Adding a Ship / Station
This tutorial will use the Lantean 'Aurora' Class warship (npc_aurura) as an example.
See Modding Resources before you start.
Vessel and Weapon ODF Creation
See Ship ODF Template and ODF Breakdown.
Veteran Rankup ODF Entries
In the folder 'Fleet Operations\Data\odf.fpq', open the veteran cap file (all_cap_veteran.odf) and add the following lines, where XX is exactly 1 number above the last:
fleetcapclassXX = "npc_aururar6"
fleetcapclassXXcapvalue = 8
Then open the veteran rank up file (all_veteran8.odf in this case) and add the following lines, where XX again is exactly 1 number above the last:
replacementXXcondition = "npc_aururar5"
replacementXXclass0 = "npc_aururar6"
Map Editor ODF Entries
In the folder “Fleet Operations/Data/odf/system”, open the map editor file (edit_npc_page1.odf in this case) and add the following lines, where XX again is exactly 1 number above the last:
itemXX = "npc_aurura.odf"
Build Button
Take a picture of the vessel you want to add with a pure black background (Storm3D Viewer would be a useful program to use) and highlight the vessel only, copying the image over an unused button in the button texture files (all_interface_buildbuttons09.tga in this case), making sure to shrink the image so the vessel fits into the button. After that, make a duplicate of the vessel image in the Alpha Channel of the button, except pure white with no detail.
See Button Templates for blank buttons and Sprites/Buttons to make the text entries to get them in-game.
System Background
Take a top-down picture of the vessel you want to add with a pure black background (Storm3D Viewer would be a useful program to use) and highlight the vessel only, copying the image over an unused slot in the system background texture files (systembackgrounds12.tga in this case), making sure to compare the image to another in a separate file or you might make it overlap with another ship. After that, make a duplicate of the vessel image in the Alpha Channel of the file, except pure white with no detail.
See Sprites/Background Images for the text entries to get them ingame.
Wireframe
Take a picture of the vessel you want to add with a pure black background (Storm3D Viewer would be a useful program to use) and highlight the vessel only, copying the image over an unused button in the button texture files (miniimages4.tga in this case), making sure to shrink the image so the vessel fits into the available space and compare it to another in a separate file or you might make it overlap with another ship. After that, make a duplicate of the vessel image in the Alpha Channel of the button, except pure white with no detail.
See Sprites/Wireframes to make the text entries to get them in-game.
Tooltip Entries
See Editing Tooltips.
Add a Hotkey
See Editing Hotkeys for where to change the hotkeys and Ship ODF Template (hotkeylabel = "GAME-HOTKEY-{the actual hotkey}") on where to put the newly added hotkey.
Weapon Icon Position
This is where the small icon of the system appears on the image of the vessel when it is selected. The sprite is configured in the unit's ODF.
The first number shows how far along the X-axis it is placed; the higher the number, the further to the right the image is. The second number shows how far along the Y-axis it is placed; the higher the number, the further the image moves up. 50 is in the centre on the Y-axis.
weapon1iconpos = 65 28
Admiral’s Log Image
In the folder “Fleet Operations/Data/bitmaps/AdmiralsLog/ShipImages”, make a blank BMP image measuring 128x128 pixels and copy an image of the vessel into it (the image used in the wireframe should be sufficient) with any spare space colored black.
Entries not used by the Lantean warship, but still important for other additions
Shipyard Entries
In the folder “Fleet Operations/Data/odf/system”, open the shipyard file of your choice (fed_eraudi_yardZ.odf for example) and add the following lines, where XX again is exactly 1 number above the last:
builditemX = "npc_aurura"
Note1: It would be best to add it between the last ship and "all_alliedrepair", and then increase the buildlist number of "all_alliedrepair" and "all_halt" by 1.
Note2: The Y & Z extensions at the end refer to avatar-specific yards, where Z is normally used in game by the AI.
Station Construction Entries
A station would be added in a similar manner to a vessel, except for one crucial difference:
In the folder “Fleet Operations/Data/odf/system”, open the constructor file of your choice (fed_mediterraneanZ.odf & fed_mediterraneanZS.odf for example) and add the following lines, where XX again is exactly 1 number above the last:
builditemX = "npc_aurura"
Note1: It would be best to add it between the last ship and the first Mixed-Tech yard ("fed_mixedtech_yard_domA" for example), then increase the buildlist number and the builditem0availability of every station above your addition by 1.
Note2: The Y & Z extensions at the end refer to avatar-specific yards, where Z is normally used in game by the AI.
Techtree Entries
See Technology Trees.