Thank you 

You also need to make sure you do the alpha layer, otherwise the icons wont show correctly!

Alright guys another problem, I am trying to convert a model to a mesh, I have done a number of things to do this, one method didn't work and the other method messed up my model.

The model is already in game and working fine but the textures are not in so I had to edit the UV Texture coordinates for the model, so first I opened up the model in 3DS MAX using the script "SinsOfASolarEmpire_Rebellion.ms" and then converted the model into an .obj file, Once converted I opened it up in Softimage, finished up my UV Texture editing, now this is where I did 2 methods getting my model back into mesh format...

First Method:I converted it to XSI, coverted the XSI to mesh using ConvertXSI.exe. I ran into two problems here, first was that It missed this line "maxDiffuseMipLevel 0" and had to add it in manually (Not that big of a problem) but my second problem was that when I moved the new mesh back into the game, the model is flying sideways and is smaller, I want it to be exactly the same as before just with my new texture coordinates. Any way to do that?

Second Method: I kept the model a .obj type file then I opened it up in 3DS MAX and ran the script "SinsOfASolarEmpire_Rebellion.ms" I tried exporting it back into a mesh but when I tried an error popped up saying "No bones added as Points" I looked for the file thinking it saved but it didn't, any fix?

I did also do one thing thinking I messed it up somehow when I Edited the Texture coordinates so I did it without editing anything and tried converting back to mesh same error popped up, so it was nothing I did.

I just want a simple way to edit UV texture coordinates (if their is a way), but if there isn't I will settle for this converting back and forth nonsense.

Sounds like your using the wrong version of the converter for the first problem. Make sure you get the convertXSI from the Rebellion install folder, not the forge tools.

For the second problem, using that 3DSMax script causes models to be rotated IIRC. Before you save it as an XSI, just make sure to rotate it back to normal in softimage and freeze the model.

All the problems I stated above is fixed, thx for all the help, One last problem though, the model ingame is much more brighter now, any ideas?

Everywhere? You might want to adjust the "Glossiness" values in the materials of the mesh file (they probably got set to the XSI default). If its specific parts that don't look right in lighting, you might have screwed up your tangent map when you changed the UV. I'm assuming you haven't changed the entity or texture files the ship uses since this update to it.

You are right, I didn't touch the entity or texture files. I fixed the Glossiness Value but the ship was still unusually bright, then I thought it was something I did like you said so I didn't change anything what so ever to the model, did my process of exporting it back into a mesh and it was still unusually bright. 

Are you sure your model has a separate UV map for your tangents?

How would you check that?

If you have two UV maps you can choose from in XSI. Should be under the Polygon Mesh and Clusters or something like that. I would highly recommend following this video whenever you're working with models by the way. The end is cut off but the important bits that you're not doing optimally are there.

Ok, I will watch the video and follow it closely, hopefully somewhere in their is a solution to my problem, thanks for all your help. 

The model is working fine now, thank you.

Hi there I'm trying to find out where the lense flare effects from stars are handled? Is it in a particle file or somewhere else?  I have been searching all over the gameinfo and particle folders and can't find it anywhere. I have found the texture files but that doesn't let me change how and when they are seen in game. Thanks in advance for any help with this!

There's a file called LensFlare....it's all in there...

Cheers for that. Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees especially when you don't really know what you are looking for!

Umm .. I Got A Problem ... I Made Some Gunships Under Strike Craft Which Can Be Launched From Carriers Just Like Normal Strike Craft. Their Main Role Is To Play As Both Fighters And bombers But They Are Not Targeting Fighters.. They Are Able To Target Bombers But They Are Unable To Target Fighters And Other Gunships ... What Could Have Went Wrong ?

Without Able To Target Eachother Or Fighters They Make No Sense 

http://pastebin.com/FfXCNEyC

Heres The File Just In Case

Technically they should be able to target fighters if you manually give the order. However, their first and most powerful weapon you gave them cannot target fighters, and the second one you gave them is Antilight, which is really good against bombers but average against fighters. As a result, the game is correctly calculating they can do more damage other targets, and is preferring them to attack that. If you want them to attack fighters over bombers, give them AntiVeryLight (may not be capitalized right, its what flak frigates use).

hi,

i´ve got a problem when i try to change the cost of the orbital weapons.

i changed the cost x10 (80000/6000/5000). but when i start a new game against the ai, they dont build any constructions (eg mines on the asteroids). they only build ships.

here is my PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON:

TXT
entityType "PlanetModuleStandard"
minZoomDistanceMult 1.750000
ability:0 "AbilityTechOrbitalCannon"
ability:1 ""
ability:2 ""
ability:3 ""
ability:4 ""
MaxAntiMatter 300.000000
AntiMatterRestoreRate 0.500000
numRandomDebrisLarge 4
numRandomDebrisSmall 16
numSpecificDebris 0
armorType "Module"
hudIcon "HUDICON_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON"
smallHudIcon "HUDICONSMALL_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON"
infoCardIcon "INFOCARDICON_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON"
planetUpgradeSlotType "Tactical"
planetUpgradeSlotCount 18.000000
basePrice
    credits 80000.000000
    metal 6000.000000
    crystal 5000.000000
NameStringID "IDS_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON_NAME"
DescriptionStringID "IDS_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON_DESC"
planetModuleRoleType "CANNON"
statCountType "ModuleCannon"
Prerequisites
    NumResearchPrerequisites 1
    ResearchPrerequisite
        Subject "RESEARCHSUBJECT_PLANETMODULEACCESS_CANNONTECH"
        Level 1
    RequiredFactionNameID ""
    RequiredCompletedResearchSubjects 0
MaxHullPoints 4000.000000
HullPointRestoreRate 2.000000
BaseArmorPoints 5.000000
MaxShieldPoints 0.000000
ShieldPointRestoreRate 0.000000
maxShieldMitigation 0.000000
ExperiencePointsForDestroying 150.000000
resourceExtractionType "Invalid"
cultureSpreadRate 0.000000
isAffectedBySimilarModuleCostResearch FALSE
placementRadius 2250.000000
nearPlacementDistOffset 0.000000
farPlacementDistOffset 9000.000000
spawnCount 1
swapMineType ""
angularSpeed 0.750000
rotateSoundName "WEAPON_TECHORBITALCANNONROTATE_LOOP"
rotateFacingType "None"
rotateConstantly FALSE
ShieldMeshName ""
renderShield TRUE
NumSoundsFor:ONATTACKORDERISSUED 0
NumSoundsFor:ONCREATION 0
NumSoundsFor:ONGENERALORDERISSUED 0
NumSoundsFor:ONSELECTED 1
SoundID "PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON_ONSELECTION_0"
NumSoundsFor:ONSTARTPHASEJUMP 0
MeshNameInfoCount 1
MeshNameInfo
    meshName "PlanetModule_TechOrbitalCannon"
    criteriaType "None"
meshNameIncreasedEffectName ""
meshNameDecreasedEffectName ""
ExplosionName "PlanetModuleLarge"
mainViewIcon "MAINVIEWICON_PLANETMODULE_TECHORBITALCANNON"
picture "PLANETMODULEPICTURE_TECHORBITALCANNON"
minShadow 0.000000
maxShadow 0.600000
formationRank 3
baseBuildTime 150.000000
buildEffectName ""

I'm afraid the AI is the least understood thing about Sins. We have very little control over it. In theory, changing the cost of superweapons should not change the AI much. However, in other things I've noticed greatly changing the cost sometimes gets the AI stuck saving up for the expensive item at the expense of everything else. If you want to nerf superweapons, it may work better to further decrease their number (I.e. only 1 per 8 planets) or to just get rid of them entirely.

Thankyou Very Much ... That Thing Worked ... Now My Gunships Are Able To Attack All Fighters, Bombers Other Gunships, Structures And Pretty Much Everything  

But I Still Got A Problem ... The Thing Is I Am Trying To Give Passive Abilities To Gunships ... I Did Exactly What They Did In Distant Stars Mod .. But I Cant Seem To Get Them To Work 

http://pastebin.com/ErwCFX8L

http://pastebin.com/CnneXbmr

http://pastebin.com/XzQFxVhK

http://pastebin.com/E3GXuQwx

http://pastebin.com/wks2uRCP

Thats The Ability Disrupt Engines From Tech Covert ... Since I Removed All Small Ships (Coverts, Frigates, Cruisers) Cause The Mod Is Strictly Capital Ship Vs Capital Ship I Want To Give Those Abilities To Gunships Instead 

No you did not, because giving corvette abilities to strikecraft without adjusting them would never work. Strikecraft are the hardest units to make abilities for, because they have all sorts of crazy limitations. The worst one is that you cannot use the instant action type "ApplyBuffToSelf" with them, which all the corvette abilities happen to use.

Hi there, I'm trying to tackle an issue with skyboxes.

When you zoom out the skybox eventually begins to fade until you only have black space and stars. Is there a parameter anywhere that sets the threshold at what distance the fading starts? My aim is to prevent the skybox from fading so that multiple stars can share the same skybox background without any transition to black space.

 Any insights will be much appreciated!

Edit: I have tried modifing the visibility data and zoom distance levels in gameplay.constants with no success. Either its a value somewhere else or I haven't understood how to get it right.

The AI keeps track of what it wants to build using 6 "build lists": one for ships, one for research labs, one for techs, one for non-labs logistics structures, one for tactical structures, and one for planet upgrades (eg. explore planet, expand logistics slots, etc.). Each list is ordered by priority, and the AI will save up its resources to try and buy the item with the highest priority on each list. Though the priorities are recalculated each "AI tick" (about once every 10 seconds), certain items have hardcoded priority and will always occupy the topmost spot in their list: for example, capital ships have hardcoded priority over other ships, while capital ship factories have hardcoded priority over all other logistics buildings. Thankfully, almost all items with hardcoded priority are only added to build lists if all research prerequisites are met (the only exception I know of is the capital ship factory).

It sounds to me like you've got something with hardcoded priority blocking up the build slot for non-labs logistics structures, since that's the list for things like extractors, frigate factories, trade depots, etc. I highly doubt it's to do with your Orbital Weapon code, seeing as 1) the structure still requires research prerequisites, and 2) to my knowledge, orbital weapons use the tactical structure build list, not the non-labs logistics one. To troubleshoot the issue, turn on the AI for your current player in your debug game, then turn on the "build list" overlay via Dev Menu > [d] Player Info > [f] Show Build Lists and see if anything's blocking the relevant build list.

As GoaFan said, the game's AI is still quite a murky subject. However, I did spend a good amount of time writing up all I could find out in my Artificial Unintelligence thread; the thread is also linked to in this thread's main post, but it's under "Third Party Tools", so it's understandable that you couldn't find it.

A suggestion for your superweapons...

If you are trying to use cost to balance them, perhaps you might consider making the actual superweapon itself relatively cheap, and make the ability require resources and/or credits instead of antimatter...if you don't want a cost on a per fire basis, you could have a second ability that "arms" the superweapon and has a cost...you'd have to get creative with that but there are options that would work (I'd suggest either using a 3rd passive or using a toggle ability)...