Creative - change stack max size?

[MadDragon]

How would I go about changing the maximum stack size for all blocks in creative?

For instance, right now max stack size for building blocks (ie: combat steel) is 999. I'd like to change to 50,000 or more. I know it's possible, at least on a server, but don't have a clue how I'd do it in single-player creative.

[VulcanTourist]

You cannot change the stacking limits per game mode. Modding different limits, as many of us have, affects all game modes. That is hard-coded, nothing you can do about it.

BTW, using a stacking limit of 50,000 isn't advisable: such a full stack doesn't split well repeatedly. A better value might be 40,000, since it is divisible by two multiple times.

[MadDragon]

Fine, then how do I change it for all single-player game modes? I can always swap out the file if I want to play vanilla single player (which I still enjoy on occasion)

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by MadDragon:

Fine, then how do I change it for all single-player game modes? I can always swap out the file if I want to play vanilla single player (which I still enjoy on occasion)

You need to create a config.ecf file, derived from Config_Example.ecf. For changing stacking limits, if you expect to change them across the board, there are a LOT of lines that need to be changed and just as many that need to be added. Even now there are some objects whose stacking limits I can't figure out how to change.

The changes are too extensive for me to paste them into a code block here. It would take me perhaps two hours just to condense those changes alone down into a compact form.

In other words, there's a lot of work to it. It's not even just tedious, it's also non-trivial.

[MadDragon]

OK, thanks! I'll see what I can do. At least I can start looking at the right file now. Much appreciated!

[Trance]

WARNING:
I did a lot of testing on this, also on current version (1.8.3)
stacks above 30000 can cause item loss!
there seem to be some exceptions for some items
I did never encounter problems with a general limit of 30k

increasing a stack that defaults to 1 can also cause errors, I keep them untouched
(if you are not planning to use those items and just want to sell them there should be no errors)

(you maybe did not notice item loss since it only affects large amounts of stuff)
(i nekro this bc it's (still) a top search result for this topic and I just tested it again after coming back to empyrion after a while)

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Trance:

WARNING:
I did a lot of testing on this, also on current version (1.8.3)
stacks above 30000 can cause item loss!
there seem to be some exceptions for some items
I did never encounter problems with a general limit of 30k

increasing a stack that defaults to 1 can also cause errors, I keep them untouched
(if you are not planning to use those items and just want to sell them there should be no errors)

(you maybe did not notice item loss since it only affects large amounts of stuff)
(i nekro this bc it's (still) a top search result for this topic and I just tested it again after coming back to empyrion after a while)

WHY can't you pay attention and change the Search sorting from truly useless Relevance to TIme, so that you can avoid pointlessly resurrecting a thread? This discussion is two years old, and refers to a version of the game that is long gone: the method of modding the game that I described in my last comment above DOESN'T EVEN WORK ANY MORE.

I've been using a stacksize of 40,000 in the game for no less than FOUR YEARS. You have to be mindful when stacking weapons, armor, armor boosts, etc.; trying to deploy boosts directly from a stack of them WILL cause the stack to be lost (a boost must be peeled from the stack BEFORE deployment). Otherwise there is no item loss, and your claimed stacksize limit is a fiction.

[Trance]

Originally posted by VulcanTourist:

Originally posted by Trance:

WARNING:
I did a lot of testing on this, also on current version (1.8.3)
stacks above 30000 can cause item loss!
there seem to be some exceptions for some items
I did never encounter problems with a general limit of 30k

increasing a stack that defaults to 1 can also cause errors, I keep them untouched
(if you are not planning to use those items and just want to sell them there should be no errors)

(you maybe did not notice item loss since it only affects large amounts of stuff)
(i nekro this bc it's (still) a top search result for this topic and I just tested it again after coming back to empyrion after a while)

WHY can't you pay attention and change the Search sorting from truly useless Relevance to TIme, so that you can avoid pointlessly resurrecting a thread? This discussion is two years old, and refers to a version of the game that is long gone: the method of modding the game that I described in my last comment above DOESN'T EVEN WORK ANY MORE.

I've been using a stacksize of 40,000 in the game for no less than FOUR YEARS. You have to be mindful when stacking weapons, armor, armor boosts, etc.; trying to deploy boosts directly from a stack of them WILL cause the stack to be lost (a boost must be peeled from the stack BEFORE deployment). Otherwise there is no item loss, and your claimed stacksize limit is a fiction.

offense?! where is the logic in that? well, not very nice for a vulcan guy, and if your logic works, and if you are able to read and understand: i stated the reason why I necroed. a very good reason. AND i said i did the testing again with CURRENT VERSION! -- (i think it is some typecast error where some values are handled as dwords in the code sub functions and/or SQL, so 30k is 100% safe. and I bet you did no extensive and depth testing like i did and on a datatype base.) I bet some ppl will find this info at this place useful. and as a side note: 2 years ist a lot vor Microsoft for example, even more for google, almost nothing for a solo app developer, what do you think it is with the Empyrion devs? nothing more to say for me here.

EDIT: the mentioned method still works!!!

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Trance:

EDIT: the mentioned method still works!!!

No, it doesn't: Eleon themselves have advised players to abandon that method.

I've invested over 6000 hours playing the game, the majority of that spent using a stacksize of 40,000 for every player-usable object in the game, which I have extended to new game objects as they were added. I chose that value because of its useful divisability. There is no arbitrary 30,000 limit, as you claim.

[Trance]

ok, i was not very precise but not illogical, a bit ahead with my thoughts.
stacks above 30k means also /far above/.
stacks up to 65k should be fine up to max at 65535.
for the case of signed values 32767 is it, rounded to 30k. that is a safe value with some coding knowledge in behind. i was not precise at saying exceeding that 65k "limit" i did not mean above 30k, should have said 65k.

it is possible to set values above and it works, but only partially, you can reproduce it if you create a full stacked box at 65k (16bit) and change it to the next integer range (65538 to 4.294.967.296 32bit) between 2 saves (and/or try to change back). that works for some blocks, for some it does not. the code is loosing some stuff when re-arranging stacks at these values. it is a bit random. (i guess it is a threading issue that can happen at CPU peaks) but it never happened with stacks below 30k(also 65k i guess)

the config file works for me but i have a rather small and clean one primary for self created sections and few other things. also more changes are in the other files. maybe my changes do not cause the said impact. so we both are correct.

and please, stop the offense. i've necroed it, ok, you do not like it, me neither, but again: it is a(the) top result when searching for it and manymany other threads have the same age and valuable content that is still up to date. no reason to try to bash me. that only helps your bad karmas and maybe gives some fun for others reading this...

have a good time out there!! i leave this planet now

[ravien_ff]

Config.ecf is no longer supported or recommended to use.
It still works for some things, but does not work for other things.
For example it works for blocks but not for items.

It's unknown how much longer the config.ecf file will continue to function at all, so it's best not to use it and to instead use the actual config files.

[Stonegut]

I'm new to changing anything in games, so be kind. I know where on my D drive I have Empyrion loaded, but in what folder, etc., will I find the correct config file(s)??? to modify so I can have bigger stack sizes. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Jerund:

I'm new to changing anything in games, so be kind. I know where on my D drive I have Empyrion loaded, but in what folder, etc., will I find the correct config file(s)??? to modify so I can have bigger stack sizes. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

If your goal is to uniformly increase stack sizes across the board, it's a massive undertaking for someone who's not even familiar with modding. Not only is it tedious because it requires so many individual changes, it also requires a very good understanding of the data syntax; it's not entirely straightforward and requires adding lines - and knowing where those need to be added - as well as changing existing ones. It's been four(?) years since I increased stack sizes, and I can't put a number to how much time was required, but I recall it being an effort and I've been modding games for decades. I've also had to add onto it several times as patches have added new content to the game.

Not only is the initial effort non-trivial, THEN you have to maintain it: every time a game patch - and there are at least half a dozen every year still - change the file(s) that you have modified, you have to identify what has changed and merge it into your modded file(s). Not doing this can break the game or make it behave unexpectedly. In order to do this safely and preserve the vanilla game intact, you have to create a custom scenario to encapsulate your changes.

As someone entirely new to modding you could still do this, but it will be challenging and you'll be spending far more time modding than playing. I played the game for at least two or three years before any sort of modding was even available for the game, so I was already intimate with the game mechanics.

[Stonegut]

Thank you, VulcanTourist. I think I'll leave it alone. ;)

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Jerund:

Thank you, VulcanTourist. I think I'll leave it alone. ;)

It becomes more advisable when the game settles into maturity. If I get around to publishing my scenario, it would would of course include that but not just that. (That's the frustration of modding this game for non-modders: their choice is all-or-nothing and can't pick and choose as they would with, say, Skyrim using a mod manager. I don't like aiding and abetting that.)

[Stonegut]

I understand. Again, thank you for the replies.