Creating a custom map - Some questions

Questions...about a custom map

Okay, so I created a custom map based on my fantasy/sci-fi stories. I'm working on a short story, and thought I would use the same lore in my story and use it to create a custom map. The story isn't really in space, but well closest example I can think of it is...Avatar. But not anything like it, but that same sort of type of alien world. When I finish the story and put it up on my website, I'll release this map. I actually got a few ideas from making the map for my story. Sadly, I have no modding skills...so the races in vanilla game will be the only actual races on the map. The only thing "different" are the names...for example if I want to use Elementals (just an example, don't want to use my actual race names)...all I can do is name one of the players "Elementals" and imagine thats what they are

I added 12 players under the edit tool, but I see there can only be 9 AI in the game (10 including you as a player). So that might not work out quite well, so I may have to remove some of the players. Thats not too hard, just have to change a few things around. I already know the 2 players I'm going to remove if 12 doesn't quite work.

Anyway, so I created all the planets...named each one....took me about 5 hours to finish the map, maybe closer to 6. And tested the map out in game.

Well, I immediatly ran into some problems

First, I don't think the player names were actually used in-game. I have a player listed as "Elementals" and yet, it didn't show up like that in the game. Instead it showed up as something like "Sarak Warriors"...even though in the galaxy tool it shows up as DesignName: Elementals, In-game name: Elementals...it doesn't show up in-game as that.

Second, the choices of you start with are random. "Elementals" should be allied with "Dragons", but its all random. Is there a way to be able to choose who you start with? Because if I want to play as the "Elementals" I cant, because when I start the game its as I said, random.

And do note, none of my stories that my map is based on as dragons or elementals I just thought they would make good examples.

So, my map won't work if I can't get those two things to work...especially if I can't at least get the AI to be named right.

Thanks

modding

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So, I'm thinking I need to add my own custom races? Since in the options I found an option to replace one of my players with a race already in the game.

How would I go about doing that? And can I easily use ships and stuff already available and use them for a new custom race? I have pretty much no modding talent...so would be unable to make my own ships and stuff. I would have to use whats in game already.

And I actually don't care too much about the player names now, if I can at least get my races into the game...that would be awesome.

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GoaFan77

Join Date 10/2008

+629

Creating a new race, even if you are using the same artwork, requires quite a lot a work. I'd recommend playing some of the more complete mods that at new races and look at what files they have to change.

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vendayn, for your issue in the map of having particular players allied, the simplest is to use the team number in the player definition (-1 not on team, team 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) and also set the randomizeStartingPositions TRUE in line 8 of the map to FALSE

harpo

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Thanks Harpo I missed that option while looking through.

As for races...is it possible to download a mod that adds races, and use my "custom" races to replace them? I noticed when I downloaded the Tri-Pirate mod, that the pirate faction that gets added as playable, got added to my options of races that I could replace.

If so, that would be easy enough. Just find a/some mods that add races and use that.

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