Moddability ?

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [Science Fiction] >> Pandora Series >> Mods and Scenarios >> Moddability ?

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Moddability ? - 11/17/2013 10:35:15 AM

PDiFolco

Posts: 1200
Joined: 10/11/2004
Status: offline

To open the forum, can the devs give some info on moddability :
What is moddable and what isn't ? Units, buildings research, factions, graphics, AI ...??
How to do it ? Some modding manual would be neat ...

Thanks !

Post #: 1

RE: Moddability ? - 11/17/2013 11:59:22 PM

Rosseau

Posts: 2757
Joined: 9/13/2009
Status: offline

Lots of XML files in Pandora/Data/World. I noticed the game doesn't like extraneous files or new folders in its directories. So I store my backups outside the Pandora folder so it doesn't crash on start-up.

(in reply to PDiFolco)

Post #: 2

RE: Moddability ? - 11/18/2013 11:33:29 PM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

The game is certainly has modability. As per the manual all modded files need to be placed in:

User data such as saved games, screen shots, configuration
and log files are stored in the following locations:
Windows Vista/7:
�C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Proxy Studios\Pandora\�
Windows XP:
�C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Proxy
Studios\Pandora\�
Mac OS X:
�/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/Proxy Studios/Pandora/�
Linux:
�/home/<user>/.config/Proxy Studios/Pandora/�
MODDING
The �Data/� directory in the installation directory is managed
by the updater, do not modify it. Any added or modified files
may be deleted or replaced.
For modifications create a �Data/� directory with the same
structure in the user data directory outlined above. Files placed
there will be loaded instead of their distributed equivalents.

So you would need to create the Data folder so it would read like this:

�C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Proxy Studios\Pandora\Data�

Sounds are in Ogg. This is an open licience codex and thus free players like Audacity can save in this format.
The faction animations are in .mkv format. not so common on PC but their are converters available. PS3s, phones and such commonly use this video codex but common movie editing software for PCs like Pinnacle or Sony do not support it. Your need to convert them to MP4 or whatnot, edit, and then convert the edits back to .mkv. You can get a good video converter for under $30.

Terrain graphics are also found in the data area and can obviously be also modded, but i have noticed XML files call engine shaders for them. I am not sure yet if we can mod our own shaders or not, by pointing to them inside the XML file.

All other data is in xml. This will be quite easy to remove or add to the tech tree, tweak units, etc

I am currently working on a mod to remodel and replace the faction animations and sound. It'll take a while, I've modeled one so far. There are six expressions that need to be modeled and made into an .mkv for each one, as well as replacing their still images so it's a bit of work...but I find the defaults rather generic looking and wanted to start here. I'll post it up here when I'm finished with them for everyone.

BTW I'm known as Ghostryder on the wargamer forums.

(in reply to Rosseau)

Post #: 3

RE: Moddability ? - 11/18/2013 11:42:35 PM

SephiRok

Posts: 61
Joined: 5/3/2012
Status: offline

Sweet!

You don't have to pay to convert to our video format, you can do it freely with ffmpeg just like we do:
"ffmpeg -i input.avi -an -vcodec libvpx -crf 10 -vb 10M -f matroska -threads 4 -y output.mkv"

_____________________________

Rok Breulj
Designer and Programmer on Pandora: First Contact
Proxy Studios

[Twitter]

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 4

RE: Moddability ? - 11/19/2013 11:29:24 PM

Rosseau

Posts: 2757
Joined: 9/13/2009
Status: offline

Thanks for the tip on the directories, eyegore. Serves me right for not reading the manual thoroughly.

(in reply to SephiRok)

Post #: 5

RE: Moddability ? - 11/21/2013 11:53:47 PM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

I had a preview vid I wanted to post of my faction modding but I get the message from the forum I can't post links until after a week after I reach 10 posts.I'll be furthur along by the time that happens surely.

(in reply to Rosseau)

Post #: 6

RE: Moddability ? - 11/24/2013 2:54:16 AM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TgWM1m4tUU&feature=youtu.be

Here's a preview of my upcoming faction mod. Setting the quality to 720hd and full screen should give a good view on model details. However ingame resolution is 320x180 and so the reduction will cause some quality loss.

An alternate music mod that is optional will be offered as well if you would like to change the atmosphere even more.

3 factions done. 3 to go.

< Message edited by eyegore -- 11/24/2013 4:10:23 AM >

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 7

RE: Moddability ? - 11/26/2013 6:18:46 PM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

No comments? Got another faction done. Next up I'll work on the military faction.

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 8

RE: Moddability ? - 11/28/2013 12:01:46 AM

Perramas

Posts: 3
Joined: 2/23/2006
Status: offline

eyegore thats some quality work you have done so far. I cant wait to see the rest of the factions and your alternate music mod.

Can you mod map sizes and give bigger bonuses to the AI factions?

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 9

RE: Moddability ? - 11/28/2013 1:32:40 PM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

Yes you can. You can locate the map xml file in Pandora/Data/World WorldParameters

inside your see:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<worldParameters>
<size>
<tiny dimension="24 24"/>
<small dimension="32 32"/>
<medium dimension="40 40"/>
<large dimension="48 48"/>
<huge dimension="56 56"/>
</size>
</worldParameters>

I haven't experimented and I imagine your system should have a good amount of ram but looks easy enough to change. remember the changed xml needs to go in the Documents section as mentioned above.

All the A.I. faction xmls are under Pandora/Data/Factions. This includes all the beasts as well as the not include invaders that was left out when the team ran out of time. The industrious faction file looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<faction aggressiveness="0.55" color="Red" sex="Male"
icon="Factions/IndustriousIcon">
<modifiers>
<modifier>
<conditions>
<faction name="Ecologic"/>
</conditions>
<effects>
<standing sub="0.1"/>
</effects>
</modifier>
<modifier>
<conditions>
<faction name="Economic"/>
</conditions>
<effects>
<standing add="0.1"/>
</effects>
</modifier>
<modifier>
<conditions>
<faction name="Scientific"/>
</conditions>
<effects>
<standing add="0.1"/>
</effects>
</modifier>
<modifier>
<effects>
<growth mul="1.25"/>
<productionPerTurnMultiplier add="0.5"/>
<pollutionMultiplier add="0.5"/>
<units type="Trooper0" weaponType="Automatic0" deviceType="None" armorType="None"/>
<units type="Former" weaponType="None" deviceType="None" armorType="None"/>
<units type="Colonizer" weaponType="None" deviceType="None" armorType="None"/>
</effects>
</modifier>
</modifiers>
</faction>

The first few lines are obviously the faction's trait modifiers. Here you could actually add modifiers from other factions and easily say...give the Industrious guys the same economic bonus of the Economic faction...you'd just copy/paste from their xml. Below that it looks like you can change their sex and player color as well. the other modifiers look to me are for your standings with the listed other factions that are listed in the xml.

The way it's set up experimenting around is pretty easy. Even though we really have no modding docs because everything you do goes into the user/documents folder if you do something that blows up the game you can easily delete it and go back without messing up your install. So a lot is trail and error...but I imagine all you need to do to add a new 7th faction is create the folder with the faction name, then edit all corresponding xml files to include it...like the GUI for a 7th spot, the xmls that display the diplomacy animations and so forth...or you could just replace an existing one.

I'll probably tinker around with other things when this mod get's done. I've already got a redo render of the Industrious faction running as i was not happy with how plain he turned out. The game's biggiest strength is how the factions actually play...and i want the art to beef up that sense....whereas that first vid he really did not generate any character to me. The setting was okay but he could have been anybody. I tend to redo things a lot , lol. the Ecologic faction is a 3rd edition already. And i need to rerender some of here expressions still because they jump around too much. I'm not really happy with the Fanatics yet either...she'll like change.

(in reply to Perramas)

Post #: 10

RE: Moddability ? - 11/28/2013 7:14:32 PM

Perramas

Posts: 3
Joined: 2/23/2006
Status: offline

Ive modded the Huge map to 76x76. If you want larger maps than that you have to add city names to the cities file or the game will crash with an exception error.

I do not want to mod the factions themselves as I will be playing them. I am looking to mod the bonus the AI gets from the harder difficulty levels.

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 11

RE: Moddability ? - 11/29/2013 7:53:36 PM

PDiFolco

Posts: 1200
Joined: 10/11/2004
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: eyegore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TgWM1m4tUU&feature=youtu.be

Here's a preview of my upcoming faction mod. Setting the quality to 720hd and full screen should give a good view on model details. However ingame resolution is 320x180 and so the reduction will cause some quality loss.

An alternate music mod that is optional will be offered as well if you would like to change the atmosphere even more.

3 factions done. 3 to go.

Waow, I wanna be friend with the ecosexy bomb !!

Very good models and animations.

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 12

RE: Moddability ? - 11/30/2013 1:03:28 AM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

Yeah i like the way she turned out...but it took me 3 redo's to get her there. At first she was just tattoo'd up...and I really didn't like her. I thought she should be more "earthy" hence the attention to animating her wardrobe malfunctions....which she seems fine with.

Here is my first shot at her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X7Q-R8Jamg

I've been modeling and animating 2 straight days now and am now on the 6th faction. Also in that time I was able to animate more on Ecologic faction to take care of the areas her head was jumping around. I completely redid the Fanatic faction. I wanted a religious look...whereas she looked too tribal. I redid the military 3 times. Getting him to look like a soldier was easy enough but getting him to look like a soldier 100 years in the future....without looking totally like a droid was a bit harder. I also stuck him in with an ATV. My first run was with him inside...but the windshield was obscuring and clouding his face. (he looked good in the modeler, but after I add the shaders and stuff how they look I can't tell until I render the scene. So finally he's standing outside the ATV. So that one ate a lot of time. The science guy I hope turns out well. If he does I'll be able to put up a preview of all six factions.

I'll still need to generate 6 clips for each faction and resize them, and change them to mkv files. Then do the 4 advisors. So mostly editing and formating left to do right now. I was asked to do an article on the mod by the wargamer so I need to get that done too. but it looks like I can get this out before the 4 day weekend ends...if i stop playing the game. hehe.

(in reply to PDiFolco)

Post #: 13

RE: Moddability ? - 11/30/2013 3:32:23 AM

eyegore

Posts: 94
Joined: 11/18/2013
From: Houston
Status: offline

Here's a peek at my redo's for entertainment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7zvksR3jqk&feature=youtu.be

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 14

RE: Moddability ? - 2/22/2014 8:14:15 AM

unsubstantiation

Posts: 13
Joined: 2/21/2014
Status: offline

Does anyone know how to mod the map size choices to have more or less opponents. Even If It doesn't show up in the GUI for the advanced new game setup; I would like to make it so that in my 12 faction mod on a large map there could be up to 12 armies.

_____________________________

beautifulacacia.com

(in reply to eyegore)

Post #: 15

RE: Moddability ? - 8/18/2014 7:25:45 AM

fwyrl

Posts: 2
Joined: 8/18/2014
Status: offline

I actually have a question on this. Does anyone know how to add devices, units, Etc? (Eg. how to make it not crash because I have a file that shouldn't be there).

(in reply to unsubstantiation)

Post #: 16