I've been using Fle for quite some time now and I think it's a very good program to use, it certainly makes for creating new systems a heck of a lot easier, although it does have it's downfall in as much as it can make some errors to your ini files, which can sometimes be a real pain to find, by all means use FLE extensively if you like it, but also try your hand at making mods by hand sometime, there's also some good news there's a new version of FLE coming out at some stage which fixes a few little bugs, i read about it earlier this week right here on Lancer Reactor, don't know when it's due just know it's coming.

Hmmm...FLE...

Yeah, its probably the best prog for making new systems

Except that time when I destroyed Tau 37 and corrupted my game....my Multiplayer game...I shouldve read the tutorials

So let that be a lesson to you, always read the instructions

I've never used it, and I find that when others use it to make systems, it takes me just as long to correct the errors that FLE makes than it would have taken me to build the system from scratch!

I highly suggest learning to make a system using notepad alone. . .

Currently we're working on those small errors.

the one thing that FLE is REALLY REALLY good at is tradelanes....I LOVE IT

before FLE came out, doing tradelanes was the hardest thing for me to do, especially diagonal ones....

but for systems it is ok

FLE is a good program for setting up a new system but you must isolate it from your real Freelancer files to get the most out of it. Put the system you want to work on in a seperate place away from your normal freelancer files. Do not allow it to make entries into your DLL's. Hit the little "X" in the upper right corner when it wants to do that. Do not allow it it make entries into your market_commodities.ini, your market_ships.ini, or your market_misc.ini files. Always select no for those when the dialog box pops up for those.

Now it will create entirely new files for mbases.ini, universe.ini, the system.ini, the bases and rooms etc. Then copy and paste these files into your real Freelancer files after checking for particular errors like the "can issue destroy missions =" in the mbases.ini, which is really a Bini error. But it also "mushes" your files to remove all spaces between headers etc. leaving you with less readable code, something I particularly dislike.

What it does really well is place stuff in your new system which will save you time and trouble. It will place your planet where you want it, then the docking ring perfectly, write the code for the base, make trade lanes like another member said, and make station/bases with ease, placing them perfectly where you want them. Just get a nice text editor like UltraEdit32, so you can open multiple files on one page and manage the placement of the code into your real files after carefully looking them over for correct nicknames and other things. All in all I think it is a very useful program... you just have to know it has limits and what they are. Read the tutorials on its use and you will be ok.

I must admit that I have never encountered the dialogue boxes asking if it can make entry into those ini files you mentioned justsomeguy, you are of course right thought it is very good for making new systems wih, I've made a few systems with FLE, but haven't considered them good enough to upload to Lancers reactor site.

Those dialog boxes say stuff like... "do you want to add entries to your commodities?" and so on. I can't remember the exact words right now and am not inclined to create a new base just to get it at the moment. Three boxes like that pop up after I use FLE to create a new base on a planet or make a station. They do not mention the actual ".ini" files that will be modified. I only put those in because I know where the program will go.

Again... read the excellent multipart PDF tutorial with pictures and complete instructions available for Freelancer Explorer in the downloads section (I think, though it may be in the editing turorials section if not both!). It is most helpful.

Of course most systems will require some "hand finishing" for completeness, but once you have looked over the files created by FLE and compared that to other completed systems from the game you will be more than capable, I am sure, of putting the spit and polish on your systems to a grand scale. Now my cat is biting me so I assume he needs something so I must go... Ouch! See ya!

Edited by - JustSomeGuy on 8/21/2004 2:08:32 AM

Yea I'll keep it in mind, though it'll still be some time before i feel ready to upload anything to TLR site, but keep watching this space it'll happen i just don't know when yet, cheers and thanx

Just a quick edit so far i've got about 8 bases and still growing cheers

Edited by - roganaffa on 8/30/2004 12:24:15 AM

I have Used FLE exclusively for making my systems, it is great for:

Tradelanes, Planets, Base positioning, Zone Populations (to an extent)

But when you make Fields IE. Nebulas and or Asteriod Fields for some strange reason it adds BOTH type to the SOLAR\ASTEROIDS folder. But it is an easy fix just like most of the little bugs it creates in the INI's. All around though it is a great base for building the foundation of your systems.....But remember INI editing is a MUST!!!!!

"To live is to die....but living is to die slowly..why waste time on trivial things just play as hard as you can"

FLE is a good program but like anything, not purrfect. Try making a gas giant spin (size 5000) and it will crash to desktop everytime. Try editing any base info in bottom unknown and same result. Duplicate entries are a pain as well.
On ther plus side, placement of objects within a system are a doddle, planets lanes etc.
All in all a great tool, just needs some polish to get it right but hopefully new version will cure these

Gibbons power comes from bananas

I have made some planets spin without any trouble at all, attmittedly I've never tried making a gas giant spin, or even done anything in the unknown systems yet, but it is true it does have some faults with it though nothing real drastic.

I've made planets spin and stuff, it seems to only affect the big gas giants and bottom unkown. Its not really a proplem cos u can go into the ini file for the relevant system in the Universe folder and do it manually, just b nice not to have to lol