Two different files#

libraries/gamestarts.xml defines new-game choices: menu entries, player placement and property, universe settings and restrictions. libraries/startmenu.xml defines main-menu background scenes. Neither replaces an MD mission script.

Start definitions use libraries/gamestarts.xsd. Child-element order matters. The entry image, preview cutscene and intro have different roles; a nice preview does not create a starting ship.

A learning patch for starting money#

Put this patch in your extension's libraries/gamestarts.xml:

XML
<diff>
  <replace sel="/gamestarts/gamestart[@id='wiki_training_start']/player/@money">25000</replace>
</diff>

Prerequisite: you have already added a complete wiki_training_start with a direct player child carrying money. This is a fictional ID, not a vanilla start.

Expected: the definition receives money="25000". It configures initial funds for a new game; the patch does not credit a character in an existing save. A custom start also needs valid location, character, ship and asset references.

Continue in MD#

MD can read the selected start ID as player.module. A start-specific introduction must not run in every new game. Check the ID, then world readiness and protection against repeated initialization when loading.

universe settings can disable jobs and god. Missing ships in a tutorial world are not always a quota error. For start-specific datasets inspect jobs and god.

Backgrounds and unlocks#

Add a scene under /startmenu/background; its cutscene acts as the key. The scene and assets must exist; a list entry alone is insufficient. Replacing the shared default background can conflict with DLCs and other mods.

userdata conditions belong to the player profile and can persist across saves. Test a locked start or background with a separate profile as well as an established one.

Verification scenario#

Open New Game, select the start, begin a new game and independently inspect property. Load an older save separately. For a background, test scene selection in main-menu settings. These examples have not been run in X4; no complete scene assets are distributed. Continue with logging and MD persistence.