Whenever I download this mod (or older versions) I get a corrupted RAR file. Seems to only be this mod on nexus however. Anyone else experiencing the same thing?
Hey! Absolutely fantastic mod, I've been waiting for something like this. I was wondering if it would be possible to extend the colour changes to all icons, so all ships, stations, objects on the map are coloured by their faction rather than neutral/owned/enemy? Also if it would be possible to extend these colours the the square border icons too so I can see when flying around which factions are nearby without clicking on anything?
The original intend for making the Enhanced HoloMap was to change the 3D map colours to faction specific colours, so you can identify the different factions based on their icon colour. However, when I started messing around with the lua scripts and the colours properties, I realized it is currently not possible to alter the 3D holomap in easy/specific ways. The main functions to render and load the icons on the 3D plane are hidden in ffi.C functions and Anark studio files, which are not accessible to us for modding and are integrated into the X4.exe. You are also right that currently the Holomap colours are only distinct in a few things: enemy, player, friendly, visitor or neutral (jumpgates and stuff). It is possible to change the colour of all icons simultaneously by adjusting the XML file providing the RGB values for each of the friendly, visitor, neutral sections (which I did in this mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/230). However, to make them faction specific would require additional coding in the ffi.C and Anark studio files, which is not possible for us at the moment (afaik). The sector borders however are adjustable, but these follow a different path than the icons. So we have to wait and see if Egosoft will release these functions or move them to the lua or XML files (which are moddable).
Changing the colour of the icons on the edges of the main cockpit is interesting! I might try to look into that.
Thanks for replying. Here's to hoping Egosoft release the code! It always struck me as odd that they decided to go with this design in the first place. Surely you know who your enemies and allies are (and the pirates which start off as enemies can always be done in shades of red). When you play Sid Meir's Pirates, for example, you don't need all your enemies to show up in red, you know the French are p***ed off with you. Surely it's more immersive to show intuitively which factions own what at a glance. Anyway, enough with the rant, thanks again for the great mod :).
Hello! the mod. EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours, has version for the G_Work_Around UI v0.31. I've tried it with version 0.31 and it does not work. Install again the version 0.20 with which the mod does work. It could be created for this new version of G_Work_Around UI v0.31 Thanks
changing two lines in EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.xml will fix the mod: <event_game_loaded /> needs to be changed to <event_cue_completed cue="md.G_Work_Around.Init" /> and <open_menu menu="G_Work_Around" param="[0, 0, '.\\extensions\\EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours\\EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.lua']"/> to <raise_lua_event name="'RegisterAddon'" param="'extensions.EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours'"/>
Thanks for helping me out here Taintedloki! Good to hear it also worked out for gamesemailvp.
I have now updated the mod to be compatible with G_Work_Around v0.31 and I also packed the libraries/md xml files into a CAT/DAT archive. Hopefully this will increase compatability!
I followed the Windows 7 install instructions to the letter. Both mods show up in the in-game extensions menu and are on, but no change in color on the map.
Is it possible to get a CAT/DAT file of the main mod so that we (win7 users) can put it into the root folder? I have found that if the loose file version doesn't work in the root folder moving it to the documents folder doesn't always work (had a couple other mods with this problem before, AAI of the top of my head), but once those modders made CAT/DAT versions win7 users could put the mods into the root folder and they worked.
OK I have converted the mod to CAT/DAT using the XRcattool and placed into the root folder. The sector colours are now working but the map list is all white. So it seems this is more than a cat/dat problem at this stage. Let me know what other info you might need to debug?
Using the CAT/DAT is fine and should work if you make sure the EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.lua script is not included into the archive but present as a seperate file in the extensions/EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours root folder. The lua script's path is directly used in one of the XML files and should be in the root of the mod's folder and not within an archive.
1.) IMO way too much techy stuff in the description. Put that into your readme.txt (which most people don't read) and something important like "hey, better put this mod into your X4 root extensions folder or it won't work correctly" (this is only mentioned in the readme.txt) into the mod description (which most people do read).
2.) [edit] My bad. But I did notice something: ALT-Enter resets to default object colours when running the game in borderless window. [/edit]
3.) There seems to be something wrong with colouring for Hewa's Twin V. I get why "multi-sector hexes with multiple owners" like Hatikvah's Choice is grey, but Hewa's Twin V is a single sector owned by TEL, still grey coloured though.
Great idea, but removed for now as it's not usable at the moment for me due to undistinguishable colours for HOP & TEL when running f.lux.
Thanks for the comments! 1. I see what you mean and have shortened the description now and included the installation instructions on the main page. 2. This is interesting. This is probably associated with the fact the script is only called upon game loading/resetting/starting and not reloading the ui. Using the command /reloadui in-game has the same effect (and is known) . The UI reloads but the script is not loaded. Will see if we can change this in later versions (this is also important to note to the G_Work_Around developer). 3. It seems actually the Hewa's Twin cluster has 5 sectors, of which 1, Hewa's Twin IV: The Cove is not owned by any faction and has a white border. This makes the whole cluster get a white border as well.
As for flux making the colours difficult to see, I posted below (reply to Zammox) a small description on how to change the colours yourself using rgb values, you could give it a try if you wish (it is kind of as easy as opening a text file and changing 1-3 numbers). Beware this will actually not change the sector border colours. Thanks again for the feedback!
So colours for one map hex are based on ownership of the whole cluster? Weird.
Yeah, as for the colours - sure could do it, but I'm lacking the motivation to do it right now. Maybe later, not using the object listing as much anyways.
Does not work when installed into the my documents/egosoft/... /extensions folder, but worked when installed into the games install directory /extensions, using GoG game version. Thanks for the mod, huge quality of life improvement! Some of the darker fonts can be a bit hard to read, so I was wondering is it possible to add a white border or some kind of edge glow to make the letters more legible?
It is technically possible to change the font size and add some kind of border. However, I am personally not a great fan and would like to avoid it.
If you wish to make them slightly less dark, it should be relatively easy to change the colours yourself. You would need to go into the extensions folder and open the main lua script in the folder root Ujfactionspecific_objectcolors.lua (or EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.lua for the renamed version). You can open this with a basic text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad, but I would advise notepad++ if you have it. The file looks like a bunch of text defining a few functions. If you go down to the function UJfaction.prepareColors(), around line 40-50, the orig.menu.holomapcolor colour variables are listed there in rgb (number between 0-255) and alpha (transparancy/opacity, number between 0-100). You can easily change the numbers in the {} brackets. Remember each colour is defined by rgb, a decent rbg calculator can be found here: https://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_rgb.asp. After changing the numbers, just hit save and the file should be saved. The next time you load X4, your adjusted colours should be used instead. However, tweaking the lua script will currently not alter the sector border colours, this will require tweaking the libraries/factions.xml file. I know this not ideal, but I hope this is at least somewhat helpful.
Hi all , it seems that this Mod has a conflict with TatterTrade. I played without TatterTrade an this Mod here works fine. All Items Colorful. Then after i installed TatterTrade , all the Map Symboles reset to white. i removed TatterTrade again and this Mod here works again.
Sorry my bad English. I hope you understand what i would to say.
Thank for your providing feedback. I just downloaded taterTrader v3 and installed the mod. It works fine with my mod and I cannot seem to reproduce the error. Also, TaterTrader seems not to touch the lua functions, so I am not sure why it would be incompatible.
Can you double check whether the extension is still flagged as on in the in-game menu after downloading TaterTrade? Also, are you using TaterTrader v3? Maybe I need to test another version to see whether it is compatible?
Hi. Seems i used an old version of TaterTrade that makes trouble. Now i tested it with Tater v4-Beta 3 and all works now. Sorry i dont know what Verion of Tater i used before , but there i had Problems. Now it works all fine.
38 comments
UI API v0.32 is the highest version andt its only for 2.0 game version
this mod requires UI API v0.31 which is for 1.X version
Game is 2.5 (2.6 BETA)
so does it works for someone ??
any update ??
https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/322
Absolutely fantastic mod, I've been waiting for something like this.
I was wondering if it would be possible to extend the colour changes to all icons, so all ships, stations, objects on the map are coloured by their faction rather than neutral/owned/enemy? Also if it would be possible to extend these colours the the square border icons too so I can see when flying around which factions are nearby without clicking on anything?
The original intend for making the Enhanced HoloMap was to change the 3D map colours to faction specific colours, so you can identify the different factions based on their icon colour. However, when I started messing around with the lua scripts and the colours properties, I realized it is currently not possible to alter the 3D holomap in easy/specific ways. The main functions to render and load the icons on the 3D plane are hidden in ffi.C functions and Anark studio files, which are not accessible to us for modding and are integrated into the X4.exe. You are also right that currently the Holomap colours are only distinct in a few things: enemy, player, friendly, visitor or neutral (jumpgates and stuff). It is possible to change the colour of all icons simultaneously by adjusting the XML file providing the RGB values for each of the friendly, visitor, neutral sections (which I did in this mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/230). However, to make them faction specific would require additional coding in the ffi.C and Anark studio files, which is not possible for us at the moment (afaik). The sector borders however are adjustable, but these follow a different path than the icons. So we have to wait and see if Egosoft will release these functions or move them to the lua or XML files (which are moddable).
Changing the colour of the icons on the edges of the main cockpit is interesting! I might try to look into that.
When you play Sid Meir's Pirates, for example, you don't need all your enemies to show up in red, you know the French are p***ed off with you.
Surely it's more immersive to show intuitively which factions own what at a glance.
Anyway, enough with the rant, thanks again for the great mod :).
0.32
broke this again.
the mod. EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours, has version for the G_Work_Around UI v0.31. I've tried it with version 0.31 and it does not work. Install again the version 0.20 with which the mod does work.
It could be created for this new version of G_Work_Around UI v0.31
Thanks
Good to hear it also worked out for gamesemailvp.
I have now updated the mod to be compatible with G_Work_Around v0.31 and I also packed the libraries/md xml files into a CAT/DAT archive.
Hopefully this will increase compatability!
I followed the Windows 7 install instructions to the letter. Both mods show up in the in-game extensions menu and are on, but no change in color on the map.
Is it possible to get a CAT/DAT file of the main mod so that we (win7 users) can put it into the root folder? I have found that if the loose file version doesn't work in the root folder moving it to the documents folder doesn't always work (had a couple other mods with this problem before, AAI of the top of my head), but once those modders made CAT/DAT versions win7 users could put the mods into the root folder and they worked.
Using the CAT/DAT is fine and should work if you make sure the EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.lua script is not included into the archive but present as a seperate file in the extensions/EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours root folder. The lua script's path is directly used in one of the XML files and should be in the root of the mod's folder and not within an archive.
1.) IMO way too much techy stuff in the description. Put that into your readme.txt (which most people don't read) and something important like "hey, better put this mod into your X4 root extensions folder or it won't work correctly" (this is only mentioned in the readme.txt) into the mod description (which most people do read).
2.) [edit] My bad. But I did notice something: ALT-Enter resets to default object colours when running the game in borderless window. [/edit]
3.) There seems to be something wrong with colouring for Hewa's Twin V. I get why "multi-sector hexes with multiple owners" like Hatikvah's Choice is grey, but Hewa's Twin V is a single sector owned by TEL, still grey coloured though.
Great idea, but removed for now as it's not usable at the moment for me due to undistinguishable colours for HOP & TEL when running f.lux.
Thanks for the comments!
1. I see what you mean and have shortened the description now and included the installation instructions on the main page.
2. This is interesting. This is probably associated with the fact the script is only called upon game loading/resetting/starting and not reloading the ui. Using the command /reloadui in-game has the same effect (and is known) . The UI reloads but the script is not loaded. Will see if we can change this in later versions (this is also important to note to the G_Work_Around developer).
3. It seems actually the Hewa's Twin cluster has 5 sectors, of which 1, Hewa's Twin IV: The Cove is not owned by any faction and has a white border. This makes the whole cluster get a white border as well.
As for flux making the colours difficult to see, I posted below (reply to Zammox) a small description on how to change the colours yourself using rgb values, you could give it a try if you wish (it is kind of as easy as opening a text file and changing 1-3 numbers). Beware this will actually not change the sector border colours.
Thanks again for the feedback!
Yeah, as for the colours - sure could do it, but I'm lacking the motivation to do it right now. Maybe later, not using the object listing as much anyways.
It is technically possible to change the font size and add some kind of border. However, I am personally not a great fan and would like to avoid it.
If you wish to make them slightly less dark, it should be relatively easy to change the colours yourself. You would need to go into the extensions folder and open the main lua script in the folder root Ujfactionspecific_objectcolors.lua (or EHM3_factionObj_and_Sect_Colours.lua for the renamed version). You can open this with a basic text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad, but I would advise notepad++ if you have it. The file looks like a bunch of text defining a few functions. If you go down to the function UJfaction.prepareColors(), around line 40-50, the orig.menu.holomapcolor colour variables are listed there in rgb (number between 0-255) and alpha (transparancy/opacity, number between 0-100). You can easily change the numbers in the {} brackets. Remember each colour is defined by rgb, a decent rbg calculator can be found here: https://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_rgb.asp. After changing the numbers, just hit save and the file should be saved. The next time you load X4, your adjusted colours should be used instead. However, tweaking the lua script will currently not alter the sector border colours, this will require tweaking the libraries/factions.xml file. I know this not ideal, but I hope this is at least somewhat helpful.
Sorry my bad English. I hope you understand what i would to say.
Thank for your providing feedback. I just downloaded taterTrader v3 and installed the mod. It works fine with my mod and I cannot seem to reproduce the error. Also, TaterTrader seems not to touch the lua functions, so I am not sure why it would be incompatible.
Can you double check whether the extension is still flagged as on in the in-game menu after downloading TaterTrade?
Also, are you using TaterTrader v3? Maybe I need to test another version to see whether it is compatible?