Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: lefkos on May 31, 2007, 11:33:43 am
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hi all!
i completed my newest mission and i thought (i used so much diffrent ships etc maybe im gonna start a mod)
but i dont have a clue were to begin :confused:
can some of you tell the basics to construct a mod? before i do something stupid and screw whole my Fs :ick:
edit: btw im not gonna create new stuff! i just use stuff of other campaignes etc(with premission offcourse)
edit: ow and can you explain how to create own beam cannons / lasers with existing effects i mean : i want to use the suback laser files and recolor it. how can i do this?
edit: my Modelviewer doesnt show the textures :confused: how can i solve this? also i get this error sometimes :
An Error Occured!
Error #6027:
Too many bounding boxes.
Should be <=4886184
Open a different model or archive
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My FAQ's modding guide should cover the basics. It's a little old though so it doesn't cover many of the SCP additions.
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Yes, copy Karajorma's signature somewhere and you'll have all the modding info you need. To solve your problem with Modelview, get Modelview High Limits, you'll find it on Karajorma's site.
Some programs you will want (look them up on Google or FSWiki):
VPMage
VPVIEW
Notepad, of course
FS2 is great for modding. It's very simple, you'll figure it out quickly. Download VPVIEW and browse your game VPs. Look for the table files, as these let you do pretty much anyting. Extract a table and edit it in Notepad, then place it in your \data\tables directory. For example, if you want to change the Subach texture, edit weapons.tbl, type in a new texture file under the Subach entry, and when you play the game with your new weapons.tbl in the \data\tables folder, you'll have modded Subachs. Adding models, textures, interface graphics, etc. is basically the same thing, just put them in the relevent \data folder. VPMage will allow you to build a VP file out of these modded files, if you want to.
Basically, FreeSpace modding is pretty intuitive, and it's best if you learn it on your own. Download the files I listed above and play around with them for a month or so, you'll learn quickly.
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well, since you already have a lot of ships, you already started! you just to dump every modified file into a seperate folder (or vp) and you are done. (kinda)
just put every modified file from FreeSpace2/Data into FreeSpace2/modfolder(ornameyouwanttochoose)/data,
thats it really.
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Yes, copy Karajorma's signature somewhere and you'll have all the modding info you need. To solve your problem with Modelview, get Modelview High Limits, you'll find it on Karajorma's site.
Some programs you will want (look them up on Google or FSWiki):
VPMage
VPVIEW
Notepad, of course
FS2 is great for modding. It's very simple, you'll figure it out quickly. Download VPVIEW and browse your game VPs. Look for the table files, as these let you do pretty much anyting. Extract a table and edit it in Notepad, then place it in your \data\tables directory. For example, if you want to change the Subach texture, edit weapons.tbl, type in a new texture file under the Subach entry, and when you play the game with your new weapons.tbl in the \data\tables folder, you'll have modded Subachs. Adding models, textures, interface graphics, etc. is basically the same thing, just put them in the relevent \data folder. VPMage will allow you to build a VP file out of these modded files, if you want to.
Basically, FreeSpace modding is pretty intuitive, and it's best if you learn it on your own. Download the files I listed above and play around with them for a month or so, you'll learn quickly.
thanks! very usefull infomation!
but i made a folder called :freespace mod(that wil be my mod) and i first extracted the normal freespace 2 files + the edited tables. now there are alot of models i dont want to use. but if i delete them out of the table files its still appear in the tech data base. :confused:
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Are you using .tbl or .tbm files?
Cause the latter would not prevent the standard FS2 tables being read.
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Are you using .tbl or .tbm files?
Cause the latter would not prevent the standard FS2 tables being read.
i am using .tbl
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I believe you have to reset the tech database somehow. Restart the FS2 campaign, maybe. I know that there is an option in FRED that resets the techroom, that's all I can say.
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I highly reccomend .tbm files, incidentally. They're a lot easier than hacking the .tbl files.
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I highly reccomend .tbm files, incidentally. They're a lot easier than hacking the .tbl files.
the problem is i dont understand tbm files and i do understand tbl files
whats the diffrence anyway?
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TBM files are additions/modifications to the original table files, just only fill (for example) the ships you want to change, change the name of the table to something-shp (for ships).tbm, and you are good to go.
-shp for ships
-wep for weapons
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If you're making a mod with more than a few ships then you're better off using tables most likely. At least for ships.
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TBM files are additions/modifications to the original table files, just only fill (for example) the ships you want to change, change the name of the table to something-shp (for ships).tbm, and you are good to go.
-shp for ships
-wep for weapons
so tbm files are modded tbl files?
damn all this is a little confusing :ick:
is it possible to explain it in dutch :P?
edit: also i mixed all the downloaded ships with the normal ship table ...
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OK: I'll try to explain better:
You mixed all your new ships in with the normal ships.tbl file, which does work, but a .tbm would be easier.
Basically, cut-and-paste all the new ships out of the ships.tbl and into a blank text document called, say, mymod-shp.tbm. The "-shp.tbm" part is the important part, the rest is up to you. Freespace will now read the .tbm file as an extension of the ships.tbl file, which eliminates the need to alter ships.tbl.
If that explanation didn't work: go here (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Modular_Tables).
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The game can only read one TBL file at a time. However, it will read all TBM files in your \tables directory. Make sense?
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The game can only read one TBL file at a time. However, it will read all TBM files in your \tables directory. Make sense?
i think i got it!
uhm
like i got a ship named GTC Pyros(just as a sample) and i want to make a Tbm of it than it wil be like : Pyros-shp.tbm
right?
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Right, except you can put more than one ship into a tbm. :p
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Right, except you can put more than one ship into a tbm. :p
DAMN! my notepad file is TXT how can i change that to TBM?
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The best way to make your own mod is to give me copious amounts of cash to do it for you.
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The best way to make your own mod is to give me copious amounts of cash to do it for you.
lol!
naah
i want to try it my self
thanks :D
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great..
its going from bad to worse
look :
Error: ships.tbl(line 83:
Error: Required token = [#End], [$Subsystem:] or [$Name], found [].
File:D:\C++\Freespace\fs2_open\code\Parse\PARSELO.CPP
Line: 630
[This filename points to the location of a file on the computer that built this executable]
Call stack:
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
:sigh: and all i want is to make a mod :(
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Start over again with the normal ships.tbl. Keep trying. What happened, apparently, is that you left out something in your table. Probably the name of a subsystem of whatever ship is being described on Line 83. Since I don't know exactly what you did, I can't help you. Like I said, learning FreeSpace has more to do with trial and error than asking around every time you have a problem... you'll usually find the solution before someone gives you an intelligent reply.
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Start over again with the normal ships.tbl. Keep trying. What happened, apparently, is that you left out something in your table. Probably the name of a subsystem of whatever ship is being described on Line 83. Since I don't know exactly what you did, I can't help you. Like I said, learning FreeSpace has more to do with trial and error than asking around every time you have a problem... you'll usually find the solution before someone gives you an intelligent reply.
i understand
but the weird thing is in freespaceMOD/Data/tables i dont have a ship.tbl anymore i just made a new one with nodepad
isnt the error that its tbm.txt? (becuase i dont know how to convert it to TBM)
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Just rename it. Tbm.tbm. Name it lefkos.tbm, or whatever, if you like. Same for tables- just change a text file to .tbl.
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Just rename it. Tbm.tbm. Name it lefkos.tbm, or whatever, if you like. Same for tables- just change a text file to .tbl.
i cant i know this sounds really strange but its everytime ends with .txt :S
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Using Windows XP? You have to go into the control panel, go into "Folders" I think (don't know what it's called in Dutch), and change some option so it shows the file extension. By default, XP doesn't show the file extension and doesn't let you edit it.
If you've already done that, I can't help you.
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Using Windows XP? You have to go into the control panel, go into "Folders" I think (don't know what it's called in Dutch), and change some option so it shows the file extension. By default, XP doesn't show the file extension and doesn't let you edit it.
If you've already done that, I can't help you.
in dutch:
Ga naar het configuratiescherm
Ga naar mapopties
ga naar weergave
haal het vinkje weg bij "extenties voor bekende bestandstypen verbergen"
Je kunt nu de extensie .txt veranderen in .tbm, windows zal wel een waarschuwing geven dat dat misschien geen goed idee is omdat het bestand dan onleesbaar kan raken, maar wij weten wel beter ;)
(You can now change the extension txt into .tbm, windows will give a warning about that that might not be a wise thing to do 'cuz the file can get corrupted, but we know better)
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Err... NOT for example 'lefkos.tbm' but (for ships) lefkos-shp.tbm
And lefkos.. if you still have problems just upload the table file somewhere (or preferably copy-paste (using code tags) the relevant lines here) and let us see the issue. For example if you hit error on line 83 of the ships.tbl post lines 80 - 85 here.
Also references to table files:
http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Tables
http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Category:Tables
And other useful references (for modder):
http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/FS2_Data_Structure
+ of course the whole modding and fredding sections of FSwiki
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Using Windows XP? You have to go into the control panel, go into "Folders" I think (don't know what it's called in Dutch), and change some option so it shows the file extension. By default, XP doesn't show the file extension and doesn't let you edit it.
If you've already done that, I can't help you.
in dutch:
Ga naar het configuratiescherm
Ga naar mapopties
ga naar weergave
haal het vinkje weg bij "extenties voor bekende bestandstypen verbergen"
Je kunt nu de extensie .txt veranderen in .tbm, windows zal wel een waarschuwing geven dat dat misschien geen goed idee is omdat het bestand dan onleesbaar kan raken, maar wij weten wel beter ;)
(You can now change the extension txt into .tbm, windows will give a warning about that that might not be a wise thing to do 'cuz the file can get corrupted, but we know better)
haha dankje! dat werkt nu :)
btw foks i just deleted my own mod folder and created a new one before im gonna do anything stupid is it a good idea to copy all the normal files like maps hud tables models etc to my mod folder and than edit it ? or should i do it in a diffrent way?
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Well, you should certainly never alter the original VP's. So, anything you're editing should be a copy of the original, yes, in case you make a mistake.
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Hmm.. What normal files?
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Hmm.. What normal files?
freespace retail you know? freespace/data
that stuff
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Only if you modify them. Game uses the stuff from all the defined mod folders as well as from the main folder. Mod.ini files are useful when defining 'multiple mods'. Like making your own mod which would use mediavps effects in addition (or rather instead of) to retail ones.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/FAQ/installingmods.html
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Hey Lefkos, do you have any specific ideas about what you want to use to make your mod? Those folders have a lot of info and you might not want to clutter up your mod folder with things you will want to end up deleting anyway (if you plan to release it anyways).
I found it useful to make a shipyard or WIP folder away from FS2. Once I get things right I transfer it to the "real" mod.
Anyway since tables were mentioned I got a question myself.
I'm trying to get my head back into modding after my break and now that I got 3.6.9 working I need to know how not to break it.
I looked on the wiki but couldn't find any info on how much content I can throw into ships.tbm's.
IF I got 3 different species than FS2 ones do I have to delete all the entries of the original ships.tbl?
Will they count against the total mod number of ships? Or can I equal the amount of allowed ships cause it's a new file type (thus it's double the old count)?
In case you couldn't figure it out I've been working on 2 Total Conversions (Trek and Robotech) but have had great difficulties beyond 3.6 modding...
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You can throw as much stuff as you like into the tbms.. As long as the total sum of stuff in all the tbms and the tbl is below the limits. But you can edit the files as much as you like.
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Ah ok so to add like 120 NEW ships (spread out over 3 forces) I have to basicly gut the original .tbl to none right?
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Well you should almost write the new table with your new ships
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is it also possible to just copy and paste they original (or MediaVP stuff) ship/weapon table and just delete the ships you dont use?
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Well here's the thing I'm still getting my feet wet with 3.6.9 (been modding 2.6 for last 4 years).
Don't have anyone officially on my teams (ie RT is the closest thing to a "team" I have) and none of them can tackle this. Most of my help comes from outside the FS2 community <gasp!>, but I muddle through best I can.
One second...
*[Takashi, lower your hand, I'm still deciding your probationary intro task] *
Ok, no problem...
I just wanted to see if there was any info I needed I hadn't found on the WIKI as I use Nuke's Mod as my base for the 3.6.9 porting.
I can't port the WIP mods as is, cause then I get hundreds of "token" errors (although natively they run just fine in 3.6)
I tried simple ship replacement once but not to the point of the entire mod, just Nuke's pirate ships and I probably upset some balance which caused an error (too many in that section versus the other two) as for the RDF forces I had 30 veritechs alone before capital ships and escorts.
After a HD crash I decided to start over after a break (it's been quite awhile since I did any serious altering to the mods). I'll probably finish them myself in 3.6, but any future team members would have to use 3.6 also as it's incompatible with 3.6.9
I want to ideally dump 3.6 forever and get this new bugger down well enough to feel comfortable with it.
So that's why it's taken so long just going with baby steps: There's so much Nuke added (I bet) that isn't a native part to 3.6.9 I find the new tables VERY confusing. Wiki is nice but seriously hurts my head.
:D
[attachment deleted by admin]
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...I can't port the WIP mods as is, cause then I get hundreds of "token" errors (although natively they run just fine in 3.6)...
That's a problem I too had for quite a while... 'till I accidentially stumbled across a rather unrelated thread where someone said something about the "$ND:"-fields being deprecated - I started over, deleted all "$ND:"-s and voila, my mod worked again :) (after that dumb error nailing me down for 2 or 3 years :sigh: ) .
So, you might try if this helps for you, too. Basically it should - at least it's the only post-3-6-"error" that I encountered...
Oh, yes... @the SCP-staff:
Concerning feature-requests you always complained that you didn't want to break backwards compatibility... and then you come up with something like this !!? Very Smart, really... :sigh: (the "S" is intended, right...)
It'd at least have helped if someone of you would have posted a sticky called "deprecated features" or something like that, and listed the "$ND:"-fields there...
To prevent misunderstandings: I really appreciate all the work you've done so far :yes: , but that one point caused me so much headache that I can't exactly ignore it and pretend everything's fine... :(
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Thank you for reminding me! I lost focus on that issue in the shuffle of activity around that time (strides were beign made behind the scenes in RT and Trek). :D
I'll try it this weekend...
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Even the 'token' errors should be fixed. If you do not know what is causing them post the error here.
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woot the tables are working the way i want :D
but..
my hercules mark II is low poly :confused: even when i extract the high poly model it still remains low(this is for all the HP ships)
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High poly herc uses fighter2t-02hp.pof.
Check mv_models.vp.. mv_models-shp.tbm
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Wanderer, I promise to try it this weekend and let you know...
[edit] I tried it, [end] or [name] token erros in weapons tables, after third ignore for debug it finally crashed launcher.
I'm making no headway with this so ignoring it for the moment.
Guess what this is ;)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b321/Star-Dragon/impenforcer1.jpg
l8tr! (Thanks for the help).