Am I doing this right? (editing factions.xml)

[boomzilla]

I changed the factions.xml file so that everyone has a negative opinion of pirates and pirates have a negative opinion of everybody and yet the Uln's disposition towards me still goes down by three every time I shoot a pirate. Is there a step I'm missing here? I've just been going into factions.xml with a text editor and saving on exit. Do I need to do something else as well or am I not editing it right?

here's the Uln section of factions.xml as an example of what I've done:

<stats name="privateer" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="confed" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="aera" relation="0"/>
<stats name="rlaan" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="merchant_guild" relation=".2"/>
<stats name="luddites" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="pirates" relation="-.3"/>
<stats name="hunter" relation="0"/>
<stats name="homeland-security" relation="0"/>
<stats name="ISO" relation="0"/>
<stats name="unknown" relation="0"/>
<stats name="andolian" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="highborn" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="shaper" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="unadorned" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="purist" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="forsaken" relation=".3"/>
<stats name="LIHW" relation=".3"/>
<stats name="uln" relation="1"/>
<stats name="dgn" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="klkk" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="mechanist" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="shmrn" relation=".2"/>
<stats name="rlaan_briin" relation="0.05"/>

<stats name="aeran_merchant_marine" relation="0"/>
<stats name="rlaan_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="merchant_guild_citizen" relation=".2"/>
<stats name="andolian_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="highborn_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="shaper_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="unadorned_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="purist_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="forsaken_citizen" relation=".3"/>
<stats name="LIHW_citizen" relation=".3"/>
<stats name="uln_citizen" relation="1"/>
<stats name="dgn_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="klkk_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="mechanist_citizen" relation="0.05"/>
<stats name="shmrn_citizen" relation=".2"/>
<Explosion name="explosion_orange.ani"/>

[pheonixstorm]

What version of VS are you running? .5 or svn? If svn did you grab the latest data?? The factions.xml was updated yesterday to address a few faction related issues. Deus did the changes and may know more on what and how to make the changes you want.

[boomzilla]

I'm playing 5.0 stable
looks like I figured this one out on my own. As a test I started a new game and zapped a pirate.. Sure enough my changes took effect in the new save game. I thought I must be doing something wrong

[sd_]

Newcomer here. This is a good idea, the Uln are ridiculous. It's basically a bug, and it should be rebalanced. I will check the new faction xml also. Any arguments about backstory are ridiculous when they get in the way of fun and enjoyment for a normal person playing the game. Reading some 10 page incoherent backstory about ancient technology that reads like it was generated by an AI isn't going to make me think its more fun when 5 gleamers jump in to destroy 1 little llama. The backstories in these games shouldn't be too interesting anyway, it's all about gameplay and freedom.

If the uln are friends with pirates, then other factions, who are enemies of pirates, would also be enemies of the uln to a slightly lesser degree. It is inconceivable and a break in the reality of the game universe that they'd be allowed to go wherever they want in great fleets, blockading stations and hindering trade without anyone raising an eyebrow. That is piracy, pure and simple. The other organized factions should be against piracy, and fight it.

Sorry if this reply is off topic, but I didn't see the sense in starting a new thread.

[klauss]

I think there's another effort at balancing faction relations, we're hoping to have it inplace and working a lot better for the next release.

[Turbo]

Until the rebalancing is done, don't forget that if you change one factions' feelings for another, you should make it mutual. For example, don't just make the pirates dislike most factions, you should also make these factions dislike the pirates. So, every relationship change you make is best done in 2 places.

I'm not sure if the game changes the AI-to-AI relationships based on events, as it does for the AI factions' relations with the player faction. If not, failing to change it in both places could lead to strange results.