Hello to all of you and to the Amplitude team.

The current Mod-Tool in Beta version offers possibilities and ease of access.

However, the architecture and modularity will cause some concerns regarding mod development. I don't know if it is possible for you to remedy this. It would of course be very welcome. Not only to help mod makers, but to make this game offer the same compatibility possibilities as other games, such as Civilization, in this respect.

When a mod changes a value somewhere in an asset, it makes it incompatible with another mod that changes the same asset and value. This is a necessary behavior with respect to a number of common functions and intrinsic properties of the asset. Basic properties. However, it becomes a problem with objects added to the asset.

I take an example with a TechnologyDefinition Asset to make it easier to understand.

Below: the intrinsic properties. Impossible to make two contents compatible, and this is normal.

Below: the added properties. If I add a property, a new "Simulation Event Effects" in "Unlock References", the game will not only add my element. In fact, it will overwrite the entire TechnologyDefinition asset.

It's kind of like that everywhere, not just technologies. 

Desirable behavior.

The mechanics would need to recognize which items are added from the Vanilla game.

For example, here, the first property "Infrastructure_Food_Family04_01".

The Vanilla game needs to have a unique identifier for this object-property.

- If the mod contains the property, the mod overwrites the vanilla game. So if I replace the Constructible References "Infrastructure_Food_Family04_01", the game (and other mods) will be overwritten by the change.

- If the mod deleted the object property, the vanilla game is not affected. Here, we click on the cross and delete the whole property-object from the list of "Simulation Event Effects".

- If the mod adds a property, it is added to the vanilla game. 

So if several mods add a property, all object-properties of the different mods will be added to the vanilla game, instead of overwriting each other.

With the example given, for a technology: let's take two different mods offering a new Culture. Both mods add an emblematic unit. However, both units are unlocked to the same technology. Here, these two mods will be incompatible.

It will quickly become a maze of problems to make the mods compatible. Here, we just want the two different mods to be able to add their unit, so add a new "Simulation Event Effects". The intrinsic properties are overwritten, the vanilla properties are overwritten only if present, and the new content is not overwritten.

Hello,

While working on my mods i already discovered a solution for this issue. However each modder needs to abide by it so that it can work, i will use the TechnologyDefinition as example. In my Thracians mod what i did is instead of using the regular TechnologyDefinition files, i renamed it to TechnologyDefinitionThracians . This way it still applied all of the desired effect without causing issues with my other mods. I have not tested it with every single other mod, but the ones i tested it was working.

Hope this helps, and have a great day!

SmileyD wrote:

Hello,

While working on my mods i already discovered a solution for this issue. However each modder needs to abide by it so that it can work, i will use the TechnologyDefinition as example. In my Thracians mod what i did is instead of using the regular TechnologyDefinition files, i renamed it to TechnologyDefinitionThracians . This way it still applied all of the desired effect without causing issues with my other mods. I have not tested it with every single other mod, but the ones i tested it was working.

Hope this helps, and have a great day!

It look nice. Do you keep other content of the tech ? 

I need some time to test that. Like duplicate x2 the tech and rename it 2 files. And check what happen.

I will send you a screenshot:

I don't change the tech name just the folder where the tech is so it doesn't override the other ones from other mods.

SmileyD wrote:

I will send you a screenshot:

I don't change the tech name just the folder where the tech is so it doesn't override the other ones from other mods.

Hi, so this time, it's sure, I made this test:

1- One mod with technology_Era1_07 in a custom renamed folder. Contains add-on content (fishing village)

2- One mod with technology_Era1_07 in a custom renamed folder (different). Contains add-on content (shellfish2)

Load order 1 then 2.

Second mod overide tech, so I don't get Fishing Village anymore, only Shellfish2.

So, any new content on a tech delete other contents added from other mods.

Only way: 

- create a new tech, good compatibility, except with other mod creating new tech and choosing the same x,y on the tech map. But problematic about gamepace (need to search more tech), maybe this tech cost can be changed, but then the problem is trigger era star with a low cost tech.

- or merge mods. look like painfull to do, ok for new assets, can be imported, but on technologies, it need to add UnlockConstructrible. I don't know if a propertie can be copy/paste. Anyway, we can merge only mods we do, not others mods.

SmileyD wrote:

O wow that good to know. I guess because my mods didn't edit the same tech, that's why it worked. I will know for the future, thank you for testing this.

Hi, I reported a small issue on your big pack (in the commentaries). 

I'm actualy testing the new version of BuyThis (before release) with your pack and deepSea.