Hello, I've found several incorrect (unknown/known) description codes defined for NPCs - eg. for Human Villager in Czech language we have different words for male/female gender but English Arcanum uses the same strings so there are many errors not noticeable in English version - and now I'm trying to correct it in WorldEd: I find the NPC, rightclick on it, make a note of ID code for NPC (eg. G_012A45...) choose edit and correct the description code (string). In Tarant there were aprox. 15 errors regarding descriptions. I click on the "save" button. Then, when I compared both directories (unpacked original Arcanum and modified one after saving of changes) there is about 2000 modified MOB files ... why? I expected only 15 modified MOB files. Should I include all 2000 files in my patch? Or only those 15 MOB files? I am confused why WorldEd changed so many files on main Arcanum map..... Can anybody help me?
Right-click on the edited NPC, then click on its guide code (G_....), it will be copied to clipboard. Then just make a search for a mobile with the same name and include it in your patch. WorldEd just updates mobiles in all affected sectors when you save a map, even if there's no changes. Oh, one more thing, that should be useful for you project. Many translators don't know about one peculiarity of Arcanum, I even heard that the official German version had this bug. Anyway, the critters' proto tables (npc.txt, monster.txt and unique.txt) should use the same strings as the ones used in stat.mes and spell.mes, thus if you translate "Strength" to "XXX", then you should replace "Strength" with "XXX" in proto tables, or critters won't generate correctly. If it's not done, you will have monsters with 8 for each stat and no spells, and all humanoid races won't generate correctly as well, e.g. orcs in random encounters will look like humans.
Thanks Drog I'm happy I can use only those 15 modified MOB files ... I wanted to create a utility to check and correct those wrong description codes (to change known/unknown strings according to gender variable) but I wasn't able to hack the MOB format and to find out the proper positions (offsets) for them in MOB files. Probably they vary. It could have been an elegant and very fast way to correct all the wrong strings. But now the possibility is gone and I have to click in WorldEd on all the NPCs in the game and correct them manually. Urgggh! I will check the synchronicity of translated words in mentioned files, thanks for this hint. Drog, what is the purpose of those two sets of critters's proto tables (npc.txt, monster.txt and unique.txt) in your patch? The Arcanum5.dat and Arcanum6.dat versions differ a little. I unpacked all the main and module dat files to "work folder" for WorldEd editing overwriting smaller numbered dat files by higher ones. Should it be that way? Is it a correct way of unpacking?
Mobiles contain only changes from prototypes they're based on. So let's say you create a sword in WorldEd, and increase its damage. The resulting mobile will have only the damage section. Thus, offsets are almost always different. Arcanum6.dat contains fixes that get around engine limitations. Those are: -Added skills to creatures prototypes via #13 (enter combat) and #19 (heartbeat) scripts // Proto critters can't have any skills on their own -Fixed problems with Dweomer Shield and Reflection Shield making Mind Controlled creatures permanent followers // The flags used in these two spells have a glitch that makes many maintainable spells permanent, I've blocked the most serious exploit: permanent followers -Palette fixes for summoned monsters. (Summon Undead, Phantasmal Fiend, Hellgate, Summon Familiar) // When the game summons a creature via a spell, the creature uses a default palette. I've added an extra line to the spells, it refreshes art I moved them to a separate archive just in hope that the engine can be fixed. Some day. For your project just use files from arcanum6.dat, the fixes are essential anyway, especially the skills' fix.
I'm looking at those files now and have more questions: Do you mean all the stat and spell strings? Or also descriptions after // ? Or more strings? I'm confused :-( The bad thing is that our Czech version dated from 2002 (and translated by Birdman as replacement of English 1074 version) used only translated DLG and MES files plus redrawn graphics, nothing more. We used original English TXT files (or the ones from your patch now). It means we played the game with bugs? All those 6 years? Ohhh, it is terrible ... you must be joking ... I don't want to believe it ... but if YOU say it .... ohhh ... back to work: Example from NPC.TXT (bold text is mine, do you mean these strings?): Description: 17311 // Half Elf Bounty Hunter Internal Name: 6400 Level: 20 Basic Stat: Gender 1 Basic Stat: Race 3 Basic Stat: Strength 10 Basic Stat: Intelligence 10 Basic Stat: Dexterity 18 Basic Stat: Perception 12 Basic Stat: Beauty 12 Basic Stat: Constitution 14 Basic Stat: Willpower 18 Spell: Jolt Spell: Bolt of Lightning Spell: Orcish Champion Spell: Congeal Time Alignment: 0 Faction: 0 AI Packet: 0 Material: 4 Hit Points: 70 Script: 13 03205 0 0 0 0 Script: 19 03008 0 0 0 0 Script: 9 03009 0 0 0 0 Sound Bank: 80 Portrait: 1010 Retail Price Multiplier: 300 Social Class: 10 Inventory Source: 96
You can always check if you're in doubt. Just put some critters in WorldEd. If they all have 8 for each stat and no spells, and all humanoid races look like humans, then I'm right. Yes. Other ones are stored in the engine, so you don't need to translate them: Code: Category Auto Level Scheme Object Flag Social Class Retail Price Multiplier Inventory Source Sound Bank Fatigue Damage Fire Damage Electrical Damage Poison Damage Normal Damage Magic Resistance Poison Resistance Electrical Resistance Fire Resistance Damage Resistance Hit Points Material AI Packet Faction Basic Stat Hit Chart Spell Flag Blit Flag NPC Flag Critter2 Flag Critter Flag Alignment Scale Art Number and Palette Internal Name I don't remember what's the deal with "Level" though, check it, if your creatures are all 1 lvl, then translate it, as well.
Hi Drog, I've corrected our Czech Arcanum according to your hint and also recommended to all to clear map and proto caches, then to install our patch and start a new game. I hope it will work also with your 1024x768 version installed before our patch. When I was testing the critters and NPCs in WorldEd, it worked as you supposed: without those necessary changes there was some critters without spells or with wrong ones and with default stats. After translation of the strings in those three txt files everything seems to work fine. "Level" is not needed to translate, it is a keyword before ":" and is recognized by main exe correctly. And one more thing: Arcanum.PATCH2 is present in both mods: UAPEXP and also in 1024x768 mod. Are the mods compatible?
Glad to see you got it working. I forgot about this one, it seems. Just rename the 'patch2' file from the 1024x768 mod to 'patch3'.