I've been working on making some mod tools. The goal is to make creating mods you can't create from the game itself (especially for people who don't want to muck around with the xml manually).
Editors Included:
* Race editor
* Star System Editor
* Event Editor (Coming soon-ish)
This is an alpha version right now, and I'm looking to garner some feedback for further refinement.
Requirements:
* Windows 10 + 64-bit (Can make 32-bit versions on request)
Source code (MIT License) available here: https://github.com/ryanbis/gc4_mod_tools
Race Editor
General Info tab, which allows you to select the advisor portraits for the race:
It's recommended to just start from a base race, and modify from there.
From here, you can also manage your citizen's portraits
Stats tab. I'm not really sure what these do to be honest. Perhaps something to do with the civ's factions? Also the consumed trait seems set up purely for the festron (well, all the races that are consumable perhaps?)
Modifiers tab. This one needs some work in the design department, and some things aren't very clear on how they work. For instance everything that used the "SpecialValue" always used the same values, so here it's restricted to those (perhaps once we know what it does, and how it works, we could open it up more).
Full supported list of options for types, bonus types, and effect types. Things that are known to work are shown in white, and are sorted at the top of the list. Things in grey are unknown to work (if you find something works, or doesnt work, please let me know and I will update the lists).
Star System Editor
Create star systems either for the starting civilizations, or just for generic systems to be generated in the galaxy.
System to Copy will allow you to pick an in game system to modify (this is kinda buggy right now)
Set the system's general info, such as name, the description, and type:
Create Orbit Lanes, which contain Lane Bodies (Planets, Asteroids, Stars)
NOTE: Creating star systems only works when using the replace mod method. The program will allow you to save with the append type, but your system won't show up in the list when creating a new civilization unless you use the replace method.
Settings
This is where you can set your GC IV install directory (so the app can read in the game's built-in files), and the mods folder where you want the output to be exported.
Version 0.5.0.1 Download
* First official version to work with Supernova. The app is shifting to only support Supernova from 0.5 and on.
* Only the Race Editor is available for now.
* Star System Editor is close, but there are still some bugs that need to be squashed.
Version 0.4.1 Download
* Fixed a crash that would happen when trying to edit a value for a Colony Stat
* Race editor now has full accepted list of things for types, bonus types, and effect types. The lists are now sorted, and anything that is currently used in game, will be white. Anything that is technically supported according to the xsd files, but NOT used in the game (at least in that particular section of the game, like in this instance, for races) is a grey color. If people try these other options, and find they work, please let me know, and I will add it to the list of known items that work and will make sure it shows white in the list, and is sorted towards the top.
Version 0.3.2 Download
* Updated Colony Stats dialog to allow entry of special values (this is how the Onyx have growth based on Promethion, for example)
* Fixed a couple of bugs, and put in more restrictions to prevent bugs/bad data
* Got icons working for planet class descriptions (Minerals, Technology, Wealth, etc)
Version 0.3.1 Download
* Added Star System Editor
* Added Settings button on Main Menu
* Removed Settings tab from Race Editor
* Added MOD type option to both editors
* Added some checks to prevent bad data (but I'm sure there are still plenty)
Version 0.1.0 Download
* [Race Editor] Added Manage portraits button to general info tab
* [Race Editor] Added new window to manage citizen portraits
Version 0.0.2 Download
* App now comes as an msi file, to simply install (no need for any other external dependencies).
Version 0.0.1 Download
* Initial alpha version of the app. Requires .NET 6 runtime installed to work.
I was thinking of putting this up on github, or something so that others could contribute, if there is interest.
Hey, sorry, it's been a while since I worked on this. Unfortunately, I never dug deep enough to see how the male/female images get linked to certain names.
But I just looked a little bit, and it seems like they are defined in UnitNamesText.xml (in Data\English\Text). Looks like you add a requirements tag within the FlavorTextOption (make 1 of these for each gender):
For male, you don't need to add the GenderMale tag as it seems to default to 1.
EDIT: I realized this is only for the names, and you're looking to link the names to the portaits. But it's very similar. Take a look at UnitPortraits.xml in the same directory. It's more FlavorTextOptions which use the same Requirements xml tag as the names do. This way, you can group all of your male/female portraits to gender.
@starmac, while those ships are nice, why did you post them in this thread?
Is this modding still alive?
I have Gal Civ 4 and I really want to mod it.
Is there any way to make planet killer tech?
Kind regards,
Trentscousin
Hello, how do I add my custom star system?
No, I know that. What I mean is that I managed to edit a Solar System, but it didn't show up in the list. And I know I put the settings right because I've my custom citizen race.
Did you use the replace method? Civilizations can use either method, and show up in game. Star systems MUST use the replace method, otherwise they will not show up.
How do I know if the replace method worked? What, it should replace its base system in the list?
Please, I'm going to need a step-by-step intruction if I want to be able to actually make a custom star system for my personal race, for no matter what I do, I've never managed to get for the system to show? Am I doing something wrong? Perhaps I made my homeworld too big, or put too many worlds in a single lane? Please, any advice on the limits of what the game would allow me would be very helpful.
I tried installing this but it doesn't create a desktop icon or specify a path so I can't find it. Where does it put the files?
It should put an icon in the Start Menu for GC IV Mod Tools. It installs to C:\Program Files\GC4ModTools
Not only doesn't it create an icon it also create an error message when I try to use it:
The GC4 Game Install path isn't working properly. I expected to use C:\Users\Documents\My Games\GalCiv4\
Instead I receive a Access to the path 'C\Program Files\GC4ModTools\.localstorage' is denied message. Windows 10 doesn't like it. I tried to change your .exe permissions to full but it had no effect. It seems like it could be a promising tool but I can't get it to work with my Epic Games GalCiv4.
You installed the game in the Documents directory? That's typically where your user data is stored, not the actual game installed data. For instance, my install path was something like C:\Epic\Galactic Civilizations IV.
Ok, the app needs some work. It was designed for GC 4 base, NOT supernova. I noticed there are some errors that happen now when trying to use it with Supernova. I don't have the time to work on it that I did before, but if I find a little time, I'll try to update it to support Supernova.
I'm sorry, I don't have as much time to spend on this that I did back when I created this. Plus, this was written for GV4 Base game, not Supernova. It's pretty much useless for Supernova.
I'll try to get the app updated for the latest expansion sometime soon, but no promises.
Well, how about now that it is released? And I doubt it is useless in its current state. the appended stuff should probably work.
I'm working on getting the mod tools to a working condition for Supernova. I'm pretty close, but there are some bugs to work out still.
I also think I see how they do factions, so I may add the ability to specify which factions get assigned to your race.
EDIT: I see how to do it, but it's done on the civilization level, as opposed to the race. This could be a future enhancement, if enough people ask for it.
I am very interested as i am having a hard time with the FG and BG on the faction definition screen. In the faction you have to input a (startimage) PNG but where must i put it?
I've uploaded version 0.5.0.1 (see OP). For now, it's just the race editor, until I can squash the remaining bugs in the star system editor.
Thank you for the update. Unfortunately it did not solve my problem with the background statup screen.
I'll have to find another way
Again thanks
Found where to place the FG PNG: gfx/faction/LeaderFGs + you add a Line in the factiondef file (the command was in the corresponding xsd file)
Great! Downloaded. Waiting for the upcoming versions with the added functions.
how do I create custom name lists for my new race of critters? And is there a way to ensure male portraits are gendered to male characters and female to female? myindigocard
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Yes,
You can create a mod that has the following xml files:
In the UnitNamesText.xml, it should look like this. Notice you have one list for Last Names and Two for First Names, with a GenderMale value of 0 for female names.
Hope this helps! I used this format to create Klingon, Romulan and Human Races.
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