Replacing asteroid images, creating custom maps

[Antonin]

1) I really like the red-tinted asteroid images that are included with the Miner's Guild mod, and would like to use them in the stock game and the DevNull mod.

If I replace the existing asteroid images in the stock game with the Miner's Guild ones, will it cause any problems/corrupt any data/etc etc?

2) Also, when you use the map editor to create custom maps, is there any way to tell the editor to use a particular range for resource characteristics? In other words, can you specify that all asteroids should be rated 180-220% in minerals, radioactives and organic, and all planets 50-100%?

Or do you have to generate a map and manually edit each planet and asteroid cluster?

[Suicide Junkie]

** Be Safe! Only edit things in modfolders. **

1) To use them in the stock game, don't overwrite your files.
Instead, do the following:
- Create a new folder in your \se4 directory called "Shinystock"
- copy the pictures folder from the \se4\MinersGuild_Mod\Pictures
to \se4\Shinystock\Pictures

Set the path.txt to Shinystock, and you're playing Stock with shiny red asteroids.

2)
The randomly selected value range is found in settings.txt
Go into your \se4\Shinystock folder, and create a folder called "Data"
Copy the settings.txt file from \se4\Data\Settings.txt into \se4\Shinystock\Data\Settings.txt

On the first page of settings.txt, you should see a number of entries which set the max/min value for homeworlds, regular planets and asteroids.

[David E. Gervais]

Wow! Someone actually noticed my asteroids and likes them too.

I'm glad you like them, and Cheers!

[Antonin]

Thank you SJ for the information.

Yes, David, I enjoy the asertoids. Actually, I love the entire Miner's Guild mod. I'm one of those micromanagement geeks who loves to organize remote mining operations and fight to extend control over resource-rish systems that in your mod are essential to survival.

I love the concept of remote mining and I really enjoy deploying those low-maintenance, slow-moving specialized hulls along with warships to protect them.

But I've found that the AI is not very competitive in MG. I'm trying to figure out ways to give the AI a fighting chance. If you have any ideas I'd love to hear them.

[Antonin]

Here's a related question.

How do you incorporate the red asteroids and the other cool MG mod graphics like the revised shortcut buttons into the DevNull Mod?

I use the ModPicker Utility version 2.01 to launch the game. So far, DevNull and MG are my favorite mods.

[David E. Gervais]

All the graphics just need to be placed in the appropriate data folder for the mod you are playing. If you are brave and don't mind overwriting the default game files then the pics will show up in all mods that do not otherwise replace the same pics with their own.

More detailed advice on how and where to place the pics is available in the FAQ I believe. If not, I'm sure someone will spell it all out for you.

Cheers!

[Antonin]

The problem I'm having now is this: I placed the entire "Pictures" folder from MG in the Shinystock folder, and then launched the Shinystock "mod" using the ModPicker utility. As a result I appear to be playing the stock game with the MG graphics, but each turn I'm getting a number of error messages about remote mining, basic intel, etc--concepts that are in MG but not in the stock game.

I'm wondering if having the MG races in the Shinystock folder is causing the problem. Perhaps I can avoid this by only having the asteroid graphics and the button graphics in that folder; maybe the stock game will then use those, and look to the rest of the graphics in the stock game "Pictures" folder for whatever else it needs.

Perhaps the same will work for incorporating those graphical elements into DevNull.

I hesitate to just experiment for fear of corrupting the game data and losing saved games, etc.

So, I thought I would ask questions here rather than fiddle around.

I've been playing SE4 for years, and it's only recently that I've begun playing mods.

It just shows you what a deep game it is!

[douglas]

Those error messages are almost certainly because of the AI files for the MG races in the game. To get rid of them, and probably make the AI more effective, either overwrite them with AI files from stock races or delete the shinystock/Pictures/Races folder and start a new game.

[Antonin]

Thanks for the advice. I did just that right after I made my last post and it appears to have solved that problem.

It's amazing--I've been playing this game for such a long time and I'm still learning new things!

The only thing I really regret is that I don't have any artistic ability and cannot therefore create any shipsets.

But I'm a reasonably decent writer, so if anybody out there wants help with back stories and speech files, let me know!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

There's that...Um...Lego thingy...

...Um, someone else will know what I mean, but can't remember the name of.