Zyxpsilon

Reply to Which Ethical Alignment? in Dark Avatar GalCiv2 Forums

War=Evil, Peace=Good. It's Ying/Yang equilibrium process to me. I find Neutral to be pretty effective in a number of areas when i aim for Influence victory. Conquest MUST be supported by tougher military ethics. Key-reasoning would be that it is a no [I]turning-back[/I] sort of choice once your alignment is defined. Examine the list of advantages provided, it hints on conditional variables which enhance a particular type in great leeway. Besides, Temples do loo

Reply to About the Races/Minors/Opponents/Etc... in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]JK uses a random pic/logo. The non-event minors should be customizable fia raceconfig.xml (pics, etc). Event-created minors are either random or defined in the code...[/quote] Shhhoots! I guess i'm gonna have to forget the ugliest and menacing custom JK face i had ready in the corridors of design for X-Worlds. And other variations of any Mega-Events-Minors. Alright. Still, it's somehow a little confusing. Anyhow, as i understand it... whatever remains "idle"

Reply to About the Races/Minors/Opponents/Etc... in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]I want to give the Minors their own unique systems and alter some of the majors home systems a bit as well.[/quote] Default Majors or Customized Majors? Both can be altered to your heart's content, AFAIK. I know XW/Majors [U]do[/U] pull their stuff from a personally made customplanet.xml (which gets copied into the appropriate mod-folder while i use an indirect way to call the main data for all races (39 in total!) from C:\Documents.....\DARKAVATAR--rooter and GFXs u

Reply to Planet Focus on Research? in Dark Avatar GalCiv2 Forums

Just three "Bulls-Eye" on the top side of planetary development screen to clickon as often as you'd wish (RTM, it is there)... or even bringing list headers on colony management while parsing to bring the column right under a single-click darkened box, again once only. Blue-beakers all over the place and a nicely lightened rectangle to prove it has been activated. - Zyxpsilon.

Reply to Please remove mega event that limits travel to 5 in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[Quote](let's have a huge poll on this to find out)[/quote] Noooo way, keep it as is and lemme stare at the highway speed-limit panel of 100kms/hr... cuz it's the Law. Yes, officer. But while i have the policeman attention, could you gun down or jail The Jagged Knife for me please? Not [U]their[/U] duty to take would be the answer, i s'pose. Opinions. That's all. Some are good, some are bad. Overall, it's still worth plenty of fun. - Zyxpsilon.

Reply to No Technology Brokering in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

TA could indeed benefit from such a "limited" span in tradeable techs (or even more items, yup... Cash may come to mind, too!). One might also figure that IF the complexity in coding the gizmo outweighs the overall perception players get from examining all the new differences and starting to juggle with the creepy feeling that any true value(s) (estimates, btw) isn't nearly only in the tech-tag-name but certainly in the "importance" AIs give to it. The brokering effect prevents a wi

Reply to The Ultimate Sci-Fi Mod - Happy New Years! in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]In addition to my existing tutorials, I hope to have this sort of thing on the I-Mod wiki as well at some point...[/quote] Hurry up! I, for one, should need/want anything anybody at anytime anyhow can provide. I went to I-Mod a few weeks back and D/L'd stuff but couldn't actually make the [I]GALCIV2IDE[/I] program to work as expected. Might be a Net/Framework (latest patches, XPro/SP2, etc) issue on my system, though. Even the other utility [I]GALACTOPEDIA[/

About the Races/Minors/Opponents/Etc... in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Might as well startup a new thread category for a general discussion about these subjects. First, a sort of comment about how the game actually handles the Minors and other mega-events related, popping in regularly; reading through the "english.str" file, i found the next section to be quite interesting structure-wise; [quote] _______________________ [TABLEALIAS MinorRaces] [MinorRace0] Akilians [MinorRace1] Carinoids [MinorRace2] Scottlingas [MinorRace3

Reply to Most Pear Shaped Game Ever in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

All of them get their fair share, in due time - when "necessary". True. The profitable [I]tactic[/I] is a double-edge knife though since eventually, somebody gets soooooo high (hopefully within reach!) in the tech-tree it [U]lowers[/U] the amount of money everyone is willing to hand-over & similarly, [U]increases[/U] the odd that they may be perceived more as a threat to defeat or control instead of a source of indirect research growth by quick cash means. This is mostly why i almost lik

Reply to Most Pear Shaped Game Ever in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Yup, i've got me a couple of "saved" games which i really want to return to... just for kicks. Thing is, it doesn't change the fact that i was terribly bad at a certain point during that Lemon peeling rollercoaster. And swore never to miss-check the no-surrender box in predictable game-types since eventually cowards DO all they can to backstab the non-ai side of the force. Friggin' weird. One save i keep like a gold-mine for thorough digging later is a total wacko job made by JK

Reply to Most Pear Shaped Game Ever in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Kay, Phaedyme, here's the low-down report on the essentials of the Lemon-Game... all of this from short-term memory though since i keep on testing miscellaneous contexts very often while i develop the X-Worlds Mod. SETUP; Galaxy; Small, Abundant/Planets, Occasional/Habitable, Scattered/Stars, etc. AIs; 6 Majors (AE-YC-TA-TE-DK-IR... mostly random picks), & 4 Minors. Me; As a Custom race from XW -- the all omnipotent and quite strong "Magnetics" from TFTD, so i thought a

Reply to Help out a GalCivII noob! in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Multi-playing option is an oxymoron for more reasons than i can ever list here... but what about a few? - As stated above, Human playing abilities involve VERY complex "brainy emotions" that no algorithm can truly mimic. Coding an AI takes logic beyond reactive behavior(s) and combines a processing pattern to SIMULATE thought. Humans think differently every fractions of a second, CPUs are somehow limited and won't ever reach that level unless the multi-trillions grid of neurones (includ

Reply to espionage...should I even bother? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

AFAIC, the whole spying "concept" relates much more on the actual amount (or even pace) of information a player gets about races; sure, the agents DO add a certain dimension with place/nullify - but that's [U]spending[/U] BCs as a one-way ticket to economy variables. I often wished for a sort of [B]thief[/B] instead to steal some money! What lacks to this feature is a "true" infiltration set of options; [U]demolish[/U] buildings, [U]sabotage[/U] ships & productions, [U]subdue[/U] citize

Reply to lesson learned or user error? in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

Artificial boost to military ratings? One word - Omega. And a whole paragraph about an alternate situation; The greatest planet gamble; By using an expandable outpost (more like PQ14+, freshly colonized or relatively undevelopped BUT well located near the highly rated race against which you wish to engage.), you'd draw enemy fleets into a trap. They bite. Now, that place is heavily guarded (local starport, mostly factories, rapid production for the single-turn repetitive

Reply to Most Pear Shaped Game Ever in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Got me some Lemon game the other day, wanna hear about it? Arceans - all over the place! And no escaping from their wrath. ;) - Zyxpsilon.

Reply to About the custom planets... in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Guess i'm gonna have to go through some trial&error/basic steps to "optimize" a couple of cloud files... but, since it would be more reasonable to alter any for direct single access and tie them with a specific planet - i doubt the task would be worth it unless the xml CAN be edited accordingly. I recon the engine picks those files at random it seems and spreads the lucky winners on planets. Having made an extra custom, doesn't guarantee its use on Planet X or Y which defeats the purpos

Reply to About the custom planets... in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Hey, guess what... ONE more thing. Is there a way to "control" the clouds overlay? An Option to delete their use directly from the XML custom systems? Must they absolutely be a 256x128x32b "grey-scale/alphablended" or would a different type (even with colors!) be considered valid by the code? I realized some of my planets are (somehow) pretty nice as is and i wouldn't want to mess around too much with the perceived graphics with unwanted atmospheric interference!!

Reply to MY PLANETS in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]i`ve tried making my own worlds so far no go,... have not like what i`ve done so i`ll keep working on it Those that have mods with planets they have done my hats off to them !!! as i find new worlds and make my own if they work i`ll post them here who know maybe i`ll end up with a MOD !!!![/quote] Good luck, it is after all a lot of fun to be able to customize how a system really looks in the interface. In X-Worlds/05-C, there is only 22 "temporary" planets... so, dur

Reply to more ship making problems in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

I have yet to dive into the whole shipyard tasking attempts (at first, a style for each X-Worlds races, plus a few key-tech-adapted ships & eventually all types) but i've got a "good" background knowledge of some entry-level graphic tools. 3D is somehow, a heavy subject where steep learning is involved. If studioMax is too costly, there is a fair enough [U]freeware[/U] version with [B]gMax[/B] from the same developpers. Blender is also a fairly good alternative, but the fra

Reply to economy war in Dark Avatar GalCiv2 Forums

That is quite possibly why i have purposely designed all & each X-Worlds/MOD systems to be [U]very[/U] high class/quality wise. Not only does every race gets to have at least 3 great starting planets, but those are close enough to slightly delay the inevitable outgoing rush for more. It also provides rapid growth, an indirect solid (both for def/att ratios) core empire network and eventually, a highly productive launching base for fleets after fleets (focused and easily grouped towards rally

Reply to A simple idea that could make the game more user friendly in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

True, might as well go all the way and determine which most helpful (new) [U]shortcuts[/U] (adding to the usual ones even if by the "cheat" session trick.) would need to be integrated directly to the main interface. (Btw, it really puzzles me that this type of [I]idea[/I] (tks, Stanley) hasn't been brought up sooner, or if it ever was!) Anyhow, here's what i feel should probably make the cut in supplement to what's been mentioned above; - Specific locations, some targets or/and

Reply to Alpha Centauri For GC2: TA in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Great stuff, indeed! Believe me, i understand the whole undertaking(s) when somebody WANTS to be fair to a game franchise; ever since i started the X-Com mod, i've been discovering new elements to add or adapt, graphics to enhance, planets to create, technologies to integrate, scenarios & campaigns to design, customized ship/styles to workshop patiently (if ever!) and what else - almost daily. ;) I'm a one-man-army, also. Still, the activity is quite demanding and can prove

Reply to A Modding Guide in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

This has to do more with a "maximum" points value which can't be geared/stacked/loaded beyond a fix amount. 250, if i remember correctly. So, if a "wanted" tech (of say, 50pts) puts your cumulative number at just 255 total... it won't count/record as active, and never will even if you'd edit the xml at the source rather than using the built-in routine which always verifies that specific condition. - Zyxpsilon.

Reply to About the custom planets... in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Hold it, i think i figured it out - almost. The whole idea behind "extremes" is that a random value is applied to any given map AT creation time. Once the maximum quantity is recorded by the function (probably as fixed integers, btw), the code starts distributing the pool on random targets, somehow. When it encounters a custom system, it possibly skips the current procedure calls to concentrate on "empties" until there's simply nothing left to allocate. As a result, if your race happens

Reply to Updated tutorials for Dark Avatar? in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Oh, and please, add a whole chapter about dxpack/files editing. I went to SDC and could glimpse at some tiny bits of info on numerous subjects but lemme give you an example on somethin' i've been thinking to provide with X-Worlds; 1) Design a custom Title-screen enhanced and fully interactive for a few bik movies which would need to be selectable upon clicks! One for each of the following major races, in fact... X-Com, Magnetic-TFTD, Apocalypsion, S-H-A-D-O (found