What does this thread contain?
What is changeable
How to install the SDK to enable easy editing of ini files (pre-decrypted)
How to use bini in order to decrypt and edit ini files
How to make a mod in flmm
How to make your mod into an flmod file for others to download and use
Which files contain what?
Finding the right entries for what you want in the files
What is changeable in this game???
You can change:
-The stats of ships
-The location where ships are sold
-The stats of equipment
-The location where what equipment is sold
-The location where wich commodity is sold for what price
-The location of bases, tradelanes, jumpgates etc.
-The Stats of asteroid fields, nebulas and similar stuff
-Patrols (who patrols where, new patrol pathes etc)
-Basically everything about the universe that is information
-Names and Info-text of stations, equiment etc. (You need Visual C or something similar to do this )
-You can add new ships, equipment, stations etc (everything mentioned above)
-3D models
-Textures
-Icons/graphics
-Missions
-Ingame cinematics
-Savegames
You can't change (yet):
-Character animations
-Ship collision boxes
-new effects
-Anything that is related to the actual game engine. We don't have the sourcecode of the game, so we can't change what is hardcoded.
-Random Missions - either new types or other
Don't be expecting us to teach you how to make a new storyline. You CERTAINLY need to be able to crawl before taking part in an olympic marathon!
So which files will I edit to do something then?
Well - once you have installed the SDK so that you can open files at will - then this may just help you. Sure is confusing and large - but you have to start figuring out things from now on. Modding does take a small amount of ability in the very least!:
Which files do what?
Equipment, weapons, commodities
equipment/weapons_equip.ini - this file contains all the raw data for weapons on how they fire, how much damage and stuff
equipment/weapons_good.ini - contains data on how they look in game, the price, and stuff (visible icons at dealer etc, price at dealer)
equipment/market_misc.ini - deals with selling weapons and equipment at the bases in game
equipment/st_equip.ini - shields and thrusters stats, regens, drain rates etc.
equipment/st_good.ini - goods file again, what is sold at bases, its kind of the package up. Links the weapon stats to the images and price you buy (same as for guns)
equipment/market_misc.ini - they are stated again here for selling
equipment/select_equip.ini - filled with an assortment of things, mainly this contains the info for commodities - like volume they take, what they are, information about them
equipment/goods.ini - contains the info on all commodities - like price, what is a good deal, what is a bad deal etc etc etc.
Ship Related
equipment/goods.ini also contains all info on ships prices, what they are sold with and more (called packages).
equipment/market_ships.ini - where ships are sold (upon which bases)
ships/shiparch.ini - contains all rough data on ships for stats, and links it to ships models and stuff
ships/loadouts.ini - contains all info on NPC ships loadouts for the game
ships/loadouts_special.ini - same but for capships etc
ships/loadouts_utility.ini - same but for the transports etc
Ships directory contains all ships models.
Systems and bases, and everything within!
universe/universe.ini - contains all base and systems references. ALL need to be declared here.
universe/systems_shortest_path.ini - links between systems and stuff - NEED to declare route in here to make jumpgates work
universe/shortest_legal_path.ini and shortest_illegal_path.ini - same again, but specific for jumpgates/jumpholes routes mainly
universe/systems folder - contains ALL systems folders which in turn contain system and base files.
solar/solararch.ini - contains data on all base models, and planet models in game. Basically anything in a system NOT a ship/star/nebula is in here. Asteroids aren't here either
solar/loadouts.ini - contains info on what base models have mounted and stuff, including weapon platforms
solar/asteroids/all files - contain info about the asteroid fields, contents, loot and more
solar/nebula/ same again, but about nebulas this time.
audio/contains the music and sound effects of the game.
missions/contains all files to do with encounters and NPC's for missions and normal game.
random missions/contains all info about random missions pay, loot and more stuff.
Missions/mbases.ini - contains information about NPC's on bases, including their names, whom they are etc, rumours (via ids numbers), secrets, bribes on offer, whether the NPC's/ The BASE give out missions, and the level of those missions
NPCs ships, missions and behaviours
missions/npcships.ini - contains information about the ships that the NPC's fly, linked directly towards the loadouts.ini file, and also the faction_prop.ini file. Basically - npcships.ini file links these files together for the faction_prop.ini file to use as "encounters" and stuff: Also holds the npc ships difficulty level.
Shiparch.ini
Loadouts.ini (or loadouts_special.ini etc)
pilots_population.ini
formations.ini
shipclass.ini
The others interlink kind of
missions/Empathy.ini file - contains info about how the factions react to YOU when u do mission for a faction etc, and shoot them/please them, as well as how all toehr factions respond to you doing it for one faction etc.
Missions/faction_props.ini file - contains info about the formations, names, voices, legallity, scanning of cargo as contraband/wanting it, ships to fly etc, and the factions names, how they are reffered to (voices) and more. EXTREMEMLY closely linked to NPCships.ini
missions/lootprops.ini - contains info about the drop rates of stuff by npcs
missions/news.ini - contains the ids links to text for bases as news items.
missions/ptough.ini - money and level area
missions/formations.ini - formations and their "design" - basicalyl the ships positions in formations, and where the player joins them
random missions folder:
rmlootinfo.ini - stuff dropped by npc's when killed in random misions
diff2money.ini - mission (random) payouts to difficulty levels
Killablesolars.ini - types of missions given out by the NPC factions. The ones with faction name appearing in the lines for them are giving that mission type. Don't worry if you don't understand, you gotta learn to walk before doing a marathon!
The rest you needn't worry about at this time. Its not important
Cockpits folder - contains all cockpits for ships - basically contains the turret cam info, and rotation speed etc.
Thats more than enough for 99% of modders.
To make systems, your universe folder contains the systems folders. each system has its own folder, along with the system file inside that folder.
So:
Universe/systems/li01/li01.ini ;contains information about liberty system New York
Universe/sytems/Rh01/Rh01.ini contains all systems inofmation for new berlin.
Okay, inside these folders (systems folders) they have a bases folder, whre the file for bases are contained. These files only contain links to the "rooms" of the base, which are contained inthe rooms folder (inside bases folder). The rooms foler contains links to the backgrounds, music played, character position (by points on the CMP for base) and other things. It also contains the links for the buttons inside the base etc.
Going backwards, the audio/sounds.ini contains the links to sound files (sound effects) for the game. The music.ini file contains the music links.
The FX folder contains the files that deal with the effects of stuff. The main effects.ini file deals with the weapons, wormholes etc etc etc.
Beam effects are the actual stuff SEEN in the game by the guns, but you MUST have them referenced inthe effects.ini file to work.
explosions.ini file is also in here, and obviously contains links to the effects for different types of explosions used in the game.
