Ok, so I've been playing with playfields and the solar system generation file for a few days now, and one thing I keep hearing (quite correctly) is 'don't edit the default playfields, it might break the game, and any changes will get over-written on an update. Create a new scenario' That's all well and good, and I keep hearing allusions to the ability to use custom playfields with the random generator in a new scenario, but I cannot find anything about it at all! Can anyone offer any advice or insight on this?
Yes, you can use custom playfields in the random generator! You can do this either by modifying an existing planet entry in the random config (such as lava) OR you can make a brand new planet config by copying a config for an existing planet entry. For example, let's say you want to add a new planet type called "Test" and lets say that you want it to be able to have multiple playfields chosen at random, your new custom planet entry might look something like this: Code: - Name: Test Color: [0.04, 0.8, 0.1] Icon: Circle Distance: [300, 600] OrbitType: [SpaceOrbit] MoonProb: 1 MoonCount: [2,5] MoonType: [DefaultMoon, MoonLava] Climate: Lava Playfields: - Test1 - Test2 - Test3 Just add that in the area where all the other planet types are defined in the config file. Change the Test1, Test2, etc under Playfields to be the name of whatever custom playfield(s) you're wanting to use. Then to add it to the random config generator, near the start where it lists the planets, just add an entry linking back to Test like so: Code: SectorPlanets: - TemperateStarter, [1] - AridStarter, [1] - Snow, [0,1] # +1 used as neighbor - Arid, [1,2] # needed for resources - Desert, [1] - Barren, [1] - Temperate, [0,2] - Lava, [1,2] - Alien, [1] - Test, [2,3] This will add 2-3 planets with the playfield(s) you chose (Test1, Test2, or Test3). You can also change up the moons, distance from the sun, etc. Note that the climate has to be set as one of the base planet types, Lava, Desert, Snow, etc. But in the playfield_static or Playfield file you can actually set a custom planet type that will show up in-game whenever someone views the planet info. You're not limited to the standard planet types!
You can also do all of this using the SSG without needing to modify any config files with a text editor, though I don't have any experience with that since I make my random config in Notepad++ because it's so large.
Heya Ravien_ff and sdfg. I've been wanting to do the same and the info feels elusive. Could you answer a few questions? 1) Um, how? As in a quick and dirty walkthrough (but with correct details) 'blah blah open this file blah blah look for this section, add this'. (you say things like 'you can add this to the random config' - where is this random config of which you speak? I realize most of you know this, and once you learn it it doesn't cross your mind anymore, but that is where I am stuck. The very basics.) 2) Does this work for single player Default Random scenario or do you have to make a server? *(in essence, I want to start a Default Random game and not be disappointed by there being only 9 playfields. I desire 99 or 9,999 procedural playfields, and later I will learn to customize them perhaps. For now I sit here confused as to why Eleon didn't just make this an option, perhaps with performance warnings if necessary.) .. .. 99) I have lots of other questions but I have a feeling that just a simple walkthrough, that we can all get easily reproducible results, will get us on the path. Thanks!
I made a super basic guide here that might get you started in the right direction https://empyriononline.com/threads/guide-add-more-planets-to-default-random-scenario.38227/
Big hint! Get to know how to change the files, because afterwards you need to provide the generate filed to your game, which is annoying. Imo. Hth
Useful information, but I don't mean 'edit the existing Default Random scenario', I mean create a brand new scenario, but still use the random generator for it, instead of using something fixed, if that makes sense.
You need to use a custom random config file for that. Take the existing random config, copy it and add on "your scenario" name to the end of it and edit it to your heart's content. Use the SSG to preview the solar system that's generated. I don't have time at the moment to write up a guide for it but I will try to later on. The random config allows you to create a completely customized random scenario using whatever default or custom playfields you want.
The one limitation is that you cannot create a custom scenario that is automatically randomized every time you start a new game with it, but it's easy enough to use the SSG to create a new random map using a random seed but you have to do that each time you want to rerandomize the map.
I hope they add that feature. In the mean time you can include the custom config file with your scenario and then people who subscribe with it can use the SSG with your configuration file to generate a new randomly generated solar system with your scenario.
