Question about altering existing areas.

[kevinflemming]

I wanted to clean-up Obedience a little using the editor, (re)moving some of the robot arms and heads so that I had ample space to build in for a Skeleton Uprising/Rebellion game.

I have a mod called "Obedience Tweaks" (which has altered resource values, making it a more viable place to set up a base) and I was hoping to save the changes to that so it was sort of an all-in-one. But no matter what I do, the visual aspect of the area always reverts back to normal, even with new games. Anything I do in the Shift-F12 editor never seems to take effect.

There doesn't seem to be anything on changing areas, only creating new towns so I was wondering if anybody had some more detailed information on how to do this properly, please?

[Sol Lignum]

I haven't tested new versions for a while now, but one thing i remember being quite persistent is that when you start a base, after saving and loading, all map decorations like debris, trees, small gravel lying around, and even some really large cliff formations dissapearing in a certain rarius around the player-built structure\s. So if it's still a thing, and since all these robo-parts doesn't seem to posess any other value then decoration, maybe that's a way to go? Tweak resources to your liking, and then just start building a base, with debris clearing automatically?

[kevinflemming]

I haven't tested...
...debris clearing automatically?

I've built around them in the past and they didn't move. They aren't flagged as foliage, looking in the FCS. They are 'map features' so I'm guessing it's permanent. Especially when they reset every time the game is loaded, regardless of how many times I've tried to edit them.

Plus, I don't want everything to be removed. I would like for some of the arms and heads to remain as decoration. Ideally, incorporating them into my city design is the main goal. Or at least having them scattered further apart. So the idea I have for a 'central area' would be much easier than constantly messing around, trying to get every building perfect without having the arms and heads passing through the middle of the buildings. There is a particular design I have in mind and I'd rather not settle for something that isn't quite as impressive, if I can edit the area.

If that isn't possible, then perhaps there is some way I can just delete them permanently and add the robot arms and head pieces as build-able structures? I've seen some mods that have added furniture, such as tables and chairs, so this might be possible.

Thing is, I often find out these things myself before anybody replies lol. Not very active here, it seems.

EDIT: There is a setting to alter their state to 'Hidden' so I might give that a whirl, see if they are invisible or whether that removes them. Might be a temporary solution until I can figure out how to make them craftable. Also, there is a setting to change them from 'uv-mapped' to 'foliage'. I'll try that as well.

Backed everything up anyhow, so it doesn't matter if I break something.

[Sol Lignum]

Oh, well, i just thought that it not only applies to foliage, since some objects i've mentioned aren't technically it (although they might be flagged as that, no idea, honestly )

And due to lack of complete documentation on every action, FCS is a brave new world, and there're quite some areas nobody ventured before, and anyone may be the first.

Like i've discovered that even though constructor does freaking out on edited wordswaps, like they're not referred to in any dialogue, they're nevertheless, works just fine ingame

So let us know about your adventures, maybe somebody would be willing to follow your path, because your idea is awesome - to build the base among huge inactive bots. I can imagine some greenhorn HN scout squad wondering into it through the fog:

"Oh, look, Joseph, there're huge unholy skeletons debris... oh, wait, there're some walking smaller skeletons... oh by Okran, they saw us! RUN, RUUUUN!!"

[kevinflemming]

due to lack of complete documentation on every action, FCS is a brave new world, and there're quite some areas nobody ventured before, and anyone may be the first.

Yeah, this is why I'm probably not going to bother. I'm bored of trying already lol. Granted, I have been at it most of the day.

It's a shame there isn't an active modding community for this game because personally, I just don't have the time nor patience to sit and learn practically every aspect of the FCS and Editor by playing around. Especially when most of what I'm doing doesn't appear to change a damn thing. It's wasting time more than learning.

The small "mods" I made in the last couple of days took mere seconds to do. Resource tweaks, extra shop inventories, more recruits, stat changes, etc. None of it happens to be very complex or time-consuming. Altering maps is a whole different level though and it obviously requires more than what I have attempted today.

Attempted being the key word there, I achieved absolutely nothing. A mix of lack of information and knowledge combined with a slight disdain for having to learn these things lol. If there were more (and up-to-date) tutorials then I might be more inclined to continue but as it stands, I simply can't do it.

It's something I used to do in the past, spending ages learning how to mod a game, from scratch and with half-arsed or limited tutorials, to create unique content then I would just end up losing all enthusiasm before I had even began to play properly with the things I created.

So, now I'll just play before I end up shelving this for another year or so.

[Hatsune_Neko]

there most likely isn't a tutorial yet as no one has gotten around to it yet since Modding Kenshi to this extent is still new.

Though one of the Devs should make a basic one so others know how to start the basics and then users can expand on that information.

[kevinflemming]

Though one of the Devs should make a basic one so others know how to start the basics and then users can expand on that information.

Definitely. It would be great if someone on the team could start an official, detailed FCS guide. Even if they just added to it as and when time permitted. Hopefully they have one in the works.

A thing I've noticed with personal guides that I've read over the years, is that people tend to fill them with unnecessary ramblings and are typically having a conversation with the reader, rather than focusing purely on information and teaching in a simple, easy-to-understand manner.

"I do this and that and you might want to blah, blah" rather than "Click this, select that and done."

Take the one here, for instance. It could be easily done with fewer words, simple bullet points and some UI screenshots. No disrespect meant, of course. After all, they took the time to make it. I'm just using it as an example of someone talking to the reader.

[Sziklamester]

Hello there! Not sure if this is the topic where I should write but I made a faction with a starter town but the town in game not exist. I can add this town in game with the in game editor but I don't see any use for this because simply there is no any city what I created in the constructor.

I made a faction as Shek Unitists and made a city "Darmug" as a capital and yet the only city but I cannot find in game nowhere. My question is where is the file which contains the location of the cities because it seems to me there is no randomize option and the cities and other settlements have a fix position and I see a lot of space to make new cities but I don't know where is that file where the positions are contained if have any at all. Any helps would be nice in this case.

[LyranRenegade]

Hello there! Not sure if this is the topic where I should write but I made a faction with a starter town but the town in game not exist. I can add this town in game with the in game editor but I don't see any use for this because simply there is no any city what I created in the constructor.

I made a faction as Shek Unitists and made a city "Darmug" as a capital and yet the only city but I cannot find in game nowhere. My question is where is the file which contains the location of the cities because it seems to me there is no randomize option and the cities and other settlements have a fix position and I see a lot of space to make new cities but I don't know where is that file where the positions are contained if have any at all. Any helps would be nice in this case.

Not entirely sure what you did but it works as follow:
- create a new mod, add the various data, like faction, town etc.
-then start a new game with only your new mod active, press shift-f12 and build away where you want the town.. [you have to build it, the game doesn't auto-generate it or something]
-then select your mod in top-right box (!) and press save.

The next part is how to populate the town correctly, which is some puzzling as well, add squads to town, then to building.
[The squad then will pick any of the buildings from your mod that fit the description.]

But at least now you can see your town when starting a new game with that mod if all went well..

p.s. O yeah, I forgot to say, after shift-f12 you can put the marker of the new town you created in the FCS somewhere on the map first, the buildings around there will be associated with that town.

[Sziklamester]

Hm so basically you do it in game. That is good then but I thought I need to set up my town in a not in game file. These settelements names are shown up on my game and indeed these weren't nowhere but I thought is some bug or something similar. Then what is the best option to populate it when all buildings are finished there?

I tested the building placement options but it is messy a bit and the peoples can walk through on the walls and buildings when I am trying to fix the problem then it shows there is nothing left to fix.

Also how to add guards and townsman peoples when I dedicated that village-town-outpost to a specific faction.

Like I said I made a different shek faction and wanted an own city captial city to them.

[LyranRenegade]

These settelements names are shown up on my game and indeed these weren't nowhere but I thought is some bug or something similar. Then what is the best option to populate it when all buildings are finished there?

Sorry, but I have no idea what you're trying to say here..

I tested the building placement options but it is messy a bit and the peoples can walk through on the walls and buildings when I am trying to fix the problem then it shows there is nothing left to fix.

Yep, it's messy... noticed the same thing.
One time the characters could walk through the wall, then I did the whole interior over and then it was suddenly allright.

Also how to add guards and townsman peoples when I dedicated that village-town-outpost to a specific faction.

Like I said I made a different shek faction and wanted an own city captial city to them.

That's a bit of work, make characters, make squads out of those characters and add those squads to your town / or your faction.
Add AI's to the squad and add guard-nodes to your town.

Go to the discord server for modding kenshi and ask your questions there, that's easier..
https://discord.gg/jCpfDRT

There's a lot of options and not all of them work as you'd expect. You need some testing to get it to work, but better ask in the chat, post your screenshots of your setup there and people there probably will walk you through it.

[Sziklamester]

Thankies the link I will check it later on when I have more time, if you downloaded the names then I suggest you to download it again because I will update it soon. I just missed some major important names.

I figured out how to add the settlement right but the bug still cause problems the population is other thing I will use the link what you gave me so thankies again the reply and the link too.

[kevinflemming]

Sorry if this is classed as a "necro" post, but it's my old topic and it's related to what I was doing before.

It's been a while since I've tinkered with the FCS. And I can't for the life of me remember how I changed the crappy iron around Obedience to a higher quality. I've managed to get water (which won't be used anyway), copper and stone. There are some large derelict metal frames around the edges, in front of the large rock formations, that I managed to change last time and I'm completely stumped.

EDIT: Looking at the "Zone Map" on the Wikia page...

I think Obedience is just the purple square in the center of that particular area. Surrounding it is an unnamed dark grey/black area. I think that might be the issue. My changes must only affect the purple square, seeing as Obedience itself has become a worthwhile area for building (exactly as it was the last time I attempted this).

I'm assuming my only option is to alter all other Resources options that have a minimum value of less than 1, to at least 1. If somebody could confirm that for me please, or throw a little advice while I sleep, I would be very grateful!

Oh, I also noticed a "None" resource option, that has a 0.1 value for iron. Could that possibly be it? Cheers and goodnight for now.

[Shidan]

The darker area is technically one of the "NONE" biomes (the other is the island area in the east). If you want to edit the resources in that area, try editing that biome instead.

Just so you know, there are a few other places that NONE biome governs though, so you'll be editing those too.

[kevinflemming]

Ah, okay. I thought that might have been it. Was late and being half-asleep didn't help lol.

Found the "None" for the area surrounding Obedience (there are only two, this one has 0,0,0 index colour, and the other has "coast" resources). Added the iron changes, and they work. Happy days!

Last time, I tried to remove a couple of the giant robot limbs, but it wouldn't stick. Most likely have to edit it with some form of modelling program, which I don't have the knowledge for. I might just leave it this time around, and actually build something instead, for once.

Many thanks for the help, friend.