Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

First of all, hello. :) Nice board ya guys got here. I'm very new to the world of modding, only been here a few days, lurkin' and readin', but your information files have been very useful and have started me along my way. :) In fact, I have found a way to create single player missions (although they need to use the rules and script files of a current A2Mission), and I hope to post detailed instructions on creating your own a2_fed01 cineractive opening when I've finished deconstructing the various plot points and their functions. Shouldn't be long, I've already got most of the major stuff down, I just want to finish my own cineractive first so that I'm sure everything's in the right order.

Anyway, I've run into a snag that isn't covered here yet, although I'm sure a lot of you would know how to do it.

Goal: modify an Intrepid Class starship so that it has the ability to build the Orbital Processing Facility and the Research Station.

Problem: The computer seems to ignore the Build Menu I've placed in the .odf.

What I've Tried: I set builder_ship = 1 in the .odf, that got me a build button, but the menu is empty, even though I have builditem0 et al. set up. I also set it to #include const.odf so that I would have all the Worker Bee settings, and I set a buildHardPoint. Of course, Intrepids don't have "bot" hardpoints, so I tried substituting HP hardpoints that I saw were being used in multiple locations. No luck. Then I tried opening up Milkshape and creating bot points, that didn't get me anywhere either.

If anyone could help me out with this, I'd be grateful for it. :) Thanks.

Jerry

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

I don't know if i can help you, but i know it is possible (if that is any help). However, if you put up for download on this site, you intrepid odf, I'll see what I can do :)

Also, what you are trying to do sounds really good, if yo can do it, you'll have (I think) pass another step in modding A2!

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

Sure, thanks. :) Here's the .odf

Don't mind the strange name, I've been messing around with swapping 'em out, this one has my best effort to date.

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

I haven't changed much, just some of your wording orders. i don't know but you may have to edit the techtree (however I'm very sure you don't). You had written that it was a builder_ship in the build parameters which I don't think helped, i moved this to miscellaneous properties. Ofcourse I've modded my game so I can't test this, but I hope it works!

And good luck (just back up your file when you use this, I don't know if I've helped it or made it worse lol :))

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

No effect. :(

Thanks for trying, anyway.

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

Sorry man...errrrm, my suggestion would be to maybe make a new construction ship odf, then fit it around the intrepid class/voyager ship...but, my ideas don't always work. There is something that may point you in the right direction though. Somebody tried building a ship called the Mamut-a porible shipyard, the ship didn't work due to missing files etc. (actually, come to think about it, that one could be me...) but i think the odf's may be useful. Just look over everything contained and see if you can get something out of it-good luck!

(I can't upload it so I'll give yu the link instead! http://armada2.filefront.com/file/Mamut_Class;15334)

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

Hi, havn't been here in a while, but I saw this one and thought I'd add my two cents. I think you need to change the class label so it reads:

classLabel = "constructionrig"

That should do it I think. :nodding:

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

Well, that had an effect... brought the game down like a ton of bricks when I tried to load the map with that ship on it. :)

I'm not an expert programmer, but that sort of reinforces my theory that it's expecting to see certain vertexes in the mesh - "bot1" for example - and that it's crashing because that's not there. Either that or one of the other settings I've modified is conflicting with it.

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

I finished analyzing the Mamut class starhip ODFs. What this guy did was use the Galaxy Class saucer seperation template as a way to connect the yard to the ship, making it so that the ship could carry the yard around, but not build while it was on the ship's back.

<s>Now, in a pinch, that's not entirely useless - I could make some kind of VERY little building ship, call it "Construction Probe", slap it onto the Intrepid's back and make it look like the Intrepid needs to launch that probe and have the probe (with the construction ship ODF, of course) build.</s> Actually, come to think of it, if I could modify the look of a construction ship I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. :)

Are you /sure/ that this is possible?

Maybe I'll look at how that Cardassian ship makes Species 8472 stuff, maybe that's the key... I'd definitely welcome any other ideas or help, though!

Re: Hello / Need Help with Ship Modding
 

Well, I broke the cardinal rule of Modding - go back to the original before you assume anything. :) I reinstalled from a backup and changed /just/ the Intrepid ODF and, sure enough, it works now. There was something about one of my other modifications that was getting in the way.

Whatever it was, at least I know it wasn't Single Player specific, and my project continues. :) Thanks Slider and Joel, and thanks everyone else who used brain power to ponder this even if you didn't have an idea. :)