Mod questions

[Phoenix-D]

Well, whenever I try to add a new colony component, strange things happen.

For example: I added a new component "All colony", family 5004 (not shared with anything). It needs Ship Construction 2 to get.

Start a new game. The colony doesn't show up, as planned, but *neither do any of the normal components*. Check the technology screen, and all the colony techs are set to level zero. One of them should be set to level one, but isn't.

EDIT: and worse.. that was with a Low tech start. If I select a High tech start, everything works normally.. except for the fact that ship construction is still at the default for low tech start! (the next level gives the colony component)

Phoenix-D

[ 30 November 2001: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]

[geoschmo]

That is similer to what we had with Devnull Mod. Devnellicus mad a new tech area called Universal colony and the universal colony required 1 level of that. Then you needed all three colony tech to get universal tech and the ability to research the uni-colony comp.

The problem was if you placed the uni-colony comp after the others in the comp.txt file, everybody got it by default in a low tech start, but if you put it before the others in the comp.txt file, the AI would never use the component, even after researching it.

Obviously colony comps are treated different than regular comps in the code somewhere.

We tried fixing it by making the uni-colony comp a level 2 comp, and had the same result you did, in a low tech start, you got no colony components. It was giving you level 1 of uni-colony tech, but since the comp was a level 2 comp, you didn't have it till you researched it.

We did fix it though by removing the uni-colony tech area, and making the uni-colony comp have three tech area requirements, all three colony techs. Then the game only gives you your soecific colony type in a low tech start, but once you research your third colony tech, you can build with all four comps. And the AI can use it too.

Not sure if this helps you or not. I'd have to see your data file to know exactly what you are doing. Was level 2 of ship construction the only tech area requirement? That seems kind of cheap. Was your uni-colony just a comp or did you have a uni-colony tech area that opened up at level 2 or ships const?

Geoschmo

[Phoenix-D]

"Was level 2 of ship construction the only tech area requirement? That seems kind of cheap."

That was the point

It was just a copied Gas Giant colony, pasted below the GGC, upped the family number by one, and added the abilites for the other types. Then I changed the requirement to shipcon2 so I wouldn't have to bother with making a new tech area.

EDIT: the point here was to test it, hence the cheapness..

Phoenix-D

[ 30 November 2001: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]

[Phoenix-D]

All right, I guess the three-colony requirement is good enough.

Next question: does anyone know how the events system works? I.e. does adding an identical copy of an event (or one with only a few values changed) make that event more likely?

Also, how does everyone feel about a mod making combat longer? Leaving the turns the same but lowering damage and/or upping armor/shields/general toughness of components. Some of the battles in SE4 seem awefully short and lopsided to me. Lopsided because one side is dead before it ever gets to fire!

Phoenix-D

[Rollo]

Thanks Geo,
you just saved me a lot of typing .

events: sorry, can't help you there. haven't tried anything with events, except making an "experimental warpdrive" by triggering that wormhole event (or whatever it's called) on purpose. couldn't get it to work .

edit: have you looked into Dracus event mod, yet? There are a lot of new events. I am not sure, but I think all the events do have the same "likeliness" (does that word exsist?). Maybe a minor event is more likely than a catastrophic one. Not sure.

longer, less deadly battles: good idea. You could still initiate combat a second time, though. But you would have more problems with resupply (maybe even make weapons use more supplies), so part of the enemy fleet could actually escape, bring in reinforcements, whatever.

Rollo

[ 30 November 2001: Message edited by: Rollo ]

[Phoenix-D]

"longer, less deadly battles: good idea. You could still initiate combat a second time, though. But you would have more problems with resupply (maybe even make weapons use more supplies), so part of the enemy fleet could actually escape, bring in reinforcements, whatever."

Exactly. You can attack again, but each attack requires a movement point. This would also allow warp-point blockade running- survive the initial onslaught, run away from the blockaders, and use your remaining stratgeic movement to sprint away from the WP..

Phoenix-D

[Rollo]

Hmm, I just noticed something with the uni-colony that we use for Devnull Mod. When you play a gas race, you'll get rock colonization. Well, at least in my Version, because I put rock colo as the first requirement. Maybe I did something wrong with the fix that Geoschmo came up with a couple of days ago.
edit: But it seems to me that you don't get your specific colony type, but whatever is placed first in the requirements.

Whether or not we can fix that, Uni-colonies can still be made, if placed before the other colonization techs in the comopnents file. Only problem then, of course, that the AI won't use them . That would be a pity, because the AI uses them good. Meaning that if you have a Colony(Rock) ship with a uni-colony, the AI will also use that to colonize Ice and Gas Worlds.

Rollo

[ 01 December 2001: Message edited by: Rollo ]