[Galaxy Forge] How to assign attributes to a group of planets?

Well, if you want it to be random artifacts and and bonuses, its not possible as the random artifact/bonus chance is applied to the whole map. However you can do what you want to do manually, but you will always find the same artifacts/bonuses on the same planets.

A. Set the random artifact/bonus density to 0, so your outer rim worlds will never get any of them.

B. Edit each of the cluster planets and add the bonuses and artifacts you want them to have. Set the owner to no owner.

Now you'll probably notice you don't have many bonuses to choose from, and while it is possible to get them all, you'll need to modify a file known as GalaxySenarioDef in both the galaxy forge and the sins/entrenchment gameinfo folder (which means you'll be making a very small mod). You can just use the default ones without making a mod, but what fun is that.

A. make a copy of the sins/entrenchment gameinfo folder and make a new folder in the sins/entrenchement mods folder with the name of what you want to call your mod. Paste the gameinfo folder in it.

B. Open the GalaxySenarioDef file with notepad or other txt editor.

C. scroll down until you see planetItemType section. Try to find the Bonus:Crystal Miners. Copy this section (from the beginning of PlanetItemType to "PlanetBonusCrystalMiners), as it will be the framework for adding more bonuses.

D. Look at the game info folder until you see section of entity files called PlanetBonusBonusName. These are the files that define the various planet bonuses. You don't have to open them, just copy the name of the one you want and go back to the GalaxySenaripDef file.

E. in your copied crystal miners PlanetItemType section, change entityDefName "PlanetBonusCystalMiners" to entityDefName "File of the bonus you want". Change the Design name to something that will help you remember the name of the bonus in the Galaxy Forge, like Bonus:Metal Miners or whatever.

F. Important: Go to the beginning of the section where everything starts with planetItemType. Their will be a line called PlanetItemType count. Increse the number their by one so the game will read your new bonus.

G. Repeat until you have all the bonuses you want, don't forget the PlanetItemType count!

H. Copy the GalaxySenarioDef file and paste it into the galaxy forge file, overrighting the one that was already their.

You should be able to select your new bonuses in the Galaxy forge. Make your map, enable the mod, and you should have a map with only the bonuses/artifacts you added to it.

Optional: your mod may run better by deleting all the other files besides the GalaxySenarioDef, I just like having them their so I can see all the planet bonus names.

Hope that helps.

Thank you, awesome answer! I can't figure out how to give you more than 2 points of karma, but I will work on this tomorrow and probably come back with a followup question and the board will probably allow me to give you more karma then .

Thanks again!

I've gotten everything to where I've successfully edited the GalaxyScenarioDef file to include all possible bonuses. I just need some clarifications to see if I did everything right.

I. The GameInfo folder from the main Sins folder is duplicated and the copy is under the folder named "Set Mod" located in C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Mods-v.1.17

I'm guessing this is where the folder should be since when playing the game, the "Set Mod" mod appears in my enable mod list.

II. I duplicated the entry "PlanetItemType....PlanetBonusCrystalMiners" until accounting for all planet bonuses and setting the PlanetItemType count to the correct number.

III. I renamed the entityDefNames to specific planet bonus file names for each one and renamed the design names to easily identify them in Galaxy Forge. I saved this file here and duplicated it so the copy replaces the GalaxyScenarioDef file in Galaxy Forge of the main Sins folder.

IV. Galaxy Forge now is able to recognize the planet bonuses circled in blue below.

My question now is how should the group editor be set? I double-click on a planet I want to edit and have specific bonuses to bring up this screen. My understanding is that I choose the appropriate "If" trigger circled in red and click on the add button so it shows up in the "Group Manager" box. Then I'll be able to add the desired planet bonuses. I just don't know which "If" trigger I should use (definitely not the "PlanetOwnerIsRace" for uncolonized planets) and which "Spawn this items for" trigger circled in green is chosen. I was just confused as to which one you were referring to when you said 'set the owner to no owner'.

Also do you need to enable the mod for the saved games to make it work or is this just needed for the start?

Thanks in advance. Anyone else who knows what should be done could pitch in to tell.

Okay, for planet bonuses the If trigger is set to "always". For the spawn these items for trigger set to "no owner". You need to have the mod enabled when you start the map you made, and I always play these games with it on, but it is possible that it could work with the mod off (sense I think it only loads the bonuses once at the start) when you load a saved game, I haven't really tried.

So for the step by step.

A. Double click the planet you want to add the bonus to, to bring up the screen CrashAri has.

B. Click the add button under Group Manager

C. Change the drop down box under "if" to "always"

D. Change the "Spawn  these items for" drop down box to "no owner"

E. Add as many bonuses and/or artifacts as you want (though I've never used over 2 bonues and an artifact).

F. Close out of GalaxyForge, enable your mod in Sins, and start the map (give every home world a bonus the first time so you'll know that you've done it right).

Thanks. All bonuses seem to be on working order. I still have yet to try whether mod loading is necessary for saved games but I'm quite confident it is as you say. I don't think the created game would change the set parameters.

There's one other thing I might decide to work on. Those resource asteroids present in non-colonizable planets can sometimes be a pain if they decide not to show up. I at least would like to have one resource asteroid per non-colonizable planet or it would be like a waste. Do you know what kind of simple modding is needed? I think it would also have something to do with the GalaxyScenarioDef file but I don't see any leads for edition. It might be a different file like Entity?

Good to hear.

Actually the captureable resource asteroids for non-colonizable planets are not in the GalaxySenarioDef file. Each planet type, including non-colonizables, has their own entity file. It's actually a very easy change to make, but you must have the files in text format. Normally you'd just download the reference data, but it is out of date for 1.17/1.03, so either search the forums to see if anyone has a link up for it, or you can download, figure out how to convert the unreadable binary files into text (their are many threads about how to do this).

Once you have it, open a file that has neutral resource asteroids, like PlanetAsteroidBelt, and find the section below.

    totalMaxResourceAsteroids 3
    metalResourceAsteroidSetup
        minCount 0
        maxCount 0
        extractionRate 0.000000
        refineryRate 0.000000
        maxRefineryCount 0
    crystalResourceAsteroidSetup
        minCount 0
        maxCount 0
        extractionRate 0.000000
        refineryRate 0.000000
        maxRefineryCount 0
    neutralMetalResourceAsteroidSetup
        minCount 0
        maxCount 2
        extractionRate 0.533333
        refineryRate 0.080000
        maxRefineryCount 4
    neutralCrystalResourceAsteroidSetup
        minCount 0
        maxCount 1
        extractionRate 0.533333
        refineryRate 0.080000

The first two asteroid setups deal with the asteroids that spawn on regular planets that you can build extractors on, so keep them at zero. To force at least one asteroid to spawn, set either the of the neutral asteroid setups minCount to 1. Then at least 1 of whatever type of resource asteroid you changed it for will appear. You can also change the total max asteroids at the top if for whatever reason you want a chance for their to have more than 3 asteroids.

Change this section for every planet that spawns these asteroids, and you will have a mod that will prevent you from every having empty non-colonizables again!

well I tried everything... edited the  GalaxySenarioDef GalaxySenarioDef files (both of them), edited the planet properties through Galaxy editor but no matter what I try I cannot increase the number of crystal or metal mines or base planet stats like tactical slots, population etcc.  I can increase or add other structures but not tne mines or planet base stats.

You need to edit the planet entity itself, not the map. The map is basically just a place holder, and when you start the game it fetches the entity and places it their. The map doesn't determine anything about the stats of the planet (except for gravity well size with Rebellion). I've described it in the post above.