Shipyard where art thou?

from GalCiv2 Forums
Of the things I would like to see added to GalCiv2, highest on the list would be an added feature to the main menu to pull up the shipyard and design without actually being IN-GAME. I've seen many posts of what X or Y person would like to see made or added, but I'm surprised I haven't found this mentioned yet...

If done right, an open Shipyard would assist in managing custom ships, especially if it was all-tech open. Players could create some nice fully-equipped ships which could be set to come available when all required research was obtained. Even if it was only able to build cosmetic designs without gear, it would enable players to tweak some designs without needing hours of gameplay just to unlock the larger hulls. Just and idea...

(Also, another nice improvement would be the existing in-game shipyard's "Upgrade" feature to leave guns and equipment ON the redesign... It sucks having to re-attach everything when the only upgrade was like a new sensor or a better armor plate, or most INFURIATING, a typo.)
modding
7,348 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
The problem I have with that idea (and probably many others will agree, based on similar posts I've read) is that you often won't get all the necessary techs at the same time. I think the second part of your post was a far better idea -- allow us to design the cosmetics (a "blank hull" as some have called it) outside the game, and load them in as needed and populate them with functional equipment in-game.

I can't remember if it's still just a beta feature or if it's also working in the "official" version, but you can turn off the behavior which removes functional equipment when you do an upgrade.

In general I'd like to see a greatly expanded shipyard, including some simple, standard file load/save options, and less ambiguous upgrading (I find it ironic that a shipyard upgrade doesn't allow me to upgrade the existing ships based on the old designs -- for that I have to do a completely new shipyard vessel, then upgrade somewhere else).

For the record, quite a few people have asked for an external ship editor. It can be pretty difficult to find things in this bizarre, homebuilt forum. Wish they'd switch to phpBB or something a little more standard.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You could start a game, then cheat your way to the hull size you want. Doing this would allow you to design all the ships you like. So, there is no real need for a stand alone ship editor when the existing options would work just as well.

CTRL+SHIFT+R will give you all tech if I remember right. Go build your ships, save them, then start a game without cheats. When you have researched the appropriate techs you will then have the option of constructing your designed ships.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There is a scenario called something like Battle of the Gods that gives you all techs at the beginning of the game.

Tony
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yhea, you could simply design a ship with no components, only artistic features ahead, and when you reach the right technology, you have a blank hull to work on available
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
i too suggested the outside ship builder, and why would you want to cheat your way to that in the game? battle of the gods gives you all the tech, but an outside ship builder where all the hulls for every race can be built on would be great, no weapons or anything just the design because then it could almost become art and you can just design things
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
An outside ship designer would be great, but what about in-game? I play a custom race almost every time, and I dislike being restricted to only hulls of a particular race that is not even the one I am playing.

Make the ship designer allow you to build anything you like out of any parts you like, with categories that open up like Windows Explorer.

Have checkboxes that would turn on/off "tech availability" and "race categories", so that for instance if you opened up "small hulls", you would get all of the hulls right there in the tree if you had "race categories" unchecked, or subfolders that would open up to the small hulls of that races style if it were checked. If tech availability was unchecked, you would see all items whether or not you could build them. If it were checked, you would only get what your current techs permitted.

This could go a lot farther, but I don't have time to go into it right now, I am sure you all can think of a few ways to extend this.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
SpathiDiscriminator , how do you access the 'don't remove weapons, engines, etc with upgrade' mode? I've never seen an option for it.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
SpathiDiscriminator , how do you access the 'don't remove weapons, engines, etc with upgrade' mode? I've never seen an option for it.


ooh, ooh, let me know how too
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
options/interface uncheck the "Remove functional ship components when upgrading a ship design" option (under "Ship Design").

Edit - that's in 1.1 Beta 4

Son of Edit, possibly in earlier versions too.