Integrated Graphics Mod (Please help! :D )

[trevuar25 14]

Hello all,

 

I'm a complete n00b when it comes to modding and have never tried to mod a game. I currently have the KOTOR Tool and the BFF editor. My main goal is to create a mod that removes as much of the particle/smoke effects from TSL by either moving the particle generators to not be viewed by the player or replacing the objects (that generate those effects) with easier to render things (like plasteel containers instead of smoking droids for instance). The method I've been using has been saving the GIT file in question and editing the "placeable list" TemplateResRef to match this. The purpose of this mod would to make this game playable on computers with integrated graphics (if I succeed in making this work, I'd love to mod the first KOTOR as well).

 

After poking around using the GFF editor and the KOTOR Tool I have found the following :

Plc_smoke is the naming standard for smoke placement

Plc_stm is the naming standard for steam vents

Plc_gas is the naming standard for gas effects

 

and

 

plc_brkndroid is the naming standard for some broken droids

g_tresdrd is the naming standard for other broken droid.

 

So far I've had success in editing the GIT files for Peragus to get the objects to appear how I'd like but I'm hitting an interesting issue. If I extract the 101per.git file using the kotor tool and place it in the override folder (with no changes to the file) the game starts the first section just fine. However, when I make any single change to any field in the git and start playing the game, the camera just doesn't work correctly. It breaks cutscenes for that specific area. 101per.git is the very first section where you wake up. Is there another file I need to be placing in the override when making changes to the .git file?

 

TLDR: Cutscene camera breaks when putting modified .git file in TSL override folder

[Guest]

Why?

[trevuar25 14]

Ultimately I'd like to get this game to be playable on a Lenovo compute stick (running an intel atom quad core and integrated graphics). Mostly to see if it could be done and to challenge myself to learn more about modding in the process (hopefully to create other mods in the future). 

[Guest]

Fair enough I guess.

[Malkior 476]

Hello all,

 

I'm a complete n00b when it comes to modding and have never tried to mod a game. I currently have the KOTOR Tool and the BFF editor. My main goal is to create a mod that removes as much of the particle/smoke effects from TSL by either moving the particle generators to not be viewed by the player or replacing the objects (that generate those effects) with easier to render things (like plasteel containers instead of smoking droids for instance). The method I've been using has been saving the GIT file in question and editing the "placeable list" TemplateResRef to match this. The purpose of this mod would to make this game playable on computers with integrated graphics (if I succeed in making this work, I'd love to mod the first KOTOR as well).

 

After poking around using the GFF editor and the KOTOR Tool I have found the following :

Plc_smoke is the naming standard for smoke placement

Plc_stm is the naming standard for steam vents

Plc_gas is the naming standard for gas effects

 

and

 

plc_brkndroid is the naming standard for some broken droids

g_tresdrd is the naming standard for other broken droid.

 

So far I've had success in editing the GIT files for Peragus to get the objects to appear how I'd like but I'm hitting an interesting issue. If I extract the 101per.git file using the kotor tool and place it in the override folder (with no changes to the file) the game starts the first section just fine. However, when I make any single change to any field in the git and start playing the game, the camera just doesn't work correctly. It breaks cutscenes for that specific area. 101per.git is the very first section where you wake up. Is there another file I need to be placing in the override when making changes to the .git file?

 

TLDR: Cutscene camera breaks when putting modified .git file in TSL override folder

I believe that is because putting a GIT into the override folder overrides certain parts such as the camera triggers. I remember when testing some GIT changes for the Peragus Redux mod, the animation you see when you first enter the room didn't play until I walked to the zone the actual trigger was.

 

I believe there are others on this forum that can explain why in more detail, but the gist of it is, putting a GIT file in the override does this.

[trevuar25 14]

Thank you for the information. 

 

So I've delved a bit more into forum posts (searching for a better way to go about this task).

 

I have successfully downloaded the maps and exported the rim files required to actually create and then open the module to see all the objects/placeables in the room that I would like to change/move (see pic). After I make the changes and build the .mod file what is the next step? If I drop the .mod file by itself into the modules folder I just get a black screen with a cursor(at 101per). Any pointers on where to go from here would be greatly appreciated . 

[trevuar25 14]

UPDATE:  I successfully extracted all the files necessary and then using the ERF/MOD builder created a functional MOD file without having any problems when starting the game. Just to test to see if I built it correctly, I put it in the modules folder named 101per.mod and the game launches into the first section of peragus with no issue. Now I'm running into an entirely different issue. If I open the unedited mod in the KOTOR TOOLS module editor the camera pitch values aren't recognized correctly. If I build the .mod file from the module editor the cameras get really crazy (no black screen, just randomized pitch values or something).  I've tried copying the pitch values manually to see if they translate when built, but no dice. 

 

So far I removed any old files from the override folder (that I created of course) and have been making slight changes to the module to get it to show the cameras correctly.  Any tips on avoiding these types of camera problems? 

[trevuar25 14]

Pure Pazaak! I was able to edit the git file using K-GFF and it fixes any issues with the camera after building the mod! I guess the module editor should really only be used for exploring what things are labeled as (at least for my purposes).  The tip was in this post http://deadlystream.com/forum/topic/4743-how-to-reskin-a-module/ . The mention of camera problems really tipped me off. 

[trevuar25 14]

Random Update: So I have decided to go about this mod in a different way. It appears that my first methodology was very flawed in how I perceived levels and objects were loaded in the game. I finally got my hands on a evaluation copy of 3ds Max 2015 and successfully installed the NWMAX for that version and was able to export (then import into nwmax) and edit the MDL files in the game that have particles, steam, mist, and smoke effects (and simply delete those effects and their children before export). I'm even working on a main menu that is mostly blank (maybe adding a terminal or something to make it less empty).

 

Currently my quest is searching for any model in game that has a smoke/fire/mist. Does anyone have a comprehensive list of FX models or models with effects (or even their names)? So far the obvious examples are (plc_dkfrcsmk.mdl , plc_sithmist01.mdl , and plc_stmventc.mdl) I know the effects themselves are actually labeled in their name within the Aurora Model tree but I'm definitely missing some. Since I'm play-testing the game with my Lenovo Idea Stick there has been one model/effect that I am unable to find. In the very first section of Peragus there is a pile of rubble/garbage/broken-wall or something that has a smoke emitter (probably embedded in its model) right after you open bash open the first door in the game. Does anyone know what this model/effect .mdl is called? Any advice on this would be really appreciated.

 

The firesmallwithele is just the placeable audio. 

[bead-v 251]

It could be part of the area model. But you can't solve this the same way with the current version of MDLOps and NWmax, because they don't handle area models well. You could use MDLOps to find the emitters and then hex edit the binary models. Though you can't remove them that way, only change them. But if it isn't all the emitters causing trouble then you should be able to change them in a way that solves your problem.

 

What else apart from smoke isn't working for you? Sparks? Fire?

 

Alternatively, you could also try replacing the smoke texture, maybe that could work? It'd instantly apply everywhere, so you wouldn't need to hunt down every instance of smoke in the game.

[trevuar25 14]

Yeah, I was thinking it might be in the area model (my biggest fear) . Sparks and fire seem to run OK (at least no where near the performance hit that smoke, gas, and steam vents give). I'll do some more poking around and see what I can come up with. Thanks for giving some advice.  

[trevuar25 14]

Well I did a test of editing FX texture files to 1x1 transparent TGA files in hopes that it would result in a silver bullet for the performance hits when smoke/emitters play. Unfortunately it has all the visual drawbacks with 0% performance increase! The smoke effects I'm finding have been put in level mdl files to my dismay. Importing the files into 3ds Max/NWmax shows the effects within their trees. I shall press on.