mcgoy

AFGMAlpha - could you move this conversation to 'Mod Talk' (even if it is just a copy/paste of a few messages to start a new thread)? I hate to be discussing 'how to' in an area that others are using for troubleshooting what doesn't work. Your mod now works so we are just discussing how to make it work better! :biggrin:

If you haven't done the displayfloaty test, then go ahead and do that before you decide which option to use. The first thing to realize is that your program/script will run almost every time (possibly every time) an EVENT occurs (for a list see: http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/Category:Event_types). I believe it is my responsibility to make sure that my mods run as rarely as possible and efficiently as possible. How many mods do you have installed and how often do they 'run'? I ended up deleting almost all of the equipment mods - even those I liked - because so many were adding 'just a little more' lag and when you added them all together.... It became noticeable. So how to prevent/reduce lag: 1) PRCSCR to run the script. This is my preferred option for a small mod like yours that adds something to one area and one area only. Using PRCSCR means that the script will run only once each time you enter the specific area. It can be a bit finicky and you may not be able to put the chest in the templar quarters based on areas, area lists, and such that just give me a headache to think about. But could you put the chest in the area where the quartermaster is? Your call on what is most important. For efficiency and least possible increase in lag, I believe it is the way to go. For more information go to: http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/PRCSCR_Script_Templates 2) Plot flags. Check a flag such as 'ITEM_PLACED' when you first enter the script. If 'ITEM_PLACED' TRUE, then you just execute a few lines of code and exit the script. If ITEM_PLACED FALSE, then you execute additional lines to see if it has already been placed, etc etc - and set ITEM_PLACED TRUE when the item is placed. 3) Areaid - Same concept, check the areaid and execute only if you are in the correct area no reason to check IsObjectValid if you are in Lothering. 4) Combination AreaID & Plot Flags - I created a little mod for my own use that puts Origin specific items in chest in all of the different Origins (and Ostagar). I checked the Origin and area to determine which items to place where. When I had placed the chest, I set a flag "ORIGIN_COMPLETE" and would exit the program "before Ostagar". In Ostagar, it would place the chest and then set a flag to COMPLETE. For the remainder of the game, it checks one flag (COMPLETE) and then exits the script. I keep telling myself that I should go back and find a way to do it with PRCSCR, but it works the way it is. And someday I might get ambitious and decide to add equipment chests in each area that a Companion is met and/or recruited. Now that you have a working mod (woohoo!), I suggest adding lines/scripts for efficiency. I can't be a huge help on PRCSCR files because they don't always like me. I like THEM from an efficiency standpoint, but they don't always seem to like me! :wink:

I'm getting a late start this morning and have to be away from the computer for a while so if you read this before I get back.... Leave displayfloaty enabled and have your GW 'run around a bit' inside the tower, places other than the tower, load some saves and run that GW around. Just notice how often 'storage script running' appears over your GW's head and realize that there are times that it won't appear over the GW's head. I WILL make suggestions on efficiency when I get back inside.

I'm answering this on the assumption that you want to change the appearance of your DAO GW (or NPCs in DAO), not that you are planning to take these characters to another game. For one thing, what I'm telling you probably wouldn't help you take them to another game! 1st, what you are trying to do isn't a 5 minute task or even 'a few hours' but I'll give you some suggestions for getting started. Option 1: You might want to look at some of the mods that have created multiple head morphs and see if there is one that is close. I suggest http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/mods/1692 and http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/mods/3263 as good sources for head morphs. If one of them has a morph that is 'close enough' you follow directions, download multiple files, figure out how to install everything correctly, and you are done. There are other mods that provide head morphs, but these are the ones that I like. The armor is an entirely different issue, you'll just have to go through the various armor mods that are 'out there' and see if there is anything close, but I don't think so off the top of my head. This is the easiest option and even it will take some time. Option 2: Download the toolset, install the original DAO files, download/install some of the appearance mods that provide the hair, makeup, eyes, etc for what you want and create your head morph using the DAO toolset. I'm assuming you have never used the toolset or you wouldn't be asking how to do this. Where I can create a head morph (for myself, I'm not all THAT skilled) for myself in hour or two if I really want to get into the details. It will take you much longer to learn how to use the toolset and then find all of the mods that give you the hair, makeup, etc that you need for your character. There are ways to 'reskin' armors using the toolset, but I've never tried (something else that would take 'a while' to learn) so I can't tell you how much flexibility there is to change the appearance of armor. Option 3: If you REALLY want the exact hair, etc etc you start with downloading the toolset and source files, use various 3D modeling tools to create the exact appearance (hair, tints, textures, etc) that you want and then migrate everything into the toolset, add it to DAO, etc etc etc This option works for both armor and head morph, but will be VERY time intensive. To give you a time frame - I've been working on a mod for months to add NPCs/Companions to the game. I would love to have custom armors for them. I haven't even tried to learn a everything that I need to know to create those armors. I'm content to just muddle along with the generic armors Option 4: Put in a request for the modding community to create it for you. This relies on people with the needed skills being available and interested in your project. I'm not sure that they are. Summary: You'll have to pick the option that best suits your level of desire, time, and skills. There are people who can provide answers to (some) of your questions, but for this type of project..... I've just given you all of the information that I have! Good luck and best wishes

woohoo!!!! Tomorrow we'll talk about efficiency - unless you really really really want to finish it tonight

You still have some 'tal_' in there, but better and you can try it to see if it works without having all of the naming perfect. Because this is such a small script, you don't really need to have constants defined. But it also won't hurt anything and might not be bad practice for when you have longer scripts to write. It compiled? Try running the mod and see if it works (and remove the '//' from the displayfloaty). It might not, but at least you will be closer. Forgot to ask under 'hierarchy' is it under 'single player'?

And don't worry that there are so many comments. If you don't think that I made a lot of mistakes on my first attempts..... how do you think I knew what to look at so quickly? :biggrin:

Good, if you just wanted the templar armor available, I would have fixed the code and not bothered with the telling you what you needed to fix. 1) Just a suggestion, a unique naming convention. For example, afgm_armor1_event_handler or variations, something that no one else can possibly be using as a naming convention. afgm_ because the letters probably mean something to you armor1_ in case you decide to add other armors. But start thinking about that so that you don't have to worry (as much) about mod conflicts. 2) Items, you didn't need to make them CORE_RESOURCE/Single Player, but that supposedly makes them available in Awakenings, so no harm in leaving them that way. The chest should be MyCustomItems/MyCustomItems - you don't need it in Awakenings :wink: 3) What is the script name in Manage Modules/Properties/Script? 4) my_event_handler.nss should be identified as the Script that the module runs (see #3) or should be identified in the PRCSCR file 5) my_custom_chest should not reference my_event_handler (I don't remember what the script name is, just restore the script name that was there before you changed it.) 6) replace TAL_IP_..... with your mod specific prefix/tags. Yes, I recognize where it came from, but if someone else adds a chest using the same tag from that tutorial your potential for mod conflicts increases. 7) Add some way of identifying the area. Currently it looks like it would (when corrected/updated) add this chest to every area. And I also use DisplayFloatyMessage - a LOT. After you get this working, we'll discuss efficiency and making sure that this script runs only when it needs to instead of checking to see if the chest should be placed everywhere that the GW goes!

Please tell me that the B2B is for the remade, not the old. :whistling: Next question - before I look at the file.... Is your goal to learn to mod? Or is it just to get the templar armor into the game? If you want to learn to mod, I suggest that we take this conversation private and I'll help you out - to the best of my meager abilities and time constraints.

Thanks, I'll try to look at it tomorrow!

Or if you are just wanting to make modifications to the morph files or the armor files, there are probably better starting points than extracting into photoshop

Can you tell me where your mod page is? And upload a B2B? Really - when I was trying to do this, probably in a different area, I downloaded the B2B file for Iverness Keep (I think the name is anyway).

If you would..... also upload the B2B file. I'm curious because I don't remember needing to set 'treasure category'. Maybe I did and just don't remember needing to do it

Now is when I suggest looking at other projects that have included their B2B files.. A few things to check though.... you've used the right tag to place the chest (i.e. you placed YOUR chest, not a chest that is empty). You selected a chest that is a 'container', not just a 'picture of a chest' and that you have the settings in the .utp file correct. And that you placed the items in the chest using the 'inventory' of the .utp file (i.e. the chest file).

Good for you!

Well, the link that you are using assumes that you 'own' the area that you are adding the placeable to and you don't, you're trying to add to an existing area. I agree that there isn't always enough detail to tell you exactly how to do it - especially not in a discussion. The best place for information is really the toolset wiki and using a variety of searches within the toolset. To find the area, you need to go to the excel spreadsheets (is one way) to get the area tag or area id that you're trying to add the placeable in. The same information is available within the toolset, but you need to learn where some of the resources are. And there is more than one mod that has a B2B file so that you can see how someone else did it and learn by example. I could type in the solution and then you would learn nothing and wouldn't be able to do it for yourself. I suggest this link for more information AND I suggest not using the PRCSCR file so that you can learn one thing at a time http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/PRCSCR_Script_Templates Addition: you can add the PRCSCR file after you have correctly placed the chest. It will mean changing the code, but at least you will know where the issue is if the chest isn't appearing

If a file is not originally a dazip file, it can not be installed using daupdater by simply changing the name. You have to follow the directions for installing the mod. I would suggest reading the links suggested in the other thread that you have open. I'm sorry, but I really can't be more help. I learned from trail-and-error and spent years a programmer so the instructions may have been easier for me to understand :sad:

SOMEWHERE and I couldn't find it quickly yesterday, there is specific 'how to add placeable to existing area' information. But before commenting on what might (or might not) be wrong with what you are doing, I need to know more about what you are specifically doing. The problem could be as small as accidentally embedding the chest in a wall.

Although there is some good information in those discussions, I would suggest using the toolset wiki as a starting place: http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/Main_Page In a addition, you can do a search on 'chest' on nexus and bioware to pull up projects that have storage chests - some have included the B2B file. When you have more specific questions, I (or someone) can provide more detailed information. I do suggest just getting the chest placed and then investigating more efficient ways of getting the job done.