Repute.fac and module.jrl

[Pavlos]

More random experiments and more random exploration leads to diabolical questions:

 

Ok. I just wanted to check over some things with you guys. I understand that the functionality for repute.fac still existed in KotOR I and I'm wondering whether or not it still exists in TSL before I spend time creating a .fac file.

 

The second question which is similar, but different at the same time is: KotOR I had functionality for the module.jrl - a module based journal. I understand why this was in NWN what with people releasing modules for custom built adventures rather than having it link in with the global story arc, as KotOR's set of story modders tend to do. But why on earth do some of the modules in K1 have these files in them? Do they still serve a purpose, and if so... in what manner?

[stoffe]

Ok. I just wanted to check over some things with you guys. I understand that the functionality for repute.fac still existed in KotOR I and I'm wondering whether or not it still exists in TSL before I spend time creating a .fac file.

 

While I haven't tested it in KotOR2, I can't see why it shouldn't work any more if it worked before. That said, can't see why you would want to use it either, since "custom" factions are messy to work with. Much easier to just add your new factions (if the ones available in the standard game are not enough) to repute.2da, since standard factions are easier to work with via scripting, IMHO.

 

Not to mention the unpredictability "custom" factions tended to introduce in NWN modules, where for no obvious reason NPCs suddenly could start fighting eachother or turn hostile towards the player if you weren't very careful with how they were set up. (Countless forum posts about suddenly being chased around by an invincible hostile Aribeth in the first OC module comes to mind...)

 

 

The second question which is similar, but different at the same time is: KotOR I had functionality for the module.jrl - a module based journal. I understand why this was in NWN what with people releasing modules for custom built adventures rather than having it link in with the global story arc, as KotOR's set of story modders tend to do. But why on earth do some of the modules in K1 have these files in them? Do they still serve a purpose, and if so... in what manner?

 

Due to the fundamental structural difference between modules in Neverwinter Nights (where a module basically contained the whole campaign with all the areas involved in it) and KotOR (where a module only contain a single area) I doubt module-specific journal entries are very useful in the KotOR games since you rarely stay within a single module for all that long. Most planets and stations are made up of different modules you move between quite frequently, so module-specific journal entries would be quite confusing and annoying, IMHO.

 

That said, the module.jrl files I've looked at seemed to contain very little, nothing more than a few test entries and nothing substantial or game plot related at all. While I haven't studied them all in detail I highly doubt they are used for anything at all in the KotOR games. Just some junk left over from development is my guess. The Aurora Toolset has a tendency of leaving lots of junk in the modules if you aren't careful, the Odyssey Toolset might work the same way.

[Pavlos]

I gathered as much in regards to the module.jrls found in K1 . And while I was fairly certain of the answer, I just wanted a second opinion on whether or not they could serve a purpose in KotOR.

 

As for the repute.facs? I didn't really want to edit the repute.2da file for compatibility reasons when building mods. But having thought about it: your patcher would prevent any. Thanks for answering.

 

Edit:

(Countless forum posts about suddenly being chased around by an invincible hostile Aribeth in the first OC module comes to mind...)

I bet that was odd.

[Darkkender]

Offhand I'm not familiar with the module.jrl is the file actually titled module.jrl in modules or is it titled "module_name".jrl(eg. eboillusion.jrl)? I've got my own curiosity piqued by these little tidbits.

[Pavlos]

Very few of the modules actually have the file. The file is actually just called module.jrl. An example can be found in tar_m02ab . You'll find it to be filled with "test" entries. I was just wondering if this could still serve a purpose, it is obvious that those in the game at the moment do not.