4 replies to this topic

[Xigyig]

Hi! So I have a couple ideas, but I don't know if they can be done.

 

The first is increasing the dimensions of portraits and/or paper dolls in the GUI (party sidebar, dialog box, status/inventory screen). Can this be done? I assume it can't, since I haven't seen it done, but I couldn't find such information through searching.

 

The second involves assigning portraits to nonrecruitable NPCs (such as Firkraag, the Sahuagin King, etc). The only way I know to assign those portraits is by overriding the .cre files. I'm not necessarily asking for specifics, but is there a way to implement such a mod without making it incompatible with modes that also modify those characters?

 

Thanks in advance! And sorry if this is already answered elsewhere. I have limited experience modding BG.

[Sam.]

The second involves assigning portraits to nonrecruitable NPCs (such as Firkraag, the Sahuagin King, etc). The only way I know to assign those portraits is by overriding the .cre files. I'm not necessarily asking for specifics, but is there a way to implement such a mod without making it incompatible with modes that also modify those characters?

I believe the "Faces!" mod by Irbis & Jalily did this, but appears to have been removed from SHS for copyright reasons.  You can probably still find it somewhere in the ether if you look, though.

[The Imp]

. The only way I know to assign those portraits is by overriding the .cre files. I'm not necessarily asking for specifics, but is there a way to implement such a mod without making it incompatible with modes that also modify those characters?

Yeah assigning a picture is easy, you just need to patch the .cre file using weidu command... it's actually very easy when you learn how to do it.

Now the GUI's space for the portrait is small without the Widescreen mod, and editing the space is even harder without specific settings in the widescreen mod... and knowing how the whole thing works... and then not damaging it... and unfortunately thebigg has lost his interest in IE moding for a while, so we'll just need to hope he returns soon.
Or course if we had all the pictures ready it might be easier... but that's pretty far fetched to go on a limb in the hopes to getting this.

It goes like this:

Traditional mod start ... with backup, component name, coder name etc. then:

COPY ~modname/bgiporta.bmp~ ~override/bgiporta.bmp~

COPY_EXISTING ~modname/xxx.cre~ ~override/xxx.cre~  //the xxx is the already existing .cre code for the character you wish to patch
WRITE_ASCII 0x34 bgiporta      /*this it the file name without the .bmp extension. The 0x34 is the smaller/dialog picture, the medium is not used, and can't be made to be used */

Edited by The Imp, 11 July 2013 - 01:40 PM.

[Mike1072]

The first is increasing the dimensions of portraits and/or paper dolls in the GUI (party sidebar, dialog box, status/inventory screen). Can this be done? I assume it can't, since I haven't seen it done, but I couldn't find such information through searching.

That would require modifying the game executable.
 

The second involves assigning portraits to nonrecruitable NPCs (such as Firkraag, the Sahuagin King, etc). The only way I know to assign those portraits is by overriding the .cre files. I'm not necessarily asking for specifics, but is there a way to implement such a mod without making it incompatible with modes that also modify those characters?

// copy portrait of sahuagin king into the game
COPY ~MyPortraitMod/portraits/sahuaginking.bmp~ ~override/xgsaking.bmp~ // .bmp filename should use your modder prefix and be 8 characters or less

// assign portrait to sahuagin king
COPY_EXISTING ~sahkin01.cre~ ~override~
  WRITE_ASCII 0x34 ~xgsaking~ #8 // small portrait