Creating Mod Help: Creating a Completely New Mod

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 06 Mar 2007, 21:08

First if you search for a new mod, or a recruiting topic, sorry you are wrong here, I need help because I can't get a mod to work!

Hi, I'm posting because the wiki doesn't really help at all.

A few questions

I want to make a mod, with no "unit" dependencies but some settings like "weapon.tdf" / "sounds" / textures from XTA

the code would be

NumDependencies=2;
Depend0=tacontent_v2.sdz;
Depend1=tatextures_v062.sdz;

In modinfo.tdf right?

Furthermore, which files are Essential, to make it at least work Ingame without crashing? (maybe an Example when you want to have a mod with 2 Unis (1 for each side). <<(Would help me the most I think).

Why I ask? I've been sitting here trying to get this running with atleast 2 Units and failed it just crashed when the unit should've been spawned.

The only thing I get right after the start is

Number of damage types: 2
Unknown feature type

After that it showes version info and stuff and then it exits with no other message.

Don't ask for files, I whipe them out most time because it kinda frustrates if nothing works even though I've read the wiki (if you can call that reading... way to less info in my opinion, couldn't be harder for someone to start off.

I'll just write it again. I'm having a TOTALLY empty "folder" (I have the subfolders though), nothing like "XTA based units". I want to have some things like weapon.tdf in it (because most units of unituniverse use them).

Maelstrom · Post by **Maelstrom** » 07 Mar 2007, 06:39

Try downloading and modifying Nanoblobs, its a very clean mod with easy to understand bits and the minimum dependancys, just the thing to start you off with.

KDR_11k · Post by **KDR_11k** » 07 Mar 2007, 09:43

Careful, Argh will get on your throat if you use any of his scripts without including all that extra GPL stuff (not only the source but also those allcaps textfiles).

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 07 Mar 2007, 17:41

It's nice that you tried to help, but I really want to start from scratch.

KDR_11k · Post by **KDR_11k** » 07 Mar 2007, 19:49

You aren't starting from scratch if you put XTA content into the dependencies. Dozerz is a pretty minimalistic mod, for example, you can look at that. If in doubt whether something is important to your mod, don't include the file and see if Spring crashes or everything breaks.

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 07 Mar 2007, 20:06

I'm pretty sure I've written that I need this textures/sounds for units which I downloaded from unituniverse; by scratch I meant that I don't want to use base files e.g. like XTA units (some like weapon.tdf/explosions are needed, cause of the unituniverse units), just empty folders!

KDR_11k · Post by **KDR_11k** » 07 Mar 2007, 20:51

A problem with taking TA units is that Spring isn't 100% compatible with those, most likely you have to do some serious changes to the COB and fbi files.

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 07 Mar 2007, 21:13

so this means there is a huge chance that the cob files create problems? (changing fbi files is a small problem), writing new BOS files is a bigger problem for me (I think).

Argh · Post by **Argh** » 08 Mar 2007, 01:29

I would really, really have to suggest downloading NanoBlobs and studying the contents, even if you aren't willing to put up with the hassle of dealing with a GPL'd thing. It has commented BOS files and other stuff that will make figuring out the basics a lot easier. Starting from scratch, with just the old animation tutorials and stuff is pretty rough, honestly, especially considering how much new stuff there is to learn now compared to OTA.

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 08 Mar 2007, 18:08

mhh ok, It's not really what I wanted... and It's a shame that nobody cares about the wiki... really...

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 08 Mar 2007, 18:47

we care about the wiki, I have added stuff into the mod editing wiki, that isn't really a fair statement as many people do what they can. If it comes between the wiki and my mod I work on my mod.

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 08 Mar 2007, 19:56

I didn't meant to insult anyone, but it's hard to navigate through it. For me personally, it seems like the "mainpages" are done once and that's it. I'm sorry if it sounded like I would say nobody is updating it. But updating sections is of less use when navigating is difficult (bewildering).

For example:

"What do I need to create a mod" sounds like what files are really neccesary(folders...), and of course the rest the link links to.

The Wiki itself would work alot better if it was more organized. (I personally have sometimes failed to find specific things again... which resulted in searching around , eventually forgetting what I wanted to do).

Again I apologize if I've insulted you or anyone else.

Neddie · Post by **Neddie** » 08 Mar 2007, 21:43

I've done a lot of work on the Wiki myself and am trying new page layouts in my small amount of spare time.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 09 Mar 2007, 00:27

http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=6015

I made this thread to help you begining moders, answer me honestly, did you read it?

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 09 Mar 2007, 15:45

Yes I did, but I never said I planned an release/make my own models/ textures or huge team on this. so I don't really see what was the point of posting this here...

For people which aim at a serious release like EE, 1944... this is helpfull.

I wasn't planning something dead serious from the start on.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 09 Mar 2007, 19:09

I understand but was it help full? does it need more of something? I can add to that post you know.

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 09 Mar 2007, 20:19

What could be added is "error faq", because I hit the first "point" on your side ^^, failure (if it would be a project, you could call it "death"). The problem I had was, that I couldn't pin down the problem, I was left with a perfectly clear infolog (only though a "Unknown Feature Type " error I've seen in some mods , too).

However this needs the help of the community, For example: some guy is writing an *.FBI file and made a silly mistake, and fixes it by simply changing numbers / or variables.

For example I remember this guy on the forum who said his commander refused to walk, which was caused by the variable "ExtractsMetal" set to something like 0.0xx if I remember right.

My problem however has to lay either in *.fbi files / missing textures /or even the cob file (because I used TA Units from unituniverse)

VonGratz · Post by **VonGratz** » 09 Mar 2007, 20:36

Well,well!
To learn something about scripting I can suggest the olde TA COB/BOS tutorials..

All stuff
http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=show&a=cat&id=30

and in French language.
http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=show&a=it&id=2725

Note that these are specially made for TA, and Springers modified and improved a lot of things that included some TA Kingdoms files between others.

VonGratz

Engine Of Darkness · Post by **Engine Of Darkness** » 10 Mar 2007, 20:19

wow seems a lot like c#/c++ (if else statementn brackets...) ^^

Argh · Post by **Argh** » 10 Mar 2007, 23:32

It's basically chunks of C (not C++) with a few random things in it that are totally made-up, and a few things missing (the most important being strings). Scriptor then converts it (fairly sloppily) into bytecode.

Basically, I pointed you to NanoBlobs because ... erm... well, once you get past reading those tutorials, you need to look at good, commented example code, if you're going to ever get past the very basics.

If you just want to do yet another OTA rebal, or a "throw lots of random buggy crap together" mod, then all you need to know is how to edit and debug FBIs and TDFs, pretty much- you'd have to grab an occasional sound file, or convert some GAFs to TGA, but it's not that tricky.

Even doing that isn't completely painless (missing feature type usually means that a Corpse reference is wrong, btw) but the problems you'll run into are easily dealt with.

Unless the problem is due to an animation that jams. Or you want to speed up a Kbot's movement rate, but the animation now no longer syncs. Or you want to write a custom ExplosionGenerator, but the Wiki's examples aren't exactly... erm... detailed... Etc., etc., etc. And that is why I pointed you straight towards the mod that I built to at least partially serve as an educational tool

And the Wiki doesn't suck, it's just a bit disorganized, there's a huge amount of information to deal with, and there are lots of parts where the people who could build better tutorials are the people who are building mods, and we're too busy to help you.

Basically, there is no, "how to build a mod from scratch" tutorial. I really doubt there ever will be one, either- certain parts of the specifications keep changing as Spring evolves, so it'd be obsolete (at least in parts) by the time somebody put one together. So, studying smaller mods is the best way to learn where all the files are supposed to go, how things interrelate, etc.

Spring RTS Engine

Creating Mod Help: Creating a Completely New Mod

Creating Mod Help: Creating a Completely New Mod