're redesigning the whole tech tree from scratch, and have obviously deleted all the old techs to start fresh, and try to add a new tech, it won't let you. You have to go in and write up one tech area in a specific tech group by hand in a text editor and restart the app to get it to allow you to create techs with that group.

My suggestion is to allow the creation of tech Groups on the fly...

-Paladin

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Most definately the way it should work. Will fix this. :-)

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oops. I'm surprised uninstalling it doesn't work but yea it is stuck in a loop looking for that *BEGIN* in a non exixtant file. To fix it run regedit.exe and search for "SE4Viewer" and either just delete the entire key or change the /Settings/RootDir key to a valid directory.

edit-&gt;

this is the registry key name
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\SE4Viewer</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">DavidG,

I am having the same trouble, but this is on a network machine where my ability to use Regedit is disabled. Is there someway to have SE4Modder remove this Key automatically on uninstall?

CombatSquirrel

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Possibly but the easier solution I'm going to try is to simply make the program check registry values first. Unfortunatley this doesn't really help you untill I get the new Version done http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

Patience, then, is the answer for CombatSquirrel...

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

DavidG,

Under damage types for weapons, SEModder lists "Only Security Systems , "

That " , " is a killer... chokes the component file.

CombatSquirrel

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oops. Amazing how one little character can mess up a program. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/blush.gif

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

By the way,

I really love this utility. I am using it more than straight text editing for data files. If you want my wishlist, though, it would be:

1) some string search feature under SE4Modder to allow you to go through components, facilities, vehicles, etc with a common denominator one by one (although you cleverly let us access the source files already),

2) feature to do a printout of the complete list of families, weapon families, and their associated components

3) feature to show the progression or current of "latest" components, facilities, etc under any particular tech level.

I would also like to be able to spit lightning bolts, too...

CombatSquirrel

[ November 10, 2002, 14:14: Message edited by: CombatSquirrel ]

Re: SE4 Modder Ver 1.76 (updated for ver 1.91)
 

#1 is definatly on my to-do list. I know it's a pain finding specific thing in the list.

#2 Were you thinking just a list of all the item names in a certain family or a detail list.

I'm not really sure what you mean in #3. isn't this basically what you get when you view a tech? It shows you what each level will get you.

Let me know if you get that spiting lightning bolts thing working for you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ November 12, 2002, 22:49: Message edited by: DavidG ]