ARCANUM -- Setting up for easy modding

Me and Rroyo had some fun with this one; He contributed a lot and I stumbled across a workable solution to the problem we encountered. I do not take full credit for this, Rroyo helped a lot in learning where what goes, and by deduction, I came up with an easy solution for Setting Up Arcanum for easy modding.

What You Need:
(1) Install a Fresh Copy of Arcanum.
(2) Install 1074 Official Patch
(3a) Install the UAP with only Main Content [default install]
- OR -
(3b) Install the UAP with ALL options.
(4) Grab yourself the DATBuilder from THOL Downloads area.
(5) Make sure you have WorldED 1069 (or 1070)
(6) Goto \sierra\arcanum\modules and rename all the arcanum.patch# files to arcanum.patch#.dat
(7) Goto \sierra and make a new directory ' uarcanum '
(8) Goto \sierra\uarcanum and make a new directory ' modules '
(9) Run DATBuilder and open Arcanum.dat in \sierra\arcanum\modules. Once the running list (numbers on bottom) stops, you're ready to extract.
(10) Extract all files (make sure all files and extract files with path names are ticked) to \sierra\uarcanum\modules\arcanum.dat (this is a folder, it will create the folder if it doesnt exist)
(11) Open each subsequent arcanum.patch#.dat and extract them one by one to \sierra\uarcanum\modules\arcanum.patch# (note that you DO NOT put the .dat extension on this folder when extracting to \sierra\uarcanum\modules - this is because these arcanum.patch# do not originally have .dat in their extension)

Now were on to copying.

(1) In \sierra\arcanum\modules, lets go ahead and rename those arcanum.patch#.dat files back to their original arcanum.patch# names.
-- note -- you may find an arcanum.patch8 in there as well during your extracting process. rename this to arcanum.patch# where # is the next available # in the series.
(2) while there, go ahead and creat a new folder and name it arcanum.patch# where # is the next available free # in the series after the patch8 you just renamed.
(3) copy the arcanum1-024-fixed folder from \sierra\uarcanum\modules\arcanum.dat\maps and paste it into a maps folder in the new arcanum.patch# you created in \sierra\arcanum\modules
(4) if maps\arcanum1-024-fixed exist in any of the subsequent arcanum.patch# folders located in \sierra\uarcanum\modules, copy those arcanum1-024-fixed from those and paste into the maps folder of your new arcanum.patch# folder and allow overwrite.
***BIG NOTE***
If you want to play around and mod ALL the maps within arcanum, just cap the MAPS folder in its entirety from the unpacked files (arcanum.dat and arcanum.patch# files) into your new arcanum.patch# instead of just the arcanum1-024-fixed, that way you can mod all of the maps.
(5) do the same for the file gamearea.mes in the mes folder of arcanum.dat folder and all subsequent arcanum.patch# folders and allow overwrite.
(6) starting with your unpacked arcanum.dat, copy the Rules folder into your new arcanum.patch# (the same folder you've been copying to this entire time)
(7) continue copying the Rules folder from each unpacked arcanum.patch# in \sierra\uarcanum\modules folder and allow overwrite.

WOOHOO Now you're almost done.

(8) in \sierra\arcanum (main game directory where you see arcanum#.dat files, make a new arcanum#.dat folder where # is the next # in the sequence, and in that folder, also create 2 folders called ' scr ' and ' dlg ' ... this is where new Scripts and Dialogs will go. (they DO NOT go in your arcanum.patch# you created, tho I have not tested this, but I do not believe it will work)

**** IMPORTANT ****
(9) Go to your new arcanum.patch# you made ... poke into the ' maps ' folder and rename the ' arcanum1-024-fixed ' to ' arcanum1-024 '.
(10) Back out to your new ' arcanum.patch# ' folder and poke into the ' Rules ' folder. Open up MapList.mes and edit the Arcanum1-024-fixed to the SAME NAME you named the folder to in step 9 ... ' Arcanum1-024 '. This will have the effect of forcing Arcanum to recognize the new map to 'force' your changes to the game, so to speak.

ALL DONE!

Load up WorldED and select ' arcanum.patch# ' [your new folder you made] as the module, and modify things in the main map, or create your own new map. *IF YOU MAKE A NEW MAP, you must note this change in the MapList.mes file in your new arcanum.patch#\rules folder to tell the game theres a new map. Search this area for my MapList and GameArea tutorial to learn how to do that if you do not already know how.


This is for EASY MODDING so you can keep your original dat files PACKED in both the main game folder and the modules folder. The game will run just fine tho on your unpacked folders so you DO NOT have to pack your arcanum.patch# to a dat file to test your work.



CREDITS to:
Rroyo - for getting me as far as I did.
Myself - for stumbling across the answer lol.
DarkUnderlord -- AMTUT Creator - for helping to understand the basics of Arcanum modding through his AMTUT Tutorial

 

Thanks Shiin.
This info will save someone a lot of headaches. :wink:

 

Yes. I woke up with frequent headaches during our initial trial of getting this to work lol!!!

 

Hate to gravedig, but it seems that every passage, stairs etc. (world objects take you to new map) won't work with this method. I have no idea why, so I though I should bring this issue to the light after all the years. Hopefully someone can answer why this happens? I followed the method outlined in this thread to the letter. My Arcanum is GOG version (I have CD of the old one though, but I doubt GOG version is much different) with Drog's patch installed.

Note that the problem gets fixed instantly when I remove my new patch folder with edited maps. Have tried with unedited maps too, so my editing of them seems to be not the issue.

Too bad, I did quite lot of work already, but oh well.

 

Could one of you make a step by step tutorial on how to add custom music to your module? I have tried editing Schemelist and schemeindex however I have no luck with being able to choose my custom music in Arcanum.
My process:

Create the Music folder "MyMod/Sound/Music"
Add my custom music to the folder

Edit Schemelist
§§§ CUSTOM MUSIC §§§

{5200}{..\..\MyMod\sound\music\CustomMusic.mp3 /loop /vol:50}

Edit Schemeindex
{52}{M.CustomMusic #5200}

However in world ed the music doesn't show up from the dropdown list.

Do I need to undat Arcanum and edit arcanums schemeindex/schemelist files if Im not editing the main Arcanum mod?

 

@Chaoswizard98

I have vague memories that you needed to have your music files with the same names as the ones in Arcanum, but not very sure. Saw a post on music but it was a long while ago. I'd like to be able to have my own music in game too. Or at least music I get from the net since I'm not a musician

 

I was able to get the dropdown list to work. For that I copied both files to Arcanum/data/sound and wrote something like this into "schemeindex.mes" bottom line:

{60}{CUSTOM MUSIC}
Note: I'm not sure if there has to be a #6000 in the end of the name.

The problem that it didn't work for you is that number 52 is already in use: {52}{A.Blacksmith's Shop #5200}. And perhaps it had to be in a different location.

I've come to a conclusion that the scheme files in a custom module don't work. Only in Arcanum's data folder.

§§§ CUSTOM MUSIC §§§ <- seems to be absolutely pointless, only as information for the user.

That's pretty much what I found out. Maybe having the hashtag at the end makes a difference, but I'm not going to bother with it for now.

 

I kinda figured editing the files in the mod was pointless. I tried deleting some tracks from the list only for World ed to still find them. Ill try this out later and see if I can get it to work. Thanks!

Oh and where do the ambient sounds go? Didn't see arcanums ambient sounds in the music folder. I'm assuming they go in the same place?

 

Yes, I think so. I found that in WorldEd both dropdown lists (music and ambient) contained my custom text.