Stopping the Main Menu "Slideshow"

[ManehattanProject]

I already have a new custom main_background.dds. I'd like to make it a static image without the various "loading" .dds files cycling through.

 

I know I can't simply delete them, as they're in the Textures2.BSA and the game will just pull from those and I'd really rather not have to create a new .BSA without them or extract the .BSA, remove the files and then remove the .BSA.

 

Any suggestions?

[Mktavish]

My first guess would be to replace what the loading screen is using ... which would entail unpacking the BSA ... replacing those static images ... then repacking. But maybe there is something in the .ini ??? not really something I know much about though.

 

But it seems you could use a ...

 

Begin MenuMode 1007

 

PlayBink ; insert a still image video

 

End

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

But then would it override the vanilla still frames , or just be something inserted pre/post the vanilla still frames ?

[uhmattbravo]

Don't repack. Loose files will overwrite

[Mktavish]

Don't repack. Loose files will overwrite

 

But where is the code to tell it to use the loose file instead of the BSA ?

How do you re-assign the path it uses to pull those images.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Mktavish

[uhmattbravo]

If the file is packed in a .bsa, loose files in the data folder of the same name, in the same place are automatically used instead. This will work to replace load screens and most other assets that would be stored in the data folder.

 

Is this about load screens or videos, though?

 

If for some reason, it doesn't work for .bik files specifically, IIRC the opening ones can be redirected in one of the .INI files.

Edited January 5, 2017 by uhmattbravo

[Mktavish]

If the file is packed in a .bsa, loose files in the data folder of the same name, in the same place are automatically used instead. This will work to replace load screens and most other assets that would be stored in the data folder.

 

Is this about load screens or videos, though?

 

If for some reason, it doesn't work for .bik files specifically, IIRC the opening ones can be redirected in one of the .INI files.

 

So you're saying all the OP has to do is slap their still screen images in the loose folder .... making sure it has the same directory as the BSA. Then on the loading screen ... it will use only the OP's image ?

 

Some how I doubt that will happen.

[uhmattbravo]

They'd have to replace each individual load screen .dds, preserving the names and file structure. Technically it'd still switch between the different ones, but they'd be overwritten by the custom ones (which would all be identical) so it wouldn't look like it was changing as the game loads.

 

There may be an easier, more versatile solution, but there's never a good reason to modify the game's original .bsa files.

 

TBH, at this point, I'm starting to get confused about what the desired outcome actually is.

Edited January 6, 2017 by uhmattbravo

[Mktavish]

The OP wants to replace the loading screen vanilla ... atleast thats what I understood.

[uhmattbravo]

The loading screens are .dds files. I've replaced a single one added by a mod that used a .bsa in the manner I described in the past. It should work for the vanilla ones as well.

 

In hindsight, I believe I've seen a section for them in the geck under miscellaneous in the object window and there may be options for picking custom ones based on worldspace.

 

I'm no expert on the subject, though. I chimed in because of the talk of repacking .bsa's. With the way the game picks loose files over ones in the .bsa, there's never any reason to repack the original .bsa's.

[rickerhk]

The OP already indicates awareness of the filenames to be replaced. It Does work (as long as ArchiveInvalidation is working). We do it in Project Brazil. I belive the OP is asking if the screens before the main one can be suppressed so there isn't a 'slide show' of different screens before the main menu?

These screens show up before the main menu:

loading_screen_bethsoft.dds

loading_screen_bgs.dds

loading_screen_legal.dds

loading_screen01.dds

In Project Brazil, we've changed all of these (Our new version, not released yet).

These screens don't show up in the Geck under the loading screen group so I assume they are hard coded in the exe. You could try just copying the main dds to all of them to get the static effect but otherwise you probably need an NVSE plugin to accomplish it.

As far as the load screens in the Geck, I don't see a global or a gamesetting to disable these either.