How do I get started? (making new items)

[Mebyon]

I’ve recently been inspired to have a go at this modding malarkey a go (mainly from discussing ideas for a thieves mod)

( http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=8199 ).

 

I’d like to have a go and want to start simple. I had the idea of creating a couple of items for my current BG2 game:

Is there a simple tutorial available?

Also what software will I need? (all I have at the moment is shadowkeeper)

 

Just to give an idea of one of the items…

I’m thinking of a use-once-per-day, wand-type item – something similar to the horns of Valhalla, but it will use the “Eyestalk of an Elder Orb†as it’s icon and will have the ability to cast wizard’s eye (or if it’s not too difficult an improved “eye†summon).

 

This will be just the start of my plans…. (if I’m any good at it anyway, and the code writing isn’t too much of a headache)

 

Hope you can help point me in the right direction

[Miloch]

Is there a simple tutorial available?

This tutorial is fairly decent for starters.

Also what software will I need? (all I have at the moment is shadowkeeper)

DLTCEP is probably the easiest to get started with. If you're on a Mac, you'll probably need Near Infinity instead (which you probably want to get anyway). And you'll probably want WeiDU eventually if you want to get into the coding aspects (installing, scripting, etc.).

 

It sounds like you'll be using existing graphics for icons but if you want to start making your own, BAM Workshop 1 is a decent tool (DLTCEP also has graphic tools built in).

 

Finally (or perhaps most importantly) you'll want a text editor for your item descriptions and for dealing with the code. See my post here for more info.

 

Just don't steal my mod idea! Heh j/k... feel free to help out if you want once you get the hang of things.

[Avenger]

dltcep has a support board here:

 

http://www.dragonlancetc.com/forums/index.php?board=9.0

 

It is has also a more frequently updated download.

If you feel that DLTCEP is too complicated, don't give up. Most people, even experienced modders, complain about its complexity (well, they also want new features which further increase complexity).

[igi]

First off, I'd suggest reading the IESDP (http://iesdp.gibberlings3.net/). I suggest pretty much everyone read it - it helps with mod making, mod feature requests, bug reporting, and more.

 

A (hopefully) slightly less intimidating introduction to ITM files is

here

 

A walkthough of making the first steps with item modding is available

here

[berelinde]

The IESDP is an invaluable tool, and I now use it all the time, but for the longest time, I simply could not figure a lot of it out, especially the parts related to effects.

 

Don't be discouraged if you look at it and say "WTF!" After using other tools like NI or DLTCEP for a bit, it will start making sense rather quickly.

[Mebyon]

Thanks for those links and quick tutorials, I think I’ll start with DLTCEP – it seems to be the one the tutorial writers say is the easiest to get a started on.

 

I guess that for my little wand idea I just rename and edit a wand rather than a weapon (as indicated in the tutorials)

 

I’ll have to play with all this later today as I’m at work now and I think people would notice if I installed BG onto an office computer!

 

I’ll let you all know how it goes: I doubt I’ll ever make anything worth publishing… and I promise I’ll not nick all your mod ideas!

 

I’m one of these people who’s full of ideas and intentions, but lack the skills and knowledge to turn them into reality… (well you never know this may be the next uber-modder speaking here!) so in the mean time I’ll continue to have ideas and thoughts, and adding my two-penny-worth to threads like the blackjack in the “realism mod†for thieves.

 

 

Thanks again guys...

[Mebyon]

Well I tried to make that wizard’s eye wand and it failed miserably! I’m not sure how to work the DLTCEP programme, I managed to set the “chitin.key†thingie up and had a good look around at various objects and spells.

I found the gauth eye-stalk that I want to use for the images

I found the Wizard eye spell that I want to cast

I found the horn of vahalla that does a similar sort of thing (summoning a monster)

But there lies the problem: I can’t work out where in the tabs and options you put the action “cast spell when usedâ€Â!

Most of the tutorials show how to make weapons, but making a new wand seems to be a bit harder.

 

Maybe I’m over looking something, but it’s giving me a real headache!

 

Hope you can help!

[Nythrun]

The last tab, for extended effects, controls what happens when you activate an item or hit someone with an item, so that's where you'll want to go.

 

Down at the bottom of this tab is a line that says "Effect #" - this is where the specific effects for this tab go.

 

To cast an existing spell, all you'll need is opcode 146 (put spwi425 in the resource field if you want to cast Wizard Eye). Alter the other parameters to taste

 

To cast a similar but different spell that summons a different kind of Wizardly Ocular creature, you'll need to actually make that different creature (or recycle something that's already close to what you want) so you'll probably want to take it one step at a time.

[Mebyon]

At the moment I'm right at the beginning of this modding game (full of ideas but got no skill, yet)

From what you’ve said, Nythrun, spwi425 summons a “wizard eye†creature. Then what does opcode 146 mean?

 

I apologise for the noober-ous-ness of my questions but I am willing to learn!

 

If all goes well with this I’m planning a “sack o’ cats†(as in “letting the cat out of the bagâ€Â) that’ll summon a creature similar to the cat familiar but this one'll be a little thief that can open locks and spot/disarm traps. It’ll have no attack ability except (if I can work out how to do it) at the end of the duration it’ll do 2d6 (or summit like that) damage to the caster. Well have you ever tried putting a cat back into a bag?

[Nythrun]

No need for apologies

 

You and I know what the spell "Wizard Eye" is, but the game doesn't; the game knows things only by their file names - and the file name of the spell "Wizard Eye" is spwi425.spl (files with a .spl extension are spells).

 

The Infinity Engine has basically two moddable methods of doing sundries: scripts, and opcodes. Item files contain the latter, and are can be referenced in the IESDP here http://iesdp.gibberlings3.net/opcodes/bg2tob.htm . Many effects are possible (damage, healing, summoning, variables, graphics, sounds...) but if you want something that duplicates casting the spell Wizard Eye, you'd want an opcode that tells the game to "Cast this spell!" Fortunately, that opcode exists and is number 146. When you enter the name of the spell you want to be cast, you'll need to know the file name (in this case spwi425.spl) so you can enter that into the resource field in the opcode itself. You only need to specify spwi425, not spwi425.spl, as the game will only use spells with the opcode and not other things (like creatures, items, and suchlike).

 

You may find it easiest to

1. Write down the name if the images you've found from browsing that you want to use.
   
2. Load up the Horn of Valhalla and save it with a different name (must be eight characters or fewer and end in .itm if you want it to be an item ).
   
3. Change the graphics to the ones you want.
   
4. Go to the Effects line on the extended effects tab and replace the effects(s) which are already there with the one you want.
   

[Mebyon]

Well things are never as simple as I’d like!

 

Firstly whenever I load DLTCEP I get a message popup saying “Can’t load MORALEAI.idsâ€Â

I am also still struggling to get this eyeball wand made. I can put all the BAM’s in place, I found the bit where I put the opcode146 in, and resource field spwi425

(on this note I saw that most wands get about 4 or five options here, is it worth keeping those as they are? I guess they’re the sound effects and lighting effects and stuff)

 

But when I try to “save As…†I get a pop-up saying {opened in read only} and it won’t let me save!

 

I’ve un-and-re-installed it twice and still getting the same messages!

 

Is there an option button I missing out on? I really don’t want to give up on this even though it’s making me feel like I can’t do anything!

 

I’m sure the learning curve will flatten out eventually, but from here it looks like a daunting wall!

 

Thanks so much for all your help so far…

 

(P.S. just been to see Pan’s Labyrinth. That was the best film I have seen in many, many years! Guillermo Del Toro is a genius)

[berelinde]

The reason it will not let you save is that you did not uncheck the box on the right (or check it-I forget which is the default) *on the setup page* that lets you edit items.

 

If you go back to the setup page for DCTLEP, you should be allowed to save. I don't know much about anything else.

 

I will say this: When the time comes to get your item in the game, you're going to want to name it and give it a description other than whatever is already given for that item. So you're going to have to put it in the tp2. Logic would seem to dictate that you would first put the item, then the effects, then the description, etc. Don't do that.

 

The game wants it like this:

 

COPY ~GAVIN/Items/B!SPIHIT.EFF~ ~override~ //the effect first!
COPY ~GAVIN/Items/B!GAVRNG.ITM~ ~override~ //then the ring
 SAY NAME1 ~Gavin's Ring~
 SAY NAME2 ~Gavin's Ring~
 SAY UNIDENTIFIED_DESC ~Gavin's Ring

 The unidentified description would go here, but I don't want to give it away so I'm typing nonsense.~
 SAY DESC ~Gavin's Ring

 If you want to find out what Gavin's ring does, you're going to have to install the mod.~

 

You have no idea how much frustration I went through figuring that out.

[igi]

Firstly whenever I load DLTCEP I get a message popup saying “Can’t load MORALEAI.idsâ€Â

 

It's mentioned in the DLTCEP readme.

 

In summary, the game files make reference to moraleai.ids which doesn't exist, so DLTCEP warns you.

[Miloch]

Firstly whenever I load DLTCEP I get a message popup saying “Can’t load MORALEAI.idsâ€Â

If this message annoys you, just create a blank file called MORALEAI.ids and put it in your override folder. This is also part of the Super Happy Fun Lucky Modder Pack.

(on this note I saw that most wands get about 4 or five options here, is it worth keeping those as they are? I guess they’re the sound effects and lighting effects and stuff)

Most likely. If you want to see what they do, just edit them and if you want, you can tweak the effects slightly to match what you're changing the item to.

The reason it will not let you save is that you did not uncheck the box on the right (or check it-I forget which is the default) *on the setup page* that lets you edit items.

It's in the menu, under Settings > Read only.

I will say this: When the time comes to get your item in the game, you're going to want to name it and give it a description other than whatever is already given for that item. So you're going to have to put it in the tp2.

You're saying if you make a custom effect for your item, you have to copy that over first? Interesting. Might I suggest you put the descriptions in a .tra file instead of the .tp2, and refer to them as '@' numbers (or '#' numbers for unidentified standard descriptions which you can just look up with NI or DLTCEP). This will save you and translators a lot of work down the line.