Is this right?
http://home.comcast.net/~Weiser_Cain/Images/what_1.jpg) Heavy balster underoos?

Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
Is this right?
http://home.comcast.net/~Weiser_Cain/Images/what_1.jpg) Heavy balster underoos?

brings new meaning to the term

"is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me ?"

It's a type of reactive armor, you see.... :)

Actually, there is an item template "w_bstrcrbn.uti" that does have its baseitem set to basic clothing, hence it shows up under that category in the inventory tree.

Here's a screenshot showing some of my work with the .git files.
It's the Upper City Cantina on Taris with GIT data overlayed.

The image is generated by taking the map image and quadrupling the size and using it as a background. My code then reads the .git file data and draws a 3x3 dot for each point. The labels were added in an image editor.

Show in the image are the locations of creatures, placeable items, waypoints, sounds, doors, map notes and trigger geometries.

The hardest part so far is getting the game coordinates to map to the image. Basically, you have to scale them by ~11.08 and add an offset so they show up in the right place. On this image, they're close, but not right on.

GIT data overlayed on map (http://home.comcast.net/~armada/m02ae_map.jpg)

I have to experiment with other map/GIT combinations to make sure that the code always works.

WHOA! Sweet. I have been thinking of how this specific thing could be done and I also thought the best way would be to use the game maps(atleast until there is a way to render an area outside of the game) But sinse I don't know how to program I didn't even consider doing it myself.

Is it possible to have x,y,z coords displayed when the map is moused over. The main thing stopping me from making any area mods is the amout of coords I would have to get from inside the game. The biggest things that are needed are being able to place waypoints, trigger areas, obejects, and NPC's. Being able to draw trigger geometry and way points is very important.

Do you know if the trigger geometry areas are used for creature encouters or is that a sepparate thing similar to Triggers?

This is really cool Fred. Is the veiwer capable of loading any git right now or just the upper Taris Cantina. I would love to get my hands on it if I could load up any area .git. :D

The way it is currently implemented, I have to export a map with KT, resize it in an external paint program and save it, then I have to align and scale the image to the data from the .git file. The last step takes quite a bit of time, as you have to know which things are where on the original map, and make sure they show up in approximately the right place. Also, many maps have different scales in the .git; Taris Cantina is has a scale of "24" while Dantooine (m13aa) has one of "50". I can open any .GIT and see where things are, but that's the extent of it today.

Basically, the aforementioned steps would have to be done for each map, which will be rather tedious and time consuming.

Since the maps are 2D and there isn't anyway of getting the elevation (Z) from the models today, I couldn't show the Z value for the map, only for the item.

I'll keep you all posted as things progress.

Greetings Fred:

Awesome tool, and great work.

Will you be releasing the changes for editing light sabers?

Thank you.

I haven't heard anything bad back from the testers, so I'll be releasing a new version soon.

Originally posted by Fred Tetra
Since the maps are 2D and there isn't anyway of getting the elevation (Z) from the models today, I couldn't show the Z value for the map, only for the item.

I'll keep you all posted as things progress.

So is the data laidout on a grid or is it a matter of over laying the output data over the map. I could help you out with resizing the maps it is tedious ,but sounds easy enough to do.

I had a thought, would it be possible to calculate the space in the area models. Im thinking it might be difficult as the models still remain uncracked. *does that make sense*

What I would want to do is to know the coords for every meter of walkable space in the areas. it would make placeing things much easyer.

What I do is calculate the pixel/meter ratio and place the dots accordingly.

New version released - v1.0.1530.39101 (2004-4-11)

Highlights:

* Open and Edit UTI (Item) files

* Open and Edit the Global Variables Table for saved games


You can download this new version from the links on the first post.

Enjoy!

Fred

Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
Hmmm, I don't know maybe I'm doing something wrong. Is there a way to access new items created and placed in the override folder with the Character(utc) editor(say with a browse feature at the bottom of the inventory editor list) and equipt it on a character?

you can add a custom item to the equipe list by double clicking the equip icons. and if you want to add a custom item to the inventory just drag and drop any item into the inventory list and rename it to your custom items ResRef(usually the same as the items Tag and file name)

I cant get the Kotor Tool to work. I am using a new install of win xp. I get critical errors and then it just closes..

Please tell us you took the time to go through the readme.txt file..... :)

*cough*

Are you talking about the 'docs' Fred? Everyone knows those are just what you set down your coffee cup on... right? ;D

-Kitty

(ha.. ha.. not going to flame back..)

Yes I did go over the docs. I did not see anything that helped. I read all of it and got no where..

Just in case that was tossed my way in reference to my comment about coffee...

I didn't in any way mean that as a flame or attack. It was just a joke, and for those of us who've been into computers (especially programming) for a long time, it's fairly well known.

It was actually aimed more at Fred than anyone else, as something tells me he's heard that rather old joke somewhere in the past given all his programming experience and the like.

Again, sorry if it was misread. I certainly didn't mean for anyone to take it as a flame or insult.

-Kitty

seeing i cant get the forums to work proberly today ...

ill just cut and paste the problem here , gah

"I cant get the Kotor Tool to work. I am using a new install of win xp. I get critical errors and then it just closes.."

first Q : have you downloaded and installed the .NET files from microsoft ?

if not , go get them ,a link is in the sticky above from Kitty with the list of downloads

if you have it installed then have you also gone andput the other programes in tot he same folder , ie the gff editor , erf editor and the tpc2tga programs that you would need to edit files

if no go to the same sticky above and go get them

.
.
.
if you have it installed then have you also gone andput the other programes in tot he same folder , ie the gff editor , erf editor and the tpc2tga programs that you would need to edit files

if no go to the same sticky above and go get them

I was wondering how folks were using an .erf editor and which one they were using. On the offhand chance that someone thinks Kotor Tool requires one to perform it's .erf extractions / viewing / building, it doesn't.

Also, now that you can save files as TGA from the image viewer window, most folks probably won't need tpc2tga either, unless they're exporting right from the tree view.

Here's a link to an image showing the module editor as it stands today:

Module Editor Screenshot (http://home.comcast.net/~armada/m02aa_map.jpg)

I can now show when I'm inside a trigger and on an item when mousing over them. I can also show the location of the cameras use for stunts (in game rendered cinematics). The facing of objects is also show by the white lines on them.

The data at the bottom of the screen was shown when I moused over the man in the lower right of the map.

Grumble.. grumble.. I am not totally stupid. I did everything the read-me said. Nothing.. I quit.. gave up and went to bed.. got up the next day and it worked.. I dont know what happened.. I was ready to kill something..

Fred, regarding ERF extractors, I've been using Bioware's interchangeably with yours.
http://nwn.bioware.com/developers/erf_download.html)

Here's a link to a screen recording showing the module editor in action as it stands today:

Module Editor In Action (479 KB) (http://home.comcast.net/~armada/Module_Editor_Demo.exe)

It's not much to look at, but one can actually move the items around and they're updated in the GFF data at the same time. After saving the data back to the .git file, you can see your changes in the game.

Can you only move exsisting things in the git or can you add stuff too. It will be cool when the editor gets to the point where we can add creatures, placables, trigger areas and way points.

Keep it comming Fred that is some great work, without KT modding would be almost impossible for many people. Without KT I probly would have given up long ago :)

Originally posted by Fred Tetra
Here's a link to a screen recording showing the module editor in action as it stands today:

Module Editor In Action (479 KB) (http://home.comcast.net/~armada/Module_Editor_Demo.exe)

It's not much to look at, but one can actually move the items around and they're updated in the GFF data at the same time. After saving the data back to the .git file, you can see your changes in the game.

i downloaded this and when i tried to open it up all i got was a windo that said "OK" "CANCEL" if i click OK that same little window opens up two more times and then it tells me "an error occured while unzipping, one or more files were not succesfully unzipped. the error code is 110" i dont really know what it means, or really what program that is, but man, i am crazy looking forward to the module editor, especially if it lets us add new creatures and items, cause that is gonna make my life about a billion times easier with this manaan sans evirosuit mod which confounds me at every turn. any idea how soon this new feature will be available? no rush, just curious

This is all oh-so awesome work. Cannot wait for the map editing tools to get to a more finished state...though I want a dialog editing front-end more than that. ;) Good work - cannot wait to see all the awesome goodness that you bring with the program.

Over the last few nights I added a few things to the module editor.

You now have a treeview on the left that shows the categorized items in the module (Creatures, Doors, etc.) Right clicking on an item in the tree or on the map brings up a property editor appropriate for the type of the item you clicked on. You can now edit the bearing (rotational orientation) of items, so those of you interested in appying Feng Shui to your maps to improve them will be happy. :D

Right now, I am trying to set it up so that you can adjust the points that define regions, such as those used by Triggers and Encounters. It's a pain, though not as bad as getting the Bearing to work for items; they use *3* different methods to represent the Bearing and lots of not-so-fun trigonometry is involved.

I had thought of a curious and possible work-around for module editing to allow the work to be done in 3D, but it's rather involved. I thought of a way to use the editor for Unreal to manipulate a representation of the map and objects in a level. There are only a few problems: 1) you have to own unreal (though the $10 bargain bin version is good enough); 2) someone would have to make up the maps and items in 3D.

It would probably take less time for someone to crank out the maps than to figure out the .MDL format.

Basically, I'd convert a .git file to mesh with the Unreal map, you'd edit it, then I'd extract the .git-specific info back out. An interesting idea, but I don't know how far I'll take it....

Don't know if this has been addressed but it seems that every 2da file i write to the override folder crashes the kotor tool when I try to reopen it. The files still work(canderous is still a women) but I can't do any more tweeking or a new mod without destroying the earlyer work...

1) Tell me where in the treeview you got the original .2da file from

2) send me two copies of the file; one before you edited it and one afterward that you cannot open to the email address in the readme.txt

Were can you open the Module Editor? :confused: I just can't find it!

Originally posted by Tianhou_Zhong
Were can you open the Module Editor? :confused: I just can't find it!

the module editor has not been released yet

Ohhh! Thanks!

While testing the Module Editor, I took this snapshot showing all of your friends visiting the Taris Apartments:

Visiting Day (http://home.comcast.net/~armada/placement_test_1.jpg)

The setup of this "scene" took less than a minute using the Module Editor; I just drag the desired item (a "creature" in this case) to a place on the map.

I also tried dropping a Mark IV droid in, but it started an all-out battle. All of the NPCs started fighting the droid (and beat it!). Quite something to see. I plan to try out a 10-on-10 battle with some of the Sith, or maybe see what it would be like if everyone where there to help with Malak ;)

Here's a link to the latest video that shows the Module Editor in action:

Module Editor Demo video (~3 minutes long, EXE format, 5.7 MB) (http://home.comcast.net/~armada/Module_Editor_Demo.exe)

When are you going to release it?

I see that Carth's evil twin brother, Darth showed up too.
<imagination mode>
Carth and Darth start a dialog. Darth's faction changes to 1. Suddnely everyone attacks him.

Fred, that module editor is going to be fun toy. :r2d

WOW Fred! I am completely amazed by what you got in the area editor!

Got some questions though...

How does the test button work?

and more importantly, can you add in Custom creatures too? If so, how?

Thanks,
Shimaon

1) When its done. (Good enough for Id Software, good enough for me. It may not work for my employer, but when it comes to KT, *I* am the boss of me <grin>)

2) Yes, it was his brother! (how did you know?) But his name is really Darth Elmo.

3a) The test button is a generic button that I use to activate code that is being evaluated. Say I come up with a function I think might be cool to have, but don't want to write all of the GUI code for it. I set it up so that when I click that button, it runs. If the code works OK...you get the picture :)

3b) I am developing the logic for the handling of custom everything. Meaning, you would have a custom section for each of the nine categories of things (not including cameras). I am debating whether to simply use items found in the override folder, or to go the step further (actually *much* further) and allow you to specify a "source" location for custom things. When you would save the module back out, the customs and instances (those things that you dragged off of the palette and edited) part of a new .rim file-pair. For those who don't know what that is, each module consists of a "definition" portion (the .are,.ifo, and .git files) and a "resources" portion (everything else). The files are named in the format mxxyy.rim (definition) and mxxyy_s.rim (resources). You will see if you look at a given module file-pair in KT that there are a lot of files contained within the two files. Therein lies the design choice I have to make: simpler, where you can edit only the .git file (which defines most of the important stuff) and release sooner, or go more complex (and complete) and release much later.

Ok, I barely understood that, and I probably won't even be able to use this feature but I say complete is always the better option.

Originally posted by Fred Tetra
2) Yes, it was his brother! (how did you know?) But his name is really Darth Elmo.


Darth Elmo huh ..
http://img34.photobucket.com/albums/v102/ShadowFox75/caption134b.jpg)

:p

and i say release the module edityor when you feel its ready , if oyu think editing just the git file is all you want to be able to do release it when that bit is ready to do

if you want the entire resouces and git file do both bits

~shrugs~

im still trying to make armour , lightsaber etc , so area editing would be way down my list of things i want to play with yet


ps that photo was taken from a starwars.com caption comp and that caption was one of the better ones , i didnt make it myself i just added it on to the photo

Very cool, Fred! Keep up the good work

Just wondering, what language and program do you use to create Kotor Tools? I have never gone into windows programming before. Do you have to create the windows, button, tabs, textboxes, etc from scratch or is there some kind of windows standards that you can use to create those interfaces rather easily?

Originally posted by Jackel
Darth Elmo huh ..
http://img34.photobucket.com/albums/v102/ShadowFox75/caption134b.jpg)

:p




That's a great picture!

Originally posted by gameunlimited
Very cool, Fred! Keep up the good work

Just wondering, what language and program do you use to create Kotor Tools? I have never gone into windows programming before. Do you have to create the windows, button, tabs, textboxes, etc from scratch or is there some kind of windows standards that you can use to create those interfaces rather easily?

Kotor Tool is coded largely in VB.NET (Microsoft's .NET version of Visual Basic.) and some C++. While some folks may choose to use C++ entirely, (and I have been a professional programmer using C++ for many years), VB.NET allows for very rapid application developement. Sure, maybe you won't see Doom IV written in it, but if you need an application now, as in your employer wants a proof of concept app in a few weeks, it is a great choice.

[Aside to asipiring programmers...
For those who are used to C++ and aren't willing to learn VB, give C# a try. The best part about both VB and C# is that you get an entire framework of classes (code already written to do things for you). For example, in the "old" VB, you had to worry about how to handle the resizing of a window; how draw each button, checkbox and label and their positions. Now you just tell one of these controls that it is anchored to certain sides of the form. For example, look at the tree view on the main screen of KT; notice that the tree resizes with the form? That used to take many lines of code that had to be replicated for each form; now you just click a property box and poof! it works.

If you think a career in programming might be for you:
1. If you're still in school, get at least algebra under your belt
2. Try your hand at writing a simple program; I recommend something that you want to do, you'll have more drive to see it done.
3. Try the VB or VB.NET languages; they're easy to learn and can help you establish the foundations for good programming style without having to worry about having to free memory when you're done with it or case-sensitivity of the code like C and C++. VB.NET does a lot of hand-holding that really helps speed things along. As a bonus, if you learn VB.NET, C# is easy enough to move to and *both* can be used side-by-side in the same program.

End programming recruitment soapbox :) ]

Originally posted by Fred Tetra
That's a great picture!

pic and quote "stolen" from the star wars website

was reading up a caption comp on there for that pic and liked a few so for a friend i chucked the quotes on to the pic and chucked it up on line

shes abig star wars fan , she even threatens me if i say episode 1 sucked :p

last program i coded was a sound scale program for windows , you know "ding , ding ding ding" getting higher pitched then lower ? i stuffed up though and instead of less then one second for the length of sound i made it 3 seconds .. and there were 20 notes to it .. ouch

this is why i let others do the programming now and just DL their programs

I think you should change your frist page. I mean version number and stuff. :rolleyes:

But I don't have a page where I sell on credit...

\Frist\ (fr[i^]st), v. t. [OE. fristen, firsten, to lend, give respite, postpone, AS. firstan to give respite to; akin to first time, G. frist, Icel. frest delay.] To sell upon credit, as goods

:rolleyes:

Ok fred, I have a BS in Computer Science - I've been out of college for almost two years with no prospective employers - how do I get a job :)

Move to India?

Originally posted by Fred Tetra
Move to India? Hey, I knew the anwser! I'm begining to hate when I'm right...

Originally posted by shosey
Ok fred, I have a BS in Computer Science - I've been out of college for almost two years with no prospective employers - how do I get a job :)

You could always do what I did, jump careers. I now work as a network engineer. Haven't written a computer program in almost 5 years. Sad, huh?