Command Line Options

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IHaveNoIdea
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Command Line Options

Unread post by IHaveNoIdea »

Command Line Options are modifiers that alter the functionality of applications (.exe files). Spore is no different, in that the App corresponding to it, SporeApp.exe, also has Command Line Options. A brief explanation of how to add those commands to the App follows.

First of all, we need to know where the App actually is on your computer. Use rob55rod's handy road map:
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=6010#p28524
to find where it is, depending on what Platform you're using. Keep in mind that, considering most mods require Galactic Adventures, that you select the EP1 variant.

Now that you have found where the .exe is, you have a few options, again depending on what Platform you use.

Known Command Line Options

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-locale:%language%
Forces the game to run in the specified language.
Known values for the %language% parameter are as follows:

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cs-cz
???

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da-dk
???

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de-de
???

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el-gr
???

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en-gb
English (UK, Canada)

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en-us
English (USA)

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es-es
Spanish

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fi-fi
???

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fr-fr
???

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hu-hu
???

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it-it
???

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nl-nl
???

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no-no
???

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pl-pl
???

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pt-br
???

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pt-pt
???

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ru-ru
Russian

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sv-se
???

You may also want to make a habit of including this option, as it can often fix issues such as the infamous BAD_DATA issue with the Random Name Generator. Depending on your language, there are several different parameters, all of which are listed above.

You can also use it to test mods in other languages, which is very useful when translating a mod!



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-state:%state%
Starts the game with the specified state. The game will open directly into this state, bypassing the intro and Galaxy Menu. The states can be editors or stages, among other things.
The values for %state% are defined in

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animations~!SporeAppStates.trigger
A few examples include:

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creatureeditor
Creature Editor (editor_setup~!creatureeditorextralarge.prop)

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celleditor
"Hidden" Cell Editor (editor_setup~!celltemplate.prop)

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floraeditor
"Hidden" Cell Editor (editor_setup~!floraeditorsetup.prop)




And here are some explanations for where to go to actually use these commands.
For Disc Users
Right-click on the .exe and click Create shortcut from the dropdown menu. This will create a Shortcut to the app... within the SporeBinEP1 Folder. Cut and Paste (which I will assume you know how to do) the Shortcut to the Desktop. Then right-click on it, this time going to Properties. By default, the Properties panel opens up to show the "Shortcut" Tab, wherein you have a couple of options.
The one we're interested in is Target, which should read something like this:

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"%directory%/Electronic Arts\Spore_EP1\SporebinEP1\SporeApp.exe"
(Where %directory% is where the game is installed, which we searched up before hand)

What you need to do is change the Target parameter to include the C.L.O.s after the closing quotes ( " ), putting a space between them and the command. The commands are always preceded by a hyphen or "minus sign" ( - ). So now your Target parameter should look like this:

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"%directory%/Electronic Arts\Spore_EP1\SporebinEP1\SporeApp.exe" -%option%
(Where %option% is a placeholder and will be swapped out with actual commandline options)

Once you have added the commands, a list of which you can find above.


Finally, Click Apply to save your changes. It's always best to rename the shortcut to reflect it's purpose. For example, if the option you have set is:

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-state:celleditor
Then you should rename the shortcut to remind yourself of what it does.

Note that BAT files can also be used in place of shortcuts, if you prefer.



For Steam Users
Open your Steam Library. Select Spore Galactic Adventures (or just Spore, if they aren't listed separately or you don't have GA). Right-click it and select Properties. Click "Set Launch Options". Add your commandline options to that field. Then click "OK", and then "Close" on the Properties Window. Note that this method also works for other versions of the game if you add a Non-Steam Game Shortcut for the game to your Steam library.



For GOG Users
TBD



For Origin Users
TBD


Redefining Creative Initiative.
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