For the problem with not seeing your factions, this is easy to solve. Make the poeple inside the bar (see mbases.ini file) your faction. Now do you see them in their? or do you crash? Methinks you'll crash, and if so, you have something wrong. The game appears to be particular about certain things, its a real bugger.

The problem with credits, its not the amount of money, its your value. If you sell a gun worth 7k, you actually gain nothing, cause you have lost 7k's worth of gun whilst gaining 7k in creds. Not a clue otherwise, sorry, no time.



Edited by - Chips on 3/22/2004 8:32:07 AM

after several terrible system crashes (or server crashes anyway), I had to reinstall my game twice.

I am going to restart everything, excepting my resource file. I'll repost how it worked out when I'm done. I think I may have tried to do too much at once, and could have made an error nearly anywhere. I'll keep it simple, one new faction, one new system (with one new base), one new loadout, etc. If I can get it to work like that, then I can start adding more stuff after.

I've got a problem. My mod now keeps crashing, there doesn't seem to be a pattern. Every time I try to launch into space from any system or base the games crashes. I also keep getting a file sharing error message on trying to load up my mod. Flmm also indicates error 11 with freelancer.ini. My recent changes to the mod were a couple of encounters and loadouts. I did use an old save file to test them though, which could have started all this off.

I ran the ini analyser and it indicated lost files, which when I checked weren't missing.

I've reinstalled FL and undone all of the recent changes but it still doen't want to play. Is this a dll type fault? I've done a lot of FL modding and have always managed to find the problem quite quickly. This time I'm stumped.

Anyone any ideas.

S

hi, i am a total neewbie , wanting to try my hand at ship moding.
instaid of making my ship in gmax, does anyone know if i can make it in solidworks (a 3D CAD programme) , which i have a lot more experience with.
i assume i would need a file converter to put my model into milkshape so that i can texture it, if it were even possible. any ideas would be much apreciated

Edited by - cliffhanger on 3/22/2004 1:08:19 PM

Steve - i have had that. Delete all save games, then download FLMM again (what the heck - why not) and then delete FL and resintall. It worked for me when i thought the sky was falling in some months ago.

Mind you - it also happend the other week, there was no cure apart from to lose 1 weeks modding and start from my last correct save!

Ok, well my faction now shows up in the list, after doing what you said chips, putting someone in the base who was part of my faction (mbases.ini). So now the system works, the faction appears to work (and if I piss off their allies, they get mad). But my encounters still don't work. I found one glaring mistake in faction_props, I had set them to scan for small_arms, but realized later it was light_arms. I removed the whole line. Still nothing. I also tried making patrol paths, but also nothing. So now, I'm pretty sure my faction works, pretty sure my system works (and all the stuff in the system belongs to my faction), but still no encounters. Here are my entries to loadouts, npcships and faction_prop:

[Loadout
nickname = cn_n_navy_loadout01
archetype = ku_elite
equip = ge_ke_engine_01
equip = npc_shield01_mark06, HpShield01
equip = infinite_power
equip = ge_s_scanner_02
equip = ge_s_tractor_01
equip = ge_s_thruster_01, HpThruster01
equip = armor_scale_3
equip = ku_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon01
equip = ku_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon02
equip = ku_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon03
equip = ku_gun01_mark02, HpWeapon04
equip = cruise_disruptor01_mark01, HpTorpedo01
cargo = cruise_disruptor01_mark01_ammo, 5
equip = mine01_mark01, HpMine01
cargo = mine01_mark01_ammo, 20
equip = ge_s_cm_01, HpCM01
cargo = ge_s_cm_01_ammo, 20

(I copied it from a kusari navy patrol, so I could be certain that their equipment was correct, I just removed the lights and changed the nickname)

[NPCShipArch
nickname = cn_n_navy_d7
loadout = cn_n_navy_loadout01
level = d7
ship_archetype = ku_elite
pilot = pilot_military_med
state_graph = FIGHTER
npc_class = lawful, class_fighter, d7

(only thing I really wonder about this is the difficulty thing. I assigned 7 kind of arbitrarily.)

[FactionProps
affiliation = cn_n_grp
legality = lawful
nickname_plurality = singular
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_faction_li_n
jump_preference = any
npc_ship = cn_n_navy_d7
voice = pilot_f_mil_m01
voice = pilot_f_mil_m02
voice = pilot_f_leg_f01
voice = pilot_f_leg_f01a
mc_costume = mc_li
space_costume = li_captain_head, li_male_elite_body, comm_ge_generic2
space_costume = li_rockford_head, li_male_elite_body, comm_li_hatcher
space_costume = li_sales_head_hat, li_male_elite_body, comm_ge_generic2
space_costume = ge_male4_head, li_male_elite_body, comm_li_hatcher
space_costume = pl_male2_head, li_male_elite_body, comm_ge_generic2
space_costume = ge_male3_head, li_male_elite_body, comm_li_hatcher
space_costume = li_newscaster_head_gen_hat, li_female_elite_body, comm_ge_generic2_female
space_costume = li_newscaster_head_gen_hat, li_female_elite_body, comm_li_hatcher_female
space_costume = br_newscaster_head_gen_hat, li_female_elite_body, comm_ge_generic2_female
space_costume = br_newscaster_head_gen_hat, li_female_elite_body, comm_li_hatcher_female
space_costume = pl_female2_head, li_female_elite_body, comm_ge_generic2_female
space_costume = pl_female2_head, li_female_elite_body, comm_li_hatcher_female
firstname_male = 226608, 226741
firstname_female = 226808, 226952
lastname = 227008, 227307
rank_desig = 197002, 197003, 197004, 6, 9
formation_desig = 197808, 197820
large_ship_desig = 196976
large_ship_names = 202608, 202647
scan_for_cargo = commodity_cardamine, 2
scan_announce = true
scan_chance = 0.300000
formation = fighters, fighter_li_n

(this one is copied from liberty navy, with new nick and my npcship entry. the only thing I wonder about here is maybe that very last entry, fighter_li_n.)

Here's the actual encounter, found in the system's ini file.

[Zone
nickname = Zone_IW07_pop_ambient_01
pos = -15856, 0, -27840
rotate = 0, 0, 0
shape = SPHERE
size = 3699
sort = 51
toughness = 4
density = 3
repop_time = 25
max_battle_size = 4
pop_type = Background
relief_time = 35
population_additive = false
faction_weight = cn_n_grp, 20
encounter = area_defend, 4, 1.0
faction = cn_n_grp, 1.0


In the meantime, I'm going to try more stuff (substituting my faction for others in the encounter, seeing if any ships show up, putting other factions npcships in my factions faction_prop entry etc). But I really, really can't see why it doesn't work.


edit: does the line "size = 3699" mean that this zone is really, really huge and that the reason I can't see them is because the zone is just too damn big and they could be anywhere in it? I'm going to try shrinking it.

Edited by - chantdeguerre on 3/22/2004 3:28:15 PM

Cliffhanger

If Solidworks can export a 3D mesh to the AutoCAD DXF format, Milkshape 3d should be able to import it.

Must be a solid 3D mesh using triangles.

Thanx Chips. I was hoping you wouldn't suggest that one. I'll give it a go. I've a recent backup, so not too much lost.

S

and info on chanin Thruster speed,
And MAT files, like how do you make em or what are they
Thattl do for now




Edited by - -Trail- on 3/23/2004 4:52:03 AM

Changing thruster speed:

Just find the thruster in DATA/EQUIPMENT/st_equip.ini, and change "max_force = " e.g.

[Thruster
nickname = ge_s_thruster_01
ids_name = 263737
ids_info = 264737
DA_archetype = equipment\models\st\ku_thruster.3db
material_library = equipment\models\ku_equip.mat
HP_child = HpConnect
hit_pts = 1000
explosion_resistance = 0.500000
debris_type = debris_normal
parent_impulse = 20
child_impulse = 80
volume = 0.000000
mass = 10
max_force = 72000 ;<--- Change this
particles = gf_ge_s_thruster_01
hp_particles = hpthrust
power_usage = 165
lootable = true
separation_explosion = sever_debris
LODranges = 0, 20

Mat files contain all the texture info etc. for in-game models like ships.

Finally made everything work. Alot of trial and error, but I guess thats the way any computer-related, semi-programming project goes. Got my factions, ships, systems all working properly.

I'm wondering now about changing the way the ships look. Not adding in entirely new ones (no visual arts talents whatsoever, couldn't make nice ships, not for lack of technical ability, but lack of ideas for nice ships). But I would like to change some textures. For example, I have a custom dagger and a custom defender in my mod, and I'd like to do something simple like add a red maple leaf to the wings of the defender, so you could visually tell that it was different from the normal one, and another simple, undecided design to the wings of the dagger. I've been reading and rereading drizzt's ship tutorial, but alot of whats in there about textures is adding new textures to new ships. I want to export existing textures, and then modify them (photoshop). I realize that most people who know how to do this stuff are busy (maybe busy actually doing it... ) I just need to be pointed in the right direction (if there was any previous info posted on doing this). I've tried looking through general editing and tutorials, but haven't found much so far. I'll keep looking on my own, but if anyone could help it would be appreciated.

So basically, from my understanding, I need to export existing textures, find a program that either lets me convert them or modify them as is, modify them, pray that it works, convert them back (if conversion is required), pray some more, and hopefully it will work.

true, all it is is exporting the .dds texture from the .mat of the ships using the utf editor tool, editing it in any program that can handel .dds (photoshop w/ a plugin you can get from nvidia's page website) then imputting it back into the .mat with the utf editor.

Though one question, do you want these changes made to ALL of the ships of that type, aka all defenders including npcs, or is your ship technically a seperate ship from the normals ones but just uses the same models cmp? To have a seperate texture being placed on a "cloned" freelancer ship takes quite a bit more work to do properly. Including going through with a hex editor and using the freelancer crc calculator utility.

There WAS a tutorial on how to do it, but it wasn't listed like the others, as posts on the board, but instead as a utility. So I figured all this out. My ship (a new entry in shiparch.ini, copied from a dagger but modified) uses the dagger models, and I just changed it's .mat entry for mine. It works like a charm. So it is a new ship (and the only NPCs flying it are the ones who are part of one of my new factions). I didn't have any problems.

In other words I did this:

1) copied the dagger entry from shiparch.ini to a new entry at the bottom. changed the nickname, a few other things (letting it use better weapons, new powerplant, new engine etc) and also changed the .mat file reference to my new one.

2) did all the .dds editing with photoshop. got stuck a few times with the whole LOD / mipmap thing. The tutorial was a little foggy on this part. A bit of trial and error fixed my problems though.

3) put the new ship for sale at one of my systems, and set one of my factions to fly it. bingo. it has red stars on the wings (both under and on top) so I can visually differentiate it from normal daggers, which also fly around (lane hackers) in my new system.

So yeah, I have a new mat file, I didn't edit bw_ships.mat (which was where the dagger is stored). I did however COPY that file, edit in my new textures, and then rename it and link my new ship to it. I didn't need to modify any CRC or anything (no new hardpoints or anything like that).

So now I can do pretty much what I wanted to do. I'm going to start working on a real mod. I realized one thing though, and that's how huge an undertaking it will be to significantly change the game around. I think what I really needed to learn wasn't the specific stuff about modding FL (like new factions or whatever) but more the general approach I needed to take (learning that everything is referenced, what files contain what stuff etc etc) and now I'm starting to have it down. I have a bit of programming experience, so I don't really have trouble thinking that way. At least I didn't come here thinking I'd be able to change three lines in a file and magically have everything working the way I wanted it to. I saw that happen to alot of people with warcraft 3's world editor, which is hugely more complex than a simple map editor (as in starcraft or warcraft2). The more powerful something is, the harder it's going to be to cutomise it, but the better the end result will be when it finally stops crashing spectaculairly to the desktop.

Peace

ps - I'll post my mod when it's finished (not for a while though).

Hello, I am a newbie... DONT RUN AWAY... I was wondering if it is possible to make a MOD that enables you to buy a Battleship like the missouri on a planet like Manhatten???