Modding the Character Creator DLC

[Ekstrakt]

As it has yet to come out on the Steam platform yet, I have not had the chance to check it out for myself. Yet what I've heard is that you can only edit your character withing the initial start of the game, and not edit a saved character.
While this, coupled with the age related to skills of the character, makes sense for balance and true gameplay, I was rather hoping for a true character editor.

As of now, the character created overwrites the previous character, cutting all ties to direct family as well as belonging dynasty, even if you just add aesthetical changes. Which removes the sole purpose I set out to buy this DLC for, as well as initially being sceptical of the price tag.

So instead of rendering William the Conqueror as a female with this tool, we're only creating a separate character in no relation to William what-so-ever, except his landed titles. Which leaves it easier to just open his file and add female=yes.

The thing is though, I want to buy this. I want to have a visualization and an interface I can easily manage, which is exactly what this DLC does, yet it does not seem to let us edit a character, but rather create an entirely new one.
So, if all this is true, and with my lack of modding experience, I ask:

Is it possible to mod this DLC in such a way that a character merely has it's file edited, and not overwritten? So that he stays within the same dynasty, same mother, father and so on.
Is it possible to remove the age-skills relations? So that the age of the character does not increase with the skills/children given.

Thus far, in order to only edit William the Conqueror as a female with this tool, whilst allowing her to stay within the same dynasty, I will yet again have to save the game > open the save > start editing family ties and stats in relation to the original William the Conqueror. Which hardly proves efficient and rather counter-productive to my wishes.

Is this the case, or have I completely misunderstood? Can anything be done? Thanks for any contribution!

tl;dr
Can I edit a character without overwriting it's files, merely adding a moustache or so? Thus not separating said character from dynasty/family, making this a tool for an enhanced and fun experience, not just purely balance.

 

[hilal]

Is it possible to remove the age-skills relations?
Yes, just edit the defines.lua. At end of file there are the weights of DLC chenges.
About changing the character I hope they change it, since the DLC is uselles without it.
Also expecting a way to change culture with DLC, not just the graphical culture.

 

[Ekstrakt]

Yes, just edit the defines.lua. At end of file there are the weights of DLC chenges.

Cheers!

Also expecting a way to change culture with DLC, not just the graphical culture.

That is also true. It seems unnecessary to have to open the character files after the initial character creation, when you've just bought a DLC that supposedly would do that for you. Not having to open the character data files is exactly what I hoped to avoid. This tool does not allow that entirely. Might just be me though.

 

[unmerged(133356)]

I can, with effort, do what the DLC does, without stripping any dynasty links, changing their age, or other such nonsense.

As long as the DLC is as crippled as it seems to be, I see no reason to get it.

 

[Ekstrakt]

I can, with effort, do what the DLC does, without stripping any dynasty links, changing their age, or other such nonsense.

As long as the DLC is as crippled as it seems to be, I see no reason to get it.

Exactly my thoughts. Although I thought the Ruler Designer DLC would provide an interface for this purpose, yet it doesn't support an arena to play around without the extra effort of editing character files, which removes said purpose for some.

 

[Trashed]

You can change the costs for enhancing the ruler with the DLC at defines.lua (at the end of the file).

COST_FERTILITY = 20.0,
COST_HEALTH = 10.0,
COST_MONTHLY_PRESTIGE = 10.0,
COST_MONTHLY_PIETY = 20.0,
COST_MONTHLY_WEALTH = 10.0,
COST_CHURCH_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_SPOUCE_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_SEXAPPEAL_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_DYNASTY_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_VASSAL_OPINION = 1.0,
COST_LIEGE_OPINION = -0.5,
COST_INFIDEL_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_OPPOSITE_TRAIT_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_SAME_TRAIT_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_SAME_RELIGION_OPINION = 0.5,
COST_AMBITION_OPINION = -0.25,
COST_GENERAL_OPINION = 2.0,

If you do not want historical characters to have random traits you can modify the following line in defines.lua

MAX_GENERATED_TRAITS_FOR_HISTORICAL = 4 -- Generate random traits up this number for adult historical characters

 

[rashtrakut]

Another thing that would be nice would be to display the dna code and the properties code (the one that adds the hair, dress, and other graphical interface tools) in a cut pastable box like the portrait modder of CKI.


Will save the time of trying to hunt down the code within the save game file.

 

[unmerged(133356)]

Another thing that would be nice would be to display the dna code and the properties code (the one that adds the hair, dress, and other graphical interface tools) in a cut pastable box like the portrait modder of CKI.


Will save the time of trying to hunt down the code within the save game file.

Other than hair and beards, changing the Properties line in a save game doesn't do anything -- the clothing and background are determined by the game based on rank, etc. (Unless they changed this for 1.05, a question to which no one has provided an answer.)

 

[Ekstrakt]

the clothing and background are determined by the game based on rank, etc.

True. Just had an incident where my characters hair and facial hair were permanently changed after being promoted to marshall and back again. The clothing seemed to be kept intact, though.

 

[rashtrakut]

Other than hair and beards, changing the Properties line in a save game doesn't do anything -- the clothing and background are determined by the game based on rank, etc. (Unless they changed this for 1.05, a question to which no one has provided an answer.)

Fair enough...but hair do and beards are an important part of the look. We still need the properties for that. Otherwise the dna shows up with random hairstyles.

 

[texjdr]

+1 to Ekstrakt for typing out a thread I was about to do myself.

I already have a character I have made with all the stats and traits I want for him. I was hoping this DLS would allow me to make him look the way I wanted and give me a CoA that I wanted. This is kinda a failed DLC attempt by PI.

HOWEVER, knowing how cool PI usually is about any of its in-house stuff, they will either hear of the player reaction and make it so that we can do what we want with it, or someone smarter than myslef will figure out the right way to mod the DLC to do what we want it to do.

 

[spinach]

Yeah, if you can't edit characters in a save game, what is the point? I'm pretty disappointed in this DLC, but at least it cost me nothing more than saved up blue coins (gamersgate).

Is there any way to mod the ruler designer so that it's save-game compatible?

 

[Ekstrakt]

From this thread.

"Tweak and change any aspect of the character or even create an all new character and dynasty to play with."

The part in bold seems to be missing, the quote seems to differ between tweaking a character or creating one.