Northstars X3 Modding for Beginners updated V1.6 released

[Northstar]

Always wanted to mod the game for yourself but do not know where to start?

My X3 modding Guide Version 1.6 is the answer if you want a solid approach to modding.

You can also get online help with your modding at our Community Mod Forum where there are many forums for general modding and gameplay at http://www.xperiment.co.uk/phpbb2/index.php Visitors are always welcome and treat with respect.

V1.6 now includes
How to convert bob files to bod the easy way using Doubleshadows x2bc

How to get rid of the small roids in your galaxy or make them fewer to improve game play

How to scroll through all the planet types and choose the ones you like as you view them in the Glaxy Editor

How to scroll through backgrounds so you can choose what you actually see.

How to change other sector attributes like owner, radius, core area and proposed factories.

A note on DDS textures in GMAX, tools you need to convert and view.

V1.5 includes

A step by step for lasers, guns and turrets. It also explains in more detail how to get those extra lasers and turrets working correctly.

The guide is a smaller download now 1.6 MB as I took the sector map out. The map can be downloaded separately if required. There is now a table for planet types in the appendices at the end of the guide. This will help when trying to decide which planet type to use in your sector editing.

There is also a small tutorial on how to listen to your favorite MP3's while playing X3.

I will be adding more as I get time while busy with the new community mod.

It is a must for those wanting to start modding X3. After completing all the tutorials you should be at intermediate level.

Observe is writing a good tutorial on Moddeling to help you increase your skill base even more.

<-----------Original posts----------------------------------------------------->
Looking at quite a few posts it appears that many people would like to get into modding the game. I have decided to create a full guide to modding especially for beginners.

The guide starts off by explaining the tools required and where to get them .Then you are taken though a step by step process on how to mod many aspects of the game. There is a little scripting in the guide but I did not want to include too much because there are already many good examples here including the excellent msci scripting guide available from Xai Corp. There are many expert scripters that visit this forum and they can share a wealth of knowledge you can pick up on. See the stickies at the top of the forum. Most of what you need to learn scripting is in the old X2 link.

The modding guide is in pdf format and includes screen prints for clarity.

You are welcome to download and use it from here

• Modding guide V1.4
  
  
• Universe map
  

You can now view the guide online as a web page to see what you get from the download or just use the tutorial online.

Online Guide here
Please let me know if you have anything to add or find this useful.

If you have any questions, pop into our new forum http://www.xperiment.co.uk/phpbb2/index.php

Have fun

North

[LV]

added to modding tutorials

[Northstar]

Thanks LV much appreciated

[Northstar]

The tutorial has had a few minor tweaks and is available from the same link as before.

Hope you find it useful

Modding guide V1.1

[Unserene]

Very nice. Thanks.

[Heretic666]

Nice..

Does this cover changing the prices of equipment/wares or is that a different thing altogether?

[Northstar]

Yes Heretic666 it covers modifying the price of everything.

Modders need to know this when adding anything new so that new gadgets, especially advanced items can be raised in price to make them worth saving for.

[Northstar]

You can now view the guide online as a web page to see what you get from the download or just use the tutorial online.

Online Guide here

[Northstar]

I have now included the universe map for reference on the last page of the guide.

I have also updated the PDF so that the graphic quality and links are clearer and work ok.

The only link I had a problem getting to work was the Xai Corp link but if you copy and paste it to your browser it works fine.

The file is over 4MB but well worth downloading if you want to make mods and have all the info you need in one reference.

[apricotslice]

Great guide.

If you would like to send me a blurb for it, I'll include a mention for it in the X3 Handbook's next version. It appears to big to include as a guide itself.

Also, can you consider extending it.

The majority of modding questions I've had and those I've seen, are usually about how to create a new ship and get it in the game. Step by Step.

Including covering things like copying a cockpit to allow a different gun setup for a ship, and then finding the cockpit doesnt work in the game, and why this is so. And the scripting needed to get a ship into the game.

[Northstar]

Thanks apricotslice, you have quite a collection of guides there

You could post the link to it in your thread

http://www.xperiment.co.uk/files/modding.pdf

You could also copy the index of the guide from this thread to give readers an insight into what it covers.

I will be extending the guide, but at the moment I need to hopefully collect enough feedback from this thread to know what else to include. Your points are noted about the modding questions. I should be able to pretty much cover all that is required.

As for the scripting, I leave that up to scripters (so many good guides already). So apart from the tutorial on startup scripts already included, the guide also shows how to get any ship into the game by modding means.

[Northstar]

See start of this thread for more info on update.

[Northstar]

Version 1.4 now has an index table for the different planet types. This makes it much easier to decide which planets to use when making new sectors.

There is also an ammendment to the galaxy map setor box placements to help in figuring out how to place the lines to join sector boxes.

[Northstar]

See top of post for Version updates.

[Northstar]

Version 1.6 now available. See top of thread for details