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Hosted Projects - Standalone => Wing Commander Saga => Topic started by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 09:05:13 am

Title: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 09:05:13 am
Hey Guys! It's me Trinijoy from the WC CIC forums.  I got help through private message for this, and I would like to ask where are some custom made missions using FRED 2 for WC Saga, I would like to reverse engineer and see how it works to make my own.

Thanks for the help!

Trinijoy
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Aginor on June 09, 2009, 10:07:10 am
If you haven't  played through Saga and the tech demos yet, you should play them first, in order to see what can be done.

A user made campaign by tinman is available here:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,62270.0.html


And welcome!  :)


EDIT:
And here is something about FRED
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/FAQ/fred.html

EDIT2:
The documents for FRED  (tutorial)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/FAQ/Downloads/freddocs.rar

EDIT3:
The FRED Forum:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/board,89.0.html
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 11:09:30 am
When using FRED2 with Saga, how do you select ships from Saga, and not the original Freespace 2 game?
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: The E on June 09, 2009, 11:11:22 am
If you put FRED into your Saga directory and start it from there, it should load all ships automatically.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 11:11:57 am
Okay thank you.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 08:34:04 pm
I made a mission with SeXp's and everything!

2 Questions:

1.  When I save it how do i get it to interact with saga?
2.  How do I get autopilot working?
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Talon 1024 on June 09, 2009, 08:47:32 pm
Hi trinijoy.  It's KC from the CIC forums.

1. You have to save your mission in the (WCS Directory)/data/missions/ folder.  If it does not exist, you can just create it.  To play it, you have to go to the tech room.  You'll see the mission simulator there.
2. Autopilot is a bit tricky to do.  You can make SEXPs that start the cutscene, rotate the camera while the cutscene is playing, and stop the cutscene after some time.  There is also an autopilot template available from the WC Saga website that you can use to make your mission.  Then you just have to place the ships at their navpoints and make the events.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 09:38:09 pm
I keeep getting a crash with an error, for token = # wings or $names for some reason.  I do the error checker and this is nothing wrong, I don't know what is going on
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 09, 2009, 10:31:25 pm
All I am doing now is just creating a test mission with just my ship and it just keep scrashing with different erros, wnated names, but found call sign instead.  So on and so forth, or used +tablescores.  I can't even fly with just TWO ships one enemy and one friendly, i can't imagine the error i am doing here.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 01:57:22 am
Are you using the FRED supplied on the Saga's website to edit the template or the latest build from SCP?
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 05:35:14 am
The latest build from the message boards.  What was linked to me in this thread.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 06:10:33 am
You need to open the mission file in Notepad and remove with the search and replace function all "version comments"

(you will have to check exact spelling in the mission file)
;;FSO:3.6.0
;;FSO:3.6.10
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 06:25:52 am
Can you explain that to me more?  You mean open the mission file in notepad, then search for the version string and change it?

This is what I have:

$Version: 0.10
$Name:  XSTR("Prototype", -1)
$Author: Wizardy1
$Created: 06/09/09 at 23:09:33
$Modified: 06/09/09 at 23:29:21
$Notes:
This is a FRED2_OPEN created mission.
$End Notes:
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 06:41:37 am
Nope, these are version comments you will encounter numerous times in the mission file. For example before "+table score:" and "skybox"
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 07:52:55 am
Thanks for helping, but to make things easier should I just use the FRED on the Saga website?  Is that more compatible?
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 10:59:03 am
Not at all. You can use latest iteration of FRED as long as you use latest version of FS Open. Otherwise your missions might not work with the EXE supplied with the Prologue.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 12:00:29 pm
isn't fred and fs open the same thing though?  I guess i am not understanding
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 12:05:08 pm
isn't fred and fs open the same thing though?  I guess i am not understanding

FRED is the mission editor
FSO is the game EXE ;)
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 12:14:00 pm
I just realized where I am making my mistake.

Thanks for the help.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 12:23:37 pm
To answer your other questions (I just realized I received a PM):

1.  Can you fly as enemy ships?

      Yes, but you have to make ships.tbl adjustments and a) change afterburner fuel b) add "player ship" flag

2.  Is the cloaking feature available yet to use?

      Not in the prologue. The cloaking per se is done via a fairly complicated FRED script for enemy craft (Strakha and the like). I guess it can be utilized for the player, just like the autopilot script. At any rate, you can't use it yet, as you need a complete set of animated texture maps for fighters and these will be released only when the final game comes out.

3.  Also can you edit ships to equip them with cloak?

     Again, it has nothing to do with ships data. The effect is scripted in FRED.

4.  Can you edit ships weapons and stuff like that?

    Yes. It's done via ships.tbl.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 01:23:59 pm
Great wonderful, I got the VP extractor, extract the core files and found ships.tbl, and i can put the files back correctly.  Thanks for the help!!
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Tolwyn on June 10, 2009, 02:02:46 pm
You can simply put it into data\tables.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 08:17:58 pm
You mean I can integrate it into MySql?  You talking about the VP file or the Ship file?
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: The E on June 10, 2009, 08:27:44 pm
Nonono. This has got nothing to do with mySQL, or databases.

What Tolwyn meant was, instead of extracting ships.tbl, editing it, and then putting it back into the vp, you can just create a folder called "tables" in your <WCS directory>\data\ directory, and save the modified .tbl there.
This will automatically override the ships.tbl in the WCS vp, while still keeping that vp intact.
Altering vps is a really, really bad idea, since it creates support nightmares when something goes wrong (and, unless you really know what you are doing, something will).

The correct way to do this would be to create a new folder in your main WCS directory, call it "trinijoys_mod" or whatever, create a "data" folder in there, and a "tables" directory in THAT, and then put your altered table in that.
Then open the Launcher, select the "Mod" tab, click on the "Select Mod"-button, and select your mod directory.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 08:34:07 pm
Ahh okay thanks you.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 10, 2009, 08:55:18 pm
for some reason i have no weapos flying as the enemy ships.  Same if I have wingmen as the enemy ships.

Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Mancubus on June 12, 2009, 07:19:17 am
to answer the autopilot question once more - it's hrdcoded in the 3.6.10 build(at least RC2), so you might consider using it instead of going through scripting in erlier builds, you'll just need to put .exe from new build in your wcsaga folder and use it instead wcsaga.exe
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 12, 2009, 10:37:30 am
I got the NAV point to work, in the scripting.  But when I go to autopilot to it my ship just keeps constantly pulls up and doesn't auto to it.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 13, 2009, 07:48:15 pm
I am sorry if I am being annoying with this guys, but I can't figure out why the autopilot is not working.  The ship just goes around in circles and doesn't go to the nav.  I have looked at other missions and I seem to have it set up right.  PLease help.
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: trinijoy on June 14, 2009, 12:50:41 am
Nevermind I got it to work!! I didn't know about the "Use autopilot Cinematics" in the options!!  Anything else I should know about???
Title: Re: Custom missions, where to download...
Post by: Aginor on June 15, 2009, 04:15:49 am
Just go on and try something more difficult. Just play around with it. It is really nice to see someone learning to FRED missions for Saga.

BUT
SAVE REGULARLY! And with different names ,so you don't destroy your missions (can happen).

And  then: Post your missions, so we can try them, too.  :D