[TUTORIAL] - KotOR Modding Tutorial Series
These tutorials should be enough to get anybody started making levels for the game using the available resources and tutorials / tools etc
IMPORTANT NOTE : A lot of the tools I use are outdated now that Holocron Toolset is out, however I still prefer working with each filetype as I am use to the programs that edit them directly that I use throughout this tutorial.
So if you are using Holocron Toolset or KotOR Level Editor, things will be different, but the general idea should be the same.
I suggest trying out Holocron Toolset if you want an all in one program for editing levels, it does everything KotOR Level Editor does and most of what all the tools I have below do, except perhaps findrefs, dencs, kotor gui editor, walkswitch, anicam, ptheditor and lip synch editor, but it does everything the rest of the programs do and it might even do some of the things from the programs I just mentioned, I am not sure!
Available Source Material & Tools
These are the tools I use for modding the game.
Lots of source material is available on DeadlyStream as well as many tutorials, some old, some new and very detailed information on the filetypes and the game itself, so make sure to have a good look around.
.nss scripts for every script I have been able to access from both games are available in the GitHub repositories for my project.
Some scripts from KotOR1 require the files to be trimmed of some excess bytes, there is some information on it around here somewhere and I will post a link to it when I next find it, the scripts in question are some of those from Tatooine, Manaan, Kashyyyk and the Unknown World.
Actually Decompiling Scripts
Steam KotOR Tool Issues
KotOR2 Expanded Galaxy
Thor110/Expanded-Galaxy-Main: Expanded Galaxy Main (github.com)
KotOR1 in TSL Expanded Galaxy
Thor110/Expanded-Galaxy-Port: Expanded Galaxy Port (github.com)
Brotherhood of Shadow : Solomon's Revenge in TSL Expanded Galaxy
Thor110/Expanded-Galaxy-Hood: Expanded Galaxy Hood (github.com)
PLEASE do not redistribute the entire project anywhere without my express permission, but feel free to learn from the source material to make as many modifications to the game as you wish.
If you wish to work on the project or contribute by offering or allowing your mod to be included with the project feel free to contact me on here or elsewhere.
In future I might go beyond these basic scripting tutorials and add other types of tutorials such as texturing and modelling that are focused around KotOR2 TSL or working with others towards making a comprehensive KotOR modding guide.
Most material I write will be aimed at KotOR 2 TSL, though a lot of the structure of the game is very similar between them both if not almost identical.
For now here are some really basic written tutorials for getting setup with Blender and modding for KotOR or just messing around with the models from the game.
I will continue to work on these providing screenshots and more as necessary.
The first two blender tutorials here are a little outdated, there is a new version of KotORBlender for example which can import MDL files without the need for them to be converted to ASCII.
I advise having a folder with all of the games model files ( mdl/mdx/wok/dwk/pwk ) and related files ( .lyt/.vis ) as well as textures ( swpc_tex_tpa/swpc_tex_gui )
And even all of the .gui files, this way you can use that folder to instantly import an entire level as well as properly display .gui files in the KotOR GUI Editor.
Blender Tutorial 00 - Getting Blender Setup ( OUTDATED )
Blender Tutorial 01 - Asset Editing ( OUTDATED )
Blender Tutorial 02 - Creating A Placeable
Blender Tutorial 03 - Character Editing
Blender Tutorial 04 - Level Editing
Outdated Tutorials & Intro
Individually written and quite specific tutorials, mostly scripts and guidance towards achieving specific goals or tasks.
01 - [TUTORIAL] - Creating a Module for TSL using a KotOR Map!
The first tutorial should be a great guide for porting a level from the first game into the second game as well as that it shouldn't be too difficult to work out how to do it the other way around from there on out!
These are some useful links that I have found around that might guide you towards making mods for the game.
Useful Links for learning to mod TSL & KotOR
Thor110
In the following post in this topic are many more tutorials that I am working on to guide people through the process of making mods for KotOR.