This is the place to ask and recieve specific modding (mod making) questions and answers. If you have a mod making question, post it here.
If your question involves long snippets of entity files and the like, please don't paste the entire file contents here but put them at the incredibly easy to use http://pastebin.com and then provide the link to your paste in your question posted here.
Please do limit "just comments" here to brief posts please. If you don't know the answer or can't point to help--don't post. Please note that a random, uninformed guess isn't an actual answer.
You can refer people to another source--IF it actually helps answer their question. This could be in the form of links, outside sites, specific modding-useful programs, direction towards another post or poster, etc., etc.
Remember--specific questions, specific answers. Only respond to the ones you can help solve. Also, feel free to amplify, clarify, suggest alternatives to or correct answers seen here if such actions are merited and help provide a real solution. No flaming, insults or put downs here in the answers or other posts please.
Thanks in advance for your help and cooperation. The reason for the rigid rules here is those this thread becomes a usable resource in the future to new people looking for answers.
NOTE: If an answer resolves your issue, please share it here. These answers will help others coming along later too. Karma is a great way to respond to people providing help without clogging the thread or bombing their forum mailbox here. Thanks!
OTHER SINS HELPFUL MODDING LINKS*
*Links are updated when requested.
The Soase Idiot's Guide
Confused? No idea where to even start?
Determined to work at it?
This is the place!
Sins Modding Wiki
ZombieRus's Eclipse Wizardry
Tutorials
MyFist0's full modding site.
Emphasis on modeling and
texturing.
REBELLION MODDING TOPICS
Rebellion Modding Q & A
Mesh Editing
Changing Diplomacy Files to Rebellion
IT REALLY HURTS MY BRAIN--HOW TO START
An Idiot's Guide To Getting Started
MyFist0's Modding Megasite!
MOD DOWNLOADS
ZombieRus5's Mod Yard
Directory of Planet Mods
STEAM
STEAM Sins Forums
DEVELOPERS
Sins Developer Journals Forum 2007 to Present
REFERENCE FILES
Research Modifier List
MyFist0's Exported Models & Files
Modifier List
Harpo's Converted Sins Reference Files 2011
THIRD PARTY TOOLS
3dS Texturing Toool & Tips
Ship Fleet Calculator
SoaSE Eclipse Plugin Project
Mesh Resizing Tool--courtesy of the Reqiuem team.
Harpo's Sins Utility Package -- Dropbox
The Sins Optimization Project (TSOP)
Artificial Unintelligence (Mod and AI info)
Sins Data Converter by BCXtreme
EXPLANATIONS & DISCUSSIONS
Rebellion Updates by Blair Frazier
How to Add a Fourth Race
User-updatable Ship Reference Chart
Sins Modding Dictionary
Adding phase Effects to other weapon types
Culture, Explanation/Discussion
Weapons, Explanation/Discusion
Shield Mitigation & Armor, Explanation/Discussion-1
Shield Mitigation & Armor, Explanation/Discussion -2
Graphic Chart of Sin's Counters
Annotated Guide to the Developer.exe
In-Game Map Creator
Weapons Banks & DPS
Combat Mechanics
Rebellion Shield Mitigation & Focus Fire testing
PARTICLE FORGE
Particle Forge Help Thread
GALAXY FORGE
Adding Artifacts
Working Template Examples
SemazRalan's Template Guide
Pirates Base Start Template
SOUND RESOURCES
[SFX] Black Sun SFX/Music Resource for Modders
MODELING & TEXTURING--SOFTIMAGE XSI, 3DS MAX
XSI Texturing, Tutorial
3dS Model Exporter
3DS Max Rigging, Texturing & Exporting, Guide
Modding/Modelling/Texturing/Converting, Tutorials
WIKI'S
Sins of a Solar Empire Official Wiki
Got a quick question about weapon banks. I know that a ship will turn to the side that does the most damage, but is this determined by the most powerful weapon, or does it take the total DPS from that side. For instance, if missiles do the most damage on a ship, does it swing to that side, or if a side does the most damage only if you add in autocannon fire, will it swing to that side?
It's total DPS for that side. Also, if the LEFT/RIGHT banks have equal DPS, the ship will always move to the left side, even if the ship's right side is already facing the target.
Thanks, Lavo, this helps me out a lot.
So Ilove playing as the TEC and the one thin that bugs me is that I can only plant mines inside your Gravity well so how exactly could I give the the scout the ability to lay mines?
I also want to give the Novalith the ability to attack starbases and give the Kol the Meson bolt ability or what ever that gauss cannon ability is
so any help on where to start would be appreciated and please don't say play around with stuff thats about as helpfull as wearing a 500 pound vest when swimming in the ocean
battlecrow, the first steps are
1 get a copy of notepad++
2 get a copy of the current reference files for the game/expansion you have
3 create a mod folder and gameinfo folder inside it (the mod folder needs to be in the correct mods folder for your game/expansion)
4 copy the relevant files from the ref files,
5 using notepad++ edit the files in the mod's gameinfo files.
it is a good idea to only make ONE alteration at a time then test to see if it is the way you want it.
and all modding involves trial and error, so you WILL have to play around with the files.
harpo
Look at the Vasari SB minelayer, and mimic its ability...you will have to then remove TEC mines from the player file (so they don't show up under construction options)...
Remember to have the new arcova's ability require research....
Biggest issue you will have though is that arcova already has 5 abilities (you cannot exceed 5), so you'll have to remove one of them...probably best to pick some other way of deploying them....
Same thing with kol, you could add the meson bolt ability, but then you'd run into issues (caps can't have 5 active abilities since you can't click on the 5th slot)...you'd have to remove some other ability....
An update: Waaay back I had mentioned owning a Makerbot and possible making trophies as rewards here on occasion.
After having it finished it was found that one of the threading arms was out of true and it had to be deconstructed and reassembled. Then the stage tray was vibrating and had to be realigned and remounted-modified. Now it is all together and working--except the extruder head is not heating at all.
The person working on it is an electrical and software engineer but is having to do field work in the economy now so this has sat on the back burner. As it turns out, my brother-in-law iis an electronics engineer and I am going to ask him to take a crack at it.
My first models will be for Sins and if we can salvage this puppy, I'll share some on special occasions.
Thanks either way to all who have contributed here--it is really appreciated.
If anyone has a moment to check this can you, there is a error that causes the Dev to crash and whatever is wrong in the GalaxyscenarioDEF file as far as I can tell is fine, download link http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-intarian-saga/downloads/intarian-saga-v01-pre-alpha it isn't playable yet but I have found a problem way above my pay scale.
Fixed
How I remove a titan upgrade? I am trying to remove group shield from tec loyalist upgrade, but when I remove it from the entity file and change the number upgrades to 6 (7 minus 1 [the one I removed]), the last upgrade is removed and not the group shield one.
Well, I've been doing some small tweaks to my game since the original Sins. However, I can't get anything to work after this latest patch. I was trying to implement multiple titans through an ability and was setting up a test environment for it. I edited terranhome.entity, maxcapships for tech, and maxsupply for tech. The objectives were to give myself enough logistics slots to get 8 of each lab, enough capital ship slots to test how many ships I could handle, and the same for supply. I saved all the files and loaded the mod. I started a new game and none of the changes took effect. Before anyone asks, I am using a TEC faction.
-Draco
What is your checksum? If its zero it means the game cannot find your files, so you probably set up your folders incorrectly.
I don't know how it happened...but that was it.
I do have another question. How does the game load mods? Does every mod have to be a "total conversion" and contain all game files or does it procedurally load them and give mod files a higher priority? I've always just modded the files I wanted and replaced the originals with the edited after converting back to binary. Is there an easier way to do it for smaller mods?
Unless you are working with an archaic version, you don't need to include Vanilla files you don't change. Just put the changed files plus any new ones you add (after telling the game to load them in the manifest files).
An by archaic, that means any version of Sins other than Original Sins.
I can't remember what this error means:
Assert @ C:\Projects\P4\SinsRebellion\Release\CodeSource\GS/Entity/Interfaces/IAbility.cpp(364)
m_buffApplyAction.instantActionTriggerType == InstantActionTriggerType::AlwaysPerform
I also think it is within the following ability file:
TXTentityType "Ability"buffInstantActionType "ApplyBuffToSelf"instantActionTriggerType "OnDelay"delayTime 0.000000buffType "BuffPhaseStarbaseSameOrbitbodyDebuffSpawner"effectInfo effectAttachInfo attachType "Invalid" smallEffectName "" mediumEffectName "" largeEffectName "" soundID ""needsToFaceTarget FALSEcanCollideWithTarget TRUEmoveThruTarget FALSEisUltimateAbility FALSEmaxNumLevels 1levelSourceType "ResearchWithoutBase"improveSourceResearchSubject "RESEARCHSUBJECT_STARBASE_MOBILIZATION"aiUseTime "Invalid"aiUseTargetCondition "Invalid"isAutoCastAvailable FALSEisAutoCastOnByDefault FALSEpickRandomPlanetToExploreForAutoCastTarget FALSEignoreNonCombatShipsForAutoCastTarget TRUEonlyAutoCastWhenDamageTakenExceedsPerc 0.000000useCostType "Passive"researchPrerequisites NumResearchPrerequisites 0 RequiredFactionNameID "" RequiredCompletedResearchSubjects 0nameStringID "IDS_ABILITY_PHASESTARBASESAMEORBITBODYDEBUFF_NAME"descStringID "IDS_ABILITY_INCENDIARYSHELLS_DESCRIPTION"hudIcon "HUDICON_ABILITY_INCENDIARYSHELLS"smallHudIcon "HUDICON_ABILITY_INCENDIARYSHELLS"infoCardIcon ""
I don't know if its the cause of the error, but...
You never (to my knowledge) use OnDelay triggers in an ability file. Always use "AlwaysPerform". OnDelay should usually only be used for instantActions in a buff file.
That fixed it, thanks.
So, I can theoretically place my 3 or 4 edited entity files in the mod's single game info folder and it should work? I've tried that before. It never works for me.
Entity.manifest. You need an updated one in your mod folder to go with your new entities.
It's not theoretical, that's how it's done. Did you include a copy of the game's entity.manifest file (for the version that you are playing) and place it in the mod folder too? Could be that when activating the mod, it's not seeing a manifest and therefor doesn't load anything.
-=Edit=-
If you're only editing existing files you shouldn't have to change it at all, but I do believe you still need to include it.
Nope, if you only edit files it will use the default entity.manifest like anything else.
Is it possible for a research item to declare a faction's ID/side (i.e. Rebel, Neutral, Loyalist, etc)? I know there were plans of some sort for this awhile ago, and I'm wondering if they ended up making them in.
Yes, though I don't think it changes which player.entity file it uses, it seems like it can be made to make mutually exclusive research paths. In the reference files there are some techs with DeclareFaction in the name.
That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Edit: Whoops, Lavo here, forgot to log out of this account.
I was looking through a particular mod's player.entity files and noticed the races use research subjects from vanilla races. A specific example would be the "maxshipslots" and "maxcapitalships". Is it a hard coded limit not to be able to create new research subjects(specifically regarding ship logistics slots) for new races? I ask because I was tinkering with some of the entity files trying to balance the power (or unbalance) of various races. However, changing one would change the original race as well. Is there an alternative?
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