(mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

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ZG264
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:59 am

(mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by ZG264 »

(Test)

Do we have any mods that allows you to improve the low planet quality worlds? I've looked but not found any.

Anyway after a few games of DWU i've been thinking about adding something to the 'terraforming' tech to allow this.

I had written up a large post full of detail but got a message i could not post 'telephone numbers, links, emails for 7 days from last post' or something like that? No idea what that was about. Edit: it might have been because i had added the 'bold' function around headings in the post? This post (without those) worked?

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Quick overview:

The Ikkuro race apparently have an event that triggers from time to time where a colony can improve it's planet quality.

It might be possible to roll a version of that into the terraforming tech improvement.

I would look to make this additional function work very, very slowly and cap it at a level of 60% (the base minimum for a viable colony i think?).

it would only work on planets you can already colonise.

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Why?

Well in part i often have games where i can not expand as i would like due to poor planet quality worlds. I could change the settings in my game perhaps (improve the likely hood of higher quality worlds etc) but i prefer to have a mechanism in game that would allow an option for more colonies without filling the universe with too many good worlds. In part it is a realism thing, but also i like the idea of technology allowing us to do things we could not otherwise (as in FTL etc).

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Additional:

The Terraforming Facility is a good place to look to add this functionality too, ensuring it is a slow process is also good as the Facility has an annual maintenance cost.

I feel that in general the Terraforming Facility improves a planets damaged quality level too fast, so the mod aspect i'm talking about would run atleast 100% more slowly (probably more, depending on game testing).

So any suggestions from anyone on this subject. Has it been done in any of the mods so far, anyone know how to go about it perhaps?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

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Retreat1970
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Retreat1970 »

Bacon mod did I think.
Sabranan
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Sabranan »

Yeah Bacon mod supports planet quality boosting by changing values for the terraforming facility. As far as I know no mods have been released that include it, but it shouldn't be a problem to edit almost any existing mod to accommodate it.
ZG264
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Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:59 am

RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by ZG264 »

Ok thanks for the pointers. I had a look at the Bacon Mod, but as it makes the change in the .exe it is not a simple thing to isolate and export.

And sadly i was looking for modability along the lines of CivIV or an Elderscrolls game, but there are much harder limits here.

In the end i simply added that 'harmony' racial event from the Ikkuro race to the one i play with, and it triggered one time so i know it works. Still it is going to take a LONG time to see a planets Planet Quality improve this way, so i will keep the low quality (less than 50%) planets for later in the game when my economy can support them.
Sabranan
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Sabranan »

Well yeah you'd have to use the Bacon executable, but everything in the mod can be disabled if you don't want to use the other features so is that really an issue?

If not then improving planet quality is only a matter of setting the speed and max values you want.
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Uncle Lumpy
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Uncle Lumpy »

Hi ZG264,

Your question got me thinking and I looked at the Bacon mod's change to the terraforming tech. The Bacon mod readme notes state: "Terraforming: The terraforming facility (#9 in Facilities.txt) now has its second and third values used to raise a planet’s habitability rating. Previously they were zero. The second value is the rate of terraforming and the third value is the limit to which habitability can be raised. Default values are 500 and 80." I play my own modded version of RetreatUE. Both Retreat and Bacon have identical lines the Facilities text for Terraforming. The only diference is Bacon has changed the second zero to 500, and the third to 80. Last evening I changed my version of Retreat to 500 and 80. The game did load and start, but it was too late to play. I will test to see if it works, but don't expect any results soon. I'm simply playing the game, not specifically testing this single asspect. Depending on how much time real life allows me, it will take a while before I advance enough in the game to be able to research Terraforming and aply it. Happy gaming!
I once heard there was a garage, which some said was air tight.
ZG264
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Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2018 8:59 am

RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by ZG264 »

I gave that idea a go; adding the data changes that the Bacon Mod made to the terraforming facility, but sadly it did nothing.

So i've completed merging my mod build (mostly graphics stuff from Stuff&Bits) with the Bacon Mod and using that version as this seems the only way to get the terraforming facility to actually terraform planets (over simply repair damaged ones).

It seems to be working well.
RogerBacon
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by RogerBacon »

ORIGINAL: ZG264

I gave that idea a go; adding the data changes that the Bacon Mod made to the terraforming facility, but sadly it did nothing.

So i've completed merging my mod build (mostly graphics stuff from Stuff&Bits) with the Bacon Mod and using that version as this seems the only way to get the terraforming facility to actually terraform planets (over simply repair damaged ones).

It seems to be working well.

Another satisfied customer. Hopefullt you will find other features in the mod that you like. Be sure to check out the !note feature for when ships complete missions and you w3ant a reminder to do something.
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Uncle Lumpy
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Uncle Lumpy »

Hi ZG264, apologies that it took so long to reply (real life became rather complicated for a few weeks). I did modify my version of Retreat's mod with Bacon's change to Terraforming and I completely duplicated your results: terraforming did not improve any planet's quality. Apparently it will only work with the actual Bacon mod. I admit I'm no real modder, so there is possibly a way to make it work, but it apparently is beyond my abilities. [:D]

Happy gaming!
I once heard there was a garage, which some said was air tight.
Bloodly
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Bloodly »

That seems insane. Why would it work for one specific mod and not another, given the only thing changed was two numbers, and no other files reference this one to apply the effects?
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Uncle Lumpy
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RE: (mod suggestion) Improving low planet quality worlds

Post by Uncle Lumpy »

RogerBacon has apparently been able to rewrite the actual hard code of the game itself to be able to implement the changes in the game which makes his mod so unique.
I once heard there was a garage, which some said was air tight.
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