So i'll start now:

Asteroid fields
They are stored in the "Data/Solars/Asteroids" folder.
For every Field, there is a seperate .ini, called for example "li03_silverton_rock_asteroid_field.ini"
first part is the system (li03=Colorado, li01 would be New York), the rest is the name.
The most interesting stuff in here (the one i've tinkered with) is at the very end:
<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[DynamicAsteroids
asteroid = DAsteroid_mineable_small1
count = 15
placement_radius = 130.000000
placement_offset = 90.000000
max_velocity = 15.000000
max_angular_velocity = 3.000000
color_shift = 1.000000, 1.000000, 1.000000
</font></pre>
this are the stats for the small asteroids that you can shoot. I think this is rather self-explanatory.

now for the Loot:
<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[LootableZone
asteroid_loot_container = lootcrate_ast_loot_silver
asteroid_loot_commodity = commodity_silver
dynamic_loot_container = lootcrate_ast_loot_silver
dynamic_loot_commodity = commodity_silver
asteroid_loot_count = 0, 0
dynamic_loot_count = 1, 1
asteroid_loot_difficulty = 95
dynamic_loot_difficulty = 15
</font></pre>
the first 4 define what you can mine (it was originally possible to shoot the big asteroids, and when you damaged them enough, they'd "spit" out the mined stuff.
the next 2, i'm not 100% sure what they do (haven't been back to the field since i changed that...) My guess would be that it's how much of it you get by shooting an asteroid.
the last ones are important: they define, how easy it is to mine. if you set the difficulty to 1, you get loot from EVERY small asteroid. I'm not sure if it's something like percentage, or like "only every 15th gives you silver".

more later, have to go now..

Edited by - RubberEagle on 01-03-2003 20:49:30

Keeping on the same thing.

constants.ini file has one thing on asteroids as well.

[AsteroidConsts
MAX_ASTEROID_LOOT_DAMAGE = 20000.000000
MAX_LOOT_PER_ASTEROID = 3

That part sounds a lot like when we were able to shoot the large asteroids and get loot. 3 was the max back then on any large asteroid b4 having to move on to another.

Nebulas:
the standard nebula look is in the Solar\Nebula directory.

<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[TexturePanels
file = solar\nebula\generic_shapes.ini

[properties
flag = nebula

[Fog
fog_enabled = 1
near = 0
distance = 1000
color = 10, 7, 30
</font></pre>

color: should be R G B color code for the actual color of the nebula/fog effect
<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[Exclusion Zones
exclusion = Zone_Li01_013_Station_Li01_05
fog_far = 2000.000000
zone_shell = solar\nebula\plain_inner_sphere.3db
shell_scalar = 1.000000
max_alpha = 0.500000
exclusion_tint = 180, 105, 255
exclusion = Zone_Li01_012_Station_Li01_04
fog_far = 5000.000000
zone_shell = solar\nebula\exclu_generic_sphere.3db
shell_scalar = 1.100000
max_alpha = 1.000000
exclusion_tint = 125, 70, 250
exclusion = zone_Li01_Jumpgate_to_Iw03
fog_far = 1500.000000
</font></pre>
my guess would be that in the exclusion zones the nebula's properities are altered. like that around stations it's not as dense, so you can see them better...

<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[Exterior
shape = generic_exterior1
shape = generic_exterior2
shape = generic_exterior3
shape = generic_exterior4
shape_weights = 1, 1, 1, 1
fill_shape = nebula_circle2
plane_slices = 3
bit_radius = 10000
bit_radius_random_variation = 0.200000
min_bits = 3
max_bits = 8
move_bit_percent = 0.500000
equator_bias = 0.500000
color = 40, 30, 90
</font></pre>
this could be how the nebula looks from the outside.
<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[NebulaLight
ambient = 15, 10, 45
sun_burnthrough_intensity = 0.500000
sun_burnthrough_scaler = 1.750000
</font></pre>
ambient should be the ambient lighting in the nebula (the actual light that hits your ship
the 2 sun_burnthrough should affect how much sunlight penetrates the nebula and how good you can see it from inside.
<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[Clouds
max_distance = 300
puff_count = 10
puff_radius = 100
puff_colora = 45, 40, 160
puff_colorb = 55, 10, 20
puff_max_alpha = 0.500000
puff_shape = generic_cloud1
puff_shape = generic_cloud2
puff_shape = generic_cloud3
puff_shape = generic_cloud4
puff_weights = 1, 1, 1, 1
puff_drift = 1.000000
near_fade_distance = 125, 200
lightning_intensity = 1.000000
lightning_color = 65, 25, 85
lightning_gap = 5.000000
lightning_duration = 0.500000
</font></pre>
this defines the actual small clouds in a nebula, and the lightning flashes you sometimes see

<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[BackgroundLightning
duration = 0.750000
gap = 3.000000
color = 35, 15, 65
</font></pre>

ok, seems like this is the lightning...


<pre><font size=1 face=Courier>
[DynamicLightning
gap = 1
duration = 0.400000
color = 180, 200, 220
ambient_intensity = 1
intensity_increase = 1
</font></pre>
argh.. how many lightnings do they have?..
gotta mess with it a bit to find it out.

the "asteroids" that you find in some nebulas are in the Solars\Asteroids folder
those have the same contents as a standard asteroid field..

something completely different:
equipment-names and text are stored in the "equipresources.dll"
Rumors are stored in the "misctext.dll" and "misctext2.dll"

how does it use the ids to relate to those strings? :also in resources.dll .. hell, they're all spread out.

What about Fixers? Anyone know if you can edit/place those? I'd like to make a little 'reset rep' guy on my private server.