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V-CORE Ship Collection for Astrox Imperium
Created By: StinVec
https://www.nexusmods.com/users/21896034
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_____ INFORMATION ________________________________________________________________________________________

- V-CORE collection of ships.
- Each ship comes in the official "Default" main and detail texture combination with "G.E.M." glow pattern or in 4 V-CORE custom texture styles:
"Style A"
"Style B"
"Style C"
"Style C HEX" utilizing the 'Hextorn' glow texture from the "Carnifice Syndicate Texture Pack" by "an0nym0uz" (with permission)
- https://www.nexusmods.com/astroximperium/mods/64
- Changing the primary color of V-CORE custom styles changes the accent hue (aqua color in the screenshots) while the ship base color remains dark.
- 42 ships comes in two configurations; Battle and Excavation.
- 3 Transport Hauler ships only come in Transport configuration.
- All ship class and type files of all styles can be loaded at the same time.
- Battle/Excavation ships possess attributes comparable to official ships of the classes and types or slightly higher.
- Transport/Hauler ships possess attributes that I tried to get as being somewhat similar to Industrials/Haulers in EVE-Online.
- Non-Transport/Hauler ships also possess bonuses appropriate for the ship configurations (weapons for Battle, mining/drones for Excavation).
- The XL Dreadnought ships extend beyond the maximum 30 unit length a ship can be in the Ship Editor.
- The XL Dreadnought attributes are increased/decreased in relation to the increase in size and mass over standard.



_____ PLAYER SHIP INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________________

First, add the custom ship textures:
1) On your computer, browse to your Astrox Imperium game installation folder and enter into the "...\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\ship_parts\textures" folder
2) In the download file, enter the "Textures" folder
3) Copy out the "VCORE_a_detail.png" and "VCORE_a_main.png" files into your open game installation's "textures" folder

Second, add the custom ship files:
1) In your game installation, go back up to the "\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\" folder and enter the "ships" folder
2) In the download file, go back out from the "textures" folder up to the main folders and enter the folder of the ship type you want to install (Battle, Excavation, etc.)
3) In the download file, copy the "icon_vcore.png" and "icon_vcorexl.png" files out to your game installation's "ships" folder on your computer
4) In the download file, copy both the image and corresponding txt file for each ship you want from this folder to your "ships" folder
5) Repeat for each of the other ship type folders in the download to add ship variations to your game
(only one copy of the "icon_vcore.png" and "icon_vcorexl.png" files need to be from the ship type folders to your "ships" folder)

__________ ACTIVATION

Now that the ship files are installed, they can be made available at stations for purchase.

SANDBOX - NEW GAME
- Starting a new Sandbox game causes the generated stations to be populated automatically from the outset with the ships you added to your 'ships' folder.

CAMPAIGN - NEW GAME
CAMPAIGN - EXISTING GAME
- Ships added to the 'ships' folder will slowly become available at stations randomly over time in new Campaign games.
(check station Lounge News for notifications of new ships becoming available at stations)

SANDBOX - EXISTING GAME
- Ships require being manually added to one or more station shipyards in the save game files.


__________ Manual Ship Addition To Stations

To make any or all added ships available immediately at one or more stations, you can use the in-game Mod Tools Station Editor or manually alter any station file's "HANGAR" section to include the ship(s).

__________ Method 1) Manually adding ships individually (slower, done in-game)

Requires adding ships individually and one at a time using the in-game's Mod Tools > Station Editor

To modify stations in your save game file(s) to set ships as being available at one or more stations:

1) From the main menu, hit "Mod Tools"

2) Select "Station Editor"

3) Select your save game at the top that you want to add the ships to

4) Select the station you want to add the custom ships to

5) On the right side in the third column "SHIP HANGAR", click the "+ADD SHIP" button at the top

6+) Manually enter the file name of each custom ship you added to your "ships" folder and its price modifier

EXAMPLE:

ship_data_(StinVec_VCORE_A_BE1_SampleShipName).txt
1.00

"ship_data_(StinVec_VCORE_A_BE1_SampleShipName).txt"
The name of the file you added to the "ships" folder including the ".txt" extension. In this case, the battle version of that ship file.

"1.00"
The price modifier (1.00 being as set in the file without increase or decrease)



__________ Method 2) Bulk addition directly to a station file (faster, done out-of-game)

You can manually alter the "SHIP HANGAR" section of any station file in your save game(s) to set the ships as being available at certain stations.

> Finding/Altering The Station File(s)
1) Browse to your game installation's "\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\saves\YOURSAVEGAMENAME\stations" folder on your computer

2) Open the desired station file for editing using Notepad or another text editor
- The 'sector_0_station_0.txt' station is the starting station.
- In Campaign, this station is Biomate University in Void Starcross.
- In Sandbox this station is whatever station was generated in the starting sector when you generated your game.
- You can alter any station file, but using the starting sector/station is easiest and quickest.

3) Down to near the bottom of the file and above "STORAGE" you will see a section called "HANGAR" with a half dozen or so ships listed.

EXAMPLE:

// SHIP HANGAR;count;Price_modifier;Ship_filename
<HANGAR>
SHIP;1;1.0;ship_data_(recon_shuttle_1).txt
SHIP;1;1.0;ship_data_(recon_escort_1).txt
SHIP;1;1.0;ship_data_(recon_escort_2).txt
SHIP;4;1.0;ship_data_(recon_utility_1).txt
SHIP;4;1.0;ship_data_(recon_utility_2).txt
SHIP;4;1.0;ship_data_(recon_frigate_1).txt
</HANGAR>

4) For ships you added to your 'ships' folder, add their corresponding ship lines noted in the download ReadMe to this list of available ships.
- If you added all of the ships of a type, just add all of that type's ship lines here.
- If you added all of the ships of more than one type, add all of the lines from each type in the download's ReadMe into this file's HANGAR section.
- If you only added a few ships of one or more type, add only the lines for those ships from the different types.

OPTIONAL: Want the ships at your current or preferred station and not the starting station?

Find the station you want to add them to:
1) Dock at your preferred station and then open the following file on your computer:
"\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\saves\YOURSAVEGAMENAME\player_data.txt"

2) On line 22 it shows what sector/station you are docked at:

EXAMPLE:

PLAYER;sector;sector_5.txt
PLAYER;sector_id;5
PLAYER;station;sector_5_station_1.txt
PLAYER;isdocked;True

3) Open that station file noted here from your save game's "stations" folder:
> "\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\saves\YOURSAVEGAMENAME\stations\sector_5_station_1.txt" is the example station noted above.

4) Perform the ship line additions noted above to this file's HANGAR section instead of the starter station to add the ships to this specific station.

NOTE: You can also remove the default ships from the list if you don't want these ships to be available at this station any longer.



_____ NPC/MERC SHIP INSTALLATION _________________________________________________________________________

1) On your computer, browse to your Astrox Imperium game installation folder
2) Enter into the "\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\ships_npc" folder
3) In the download file, enter the folder of the ship type you want to install (Battle/Excavation/Transport)
4) Copy both the image and corresponding txt file for each ship you want from this folder to your "ships_npc" folder
5) Repeat for each of the ships you want from the other ship type folders

__________ ACTIVATION

Now that the ship files are installed, they can be used by mercenaries.

SANDBOX - NEW GAME
- Starting a new Sandbox game causes the generated stations to be populated automatically from the outset with mercenaries that will pilot both official ships and these ships you added to your 'ships_npc' folder.

SANDBOX - EXISTING GAME
CAMPAIGN - NEW GAME
CAMPAIGN - EXISTING GAME
- Mercenaries piloting these custom ships added to the 'ships_npc' folder must be manually added to one or more station files in your save game.


__________ Manual Mercenary Addition To Stations
- You can make any or all added ships be immediately used by mercenaries at one or more stations.
- Manual addition to individual stations is required for all game modes except for a new sandbox game; existing sandbox and new/existing campaign games require mercenaries being manually added.



__________ Method 1) Manually adding mercs individually (slower, done in-game)

Requires adding mercenaries piloting added ships individually and one at a time using the in-game's Mod Tools > Station Editor

To modify stations in your save game file(s) to set mercenaries who pilot the added ships as being available at one or more stations:

1) From the main menu, hit "Mod Tools"

2) Select "Station Editor"

3) Select your save game at the top that you want to add custom mercs to

4) Select the station you want to add custom mercs to

5) On the right side in the last column "MERCS", click the "+ADD MERC" button at the top

6) Manually enter the info from the custom merc ship list in the download ReadMe for ship files you added to your "ships_npc" folder

EXAMPLE:

//Battle
MERC;2;1.00;npc_ship_data_(StinVec_VCORE_A_BE1_SampleShipName_NPC).txt

"2"
The base/starting level of the merc

"1.00"
The price modifier (recurring pay for the merc, with 1.00 being as set in the file without increase or decrease)

"npc_ship_data_(StinVec_VCORE_A_BE1_SampleShipName_NPC).txt"
The name of the file you added to the "ships_npc" folder including the ".txt" extension. In this case, the battle version of that ship file.



__________ Method 2) Bulk addition directly to a station file (faster, done out-of-game)

You can manually alter the "MERC" section of any station file in your save game(s) to set mercenaries as being available at certain stations that pilot the added ships.

> Finding/Altering The Station File(s)
1) Browse to your game installation's "\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\saves\YOURSAVEGAMENAME\stations" folder on your computer

2) Open the desired station file for editing using Notepad or another text editor
- The 'sector_0_station_0.txt' station is the starting station.
- In Campaign, this station is Biomate University in Void Starcross.
- In Sandbox this station is whatever station was generated in the starting sector when you generated your game.
- You can alter any station file, but using the starting sector/station is easiest and quickest.

3) About 40 lines into this file you will see a section called "MERC" with several mercenaries listed as being available at this station:

EXAMPLE:

<MERC>
MERC;9;0.67;npc_ship_data_(pirate_frigate_2).txt
MERC;9;0.93;npc_ship_data_(battle_escort_1).txt
MERC;1;0.52;npc_ship_data_(excavation_utility_3).txt
</MERC>

4) For ships you added to your 'ships_npc' folder, add their corresponding merc lines noted in the download ReadMe to this list of available mercs.
- If you added all of the ships of a type, just add all of that type's merc lines here.
- If you added all of the ships of more than one type, add all of the lines from each type noted below into this file's MERC section.
- If you only added a few ships of one or more type, add only the lines for those ships from the different types.


OPTIONAL: Want the mercs at your current or preferred station to use the added ships and not the starting station?

Find the station you want to add them to:
1) Dock at your preferred station and then open the following file on your computer:
"\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\saves\YOURSAVEGAMENAME\player_data.txt"

2) On line 22 it shows what sector/station you are docked at:

EXAMPLE:

PLAYER;sector;sector_5.txt
PLAYER;sector_id;5
PLAYER;station;sector_5_station_1.txt
PLAYER;isdocked;True

3) Open that station file noted here from your save game's "stations" folder:
> "\Astrox Imperium_Data\MOD\saves\YOURSAVEGAMENAME\stations\sector_5_station_1.txt" is the example station noted above.

4) Perform the merc line additions noted above to this file's MERC section instead of the starter station to add the mercs to this specific station.

NOTE: You can also remove the default mercs from the list if you don't want these mercs that are piloting official ships to be available at this station any longer.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________
V-CORE Ship Collection for Astrox Imperium
Created By: StinVec
https://www.nexusmods.com/users/21896034
_________________________________________