Modding How to?

In the docs folder, there is a Modding.pdf file that explains the purpose of each field in every data file.

Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

There's also the Wiki of course.

Where do I find the Wiki?

Don't ...worry found it with google. Here is the link though...
http://wiki.spaceempires.net/index.php/Category:Space_Empires_Wiki

Nothing much going on there. I want to know how to change the rate against witch you build in SE. You are clearly one of those people that want to pretend you know something and now you help other people from the hill into the ditch as we say in afrikaans. That Wiki site might be of use later but with only that few toppics there nobody can use it.

Thanks Kwok the Docs helped but I am still having trouble. I narowed it down to the ficilities.txt file and to this string:(I think)
Ability 1 Type := Space Yard
Ability 1 Description := Space Yard constructs with [%Amount2%] minerals per turn.
Ability 1 Scope := Space Object
Ability 1 Range Formula := 0
Ability 1 Amount 1 Formula := 1
Ability 1 Amount 2 Formula := 2000 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 200)

OR does it have to do with this string?

Tonnage Structure Formula := 1000 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 50)

Still do not know what to change. Can you help?
I want to change it so that a frigate that would normaly take 2 turns to build would take lets say 8 turns to build.

You'd want to reduce the ability amount 2 values in the formulas for each of the minerals, organics, and radioactives entries. Right now it starts at 2000 and adds 200 per level.

The tonnage structure formula is just how many hitpoints the Space Yard Facility has to resist damage.

Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

Be sure to back up your original "facilities.txt" file. Just in case your mod flops. Then you can restart from the original if needed.

The best method I know of is to build a separate folder under "Game Type" with your mod name. Place copies of the original files here and save over them with your changes.

When you start a new game,the game will ask which game to load, Stock or Mod. Just answer with Mod to see how your game runs.

I apologize if you already knew all of this but it saves BIG headaches later down the road.

Directive 721: Cover your own a$$ first. Solo

SpaceEmpires.net | Space Empires Wiki

Agreed. I was going to just ignore it. Odd thing is that it reminded me of my experiences with other afrikaaners. I did meet a friendly one about 30 years ago.

There were much worse words I could have used but the point is his post helped me jack... I tried going through a few links but could not find anything of intrest and mostly got send in a loop by following the links. Maybe if he specified a link it would have helped but he didn't. Our Afrikaners is just straight to the point and don't go beating around the bush. Nothing against you Vince... Oh and thanyou very much for your help Kwok your advice do help alot.

[Be sure to back up your original "facilities.txt" file. Just in case your mod flops. Then you can restart from the original if needed.]

Thanks that is good advice.

First off I know you must be a busy man and I know you cant teach every person that want to give modding a try so lets me keep it short. I'll go read up on stuff if you can just point me in the right direction...
My first question is ... In what programming language is Space Empires written? I know a little bit of SQL queries and some of the stuff looks similar.
I did not quite understand your above statement...
In this string in the ficilities.txt file
Ability 1 Amount 2 Formula := 2000 + (([%Level%] - 1) * 200)
I changed the 2000 to 500 and it seem to work whell except that now a planet with a constructionyard will build ficilities slower than a planet without a construction yard so this tell me that I'm bussy at the wrong place. There must be a place where I can reduce THE PLANETS production wether it has a Constrution yard or not. My overall feeling is that Im busy fidling in the dark and maybe I should first sharpen my skills in the specific Language that was used to write the game so that I can understand more of what I am actualy changing.
So what advice can you give a wannabe modder?
First off I understand that you dont just mod because you can but because you want to change the game to make it more fun for yourself and you might have a new idea of doing things that might make the game more fun for other people asswell. My idea would be to make the game even more realistic than it allready is and by saying this Im talking about the balance mod. To me the balance mod is made more realistic than the origenal game but also it keeps the ballance to keep good playability aspesialy in multiplayer games. Where I would like to make it Strickly realistic wether it work in multiplayer or not. For instance a few things I would like to change would be the time in witch ships are build cause in my mind there is no way they can build a space ship with a crew of 100 in 2 months. Then there is no real effect that small or large planets have on its citizens or maybe it does but clearly not enough realistic wise us Humans will have a very hard time living on planets with 10 times the gravity of earth, infect we wont at all except if we have some technology to counter it. There is a few other stuff I would change asswell but I'll stop blabbering now. I'm sure you get the idea.

If you want to change the base rate for planets, modify these lines in Settings.txt:

Empire Base Planet Mineral Usage Rate                                 := 2000
Empire Base Planet Organic Usage Rate                                 := 2000 
Empire Base Planet Radioactive Usage Rate                             := 2000

Also in Settings.txt, you can change the population modifiers. These provide bonuses to either the production amounts or to construction rates. In stock or the Balance Mod, there's not much of a difference between a planet with 1M population or one with 500M population etc.

Number Of Population Modifiers                                        := 101
Pop Modifier 1 Population Amount                                      := 19
Pop Modifier 1 Production Modifier Percent                            := 100
Pop Modifier 1 SY Rate Modifier Percent                               := 100
...
Pop Modifier 101 Population Amount                                    := 2000000
Pop Modifier 101 Production Modifier Percent                          := 200
Pop Modifier 101 SY Rate Modifier Percent                             := 200

This is a good place to add "realism", but it would be tedious by hand to make new custom entries, but SuicideJunkie made a program where you can enter a formula to generate a list of population modifiers that you can cut and paste into the settings file very easily.

Link:
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Tools/SE4+5PopModifier.zip

Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

SpaceEmpires.net | Space Empires Wiki

I apologize to you Vince as I have gone back to the wiki site and after finaly getting to this link:
http://wiki.spaceempires.net/index.php/Space_Empires_V
did I find alot of stuff that can be of use.

No problem, just teaching one to fish. A detailed answer would have been too large.

Geluk!

I think what makes most of the difference is throwing in a link or example of the item you are talking about. It usually doesn't take much more effort than typing up a post anyway.

Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

Didn't have the time to look it up. Can't remember the last time I was there. Sorry...

Anyway....
Thanks to everyone. Im going crazy with the modding.

Beware when your goal is to make a game more "realistic", you might end up to make it boring as well. After all, as far as we know, FTL isn't possible!

Now, from a purely gameplay point of view, when you make all your construction slower, what do you hope to achieve? If you keep base space yard stations as your starting tech, it won't make the game a lot slower, only delay the moment when you've maxed out your production capabilities (since the construction growth is exponential). The annoying consequence is that you'll have to manage a huge number of stations, have to planify long in advance the ships you want to build (if you don't use the retrofit builds), and have to retrofit your ships as they get out of the costruction yards, as they will already be obsolete.
So it should only make the game more annoying.

On the other hand, the idea to diversify the effect of other planets is probably a good one, since it should have the player to make choices as of which planet to colonise first (or not at all if the cost is too high!). But you'll have to teach the AI the new colonisation system if you don't want to see it to be crippled.