Starbase mod

Eco

from Sins Forums

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, but I'm not new to sins!

For me, the game is just the perfect local lan RTS to fight back that overpowering cheater KI with your friends.

 

Sins is an awesome game, even tho some balance decisions don't really match my opinion but that's OK, they might be for competetive online play after all which I have no idea of. Anyhow, there is one thing that really buggs me: Cost of starbase eco upgrades. I found some old threads about it (not sure if it was this forum) where other people complaint about it too and pruposed awesome mod ideas, but it doesn't look like anyone ever created those mods.

So I'm wondering how hard can it be?

All I ask for is a possible combination of these ideas:

-make tradeports / colony pods a high tier research that automattically applies to all starbases with no further cost (prefered)

-if that's not possible, lower the upgrade costs or even reduce it to 0

-change the upgrades to not occupy upgrade slots

I just feel like these upgrades are never worth it, even in 4 hours lasting games. Isn't it so that the colony pod for example takes several hours to pay for it self? There might be a reason behind this for the competitiv scene but totally not for me.

My question is either, could someone give me a starter guide on how to do such a (i bet) rather simple mod, or even just do it for me within 2mins with your awezome skillz and send me that thing (that'd be awesome but I know I can't expect this)?

 

Thanks for your help everyone and, oh, here's the bad news: I have no modding experience whatsoever :D

modding
15,279 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

harpo999999 has tools to use the Bin/TXT converter that comes with the game for the gameinfo files
https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/353296/page/9/#replies

After that you can use Notepad (though Notepad++ has better features) to mod to your hearts content.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

okay thanks for your quick reply.

 

Well since this is my first time xD I could use some more information:

-Am I right to assume I have to use "sinstextbinner" to convert .bin files into editable .txt files and back? (whatever a bin file exactly is anyway)

-Where are those bin files, especially which am I looking for that contains the starbase eco upgrades?

 All I found so far are .entity files located in the gameinfo folder

(stay tuned there will be more questions once I located where I have to work, because I have no idea what to do there)

 

Edit: I guess I figured it.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 2
-Am I right to assume I have to use "sinstextbinner" to convert .bin files into editable .txt files and back? (whatever a bin file exactly is anyway)

The name of the file you are looking for is ConvertData_Rebellion.

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 2
-Where are those bin files, especially which am I looking for that contains the starbase eco upgrades?

The files are found in the GameInfo folder.

http://soase.x90x.net/?i=modding/Install-Mods.html

Here is another link that will help more, though the place to put mods is now in a much more logical spot for Rebellion(only).

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

so I have to convert the files to rebellion first? thats odd but ok

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

So I've created a "starbase_eco" folder in \My Games\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion\Mods-Rebellion v1.1 and copied the whole gameinfo folder there. I tried to run the convertdata_rebellion.exe which I found in the original game folder (not the downloadable stuff from harpo - there is no rebellion converter), before and after. However, I have no idea what it does. A cmd window pops up for a brief second and that's it. Also I can't open the enity files with "my favorite editor" like mentioned here http://soase.x90x.net/?i=modding/Install-Mods.html.

There is a crucial step I'm missing but which? :D

 

Edit: OK I'm confused. I realzied the whole harpo pack is outdated and went for the converter v2 mentioned in one of his replies.

On start it says "unable to access registry". Well I ignored that and tried to convert my files again (now with sinstextbinner2). Apperently every single conversion failed (no skips no success), but I'm suddenly able to read the entity files with notepad++ O.o

I will pretend everything worked out fine and start messing with the entries but I'm pretty sure this will come back at me later on....

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Ok thanks, I should probably reconvert my entity files. Here are some other question:

 

How do I link upgrade tier level to starbase upgrade level? I don't think we have a template for that.

How does the researchWindowLocation work? It says

block 0

pos [3, 1]  (for StarbaseUpgradeAccessTradeportPSI)

 

and later it states <Tier 3>

 

I even run the game to check this up and no, it should be tier 4 for advent  and I don't see how pos [3,1] could possibly discribe it's real location in the def research tree. Same applies to tec and vasari pendants.

 

Edit: To clearify what I want to archieve, here's an example:

Tec starbaseUpgrade Tradeports should be:

-research moved from tier 3 to tier 5 (this column is already crowded but I hope there is a way to work around this) -figured out except for crowding problem in tec tree

-increased maxNumReseachLevels to 2 (according to 2 SB upgrade levels) -figured out

-Upgrades all starbase tradeports to level of researched upgrade (so e.g. tradeport research is 2/2 -> automatically all starbases have their tradeports on 2/2) -no clue

-remove starbase upgradecost for tradeports -figured out

-remove starbase upgradetime -figured out

-remove starbase upgrade Slot requirement (so level 2 tradeports don't consume 2 upgrade slots anymore) -no clue

-adjust researchcost and time to tier 5 -figured out

 

repeat for all races, including colony pods (vasari) and media hub upgrade (advant) with different tier levels for their respective researches

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 8
I even run the game to check this up and no, it should be tier 4 for advent and I don't see how pos [3,1] could possibly discribe it's real location in the def research tree.

That's because the first number in the sequence is " 0 " not  " 1 " .

Instead of  1 2 3 4 5

           it's  0 1 2 3 4

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

and it obviously starts in top left corner thanks for enlighten me <3

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

goafan77 (awesome moddergodz) just deleted the upgrade requiremnt for resupplyAbility for TL SB, so perhaps I could exchange the upgrade for a "trade ability" and delete the old one from the upgrade section.

I checked the tradeport, starbase and tradeportupgrade entity and it does not seem like there is an ability "tradeport". Tradeport seems to be either a planetmodule or an upgrade, i.e nothing i can "apply" to a starbase other than the inbuild tradeportupgrade. I'm really clueless now on how to manage this... I guess I need help from a real modder out there.

 

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 11
goefan77 (awesome moddergodz)

The gods have heard your plea, though they'd prefer if you spell their names right. ;)

 

Thou shalt edit the StarBaseUpgrade[Race]TradePort.entity file. The first stage dos represents what the starbase has without purchasing an upgrade. If thou puts the following lines in thy first stage, it should generate the free wealth your greed heart desires.

Just remember the third commandment, thou shalt watch thy "counts" when modding Sins of a Solar Empire.

 

upgradeProperty
        propertyType "BaseTradeIncomeRate"
        value 1.000000

Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top

never happened or my head shall fall off :P

 

well that adds the income but there is no relation to any research so far, how do I do that?

Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 13
well that adds the income but there is no relation to any research so far, how do I do that?

If it is possible, you'll need to alter these lines (its the same for anything that requires research).

    researchPrerequisites
        NumResearchPrerequisites 0
        RequiredFactionNameID ""
        RequiredCompletedResearchSubjects 0

To something like this.

    researchPrerequisites
        NumResearchPrerequisites 1
        ResearchPrerequisite
            Subject "RESEARCHSUBJECT_STARBASEUPGRADEACCESS_TRADEPORTPSI"
            Level 1
        RequiredFactionNameID ""
        RequiredCompletedResearchSubjects 0

 

However, I'm not sure how that works with an initial upgrade. Do report back if it works.

Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top

unfortunatly it doesn't work. The tradeport upgrade disappears from the upgrade menu (it's still click-able tho), but researching doesn't give the fortress any tradeincome. :(

I guess I'll have to do this the cheap way, reducing upgrade costs to 0... I just wanted it to stick with the research because it's always nice to have a mod that does not affect the game in an obvious way.

 

PS: I really like your mod but on first try I got massive performance issues to the point of gamecrash. We never got past that point in several re-tries. It always happens just the second me(TL) and my brother (AR) engage that unfair AI's(AL) titan. It is perfectly reproduceable but it's a 2 people multiplayer save. Dunno if you still got some use for it. Anyhow, I'll give it another chance in future because I really like your changes, even tho the advant eco is really op with that mod. (greater Credit/metal/crystal income than TL with same number of planets- holy cow!)

Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 15
unfortunatly it doesn't work. The tradeport upgrade disappears from the upgrade menu (it's still click-able tho), but researching doesn't give the fortress any tradeincome.

I guess I'll have to do this the cheap way, reducing upgrade costs to 0... I just wanted it to stick with the research because it's always nice to have a mod that does not affect the game in an obvious way.

 

PS: I really like your mod but on first try I got massive performance issues to the point of gamecrash. We never got past that point in several re-tries. It always happens just the second me(TL) and my brother (AR) engage that unfair KI's(AL) titan. It is perfectly reproduceable but it's a 2 people multiplayer save. Dunno if you still got some use for it. Anyhow, I'll give it another chance in future because I really like your changes, even tho the advant eco is really op with that mod. (greater Credit/metal/crystal income than TL with same number of planets- holy cow!)

It would be better to put this in the mod thread so I don't forget about this, but I think I can look at the save if its for 1.1.

Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top

it is, which mod thread exactly? (I'd appreciate a link)

Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Schmiddi06, reply 17
it is, which mod thread exactly? (I'd appreciate a link)

Either on Moddb or these forums.

Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Lavo_2, reply 7
Ryat probably should have linked you to the already converted reference files instead, these should be more useful to you I believe.

Forgot about those. Sorry, was also getting ready for work.