DarthParametric

Modders
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    4,568

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    514

Everything posted by DarthParametric

  1. DarthParametric
    Yes, I don't believe either MDLEdit or MDLOps are correctly smoothing across meshes. I have previously raised the issue with @bead-v, so fixing it is on the to-do list. It probably also requires changes to KOTORMax. The specific issue is down to non-unified vertex normals at the seams. The compiler is generating two separate normals for every pair of vertices, instead of a single averaged normal, as Bioware's compiler must have done.
  2. DarthParametric
    Your basis for this assertion? I'm pretty sure Bioware had a handle on what they were doing. I'd put this in the "unnecessary restored content" bracket. If the community patch is supposed to be about bug fixes, this doesn't belong, even as a separate download. It should be a separate mod.
  3. DarthParametric
    The original version where InSidious got him to smile for the photo was way more creepy....
  4. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    TOR's files are all stored in archives with hashed filenames. You need a program to extract them and a hashlist to generate the proper filenames. Unfortunately publicly available hashlists tend to be somewhat out of date, so more recent content is probably not accessible. Once extracted, the files are all arranged in various sub-folders. Some things can be found by a simple filename search, but other stuff might require searching through XML files to discover the actual filename of the thing you are looking for (body parts for clothes/armour being a good example). Format-wise: Models are in a customised GR2 (Granny) format. For dynamic (i.e. skinned) meshes, skeletons are stored in a separate model. You'll need a Max or Blender script to import. As mentioned above, terrain meshes and level layouts are stored in some sort of (presumably custom) DAT format Textures are standard DDS Animations have been figured out privately, but there is no publicly accessible import script available Audio is stored in Wwise formats. Dialogue is in ACB and BNK archives, music as straight WEMs. These probably need to be manually listened to in order to find specific lines. UIs use Scaleform (a game-centric derivative of Flash) A current extraction of correctly named files in something in the order of ~50GB, ~600K files, ~14K folders. I'm not sure how much is missing, probably multiple gigs at least.
  5. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    Regarding TOR areas, as far as I know only static meshes like buildings and so forth are extractable as usable meshes. The terrain meshes and layouts are stored in a file format that there is no publicly available importer for (that I know of). So you could partially recreate environments, particularly indoor ones, but it would all have to be assembled by hand from the component pieces. For outdoor areas that rely heavily on a base terrain mesh, say something like Tatooine or Hoth, you'd be out of luck for big chunks of it unless you modelled it from scratch. Or unless you could find someone to reverse-engineer the file format and code some sort of import/conversion script/program.
  6. DarthParametric
    One thing I should also mention is that your normal map needs to be in OpenGL or +Y format (also known as "right handed"). Most apps will typically export normal maps in DirectX format (-Y, left handed). It is easy to switch between the two simply by inverting the G channel of your normal map. You can tell which one you have by looking for raised details. In an OpenGL normal map, these will appear to rise out of the image. In a DirectX normal map, these will appear to sink into the image. Like so: Images taken from - https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-modeling/stemcell/materials-texturing-stemcell/stemcell-texturing-guide/
  7. DarthParametric
    No, they must be different names. The diffuse will be pfbselven01.tga and also have a TXI file named pfbselven01.txi. That will contain something like: bumpmaptexture pfbselvenb Then the normal map will be named pfbselvenb.tpc (or whatever else you decide to call it - just make sure it matches what is in the diffuse's TXI). It will not have a loose TXI, but it will contain the TXI data that you specified during conversion. This will be something like: isbumpmap 1 isdiffusebumpmap 1 bumpmapscaling 3 You can change the bumpmapscaling parameter to 1, 2, or 3 depending on how you find the look of the intensity. Typically the engine is pretty piss-weak with normal maps, so they need an intensity boost to see any significant effect.
  8. DarthParametric
    Yes, DXT1/5 is DDS compression and will result in artefacts. I would not convert the diffuse to TPC - leave it as a TGA. The normal map must be converted to TPC or the game will freeze/crash when loading.
  9. DarthParametric
    Use TGA2TPC to convert your normal map: Make sure it has a white alpha channel and save it as DXT5. Create a TXI or select the text option to just manually enter the info. You don't need it afterwards - the info is stored in the TPC.
  10. DarthParametric
    They are under Stealth Items -> Belts in the inventory editor.
  11. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    So, Mission romance mod using Vette VO when?
  12. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    One thing you forgot to mention in your MMO content porting summary - sound. Music, FX, and (perhaps most interestingly) VO could all be ported to K1/TSL. Of particular note is that Grey DeLisle (Handmaiden), Catherine Taber (Mission), and Jennifer Hale (Bastila) all have major roles in TOR, and using the same voice accent/intonation as in K1/TSL, so have plenty of dialogue to utilise. Other notable mentions that play named NPCs in TOR are Kristoffer Tabori (HK-47), Tom Kane (Master Vandar/Uthar Wynn/others), Charles Dennis (Davik/Lt Grenn), Daran Norris (Goto), Greg Ellis (Disciple), Phil LaMarr (Gadon Thek/Cpt Riken). There are also a few others doing "misc" voices in both, but they might be hard to pin down (and the content is probably minimal).
  13. DarthParametric

    I'm waiting for this policy change to turn out to be some elaborate scheme to round up all the porters and ban them.

    1. ebmar

      ebmar

      Thankful for being basic 😂

    2. LDR

      LDR

      :(

    3. Malkior

      Malkior

      The Mods wouldn't do this! They simply wouldn't!

       

      (As an aside, it's nice to finally be able to edit Status Update replies)

    4. Show next comments  336 more
  14. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    If you want to minimise issues, you'd import the TSL head, save out the skin weights, delete the rig, then load in the K1 rig, load the skin weights back in. The eyes/eyelids/teeth are all effectively visible bones, so you'd need to add those back to their proper place in the hierarchy.
  15. DarthParametric
    I wonder what it would look like with some sheet lightning off in the distance. What ever came of the discussion of animated skybox textures?
  16. DarthParametric
    Yes, and the solution is what I posted above. It's a problem with the engine.
  17. DarthParametric
    This can likely be solved by creating separate 47/50/51 models and adjusting appearance.2da to suit rather than using racetex. Summoning @ndix UR to dispense wisdom on the root cause of the issue.
  18. DarthParametric
    You ladies sure do like your drama. Perhaps @Tyvokka can hand out some lithium tablets.
  19. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    I did a half-assed action for PS for DAO normal maps back in the day that can be used in conjunction with the nVidia plugin to recreate the Z. It will also work on TOR maps. https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/4019 I've never looked at it, so I couldn't say, but yeah it would be unlikely to be a very close match. That shouldn't prevent doing a port, but face skinning is always a pain in the ass.
  20. DarthParametric

    #3: Porting

    DarthParametric commented on JCarter426's blog entry in JC's Blog

    No. Porting is related to assets. Dynamic day/night cycles are an engine feature, one that Odyssey doesn't support. There was thread some time back about trying to fake it via scripting a switch between different versions of the same module with different baked lighting, but it's an idea doomed to fail - too much effort involved (if it would even work at all). The same as any other skinned mesh, pretty much. The only difference is they split the mesh and the skeleton out into separate files. There's nothing special about the normal maps.They use the standard approach of storing X in the A and Y in the G channels (Z is calculated at runtime), then use the R and B channels to store various masks like emissive.
  21. DarthParametric
    Since it's open season on porting, why not go the whole hog? The "same series" argument is complete BS and has no basis in any sort of legal context. If you are fine about porting from TOR (which, by the way, I find hilarious was prompted by a merger with /r/kotor given how much they hate it), then why not Battlefront (original or new), JKO/JKA, Force Unleashed, etc.? Hell, why not Mass Effect, or Fallout, or any other game? And what about the other way? Can we make our own "proper" version of stuff like Aperion, porting KOTOR content into Unreal Engine?
  22. DarthParametric
    The official rule post on it pretty much indicates as much:
  23. DarthParametric
  24. DarthParametric
    If I may be so bold as to double post: I am not getting any notification for comments ("reviews", technically?) left on a mod's download page. I get an email because I am following it but otherwise I would have no clue. While we are on the subject of these reviews, all the old ones appear to have been eaten in the site update. I assume these are now lost forever?
  25. DarthParametric
    None of which are legal, and could attract the attention of an EA lawyer hit squad at any point. The move is such a complete 180 on previous policy that frankly I find it bizarre.