How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games? |
OK, so I was playing a Balance Mod game on PBW, and I used a custom shipset (Dominion), flag (Borg), and race portrait (Gallente) which ARE listed under PBW's supported sets. Turn 1, I load up the game and it says it can't find the Borg flag set in the Balance Mod directory. I hit OK and I can get into the game just fine and see my flag. Turn 2, though, I load up the game and I have a different flag - I think it's either the Terran or the UkraTal one! Strangely enough, my shipset and race portrait stayed the way I wanted. Huh?
Now I had changed my copy of Balance Mod - I set the "allow main empires" to TRUE so that I could actually choose my custom shipset, etc. before the game started. Was this a mistake? Should I have created a dummy folder in the Balance Mod folder for any flags I want to use, or something???
Thanks for any help!
P.S. The new flag really isn't all that bad for my empire, and it's only an EOTU game, not some huge roleplay game, so I don't mind sticking with it, so I don't feel the need to restart the game if I'm stuck with the flag I have!
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
So what I need to do is:
1. Create dummy folders for all custom shipsets under the mod folder.
2. Copy the flags (but nothing else) from the shipsets to the dummy folders.
And presumably this won't help me with my current game, only with future games?
~~~
The power of the ancients is now yours to command. You are truly the Master... of the obvious 
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
You don't have to restart any game - at least, I never had to. Your step 1 is correct. Your step 2 needs a minor edit, which I hope you've already taken into account: http://www.captainkwok.net/balancemodhelp.php. Check the custom race question in there.
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
Ah, so it's the main AI file I need to copy over, not the flags? Thanks! 
I'll try that when I get home tonight...
~~~
The power of the ancients is now yours to command. You are truly the Master... of the obvious
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
Well, in case some custom small size flags are made (they exist for Shadows for example) you may need to copy those three bmp files as well. I still don't know why this is neccessary, but that's not on Kwok's site. I guess custom races aren't neccessarily made with inclusion of the smaller sized flags, so that makes sense.
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
I put the AI file and the flags there, but I'm still getting the Terran flag. Do you think the game somehow "locked" me into the randomly chosen flag from turn 2?
~~~
The power of the ancients is now yours to command. You are truly the Master... of the obvious
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
That would be my best guess. If you somehow managed to get your first turn processed, that would explain the flag substitution. Have you tried editing your empire file through that PBW option?
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
That wouldn't do anything to the actual .gam file.
Oh well, I guess the Terran flag's not too bad
~~~
The power of the ancients is now yours to command. You are truly the Master... of the obvious
Re: How to PROPERLY use custom flags in modded PBW games?
Had the same happening when playing on PBW. Assuming you've copied any custom race folderss under the regular empires folder, you should also copy any flag related files (BM size or regular) to a race folder under the BM empires folder.