I already added it to the AI, but I'll leave that to you to decide how often you want them to use it. :-)



As for unlocks, you can put as many as you want on a single tech--the technologies that allow the reduction of planet anomalies actually unlock several things. In other words, each anomaly reduction has it's own unlock. In fact, they have to.

Greetings, I missed this recently so I've make an UNOFFICIAL update to 1.1.39 (up to and including Vaulters). All credit to Tiaximus for the initial.



PlanetExpansion.zip



I'll pull this down if Tiaximus wants to release it himself!

Tiaximus wrote:
but between you and me, I just run your mod on my games anyway.

For some reason, so do I :-/



I tend to simply absorb/integrate interesting things. We almost solely play multiplayer sessions, so I have plenty of feedback and bug testing

Crud! I will change it as soon as I can. I can't at the moment, as CPT Rum is at my helm. Then CPT Girlfriend shall take command, and it looks like tomorrow will be better for me. Thanks for the heads up EvilTac!



I will change it for the source code if anyone wants to include it in their mod, but between you and me, I just run your mod on my games anyway.

Tiaximus wrote:
Here it is, the initial release. I'll make sure and put it up on the mall. I really don't mean for this to be a stand-alone mod, more of a resource for others to use if they please. Oh, and I was wondering EvilTac, would you be interested in a series of improvements that, say, added anomalies to planets? I could very, very easily make those.

Small error in the localization file of the uploaded files - missing %TIAXPlanetExpansion1Description (name string identifier is empty).



Superb job on getting this to work, integrating this into my mod as we speak

That certainly sounds interesting mate - I like your line of thinking.

Here it is, the initial release. I'll make sure and put it up on the mall. I really don't mean for this to be a stand-alone mod, more of a resource for others to use if they please. Oh, and I was wondering EvilTac, would you be interested in a series of improvements that, say, added anomalies to planets? I could very, very easily make those.



Edit: Updated to include missing description line.
TiaxPlanetExpansionv1.0.1.zip

Sweet I'm not home for another 7-8 hours, and dependent on some friends might have some time tonight to look at things. (Though I can't make any promises)

Working on it right now--going to place it on some decent spots on the tech expansion tree. I'll post it within an hour or so, hopefully.

@Lolwut - once I have some spare time (work/real life have been busy the past days) I will integrate this into my mod as I think it's a pretty near addition. I'm just pondering on how to handle the integration into the tech tree, and where to put them. (Suggestions welcome)

Any chance you could put the mod on some site so I can download it when you feel it's ready for it? It sounds very intresting (or evil does it, since his mod sounds quite intresting anyway ;p(Will try once I'm home from school))

I've been using EvilTactician's Imperium Aeterna as a basis for learning how to mod--so far, I can edit the savegames to create new systems and edit colonized systems, and I think I've learned a little about using the designations. I'm attempting to mod in a terraforming ability that will allow the player to increase the size of a planet. In game terms, it really isn't the best use of time or resources (and logically is somewhat ridiculous) but it's my first step in working on making mods.



Searching the forums, I found where EvilTactician was having problems making new specific terraforming (namely the ability to turn asteroids into barren planets). I tried to build off of this to make the size terraforming options.



For reference, here is EvilTactician's working XML (minus the datatable tags):

[CODE]
ColonizeDependance="ColonizeBarren">

PlanetTypeBarren

$(PlanetTypeAsteroids) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Turning an Asteroid Field into a Barren planet is no small feat and a huge step towards complete domination over stellar matter. Generally devoid of air, water and anything else that makes it habitable, a barren planet might sound unpleasant, but asteroids are worse places to live and it is the first step towards further terraforming.





[/CODE]

I added another few terraformation abilities based off what I learned from his code:

[CODE]
ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeSmall

$(PlanetSizeTiny) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.












ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeMedium

$(PlanetSizeSmall) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.












ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeLarge

$(PlanetSizeMedium) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.










ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeHuge

$(PlanetSizeLarge) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.





[/CODE]

I used ColonizeArid as the dependence (also noting that the word 'dependance' was misspelled throughout the game's code, BTW) so that I could test it easily with the very beginning techs of the expansion tree, using this modification of the TechnologyExpansion XML:

[CODE]



!$(TraitScience03Default)













%TechE01Description







[/CODE]

The tech shows up on the Arid Epigenetics spot of the tech tree, but the options to actually terraform any planet never show up. I saw EvilTactician's thread about having problems adding new terraforming abilities and put the new terraforming in a separate XML, but apparently I am missing a crucial step--can anyone recognize what I'm getting wrong? (also,

I've started doing that (and there is a localization file in my mod) but not everything is there (yet). A future incarnation of the mod will have everything transferred to localization.



If I have to be brutally honest, it's never something that I have paid much attention to as I'm so used to speaking English. (Although English is not my native tongue I wouldn't even consider playing something in my native language.)



I fully expect there to be some re-work ahead with add-ons, and will move everything once I am doing additional work anyway.



@Tiaximus - that's pretty sweet, and I am glad that you managed to get it working. I might actually add that to the mod in one of the upcoming versions. Some additional work is needed in the AI files to ensure that this Terraformation gets used/build by the AI as well, but that's fairly straight forward. Maybe some custom icons to distinguish them from other Terraformations? Could do the two planet sizes overlayed over one another (one translucent) with outwards arrows to indicate the change. In theory they could all use the same icon - as it will only show up if such a Terraformation is possible. E.g. it wont ever show more than 1 of them anyway, so it will never be confusing.



It would still be ideal if it was in the actual tech tree (as it would make sense to tie in with other Terraforming technologies) - and that should work fine. I did notice that the game seems to 'expect' no more than 2 unlocks per Technology though, so I generally added new technologies in blank slots in the tech tree. Or you could start the lowest part of your tech with a pre-requisite tech in the existing tree, so it will form a branch. Bit of fiddling will be required with positioning to make the lines look pleasant. Either way, this was a very good contribution

I was wondering where those description titles were linked to. I'll get to work on that, thanks. :-)

For everybody who puts a long English text description in the game xml, I know this is just a small mod and it may not matter that much. But, in case people play your mod in another language and want to provide translations for you, please put the text into a localization file. If you look at the original game files, you will see there is no English text. Instead, there is a reference to a string, which is actually defined in the file in directory localization\English\localization_locales.xml. What you should do is put a reference string, and then put all the English text into your own file in that directory, such as imperium.xml. The game will load all xml files from that directory. This way, a French mod fan could translate that one file and have a French version. IMHO, it's a good habit to get into.

Here is an updated code that can be put into the TechnologyWarfare xml (but I chose to put in EvilTactician's TechnologyOrbital xml to keep it tidy on my end since I'm using his mod).

[CODE]















By spending resources and extra effort to increase star system infastructure to encompass extra-lunar satellites, comet bodies, and reign in bits of solar system debris, a tiny planet can effectively increase its colonization potential. The size of the planet itself may not necessarily increase--the change from 'tiny' to 'small' planet is generally an abstraction of total living space.

















TechSize1







Planetary inclusion of finite asteroid chains and the capture and terraformation of planetoids allows for some additional expansion of colonial construction. Precious little debris is actually able to be drawn onto the planet's mass; most of the extra-planetary mass is set into close orbit and made easily accessible, resulting in an abstraction of increased planet size.

















TechSize2







Bending the lithosphere is tricky, but not impossible thanks to incredible advances in terraformation. The creation of artificial hollows in deep core segments allows additional living and working space, and the cored mass can be set into orbit used as additional surface area as well. In the case of hollow planets, an interlinked mesh is anchored through the vacant core, allowing artificial hive-like structures for growing populations.

















TechSize3







The collection of vast amounts of nebular debris and subsequent pressurization into equitable mass presents a unique, if somewhat impractical approach to increasing colony space, rather than finding additional planets to colonize. Space, however infinite in itself, is still finite in this galaxy, and therefore can become limited. Creation of massive orbital plates as living space result in a total net gain in planetary rent.







[/CODE]



This will place the tech on the bottom right edge between expansion and science--I would have made it a part of the Expansion tree xml, but for some odd reason, I could never get it to show up, no matter how I copied out the other Expansion techs' code. Warfare was much easier to mod.



Props to EvilTactician for inadvertently teaching me how to mod.

I think... I think I fixed it. I got the terraforming option to show up, and it worked. Turned my homeplanet from Medium to Large, then Large to Huge. I almost feel like a real modder, like everything I did wasn't just some variation on your mod, EvilTactician. Almost. :-D



Here's the code and the explanation:

[CODE]
ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeSmall

$(PlanetSizeTiny) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.












ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeMedium

$(PlanetSizeSmall) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.












ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeLarge

$(PlanetSizeMedium) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.










ColonizeDependance="ColonizeArid">

PlanetSizeHuge

$(PlanetSizeLarge) and $(PlanetStatusColonized)





Gathering mass from planetoids, extra satellites such as fragmentary moons, drifting masses, and nebular debris, this massive feat of terraformation requires immense industrial and economic strength.







[/CODE]



By giving EACH terraformation a seperate, unique TerraFormation Name, and putting them into the tech tree, I managed to get the terraformation to show up right after I researched Arid Epigenetics. Here is the view of the working tech tree:

[CODE]



!$(TraitScience03Default)



















%TechE01Description





[/CODE]



Now to clear some of this up and make some more interesting ideas out of it, such as:

Different costs for different planet types (i.e. cheap Barrens expansion, expensive Terran expansion)

An addition to the tech tree--I was thinking, since I am just rearranging your code EvilTactician, that I would just make an offshoot at the bottom right of the tech trees for this terraformation. Tiny to Small, Small to Medium, etc. could be separate techs, or perhaps the ability to terraform each different tier of planet could be on each separate tech...

...Okay, I'm not sure what happened, but my terraforming option just showed up on a tiny terran. More later.



It's showing up on tiny planets, but not others. When I click on the terraforming option, it animates the box moving to the production queue, but it doesn't add to the queue. The image moves over to the box, and vanishes.



ODD.

Definitely interesting ideas. I'm not sure if PlanetSize is or isn't available to terraformations but that would be my guess if everything else was definitely done right (which I don't doubt as you had a working piece of code to start from)



Pity as I quite like what you're trying to do.



Adding moons is definitely not possible, it's something I would love as well. That and adding a second or third moon to the same planet. Maybe in a future version, we live in hope

Yeah, I initially had it in the same XML you made, 'NewTerraformations.' Didn't work. I tried adding all of the planet types, i.e. ($PlanetTypeTerran or $PlanetTypeArid or ... and so on), I tried just using Arid, just using Tundra... nothing any way about it. It still shows up in the tech box just beside the 'ColonizeArid' or 'ColonizeTundra' icon, even shows several population bonuses underneath, but no options to actually use it.



I tried using a new game, and using Horatio as the starting race as they begin with arid epigentics, then I tried a custom race with Horatio Affinity so I started with an Arid planet (and had to research arid epigenetics). Either way, no terraformation options appeared. I even played out a game far enough to actually start getting other terraformation options and mine still didn't appear.



I'm pretty sure PlanetSize simply isn't available to terraformations, like you mentioned. Seems silly to allow some descriptors and not others, but it was likely not something the programmers ever really intended, as it is a pretty goofy expenditure of resources vs. adding another fleet or two to your armada. Once you're far enough into the late game to actually do some of these, you've pretty much on your way to winning or getting trampled.



I imagined that I would make these transformations a lot cheaper, but make them ONLY available to barren planets, forcing the player to scrub the planet down to basics before increasing mass. Or perhaps just make them more expensive for each tier--cheap barren, slightly more expensive lava, more costly for desert/arctic, etc.



Another idea was to make a terrformation that dropped the PlanetSize down one notch, but added a moon to a moonless planet. However, adding moons is simply not available in any of the ways I've looked at--it would have to modify both the galaxy generation and colonized empire stats in the save XML.