Adding planets to an existing mod

from Sins Forums
Ok I know this info is somewhere, if so please point me to it.

I am ready to add my new planets to the game. I went ahead and made A complete copy of uzils mod. and want to make the entity files for 4 more planet types. (no research needed) i'll try all that later. Is their A main file in the Gameinfo folder that I need to add to before I add Entity files for my 4 planets.or will they just show ?I really just want them to be choices to populate random maps or that i could just change via text editing the galaxy file . Do I need to modify the pictureplanet brush file in any way? or any other brush file for that matter?

So lets say I went and copied A mesh for each type 3 times for each planet type and named them 0,1,2, ect.

I made the textures and named them PlanetCarbonrich01-da.dds , 02.da.dds , 03.da.dds
ect for the 4 types

Took An existing entity file and copied,altered to point to the new cloud/planet textures and new planetnames and planet info
few questions there, #1 an icon ,where would i get one,could i use any icon(I got Desktop x..)
#2 do I need an Icon?
#3 is their A main file . somewhere. (kinda like the solarsys.scc file in celestia) that I need to alter before their can be these new planets?

Do I need to modify english String file in any way?

Did i miss anything? any tips
modding
4,446 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
For the icons, there is the Icons_Planets.tga file, which you'll have to edit, along with 4 .brush files, referencing the new icons.

You will definitely need to edit the strings file, otherwise your info won't show up.

I added colonizable moons to mine, the most time was spent on the icons.

The easiest way I can tell you, is to open the icons_planets file in PS, look at the top-left corner of a given icon, note it's coordinates (x,y), then find that particular icon in one of the brush files, to see how it works.

What I did, was made new icons, wrote down their coordinates, then copied an entry from the brush file (did it with all 4), then changed the coordinates to match the new icon(s).

Once you look at the icon template and the brush files for a bit, it's pretty self-explanatory.

Just don't forget to change the count number at the top of each file to correspond with the number of additions you made to the file.


For reference, in the brush files, the data per icon is [XX , YY , XX, YY], where the first XX/YY set is the location of the top left of a given icon, and the second XX/YY is the size of the icon. For instance: [456 , 128 , 50 , 50]. The top left corner is at 456px right of the top-left of the whole file and 128px down, where the icon itself is 50px X 50px.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Good to see others have the hang of this now, not so taxing for me with others to explain it when I'm absent. Foodro got it spot on for the brushes. It is long winded, and time consuming, but if you use the other planets as examples, you can work out how everything fits together.

Oh, and the one file you do need to change in the GalaxyScenarioDef.GALAXYSCENARIODEF.

This file is what lists the planets you can pick from the in-game map editor, and which groups contain which planets. There are a couple of sections you need to edit, one being the groups, and the other being the actual planet reference bit. Once again, check the others, and use them to help you. You may learn what to do slower, but you will understand how it works, which generally can only be discovered by yourself, and which is far more helpful in the long run. "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."
Star Control: Origins
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Lol! What a reply. Thats going in the Top 10 replies list. So simple, so pointless, but so, so comical! :D
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
...set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life..
btw. thanks for every new planet uzii and pmutzu!
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
i just compleeted the Brush data in Text and it's meanings
https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/post.aspx?postid=303543
it's easy to understand one's you read it all become clear
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Yep. At first it looks a bit intimidating, but after a few minutes it's all fairly self-evident.:)