Disclaimer: I am just a visitor to this forum. There might be errors in what I tell you.
Diamond Edge wrote: "1. What tools do I need to create a mod ?"
First of all, you need lots of time, and read a lot of the info here on this forum (or wherever you may find it). Second, you need the ability to take huge loads of frustration, because you will unavoidably screw up several times. Third, you need a lot of time.
Okay, enough annoying advice. Here are some elementary software tools:
Freelancer Mod Manager v1.1
This program handles the existing mods, and you can also use it to handle yours.(Theoretically you can do without, but that would mean you would eihter be editting the original files, or would have to back up those files needed, and replace them every time you wanted to use them. This program does all that with a few mouseclicks)
Get acquainted with it, before you start. From this app, you can open the mod folder, and you will create your mod in a new folder, inside this mod folder.
Your mod folder will have to imitate the original FL folder structure.
BniQDU v1.1
To decompress and read the ini files. You don't need to recompress them.
Eventually, you would like to create names and infocards, and you'll need ResHacker.exe. This is freeware; do a Google search to find it.
To find out how to use all these, use the search utility of this forum.
Diamond Edge wrote: "2. When I've created a mod where does the mod go, server or client side when used within a MP environment ?
If you run the server and have the mod installed, it's sevrersided; players hsould also have it installed to make it work properly.
If you are just a player in MP on someone else's server, you are limited in what you can mod. And you can make the server crash, so be very careful with what you want to do.
"We are a way of the Cosmos to know itself"
-- Carl Sagan
Edited by - hans olo on 31-05-2003 14:52:02