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[Katsuun]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but when you make a modification to the game, is there any way to check in the game itself and see if the mod actually worked? Besides starting a new fortress and spending time looking for it yourself (especially if its a rare feature that might not appear on all maps)?

[Dasleah]

Checking the error log always helps. It being clear means things have either gone gloriously well or spectacularly bad. Switching the init options to show all History in Legends Mode can help too, as you can quickly browse to see what spawns and what doesn't - custom Megabeasts, civilisations, the occasional named creature, etcetera.

[Footkerchief]

It really depends on the kind of mod you do.  What kind of mod do you have in mind?

[Katsuun]

I'm talking about personally modding the game. I don't plan on uplaoding any mods, because I would rather make it up on my own.

[Rochndil]

Good morning.

As posted previously, how to check for something depends on WHAT you changed. In other words, did you add a race? A creature? An ore? Change one of these items? Delete something? What?

SOME things you can change and check in a live game. For instance, I was tinkering with the display properties (tile, color, etc) of ores last night, and since those changes don't require a worldgen, I was able to:

1. Change the relevant raw files
2. Even change the tileset graphic
3. Delete the contents of data/objects (NOT raw/objects!)
4. Start DF and load my game to see how things were looking

However, if I wanted to create a new race, and see how they looked in game, or add a new mineral or plant, I'm pretty sure a worldgen would be necessary. If memory serves, the general rule is that changes to EXISTING objects work as above, but adding or removing them requires a new world. You may want to take a peek at the stickied post on this subject for more information.

Rochndil, who was almost done tinkering, until he decided to overhaul his reactions file...

[Katsuun]

So you HAVE to use a game, new or already started, to check on what you modded, am I correct?

[Zaranthan]

Yes.

[Katsuun]

Darn. Well, thanks anyways guys. Another question now...

When creating something entirely new like an entity or a creature, do the various codes have to be in the EXACT order they are in the standard files? By that I mean, if I wanted to, say make a new race called hobgoblins, would I have to put the tags for the hobgoblins in the same order as those for the standard races, dwarves, goblins, etc.?

[Footkerchief]

No, the tag order shouldn't matter for anything in the current version.

[Katsuun]

Thanks, that really helps.

[Rochndil]

Good evening!

There are a few things to be careful about when editing the "raws."

1. If you don't want to mess up the existing files, you can always make a copy and rename it - just remember to change the file name at the top or it doesn't get parsed...ask me how I know.

2. While tag order doesn't seem to matter, if you want to be able to find stuff later, following the general format of the existing entries is a good idea. Changing a copy of an existing creature or entity is also a good way to be reasonably sure you include all the important parts.

3. Watch your CaSE - some items can be in lower/mixed case, but every tag I can thing of must be [UPPERCASE] if you want it to work.

4. While there's not a LOT of formating, what is there does matter. Watch your [] and : - or, again, things won't work.

5. Use the errorlog.txt file (DF root) after genning and/or embarking to see if stuff is throwing errors. Error messages help you find the broken bits among ALL THOSE LINES.

6. Don't be afraid to stea...borrow ideas from other modders. Find someone who's done something like you want to try and see how they did it. Odds are good they'd be happy to talk to you about your ideas -  remembering that you may have more free time than them of course.

7. Have fun dammit! The most amazing stories in DF are usually the spectacular failures. It's not nearly as much fun when everything goes smoothly.

Rochndil, who spends a lot of time breaking stuff before he figures out how it works...

[Footkerchief]

Tag order WILL matter in the next version, at least for certain parts of the body tags where you can use tissue selectors followed by modifiers that alter only the selected group, etc.