Modding & World Builder IRC Q & A
BFME2H held a Modding & World Builder Q&A on IRC on April 9th, 2006. Blood Phoenix, JBV3737, and Pulkit were available to answer questions. This is a transcript of the questions and answers.
Q: What types of files can you expect to find when you're
modding?
A: Blood Phoenix: The main file type you encounter is .BIG. These
are the compression files. The other main types you will come across are
W3D (model files), INI (Configuration files) and TGA (Texture
files).
A: JBV3737: Map_auto_file, (World builder, map itself)
TGA files that give minimap pictures, etc. STR files, that also
give the map its messages.
Q:Can you use the World Builder to make RPG scenarios?
A: Pulkit: Yes. The WB is power-packed to facilitate RPG
gameplay. Maps such as the in-game campaigns can be made, and the WB
supports a lot of features like camera animations for videos, closeups,
character modifications and a wide range of triggers to make any
scenario possible.
A: Blood Phoenix: World Builder is very capable of RPG style
scenarios. It is more difficult to learn to start off with, however it
does provide some very good results.
Q: What does .ini stand for?
A: Blood Phoenix: .ini files are initialization files. It is a
configuration file that contains data for Microsoft Windows applications.
Q: What can be modified in the game graphically speaking? (i.e. skins,
animations, models, effects, etc.)
A: Blood Phoenix: We can currently edit the majority of the
files. It is possible to import models and edit textures, so a great deal
is possible. You can find tools and plugins for importing models etc. in
our modding resources thread :).
Q: And terrain textures can be
modified as well?
A: Blood Phoenix: Yes they can.
Q: What's the poly (polygon) count for the average unit in the
game?
A: Blood Phoenix: Each unit has an individual standard poly
count. However for standard units (pikemen, archers, etc.) you can
probably expect around the 2000 poly mark. For bigger units, the poly
count is obviously going to increase. Your best bet is to import the
model you want to edit, and check its count. Really there's no particular
limit, however the game does struggle to handle lots of very large poly
counts.
Q: Can someone with a mod installed play someone else who doesn't have
it?
A: Blood Phoenix: You can play all mods online. If the mod
involves code you and the other player will both need to have it
installed. If it's a graphical mod (texture or model), the other player
does not need to have it installed, however he will see the unit differently
than you.
Q: In the evil/good campaigns of BFME2 we saw intro videos at the
beginning of each scenario. Any idea how that can be done using the
builder?
A: Pulkit: The videos are separate files from the map, and
therefore you cannot make them in the WB. You'll need to make separate
movie files like the EA movie files externally. You can replicate the
videos with in-game camera animations by using scripts for Camera, or
using the Camera Animation feature.
Q: I made my animations, but then how do you get it to run on your
map?
A: Pulkit: You'll need scripts to run the animation. For the
effect, choose Move using Camera Animation in the Camera effects.
Q: What does the BIG format stand for?
A: Blood Phoenix: Sadly I'm not sure what the format name stands
for, however what I can tell you is that it's a general compression
file.
A: Kester: I think BIG files are specific to EA - they use it to
hold their mod files: .big file
description
Q: How do we open the .BIG files and how does the extractor work to
allow you to see the contents?
A: Blood Phoenix: You can extract the .BIG files using a program
such as FinalBIG. A guide for doing this can be found
here.
Q: "Making a new unit" means you're replacing an existing one? If yes,
is there any known way to add a new unit?
A: Blood Phoenix: You can add new models to the game, however
this does require code modifications. An easier option is to replace
model files already in existence.
Q:How is text displayed in maps?
A: Pulkit: You can add text to maps by making a notepad file and
saving it as .STR in your map folder. In the file, write the text in
three lines as:
Headline
"your text here"
End
Then, use the Script
Interface > Display Text and enter the Headline in the space
provided.
A: JBV3737: The " \n " thing makes the line go down one, it
replaces the enter/return key.
Q: Are there triggers in the World Builder?
A: Pulkit: Yes, there are triggers. They go by the name of
Scripts. You create scripts using the 'Edit scripts' button in the
toolbar. Create scripts in the player folders and choose the conditions
and effects from the vast lists.
Q: Can you place a unit on top of a horse?
A: Blood Phoenix: It is possible. However, I'm not totally sure
on how to do it as I've not done it myself before. However, I would
suspect you would need new animation and positioning model files, which
at present we cannot edit. Also you would need to edit code, which could
get nasty with online play. However, if you're more of an off-liner, it's
well worth it.
Q: What file format does BFME2 use for its models?
A: Blood Phoenix: BFME2 uses W3D file formats. There are various
importers/exporters located in the modding resources thread. A prime tool
for new modders would be Gmax, as you can edit the models in it and it's
free. (www.turbo-squid.com/gmax)
Q: W3D formats? As in .w3d or as
in .wings files?
A: Blood Phoenix: .w3d files. However, I would suspect you will
be able to find an importer for Wings.
Q: What image format does BFMEII use for textures?
A: Blood Phoenix: BFME2 uses a TGA file format for images most
often. The textures can be located in the texture.BIG files.
Q: Does it UV map properly when in use of higher-resolution
textures?
A: Blood Phoenix: UV mapping works fine for higher res textures.
Also, most heroes have 512x512 pixels textures anyway, so there shouldn't
be a problem.
Q: What are regular texture sizes for standard
units?
A: Blood Phoenix: 128 or 256, it varies.
Q: And bigger
units like the war trolls?
A: Blood Phoenix: 512 or higher. Sadly I haven't checked them
specifically, but you should have a pretty high size.
Q: How do you add new abilities to units?
A: JBV3737: Basically you need several things make up a new
ability, you need a ability timer, upgrade level trigger, new command
button, the command button in the unit's command set, weapon itself, and
the add modules to the object, and the FX and FX list, this is only a
summary.
A: Blood Phoenix: I'd like to add that some abilities cannot be
easily switched as they involve special animations.
Q: Is there a
way to copy all of those things from an existing unit and then change
them?
A: Blood Phoenix: I would suspect so, as you need to know the
structure before you can make any additions to the code anyway.
Q: Regarding the future of modding with BFME2: Is it worth getting
started in modding?
A: Blood Phoenix: Getting started with BFME2 modding is well
worth it. There's going to be such a long list of possibilities and
options eventually, I would suspect it's going to become one of the top
games to mod. I suspect in the near future we can
expect some total conversion projects to boot up, as well as lots of new
units. My advice would be to get stuck in now, and reap the rewards later
on ;).
Thank you to Blood Phoenix, Pulkit and JBV3737 for answering the questions, and to all who showed up to ask them!