Help with mods use please...
 

Hi all. Can someone please give me simple and clear instructions on installing new mods (new races mainly).
I have just got se4 after years of playing se3, and find that Im not too sure were exactly to place the unzipped files of various types. Ive read a few things but they seem to conflict. Are there different ways depending on the modder? The race mods Ive seen are of very high quality, and my hat goes off to all you modders who make games like even more fun and unique for those of us with no time or know-how to do it ourselves.
Many thanks in hopeful advance.
Bonefish.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Sure, it's pretty easy. Unzip the mod in question to the SE4 folder. It should be in it's own subfolder and not overwrite the default SE4 data. I'm pretty sure all the newest mods are all written to work that way.

Then you edit the file named path.txt to point to your new mod folder, or use Matryx's Mod Launcher program, found on the SE4 CD.

Some mods will let you know at startup they're using the new set of data files.

Now, what you're calling race mods might not be mods at all. The TDM Modpack, for example, does use some new shipsets and mods the AI behavior files.

But any shipset you find on it's own, isn't really a mod, just another standard shipset. You just copy that folder to the Pictures\Races\ directory. And the .EMP file, if it exists to the \Empires directory. Then you start up the unmodded game, and load that race -- or ignore it and see them as a enemy when you least expect it.

[ August 14, 2003, 18:17: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Grettings and welcome to the game. Arkcon has answered the question perfectly

There is new Version of the mod launcher program out, but the one on the CD in the Extras folder will work just fine. After you get familar with the game you can look up other mods and such from threads and sticky's in this forum. Good luck and enjoy http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Thankyou. I understand what your saying, that the races are just added, rather than mods to the game. Although as you say, I think the tdm file actually changes some of the original races for the better accoring to the text file. Ive not installed any as yet. But will in a minute!
Id like to play se4 pretty much as it came, apart from extra empires and the tdm improvments. Im not worried about extra componants and the like. theres plenty there to cope with for quite a while!

I have two other brief questions...

1 - when I tried to unzip a race file, all the files came out in one big list, and not in its own folder. I think it was the one called "starship".

2 - how can I specify how many races/empires will be in the game as well as myself. I cant seem to find the option, and when i try to make my own empire up, it only comes uop as a pc contolled one.

Cheers.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

I recommend checking out the Newbie FAQ. Specifically, section 16 is about mods.

link:
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...;f=23;t=005518

Slick.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Hi Atrocities.

Thankyou. I believe its one of your race packs I have too. Im very impressed. All the ship sets Ive seen have been very good.
With the new AI thats 'attatched' to each race, I hope im not installing any lunatics I cant deal with !
That said, I guess I can use a ship picture set, but give it the default AI that Ive seen in the file list, when starting a new game. Its been a bit odd getting used to the different ways se4 works after se3, but it all seems very well done and very smooth.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Wow. Loads of replies. Many thanks fellas.
I'll go and look up the newbie FAQs and see what I can learn.

Thanks again guys.

Bonefish.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

You can find an updated Version of the Mod Launcher *here*.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1) Navigate to the folder where you installed SE4.
2) Go into the Data folder.
3) Open the file Settings.txt.
4) Look for this line:
Minimum Computer Player Low Setting := 1
5) By changing the numbers on this line and the next 5 similar lines, you can control how many empires there will be when you pick Low, Medium and High numbers of computer players in the Players screen when starting a game up.
6) You can also change how many Neutral Empires there will be. Neutrals never expand beyond their home system, and always have 1 homeworld, no matter how many starting planets you select. Note that SE4 will NEVER add more than 5 of them, no matter what you set the settings to for them.

[ August 14, 2003, 19:09: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Excellent. Ive had a read, (i'll be coming back to that help file again, its a great help), and Im off to install some races. Thanks guys.

Bonefish.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Were you just dragging the files out of winzip, or were you using the "Extract" function?

Extract will retain the directory/folder structure, while dragging puts all the files in the place you dragged them to.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That' an indication of sloppy zip file setup. Mind you, all my zip files are like this http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/blush.gif

Move all *.bmp and *._AI.txt files to the /pictures/races/"thar race name" folder. Move .emp files to /empires folder. Move "racename".txt -or something like this that is basically a column of names - to /designnames folder.

That' how to clean up this rather typical race_unzipping mess. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

bonefish glad to have you on the forum and playing the game.

If any race set that you get from my site or that I have published does not extract to its on folder please let me know. They should all extract to a self named folder.

All of the races I have available need to be extracted to your Space Empires IV / Pictures / Race folder. That is where all of the races are located.

All of my races, say for the current illuminati, have 3 emp files and Design names included with them. Simply copy and past the EMP files to the Empires folder in you main Space Empires IV directory, and the design name (Normally named just the race) to the DesignNames folder lockaed in the main Space Empires IV directory.

Best of luck, and watch out for the Cardassians. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Thanks Atrocities.

Ive had a look, and installed a few races. (very cool images). I had to cut and paste quite a few bits into other folders, but could see what was supposed to go where. If I find anything mate, I'll let you know, but its very obvious that theres a lot of time spent on these ship sets. They are superb.

Now my REAL problem is the TDM mod.
Ive installed the mod launcher prog.
Ive installed the TDM mod.

When I launch the game as default, I get the default races plus the new ones Im busy installing. Thats ok.
But when using the TDM mod I only get the basic game and the few extra races from the TDM pack. None of the other races Ive put in are showing up! Its like I can only have one or the other.

Do I need to cut the race folders (and any other files?) OUT of the TDM folder and put them in the default races folder? What about the other files? Should I delete the whole lot and play chess? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

ok, not the Last bit... :-)

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

When running a mod, only the races that are in the mod's Pictures\Races folder are used. What you can do is create empty folders for the races you want to be available in TDM into the TDM-Modpack\Pictures\Races folders. This will cause SE4 to be able to use that race when running TDM. As there are no files in the folder, SE4 will look in the default Races folder, and load the files from there.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Of course, you could also copy the TDM races into your standard races folder. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Thanks guys. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif
Could I also copy the 'updated' AI files and other bits over to my default folders as well, to sort of 'update' my se4 with the tdm permanantly, without having to worry about mods ands launchers etc?
(I love shipsets and races but prefer unmodded games...)

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

TDM has a custom formations file with new formations, which some races in TDM use. So, you will get some errors when copying them over the stock races (when running the game). The errors will be very explicit, and they are easy to fix. Just use a default formation instead of the custom one for that race (such as Arrowhead).

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Hmmm...

Ok. Ive just pulled the TDM apart, and copied all the races across, and all the other files into their relavent folders in the default folders for se4, so as to update my se4 with the new AI's for some races and have all races available without resorting to mods.

Ive tested it, and I have access to all the races, and I hope all the AI.
I even copied the new formations file, and tested that with no errors.
Fingers crossed so far.

The only thing I noticed, was that when I selected the Drakol race to use as MY player race, they seemed to start with some stuff already, like some ship designs and research already started. Then a couple of my ships wondered off on thier own!
I think though that there is probably a setting somewhere I missed, or something to do with ministers, or even some racial thing I dont know about. Im still new to this!

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Empire files can have designs and game settings (such as AI ministers) saved with them. Make sure to deselect "controlled by AI" if you are loading an empire file for yourself.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

I see. I thought it was something like that, as se4 is well known for its wealth of options!.

couple more Q's.

1 - Whats 'Neo Compliant' ?
2 - Is the TDM on my gold disc the latest? As I saw a TDM listed on this forum as having the b5 shipsets/races, but it was an earlier Version to mine, which doesnt have them. (?)

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Neo Compliant means that that mod is in compliance with Neo-Standard shipsets.

Go here for more info.

And no. The TDM on the gold disk is an old Version. You can get a new Version here.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Make sure to back up your Data folder before making any changes to it.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

There is one problem that may arise when copying the TDM Formations.txt file to the default Data dir. If you choose one of the additional TDM formations, rather than one of the default formations, your ships will have no formation in combat (or worse, some sort of nonsense one). I believe the game tracks formations by position in the file, and unmodded games on PBW will not have an entry to correspond with your formation.

Re: Help with mods use please...
 

Neo Compliant. Ok got that. As I wont be using any mods but shipsets anyway, I wont worry about that.

New TDM ? I'll have to redo all tonights work then ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Backup data files? er....yeah....next time...

Oops!