VechicleSize.txt idea...

[CaptSpoogy]

There have been many of us who would like to add more ship sizes and pictures to our races, but don't want to go through the hassle of using generic pictures for AI races etc.

Here's my idea:

Just as other AI files (like Speech, Politics, etc) can be personalized, why not make the VechicleSize.txt file the same way too? That way, one race could have lots of extra of ships - and another could have only a few without any hiccups in the gameplay...

I'm sure it would be fairly easy to implelement, you would just to add a basic if statement - if the file is in the race directory than use it, if not use the default file in the data directory. I think I will e-mail Aaron with this suggestion.

PS The Spoogy Federation is not dead - just in some sort of transition...

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[brettben]

I know you are talking about changing the way the file works, but as for getting those extra ship pitures in your game, I expanded on an idea posted here awhile back. I make copies of the entry for each class in the vehiclesize.txt file, one for each picture I want in that class (Destroyer1, Destroyer2, etc). Each entry points to the appropriately named picture in my shipset. As for the AI, since right now they would not pick anything other then the standard class (I think), I made enough copies of the standard class picture and renamed them destroyer1, etc. Alot easier than making custom ships for each pic, and better than using the generic pics. I play with the ModPack races, and it did not take more than an hour to modify all of them.

[dogscoff]

Brettben - Good idea.

Devnull, could you include this in the next Devnullmod, copying destroyer for super destroyer, small transport for prospctor etc?
Better yet get Brettben to upload his work so you don't have to reproduce it.
Then you could change the vehiclesize file to accept extra images, and I can include those images with my viking shipset.=-)

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[Devnullicus]

Dogscoff, I'm not sure this can be done currently. There are only so many ship pictures allowed. Once there are more ship sizes than available pictures, you start having to re-use the pictures for different sizes (which is what's happened in DevnullMod)

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How's my Programming? Call 1-800-DEV-NULL

[Dracus]

You can add more ship sizes. I Asked MM about this a couple of months ago.
there are two ways to do it.
1. You have to add a picture to every race for every ship size or map an existing picture

2. If you only want one race to use the ship size, then you have to make it a racial trait.

[Baron Munchausen]

I think that a better way to allow more custom ship types would be to add abstract abilities to the game. That is, a tech that could even be a racial tech (restricted) that lets you put an ability on a ship that takes no space and no particular component. Regeneration could be an attribute of ALL components in an organic ship, that way. And Temporal tech could have faster ships without a special component or the clutter of a whole seperate set of ship definitions. And cloaking ability could be made available for a 'stealth' race like they have in Stars! One of these abilities could be greater internal capacity, probably included with 'advanced storage techniques' so that advantage could be worth more.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 31 May 2001).]

[dogscoff]

devnull - Not sure you got my menaing. What I meant was this:

In vehiclesizes.txt, set it up so that corvette looks for racename_corvette.bmp, prospector looks for racename_prospector.bmp etc...

This would be fine for "new" shipsets like mine which choose to include the extra pics, but existing races would have a problem, since those imgaes don't exist.

To solve this, simply go into each race directory and create a copy of the frigate image and name it "racename_corvette.bmp" or whatever. It would take some time to do this for all the extra ships and all the races but it sounds like Brettben has already done the legwork.

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[dogscoff]

damn - double post.

[This message has been edited by dogscoff (edited 31 May 2001).]

[Devnullicus]

Oh..how cool. Wasn't aware this was possible. If someone has done this, I'll gladly include it in the next Version of my mod =) More ships type pics for the new sizes would be great!

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How's my Programming? Call 1-800-DEV-NULL

[SunDevil]

I've already have done this and it works quite well. I have run into minor problems with adding additional racial traits to a particular races general.txt file though.