The Modder's Masterlist

Please post here for questions and discussion about scenario, art and sound modding and the game editor for Distant Worlds.

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jrhindo
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by jrhindo »

Hi I would like to give some propositions that doesnt seem to be present in the list:
-All celestial bodies should be colonisable (except suns ofc). Gas giants could have floating cities, think of a city like Bespin of star wars but completely isolated from the planet's atmosphere. Same for all the useless rock planets, they should be colonisable just build a domed city. This kind of colonisation obviously require engineering skills and some thourough research before actual attempts, and could be quite expensives, but would sure give more strategic possibilities.
-Colonisation attempts should have the possibility to fail. Simple realism and would slow down a bit the expansion of empires.
-I had a third but i forgot....
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Data
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Data »

I like them, especially the last one [:D]
But these belong to the wishlist, this one here is for modders and modding does not allow us to do this (not now and not ever I think as this belongs to the game itself)
welcome to the community, jrhindo

PS just to make sure, I really do like both ideas and while the first one have been proposed one way or another until now the second one it's brand new and very interesting so you should really wishlist them. The general wishlist is here

tm.asp?m=2418281&mpage=37&key=
...Igniting stellar cores....Recharging reactors...Recalibrating hyperdrives....
jrhindo
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by jrhindo »

Great, I have a tradition to post my first post in the wrong thread. [:D] thanks for the redirection
Edit: Oh I just remembered, what my 3rd suggestion was! Space cities!
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Igard
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Igard »

Added section 1L. Racial policy settings. The idea of adding a constructor build ratio to number of colonies was an idea from alexalexuk on another thread.

EDIT: I forgot to copy this here.

Define what each race will and wont do based on some of the racial policy settings and a few more as follows :-
  • Ratio of constructors to colonies. When there are X amount of colonies, build X amount of constructors etc.
  • Does the race build robotic troop facilities? (Y/N)
  • Does the race build planet shields? (Y/N)
  • Does the race build troop cloning facilities? (Y/N)
  • Does the race build mostly small ships or large ships? (1=small 2=normal 3=large)
  • Does the race build the giant ion cannon? (Y?N)
  • Colony tax rates for small medium and large colonies. (1=low 2 =medium 3=high)
  • Use bombardment against enemy colonies? (Y/N)
  • Use planet destroyers against enemy colonies? (Y/N)
  • Harass enemies with attacks of opportunity? (Y/N)
  • Prepare preemptive strikes? (Y/N)
  • Attack enemy target types, colonies/spaceports/mining/fleets. (1=low 2=medium 3=emphasize)

Appended section 1h. Space ogres. Just wanted to add to Shark7's idea of ogres not necessarily ogres, but a normal civilisation that has not developed FTL travel, like our own.

I also went through the list and removed any game features that, as yet, don't appear in the game. I'll only add suggestions from now on that are direct modifications of current game features.

New ideas and additions to the game such as 'Race can colonise gas giants' should be added to the master wishlist thread.

Sorry to invoke the dictatorial approach, but I just feel that things were straying from the goal a bit here. I'll still remain flexible to certain ideas, but things that just aren't possible in the game, can't be modded.

Thank you.
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Shark7
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Shark7 »

ORIGINAL: Igard

Added section 1L. Racial policy settings. The idea of adding a constructor build ratio to number of colonies was an idea from alexalexuk on another thread.

EDIT: I forgot to copy this here.

Define what each race will and wont do based on some of the racial policy settings and a few more as follows :-
  • Ratio of constructors to colonies. When there are X amount of colonies, build X amount of constructors etc.
  • Does the race build robotic troop facilities? (Y/N)
  • Does the race build planet shields? (Y/N)
  • Does the race build troop cloning facilities? (Y/N)
  • Does the race build mostly small ships or large ships? (1=small 2=normal 3=large)
  • Does the race build the giant ion cannon? (Y?N)
  • Colony tax rates for small medium and large colonies. (1=low 2 =medium 3=high)
  • Use bombardment against enemy colonies? (Y/N)
  • Use planet destroyers against enemy colonies? (Y/N)
  • Harass enemies with attacks of opportunity? (Y/N)
  • Prepare preemptive strikes? (Y/N)
  • Attack enemy target types, colonies/spaceports/mining/fleets. (1=low 2=medium 3=emphasize)

Appended section 1h. Space ogres. Just wanted to add to Shark7's idea of ogres not necessarily ogres, but a normal civilisation that has not developed FTL travel, like our own.

I also went through the list and removed any game features that, as yet, don't appear in the game. I'll only add suggestions from now on that are direct modifications of current game features.

New ideas and additions to the game such as 'Race can colonise gas giants' should be added to the master wishlist thread.

Sorry to invoke the dictatorial approach, but I just feel that things were straying from the goal a bit here. I'll still remain flexible to certain ideas, but things that just aren't possible in the game, can't be modded.

Thank you.


All good ideas.

I would like to add that the shipbuilding could be broken down even further to percentages.

For instance, lets say that space elves like fast, nimble ships...perhaps their build rates would be 60% small, 30% Medium, and 10% large.

If we broke it down so that Escort/Frigate are small ships, Destroyers/cruisers are medium ships, and Capital ships are large, then for every 10 ships built, 6 would be escorts or frigates, 3 would be destroyers or cruisers, and only 1 would be a capital ship.

Now on the other hand, big stupid space ogres believe live by the motto "If brute force doesn't get the job done you aren't using enough." They might break for 50/40/10 large/medium/small...so they get 5 capitals, 4 DD/CA, and only 1 E/FF.

Just some added thoughts.
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Simulation01
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Simulation01 »

Is anyone modifying the Strategic images...or can they be modified currently?

What I'm talking about are the image shapes that are used to indicate ships when you are zoomed all the way out to the strategic level. Right now we have colored triangles that represent military ships.

What I'd like to see is race specific images to represent those ships. Say if you are playing a Star Trek mod...the Federation comm badge symbol would indicate Federation ships...the Romulan's would have their logo, the Cardassians, Dominion, Borg, etc...etc... That would be incredibly cool and the thought reminds me of the strategic maps you would sometimes see during the Dominion War on Deep Space Nine.

I would really like to see something like this done....it would add and incredible amount of flavor...and BTW it would look awesome in all the other mods too...imagine the Rebel Alliance and the Empire logo's!!!
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Igard
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Igard »

Added section 11b. Strategic icons.

Pure genius, Sim. Ge-nee-uss.

You know I always prefer things when you put them in a Star Trek context.[;)]

I changed the description from what you wrote, hope that was clear enough.
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Simulation01
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Simulation01 »

ORIGINAL: Igard

Added section 11b. Strategic icons.

Pure genius, Sim. Ge-nee-uss.

You know I always prefer things when you put them in a Star Trek context.[;)]

I changed the description from what you wrote, hope that was clear enough.


Awesome! Thanks Igard.
"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and though we are not now that strength which in old days moved Earth and Heaven; that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will." -Tennyson
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J HG T
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by J HG T »

Simulations suggestion reminds me of Sins where every type of ship had its own strategic icon. That would be great in DW.
Supporting this idea, we are.
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Data
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Data »

Aye, we also [:)]
...Igniting stellar cores....Recharging reactors...Recalibrating hyperdrives....
torrenal
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by torrenal »

Some things I'd like to see for modding:
An ability to designate items in the economy.
An ability to designate tech that allows (perhaps costly or slow) conversion between two different items.
eg: Ocean world XYZ has water.
With "Mass Electrolysis Tech", they can break down water into Oxygen, and Hydrogen (oh hey look! Fuel!).

(Of course, it'd be really really neat if economies also treated currency as an item -- transforming the economy into a true barter-capable economy... but that gets at ugly questions like "what is the value of a Dollar")
//Torrenal
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RHoenig
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by RHoenig »

Copied from the master wishlist (after a hint from Data)

As far as I understand it, there is a single file, that holds all ships names, the game uses.
Would it be possible to have several (many) different files, that I could select one at games start?

Say, I want to play a human "Romans in space" race, so I can select a shipnames file with names like Mars, Juppiter, Agrippa, Legionarii and so on.

This would give the ability to chose between different themes for the ships names.

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Sonic
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RE: Modders Wishlist

Post by Sonic »

Greetings! Here such offer - to reduce speed of space engines to give to flights realness. I think that moving between systems occupies not enough time in this connection, speed of expansion of the nations increases... Also I would lower that of growth of populations, except insects, and would add more than planetary events - a plague, earthquake and other... However, I don't know, whether it is possible - I am not familiar with a game code.
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Data
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RE: Modders Wishlist

Post by Data »

Hi Sonic and welcome to the forum. This is not something that can be modded atm so better post it on the general wishlist; btw, the slower hyperspeed request has been made before and already implemented in ROTS, in vanilla DW ships were even faster [:)]
...Igniting stellar cores....Recharging reactors...Recalibrating hyperdrives....
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Igard
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RE: Modders Wishlist

Post by Igard »

Hi Sonic welcome to the forum. You're from the USSR? Well,it's nice to have a time traveller here with us. Don't mind me, I'm not from this planet at all! [:)]

You can tweak the hyperdrive speed by changing the Startup.ini file located in the games main directory. I think it goes from about 0.8 to 2.0. You'd have to play with it a bit to figure it out, because I'm afraid I just can't remember. I didn't like the effect of changing it. Was either too fast or too slow, but maybe you'll find a good balance for yourself.
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Shark7
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RE: Modders Wishlist

Post by Shark7 »

ORIGINAL: Sonic

Greetings! Here such offer - to reduce speed of space engines to give to flights realness. I think that moving between systems occupies not enough time in this connection, speed of expansion of the nations increases... Also I would lower that of growth of populations, except insects, and would add more than planetary events - a plague, earthquake and other... However, I don't know, whether it is possible - I am not familiar with a game code.

Plagues, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, comet/meteor strikes...all things I'd love to be able to script, or have happen randomly.

Mini-stories within the main story would be extremely awesome, and how you handle it will affect happiness and reputation...example:

Advisor Badnews informs you that an extremely virulent plague has broken out on planet X. Our health officials have already placed a planetary quarantine in effect to prevent the spread. We have three options, we can do nothing and see if the emergency passes, we can sink all of our research (at a cost of 1 million credits) into finding a cure, or we can simply bombard the planet to prevent infected persons from breaking the quarantine and spreading the disease through the galaxy. What is your choice?
  • Do nothing. -costs you nothing, has a mild negative effect on empire happiness
  • Research. - costs you 1 million credits, you can do no other research until it completes, has postive effect on happiness, and eventually give you a cure that returns the colony to its previous productiveness, and increases your galactic reputation.
  • Bombard. -annihilates all possible disease vectors, decreases happiness, negative reputation, costs nothing

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Sonic
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RE: Modders Wishlist

Post by Sonic »

Well, I have understood. Thanks.
I will download that of fashions if that - itself I will try
Oh, it is a pity that game is difficult for editing...

Shark7, I would try to create a medicine, but before it is necessary to enter quarantine to prevent infection distribution...
Jounk33
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Jounk33 »

My big concern, planets in conjunction with the races.
I find the whole concept is a disaster.
Point 1:
You should set concrete which planetclasses can be colonized by a race. E.g. Ocean Planet and marsh Planet, swamp and desert planet and Continentalplanet. So far it is only possible up to 2 class of planets to colonize and is always the Continentalplanet with it, this means that Continentalplanets are somewhat overrated.
Point 2:
There is no reason why all the planets classes for all races have the same quality.
If a race has an ice planet as homeworld, then this race have, for a newly discovered ice planet, exactly the same poor quality as a race that's homeplanet is a desertwolrd.
In addition of that, the balance of the game suffers.
Iceplanets has over the galaxy no better quality than 40%. Races that Colonize only on ice and then Continetalplanets can have a major disadvantage compared to the races who can Colonize desert planet, because they have very more quality.
Point 3:
I have also always the question why a planet has just this quality, it would be much better when determining gravity, temperature and atmosphere if a race can colonize the planet or not. But that is no more concern for the modders wish list, but it is just a logical and gamefriendly interaction between racial differences and the planets.

For me, this is really a dark spot for DW. Actually, you can not modify the game to do anything big, if not even a race has the possibility to change the way you want. It is currently limited by this lack from the outset rather.

So my wishes:
- We should not only set the homeworld for a race, but also much more, which planetclases can colonize by which race, without restriction. Even gasplanets and rockyplanets should be possible, then the imagination of modders would be no limits.
- The planetclasses should have different qualities for each race and not ONE quality for all races. So we can adjust in "races.txt" how a race tolerates a planets environment.
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Igard
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Igard »

Added section 1L. Define what planet types are colonisable by each race and their respective quality.

That's great Jounk. I've added that to the masterlist.


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Data
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RE: The Modder's Masterlist

Post by Data »

woot, woot, new section....how thick will it be in the end?[:)]
...Igniting stellar cores....Recharging reactors...Recalibrating hyperdrives....
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