Home  ›  Stellaris Won't Read My User_empire_designs.txt After I Edited It?

Stellaris Won't Read My User_empire_designs.txt After I Edited It?

Written By Monday, March 7, 2022 Add Comment Edit

Hi everybody,

after downloading Stellaris, I started it up and immediately created a new "Space Viking" empire, because everything is better with Vikings. The tutorial started and everything was fine, but something felt a flake off. That's when I noticed, that my full general was called "François"! "FRANCOIS"! By Odin's beard, he was supposed to exist a Space Viking, non a gourmet chef. And suddenly, I decided to actually do something nigh it, which is to say: create a mod.

As a software developer by day, I'm no stranger to some kind of code, just this really was the kickoff mod I've ever really created for whatsoever game, so I had to do a footling inquiry and some trial-and-mistake experimenting. Besides, the modding system of Stellaris is really like shooting fish in a barrel to utilize and no coding skills are required at all. Therefore, after I read a asking on Reddit about "how to get started" with this whole Stellaris modding business, I thought… well, maybe I could assist with a small step-by-step tutorial for people who are not familiar with coding or modding and who merely don't know how to actually outset. Who knows? It might actually aid someone.

And then, here we get…

Tutorial goal and preface

With this lilliputian guide, we volition follow the steps I had to take when creating the outset version of the Ironborn Empire mod. Working through these steps, we volition create…

  • a new species: The Space Vikings
  • a new names list for said species
  • a new pre-defined empire inhabited by said species/li>
  • a new description and start screen for the empire
  • a new government type with new titles for our rulers
  • a (very rudimentary) new flag icon

Target audition:

This list should as well give a hint at the target audition for this post. This mini tutorial is for people who haven't created mods yet, who may accept no experience with coding (which is not necessary for this at all) and who – given the like shooting fish in a barrel moddability of Stellaris – want to create something merely just can't figure out where to outset.

General stuff

Prerequisites

This tutorial was written with the game version 1.0.1 and the language set to English language.

As well, nosotros'll edit some YAML, which are unproblematic text files, merely accept to be encoded in a UTF-8 format. Consequently, you'll need a text editor that can relieve your files as UTF-8 encoded text files. The standard Windows notepad can not do this. You tin figure out a way how to modify that or simply use a better text editor like Notepad++, Sublime Text 3 or something similar.

Resource

Before we start, there are some general resources for how to create a mod and sooner or later you might desire to await at some of them:

  • Stellaris Wiki: http://world wide web.stellariswiki.com/
  • Empire modding entry: http://www.stellariswiki.com/Empire_modding
  • Stellaris Modding subreddit: https://world wide web.reddit.com/r/StellarisMods

Directories

Besides yous take to be aware of two locations that we utilize to a) reference what's possible (i.eastward. already in the game) and b) create our new mod.

You lot'll find the Stellaris installation binder (Steam) at
<∖Steam>SteamApps∖common∖Stellaris

and the user data folder, where we'll create our mod at
%HOMEPATH%∖Documents∖Paradox Interactive∖Stellaris

1. Pace: Creating the modern

Ah, we're finally going to go started. Commencement of all, we volition create the mod, i.eastward. the binder structure. Merely we don't have to do it on our own – we merely employ the modern tools from the Stellaris launcher.

  • Start Stellaris (the launcher opens)
  • In the launcher select the tab "Mods" on the right
  • You should and then run into a button named "Mod tools" in the upper right. Click it.
  • In the post-obit mask, fill in a proper name for your mod, a folder name and feel costless to choose some tags (see picture below)

Create a new mod

The "Supported version" field should already have the current version of your game. At the time of writing, the first patch was just released, so it's 1.0.1.
Later on you're satisfied with your very few initial settings, click the "Create Modern" button. The mod tolls will now create a .mod file and an empty folder in the user data folder that I mentioned above. If yous desire to check it, it should pretty much look like this:

Initial mod folder

The .mod file includes only some meta data most our modern and after uploading it to the Steam, information technology volition also include the id of our mod in the Steam Workshop. There are a few settings that you tin fix manually, but for this tutorial, we won't need that. If you want, you can read up a small clarification over at the CK2 Wiki.

Now, we are able to basically create altered versions of everything that's in the game: Species, empires, governments, traits, ships, you name it. A lot of new modders also seem to directly change the actual game files in order to change some values (which of form gets reverted with every update). With this simple setup, we don't need to do that anymore and can treat all the game files as "read only".

2. Step: Creating the name list

To commencement off easy, we will create the new proper noun list first. This is one of the easiest things to practise and we can later attach it to our empire.

As said above, our modernistic can create about all types of things that are in the game. The game itself uses a sure folder structure to organize its data and if we want to add annihilation to it, we have to utilise the same binder structure in our mod. Since most of the data (including the name lists) is establish in the commons binder, this volition be our first ane to recreate in our modern.

Stellaris folder structure

  • In our modernistic binder "ironborn", create a new binder "mutual"
  • Inside that common folder, create a new binder "name_lists"
  • Re-create the file Stellaris∖common∖name_lists∖Human.txt from the Stellaris installation folder over to the folder "name_lists" in our mod directory
  • Rename the file to "name_list_spaceVikings.txt"

If yous open up up the copied text file, y'all'll see a lot of names in there. They are organised in categories and sub-categories that are divided past curly brackets. Lines that first with a hash are only comments. Our first step is to clean this file and throw out everything, nosotros don't demand. As you tin see, the list is named "Homo" – we'll replace this with "SpaceVikings". And so we'll merely delete everything that's in between two curly brackets that looks like a name. Don't delete brackets or assignments like sequential_name = "%O% Frontier Outpost" .

After that just put in some names that you remember would fit for a sure category. For case, since we're creating f*ing Vikings, nosotros might desire to call our planets after the nine realms. For this, search the category "planet_names" and enter your names in the subcategory "generic" (or, since Niflheim is supposed to be a cold place, you may want to put it in the sub-category "pc_arctic"). You volition find that at that place are several lists for grapheme names: "names1" to "names11". At the moment we can safely delete all except the starting time – adding boosted lists tin can exist done later, of course.

At the end, your file might look a scrap like this:

Caveats / Notes

  • The names are simply separated by spaces – if your name has more than one word, y'all have to put it in quotation marks.
  • "sequential_name" simple means that, if no proper noun is given or nosotros have run out of names, the game will provide a numbered proper noun. In the case in a higher place, our outposts may exist called "1. Frontier Outpost", "2nd Borderland Outpost", "third Frontier Outpost" and and then on.
  • The "weight" value given in the names list decides how often the names occur. The Stellaris Wiki even provides a formula to calculate this, but in general: a list with higher "weight" is used more often

3. Stride: Creating a name for the name listing

At this moment, you lot are already able to showtime the game (with your mod activated in the launcher), create a new empire and use our new proper noun list! Try it, it's crawly! Unfortunately, it is even so called "name_list_SpaceVikings"

We have our name list in the game!

To modify this, we demand to set up some text. In the Stellaris installation directory you volition meet a binder called "localisation" on the same level as "common" and in at that place are a lot of .yml files (simple text files with a YAML syntax) and a lot of text in them. Well, if information technology's in the installation directory, we need this folder in our mod directory as well:

  • Create a binder named "localisation" in our modern folder "ironborn" (on the aforementioned level as "common" – not in common)
  • We'll only provide English text, then copy the file "l_english.yml" over to our new "localisation" directory
  • Rename the file to "svi_l_english.yml" and open it

Search the file for "name_list_" and you'll find the bodily names for all the name lists in the game. In that location are ever two entries for each listing, so nosotros need to create those two entries for our list as well. Since nosotros desire to start with a make clean file for our new stuff, delete everything except the first line and add the following entries:

Washed. Afterwards this, you lot can start the game and our proper noun list will really be called "Space Vikings" now.

Caveats / Notes

  • In the .yml file the name later "name_list_" has to exist the same as your list definition at the starting time of the text file. In our example, you'll see information technology in the 2d line, where it says "SpaceVikings = {"
  • The .yml files accept to be saved with a UTF-viii encoding. Otherwise, Stellaris tin can't serialize them!

4. Creating a predefined empire

At this signal, further additions and adjustments basically come down to two (repeating) steps:

  • finding out where something is defined in the Stellaris installation folder
  • re-create it to our mod binder and rewrite it

Therefore, for our next step, nosotros have to know that the predefined empires yous tin can select from the commencement, are defined in the folder "prescripted_countries". Knowing this, we follow the aforementioned steps as before:

  • Create a binder named "prescripted_countries" in our mod binder "ironborn" (again on the same level equally "common" – not in mutual)
  • Copy the file "00_prescripted_countries.txt" over to our new "localisation" directory
  • Rename the file to "ironborn_dominion.txt" and open it

In the file, delete everything except the first section named "humans1". This volition exist our template. Of course, we aren't humans anymore so we rename "humans1" to "ironborn". This name will once more used in other files as a point of reference, and then be careful how you proper noun it. We now can modify all the information inside our "ironborn" section and adjust everything we want.

Tip:

A lot of this configuration is easier done in the empire editor in the actual game. Fortunately, your creations volition be stored in this simple text file: %HOMEPATH%∖Documents∖Paradox Interactive∖Stellaris∖user_empire_designs.txt . Just first Stellaris, create the empire that you like in the empire designer, save it and so re-create the contents yous need from "user_empire_designs.txt" to your new "ironborn_dominion.txt".

At the end, I arrived at something like like this:

Voilà, you tin can now start up the game and actually see and select your empire on the bottom of your listing. While the nuts are in that location, our creation still seems a chip bland with that large black box where a description should be, but already we accept a fully playable new empire with our own species (which is just a name) and an own proper name list. Huzzah!

Caveats / Notes

  • The entry flags = { space_vikings custom_start _screen } is needed in a later step and will be explained there.

v. Creating a description for the empire selection screen

Again, we want to write some texts. Fortunately for us, we already created a .yml file in our mod and we tin just utilize that to add further texts to the game. The only thing we have to figure out is how our new texts take to be named in the file. If nosotros want to look at how information technology'due south washed for the original ten empires, we take to search the localisation folder of Stellaris over again. Since there are so many different files it helps if y'all have some tool to search for text in a lot of files – I'k merely using grep on the "git bash" that came with git.

In this case we notice the variables nosotros need to look at in the file "prescripted_l_german.yml" (over again, in the Stellaris localisation folder). For each empire nosotros can come across 2 variables there: One for the name and one for the description. Once again, nosotros have to create exactly those 2 variables, merely for our ain empire. That's why nosotros'll add the post-obit ii lines to our "svi_l_english.yml":

Caveats / Notes

  • Brand sure the new lines are on the same indentation level as the "name_list_" entries and thus "in" the "l_english" list (that'southward a YAML thing)
  • Again the proper name later on "EMPIRE_DESIGN_" has to be the aforementioned as the i we used in our empire definition "ironborn_dominion.txt"

Our new Empire now has a description

6. Creating a outset screen bulletin

At this indicate, nosotros have a clarification in the empire selection screen, simply if y'all really first the game, you volition be met with a pretty blank black field where our funny little background story should be. This is where the "flags" entry in out "ironborn_dominion.txt" comes in that I mentioned earlier.

Once again, our first footstep is to simply search for the electric current texts of the get-go screen and we'll find them in our erstwhile friend "l_english.yml", all starting with "START_SCREEN_". For example, if you start with the United Nations of Earth, the starting time screen will brandish the text that you'll find in the variable "START_SCREEN_UNE". That's what we need for our empire too. Open upward "svi_l_english.yml" in our mod binder and add the following line:

Unfortunately, that's not enough. If you lot'd commencement a game with our new empire, the offset there's still be no text in the start screen. Simply, since we know the name of the text definitions (e.g. START_SCREEN_UNE), nosotros tin can search the files in the "common" binder for that name and indeed, nosotros'll find it referenced in the file "00_start_screen_messages.txt" (of class, you're able to observe that file, because it's in the folder "start_screen_messages", which might give a hint that in that location are starting time screen letters to be found here. But I wanted to describe the process from seeing a text in the game to finding references in the localisation and mutual files).

We'll proceed with our usual two steps:

  • create a folder "start_screen_messages" in our common folder of our modern
  • copy "00_start_screen_messages" from the game to our newly created "start_screen_messages" folder and rename information technology to "start_screen_spaceVikings.txt"

To get a starting signal, nosotros tin can delete everything except the entry below the comment # United Nations of World . Equally we but created the localisation text chosen "START_SCREEN_SVI", nosotros put information technology in equally value for "localization". You lot volition also observe the part inside "trigger". This is used by the game to determine, which commencement screen text to display. If your empire definition ("ironborn.txt") defines the flag that you can see in the start screen definition ("start_screen_spaceVikings.txt"), then information technology will display the text, that's provided by the value fix for localization. Since the respective line in "ironborn.txt" says: flags = { space_vikings custom_start _screen } , we put that name (i.e. "space_vikings") every bit value backside "has_country_flag").

In the terminate, your "start_screen_spaceVikings.txt" should look similar this:

If you offset a game with our Space Vikings now, there should be a kickoff screen:

Our empire now has a start screen. HUZZAH!

Caveats / Notes

  • Make certain, your newly created folder "start_screen_messages" is not on the same level every bit but a subfolder of "common"
  • You volition notice that our "ironborn.txt" defines a second "flag" called "custom_start_screen". But if you took a closer await at the file "00_start_Screen_messages.txt" that nosotros copied, you take seen that this flag is checked for all the default starting letters you get shown depending on your starting planet. In curt: Having that flag in your empire definition prevents the game from using default starting time messages.

7. Creating our own regime type

In this pace, we'll create a new authorities type. Most of information technology is merely like before and in this case, we're just using breathy copies of previously divers governments, merely we will at least change the title of our ruler. This is very much connected, because – as I establish out the hard way – you tin can't simply change the title without creating a new government type.

If yous take tried several government types when starting a game, you surely accept noticed, that the title changes depending on what you have selected. In our example "ironborn.txt", we ready our government to military dictatorship ( regime = "military_dictatorship" ) and therefore, nosotros're correctly being addressed equally "Grand Marshall".

The title of our emperor's ruler is "Grand Marshall"

Of grade, every bit Space Vikings, nosotros should really accept a better championship and thanks to Skyrim, everybody knows what a "Jarl" is. From the previous steps, we know that we volition find the definition of this text in the "localisation" folder, more than specifically in "l_english.yml":

Caveats / Notes

  • At this point, my first thought was to simply redefine that variable in our own language file "svi_l_english.yml" and assign a different value. Unfortunately, this does not work – nothing will happen. As far as I know, you can't really override existing values in our mod structure. You can only add to information technology.

And then to actually do this, we have to create our own regime. Well, nothing easier than that:

  • create a folder "governments" as a subfolder of "common" in our mod
  • copy the file "00_governments.txt" from the "governments" binder of the game to our newly created "governments" folder and rename information technology to "gov_spaceVikings.txt"

The the file, we accept to search two entries that define the government types "military_republic" and "martial_demarchy". We're going to keep those 2 entries and delete the rest. The reason, we're keeping the 2d one is, that it'south referenced in the first one equally "upgrade". As we want to add those two government types, we have to rename them. For our new empire, "military_dictatorship" will exist called "space_vikings_government" whereas "martial_demarchy" is now "space_vikings_government_2" (yeah… it was belatedly when I renamed that). Of course, we have to change the value of "upgrade" in the "space_vikings_government" department. Similarly, our empire definition ("ironborn.txt") still says, nosotros're a military dictatorship, and so make sure the value of "government" is changed in that location too:

For comparison, the first entry of our "gov_spaceVikings.txt" should expect like this now:

At present that we take created new governments (that piece of work exactly like the ones we copied), we tin now modify wht the respective rulers are called. We tin can only search for the use of "RT_GRAND_MARSHAL" and nosotros'll find the definitions of the government's ruler title in the line ruler_title = RT_GRAND_MARSHAL . We already established that nosotros tin can't override information technology, so we change the value to "RT_JARL". The 2nd government actually has two of those entries – one for male, one for female. We'll set those two values to "RT_KONUNG" and "RT_DROTTNING" respectively.

Now that we've told the government, which text it should use to display the ruler championship, we have to add the bodily text to our localisation file "svi_l_english.yml":

Caveats / Notes

  • If you change the proper noun of a variable or redefine it, make sure to look for references! In this case, we changed "martial_demarchy" to "space_vikings_government_2" in our copied file and and so, we besides had to change the value for "upgrade" in the other authorities definition and the value for "government" in our empire definition!


Our new governments are lacking title and description

This caveat is also the reason, why our new governments currently won't have any title or description. The government itself is simply chosen "space_vikings_government" and "space_vikings_government_desc". Every bit you can come across, the name of our new authorities is part of those names and the game searches its localisation files for those definitions. The definitions for the already existing governments tin can again plant in "l_english.yml" – and indeed it's worth to await in in that location once more, because then you'll find that in that location are really 3 text definitions that are used for a government: "<proper noun of the government definition>", "<name of the government definition>_desc" and "<proper name of the regime definition>_special".

Knowing this we simply need to add those three definitions for our two governments to our localisation file "svi_l_english.yml" (remember – we defined two, because the second one is the upgrade for the first ane):

Interim Determination: We created an empire!

We did information technology! We created our start modernistic!

WE CREATED AN EMPIRE!

If you kickoff upwardly Stellaris now, you lot can select a new predefined empire with a name list for a new species, a clarification, a start screen bulletin and even a new regime with special ruler titles. We're set up to raid, pillage and plunder the galaxy!

If something's not working, simply compare your files to mine:

Folder structure of our mod

This is how your mod folder should look like:

Your mod folder should look like this

Code

If you want to compare the actual code, you can find it over here: https://github.com/Tehed/stellaris_mod_tutorial

eight. The cream topping: Calculation a new flag symbol

Prerequisites

Let me start out by saying that I don't know anything most graphics. Let me and then say, that we can add together a new flag symbol anyhow! Merely we need a chip of help. Stellaris uses a .dds format for its graphics and we demand to be able to work with that. Fortunately, NVIDIA released some tools to do exactly that. Both are simple .exe files that don't need any installation:

  • Windows Texture Viewer: http://www.nvidia.com/object/windows_texture_viewer.html
  • DDS Converter: https://vvvv.org/contribution/dds-converter

Nosotros also need a some kind of graphic that we want to use as a symbol. I only used the google image search, asked for a "Viking raven symbol" and found one that looked like the one from CK2. Annotation: You demand to go this graphic to have a transparent background – non white. Transparent! I won't explain how to do that. At that place are a lot of guides out there that will explain this a lot improve than I ever could. I don't know jack, merely even I was able to do that using GIMP.

Our new banner

Execution

If y'all look at the Stellaris installation folder, y'all'll observe one folder called "gfx". As you can easily judge, that's where the graphics are. And like to adding new common data by creating a mutual folder in our modernistic, we can add together new graphics by adding this "gfx" binder to our mod. In this instance, this is a red herring though. Sorry. The flag symbols aren't really in there, but in some other folder on the same level called "flags". That said, the principle remains and as a starting time step, we take to recreate the folder construction:

  • create a new folder "flags" as a straight subdirectory of our mod folder "ironborn"
  • inside this folder "flags", create a new folder "zoological" (information technology's a raven… and so… zoological)
  • within this folder "zoological" create two new folders: "map" and "modest"

As said above, you need to create the raven with a transparent groundwork. In my case, I also chose to colour information technology white instead of black. Yep, that means, you won't encounter a lot, if you open that motion-picture show with a normal image viewer, but nosotros won't exercise that, will we? From the original "flags" folder you tin see that each flag symbol needs 3 graphics:

  • the "normal" image in the master folder: 128x128px
  • a bigger one in the folder "map": 256x256px
  • a small one in the folder "small-scale": 24x24px

Suit your prototype as you like, make sure the background is transparent and then use your graphics plan to consign three graphics in the given sizes in some format that supports an blastoff channel (for instance png). Put those 3 graphics in one directory and start upwardly your DDS Converter tool. Select "DXT5" as an output format, check the "Alpha" box, select source and target folders and press the big "convert" push.

The three converted .dds files

The tool should then create three .dds files that you tin copy in the respective folders in your mod directory. Make sure that they all have the same name and are placed in the correct folder. That's basically it. You should now exist able to select your raven as a flag symbol in the game when creating a new empire.

The Space Viking Raven

If nosotros desire to have this symbol be part of our predefined empire, we have to add it to our empire definition in "ironborn.txt". In there you'll find a department chosen "empire_flag" that defines the icon, the background and the colours of our flag. Simply change the "file" of the "icon" and our raven will exist the default flag symbol for the Ironborn Dominion.

The end

As a final note, allow me tell you that modding the game has its costs. I'thou still not sure how exactly the system works, but your mod tin can modify the checksum of the game and if it does that, the game basically can't tell if you're adulterous and won't reward y'all with whatsoever achievements. And aye… I think this mod already does that (not 100% certain, though).

Apart from that…
If y'all finished this tutorial, you have actually created your commencement mod for Stellaris and in my opinion, this is a decent peace of work for a kickoff mod as we included quite some features. Give thanks you for your patience and reading through my jabber and I sincerely hope that I could help you a bit along your way. If you have any questions, feel free to add a comment on the bodily mod page in the Steam Workshop or somewhere below.

Cheers a lot and thanks,

/tehK aka Tehed

gresswelljustong.blogspot.com

Source: http://tehk.de/gaming/mods/stellaris-a-step-by-step-guide-to-creating-your-first-mod/

0 Response to "Stellaris Won't Read My User_empire_designs.txt After I Edited It?"

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Iklan Atas Artikel

Iklan Tengah Artikel 1

Iklan Tengah Artikel 2

Iklan Bawah Artikel