Matrix Games Forums

Would really like to define a feline race, can't see how the modding guide is too sparse.

ORIGINAL: Antarian

Would really like to define a feline race, can't see how the modding guide is too sparse.

'Alien races are grouped into race families in Distant Worlds. Races of the
same family often share the same characteristics and usually have a natural
affinity towards each other.

All of the race families in Distant Worlds are defined in the file raceFamilies.txt
found in the root game folder.
Each line in the file defines a single race family with comma-separated data,
up to a maximum of 30 race families (0-29).' UMG 42:44

Open raceFamilies.txt add Felines at the bottom of the list;

7, Felines, 0

Save raceFamilies.txt and exit

Open raceFamilyBiases.txt and add Felines at he bottom of the list;

7, Felines, 0,0,0,0 etc

raceFamilyBiases.txt entries have the same logic as the raceBiases.txt regards data, all columns must match with the correct number of rows, comma separated.

Save raceFamilyBiases.txt and exit

Open up a race file that you want changed to feline, change the entry;

'Race Family:
RaceFamily ;7 (the ID used in the previous two files edited)

Save the race file.

Darkspire

What Darkspire suggests is correct but you could download Distant Worlds Extended and see how they set up races from what I saw adding new races is pretty simple apart from all the files you have to edit to make them work and the more you add the more work you have to do. But I've modded quite a few games so modding stuff like this is simple.

ORIGINAL: AnddyiRaynor

What Darkspire suggests is correct but you could download Distant Worlds Extended and see how they set up races from what I saw adding new races is pretty simple apart from all the files you have to edit to make them work and the more you add the more work you have to do. But I've modded quite a few games so modding stuff like this is simple.

What I posted is how to set up a new race, I outlined the main details as the op was a bit lost, looking through DWE is like looking through a medical dictionary to find out the cure for a spot treatment in this case, you will get lost among the many definitions [;)]

Darkspire

Yeah I should have been more specific and wrote that he should use your post as an outline on what to do and the extended mod as visual proof that it has been done and it's just easier if he knows from your post what he is looking for and from the extended mod how it was done.

I figured all of that out pretty easily last night when I was using winmerge to compare the humans and xhumans in that mod since I want to add a few races and change the ships that races use/ pirates use and of course because I don't want to make a overly op race that I will get bored playing or wish I had never created as they destroy me.

I figured all of that out pretty easily last night when I was using winmerge to compare the humans and xhumans in that mod since I want to add a few races and change the ships that races use/ pirates use and of course because I don't want to make a overly op race that I will get bored playing or wish I had never created as they destroy me.

Someone with experience and knows the right tools to use, awesome, we could do with some reinforcements round here to help others who have fallen off the path [8D]

Darkspire

Hi guys, thanks for the help,

I am running Extended, only way to play imo. I can't stand the default races and ship images.

I will try adding the race as you suggest, DarkSpire.

I'm not a nube to modding btw, I have made extensive mods to Extended, adding multiple new races, changing resource names, whole fleets of self-modded images, ect... I'm just trying to get the feel of the changes in DWU, as I have often done 'one mod too far' in DW-L and permanently effed the game.

Off to the editor to try more things!

Say, is anyone sharing mod maps yet? I'm going to do up a galaxy with Sol and all the nearby stars and major distance stars (mighty Betelguese springs to mind) but it's going to be a ton of work, so if somebody has already blazed the trail, that would be great!

Say, is anyone sharing mod maps yet?

Maps can not be shared, they will only work with the theme selected when saved.

Darkspire

Are they not saved to a file that can be placed in another theme?

ORIGINAL: Tehlongone

Are they not saved to a file that can be placed in another theme?

They are saved as you would a save game file, thus they are only compatible with the theme data they are saved with.

Darkspire

ORIGINAL: Darkspire

ORIGINAL: Tehlongone

Are they not saved to a file that can be placed in another theme?

They are saved as you would a save game file, thus they are only compatible with the theme data they are saved with.

Darkspire

Could you not save it with a blank theme named Distant Worlds Omega Theme 3000 (so unique) and then have it refresh everything that you can check? And then add things to that theme? I know you can at least edit the ui in your theme, but I wonder if you could also edit races and other things, between new saves on the same map. Then someone could just rename their theme to the above mentioned theme and play the map.

ORIGINAL: AnddyiRaynor

ORIGINAL: Darkspire

ORIGINAL: Tehlongone

Are they not saved to a file that can be placed in another theme?

They are saved as you would a save game file, thus they are only compatible with the theme data they are saved with.

Darkspire

Could you not save it with a blank theme named Distant Worlds Omega Theme 3000 (so unique) and then have it refresh everything that you can check? And then add things to that theme? I know you can at least edit the ui in your theme, but I wonder if you could also edit races and other things, between new saves on the same map. Then someone could just rename their theme to the above mentioned theme and play the map.

No unfortunately, once a map is saved that is it, it is saved with the current data in the theme, adding any new data to a theme will not show up when the map is loaded.

This was thread I worked on is all about data and save maps, see post #12 for the details.

Modding Goverments

Darkspire

Felines? Sounds like Lyrans or Kzinti [:D]

What controls techs being exclusive to one race? I added a few races from other mods but when I fired up the game and was playing along I found that Klingons were the only ones allowed to research the second level of beam weapons, effectively shutting out the rest of the beam weapons from all the other races.

Go to \races go to the klingon.txt file. Then use find and find this.
You may want to do that for any other race you added in to.

Ah cool! That seems to have solved it, reason I couldn't find it is because the race txt file changed with universe but the race file was made with previous version. In the file 0 = none but universe -1 = none.

Yup, I already have a huge race mod of Kzintis (well, most of the work is in the characters, holy CRAP that's a lot of work...)