Happy mod crash so kawaii!

Something's wrong. I follow Amut's tutorial up to the point where I have this problem.

I use the 1070 WorldEd exe with a patched (1074) version of the game. Problem is, whenever I make a mod with 1070, WorldEd crashes next time I open it. Arcanum crashes when I select it in the modules option thingy.

I've set the starting location in the .mes file, used the right-click to 'set a starting location'. Did it both/without the other and vice versa. Still crashes.

But everything's fine when using 1074 WorldEd but like the guide says, it compresses the mod. And I'm still beginning to mod Arcanum so I'ld like to see the various .mes files and maybe tinker with it sometime.

I guess my real problem is that I'm having this particular difficulty even though the guide seemed to not make that much of a big deal out of it. Is there something wrong with my files? Am I stuck with 1074? Is there anything that 1074 can't do that 1070 can? Can I easily tinker with the .mes files in 1074 like I do with notepad? Is this tl;dr?!

UPDATE: I'm in the part of the tutorial where I have to edit the gamedesc.mes file. Horray, I'm stuck. How do I edit this now?

UPDATE 2: I'm gonna try to undat and fix this thing from there. Having trouble turning them to dat files now. Damn.

UPDATE 3: Just figured out how to turn them to dat. Through the WorldEd. Also, in before someone says gbt livejournal.

 

I've never had any problems with WorldEd (apart from when I created invalid protos through hex editing). I can only suggest a fresh install and be very careful that you follow the instructions when patching WorldEd.

Gamedesc.mes is found in the mes folder. You need to undat the arcanumX.dat files in order to access these folders.

 

Wha?

I edited the Gamedesc.mes that was in my mod by undat it through some undat utility. You mean I'm doing it all wrong? I've never undat any of arcanum's original files. Is this what I should've done? What the hell's happening?

UPDATE AGAIN:
I figured out why it was crashing. Fixed it and now I can edit with the simplicity of 1070. Now about that gamedesc.mes being in the arcanumx.dat...

 

Just a slight misunderstanding.
When you said "I'm still beginning to mod Arcanum" I took it to mean that you were going to mod the main game i.e. the module called Arcanum.
If you are just working on your own standalone mod then you don't have to undat the data files but I would still recommend it as it will allow you to look at what Troika did and try to figure things out that way.
The files are arcanum.dat, arcanum1.dat, arcanum2.dat, arcanum3.dat and arcanum4.dat.

So why was WorldEd crashing?

 

The simplicity of wrong spelling, too much commas and my inability to follow simple rules, which is kinda sad since scripting is my specialty.

Thanks for the help. I'm having trouble with the ship1 facades (the mast doesn't cover the player when he's walking behind it) but that will be for some other day... I hope.

 

Facades are always flat. This means critters and items will pass in front of them but not behind.
Go into the scenery menu and select "Wood Large". You will find 2 different masts. You place these over the mast facade and the player will now walk behind the mast.

 

Thank you for that. Again.

It took me six hours to write a decent story to accompany this simple mod. That's histories, important characters and events, what I want to see in this mod and such.

Hopefully this ten page of written material will fuel me to finish this mod. Such detailed stuff always put me in the right mood. I have a fair amount of knowledge of what I could do with the scripts now so no mind blowing radical thing here like that of the Car Mod.

Just a quickie, is it possible to replace the world map with something I own without hex editing and such? Maybe just replace the images for the map? Is it as simple as that?

 

If all you want to do is make the world map look different on the map screen then that is easy enough.
If you want to change the actual world map (the terrain you walk on) then that is more difficult. It can be done but you run the risk of screwing up the game.
Which did you have in mind?

 

I'll settle with changing the map screen.

 

When modding the main game you must undat all the dat files to gain access to the relevant files.
All changes must be made in the data directory or else the game will ignore your changes and just read the original dat files.
However there are exceptions to this rule (e.g. the random encounter tables must be put in a patch not the data folder). I haven't changed the main map so I do not know if it is also an exception to the rule.

Go into the WorldMap folder in your freshly undatted folders. Replace any of the images there with your own images. Give them the same name as the image you wish to replace and make them the same size. Create a WorldMap folder in the Data folder. Put the files in it.