WRITE_ASCIIing over something long...

[Andyr]

In an effort to become more efficient like Cam and Idobek, I'm making some creatures for a quest using COPY_EXISTING rather than making a new one myself. Here's my code:

 

COPY_EXISTING ~CHEVIL07.CRE~ ~override/X#VIC2PRI.CRE~
SAY NAME1 ~Threlambia~
SAY NAME2 ~Threlambia~
WRITE_LONG 0x14 400                                  //XP value
WRITE_ASCII 0x246 ~PRIET12A~                         //Override script
WRITE_ASCII 0x280 ~X#VIC2PRI~                        //Death Variable
WRITE_ASCII 0x77c ~_CHAN02~
WRITE_ASCII 0x790 ~_SHLD14~

 

Offsets 0x77c and 0x790 are items, though the items the original creature had were longer, so I'm ending up instead with _CHAN021 and _SHLD141... How can I over-write this spillover?

[icelus]

I'd like to know the answer, as well. Once upon a time, someone suggested adding a hard return to the .tp2 for each space that was needed, but I can't recall if that fixed the problem I was having at the time or not.

[CamDawg]

You can use one of the flavors of WRITE_BYTE to "zero" the extra spaces. So you could use:

 

WRITE_ASCII 0x246 ~PRIET12A~                         //Override script
WRITE_ASCII 0x280 ~X#VIC2PRI~                        //Death Variable
WRITE_ASCII 0x77c ~_CHAN02~
WRITE_BYTE 0x783 0
WRITE_ASCII 0x790 ~_SHLD14~
WRITE_BYTE 0x797 0

 

Alternatively, you could always 0 the entire field before using WRITE_ASCII with a pair of WRITE_LONGs. In general,

 

WRITE_LONG offset 0
WRITE_LONG (offset + 0x04) 0
WRITE_ASCII offset ~whatever~

 

This is typically overkill, but will definitely work in all situations.

[Andyr]

Ace, cheers. Will do that.

[Idobek]

When you WRITE_LONG in this situation you need to use 4 zeros.

WRITE_LONG offset 0000

Otherwise it will act like a WRITE_BYTE and only clear the first byte. WRITE_BYTE needs 1 zero and WRITE_SHORT needs 2.

 

EDIT: The above is apparently wrong. I tend to use hex values and thought the same principles applied. The following is how hex values should be written:

WRITE_BYTE offset 0x00
WRITE_SHORT offset 0x0000
WRITE_LONG offset 0x00000000

[Ghreyfain]

Yeah, 0d is both 00h and 0000 0000h.

 

Another method I think I once used to solve this problem was opening my .tp2 with a hex editor and making the two trailing spaces in the field "00". Heh.

[hlidskialf]

Ghrey loves any excuse to use his hex editor, I think it's cast a domination on him.

[Ghreyfain]

Well, when you think about it, what is WeiDU but a big trumped up Hex Editor?

 

Oh yeah, and there's SET_STRING. We can't forget that.