[Lucika]

The title says it all, I have a mission that'd require ships from multiple mods. How am I supposed to do that?

[Solatar]

Make a custom mod with the ships in mind.

[Lucika]

Make a custom mod with the ships in mind.

  So... create a folder and pack all the VPs in it? (baby steps, just startin')

[General Battuta]

Or, how about extracting the models, textures, and table entries for all the ships, and adding them to the relevant folders for your own mod?

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Depending on the mod you could use a mod.ini to reference the other mods ships but only if at least one is using .tbm files not .tbl.  Load order is very important in doing this and you need to be certain that you keep up to date with any changes to the other mods. 

The above method of pulling ships into your own mod folder may be the better choice but if you aren't changing anything the mod.ini method may work for you as well.  You may also find the solution lies somewhere in between. 

[karajorma]

Depending on the mod you could use a mod.ini to reference the other mods ships but only if at least one is using .tbm files not .tbl.

To be honest I think it would be easier if both of them are using .tbl files actually. You'd just make one of your own which would override both mods.

[IronBeer]

Combining bits of mods can be a hassle, or not. Depends what you're working with.

TBL entries are easy to transfer- just copy from a source file, then paste it into the file you're gonna use.

Models usually have their textures contained within the .pof, but not always. Be sure to check the model (use the Modview program) after transfer to ensure nothing's missing. If something is AWOL, you'll need to poke around in the "maps" folder you're drawing from. Compare the maps the model already has to those that are missing, and fill accordingly.

Of course, if the source files are not loose, you'll have to unpack the .vp you want to draw from. VPView lets you look into and extract files from existing .VPs. Pretty simple to use, really.

As far as mod.ini is concerned, I learned how it worked by looking at existing ones. But, for the sake of instruction, let's take a look at a sample mod.ini:

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[launcher]
modname      = Example;
infotext     = This is not an actual mod, but an example;

[multimod]
primarylist = ;
secondarylist = mediavps;

[settings]
flags = ;This is a fairly basic mod.ini. The way it should be used is like this: create a folder for your mod. Sticking with the example, we'll need to create an "Example" folder in your FS2 directory. Mod.ini goes in there; not in any subfolders of Example. As far as mod data storage goes, you could have a "data" folder with all your models, maps, sounds, etc, or you could have a .vp with the SAME FOLDER SETUP, just in a .vp.

*Takes a breath* You're probably still wondering what exactly each entry in the mod.ini file does. "modname" and "description" are straightforward: these will be displayed when the Example mod folder is selected using the Launcher. You can have images as well, but let's stay simple for now. The [Mutlimod] header is where things get interesting: any mods referenced here will be loaded in addition to whatever the Example mod brings to the table, in this case, anything not messed with by the mod will be modded according to the MediaVPs. Most mods don't need any special "flags". Windmills is the only one I can think of off the top of my head that might use this field.

Any questions?

[The E]

No questions, but an important addition: If there are multiple entries in the secondarylist, they override each other. If your secondarylist reads "modA,ModB;", tables from modA will override tables (and anything else, including models and textures etc) from modB.

[MetalMilitia]

What about the primary list? do mods override each other???
I still don't get it   
Let's say I want to use WoD models along with those provided by Fred2 Open. I select WoD mod from the launcher>apply>OK... then I run Fred, all I get is WoD, no retail models.. what should I put in the mod.ini???

[The E]

The primarylist is just a (seldom used) way of organizing a mod hierarchy.

Let us assume you have a mod called mymod, with the following lines in mod.ini:

Code: [Select]

primarylist = modA;
secondarylist = modB;

The launcher will then generate the following -mod command line:

Code: [Select]

-mod modA,mymod,modBThis basically means that mods in the primarylist will override stuff from your mod and all mods in the secondarylist.

[Jeff Vader]

I just wanted to chime in and say how awesome it is that this topic was dug up after almost two years of hibernation.

[MetalMilitia]

Thx Jeff, may be I should change my name to grave digger, lol
I got very interested in fred, but I don't know why I found it hard to use models from multiple mods...

[JCDNWarrior]

First of all I suggest reading the wiki, starting at the FRED portal:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Portal:FRED

From my own experience I'd suggest putting all the ships you really want into a .tbm file based on MediaVPs. Some mods are completely different (for instance Inferno and BP use much different stuff) so you'll have to make sure to include the weapons.tbl/tbm files from the mods, not only the ships themselves. It's great when you find out how it works though, to go 'shopping' for new ships and adding them to your list for use. For instance the list of ships here:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/User-made_Ships

It may take quite a while to figure out but it can teach you a lot and seems quite worth it. Also there are plenty of people here willing to help you out if you have any further questions.