Questions for .exe modders

[MercantileInterest]

I've tinkered a bit with the alphas and factions files but can't get into exe since I use a mac. Could Yitzi, Scient and the rest of you who know how this works tell if the following edits are possible?

1. Can we change the higher levels of probe rating to make a faction immune to all enemy probe activity (as in the Hunter seeker algorithm) or merely immune to infiltration?

2. Can we change the Gaians to receive +1 nutrient from forests? The alphax file can do this for everyone but it's really only interesting as a bonus for a single faction.

3. Can we set a faction to terraform faster (similar to the weather paradigm)? The text files only allow cheaper altitude manipulation which doesn't suit a group wanting to terraform planet into a copy of earth.

4. Can we allow the progenitors access to the world map and directed research in multiplayer, while restricting the other factions to blind research and no starting map? Could they show up several turns later like they do in single player?

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

[Yitzi]

I've tinkered a bit with the alphas and factions files but can't get into exe since I use a mac. Could Yitzi, Scient and the rest of you who know how this works tell if the following edits are possible?

Even before reading them, I can tell you they almost certainly are.  It takes some serious work to come up with an edit that isn't possible via assembly-level .exe modding; the more significant question, most of the time, is how difficult it would be; some things are just prohibitively difficult even if they're technically possible.

1. Can we change the higher levels of probe rating to make a faction immune to all enemy probe activity (as in the Hunter seeker algorithm) or merely immune to infiltration?

Fairly easily.

2. Can we change the Gaians to receive +1 nutrient from forests? The alphax file can do this for everyone but it's really only interesting as a bonus for a single faction.

Also fairly straightforward.

3. Can we set a faction to terraform faster (similar to the weather paradigm)? The text files only allow cheaper altitude manipulation which doesn't suit a group wanting to terraform planet into a copy of earth.

Yes, though making it a "type 2" bonus (doesn't count toward the eight per faction) would be very difficult, and allowing the terraform rate bonus to be variable, or letting it stack with the actual Weather Paradigm, would also be fairly tricky.  Just giving it a free project bonus would be fairly easy, though, and even allowing the faction modder to choose which faction would be a significant amount of work but fairly straightforward.

4. Can we allow the progenitors access to the world map and directed research in multiplayer, while restricting the other factions to blind research and no starting map?

Absolutely; I'm a bit surprised it isn't already that way.

Could they show up several turns later like they do in single player?

It might be a bit tricky, but not too hard.

[vonbach]

I would love to have the +1 nutrients from forests to be a general option for everyone.

[MercantileInterest]

This is very exciting.

1. Q. Can we change the higher levels of probe rating to make a faction immune to all enemy probe activity? (A: Fairly Easily)
So it would be possible to arrange probe benefits as follows?
+1. Same as it is now.
+2. Same as it is now.
+3. Units and bases immune to subversion. Bases immune to infiltration. (Would this step be too difficult?)
+4. Equivalent to Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.

2. Q. Can we change the Gaians to receive +1 nutrient from forests? (A. Also fairly straightforward)
Splendid.  fit perfectly in the original but with Alien Crossfire,  holds the job of fungus fanatic. It'd be fun to give her a bonus towards the hybrid approach.

3. Q. Can we set a faction to terraform faster? (A. *Paraphrased* Not really worth it)
Good to know. Will simply set the terraforming faction to receive free fungicide and super former abilities.

4. Q. Can we allow the progenitors access to the world map and directed research in multiplayer? (A. Absolutely)
Right. Not entirely sure if it is worth the effort. I'm mainly hoping to have a single Progenitor faction to terrorize my next multiplayer game.

5. Q. Could they show up several turns later like they do in single player? (A. It might be a bit tricky, but not too hard.)
Again. Probably not worth the effort.

Yitzi, thanks for all the info. These are minor changes but they could make a significant impact in my group's next game.

[vonbach]

Heres a question could you alter the +planet benefits to give benefits to forests as well as Fungus?
It seems like it would make sense.

[Yitzi]

This is very exciting.

1. Q. Can we change the higher levels of probe rating to make a faction immune to all enemy probe activity? (A: Fairly Easily)
So it would be possible to arrange probe benefits as follows?
+1. Same as it is now.
+2. Same as it is now.
+3. Units and bases immune to subversion. Bases immune to infiltration. (Would this step be too difficult?)
+4. Equivalent to Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.

Yeah.  Making infiltration be different than everything else would only be a tiny bit harder.

2. Q. Can we change the Gaians to receive +1 nutrient from forests? (A. Also fairly straightforward)
Splendid.  fit perfectly in the original but with Alien Crossfire,  holds the job of fungus fanatic. It'd be fun to give her a bonus towards the hybrid approach.

3. Q. Can we set a faction to terraform faster? (A. *Paraphrased* Not really worth it)
Good to know. Will simply set the terraforming faction to receive free fungicide and super former abilities.

Actually, if you want them to terraform twice as fast (like super former) instead of +50% (like Weather Paradigm), that would be a lot easier to do.

Yitzi, thanks for all the info. These are minor changes but they could make a significant impact in my group's next game.

Of course, that doesn't mean they've been done yet, and they're not so much easier than some other changes that they automatically go to the head of the line...

Heres a question could you alter the +planet benefits to give benefits to forests as well as Fungus?
It seems like it would make sense.

Actually, barring the Manifold Harmonics, they don't give benefits to fungus, only penalties.  But changing such things could be done without too much trouble.

[Dio]

When does the reduction in Upgrade Costs from the Nano Factory Secret Project occur? It appears that it does not reduce the cost by one half to upgrade a unit manually.

[Yitzi]

When does the reduction in Upgrade Costs from the Nano Factory Secret Project occur? It appears that it does not reduce the cost by one half to upgrade a unit manually.

Whoops...I seem to have accidentally disabled it somewhere in my patch.

I'll try to get a stable version with it fixed fairly soon.

[MercantileInterest]

"Of course, that doesn't mean they've been done yet, and they're not so much easier than some other changes that they automatically go to the head of the line..."

Right. I'm a little reluctant to ask, seeing as already have things you want done and several of these are of more interest to me than to others. Will ponder awhile.

[Lord Avalon]

I've tinkered a bit with the alphas and factions files but can't get into exe since I use a mac. ...

Does getting into .exe require Windows? If so, have you tried a virtual machine? Just a thought.

Whoops...I seem to have accidentally disabled it somewhere in my patch.

I'll try to get a stable version with it fixed fairly soon.

WTF?! My upgrades aren't actually cheaper??? Bait & switch!! RABBBLE! RABBLE! RABBLE!


 

[Yitzi]

Whoops...I seem to have accidentally disabled it somewhere in my patch.

I'll try to get a stable version with it fixed fairly soon.

WTF?! My upgrades aren't actually cheaper??? Bait & switch!! RABBBLE! RABBLE! RABBLE!


 

Actually, I've got sorta (but probably not really) bad news for you...while making it work is fairly simple and I expect to have the fix up within the hour, making it work exactly like it did before without invalidating what I did to enable modding of upgrade costs is substantially harder (doable, not crazy, but not trivial).  Would it be okay if I make it so that it only halves the cost, rather than halving and then rounding down to the next 10?  (i.e. if it costs 30 without the nano factory, it'll cost 15 with, instead of the pre-patch version of 10).  (If not, I'll try to have both functionalities available in the next full patch.)

[Lord Avalon]

I'd say whatever is most convenient for you, as long as you explain what the current way is. If you later make an option for like the original method, that's fine, too. Thanks again for your work on this. 

[Yitzi]

I'd say whatever is most convenient for you, as long as you explain what the current way is. If you later make an option for like the original method, that's fine, too. Thanks again for your work on this. 

You're welcome, and "most convenient" would be to just have it cut in half (still rounded down to the next 1, but not the next 10).