Hello everyone,

I'm working on a mod (I know how to edit files with Notepad++ I'm not a modder pers say) for Galactic Civilizations IV with the goal of creating a custom map inspired by the Milky Way, where key stars are positioned with realistic relative distances. For example, I'd like to arrange the Solar System, Alpha Centauri, and other familiar stars so that their separations roughly reflect their actual distances—interpreting, say, 5 in-game units as 5 light years. I understand that this approach might yield a map that's inspired by the Milky Way rather than an exact replica.

I have a couple of questions regarding this approach:

Scaling In-Game Coordinates: Has anyone managed to calibrate the in-game coordinate system (from files like StarSystemsDefs.xml) so that an arbitrary distance unit can correspond to a realistic measure (e.g., 5 or 50 units representing 5 light years)? Is there a conversion factor or a scaling method you recommend?

Fixed Systems vs. Procedural Generation: When defining fixed positions for key systems like the Solar System or Alpha Centauri, how can one ensure that these positions are preserved by the procedural generator? Unless I'm misunderstanding the generation process, it seems impossible to set coordinates that position two stars exactly where intended. Is there, however, any method to enforce a constraint—such as a maximum distance from these fixed reference points—to avoid overlaps or unrealistic spacing?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated—I’m eager to learn how to best achieve a coherent and immersive layout.

Thanks in advance for your help!