Am I using too many folders?

from GalCiv2 Forums

Thanks in advance if anyone can help me, as the confusion I'm having about this is making it so I can't figure out how to mod as I would like. I mostly just like to make custom races and tweak their artwork for flavor. My game seems to be drawing data from numerous folders, and the modding tutorial I just looked at made no mention of many of these, leaving me a bit confused.

There is the folder in My Documents. My Games contains folders for both GalCiv2 and GC2TwilightArnor. The GalCiv2 folder contains a Mods folder, but the GC2TwilightArnor folder does not. The GalCiv2 folder also contains folders for Logos and Portraits. The GC2TwilightArnor folder contains a GFX folder, which contains the Logos folder and the Portraits folder.

Then there is this folder C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2. It contains a GFX folder, which contains a Race folder. The Race folder seems to contain both portraits and logos.

The C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2 folder also contains a DarkAvatar folder and a Twilight folder. The C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\Twilight folder contains yet another Mods folder, and another GFX folder, containing a Race folder. (I use this race folder a lot because it has the wonderous property of connecting main race images with trade race images if you give them the same name, e.g. RaceImageT15.png and RaceImageT15_Trade.png).

The C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar folder also contains another GFX folder, with a Race folder. It doesn't contain a mods folder, though, which I regard as a mercy.

This is confusing for 2 reasons. First, when I want to add something, I need to try various things until I find which folder things are supposed to be in, starting and quitting the game to check what has happened. Not every folder provides whatever change it is that I am looking for, but they all seem to effect something. Second, when I change something through the in-game interface, such as a custom race, I don't know which folder to look in to see what has changed. That makes it hard for me to reverse engineer what the in-game interface does, if you take my meaning.

I was generally getting by in spite of all this, but now that I have decided to modify tech trees and create new races, my confusion has gone hyper-critical.

So - if you read all this, you are a patient soul. Is there anything I can do to make this simpler?

modding
5,647 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

The My Documents folders are just for extra images for custom races, which will appear at the race customization screen regardless of mods.

The way the main (non-Mods) folders in the game directories work is pretty straightforward. If you're playing TA, the game looks at the stuff in the Twilight folder first. If it does not find it, it then looks to the DarkAvatar folder, then to the base game's folder (TA supercedes DA, which supercedes DL).

Whether or not any given folder has its own mods folder just depends on where the game is set to look for it. Immediately upon install, TA and DA will share the base game's mod folder, but if you play more than one version, that can be a problem. If you click the 'default' button in the mod selection window in the game options, it will create the one in the folder for whichever version you're playing (DA/TA).

Basically, if you're playing TA, just put the stuff in the Twilight folder or its Mods folder.

Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

sevenwarlocks, How many working & solid mod examples do you want?

There's nothing like witnessing what needs to be done simply by looking at somebody else's folder structure(s).

That's exactly how i figured it all out (well, at least a good chunk of it!) -- through verifications, testings & almost *plagiarizing* anything necessary which is already available in the Library!

:time: It takes time to understand the actual valid principles behind Modding... 

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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Thanks Kryo,

That's all useful info and you make it seem almost simple.

Thanks Zyxpsilon,

I would agree that seeing how it has been done successfully by others is a good place to start. And obviously, if it were easy, there would be no need for these forums. I'm at the point where minor tinkering is no longer what I want, and I'm trying for thorough comprehension, and it seems a somewhat daunting place on the learning curve.

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Patience my friend, and good luck - i know for a fact that parsing through hundreds of 'confusing' messages in this forum can be daunting... but chaos sometimes lead to order & precious treasures.

The trick to modding is to be open-minded & willing to smooth out the learning curves through self-education somehow. I do prefer hands-on training to rigid guidelines by academic reference.

 

You wouldn't believe how many test games got logged on with X-Worlds -- just to develop & design what was intended.

:borg:

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Well, since what I'm working on is to be a race, I've started by downloading custom race mods. Much to do...