Fallout 2 mod A little direction

[Ziggy Stardust]

A while ago, I toyed with the idea of expanding the race and style options added with the restoration pack. I wanted to include different hair colors for men, black models, and different body types for both men and women. If the latter idea were to be implemented, I believe it would require adding an entirely new slider, so it's the most ambitious of the three. Anyway, I shrugged it off and figured it would be too much work. But I'm thinking back and maybe it would be cool. I know that someone already made a playable black character, so how hard could doing that 7 times be?
Anyway, here's what I already know. Each possibility would require me to make 6 models per armor, excluding power armor cuz duh. Anything else would require too much coding. There are 9 different unique armor/clothing looks, 2 different skin colors (in the most barebones version of the mod), 4 different hair colors, and 3 different hair styles. This means I would have to make 366 hexes for the most barebones version of the mod. Most of them will be just be minor edits. I am willing to go through with this busywork. I have my work cut out for me. I don't need to be told how hard this is going to be.
Here's what I need to know. What process must I go through to create new hexes and store them, and how can I integrate them into the Fallout 2 restoration pack. Please explain your answer to me as though I have no experience with coding or modding because I don't. Thank you.

 

[Lexx]

What do you mean with "hexes"? Critters?

Unless you make a new 3d model including animations, you will have to manually edit tens of thousands of critter frames in an image editor. There is no automated process for this.

Implementing new critters is just a matter of moving the file into a new directory of the appearance mod that comes with the RP (and other mods).

PS: The black character is in the works for years already and still not finished. Making bald and long hair dude took years as well.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

What do you mean with "hexes"? Critters?

Unless you make a new 3d model including animations, you will have to manually edit tens of thousands of critter frames in an image editor. There is no automated process for this.

Implementing new critters is just a matter of moving the file into a new directory of the appearance mod that comes with the RP (and other mods).

PS: The black character is in the works for years already and still not finished. Making bald and long hair dude took years as well.

I use the word hexes as a slang for each of the six different directions the character could face. Making animations frame by frame would be a bitch, but why wouldn't I just be able to find and replace the hair color for men?

 

[Lexx]

Because Fallout has a very limited color palette. The colors of the hair will be found in different parts of the critter frame, so you can't just do a "find color & replace" and be done with it. If it were that easy, folks would have done it already.

What you could do is to create a mask for each frame, which then could be used to adjust the color. That still needs you to edit thousands of images, though.

If you want to contribute, you could start working on some of the remaining black dude frames. That probably would be a lot more productive.