Change files into txt

[Miloch]

Not feeling like reading threads Miloch?

The OP is trying to write a new modding tool in some shitty French-only drag'n'drop "programming language thingy". Apparently said tool lacks APIs to read binary files.

I read it. That doesn't answer my question. I was asking the original poster what the purpose of the modding tool was. There's a lot of talk about converting CREs to text, but the only point I can think of for that is to convert a non-WeiDU mod to WeiDU format.

 

Also, Jarno's "explanation" makes no sense - you wouldn't need a modding tool to do that.

[the bigg]

There's a lot of talk about converting CREs to text, but the only point I can think of for that is to convert a non-WeiDU mod to WeiDU format.

From what I recall by reading through the OP's started threads, he's trying to write a general-purpose modding tool (= NI, DLTCEP, IEEP...), and is working with a programming "language" that can't work on binary files, meaning he needs to use CCIE to do the actual saving/loading.

 

Also, Jarno's "explanation" makes no sense - you wouldn't need a modding tool to do that.

Did Jarno ever make sense?

[Miloch]

From what I recall by reading through the OP's started threads, he's trying to write a general-purpose modding tool (= NI, DLTCEP, IEEP...), and is working with a programming "language" that can't work on binary files, meaning he needs to use CCIE to do the actual saving/loading.

Oh, so he's just reinventing the wheel, to do what other tools do (and do fairly well) only in a suboptimal way? Not much sense to that either... maybe it's a school project or something.

Did Jarno ever make sense?

[the bigg]

Oh, so he's just reinventing the wheel, to do what other tools do (and do fairly well) only in a suboptimal way? Not much sense to that either... maybe it's a school project or something.

Well, I dunno if they have grand plans of outputting tp2 code or other revolutionary features (vs. what you can achieve with NI + WeiDU). It's up to you if you wish to wait for said revolutionary features or not, or would rather wait for BWL's tool

PS: it's not a school project (or something like that): SA is asking questions in lieu of the programmer, who doesn't speak English and programs professionally in said drag-n-drop programming "language".

[StrongArmand]

May I ask what the purpose of your effort is? I might have some code somewhere that could be useful.

In fact the goal is to create a tool which allow to create mods for beginner which haven't necessarily programmers knowledge. A tool a little as aurora which is more "user-friendly" and which need'nt several hundred of practical hours.

 

Oh, so he's just reinventing the wheel, to do what other tools do (and do fairly well) only in a suboptimal way?

Yes that's rather for a suboptimal way (unless for a first time). I don't think that we reinventing the wheel but maybe we could reinventing the axle tree. I know that will be probably very hard and maybe impossible. But we think that for example our work about dlg generator have some potential.

[the bigg]

In fact the goal is to create a tool which allow to create mods for beginner which haven't necessarily programmers knowledge. A tool a little as aurora which is more "user-friendly" and which need'nt several hundred of practical hours.

The tools are slightly harder to use than the SDKs shipped with modern games, but you're over-exaggerating the learning curve - I learned tp2 and recoded Ashes of Embers in like four hours without prior programming knowledge (and I'm sure most of the modders here started from a non-technical background and learned enough to start working on their own NPC mod in less than a dozen hours).

 

Besides, the learning curve associated with making BG2 mods is a good thing, since it means that those who are extremely technically challenged and/or without the patience to learn will give-up modding, rather than releasing billions of non-working mods like what happens in other game engines.

[Miloch]

Besides, the learning curve associated with making BG2 mods is a good thing, since it means that those who are extremely technically challenged and/or without the patience to learn will give-up modding, rather than releasing billions of non-working mods like what happens in other game engines.

It happens in the BG2 engine also, unfortunately, judging from the oodles of crappy one-day NPCs*, joke mods and other such cruft.

 

However, it would be good to have some tool that auto-generates WeiDU code in a somewhat smarter manner than --cmp-from/cmp-to etc. Which means emitting WRITE_SHORTs and other values where necessary instead of WRITE_BYTEs and even perhaps ADD_CRE_EFFECT etc. where necessary, but that's probably a pipe dream that would need a method to read the equivalent of the IESDP for each file format, for starters.

 

(* The kind I'm talking about are largely "convert my PC into an NPC for no good reason and without adding any noteworthy dialogue" sort of mods.)

[the bigg]

(* The kind I'm talking about are largely "convert my PC into an NPC for no good reason and without adding any noteworthy dialogue" sort of mods.)

That's because the learning curve associated with making an NPC isn't steep enough to keep the lusers out (see: item packs in the early days of modding).