Component modding tool. Get it here.

DavidG · #1 June 23rd, 2002, 12:36 PM

First yea when you hit the save button the changes are aplied to the components.txt file and thus into the mod. Yea I do have plans to provide some sort of undo feature. For now if you mess things up look in the data directory for the mod. You will see a couple of extra files. "Components.bak" is a backup of the .txt file that is made when the program is first started. "Components.bk1" is made each time you save. So if you delete the 'componets.txt' file and rename the '.bak' file to '.txt' you will undo all changes since you started the program. Remaming the '.bk1' file will undo the changes for the Last save. To avoid messing things up I'd suggest copy a mod into a new directory or use the handy 'Create new mod' from the file menu. It will copy all the '.txt' data files to a new directory.

You will notice that right now the program can view the vehcile sizes, facilities, and tech areas. I do plan to make these editable too. And yea I did just randomly pick the Norak for a pic for the vehicle sizes part. The reason really was that it was just my intentions to show details about the vehicle size. The pic was just eye candy. But maybe in future Versions...

As far as abilites go I don't think these are editable??? I think they are probably hard coded into the program. Can anyone confirm this?

[ June 23, 2002, 11:47: Message edited by: DavidG ]

DavidG · #2 June 23rd, 2002, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tnarg:
When I was editing a component or I think I was adding one, I for some reason replaced an excisting component.

If you are editing or adding a component and the name of the component is the same as an existing one it will be replaced.

[ June 23, 2002, 11:50: Message edited by: DavidG ]

geoschmo · #3 June 23rd, 2002, 02:46 PM

You can edit the abilities file, but it has no effect on the actual abilities. Abilities are hardcoded and cannot be created or changed except by Malfador.

In fact the abilities file is only a help file for modders. There are some abilities that are not listed there, and some that don't even do anything.

Geoschmo

geoschmo · #4 June 23rd, 2002, 03:19 PM

I am giddy. I am positivly estatic! This is so exactly what I had pictured in my mind for an editor, I can't believe it.

I LOVE the ability to look at the giant components bitmap and slecet which one I want right from there. I have been asking for a program that would let me do that for as long as I have been doing mods. SWEET! I can't wait till you add this ability for facilities.

I love the ability to create an entirely new mod on the fly and have it copy all the exsisting data files over. Very nice.

A couple of points.

The program is just a litte too eager to rewrite the files in the stock data folder. Yes it backs them up, but it would be very easy to fumble finger and restart the program a couple of times and now your stock data files are toast. I would encourage you to "idiot proof" this a bit, and instead of opening into the sotck files, have it open into a vannila mod of some kind that is a copy of the stock files. I would also have it not rewrite the stock data files until after prompting you three times and backing up the file twice.

For that matter, it would be fairly easy it appears to screw up a mod by closing the program and reopening it if it rewrites the .bak file every time the program starts. Does it rewrite an exsisting .bak file?

Geoschmo

DavidG · #5 June 23rd, 2002, 03:57 PM

Thanks for the feedback

Yea when the program starts any existing component.bak file is overwriten. Your probably write it is too easy to modify the stock files (especially since I know how often people ignore the warning dialog boxes) I'm thinking maybe the simplist solution whould be just to prevent the program from modifying the stock files.?? I kind of like the idea of of openeing up in the base directory (well actually it opens in the previous dir you were viewing) so you could still use it as a just viewer program

P.S. Just want to re-emphasis that I still consider this a beta Version so I would highly advise against modifying any existing mods without backing up the components.txt file

[ June 23, 2002, 14:59: Message edited by: DavidG ]

geoschmo · #6 June 23rd, 2002, 03:59 PM

Ok, another little issue. When creating a mod there doesn't seem to be any way to tell it where to make the mod. It creates the mod in my C:\Program Files\Shrapnel Games\Malfador Machinations\Space Empires IV Gold directory and copies the stock data files from there for the mod.

On my computer that is the location of my Version 1.60 install of SE4. I have another 5 or 6 installs on my computer so I can play and test games in different Versions. I may be a little odd in the number of installs, but I am sure I am not the only one with more than 1. Also some people may have only one install but not have it in the default directory.

Also as far as viewing/modifying AI, it would be extremely cool if you would add these features in. What I see is following your tree format here have a tree for all the AI in the current mod and a branch of each AI that has a page that you can view the shipset. Then have the ability to change any of these pics. My suggestion is to have a source folder for pics somewhere and you could dump your images there, then by selecting an image from that folder and saving it the modder would copy that image to the appropriate AI folder and rename it with the appropriate filename. You wouldn't have the giant bitmap with all the ships the way you do with the components, but you could have a scroll bar and click through the options couldn't you?

Geoschmo

DavidG · #7 June 23rd, 2002, 04:03 PM

Hmm the program will find the files if you have SE4 in a non default directory but I never thought of anyone having multiple installs. hehe I'll see what I can do about that. Once I get the other data files editable I may start to get it working for the AI. But one thing at time :-)