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** TUTORIAL ** Adding and Enabling Pilotable Ships

The general place to discuss MOD''ing Freelancer!

Post Wed Mar 12, 2003 12:53 pm

Draede, all the text info (including the "stats" are located in .dlls.

I have NO idea why they would put critical DATA in .ini files and then put STRINGS in a .dll. *boggle*

Also, I have no idea why the stat screens would be written separately rather than actually QUERY the values from the ship type in question.

Weird design there.

Post Wed Mar 12, 2003 6:35 pm

They are contained in DLL's ? Well.. that's retarded, heh. They put in an INI mechanism for people to customize their own ships, customise various mechanics oriented with the game... but we can not edit simple text strings for ship designations etc?

Yeah, that's just more than a tad weird.

I'm assuming that no one has figured out how to peel open the DLL's and recompress them yet? That means effectively that you can't add custom ships.. only clone alterations... and those clones will always have the descriptions and info sheets of their originals. Argh.

Well, atleast I got my tricked out Titan in single player (Had to rebuy it tho, major ouchie.. $771,000 or something similar heh). It's great, I put a Rheinland Banshee engine in it .. so it has the Rheinland green tail flame effects from the engine , and the higher pitched "tinny" Rheinland Cruise Engine sounds. I also shuffled the weapon mounts, basically gaining a forward mounting turret & 2nd Minedropper while I lost the Torpedo (which I have yet to use after the storyline ends, heh).

Over all it's real s**** (the board edits out w*a*n*k by itself? Interesting.), I just wish I could put a coat of paint on it also.

Edited by - Draede on 12-03-2003 18:37:27

Post Thu Mar 13, 2003 2:20 am

As already said in other threads you can OPEN, EDIT and SAVE DLLs as "Resources" via Microsoft Visual Studio or comaparable programs. It should be possible to add new IDs and assign them to your new ship type.

Post Thu Mar 13, 2003 3:59 am


Draede:

They are contained in DLL's ? Well.. that's retarded, heh. They put in an INI mechanism for people to customize their own ships, customise various mechanics oriented with the game... but we can not edit simple text strings for ship designations etc?



Yeah, I am pretty shocked by that as well. Strings should be one of the easiest things to change, not one of the harder things.

It is a pain that you need some kind of special program to edit the .dlls, and therefore simple strings.



I just wish I could put a coat of paint on it also.



No doubt!

Post Thu Mar 13, 2003 4:16 am

"Borderworld Light Fighter Powerplant Energy Capacity: 1800 Regeneration Rate / sec: 183" out of the equipresources.dll, wish they'd left the ability to upgrade power plants in :/

Post Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:52 pm

On the regard of powerplants and upgrades I've got a very sneaking feeling that there will be an expansion coming out in the next month or 2 for Freelancer that will likely include:

- Cloaking upgrades for ships
- 2 or 3 new catagories of weapons
- Powerplant Upgrades
- Radar Upgrades
- Radar Jamming
- A Continueing Storyline (Let's hope!)

...and who knows what else. Here's why I make that statement. In browseing through the resource files for the game , it's DLL's, the INI files, etc etc... there are TONS of different categories of equipment , upgrades, and who knows what else that actually DO exist in the game resource files and were created. They just aren't implemented in game for some reason, most likely something having to do with a combination of balance and game release schedule.

If you dig hard enough you'll find tons of equipment, upgrades, and ship addons that are IN the game resource files and have been fully created. Most of them actually function in game if you can hack them in yourself. The only real issue is that the Ships themselves haven't been programmed by default to accept them (even tho there probably ARE hardpoints for cloaking devices, radar jammers, and the like.. we just don't know the hardpoint names).

I'd consider it a REAL BIG waste by Digital Anvil / MicroSquish if they had all these finished (but unpolished / balanced) items in the game to be taken advantage of.. but never did get implemented. Heck even just a PATCH could be issued to activate and make use of all this stuff.

It just seems more Microsoft's speed to make you buy it in an expansion tho.

Dai

Post Fri Mar 14, 2003 3:41 am

do you have to start a new game for these to take effect, or can you work off a game saved just after that 5 minute long into if you have to make a new game fresh, anyway around the freeport7 intro?

Post Fri Apr 04, 2003 9:55 pm

I don't know if anyone has done this yet, but I was successful at changing the starting ship to what ever I wanted along with what ever loadout I wanted on it. The only thing I haven't found yet was where they placed the starting credits at. I thought I found it and changed it but it still shows up as only 500 credits.
I also changed the amount your given for each mission success. They just seemed rather cheap in their donations, hehe. Starting missions are 20,000 each progressing upwards to 100,000 for later levels. Also added payment for nonpaying missions.

Post Sat Apr 05, 2003 10:31 am

Question:

Would changing the availability of ships effect non augmented games?
Example:
Add Anubis to be for sale in manhattan.
Start a MP server.
Person A connects without augmented files.

What happens to person A? Can he buy new ships in manhattan? or is it only available to server host?

Post Sat Apr 05, 2003 11:48 am

I've created a clone of a dagger (i'm calling it the e_dagger, short for Elite Dagger) and I've managed to get it so I can buy the weapons i want for multiple L10 omnipoints, two thrusters with custom positioning, etc. BUT the *.cmp file editing only takes effect in two places: If I use the *.cmp file for an altered version of the dagger (effects NPCS who fly the Dagger), OR when I'm landed on a base. If I try to implement it as a clone (new separate ship not used by NPCS), as soon as I take off, I lose my extra hardpoints and thruster, etc... They just don't show up. As soon as I land they're back again but they just don't show up in space when used on a clone. Did I miss something? I've been following a tutorial i found on this board and it's made great sense and all but... ??? I'm confused.

Post Sun Apr 06, 2003 6:47 am

**bump** Hey does anybody here answer questions? I'm stuck on my e_dagger problem still (see above)

Post Sun Apr 06, 2003 8:48 am

I know that it's probably done somewhere else, and if it is I suppose I'd take a link to it, but:
I thought that this thread would also contain information on how to make a clone of a ship? How to make a playable ship appear at a planet was handeled so gracefully by the author (3 cheers for ThresholdRPG!!!), I'd hate to not see the same be applied to cloning. I'd love to redesign a ship or two.

Also, is it possible to make that modified defender Juni uses flyable? What is it's Id?

Thanks,

-----------------------
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PatrickzRealm.net
Waste some time today[!

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