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Editable Backstories has been updated:

- Body type definitions in childhood backstories are no longer ignored. (Vanilla behavior, as it turns out, pays them no attention whatsoever.)

- Pawn body type is again randomized when no body type is defined for the pawn's backstory. (And it now works as it should have in the first place!)

- Corrected a few pronoun typos in default backstory files.

- Tweaked the log file messages.

- Split HAF compatibility into a separate mod. (If you're using any "Humanoid Alien Framework" mods, use the HAF-compatible version of "Editable Backstories," and everything will work together "out of the box" with no adjustments needed.)

The new HAF version can be found immediately above this update message.

OBSOLETE

"Editable Backstories HAF" was a version of my "Editable Backstories" mod designed for full compatibility with mods that utilize Erdelf's "Humanoid Alien Framework." However, as such compatibility is now part of the base version of the mod, a special version is no longer required.

- Rainbeau Flambe (dburgdorf)

I can't place rocky dirt on tiles I mined out, because it is called rough-hewn stonetype and not rough stonetype.

No, that's not intentional. Someone on Steam spotted the same issue earlier this week. I'll try and get it fixed over the weekend.

On my screen it is literally "Wet Soil," I am not certain how it came about. It may have been due to me deconstructing my moisture pumps.

I can't find any reference to "wet soil" in the game's code, XML files, or language files, so I haven't a clue where that would even be coming from. But, yeah, if you're talking about something literally called "wet soil," and not just using the term generically as I originally assumed you were, then the mod's not going to let you modify it.

I liked that with the mod I could get rid of shallow water, just wished it also had a soil pathway for wet soil.

As I said before, there isn't any type of vanilla terrain (except for ice) that can't be modified, so whatever it is that you're referring to as "wet soil" *can* be altered, unless it's a non-vanilla terrain added by another mod.

If by "wet soil" you actually mean marshy soil, then you can either dig dirt from it and leave behind rocky dirt, or add dirt and fertilizer to it, producing soil. Neither of those actions require any special research.

If by "wet soil" you actually mean mud, then you can convert it either into marsh or into marshy soil, once you've researched "Terraforming."

If by "wet soil" you actually mean marsh, then you can convert it either into marshy soil or into shallow water, again after researching "Terraforming."

I don't actually use it myself, but I believe Fluffy's Work Tab both breaks down work types into their component elements, allowing for more detailed settings of exactly what each pawn is and isn't supposed to do, and allows priorities to be assigned on a 1-9 scale instead of a 1-4 scale.

That's my point. Some areas you can't transition to fertile fields.

Some terrain conversions require multiple steps; some of those steps require research. But there isn't any type of terrain (well, except for ice, which the mod doesn't do anything with) that can't be converted to something else. If you can be more specific with your question, I could be more specific with my answer.

All the essential info about using the mod is in the "how to get started" document in the mod's "About" folder, by the way, if you haven't already read through it.

What am I supposed to do with wet soil?

I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're referring to, as there's no "wet soil" in the mod.

Okay, silly question probably, but how do I get the new smoothed stone wall texture instead of the vanilla brick ones? The mod has 3 textures now in it --- brick, smoothed and planks. If I go to smooth granite I just get a normal granite brick wall. Any advice on getting the other two textures?

You shouldn't have to "do" anything. When you create a wall by smoothing rock, the smoothed wall texture should be used, when you build a wall with blocks, the block texture should be used, and when you build a wall with wood, the plank texture should be used. If that's not what you're seeing, I'm not sure what to tell you. I can take a look when I get home from work this evening, but I don't *think* I screwed anything right before releasing the update last night.

A minor graphical update to Smooth Stone Walls:

- Improved both the constructed and the smoothed wall graphics so they "flow" well graphically not only into each other, but also into natural rock walls.

Smooth Stone Walls has been updated:

- Filled some "gaps" in the smoothed stone wall definition, which will perhaps fix some odd errors that some users have seen.

- Fixed the greyscaling on the smooth stone wall graphics to better match the greyscaling on the block stone wall graphics, so stone walls will "flow" better graphically from constructed to smoothed segments.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I installed the Backstories Lite version and can't figure out how to add backstories to the game. Can you explain how to do it?

Look in the mod's "Defs" folder. You'll find a number of files named "Backstories_<whatever>," which are sample backstory files. You'll also find a file named "Backstory Editing Guidelines," which provides general instructions, and files named "BackstoryDef XML Details" and "NameDef XML Details," which provide more detailed information. 

Wild Cultivation has been updated. It's now fully compatible with "Vegetable Garden."

Can I use extended backstories to completely remove backstories entirely (blank slate)?

Yes, you can. That is, in fact, the key difference between the full and the lite versions of "Editable Backstories." The lite version simply adds to the existing database, while the full version replaces it completely. If you're using the full version, the only backstories which can appear on any pawns in the game are the ones in your XML files.

I will point out, though, that names are a different matter. Both versions of the mod simply add new names to the existing database, as there isn't much need for most players to remove names from the game, and as you really have to have a large set of names to avoid a lot of obvious repetition. But that's certainly something else that could be done if your overhaul would require a set of names tied to a certain region, period or style.

Smooth Stone Walls has been updated:

- Smoothed walls are now a distinct wall type, slightly more durable than stone walls constructed with blocks. When deconstructed, smooth stone walls don't yield blocks, but have the same chance as mined stone tiles to drop stone chunks.

- Squashed a bug which yielded "free" granite walls when a tile was set to be both mined and smoothed.