A1 Modding

[dEjavU']

1.)Hey guys, lately I've been modding a clean a1 install with nothing but the official patch slapped on to it. I wanted a clean a1 install with the best of a1 ships out there available but I'm having the most frustrating of times cause I've never modded a1 before. Does anyone know where I can find the stock ODF inputs that would normaly go in the ship(or station)ODF folder if this was an a2 or Legacy install?

2.)Also I have this fed starbase from the fleet op's TC that I grabbed from my a2 install and I've been digging around asking people but there doesn't appear to be anough information on what I need to do to get this model a1 playable. I realize that a1 SOD is different from a2 SOD but not info to know what exactly so I can make the proper changes to get it to work for a1, can anyone please help out?

[C.A.B.A.L.]

LOLspeak will no doubt muddle this message but anyway...

ODF files and TT files go in the addon folder. Do not use subfolders like in A2. They didn't really consider modding when they released it, but you can download the ODF's here.

To convert an A2 SOD to an A1 SOD you need to find somebody with the non-stock MS3D importer and either convince them to completely re-do the hierarchy or convince them to give you a copy of the importer and then do it yourself. A1 has a slightly different hierarchy that requires that everything trace back to a hardpoint named ROOT. There should be some tutorials around the site.

On a final note, everything is being run through a LOLspeak filter for the lulz.

[dEjavU']

Oh so the entire heirarchy needs to have h_root as the mother node instead of h_scene root? Damn thanks C.A.B.A.L for the quick response, I can't believe the answer is just there starring me in the face. The link doesn't appear to be working though, I'd love to get my hands on those stock ODF files(I so need them badly)also can you or anyone please please for the love of god elaborate on this LOLspeeks!!(what is that)? How it can be removed or undone?

[C.A.B.A.L.]

The SOD also has to be exported as an A1 SOD, which should be an option wen you export. Also, make sure dat evary hardpoint and sprite can be followed back to h_root, including the geometry points.

Just use the search box on the main site to find the ODF pack. Make sure it's set to Rawrmada 1 and simply type in ODF. It should be in the recommendations.

The LOLspeeks should go awai by April Second.

[dEjavU']

Oh it's an april fools thing(my bad)man for a moment there I though I cought another virus.

Originally Posted by C.A.B.A.L.

..the SOD also has to be exported as an A1 SOD, which should be an option wen you export. Also, make sure dat evary hardpoint and sprite can be followed back to h_root, including the geometry points.

Just use the search box on the main site to find the ODF pack. Make sure it's set to Rawrmada 1 and simply type in ODF. It should be in the recommendations....

yup gatcha, and I have it running in-game already but I can't seem to import the stock fed base to determine the weapon hp's(says something about an older sod version)so I don't know what hp name to add or keep to this one to make it consistent with the way how tha game reads the stock fed base. As a result I can't fire any weapons I can build and all that but my weapons are disabled I'll go look for that ODF pack, hopefuly it's still available.

[dEjavU']

Alright! The link works now and I got the ODF pack(can't seem to find it using the FF search)this pack really does do wonders in modding armada 1, now I can really replace those stock ships. I was starting to get annoyed seeing my norexan class warbird being labled griffin class.

3.)I have ships currently in my game that don't have any parts glowing. I realize after skimming through the stickies here that adding glows to a1 is unlike anything I've done before. I'd be real appreciative if anyone can please help me out? On the stickied thread it says that I need to download first some kind of sprite mod for the instructions to be useful, and so, no sprite mod..no useful does anyone have that sprite mod and be willing to share it?



NOTE: For those that will wonder how exactly I got the station in-game(the fast and lazy way anyways )using milkshape I went to the tools drop down menu and selected joint tools. A dialogue box should pop up with three options and a scroll down tab. Use the scroll down tab and select h_scene root, then right above it should be an option to unlink it to the rest of the heirarchy. After that just delete it and walla! Everything else is pretty much the porting routine(assign mesh groups to their textures, weapon hp's, tayloring it's odf, etc).

[apoclaydon]

wouldnt just renaming it h_root work. plus whot do u mean by glows. do you mean like in fo or do u mean lightmaps

[C.A.B.A.L.]

It doesn't technically matter what it's called, just that it exists. A2 doesn't even require that it be there at all.

Glows in A1 are part of the mesh rather than the texture. You need to create a new material, set the ambient light to white (or name it !constant_[name]_default! and replace [name] with whatever you want and keep the exclamation points), then select the faces that you want to glow and set them to your new material. Unfortunately, glowing windows isn't really feasible.

[dEjavU']

Originally Posted by apoclaydon

...wouldnt just renaming it h_root work.....

Yes that would work but there are allot of ships and stations that have h_root connected to h_scene root so abit more effort is required in porting them over to a1.

Originally Posted by C.A.B.A.L.

..glows in A1 are part of the mesh rather than the texture. You need to create a new material, set the ambient light to white (or name it !constant_[name]_default! and replace [name] with whatever you want and keep the exclamation points), then select the faces that you want to glow and set them to your new material. Unfortunately, glowing windows isn't really feasible....

I see, okay I'm going try it out and see if I can do this. C.A.B.A.L. I really appreciate the guidance.



Note: To also show appreciation for his a1 light map tutorial(Armada 1 Lightmap Tutorial Download, Star Trek: Armada 2 Tutorials)which also helped me out in this matter, thanks Icewolf132.

Note: Despite how correctly you may have spelled the name of the unit, having a capital Letter in the name of any unit inputed in the tech files and or on the GUI Global file while having a lower case letter name for the ODF(and SOD file just to be on the safe side)will remove that ship(or station)from your build list in-game. Make sure all the inputed names are all exactly the same.