Indorikan

Join Date 08/2007

English.str hidden ship abilities

any way you can get them to work?

Ok, so allready a few of you are aware of the other "Ship Abilities" in the English.str file under:

C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar\Data\English\

(if not open with notepad to see it and click Find and type in "Vampire")

So I thought I'd try to mod in 3 of these abilities into a new weapon or module, Mainly

"[ShipAbilityVampire] Vampire"

How?

->GC2Types.xml:

   <Module Name="VampireModule">
      <DisplayName>Vampire Module</DisplayName>
      <Description>Allows this ship to Attack other ships and heal.</Description>
      <Cost>500</Cost>
      <Size>25</Size>
      <Model>SporeModule0</Model>
      <Ability>Vampire</Ability>
      <Thumbnail>SporeModule0</Thumbnail>
      <Category>Capacity</Category>
      <Tech_Requirement>Galactic Warfare</Tech_Requirement>
   </Module>

I made 2 others with the Heal and Stealth ability just changing around the " <Ability>Vampire</Ability>
" to "Stealth" or "Heal"

So I go to start a new game and trying to make a new ship with the new abilities BUT!!! when im finished putting the modules on the ship and save it, the ship doesnt exist, only the template so I cant make it.

Now I was just wondering, is there any way I can type in some code on a weapon somewhere that makes the ship repair or something whenever it deals damage? I've got a lot of ideas booming and hoping I can make my own unique custom ships for a unique race.

modding

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how do you open Str files ive tried using notepad like you said and I couldnt open it so how did you a lot of us would like to how to open Str files.

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Hi!

is there any way I can type in some code on a weapon somewhere that makes the ship repair or something whenever it deals damage?

Yep. Get a job at Stardock as a coder for GalCiv-2.

I've got a lot of ideas booming and hoping I can make my own unique custom ships for a unique race.

Do you also have ideas about procedures that will make AIs able to use and defend against that new stuff?

BR, Iztok

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My guess is you need to copy the .str file, rename it to a .txt,
then open with notepad. It`s the process I use to send a Debug.err
file to Stardock (with the select all/copy/paste added).

Then just replace the edited .txt file with the original
.str suffix.

If there is a better way I`d love to hear about it here.

Thankx,

Prof.

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just get Notepad++

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Or open it with with wordpad

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Actually, I just figured something out, it's only the modules that dont work if you put the special ability in them. However, if you make a new weapon and copy the
" Vampire"
Ability in the weapon then you can equip it, havent been able to find out if it works yet though....but for some reason all the enemy AI's equiped it instead of any other weapon (probably because I set the amount of damage it deals to 78 and made it require a simple tech upgrade to learn it b.c I'm lazy) LOL

Do you also have ideas about procedures that will make AIs able to use and defend against that new stuff?BR, Iztok

Well I'm making a Nano Robotic race where their ships leech energy from other life forms and require 0 Logistics points but their ships have low HP
but a few of the ideas I came across when exploring the game were these:

Weapon types:

- Tri-Gun:
classified as all 3 weapon types (beam/gun/missile)
Description: it shootes out homing mass projectiles that follow enemy ships and shoot mass amounts of stored energy at them then explode on impact.

- Omega Blaster:
only 1 can be equipped per ship, Enemy attacks you before you can use it in a battle, Can only fire once per battle.
Description: Has a reactor that generates the amount of energy the size of 10 supernovas. It concentrates the energy into a small worm-hole where all the enegry is released then shot out instantaneously ripping a long line open through space destroying anything near it.
Type: Mass Driver
Purpose: Mainly used for defending against ships in fleets with high amounts of armor or invading planets with lots of defending ships.

- Energetic Prohibitor:
Renders all targets weapons inaffective for a round, can only equip 1 per ship
Description: Depletes all energy from one ship preventing its weapons from being used in battle
Type: All
Use: meant to prevent the Omega Blaster from firing

Shield types:
- R.E.S. XS: (Reverse-Energy Shield Exo Sceleton)
Absorbs all classes of damage.
Description: any type of energy that is created on the exterior of the ship is partially absorbed
Use: Defence against the Tri-gun or E.P

Ship Modules:

- Parasitic:
Ship drains HP from enemy ships and becomes stronger
Ship cant attack until it upgrades to another ship
ship cant upgrade until it reaches a desired level
(could do this one just with experience points so it retains its HP)

- N.R.R.S: (Nano Robotic Restoration System)
Ship regenerates its HP (but only after battle)
Description: With the ships structure stored in memory, Nano Robotic drones will know exactly what needs to be repaired with salvaged debris from battle.

- Nano Reconstruction:
Brings a ship back to life on your homeworld
Takes a year to rebuild

- Decoy:
Makes ship the highest initiative to attack in a fleet
Use: Prevents other ships in a fleet from being destroyed first

Star Base Modules:

- Mind Cloud: (influence)
The sector in which the Star Base that this module is built upon remains uncovered by all foreighn ships. Ships that pass through it have their sensors reduced to 1.

- Repair Beam: (military)
Player ships that are damaged within range repair X% of their total HP every week.

and thats enough typing for today lol.

Dont know if any of this stuff is even possible though.

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Hi!

> Do you also have ideas about procedures that will make AIs able to use and
> defend against that new stuff?

Well I'm making a Nano Robotic
...
Weapon types:
...
Ship Modules:
...
Star Base Modules
...

What I see is: basically you don't have a clue what I'm talking about.

Let me explain. What you're proposing is just lots of stuff that will make game more complex. More complex doesn't mean the gaming experience will be better. In fact it will be worse, because in lots of cases computer players (AIs) will not be able to properly USE items you've described.

The true secret why this game plays so good is it's so simple the game AIs can handle it, and put up a good fight (at least most of them). But they can't handle stuff they're not programed for, like we human players can. So while AIs aren't able to adapt properly, I vote for simplicity. If you really want lots of stuff, lots of options, and AI that can't handle that complexity, I suggest you Space Empires game. You won't be dissapointed.

BR, Iztok

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Wordpad it is, thankx.

Prof.

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I'd like to point out that the .str files are merely cosmetic and contain strings that are displayed on screen. Modding them will not affect how the game actually plays.

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What I see is: basically you don't have a clue what I'm talking about. Let me explain. What you're proposing is just lots of stuff that will make game more complex. More complex doesn't mean the gaming experience will be better. In fact it will be worse, because in lots of cases computer players (AIs) will not be able to properly USE items you've described. The true secret why this game plays so good is it's so simple the game AIs can handle it, and put up a good fight (at least most of them). But they can't handle stuff they're not programed for, like we human players can. So while AIs aren't able to adapt properly, I vote for simplicity. If you really want lots of stuff, lots of options, and AI that can't handle that complexity, I suggest you Space Empires game. You won't be dissapointed.BR, Iztok

Sorry, got the wrong end of the stick on that one but now i understand what you mean. I don't know how I would even be able to edit the A.I for the game. If there was a way to, I'd definently try to explore it.

I'd imagine doing something like:

If (Condition):
Player 1 = Hostile
(Player) has fleet where Target Fleet's (Defensive) strength of type (-) >= Attack Strength type of (check all ships stats owned by computer player)
Player has build/is building ship(s) with Ability of type = Transport Troops

Then:
Do action:
Check for enemy fleet (fleet name)'s weakest defensive strength & store value as "DEFTYPE(x)" for fleet X and store Defense sum of fleet as "DEFSUM(x)"
Check HP Sum of enemy fleet X & store value as "HPSUM(x)" for fleet X
Start building Y numbers of ships on planet closest to (Fleet X) where Y > (Total attack power of type DEFTYPE(x) / DEFSUM(x))

If:
$$ Amount > Price of ship to build then do action: Purchase ship

but im guessing its more complicated and limited than that...
not gonna go into huge detail and describe how the A.I would work using the different weapons i described above since i have no clue how the A.I works and it would just be a waste of time and space....

but yeah is there anyway you can actually edit the A.I then and even possibly add in new ship abilities?

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I'd like to point out that the .str files are merely cosmetic and contain strings that are displayed on screen. Modding them will not affect how the game actually plays.

Yeah I realised that just by looking at it, but it contains information of what abilities you can put in on a weapon or a module.

I think the Vampire mod actually works concidering the ships actually regain HP after battle after I equipped my ships with a weapon that had the "Vampire" ability.
The only problem is that when the enemy has the same powerful weapon that would blow all my ships HP away but has very little HP, my more powerful but very damaged ship that should have been destroyed seems to have its HP reset to 100% sometimes which is odd.

anyways can someone describe to me what these modules would do and how to use them and equip them properly so they can be used effectively:

[ShipAbilityStealth] Stealth
[ShipAbilityDetStealth] Detect Stealth
[ShipAbilityDockShips] Dock Ships
[ShipAbilityDetonate] Detonate
[ShipAbilityBombard] Bombard
[ShipAbilityMissile] Missile
[ShipAbilityVampire] Vampire
[ShipAbilityHeal] Heal
[ShipAbilityWraith] Wraith
[ShipAbilityAntiWraith] Anti-Wraith
[ShipAbilityStarbase] Starbase
[ShipAbilityFleet] Fleet
[ShipAbilityMonster] Monster
[ShipAbilityConstructShips] Construct Ships

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Indorikan, you do know that none of that is moddable, right?

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Indorikan, you do know that none of that is moddable, right?

I know that you can't edit it, but I also know that those abilities WILL actually work if you put them on a weapon.

For instance the "Missile" ability makes whatever enemy the ship attacks attack the enemy but blow up in battle and deal a lot of damage to it.

The vampire ability also works so I'm guessing that all the abilities will function if you put them onto weapons...I'm just starting to test them out though.

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