Some probably rather stupid questions....

[Sanchyna]

Right, I am rather new to mods of any description. I stumbled across this forum about a week back, and have learned a lot about mods since then. Like, not all of them work nicely together, and some don't work at all, at least not for me.

 

I've been messing around with things, and learned mostly by trial and error. There are a few things which I simply can't figure out though.

 

The first thing is: How do I re-color existing armor/weapons? I have been trying to find decent robes for a mage, but they are either butt-ugly, or the character is pretty much naked. There doesn't seem to be any happy medium. Now I found a few that are alright, but I don't like the colours. Is there any way (program/mod/toolset) to just put a different tint on stuff that is already there, and if so, how? I looked at the toolset, but I don't even know where to find the in-game items, never mind doing anything with them.

 

Second thing: How can I create/alter my own stuff? What kind of program do I need? Any suggestions?

 

Third: Is there any way to alter stats on existing items? I tried Winterforge but got totally lost, and again, in the toolset I don't know how to even get to the item in question. :(

 

So, if any of the more knowledgeable people out there would take a few minutes and help out a complete noob to feel a little less noobish, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks for any help in advance!

[Thandal]

Welcome, Sanchyana!

 

For re-colouring items, the Univeral Dye Kit (UDK) does a nice job. "UDK on Nexus", but be warned that it can cause unusual results when you swap pieces of equipment "involunatrily" (when captured, or wearing a disguise. Sometimes your original gear disappears, or can't be equipped again. :confused: )

 

For other item changes, The Winter Forge (TWF) is popular. "TFW on Nexus", but it takes a while to learn to use properly.

 

Beyond those two "Here. Let us do it for you" mods, you'll have to teach yourself the Toolset to make your own changes. :laugh:

 

Happy Modding! :thumbsup:

[Sanchyna]

Thanks Thandal! :)

 

I will have a look at the Dye Kit, and might sit down and actually read the instructions for TWF properly - unfortunately I have the attention span of a fruit fly sometimes, which doesn't help at all.

 

The toolset....yeah. Is there any manual or better explanation out there than the Wiki? Because that is more confusing than anything else. And since I'm a complete idiot, I'm not getting anywhere.

 

I read that people said you'd need a 3D program for stuff like that as well, or is that only for characters?

 

*sigh*....sooo many questions. I apologise, but I really want to learn, and get away from the 'Here, let us do it for you' mods as you called them. ;)

[Thandal]

Creating any new items (or modifying existing ones) for DA requires using either a) the Toolset, or b) something like TWF to do it for you. To get started, it's probably easiest to take an existing item and make a single, simple change. Maybe something like: "Add +2 Flame Damage" to a mace. Look through all the wiki articles and tutorials you can find about modifying item properties, THEN if needed, post a single, simple question in the "Mod Builder Troubleshooting" Forum if you get stuck. See if you can make progress from there. And then post another single, simple question if you get stuck again.

 

(NOTE: Just asking for someone to "Teach me how to use the Toolset", can come across as a declaration that you aren't willing to do the work yourself.)

 

Only after becoming comfortable using the Toolset to do that sort of thing would I ever consider moving to creating whole new items. I've started new facemorphs, and found the process using the Toolset very tedious, so I never finished any that way. I understand that there are much better utilities for doing some of this kind of work. There are links to several different ones people like in the "Software Programs" Forum here on the Nexus.

 

Good Luck!