How to change factions

What are you changing? What values?

You can easily make your own factions by making a separate .XML file and placing it under "Units" in "My Documents/My Games/Elemental". I'd recommend doing that rather then editing the base factions. I'd avoid editing any of the core files if at all possible.

I was changing some of the factions abilities around. The changes I make in the file have no effect on the game apparently though...doesn't really make sence

.XML files are very sensitive to modification. Ensure that you have all your < and >, beginnings and ends, and all the proper opening and closing tags (or whatever). You probably missed something in the code.

Welcome to testing and debugging

P.S. You must also start a new game for ANY changes to take effect and display. Perhaps this is the problem right here...

well, I'm copying them directly from another race, and pasting them in a different one...and I have been restarting my game.

lol, even if I delete the CoreRaceConfig file it doesn't effect anything....wtf

"restarting my game" is not the same thing as "start a new game". If you're loading a saved file, it wouldn't work.

Precisely... that must be your problem unless you have a redundant CoreSovereigns file which is acting as the primary file.

nah, I mean I've been closing the whole program out, and starting it up again. This is quite strange. Starting from impulse or from the directory has no change either.

You CANNOT be loading an existing game or a savegame if you want to see any changes. Start fresh.

I don't think we were being clear enough. I hope you understand this now.

Also, make sure you are not modding the original files, but instead making a mod file and putting in the mod directory.   I think they pre-loaded the xml, and if they don't see a new file to load, it will assume the existing xml is the same (could be wrong on this, but it might also be contributing to the problem).

Also make sure "Use mods" is actually checked in the options screen.

Thanks much, this must be the problem then....and to the other people, no I wasn't using a game already started, I'm not an idiot lol.