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I got the go ahead from Elliot to reveal some broad improvements coming from Legends for the mod community.

First of all ship images should be no larger than 300x300 pixels because the game no longer compresses them I am assuming.

The largest improvements will be more settings we can edit in the race files that will allow us to define more specific roles or particular genres like total war in Warhammer, or research areas that are not allowed so races who focus only on lasers or missiles can be modded.

Some other new features that indirectly affect us are new techs like a ship type and weapons.

More will be revealed as allowed, possibly when the new mod guide comes out in about a wekk possibly.

Can you add your own weapons and tech descriptions to the tech tree,edit resource values,edit traits naming and values?

As far as I can tell I would say no to all of those.

I just want to add that is my opinion and not an official reply, as we don't know the full extent of how mod support has been expanded.

The poor old Stardestroyer is not going to be using turbolasers.

Really it means you are stuck in the DW setting with callista warp drives,ect and Totalwar type conversions are not going to happen,ever.Shame really.

Yeah I am hoping for more surprises.

ORIGINAL: ASHBERY76

Can you add your own weapons and tech descriptions to the tech tree,edit resource values,edit traits naming and values?

Ashberry maybe you can help me confirm this, but I see a file with pretty much all game text that appears to be moddable including weapons. This file is comprehensive, I don't remember seeing it in the ROTS install.

This would change my reply to your answer earlier to a yes, but within the existing weapons. Don't there is a way to add new ones.

I'm looking forward to that mod guide.

I see no such file in ROTS.

ORIGINAL: ASHBERY76

I see no such file in ROTS.

Ok then I can confirm that what you asked for is being granted. =)

So it is looking more and more like we will be able to integrate our mods to a fuller extent than ever before like weapons, and characters and their traits.

I am so excited! =P

Wrong the gametext file was inside every non English version and translates the interface texts. !IF! they are now inside all versions, that only will help you RENAME technologies already present. Nothing will be really modified!

ORIGINAL: Nedrear

Wrong the gametext file was inside every non English version and translates the interface texts. !IF! they are now inside all versions, that only will help you RENAME technologies already present. Nothing will be really modified!

Ah ok thanks for clearing that up, well it will allow modders to tailor the game to their specific mod. Like Ashberry mentioned above.

That file is for i18n.

ORIGINAL: lordxorn
First of all ship images should be no larger than 300x300 pixels because the game no longer compresses them I am assuming.

That is good news for me! [:)] I have been moving everything to 200 x 200...

ORIGINAL: lordxorn
The largest improvements will be more settings we can edit in the race files that will allow us to define more specific roles or particular genres like total war in Warhammer, or research areas that are not allowed so races who focus only on lasers or missiles can be modded.

That is also cool. That means certain races will have some real technology advantages...

And it still sounds like we are getting a lot of neat stuff with this...

Wow, Elliot was not joking around with extending the modding capabilities. And an updated manual on this, nicee.

Just a quick note, 300x300 pixels for a ship is a recommendation, a guide not a rule.  The larger your file the longer it will take to load, for example Eliott has said a 500x500 will take 3 times as long as a 300x300.

Some (not much) of the new ship artwork in Legends is infact larger than 300x300 and as far as I'm aware there aren't performance issues.  So if you already made a mod for RotS with larger images don't worry about having to rescale hundreds of images (which means redrawing the running lights and engines on them all) unless you made the ship images very large, like 500x500. 

ORIGINAL: WoodMan

Eliott has said a 500x500 will take 3 times as long as a 300x300.

My math does too. 500x500 = 250000 and 300x300 = 90000. Therfore the first one got NEARLY three times as much pixel. Consequently it is three times work to show it.

ORIGINAL: WoodMan
Some (not much) of the new ship artwork in Legends is infact larger than 300x300 and as far as I'm aware there aren't performance issues. So if you already made a mod for RotS with larger images don't worry about having to rescale hundreds of images (which means redrawing the running lights and engines on them all) unless you made the ship images very large, like 500x500.

There is a re-size tool in GiMP... I have never had to resize engine exhaust or lights. It works pretty well with it all... But with Star Trek ships, I do not monkey with engine exhausts...
BUT CLEARLY, you are the master of this... so I may be wrong...

How large should race/character images be though?

Things you need to prepare for updating those mods:

Artwork for characters! As many as you can find, same size as race images.

Artwork for Carriers!

Your own flag shapes.

A fully realised mod is going to be a lot more immersive in your universe of choice!

I got a good potential of ships in black and white through the ship mods of Kathaniell and Co. So my "Juned Trade Federation" submod should be able to go up to date concerning my AAR in the Legends Timeline and will get an enemy overhaul in birth rate... Insektoids need to be more dangerous! I only have to find some personality pictures. Wonder where to look or if someone will offer "free use" material as a modpack. I am not sure about the flag shapes though. If possible I would like to get another one. The current symbol is alright for the Federation, but could be better.