I'm trying to find out how to change a Geoscape Aircraft current coordinate through the save file. I don't know if anyone here has any insight on this (or if this forum is even used).

I've successfully changed a Base Coordinate; It's the 8 bytes (XX__ YY__) following the region name of a base definition.
The event log is useful in that regard to find the coordinates of a base when something happens.

But I haven't been able so far to find something similar for aircrafts.
Is it the same 16/32 bits integer for Xs & Ys? or is it something else like a floating point number?

Sincerely,

This is a comprehensive guide to modding and the modmerging system the Xenonauts Community Edition ( short XCE ) introduces. Whether you want to make your own mod, or simply alter a few values there is no way getting past this.

Get XCE

The basic framework of this guide is XCE. You need to install it to have access to the features described. Steam users can switch to the community edition over the Beta branch.

Others need to follow the manual installation of XCE here: https://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/index.php?/forum/23-xce-release-announcements/

The modloader

This is the modloader.

Mods are getting loaded from the lowest priority to the highest priority. Priority 1 is the highest Priority. Priority is of utmost importance, changing the priority of mods can make or break your game. XCE is not a mod and doesnt obey the same rules explained in this guide. All XCE parts must be at the lowest priority, in the order shown in the image.

Other mods

Every mod needs a description in what priority it has to be placed. Usually placing everything else above the XCE parts is enough, except if 2 or more mods alter the same files. Be extremely cautious with mods which alter the same content, or better, only use 1 big mod until you can troubleshoot your own problems after reading and understanding this guide.
The standard activated mods in XCE are troublefree, but the Dreadnaught and Armoured Assault mods would be a first example of where you better choose one over the other, until you understand what you are doing.

The Files

There are 2 types of files. Files you need the 2003-2007 Excel for, and text based files. Both files can be edited with a text editor, but excel based files can be worked on more easily with excel.

Excel Files:
This is a complete list of files which can be worked on with excel: aircrafts, aircraftweapons, AM_***, buildings, items, manufactures, researches, vehicles, vehicleweapons, weapons.

You can only use a 2003-2007 Excel program on this, Libre Office does not work. This is how it looks:

Text Based Files:

All other files are considered text based files, and can be worked on with a text program. Notepad is a choice, but it is recommended you use better programs like Sublime Text or Notepad++. All following examples will use either of those programs.

Making your own mod

Mods are stored in your Xenonauts\assets\mods folder. Create your own folder in it and alter this blank modinfo.xml file and you are good to go. ( modinfo.xml )

You can start by putting blank files into it, by copying over vanilla/xce files and deleting all the content. ( weapons.xml weapons_gc.xml )

You need to activate your mod in your modloader and put it in the right spot.

There you go, the only thing missing is content now.

Excel Files

Excel Files are easy to manage. The first column is always the identifier for that entity. If the entity already exists, it will overwrite all specified entries with the values you choose. If the entity doesnt exist, it creates a new entity, which will need everything that type of entitiy needs. But we will talk about that later. In this example we simply change the geoscape weight of the pistol from the standard 2 to 4. ( weapons.xml )

If you create a new entity you will need to fill out every missing blank.

Text based files

Text based files are more difficult, as every code opener needs its own MODMERGE command. Code openers usually look like this: <XXX> or <XXX . An example would be: <Weapons> or <props ,for the weapons_gc.xml. A code closure looks like this: </XXX> or /> , </Weapons> or />.

3 commands

There are only 3 commands you need to know. Although there is an more indepth guide available here https://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/index.php?/topic/11156-documentation-modular-mods-system/ we will stick to only practical things today.

MODMERGE="replace" - This completely replaces an entity with all the code provided. If you miss half of the needed code lines than thats what you get. You can only replace exisiting code lines.
MODMERGE="update" - Updates an existing code line. Only exisiting entities can be updated.
MODMERGE="insert" - Inserts a new entitiy. Only non existent entities can be inserted.

Understanding the child

Every new code opener inside of an already existing code bracket is considered a child.

<Weapons>
    <Weapon>

    </Weapon>
</Weapons>

The <Weapon> code bracket inside the <Weapons> code brackets is a child of the <Weapons> code. Thuse <Weapon> is a child of <Weapons>.

<Weapons>
    <Weapon>
        <props  />
    </Weapon>
</Weapons>

<props /> is a child of <Weapon>, which is a child of <Weapons>.

Every code line needs its own MODMERGE command, except the last child, unless the last child needs a different command. There are exceptions though. As a rule of thumb you can say one more correct MODMERGE command does better than nothing.

<Weapons MODMERGE="update">
    <Weapon MODMERGE="replace">
        <props  />
    </Weapon>
</Weapons>

We updated the <Weapons> code and replaced a <Weapon>.

The automated modmerge commands

Should a file only contain entities to update, or only entities to insert, the modmerging system will automatically figure out which to use. This is not what we are focusing on here, as we want to make sure everything works even without the game having to guess.

Identifier

If an identifier is used, it has to be addressed with the MODMERGEATTRIBUTE command. An identifier is usually the "name". Here the identifier is the name="weapon.pistol".

    <Weapon MODMERGEATTRIBUTE="name" MODMERGE="replace" name="weapon.pistol" bulletType="normal" emptySound="Empty Click 1">

In this example we replaced the weapon.pistol with our own version. ( weapons_gc.xml ). Since we are completely replacing the whole entity, the other children dont need any modmerge commands.

In this example we are updating our weapon.pistol with some new values, updating the <SingleShot> Parent with some new values, and bless its child with a new aim set with the MODMERGE="insert" command. Since we are updating the entity sadly we also have to update <Ammos> and <Ammo> to tell the game what they should be doing with the code. ( weapons_gc.xml )

Be concise

If, for instance, you only want to add another aim level and dont change anything else, it is not necessary to copy over everything.

<Weapons MODMERGE="update">

    <Weapon MODMERGEATTRIBUTE="name" MODMERGE="update" name="weapon.pistol">
        <SingleShot MODMERGE="update">
            <Set3 MODMERGE="insert" ap="30" accuracy="100" />
        </SingleShot>
    </Weapon>


</Weapons>

What do we want to do ? We want to update the <Weapons> category. We want to update the <Weapon name="weapon.pistol">. We want to update the <SingleShot> line and we want to insert a new aim level. <Set3> is a child of <SingleShot>, so it needs a modmerge command. <Singleshoot> is a child of the <Weapon>, and <Weapon> is a child of <Weapons>, all need a MODMERGE command. The game needs to know at every step what to do. ( weapons_gc.xml )

Mod loading priority

is of utmost importance because of the commands "replace" "update" and "insert". If you are "update"ing an entitiy of another mod, but than deactivate it, the game can no longer find the entity and the merging fails. The modmerging system is a pyramid which starts loading from the base ( XCE ) upwards. So make sure you know what you want the game to know.

I want to create/change entity X

Start by simply looking through all files to understand what each entity needs if you want create new ones, or alter only a few lines of code with abilities you have learned so far.

Other files, deeper directories

All other files hidden in other folders will need to have the same directory structure to get replaced. If you want to replace an image in Xenonauts\assets\aircraft\aircombat you need to put it into Xenonauts\assets\mods\MyMod\aircraft\aircombat .

Images get replaced. Capital letters matter. "Foxtrot.png" is not "foxtrot.png". Most files which are not in the same directory as the excel files dont need any MODMERGE commands, as they can only be replaced.

Another example

<Armours MODMERGE="update">
  <Armour MODMERGEATTRIBUTE="name" MODMERGE="update" name="armour.basic">
    <Resistance kinetic="10" energy="0" chemical="0" incendiary="0" />
    <VisualParams range="18" coneAngle="160" nightRangeBonus="0" />
    <PsionicDefence defence="0" points="0" degradation="0" />
    <Props moveSpeed="350" stairsMoveSpeed="180" vaultMoveSpeed="24" />
  </Armour>
</Armours>

<Armour name="armour.basic" > is an exisitng armour, with an unique identifier and therefore needs a MODMERGE command. All updated children of <Armour> have attributes which exist, and therefore dont need another MODMERGE command.

Files without MODMERGE

There are a number of text based files which can be modded without the use of any MODMERGE command. This is an incomplete list of the more important ones: colours, config, gameconfig, psioniceffects_gc, psionicpowers_gc, settings, tilerenderer, xenopedia.
These files mostly contain code which addresses the game itself, and thuse no new things can be added there. This is where the automated MODMERGE system really shines. The xenopedia is a special case, as it gets an excel treatment, although it can only be worked on with text based tools.

Troubleshooting

Every time you run the game, there is an logfile.txt created in your AppData\Roaming\Goldhawk Interactive\Xenonauts folder. To fully trigger the check of all files you further need to go into a Ground Combat situation. Then you can look at the logfile. The logfile tells you if you made any big and obvious mistakes during the modmerge process.

Clear scripts

Scripts get temporarily saved in your AppData\Roaming\Goldhawk Interactive\Xenonauts\internal folder. Unfortunately the game doesnt update them when you switch mods. To fix this you need to delete the scripts folder in that directory every time you change your modloader priority and/or activate/deactivate mods, if you want to update to the correct script setup. This is not necessary if you know no scripts have been changed.

You are done

You can now start to fill your own mod with your changed and new content as you like. You are now also able to read and understand what each mod is doing, and know which program to open each file with.

If you want to dig deeper

Thank you for reading

i have begun a campaign   again , added some mods but money will run out soon. 

Cant find any cheat engine or similar , any way to  get more money cheat , thanks

Dadgame
https://www.twitch.tv/dadgame88
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDQ6Hna8soadV-LKJxy28dw

Best streamer i have found, but strugglies deeply with the difficulty of X-Division. Easy Ironmann.

Coffee Potato
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_u27_wfwBGxe7rCBYBolug

Has been streaming on youtube lately. 50 Bucks is on the line that he won´t make it to the end of the game on Easy Ironmann. Another 50 bucks is on the line that he won´t make it out of Phase 1.

bbobantube
https://www.youtube.com/user/bbobantube

Slow and steady apporach, my favourite so far. Easy difficulty.

Mauro Vega
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq9N0-SHxlU3tc9bjPy4LmA

The quiet kind of guy.

Betuor Gripley
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9chQWhx_G4l_S5UYZeuug

Still plays the .40 version.

And ofcourse the team:

ᚺᛟᛚᚷᛖᚱ ᛞᚨᚾᛊᚴᛖ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6akvzaq2Kioj0qbwSWnkBQ

Our map maker. Is stuck saving green greenland.

Molnar Paul Lucian
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxdQqrdtQiK2BACK2TRrolw/videos

Hes the Best. Best in Test. Veteran.

Charon
https://www.twitch.tv/charon117
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJiDtR6YHRDiW4dpa_F-2aQ

Developer. Veteran Ironmann.

Long timer lurker:

DagarCoH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGDkNuQQ6Yk&t=1s

@Chris @Solver

So i think we are making some waves out there. And 1.0 hasnt even hit yet.

Now I'm not sure if this is just normally the case or if I'd messed something up somewhere, but I can't seem to get Scouting missions to spawn.

The idea was to have something generating a passive ticker, that would often go missed since they don't generate events and that you could only catch with a radar or luck, with the global passive ticker lowered accordingly. Meaning catching and destroying a scout would give a slight delay to the alien progress as a bonus.

I was craving some Xenonauts, but just remembered how not fun a big craft full of caesans can be. I erased the psionics abilities (edited using Notepad++) in both the vanillla and xce aiprop file but the caesans still use them. What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

I enable the steam branch thing on steam, then download it on workshop, and found out i had to manually enable active mods on mod manager. then i have no clue on the priority list and it just keep crashing. uninstalled the mod afterwards, and i have no clue what the community mod even does. its so vague

Hoping someone can help me fix an annoying problem. Starting a new game with community edition (no mods) I'm finding my troops and the aliens are missing animations on the battlescape. Mainly this comes through as the fire animations not being synced to the shots (often cutting short) and the hit animations are hit and miss, often the aliens will simply stand there when hit though they produce the pain sound and the damage numbers.

Any idea what's causing this? I think I've seen it in X:CE gameplay videos so understand if it's a sideffect of some alteration to the engine but would be a bummer since it pulls you out of the immersion somewhat and is kinda irritating!

EDIT

Just found an old post I made about this I'd completely forgotten making - will bump it instead. Must be getting old!

What exactly is going on?

For reference my load order for the game is (I can provide a screenshot of it if needed)

1. : X:CE Steam Mod

2-... : the rest of my mods, with the other 3 X:CE mods being on the bottom

For those who don't know, XCE makes it so that, when a weapon is fired, the game first checks if the shot hits any obstacles between the shooter and the target, then it checks if the shot hits the target.

This is the opposite of vanilla behavior where the game first checks if the shot hits, then, if it misses, it checks if the shot hits any obstacles.

I want to know how to revert this change because I modded my game so that it's possible to get 100% hit chance, and it frustrates me that, in XCE, I don't actually have 100% hit chance when it says I do.

NM found it.

Hopefully that doesn't require redoing the weapons for every single alien, but it'd still be a nice idea.

I'm curious about how many casualties were inflicted by my defensive batteries.

Surely the report can't be wrong? I mean, this is my main base, and this is probably the last report of this run...

I almost lost my whole base - I should be able to get some scrap at least, right?

https://imgur.com/a/zTaf3TE

Is it a bug?

This means, unless I drag over a he alenium rocket to the soldier each time, his first shot is at half power.

I am trying to install the community edition of Xenonauts. I have tried both the forum edition and the steam edition.

I start the game with the load order unchanged from the default and add no other mods or changes.

I have tested several things and the only thing that breaks is hiring any number of scientists.

This removes the current research project and makes the scientists unavailable and the project never completes.

I also let the first project finish and then started another before hiring more and the same thing happened.

Is there a known cause of this?

Xenonauts does a lot of hard drive access, and very little CPU power, and the program becomes not responding.

While I can bring up the task manager, and see the task manager when the task manager is forced to always be on top, nothing I do can let me see or interact with any other programs until Xenonauts is done loading.

Xenonauts takes a very long time to load - a minute or three.

I suspect this problem is caused because Xenonauts is loading in the main thread. If Xenonauts spun off a separate thread to do the load, and the main thread continued looping through the windows message handler, the frozen problem should go away, and allow me to do other things while Xenonauts was loading in the background.

I am a windows programmer, so I can probably code this if no one else wants to.

This is bothering me quite a bit. Can this be fixed?

Third question: How exactly does reaction fire work in general? I understand that your initiative which is a function of percentage remaining TU, reflexes, and weapon modifier, needs to be higher than the aliens initiative. What I am wondering about is how the soldier decides which type of attack to use and whether they will use reaction fire when allies are in the line of fire, in addition to whether they will use it on mind controlled allies and if they can use squad sight for reaction shots.

Thank you.