MODDING FOR ROOKIES

[EggChen]

config\text\*language*\

stable_bio_name - for named NPC's like Wolf, Guide, etc
stable_generate_fnames - random 1st names
stable_generate_snames - random 2nd names

[Nightwatch]

First, open the "relevant area's character xml" file that relates to your character, as example: if you want to change Wolf's name, then go to the config\gameplay\character_desc_esc.xml and find him. His character id on the file is: esc_wolf

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<specific_character id="esc_wolf" team_default = "1">
      <name>esc_wolf_name</name>
      <icon>ui_npc_u_stalker_neytral_balon_1</icon>
      <bio>esc_wolf_bio</bio>

Note that his name is stated here as: <name>esc_wolf_name</name>

Now, go to the config\text\eng\stable_bio_name.xml and search for esc_wolf_name

Then, when you've found it, you'll see this:

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<string id="esc_wolf_name">
      <text>Wolf</text>
   </string>

This <text>Wolf</text> is his name in the game as you see it. You can change it to the one that you want, such as <text>Britney</text>

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edit: I've always said this, EggChen you're damn too fast

[EggChen]

... but you were far more helpful and detailed

Edit: He seems like more of a "Kylie" to me...

[DARK TEMPLAR]

thanks guys

ed: theres a stalker by the name of DARK PROPHET in the ZONE now now I got to find a unique image to fit

[DARK TEMPLAR]

So I wan't to add the repair kit to mc, how do I do that?

[Nightwatch]

You mean the ABC Repair Kit? Well, let me put it this way, with a touch of humor...Have you tried to cut a coconut? Well, I once used hammer, when it didn't work, I employed the help of a 650Watts Bosch Hammer drill, and only then I caould manage to open a wide enough hole to scoop the inside. It was not worth eating the damn thing. LOL

Now, attempting to incorporate ABC repair Kit, although it's not impossible, is as difficult as (if not more) opening a stubborn coconut. There is no easy way of adding like one or two files into the scripts folder and binding this to that. It requires many scripts to be tuned to the rest of the mod, or vice versa, as they keep an eye on several things.
As I do not know the full extent of the contents of your mod compilation, I cannot seriously say anything on it whether it can actually be added or not at all. I could offer my help on this, but only after I've completed my work as looking into a mod for such a purpose would take a significant time.

[DARK TEMPLAR]

Right, thanks for the inf, the repairkit will have to wait for big timespan

[DARK TEMPLAR]

How to properly merge two ui_icon_equipment files

[EggChen]

http://sdk.stalker-game.com/en/index.ph ... ipment.dds

[Nightwatch]

How to properly merge two ui_icon_equipment files

I use a combination of Adobe Phoshop and Fireworks, but this is commercial stuff and I heard from many modders that GIMP suit as not lacking behind, and it's free.

It should be the same (logical) procedure I believe, that you need to copy icons that you want to transfer onto the designated target ui_equipment.dds, then paste them onto this target one. However, there are couple of points that need to be taken into account as this process is of course not as aesy as pasting from material from on eword document to another.

When you copy the icon, you need to copy it while preserving its alpha channel, otherwise it won't be visible when you assigned the an actual item in your inventory.

If you are using Adobe, I can give a step by step guide, but I don't have GIMP and someone who is experienced on GIMP can be more useful here.

All I can say is that you need to further careful when placing the copied icons onto the new ui_icon_eqipment.dds that they should sit properly within the (invisible) squares, you know, the x and y coordinates of the icons. Divide the dds to 50 pixels squares (show grid) and you'll see the lines. If the icon oversteps the virtual lines then it will be cut awkwardly in the inventory.

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edit: OK, EggChen is again faster, when will I learn? He has posted a very good guide.

[EggChen]

I'm only faster because you are far more detailed

[Nightwatch]

I'm only faster because you are far more detailed

Modesty

(I was just preparing to answer, damn Microsoft locked my PC after the windows update, I had to restart. )

[DARK TEMPLAR]

Ok so i finaly started to do the merge and were somewhat successful. Now the only issues is that the icons look transparent. Saved the file in ''Alpha Exponent (DXT5)'' format using gimp.
Any ideas

[Balious]

Damn two things are stopping me trying to design games. One getting a C in english and maths (Especially the english my third go) and the second thing is modding.

Of course I do have my own little small mod of changing the menu music (which is 99% help from everyone else I guess, I also may need to look through that again as I may of forgotten one small bit or two). Only problem I have is I can't learn on my own and need to be spoon-fed (told everything I guess) on how to do the things. Scripting of course is my main problem as some of you may know.
That reminds me jamie1992 you were meant to be making a CS mod with me what happened to that?

Okay heres what I can do. I can change the weight to whatever I want, change menu music, sort of change characters names from what I read in this thread, change the relationships between factions and mutants and make a conversation if I still have that file on doing it that jamie helped me do.

I would like to know how to spawn starting simple with anything first I guess. Then once that parts done I try spawning my own factions into the game. Of course I tried doing the instructions on the links to tutorials but two of them are down (they belong to filefront so I guess thats why) and as I most likely need all.spawn which I also gave problems with as it doesn't seem to work even with the instructions.

[DARK TEMPLAR]

Ahh was it notepad ++ which was good for merging ltx files

[NatVac]

All I can say is that you need to further careful when placing the copied icons onto the new ui_icon_eqipment.dds that they should sit properly within the (invisible) squares, you know, the x and y coordinates of the icons. Divide the dds to 50 pixels squares (show grid) and you'll see the lines. If the icon oversteps the virtual lines then it will be cut awkwardly in the inventory.

I use GIMP's "View > Snap to Grid" to make that work. Photoshop should have an equivalent.

I would like to know how to spawn starting simple with anything first I guess. Then once that parts done I try spawning my own factions into the game. Of course I tried doing the instructions on the links to tutorials but two of them are down (they belong to filefront so I guess thats why) and as I most likely need all.spawn which I also gave problems with as it doesn't seem to work even with the instructions.

At this stage you don't really need the all.spawn to spawn NPCs. The Wiki tutorial is good enough to get you started, I think.

Ok so i finaly started to do the merge and were somewhat successful. Now the only issues is that the icons look transparent. Saved the file in ''Alpha Exponent (DXT5)'' format using gimp.
Any ideas

I don't think that is the right DXT5 choice. I recall using BC3/DXT5 with the GIMP plugin. That may not be the right choice either, but I have heard no complaints about the icon file. --That relate to the compression format, anyway.

The tutorial is using the Photoshop "interpolated alpha", but I don't think that's the same as GIMP's "Alpha Exponent". Edit: The SDK tutorial says this:

Note that Photoshop adds a black background to DDS images. This probably makes it more difficult to preserve the alpha channel. GIMP allows working on transparent background, so you might want to try it, if you get stuck with Photoshop.

On merging: Yes, Notepad++ is very useful for merging, although I primarily use WinMerge to see the differences. But for merging ui_icon_equipment.dds files, I recall that Don Reba has a UI Merge Tool that not only merges such files (there is still an extra format conversion step, I think), but it also gave you the LTX file changes to go with it.

[DARK TEMPLAR]

Ok so i finaly started to do the merge and were somewhat successful. Now the only issues is that the icons look transparent. Saved the file in ''Alpha Exponent (DXT5)'' format using gimp.
Any ideas

I don't think that is the right DXT5 choice. I recall using BC3/DXT5 with the GIMP plugin. That may not be the right choice either, but I have heard no complaints about the icon file. --That relate to the compression format, anyway.

Yeah I just figured that out after trial and error, can't belive I missed that DXT5 format in the selection on the first to sixth time.

And thx for ltx merge inf

[DARK TEMPLAR]

Me again.
1. Where and what line must I remove to eliminate the ''gun has jammed, reload'' text
2. How to make weapons usable in safe zones

[EggChen]

Find scripts\sr_no_weapon and look for this text :

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function action_no_weapon:zone_enter()
   self.state = state_inside
   bind_stalker.hide_weapon()
end

Change it to :

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function action_no_weapon:zone_enter()
   self.state = state_outside
   bind_stalker.restore_weapon()
end

That is from some mod I cannot remember, it may work just by commenting out (adding -- before the line) 2nd and 3rd lines, but that way above definately works.

The weapon text, check config\ui\ui_custom_msgs, in which you will find :

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<gun_jammed x="192" y="100" width="640" height="30" ttl="3">
<text font="graffiti22"  r="240" g="217" b="182" a="255" align="c">gun_jammed</text>
</gun_jammed>

Try commenting out the second line, again using --. If that does not work, simply move it off screen, change y="100" to y="800, which puts the text off the bottom of the screen.