First off where the news items are kept, in the data/missions folder is the news.ini of course back it up before you edit it. Heres an example from the ini file of how it works:

[NewsItem
rank=base_0_rank, mission_end
icon=world
logo=news_hawaii
category=56446
headline=56446
text=56447
audio=
base=Bw02_02_Base
base=Hi02_01_Base
base=Hi02_02_Base

Let me break it down, the first part the

rank=base_0_rank, mission_end

Tells freelancer when this news item is to appear, this is esspically important for multiplayer. This specific base_0_rank, mission_end bassicaly means ALWAYS SHOW, so if you wanted to add new news for multiplayer you would want to use this tag to show it.

The next part:

icon=world
logo=news_hawaii

is the small icon and large picture that is show when you access the news item, these are based off another ini *i assume i havn't looked in depth yet* or on the acuttaly names of the texture files it refers too, for now i am *and you should too unless you know how* use the built in icons and logos.

Next is:

category=56446
headline=56446
text=56447
audio=

This is the meat and bones of the news items, this tells a category and headline, with are the name of the news story basicly, the catgeory is for the list area on the news and the headline is the acutally news story name, almost always theses are the same numbers, the numbers of course reffer to the number to a string table. The text is the acutall news story it is an infocard or in XML format of text, and so the number points to that.(Note: I have not been able to find the orignal news headlines or storys so far since i use the FL ini refrencer and it can't calc these low numbers.) The last is audio= leave this out, it looks like *and confirmed in freelancer.ini* that they were going to have audio speech for the news storys but decied to take it out for whatever reason.

And lastely:

base=Bw02_02_Base
base=Hi02_01_Base
base=Hi02_02_Base

If you hadnt gussed already this tells where the news story will be 'show' or accessable. For instance if you wanted to add this news story to mathatten you would just add base=Li01_01_Base to do so. Very easy.

Thats pretty much it, not really that hard at all. I have added one news story and it works perfectly in single and multiplayer. Have fun

would it be possible to make them mission specific... let's say you were on liberty and you just completed a mission where you have to destroy rogue forces... could you, after the mission is complete, make a news post appear saying something like "today local hero, trent, destroyed a squadron of rogue forces in our system"? is that possible or would that be hard coded?

I'm not a hundred percent sure, but but, if you check with the 'scirpt modders' who are acutally working on making new scripts it could/would be possible in at least single player, as for multiplayer, i won't say it's impossible *nothing is* but very unlikely, it's defitnly something for script modders and other modders to look into thou. A very good question man.

Thanks, I will add this into the compilation thread.

Confused...

I see how to edit the file etc, but can you please clarify where you enter what the news articals are supposed to say? I dont get it.

Maybe i need to lay off the pipe.. nahhhh

-Lord Tarl.

don;t worry tarl as i said i will have a more indepth and more clear cut tutorial up and done when my freelancer site comes up. It will explain it essiscally step by step for you so no worries just have a lil patince.

My freelancer site is now up as you can tell from the other topic, here is the address:
http://qfl.web1000.com

The more detailed tutorial of this is up there enjoy.

James "Quickshot14" Greenwood<br>
<a href=http://welcome.to/qsd>Quickshot14's Domain<br>
<a href=http://qwc.web1000.com>Quickshot14's Warcraft III Site<br>
<a href=http://qfl.web1000.com>Quickshot14's Freelancer Site

Ok. I just wanted to clarify this tutorial a little for anyone coming across this thread.

1. The "logo" is located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Freelancer\DATA\INTERFACE\NEURONET\NEWSVENDOR\newsvendor.txm and you will need the UTF editor to add items to it. The logo name in the news.ini file refers to the logo node name. The tree start with the root, then a node under root called "Texture Library", and the nodes under "Texture Library" contain all the logo names. The nodes under each logo name are called MIP0 and this is where you import your image file. It has to be in TGA format.

2. The text for the news item is located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Freelancer\EXE\resources.dll and you will need a resource editor such as ResHack or XNResource Editor. The number for the headline and text refers to the "String Table" ID number. I have yet to figure out what the "Catagory" entry is for, but in vanilla Freelancer it is redundant with the headline. I don't know where the icons are located at either, but in time I will figure it out.

As a suggestion, for any image format conversions use XNView. It is a free download from http://www.xnview.com/. It is a program used to automatically create a web page to display images, however, it can convert almost any image format.

The XNResource Editor I downloaded from http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/delphi.htm. It is also a free download.

NOSM, this thread was dead 4 years. Also, I am moving it to the tuteral forum.