Xeno Ethics modding

How far can we go?

from GalCiv2 Forums
I'm pretty sure that, through XML and GUI modding, pretty much everything on the Xeno Ethics tech and ensuing choice can be changed. This is good news, for sure.

But the question arises: is it possible to duplicate the Xeno Ethics tech, edit its name and description a bit, and supply it new information for a new GUI window and end up with two researchable Xeno Ethics choices?

This question is a big thing behind the Star Wars Mod Team's possibilities.

I'm going to do some testing of my own, but if I can't work it out I'd be very excited if a dev or other modder can fill in the insights on this very special tech.
modding
5,398 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I gave it a shot in the obvious way (copying + renaming the tech in it's own XML, adding in the screen for screens.str that would be needed, and copying, renaming, and editing the Ethicswnd.dxpack.). The first Xeno Ethics worked as intended, but my new Xeno Ethics 2 didn't work. I could research it and everything, but when it was done it simply showed my description then asked what I wanted to research next. I half expected to at least find the original Xeno Ethics screen again.

I'm presuming the code is made in a way where it's an If player researches "Xeno Ethics" Then display Ethicswnd.dxpack and so on. But it's not preserved. And yes, that's my primitive interpretation of coding
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've tried copying Universal Translator and alliance techs, and they don't seem to work. I'm guessing it may be something to do with the internal name of the tech.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I know how to mess up with the English,Screens.str files, it's not a big deal but I think if you want to change the codes of "Xeno Ethics" you should serch in those two files, my mod of the jedi temple, you could only get it in "Good" Alignment and then after you reserch "Good and Evil" you can get to reserch "Jedi Temple" so, what that we can do is to reserch "Good and Evil" and then make another techs like Empire or New Republic. And what else we can do we can is to change the names of the alignments from Good Evil and Neutral to Empire, Rebellion, New Republic and with is we can change the Ethics thumbnails to the Empire simbol Rebellion simbol etc.
reply me to the post of Star Wars Mod Team or here.
Thanks.
-Master U
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Master U, yes, we can do that--the problem is that it's not possible to switch sides. It'll work for a simple Galactic Civil War-era mod, but we wouldn't be able to have multiple time periods like we'd really like to.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There's a few techs like Xeno Ethics and Universal Translator that are specifically hardcoded to do certain things, mainly because that's the easiest way to handle it. In GC3, I would like to do away with the hardcoded techs and introduce scripting, but that's far into the future.  
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Alright, good to know. Allows me to not kill myself searching for the answer