[Help] Starting Loadout Customization

[therandomuser]

How am I supposed to change the starting loadout of my ships? From what I gather from the wiki all I have to do is alter the variables I need to change in the blueprints.xml like the weapon name, power levels, etc. in the data.dat file. I've done that, but whenever I repack the XML and the .dat back into the game the game loads then crashes as the bar reaches 100%. It looks like an XML crash, but I've checked and my syntax is spot on.

My custom loadout edits below.

Code: Select all

<shipBlueprint name="PLAYER_SHIP_ENERGY_2" layout="energy_cruiser_2" img="energy_cruiser_2">

	<class>Zoltan Cruiser</class>
	<name>Noether</name>
	<unlock>Learn from the Zoltan, sometimes diplomacy works.</unlock>
	<desc>The Zoltan's advanced shields technology gives this ship an edge during each battle.</desc>
	<systemList>
		<pilot power="3" room="14" start="true"/>  
		<doors power="3" room="8" start="true" img="room_doors_6"/>     
		<sensors power="2" room="13" start="true" img="room_sensors_4"/>  
		<oxygen power="3" room="12" start="true" img="room_oxygen_7"/>    
		<engines power="8" room="3" start="true" img="room_engines_5">  
			<slot>
				<direction>up</direction>
				<number>0</number> 
			</slot>
		</engines>     
		<shields power="8" room="5" start="true" img="room_shields_8"/>
		<weapons power="8" room="7" start="true" img="room_weapons_4">
			<slot>
				<direction>up</direction>
				<number>0</number>
			</slot>
		</weapons>
		<drones power="2" room="2" start="false"/>     
		<medbay power="3" room="0" start="true" img="room_medbay_4"> 
			<slot>
				<number>0</number> 
			</slot>
		</medbay>    
		<teleporter power="1" room="4" start="false"/>  
		<cloaking power="1" room="6" start="false"/> 
	</systemList>
	<weaponSlots>4</weaponSlots>
	<droneSlots>2</droneSlots>
	<weaponList count="4" missiles="0">
		<weapon name="LASER_BURST_3"/>
		<weapon name="LASER_BURST_3"/>
		<weapon name="BEAM_LONG"/>
		<weapon name="BEAM_LONG"/>
	</weaponList>
	<droneList drones="2"/>
	<health amount="30"/>
	<maxPower amount ="25"/> 
	<crewCount amount="1" class="slug"/>
	<crewCount amount="3" class="energy"/>
	<aug name="ENERGY_SHIELD"/>
	<shieldImage>energy_cruiser</shieldImage>
	<cloakImage>energy_cruiser</cloakImage>
</shipBlueprint>

[shark]

Drones.

You give yourself level2 drones, but no drone subsystem at start.

[UltraMantis]

Hmm, i think the problem is not having a proper drone list...

Try:

Code: Select all

<droneList count="2" drones="11">
<drone name="DEFENSE_1"/>
<drone name="REPAIR"/>
</droneList>

If that doesn't work, than set the drone control system to true, to start with it.

[therandomuser]

I'm not loading the drone system on. All that I have touched is the crew and weapon loadouts, standard system (engines, shields, weaponry etc.) and subsystem power levels, and the reactor power. Aside from those, I haven't touched any other lines of the code. They should be pristine and as they came out of the .dat, but somewhere between my alterations and it being repacked causes the game to crash. I can't figure what's causing it.

Here's what the original code looks like:

Code: Select all

<shipBlueprint name="PLAYER_SHIP_ENERGY_2" layout="energy_cruiser_2" img="energy_cruiser_2">

	<class>Zoltan Cruiser</class>
	<name>Noether</name>
	<unlock>Learn from the Zoltan, sometimes diplomacy works.</unlock>
	<desc>The Zoltan's advanced shields technology gives this ship an edge during each battle.</desc>
	<systemList>
		<pilot power="1" room="14" start="true"/>  
		<doors power="1" room="8" start="true" img="room_doors_6"/>     
		<sensors power="1" room="13" start="true" img="room_sensors_4"/>  
		<oxygen power="1" room="12" start="true" img="room_oxygen_7"/>    
		<engines power="2" room="3" start="true" img="room_engines_5">  
			<slot>
				<direction>up</direction>
				<number>0</number> 
			</slot>
		</engines>     
		<shields power="1" room="5" start="true" img="room_shields_8"/>
		<weapons power="4" room="7" start="true" img="room_weapons_4">
			<slot>
				<direction>up</direction>
				<number>0</number>
			</slot>
		</weapons>
		<drones power="2" room="2" start="false"/>     
		<medbay power="1" room="0" start="true" img="room_medbay_4"> 
			<slot>
				<number>0</number> 
			</slot>
		</medbay>    
		<teleporter power="1" room="4" start="false"/>  
		<cloaking power="1" room="6" start="false"/> 
	</systemList>
	<weaponSlots>4</weaponSlots>
	<droneSlots>2</droneSlots>
	<weaponList count="3" missiles="0">
		<weapon name="ION_1"/>
		<weapon name="ION_1"/>
		<weapon name="BEAM_LONG"/>
	</weaponList>
	<droneList drones="2"/>
	<health amount="30"/>
	<maxPower amount ="5"/> 
	<crewCount amount="3" class="energy"/>
	<aug name="ENERGY_SHIELD"/>
	<shieldImage>energy_cruiser</shieldImage>
	<cloakImage>energy_cruiser</cloakImage>
</shipBlueprint>

[UltraMantis]

Syntax is fine. The problem is not in this part of blueprints.xml

Try comparing your edited blueprints to the original using this: http://www.text-compare.com/

[therandomuser]

But the thing is there's not a single difference outside this segment of the code. I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Am I missing something here? Should I change another XML file so that it works properly?

[UltraMantis]

Why dont you start from scratch? You know what kind of mod you want to create and doing it from scratch is the only way to confirm there hasn't been any errors.

[San_Gue]

Why dont you start from scratch? You know what kind of mod you want to create and doing it from scratch is the only way to confirm there hasn't been any errors.

That

[mcbmaestro]

You checked that your repacker isn't packing bad dats?

[streth11]

i have had the same problem when i tried to mod the weapons for the Red-Tail
All i change was the different weapons, the max power from 8 to 12 and the weapons power from 4 to 8

Code: Select all

<shipBlueprint name="PLAYER_SHIP_HARD_2" layout="kestral_2" img="kestral_2">
	<class>Kestrel Cruiser</class>
	<name>Red-Tail</name>
	<desc>This class of ship was decommissioned from Federation service years ago.  After a number of refits and updating this classic ship is ready for battle.</desc>
	<systemList>
		<pilot power="1" room="9" start="true" img="room_pilot_3">
			<slot>
				<direction>right</direction>
				<number>1</number> 
			</slot>
		</pilot>  
		<doors power="1" room="7" start="true" img="room_doors"/>
		<sensors power="1" room="11" start="true" img="room_sensors_2"/>
		<medbay power="1" room="0" start="true" img="room_medbay_4">
			<slot>
				<number>0</number> 
			</slot>
		</medbay>
		<oxygen power="1" room="3" start="true" img="room_oxygen_11"/>
		<shields power="2" room="2" start="true" img="room_shields_9">
			<slot>
				<direction>up</direction>
				<number>1</number>
			</slot>
		</slot>
		<engines power="2" room="5" start="true" img="room_engines_3">
			<slot>
				<direction>right</direction>
				<number>1</number> 
			</slot>
		</engines>
		<weapons power="8" room="10" start="true" img="room_weapons"/>
		<drones power="2" room="13" start="false" img="room_drones_12"/>
		<teleporter power="1" room="4"	start="false"/>
		<cloaking power="1" room="12" start="false" img="room_cloaking_2"/>
	</systemList>
	<weaponSlots>4</weaponSlots>
	<droneSlots>2</droneSlots>
	<weaponList count="4" missiles="5">
		<weapon name="LASER_BURST_3"/>
		<weapon name="LASER_BURST_3"/>
		<weapon name="LASER_BURST_3"/>
		<weapon name="LASER_BURST_3"/>
	</weaponList>
	<health amount="30"/>
	<maxPower amount ="12"/> 
	<crewCount amount = "2" class="human"/>
	<crewCount amount = "1" class="energy"/>
	<crewCount amount = "1" class="mantis"/>
	<!-- can use these to override images for reuse -->
	<shieldImage>kestral</shieldImage>
	<cloakImage>kestral</cloakImage>
</shipBlueprint>

what can i do to fix the game (it is crashing then the load bar is full)