galacticcivilisations3 GalCiv 3 and Vortex

[aquilegia]

So...

 

I am not sure how to express this [in a fashion which moves things in the right direction] but...

 

The good news is that Vortex has added support for GalCiv 3.

 

The bad news is that there is ... a bit of a disconnect: between the support which Vortex offers and the mods here on Nexus

 

...

 

Specifically:

 

https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/vortex-games/blob/master/game-galciv3/index.js#L62

 

or, for posterity (two weeks from now, maybe):

 

https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/vortex-games/blob/7f9d8cea712ce49b6497a4a95af2b26a9a6bb8f6/game-galciv3/index.js#L62

function installContent(files) {
  // We rely on mod authors to properly pack their mods and include.
  //  the mod folder within the archive
  //  e.g. someMod.7z
  //       ../someMod/Game/something.xml
  const filtered = files.filter(file => !file.endsWith(path.sep));
  const factionFiles = filtered.filter(file => file.endsWith(FACTION_EXT));
  const nonFactionFiles = filtered.filter(file => !file.endsWith(FACTION_EXT));

[Aside: currently the above code is highlighted so it's unreadable to me when I inspect my post -- the even numbered lines use pastel colors on a white background. I don't know how to fix that, but currently, also, the github links are still valid, so you can read the code there, if you are interested.]

 

So, basically, it's sort of halfway between an elderscrolls mod (where you unpack the zip and rely on the zip file to provide directory structure, and an arbitrary GalCiv 3 mod which was put together years ago without any knowledge of Vortex.

 

In other words, everyone is being reasonable, and the result often doesn't work.

 

Put different... for example (and the fundamental problem here is that the examples are all different):

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/galacticcivilizations3/mods/47

 

Here, the download gives a zip file containing four zip files.

 

But what should Vortex do?

 

Well, .. the good news is that you can right click on a mod in Vortex, and go "Open in File Manager" and rearrange that mod so that it works (which, in this example, would involve unpacking those inner zip files -- but you have to know what to do).

 

The bad news is that finding documentation on what needs to happen here is ... difficult to find.

 

(And, for that matter, when I use that option I always have to spend a little time to find File Manager on the task bar, because windows security measures don't like javascript programs putting stuff in front of people without them taking specific action to see it. Too many spammers and malware artists, or something like that...)

 

Anyways...

 

It would be Really Nice if Vortex could at least mark "mod does not seem to have been installed correctly, please take a look". Maybe this should be the default for all newly installed GalCiv 3 mods? (I am a newcomer to this game, I just happen to know a few random pieces of information about the behind the scenes stories.)

 

Maybe all that's needed is for an experienced modder or two to put together a page of documentation (which then gets stuff added to it by someone else and so on until it seems reasonably close to useful??)?

 

Anyways... I got the game last week, downloaded a bunch of mods (there are a *lot* -- this game has been out for years -- and I only barely scratched the surface) and I grabbed Vortex and had it manage the mods because that has worked for other games, but most of my mods don't work, so I am trying to figure out which way is up, and which way should be up, and maybe eventually, I will get this figured out...

Edited August 18, 2019 by aquilegia