Smaller diameter for suns and planets

[rxnnxs]

Meanwhile I am planning to make a small mod out of it.

The minimum Moon Diameter is then about 500 or so. Just as big as the system needs it to create a Base NOT inside the Object but in an orbit around it.

If I can set the Orbit a bit greater than 1 for stellar objects, I will do that too.
Everythign is better than a Moon half as big as the planet, in a distance only three times the diameter of the planet.

[rxnnxs]

So I made that mod and tested it in two ways:

One game started as old, and there were bases inside moons.
Well, the interesting thing is: The moons where the bases are inside the moon are smaller than I allowed them to be..

The second game I started with a starting empire. Maybe then all moons have the correct minimum size?
I do not understand that..

But maybe you try it and figure out what is going wrong.

This version has only all moons set to min 600 in diameter, the next step is also the expansion of the orbit for stellar objects.
You know.. objects greater than 1 are outside the ring that is drawn in the galaxy.

But try it, here is the mod:

GreaterOrbits.7z

(17.74 KiB) Downloaded 9 times

[frankycl]

One game started as old, and there were bases inside moons.
Well, the interesting thing is: The moons where the bases are inside the moon are smaller than I allowed them to be..

The second game I started with a starting empire. Maybe then all moons have the correct minimum size?
I do not understand that..

Well, I think that's easy to explain:
The "game started as old" certainly means that you had used an older save-game, yes ?
And since it is still not possible to update saves, those bugs occurred because of the changes you made in the files BEFORE you started the game you later saved.
But when you start a completely new game ("with a starting empire") the game loads the files you had altered just before, and therefore certainly uses your other/improved changes that result in better sizes.

But why do you write "Maybe" ? - Weren't you able to check the results with the new game ?

Bsds: You can always look in the SessionLog.txt (in the data/Logs -folder) to see what files were loaded in your game (and/or where errors occured). (if you didn't know this already)

[rxnnxs]

No, I meant Old Empire start.
So I can see how Mining Bases are built.

But why do you write "Maybe" ? - Weren't you able to check the results with the new game ?

I had to wait a log time until the empires had built new bases around the moons.
I think it might be a difference between generating a starting empire and placing the bases and building them later.

Anyway, here is a new version. It works..

GreaterOrbits.7z

(18.11 KiB) Downloaded 21 times

[frankycl]

No, I meant Old Empire start.
So I can see how Mining Bases are built.

Oh, then I guess you mean the expansion-level of your player-empire (= many colonies, stations, etc. built right from the start), yes ?
Well, this would mean that there is a difference between the creation/calcuation of those stations/bases during galaxy-creation (= before the game starts) and the same thing while playing the game (= creating those things by the (game-) AI after the game started).
This is quite possible, because I experienced the same thing with altered shiphulls-files - and it might be an indication that (at least) some things/values are hard-coded within galaxy-creation...
But, if that's the case the DEVs need to change this, because it will allways make some mods un-playable/not-working by chosing different game-start settings.

Anyway, here is a new version. It works..

Sorry - can't test this now, because I'm still quite ill (had a strong flue over the weekend), but since I find this very interesting will try it when I'm well again.

[rxnnxs]

Yes, if you are really ill, nothing but sleeping helps
And after that, yes, try it

Here is another mofification.
With the Value of 10 at every planet,

<MinimumCityLightLevelOffset>10</MinimumCityLightLevelOffset>

this annoying nightsky even on unpopulated planets is off. finally!!!
If I would have known tha ealrier, I would have don it instantly.
Next goal: Get rid of the stars in the background

GreaterOrbitsLookGood.7z

(18.16 KiB) Downloaded 19 times

[mordachai]

This is really exciting work!

I'd love to integrate some of this with XL at some point.

Ideally, of course, we could layer mods and players could just choose -
BUT
I think you're messing with orbtypes.xml - and I am as well - so they won't mix :'(

[rxnnxs]

What have you done in Orbittypes?

I have added objects up to ID 49 I think.

You are free to use everthing of my changes.
But please tell me. Because I will use your mod then combined with my orbittypes.

[mordachai]

here are my current changes.

OrbTypes.7z

(10.34 KiB) Downloaded 13 times

you too are welcome to incorporate whatever. However, I've messed with the quality ratings of various planets - as well as some of their names - and to balance that out requires changes to races.

[Teranos]

So I made that mod and tested it in two ways:

One game started as old, and there were bases inside moons.
Well, the interesting thing is: The moons where the bases are inside the moon are smaller than I allowed them to be..

The second game I started with a starting empire. Maybe then all moons have the correct minimum size?
I do not understand that..

But maybe you try it and figure out what is going wrong.

This version has only all moons set to min 600 in diameter, the next step is also the expansion of the orbit for stellar objects.
You know.. objects greater than 1 are outside the ring that is drawn in the galaxy.

But try it, here is the mod:
GreaterOrbits.7z

My English may be bad, but I had to say thank you so much for this excellent mod! I had really good experience with it. It makes Gas giants and moons looks more real and a whole star systems looks much better. I use the version when moons have average size about 500-1300 ( Some of them was about 495 or so). I think it will be more fun if there are moons with more difference in their sizes, like 500-3000. Lets say : 1-5% with 2000-3000, 10-15% with 1500-2000, 30% with 1000-1500 and other 50% with 500-1000. And if the moon is big, so it have more chance to be with atmosphere and vise versa. It would be nice.
By the way, in my current game, about 30 hours of gameplay, i had 2 bugs, when constructor ship coudn't find a place to build mining station near the moon, and 1 bug, when the mining station was built inside the moon. So it was not so bad at all eventually, as i had about 100 mining stations.
Still, gas giants need to be bigger in my opinion. I think all planets and moons must be bigger so as the distance between them to look more real and to feel truly epic scale. Please dont drop it. It is really good mod! And if it's not difficult for you, leave the version with lights on the dark side of the planets.
Thanks again!

[rxnnxs]

Thank you for the feedback!

I am sorry to say that teh changes you wish for, are not possible to do.

The engine is not allowing it.
If I make moons smaller as you want (and me too), the stations and constructors fail even more to build and colonize.
Secondly, more stations will be inside the moons. It is because of the size.

Second: Yes, I want biger gas Planets, I want greater Orbits, I want greater suns, but the allowed Orbit is 1.
A sun can only have planets with an orbit smaller 1. So this limits it pretty much.
Also, the size of a normal planet has to be about 3000-8000 in diameter. Otherwise your colony will never be self sustainable, because the planet is too small.
So.. this is as good as it can be made.
If you want to have the citylights back, you can use notepad++. look for the normal numer and change that back.
hmm.. I might as well do this quick...

And thanks for the report. What you experienced is a really good outcome (nases inside moons and such) and I hope for someday a better moddability

[rxnnxs]

please try this one.
It can be placed beside the normal orbtypes.xml and takes the original at the places that the new one does not have.
And it does not have the city light passage.

OrbTypes_JustBetterOrbit.7z

(11.13 KiB) Downloaded 12 times

haha, something went wrong.

there are no city lights at all anymore. thats what I wanted but never achived!!

P.s.: Sorry, I have not time to do this anymore.
It is really annoying that nothing works as it should.
I just found that in a game of mine a planet was way to far outside - this should not happen but the game does it when generating the galaxy for the races.
I am demotivated right now.

[frankycl]

If you want to have the citylights back, you can use notepad++. look for the normal numer and change that back.
hmm.. I might as well do this quick...

Hm - those citylights - are they only on/off (modded) all the time - or are they also dependent on other things in the game - like e.g. if a planet/moon is colonized ?
(I know your main goal with this was tu turn them off for the un-colonized/empty planets, etc. - but later in game, when there are more colonized than empty ones, I would not like to have them all turned off. )

[rxnnxs]

If you want to have the citylights back, you can use notepad++. look for the normal numer and change that back.
hmm.. I might as well do this quick...

Hm - those citylights - are they only on/off (modded) all the time - or are they also dependent on other things in the game - like e.g. if a planet/moon is colonized ?
(I know your main goal with this was tu turn them off for the un-colonized/empty planets, etc. - but later in game, when there are more colonized than empty ones, I would not like to have them all turned off. )

correct, My goal is to turn them off everywhere. and I achieved it now.

If it is on normal, on every planet, those lights are shining through at a special distance.

there is nothing between, totally off or city lights on populatred and with the graphical bug on all planets. with my mod only on moons.

[Teranos]

please try this one.
It can be placed beside the normal orbtypes.xml and takes the original at the places that the new one does not have.
And it does not have the city light passage.
OrbTypes_JustBetterOrbit.7z

haha, something went wrong.

there are no city lights at all anymore. thats what I wanted but never achived!!

P.s.: Sorry, I have not time to do this anymore.
It is really annoying that nothing works as it should.
I just found that in a game of mine a planet was way to far outside - this should not happen but the game does it when generating the galaxy for the races.
I am demotivated right now.

Oh, don't worry, i've been already using the previous version of your mod(Post at Sun Mar 05, 2023 9:31 pm), where the lights on the darkside of a planet are working fine. I meant that in the future versions it would be possible to choose a version with city lights on.
It's a little messy, that at present, the game is not that moddable as it could be. But I'm already happy with what has been achieved so far. Hopefully, more modding options will become available in the future, as the game slowly turns into a gem before our eyes. Thanks for your efforts! It has been already made my current game much better, then vanilla.

[Teranos]

There is one more thing that I would like to be available. it is an opportunity for the atmosphere on the planet to be deeper then now. This thought occurred to me when I was first landing on the Dhayt planet to conquer and troop transports came so close to the surface and drop the pods. And when the pods began to approach the surface, Dhayyt air defence begin to shoot them down on the way. It was so epic and cinematic to me, to watch the battle in low orbit that i realized the great potential of this wonderful game to became true star of 4x games. If it was possible to give the player to experience low orbit battles and planet invasions more closely, it would be very addicting to me and i I guess not only me.) As I myself, have never had such a great experience before in 4x games!

[rxnnxs]

This mod has all normal bodies like in the original game, but changes the planetary moons of all planets and also them from the gas planets (in my old mod there we much less moons and less for gas planets).

that means: continental and so on and also gas planets have their moons as before, but with a greater orbit and a smaller moon size.

The moons can not get a smaller diameter than 1600 because otherwise ships and bases will appear inside the moons and can sometimes not interact with them (colonization fails).

The moons that have changed have in their name
->Planetary<- Moon
So you can see when it works

P.S.: The city-light will be as in normal game

As with every other mod:
1. Activate mod then
2. restart the game! Then
3. start a new game

---

AAAAND!

you can use this mod and other mods like the ship hull size mod besides each other.
The combination looks awesome!

[rxnnxs]

ok, I upload it untested.
I changed only the "Planetary" addition so that you can differ planetary moons from the "normal" moons.
I upload now, the time windows closes, this mod that possible is not starting at all or a working mod in the evening. You decide!

xOrbit.7z

(28.62 KiB) Downloaded 30 times

[rxnnxs]

works!

2.jpg (73.65 KiB) Viewed 851 times

[jurassic_v]

Hi! This looks great! Does it work with latest update?