SSE Centurion Core Add On Node problem: particle systems

[cumbrianlad]

Hi.

 

I wanted a matching pair of DwarvenCenturionDynamo and DLC2dweDynamoTrigger01, except I don't want them red. I want Cyan. (I'm awkward, that way)

 

The two nifs and textures were easy enough to sort out for the basic colour changes and alterations to emissivity, specular colours etc. This gets me as far as having nice activator and core with the new cyan colours. Where I'm struggling is that the particle system remains red, so the wisps and sparks emitted from them are totally the wrong colour.

 

Trying to get my head around this I got to the BSvalueNodes in both meshes, set to '47' and named 'AddOnNode47'. Back in CK, I eventually found 'MPSauraWhisperProjectile' which is 'Add On Node Index' 47. Opening the mesh for this, I can see all the shades of red on the colour wheels for the BSPSysSimpleColorModifier nodes. One issue is that I can't see the colours or animations in Nifskope, nor is anything visible in the preview in CK.

 

1: am I right that this is the system driving the colours of the sparks and wisps?

2: is there any way of viewing these particles? I may be able to find a suitable replacement, if I could only see the things. Trial and error could be very tedious.

3: if there is no suitable vanilla particle, and I adjust the colour wheels and gradients in the 'MPSauraWhisperProjectile.nif', saving it under a new name, how do I get this to apply to the activator and core?

 

My wild guess involves making a new AddOnNode with a unique number (#) in CK and then editing 'BSvalueNodes' for both the core and trigger and renaming the nodes 'AddOnNode#', value '#'? Will that apply the new particle mesh or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

Sorry if this sounds crazy, but there has to be a way to alter the particle system.

 

Edit: IF I'm right, the number assigned is a 32-bit integer. That must put a limit on it. The vanilla values go from 0-90, then jump to 100 for 'AshMPS'. Anyone know the limit? If my idea works and I pick a value used by another modder, then the particles displayed will depend whose mod loads last! I feel an experiment coming on...

[cumbrianlad]

Following the word wall above, I've had a shot at this, as I guessed above.

 

The upshot? the image was clear as a bell in-game, but the screenshot shows that I've changed the particles to cyan. The wisp effects remain stubbornly red. The Left dynamo core is mine, the other is a vanilla core, dropped side-by-side. trust me, the particles were definitely cyan on mine and red on the vanilla. If you enlarge the screenshot, the difference is much easier to see.

 

I'm getting there but I can't for the life of me see where the red wisps are being introduced. I swear I altered every single colour wheel and gradient in the MSP nif.

 

Any clues?

[cumbrianlad]

Talking to myself again, but if nobody else has cracked this, it's worth it!

 

I swore blind in the last post that I'd altered every colour wheel and gradient... I lied. I'd missed one. With that sorted, here's my dynamo core with lovely new colours!

 

I'm such a geek, I'm so excited... sad, really. When I first played Skyrim, I used to collect dynamo cores and drop them in every house 'cause I was fascinated by them. It's a pity this is going to be a unique quest item: it's much nicer than the original!

 

Listening to a bit of Floyd right now... 'Animals'. That's a nice reward.

 

P.S. I set my AddOnNode to 95, so if anyone else uses this number, I'll feel obliged to send a hit-man around. You have been warned. Actually, that brings up another issue (Not the hit-man bit, that would be sorted by the police knocking on my door. The unique numbering system itself). The way the particles are set up it means there is a high likelihood of incompatibility with any mod that adds them, in that the wrong particles will show up for the conflict loser.

[maxarturo]

If i had seen this post i would have save you some troubles, since i had done this at least a year ago.

* I hope you won't send a hit man after me when and if you see those recolored particles in my mod.

[cumbrianlad]

Ah, well, never mind. It was good to work through it myself.

 

For you, Maxarturo, I won't send the hit man!