[K2]The Impossibility of Lightside Transitions seems..well..impossible

[LancerChronics]

I've done a simillar post before requesting this type of mod, but didn't get a single response, so at first i thought it was already created. I did a forum search and found a similar request, where someone told them that it couldn't be done for some reason. Well, obviously it cannot be done through 2DAs. SO, I set out to try and make the mod myself, but I keep hitting road blocks.... The main one being that i can find the damnable script function for it. I've spent my free time the last hree days just reading through various .nss files trying to find what causes the change in texture. Here's what I know:

 

-The heads.2DA had 2 columns for good head textures that are blank. As you all know, filling them in with a texture does nothing. As I learned from modding NWN2, you can tweak a 2DA file as much as you want, but if there is no script function for it, nothing happens(I was making a persistent Divine Power spell).

 

-People have been able to make DS transitions for other characters in K1. These mods generally contain there own scripts that do this(I assume), and read as follows(from Darkside Bastila Head Reskin):

 

void main ()

 

{

object oBastila=GetObjectByTag("sta_bastila");

 

AdjustAlignment (oBastila,ALIGNMENT_LIGHT_SIDE,100);

 

}

 

---Ironically, the file is called bastila_good.nss. And somehow, i believe it may make Bastila automatically switch to the DS head at a certain point. If someone could explain to me how this function is working, that may be helpful.

 

-Kotor 2 also uses similar functions. but i believe from reading various scripts that getfirstpc() may be the one that corresponds to the Exile.

 

-What is bugging me the most, however is that i can't seem to find ANY functions in the scripts that connect to ANY of the 2DA's. But I feel that somewhere there is a script that basically says "at *this* many darkside points, check heads.2DA, corresponding collumn and row, read the texture file listed, and load it". Now if I could just find it, I probably could understand it enough to make lightside transitions possible.....i just have to find it.

 

If you know anything that may help, or have any ideas that might be beneficial, please post it. I hate it when I type a post and it falls into oblivion, with not so much as a peep from anybody.

[RedHawke]

I've done a simillar post before requesting this type of mod, but didn't get a single response,

Unfortunately reposting a same or similar request is not allowed, it is considered spam. I will leave this one open for now but your other one is closed. Please do not make anymore threads about this here in the future, they will be deleted or closed at staff discression.

 

I hate it when I type a post and it falls into oblivion, with not so much as a peep from anybody.

This is something you will have to learn to live with, this is a forum not IM and we can't force people to answer your threads, or make you mods, neither can you. Please read our Forum Rules as well as the Unique Rules for this Request forum.

 

Sorry to have to come down on you a little here and I do wish you luck in your endeavour.

[lactose_]

...If you know anything that may help, or have any ideas that might be beneficial, please post it. I hate it when I type a post and it falls into oblivion, with not so much as a peep from anybody.

Hi, I'm not quite sure what your question is: what exactly do you mean by "Lightside Transitions"?

 

The script that you quoted gives Bastila full LS points; there does not need to be any reference to the .2da files in the script because the transitions happen automatically. If it were to be reversed to full DS points, and the character in question was the Exile, then you would see the Exile getting the complete DS zombieface.

 

Are you actually asking about giving a character a more-LS-than-default face?

[Darth Kalverys]

Hi, I'm not quite sure what your question is: what exactly do you mean by "Lightside Transitions"?

 

The script that you quoted gives Bastila full LS points; there does not need to be any reference to the .2da files in the script because the transitions happen automatically. If it were to be reversed to full DS points, and the character in question was the Exile, then you would see the Exile getting the complete DS zombieface.

 

Are you actually asking about giving a character a more-LS-than-default face?

 

Yes, I'll bet he's asking for one a lot like the Atrisan K1 mod. I'm not quite sure how to make LS transitions... I've been trying to figure it out myself.

[lactose_]

^^^

 

Well, ok.

 

In that case, I guess the OP's already worked on heads.2da and has the headtexg and headtexvg columns (I'm using K1 terms; not sure if they're the same for K2 which I don't have installed) correctly refer to his LS textures. To test if Lightside Transitions really work ingame - because I don't actually know if they do - he can then cheat by using the addlightside cheat in the console.

 

If it works, ie if his character 'changes face', then great - Lightside Transitions are possible! What remains, if you don't want to cheat, is to fire the appropriate scripts to change the character's LS/DS affiliation at the appropriate time: the Bastila script he quotes in the first post should work fine. There is probably no need to refer to any .2da files in the script.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help cos I haven't really tried doing this (I don't have the desire for such a change). Perhaps Rueben Shan could shed more light on what he's tried to do so far?

[LancerChronics]

sadly I've already tried the 2da method, and it doesn't work. And I know why it doesn't work.

 

Little story time:

If you look at my reference to NWN2, I've tried modding games before. In the case of NWN2, I was trying to make a Persistent Divine Power spell, which should be impossible. I went into the 2DA's, dropped the spell level of it by 1, made persistent metamagic only add 5 instead of 6, and tagged Divine Power so that it could be persistable. I went in game, had it, used it....and it worked just like the unpersisted version. Later I learned that just because the 2DAs allowed for it to exist now, if there wasn't a script to actually perform the function, then it would never work. So I had to go in and modify the NSS files, so that something would actually happen when i used the spell.

 

End story.

 

 

It is the same case with the heads.2da. Yes, there is a headtexg and headtexvg that allows for the possibility of changing your character's appearance as they become more lightside, but if there isn't a script(NSS) for them, then it will never work. That's why I am trying to find the script the does this for darkside, so that i can mimic and modify it, hopefully making lightside transition possible.

 

As for the bit of code I added, it was from a mod that said it automatically changes bastila's texture as she goes darkside. I was kinda hoping the script that came with the mod may have been linked to the actual transition, not just how many LS/DS points she had. Looks like I was wrong, but if I had been right, it could have helped me find where in the code the darkside transitions actually happened, so I could modify it.

 

Oh well, back to just scanning the code....sorry for the longwinded response.

 

PS: What is this Atrisan mod? I can't find it on kotor filefront. If you could point me too it, any similar mod, even from K1 could help me deduce the location of the script function I need.

[lactose_]

I think you're right. The DS transitions change automatically with the DS points-reward scripts, but the converse is not quite true for LS: the transitions seem to stop at the 50% point. Unfortunately I'm unaware of what scripts you can use to specifically refer to heads.2da entries.

 

As a workaround, you can perhaps give the character DS points, but make their DS face look like LS instead... but of course this is only desirable if you don't mind the gameplay effects that come with the visual change.

[Darth Kalverys]

sadly I've already tried the 2da method, and it doesn't work. And I know why it doesn't work.

 

Little story time:

If you look at my reference to NWN2, I've tried modding games before. In the case of NWN2, I was trying to make a Persistent Divine Power spell, which should be impossible. I went into the 2DA's, dropped the spell level of it by 1, made persistent metamagic only add 5 instead of 6, and tagged Divine Power so that it could be persistable. I went in game, had it, used it....and it worked just like the unpersisted version. Later I learned that just because the 2DAs allowed for it to exist now, if there wasn't a script to actually perform the function, then it would never work. So I had to go in and modify the NSS files, so that something would actually happen when i used the spell.

 

End story.

 

 

It is the same case with the heads.2da. Yes, there is a headtexg and headtexvg that allows for the possibility of changing your character's appearance as they become more lightside, but if there isn't a script(NSS) for them, then it will never work. That's why I am trying to find the script the does this for darkside, so that i can mimic and modify it, hopefully making lightside transition possible.

 

As for the bit of code I added, it was from a mod that said it automatically changes bastila's texture as she goes darkside. I was kinda hoping the script that came with the mod may have been linked to the actual transition, not just how many LS/DS points she had. Looks like I was wrong, but if I had been right, it could have helped me find where in the code the darkside transitions actually happened, so I could modify it.

 

Oh well, back to just scanning the code....sorry for the longwinded response.

 

PS: What is this Atrisan mod? I can't find it on kotor filefront. If you could point me too it, any similar mod, even from K1 could help me deduce the location of the script function I need.

 

It was on PCGM... try to ask on the thread dedicated to PCGM mods...

[LancerChronics]

As a workaround, you can perhaps give the character DS points, but make their DS face look like LS instead... but of course this is only desirable if you don't mind the gameplay effects that come with the visual change.

 

Sadly, I do mind. I just can never bring myself to play a darkside character. But you post did give me an idea. There are several script functions in various NSS files called things like "isevil", "isgood", "ishighevil", etc that are called when the script checks between a certain LS/DS range. (Example: If goodevilvalue>50, and <70, The pc=islowgood).

 

I am very curious to see how textures are affected if I flip these around(Though I guess you could say this is taking the long way around, because if it works, there will be many more steps to take to make it unnoticeable).

 

I could also do something similar to what you said, but flip the LS/DS points awarded depending on your actions. So doing something good would give me DS points.(Jade Empire has a goodevil.2DA that makes it easy, I bet KOTOR has one too)

 

I dont have time tonight however(almost midnight), so maybe I'll play around with it this weekend.

[lactose_]

... I could also do something similar to what you said, but flip the LS/DS points awarded depending on your actions. So doing something good would give me DS points.(Jade Empire has a goodevil.2DA that makes it easy, I bet KOTOR has one too)

 

I dont have time tonight however(almost midnight), so maybe I'll play around with it this weekend.

Yes I believe KoTOR does have a single governing .2da like that, but of course all your other party members would be similarly affected by it.

 

Good luck on that! In the meantime if you get any insight into the scripting way of doing it then let us know...