[Visual BG Mod] Less Stars v0.04 for X4 Foundations 9.0

[PSC01]

For this first version, qty of stars is decreased by a factor ~30 40 (original ~5000 stars --> modded ~200 stars on each sector)

v0.02:
- Boron sectors have more stars than Commonwelth
- Commonwelth have more stars of Terran sectors
- Terran and Segaris have similar amount of stars
- Split have a bit less stars of Commonwelth
- Avarice sectors is included in Commonwelth

v0.03:
- Avarice sectors (fixed diff path)
- 600 stars --> Oort Cloud + increased intensity +0.1
- 550 for Pluto
- 500 for Neptune
- 450 for Uranus
- 400 for interiors planets

v0.04:
- Removed stars too close to the Sun in Terran sectors
- Added 13 brighter stars on Terran, Savage Spur, Segaris sectors (Max Range on Oort Cloud --> -0.1 Pluto --> -0.1 Neptune etc..)
- Titan planet fixed luminosity/saturation to match with Saturn luminosity
- Fixed Atmos materials "m_ESun" + Alpha values (Ex: fix the uggly atmosphere effect on Black Hole Sun IV)
- Added Black texture to remove stars background on opening local sector map (M key)
- 2 files:
WITH MATERIAL FILE (This one include TITAN rework + Atmospheres rework + Background Stars removed on sector map)
OR
WITHOUT MATERIAL FILE (In case you use STARS mod by Realspace)

https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/2188

[Realspace]

In XRSGE I reduced them too but edited each cluster by hand at blocks, also averaging 300/400 stars. Out of curiosity, did you use a streamlined method to generate them?

[PSC01]

No, i am not a coder, same way to work than you,
I edited stars by hand with copy/paste on random lines on original files..
I don't know if its just possible to insert a script somewhere to adjust ranges, luminosity, spec strengh for an itteration of all stars etc...
It's a boring work without a code

In fact, my goal is to avoid to display some stars around a close main star on each sector and around planets..
(I think to add a "Nebula" effect aroud main star to hide background stars)
Also in dark sectors like "Oort Cloud" or "Pluto" my goal is to add more stars on those types of sectors
Ex for Oort Cloud sector: (cluster116)

Code: Select all

<omni name="XU Omni01" shadow="0" r="216" g="243" b="255" range="1E+11" shadowrange="1E+11" lighteffect="0.1" lenseffect="sun_oort" trigger="1" intensity="0.1" specularintensity="1">

Look at "intensity="0.1" original was 0.7, the goal is to have better contrast between stars visibility and the darkness of this sector
Also all intensity of all stars of this sector are been increased by +0.1 (ex: vanilla 0.3303204 mod: 0.4303204) exept for value close to 1 (ex: ~#0.9 and +)
This moddification look fine for me, ill keep this method
I look for a math pluggin for Notepad++ ("Multireplace" + "TextFX"), Ive tried but its more faster to replace 400 lines by hand instead of using those Notepad++ pluggins, imagine the pain just for 1 sector

Another thing, when you leave a sector with highway gates, yoou can see the perspective of the background stars, for me this is not realist, the range for those stars must be very far
I ll try test to increase ranges of each stars, by x2 or x10, IDK.. if the game don't crash... perspectives are too lclose for me...

It seems Egosoft use a tool to generate those stars in "clusters" files, like I said I don't know...

I look for your work also, your last version isn't compatible with mine, I missed some DLC's
Your previous version worked fine on X4 v8.xx Thats why I were to lazy to create my own mod

[Realspace]

You can edit the e7 to e8 and e8 to e9 (do the e8 first ), with 200 stars you'll achive smaller stars and not moving when using superhighways (in vanilla you can still see them moving f.i. in earth sector). If you do it with the 4000+ stars of vanilla they create a line on the horizon but your mod will probably work fine with 200 stars
You can also increase luminosity by adding a 0.9 to the start of each value, quiet fast.
Great idea if you can make the neb coincide with star cluster.
Btw I'll add your mod as reccomended for STARS users who do not use XRSGE, in STARS I reduced them at material levels but that's not enough. They need to be removed from cluster.

[PSC01]

Ok..
I begin to understand all those values, E for exponential but not sure if its the real math syntax on those files NVM... (maybe a way to mask large amount of decimals idk)

Thanks for the tips really helped me to quick change ranges of the stars so yes I realized there was a problem with highways connection sectors
In fact your tip helped me a lot to "rescale" stars in a goal to move out stars too close of the SUN eventualy planets, but only work fine on unlinked sectors like Pluto or Neptune etc...
Too risky to touch linked sectors, I really dont want to work on "classcatalog.xml" or "mapdefaults.xml" cause maybe you use those files, BTW i need to redownload your mod too see witch files you use
I do my best to keep stars far from planets or the Sun for the moment, and I keep my mod with less modified files as possible

200 stars, for my feeling its a bit low... maybe for Mercury... I can test, I think 400/500 for internal planets and increase this number to 600 at Oort Cloud

version 003 is out, pretty good results but work on progress

[Realspace]

Feel free to extrapolate stars codes from xrsge's clusters, just check that suns are different. In case I only ask a mention of Honor I put suns to e9 too. Vanilla e8 is too small for vanilla sectors either, a sun flare at 400.000 km is too close and looks moving.
I don't know exactly what the catalogue serves...I added the new sectors but don't know what for, you have any hint about?
Mapdefaults has no effects on aspect, just to inform you in case, it regulates names, jobs (security and economy), sun (for economy only) and since 9.0 the random resources.
Don't worry about clusters you can edit them as long as you don't put planets in wrong position and only change stars nothing by will happen.

[PSC01]

I don't know exactly what the catalogue serves...I added the new sectors but don't know what for, you have any hint about?

I tried to add a <diff> file for "classcatalog.xml" in goal to modify TITAN planet materials, added 3 void clusters classes to avoid material names conflict
After that, another <diff> file for "material_library.xml" only for TITAN, and nothing change, no error code detected, absolutly nothing change
I also tried to pick your TITAN material lines in your mod "STARS 900" and changed some textures, nothing...

It was just a test to reduce luminosity of Titan and match value with Saturn, I keep this on "to do" later or never.. idk

For my mod, Terran sectors are almost finished, need to check MOON and EARTH, others Terran sectors are fixed, there is no more stars near SUN
I plan to check how work dimmer stars I really like this effect !

[Realspace]

Xrsge relies on textures and materials contained in STARS mod. There is no material for the new stars added in v9. You can only edit the texture and replace it using subst_01 as I did in Stars mod.

[PSC01]

I have got finaly acces to Titan material !
Now its work, Titan is fixed, the color match better with Huygens, luminosity is lower than vanilla and darker to match with Saturn

moon_titan:
"m_ESun" 10 --> 0.001
"color_atmo" @a= 180 --> 82

atmo_titan:
"m_ESun" 10 --> 1.6

[PSC01]

Less Stars v0.04 released

@Realspace
I uploaded 2 versions to avoid conflict with the "material" file
Let me know if you want to use anything, free to you