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Configuration: New game and races

Starting conditions, race customization, and initial game setup.

Settings index

race

Race pick rules

Configures race customization budgets, costs, and primary-trait values.

Notes: Defaults preserve classic behavior. Food and income trait values use signed half-unit storage, so one represents one half.

Fields

Built-in default configuration

race picks starting = 10;
race picks negative_limit = -10;
race picks mutation_bonus = 4;
race picks primary growth =
    -4 -50
    3 50
    6 100;
race picks primary food =
    -3 -1
    4 2
    7 4;
race picks primary production =
    -3 -1
    3 1
    6 2;
race picks primary research =
    -3 -1
    3 1
    6 2;
race picks primary income =
    -4 -1
    5 1
    8 2;
race picks primary ship_defense =
    -2 -20
    3 25
    7 50;
race picks primary ship_attack =
    -2 -20
    2 20
    4 50;
race picks primary ground_combat =
    -2 -10
    2 10
    4 20;
race picks primary spying =
    -3 -10
    3 10
    6 20;
race picks government =
    -4
    0
    7
    6;
race picks special =
    -5
    6
    5
    6
    1
    2
    -1
    3
    4
    10
    -6
    3
    -4
    8
    10
    4
    6
    3
    3
    4
    5
    4;

Examples

race picks starting = 10;
race picks primary growth major_bonus cost = 6;
race picks primary growth major_bonus value = 100;
race picks government democracy = 7;
race picks special subterranean = 6;

game

Starting resources

Sets population, marines, and BC assigned when a new game initializes players and homeworlds.

  • Configuration path: game start
  • Accepted input: named fields

Fields

  • population - Population: Initial homeworld population outside Advanced civilization games. Accepted input: a number. Saved in saved games. Synchronized and must match.
  • marines - Marines: Initial homeworld ground-defense marine count. Accepted input: a number. Saved in saved games. Synchronized and must match.
  • money - Money: Initial BC reserve for each player. Accepted input: a number. Saved in saved games. Synchronized and must match.

Built-in default configuration

game start = 8 3 50;

Examples

game start population = 8;
game start marines = 3;
game start money = 50;

Technology-level starting conditions

Overrides starting conditions for each selected civilization technology level.

Notes: Money set to minus one inherits game start money. A nonnegative level-specific value takes precedence, including zero.

Built-in default configuration

game tech_start =
    -1
    -1
    -1
    -1;

Examples

game tech_start average money = 50;
game tech_start advanced money = 100;

Starting ships

Gives each player two scouts and a Colony Ship in Average and Post-warp games.

Notes: True preserves classic behavior. The separate starting_outpost_ship setting still adds an Outpost Ship only when starting ships are enabled.

  • Configuration path: game starting_ships
  • Accepted input: true or false

Built-in default configuration

game starting_ships = true;

Examples

game starting_ships = false;

Initial building priority

Orders the buildings considered when initializing starting colonies, including Advanced Civilization colonies.

Notes: Initialization stops at the first none entry after applying existing technology, population, and race eligibility rules. The two trailing none entries preserve native 44-slot storage.

  • Configuration path: game initial_buildings
  • Accepted input: 44 entries

Built-in default configuration

game initial_buildings =
    star_fortress
    battlestation
    star_base
    hydroponic_farm
    marine_barracks
    biospheres
    automated_factory
    holo_simulator
    soil_enrichment
    astro_university
    pleasure_dome
    recyclotron
    robotic_factory
    spaceport
    armor_barracks
    deep_core_mine
    core_waste_dump
    pollution_processor
    research_lab
    cloning_center
    subterranean_farms
    food_replicators
    radiation_shield
    gravity_generator
    currency_exchange
    galactic_cybernet
    flux_shield
    missile_base
    fighter_garrison
    ground_batteries
    autolab
    atmosphere_renewer
    barrier_shield
    robo_miner_plant
    stock_exchange
    supercomputer
    weather_controller
    dimensional_portal
    warp_interdictor
    artemis_system_net
    stellar_converter
    space_academy
    none
    none;

Examples

game initial_buildings = star_fortress battlestation star_base none;