mr_easy_money wrote:CarreraCT wrote:Hello again,
hello!
CarreraCT wrote:I took a look on slipstream for the modder section but I don't quite understand what its talking about.
I guess I'll go over it here then.
Where does modding come from?
The two files in that "resources" folder of wherever FTL is installed contain everything that modding consists of. I said how to extract these two files in my previous reply, which should have resulted in getting the following folders,
from data.dat:all the files inside the data folder are text-type files mods will either replace or add onto.
- data
from resource.dat:all the files inside these folders are what you'd expect them to be: fonts can only be changed, audio in the audio folder can be changed or other sounds can be added (the better approach), and images can be added into some of the img folder's sub-folders, but not all. the other sub-folders have files that can only be changed.
- audio
- fonts
- img
What does slipstream do?
Slipstream opens up these two files, data.dat, and then uses files inside mods to replace existing (vanilla) files, add onto existing files, or add new files. Then slipstream puts all the stuff in and repacks these two files, which are crucial to FTL.
What are mods made of?
Mods come in the form of .ftl files. These .ftl files are just renamed .zip files (compressed zipped folders), which can have all the folders inside that result from extracting the data.dat and resource.dat files, along with a mod-appendix folder (see below). extracting one of the example mods that comes with Slipstream, Beginning Scrap Advantage, gives us a folder with the following sub-folders.inside this folder we have an "events.xml.append" file, with the following code inside. all this event does is let you get a reward on the start event.
- data
Code: Select all
<event name="START_GAME">
<text>The data you carry is vital to the remaining Federation fleet. You'll need supplies for the journey, so make sure to explore each sector before moving on to the next. But get to the exit before the pursuing Rebel fleet can catch up!</text>
</event>
<event name="START_BEACON">
<text>Welcome to a new sector! Get to the exit beacon and jump to the next sector before the pursuing Rebels catch you!</text>
<choice hidden="true">
<text>Continue...</text>
<event/>
</choice>
<choice req="engines" lvl="1" hidden="true">
<text>(Mod) Strip a near-by asteroid for scrap.</text>
<event>
<text>You take a shuttle and grab as much metal as you can.</text>
<autoReward level="HIGH">scrap_only</autoReward>
</event>
</choice>
</event>
notice that this file has an .append extension at the end of the file name. if an .append extension was not used, this mod would replace the entire contents of the existing events.xml file, which is problematic because that file contains event information which is used in other files. if you're just going to add events or replace some existing events, use the .append extension.
this goes for other data files where you're just going to add some stuff, not replace all of a file's contents. as an example, you can see this when you saved the enemy ship in superluminal, you get an "autoBlueprints.xml.append" file in the mod's "data" folder, so that it doesn't replace that entire file, just adds something into it.
note that you can override vanilla events and other existing tags by simply repeating that tag again. in this case, the event "START_BEACON" is overridden so that a choice for free scrap is there. (note that there is a way to add stuff to existing events without replacing them, promoting compatibility with other mods, under the "Advanced XML" section in that modders readme, but I'll only go over it if you want)inside this folder we have a "metadata.xml" file. this file is just for the description you see when you select a mod in Slipstream. helpful, but does not change FTL whatsoever.
- mod-appendix
CarreraCT wrote:Second I have no idea where to exactly find these events.xml.append as well as any other files to modify besides the ships, img, and sounds.
the "events.xml.append" file is a file you as the modder create. you can create a .txt file, and then rename it to match both the name and extension/file-type.CarreraCT wrote:Which reminds me what if forgot to mention ... How to create and add custom sounds and images. I'm sure the image is standard with events now that I think about it however.
if you're wondering how to create custom sounds and images for weapons, see this guide, https://subsetgames.com/forum/viewtopic ... 12&t=17122
if you're wondering how to add custom background images and planets, look in the vanilla folders (the extracted data.dat and resource.dat files) at the "events_imageList.xml" file in the "data" folder and compare it with the images in the "stars" folder in the "img" folder. events and text tags in the events files reference the imageLists in this "events_imageList.xml" file to load them in the game. I'm not entirely certain if you can switch to another image after loading one into an event, but it might be possible.
I hope that cleared up the confusion, but as always, if you have any questions, please ask away.
Alright so I believe I have made a basic start event text in notepad++. What do I save it as and where as I cant find anywhere that seems suitable. I cant even find the vanilla events to modify at all. I honestly hope your not too bothered by probably repeat questions I'm just having a hard time trying to figure this out.
therein lies the problem. the text that's displayed when you start up the game on the first beacon consists of the text from the START_GAME event (in events.xml) and a tip from the TIPS_LIST_PC textList (in newEvents.xml). the text in the START_BEACON event is overwritten so that text should be ignored.
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