System Editing Guide [WIP]

[Moberg]

System Editing Guide

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NEWS: As I'm currently not exactly in the mood to continue writing on this, the continuation of this guide is currently on hold. Feel free to experiment with Freelancer, it is in my opinion the best way to learn. If you have questions, PM me and I'll respond to my best knowledge.

Do not post in this thread. Suggestions, feedback, corrections and questions belong to this thread.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction & Requirements
2. System Basics (Foundation, Zones, Objects)
3. Asteroid Fields and Nebulae
4. Bases and Planets
5. Breathing Life Into The System: NPCs
6. Structure & Naming Conventions

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1. Introduction and Requirements

As it was frequently requested, I'll try to create this resource for those who would like to approach Freelancer modding. System modders are always welcome to join the team, even if their skills only include basic tasks that they can fulfill while other, more experienced modders move on to more advanced things in the meantime.
A quick search on Google and the Starport may prove fruitful in your attempts to learn more, but a lot of guides out there are outdated. The modding community has learned a lot about Freelancer since 2005, learned a lot about the scope of possible changes and limits you have to abide.
I will gradually expand/continue this guide as I find time to write it. Everything I wrote here may be subject to change based on feedback, suggestions and the mistakes that were made while I wrote it.


When you modify systems (and other ini files in Freelancer), you are going to need some helpful tools that are going to make the job a lot easier for you.
The following two tools are probably going to be what you will be using the most and are very close to being essential. The remaining tools are not essential, but more than helpful for reference.

Notepad++
- An open-source editor with plenty of features and addons to make it easier for you. The improved search and "find in files" option among many other features will help you greatly when you navigate through the ini-files. This editor is superior to the standard windows notepad in all aspects.

Freelancer Mod Studio
- A very handy tool that has a userfriendly interface to modify .ini files, best used for its 3D editor. While FLMS is an amazing tool for making modifications, note that it does not replace experience. It is recommended that you should have an idea of how the files work and how they are connected. If you open an INI with Notepad++ you should know what you are looking at.

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Freelancer Companion
- I'm sure a lot of you have this already, but it's a very useful tool for various purposes such as (but not limited to) system map, finding internal nicknames and statistics.

FLStat
- Displays information contained within the Freelancer .ini files.

Discovery Launchpad
- While the new launcher replaces this application when you are playing on the live server, I still find this quite useful if you want to switch quickly between your different copies you modify. It's easier this way, although you can achieve the same results through a shortcut.

FLInfocard Import/Export (FLDev)
- Can be used for searching current infocards for certain keywords and show their number as well as see what infocard is hidden behind the assigned number.

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Before you begin
- Make a seperate copy of your installation and modify the copy only! Using a modified installation that is different from the Discovery live server installation for playing on the live server is not allowed and will result in the anti-cheat targeting you.
- Before you make any changes, make sure you are modifying the correct file in the correct folder.
- Experimenting with the options you have is one of the best ways to learn. During the tutorial I will document all values I will be using but you are encouraged to use your own.
- Test often! Freelancer can crash for reasons that are not always obvious. If you test often you don't have to spend as much time troubleshooting when you make a mistake. Freelancer doesn't tell you why it crashed. Crash reasons can vary greatly. It can be as simple as a typo where you reference a zone for an asteroid field but the name doesn't point to anything. Or it can be more complex, when trade route paths get close to a hostile base and the NPCs attempt to dock on it -> crash. At the same time, when trader NPCs attempt to dock on a hostile base if they are not spawned via trade route path, it doesn't crash. You will find more oddities like these in the game.