<h2>Fallout Modification FAQ</h2>
<font size=-1>Version 1.01 by dude_obj.
Please send corrections and additions.</font>
<h4>FAQ Categories</h4>
<ul>
[*]Credits
[*]Modding
[*]Existing Mods
[*]Game Engine
[*]DAT Files
[*]Graphics
[*]Audio
[*]Scripting
[*]Area Maps
[*]World Map
[/list]
<a name="Mod">
<h4>Modding</h4>
<ul>
[*]What tools are available for making Fallout mods?
[*]Is it legal to distribute fallout mods?
[*]How do I use modrunner?
[*]How do I use the Fallout Virtual Patcher (fvp)?
[*]<a href="#Mod005">What file specifies item names and descriptions?
[*]How can I change the name that is displayed when examining a critter?
[*]How do I add new dialog?
[*]How can I give the player a pipboy at the start of the game?
[*]How do I make new quests show up in the pipboy?
[*]How can I change the frequency of random encounters?
[*]How I can I add new random encounters?
[*]How can experience points for killing critters be changed?
[*]Where is the code for NPCs leveling up?
[*]Is there a way to remove the limit on maximum number of party members?
[*]Can Frank Horrigan be made into an NPC party member?
[*]How do I make the player character start with the vault suit?
[*]How can I change the appearance of the player character?
[*]How do I create traders that barter items?
[*]How can I use the animated monitor from the fallout 1 cathedral?
[/list]
<a name="Mods">
<h4>Existing Mods</h4>
<ul>
[*]Are there any completed Fallout 2 mods?
[*]Is there a mod to make party members armor show?
[*]Does the vertibird mod work?
[/list]
<a name="Engine">
<h4>Game Engine</h4>
<ul>
[*]How do I get debugging information for Fallout 2?
[*]How does the FO2 engine find its data?
[*]In what order are multiple patch files be loaded?
[*]The game won't read my custom mods, how do I fix this?
[*]Can Fallout 1 be played using the Fallout 2 engine?
[*]What Can and Cannot be Modified in Fallout?
[*]What is hardcoded in Fallout2.exe?
[*]What is known about perks and traits in the game engine?
[*]Is it possible to add new skills, are are they hardcoded?
[*]What is known about elevators in the game engine?
[*]How can I change the starting map by modifying fallout2.exe?
[*]What can I do about gamma problems where everything is dark?
[*]Can Fallout be modified to run at higher resolution?
[*]How does the recording mode work?
[/list]
<a name="DAT">
<h4>DAT Files</h4>
<ul>
[*]Do I have to add files to DAT one at a time?
[*]Do DATs created by DAT Explorer not work correctly?
[*]Datman gives me the error: activex component can't create object, what is wrong?
[/list]
<a name="Graphics">
<h4>Graphics</h4>
<ul>
[*]How are critters aligned in FRM files?
[*]How are critter PIDs associated with image files?
[*]How can I put serveral bitmaps into one FRM file?
[*]What Palette do I use for frm2gif?
[*]How can I make an image use the fallout palette?
[*]How can I specify a palette file to be used in FRM conversion?
[*]What settings should I use for bitmaps for conversion to FRM?
[*]Can I convert Fallout Tactics .TIL files to FRM?
[*]How do I make critters move using Frame Animator?
[*]Is there an index of FRM files somewhere?
[*]Is there a list of the various appearance FRMs?
[*]How can I do batch conversion of image files?
[*]How can I make my own MVE intro movies?
[*]How do I create RIX format files for splash screens?
[/list]
<a name="Audio">
<h4>Audio</h4>
<ul>
[*]Extracted sounds playback too fast, what can I do?
[*]How do I put my own sounds into the game?
[*]What bitrate should I use for creating new background music?
[*]How are gun sound effects encoded in the acm files?
[*]How do I use the LIP Editor?
[/list]
<a name="Scripting">
<h4>Scripting</h4>
<ul>
[*]Where can I find a tutorial on scripting?
[*]How do I set up my system for script compiling?
[*]How do I make the watcom compiler work with WinXP or Win2000?
[*]Can gcc be used for compiling fallout scripts?
[*]What is the syntax for using the IPP compiler?
[*]What are the bwand and bwor commands for in noid's compiler?
[*]I get the error: 'Unable to initialize DAO/Jet db engine' when using decompiler
[*]Where can I get the source code for the Klingon Academy compiler?
[*]Where can I find the mapper scripts that have been updated to version 1.02d?
[*]Where is the list of outdated version 1.0 scripts?
[*]How can I use scripts from Fallout1 in Fallout2?
[*]Where can I find some generic party member scripts?
[*]Why do I get #define NAME SCRIPT_SCRIPTNAME error when adding new script?
[*]How do I get a script to use a .msg file?
[*]What does PID stand for?
[*]How do I determine Object PID Numbers?
[*]How do I determine the critter pro number for random encounters?
[*]How can I determine the script number associated with a .pro file?
[*]Where are the global variables listed?
[*]Can New Global Variables be added?
[*]How do I use timer events in scripts?
[*]What is the purpose of target_object in scripts?
[*]How can I make a town become visible on the world map using a script?
[*]Where can I find information about Map script ID?
[*]How do I set barter modifiers in a script?
[*]How can I make a critter change appearance in a script?
[*]Is there a way to script new animations?
[*]How do I make scripts for NPCs that wander around and have floating text?
[*]How do I make a critter move between hex A and hex B continuously?
[*]How is radiation programmed in the game?
[*]Why won't NPCs talk even though I've assigned a script for talking?
[*]What script function do I use to give a critter a weapon?
[*]How can I add items to inventory using a script?
[/list]
<a name="AreaMap">
<h4>Area Maps</h4>
<ul>
[*]Where can I find a tutorial on mapping?
[*]Can I use the fallout 1 maps and scripts with the fallout 2 mapper?
[*]Why do critters not attack in the mapper?
[*]Why do critter proto changes not show up in the game?
[*]Why won't my critter protos save?
[*]I get an "error saving prototypes" when using the mapper, what is wrong?
[*]Why are my critter protos disappearing?
[*]How do I place dead critters on the map?
[*]How do I make critters transparent like the nightkin?
[*]How do I get a source of lighting in the room?
[*]What is the size of a hex in Fallout?
[*]My floor tiles are at roof level, how do I change this?
[*]Why are there holes in walls that I can walk through?
[*]How do I remove blockers in the official mapper?
[*]What is the scenery item number for hex blockers?
[*]Why do my blockers turn into a red boxes with questions marks inside?
[*]How can I find scenery numbers for objects in existing maps?
[*]How do I create exit grids?
[*]How do I take screenshots in the fallout mapper?
[*]How can I get screenshots of my entire map?
[*]How do I rotate critters in official mapper?
[*]How do I rotate critters in Dims mapper?
[*]Why does the car disappear from my new map?
[*]The mapper gives error 'wmAreaInit: Error Loading Cities!', what is wrong?
[*]Is there any information about pattern files?
[/list]
<a name="WorldMap">
<h4>World Map</h4>
<ul>
[*]How can I modify the world map?
[*]How do I remove towns from the worldmap?
[*]What file defines what names appear on the world map beneath the green circles?
[*]How do I convert Worldmap MSK files?
[*]What determines the change of speed on the world map when moving over mountains?
[*]Where can I find map images suitable for a new world map?
[/list]
<hr><h3>Modding</h3>
<a name="Mod001"><hr>
Q. What tools are available for making Fallout mods?
<ul>
See the download sections of NMA, DAC, and TeamX.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod002"><hr>
Q. Is it legal to distribute fallout mods?
<ul>
Yes, it is legal. But it is not legal to distribute the fallout engine or any other original files with your mod.
Answer by de dood. (more details)
Note: Technically is not legal, but accepted unofficially by Interplay. See responses from Interplay on this issue here. You can find the same "official word" in the Fallout Bible. The Fallout Bible says this: Basically, you can use Fallout if you're willing to take the intellectual property risks. This isn't a "no" or an official "yes", just a "if you want to do this, you'll be proceeding at your own risk". I wish we could just come out and say, "sure," but we don't have the time for contracts. In my opinion, as long as you hold true to the Fallout license, make sure there's no money involved, and don't claim its an Interplay-sponsored or official thing, you should be fine.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod003"><hr>
Q. How do I use modrunner?
<ul>
1) Copy modrunner and mod to main fallout2 directory (wherever fallout2.exe resides)
2) Run modrunner
3) Select mod.dat file and click run
Patch 1.02 must be in main fallout dir.
Answer by jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod004"><hr>
Q. How do I use the Fallout Virtual Patcher (fvp)?
<ul>
Put FVP.EXE and FVP.INI in main Fallout 2 directory and run FVP.EXE
How to add new patch? Edit FVP.INI file. This is normal ini file with 3 standard sections:
<ul>
[US] - Pathes for US version 1.02d
[UK] - Patches for UK version 1.02e
[GR] - Patches for GR/FR version
[/list]
FVP will check size of Fallout.exe file and red patching data from coresponding section. You can add new section for another version. New section name should be Fallou2.exe file size in bytes (Dec) like this: [1119213]
Patching data syntax:
<ul>
name=address:length:data
name - just a name for you patch
address - Vitrual address (Hex)
length - Length of data in bytes(Dec)
data - patch data(Hex)
[/list]
Example: pipboy= 4971C1:1: EB
With this patch one(1) byte at offset 4971C1 wil have value EB (235)
Answer by Jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod005"><hr>
Q. What file specifies item names and descriptions?
<ul>
The descriptions are in \data\text\english\game\pro_item.msg
Answer by Temaperacl. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod006"><hr>
Q. How can I change the name that is displayed when examining a critter?
<ul>
To edit the name that appears when you hover/examine, you have to edit the approriate line in the proper .MSG file in /text/*/dialog/ (for example, ccdrill.msg). To alter the name field (As displayed in the Edit window in the Editor), alter the appropriate line in \text\english\game\scrname.msg corresponding to the script file for that critter. (for example {818} for the Drill Seargant [CCDrill.int]).
Answer by Temaperacl. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod007"><hr>
Q. How do I add new dialog?
<ul>
See this thread
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod008"><hr>
Q. How can I give the player a pipboy at the start of the game?
<ul>
There is an executable mod that will:
<ul>
[*]Give the player a pipboy at the start of the game
[*]Change the character's appearance to the vault13 suit
[*]Enable the city patch (allows you to have more, or less, than 49 cities in the game)
[/list]
To use the mod, just run the executable in the FO2 directory, it will launch and patch the game in memory (the original fallout2.exe will not be changed).
Answer by Wild_qwerty. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod009"><hr>
Q. How do I make new quests show up in the pipboy?
<ul>
The quests are in quests.txt, and set the global variable to check, the value needed to be in that variable for the quest to be listed in the pip-boy, and the value in that variable for that quest to be listed as done in that variable. Example:
<ul>
# Kill the Evil Plants
# Arroyo, GVAR_KILL_EVIL_PLANTS, Quest_Accepted, Quest_Completed
1500, 100, 9, 2, 6
[/list]</p>
1500 is the line number from map.msg that describes the town.
100 is the line number in quest.msg for the description of the quest.
9 is the global variable to look for which can be found in the global.h file (in this case GVAR_KILL_EVIL_PLANTS).
2 is the value the global variable needs to be for the quest to show up in the pip-boy.
6 is the value the global variable needs to be for the quest to show up as DONE in the pip-boy.
It ignores anything after the # (these are comment lines). The display and done numbers are actually thresholds (the value must be at least that) so you could set a quest to kill 10 mutants in an area, then increase the global variable by 1 every time you kill one and after you kill 10 the quest would register as done.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod010"><hr>
Q. How can I change the frequency of random encounters?
<ul>
Edit worldmap.txt and increase the percentage for each instance of the type of encounter you want to increase in each of the encounter tables.
Answer by ColJack. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7814
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod011"><hr>
Q. How I can I add new random encounters?
<ul>
See this thread[/b]
Answer by ColJack and Corpse
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod012"><hr>
Q. How can experience points for killing critters be changed?
<ul>
Edit the points in the header file and then re-compile ALL of the scripts to include this change. Basically, each critter or object has a script, and the points are awarded from those individual scripts, so you have to change all of the relevent scripts.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod013"><hr>
Q. Where is the code for NPCs leveling up?
<ul>
You can edit leveling in party.txt
<ul>
level_minimum=6
level_up_every=4
level_pids=16777541,16777542,16777543,16777544
[/list]</p>
The last line show prototypes for this character in all levels:
<ul>
1) 16777541
2) 16777542
3) 16777543
4) 16777544
[/list]
Answer by jargo. (more details)
You can find a list of these PID numbers in CRITRPID.H in the scripts\headers directory of the official mapper.
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod014"><hr>
Q. Is there a way to remove the limit on maximum number of party members?
<ul>
The limit is programmed in the NPC scripts, look for a line like this:
<ul>
if (((((metarule(16, 0) - 1) >= (floor(get_critter_stat(dude_obj(), 3) / 2) + has_trait(0, dude_obj(), 98))) or
((metarule(16, 0) - 1) >= 5)) == 0) and ((party_member_obj(16777313) != 0) == 0)) then
[/list]
And remove the if from the statement (and tweak other stuff so the dialgos work out).
Answer by red.
Thanks Red, that did it. I tried removing the entire statement as you suggested but it gave me problems with some scripts when I tried to recompile them, then instead of removing the statement I shortened it to:
<ul>
if (((op_metarule(16, 0) - 1) >= 12)) then
[/list]
And now I am able to take every recruitable NPC (with the exception of Davin) in my party at once.
Answer by Corpse. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod015"><hr>
Q. Can Frank Horrigan be made into an NPC party member?
<ul>
You do not need to and cannot make horrigan into an NPC. He has a number and the scripts refference him by that number. You CAN however, make one of the existing NPCs LOOK like horrigan, for example Vic. You need to edit all 4-6 versions of that NPC (there is a different critter for each "level" of an NPC, with improved stats and skills for when they go up a level with the player).
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod016"><hr>
Q. How do I make the player character start with the vault suit?
<ul>
See this question.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod017"><hr>
Q. How can I change the appearance of the player character?
<ul>
You can change the appearance of the player character as follows:
<ul>
[*]Backup your fallout2.exe
[*]Get youself a hex editor
[*]Find the text string "hmwarr" in fallout2.exe
[*]Change the text string to some other critter
[*]Save and run the fallout2
[/list]
And now the bad news: Some critters doesn't have run or secondary attack, and wielding weapons didn't work.
Answer by platon. (more details)
Note: Although you can change the player character to look like any critter, the player is then limited by the critter chosen. For example, dogs cannot use guns, and and the frank horrigan model can only use large guns and knives. There are limitations in the sprites that display various weapons and actions. This is why there is no "proper" way to show party members in their armor, there are no sprites of "Vic wearing combat armor" for example.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod018"><hr>
Q. How do I create traders that barter items?
<ul>
You put a container off the screen and fill it with items, then assign a script to replenish the stock over a period of time. Then you give the "trader" a script that deals with the dialog, and when you pick the trading option, it swaps out the items in the character's personal inventory and replaces them with the items from the off screen container. The trader should have its "can trade with" flag set to yes.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod019"><hr>
Q. How can I use the animated monitor from the fallout 1 cathedral?
<ul>
There is a blank "unused art" space next to the existing monitor that is where the other monitor is supposed to go (in fact there is a .frm file named the same as the original monitor which contains the "unused art" art). Replace the file with the original. It should work, if not you will need to edit the prototype (I think it needs its script changed to animfvr to make it cycle through the images). Also, the FRMs need to be in the fallout2\data\art\scenery folder, and you must remove or rename the patch000.dat (or put the artwork in the data\art\scenery folder in the patch000.dat file).
Answer by ColJack. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=795
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Existing Mods</h3>
<a name="Mods001"><hr>
Q. Are there any completed Fallout 2 mods?
<ul>
If you mean a TC (total conversion) mod, then no.
Answer by PsychoSniper. (more details)
Note: There are a number of small mods that change minor details of the game, and several large projects have been started to add new cities, quests, and plots. Unfortunately none of the large mods is complete, and some have been in development for quite a long time.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mods002"><hr>
Q. Is there a mod to make party member's armor show?
<ul>
Party members change the look when wearing armor with unofficial patch 1.05. Just install the patch on a clean Fallout2 installation and everything should work. There's also a separate B-Team Mod that shows the armor change if you don't like the unofficial patch. Answer by Celestial. Note: They don't actually show the armor they wear, they just change their sprites to "generic <armor> wearing NPC". This is because sprites don't exist for each of the different NPCs wearing each of the different armors.
Answer by Ashmo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mods003"><hr>
Q. Does the vertibird mod work?
<ul>
I've never had luck with the damn vertibird mod.
Answer by GroovyNinjaPhil. (more details)
After flying the Vertibird to Vault City several times, your character will get "stuck" and unable to move at all the next time you fly into Vault City, thereby forcing you to load another saved game.
Answer by I Must Be Crazy 2. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Game Engine</h3>
<a name="Engine001"><hr>
Q. How do I get debugging information for Fallout 2?
<ul>
Fallout 2 contains debugging code in the executable, but it is not enabled by default. This debugging information is likely to be valuable to those who are writing mods, or who are just plain curious as to the internals of the game. There is a patch[/b] that enables the debugging code.
Answer by noid. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine002"><hr>
Q. How does the FO2 engine find its data?
<ul>
The game engine looks for data files in the following order:
<ul>
1) patchXXX.dat
2) critter_patch
3) critter.dat
4) master_patch
5) master.dat
6) Current directory
[/list]
Note: The game engine can read from a compressed DAT file or a directory of the same name. You can, for example, extract the contents of MASTER.DAT into a directory called MASTER.DAT, and the engine will still work, reading extracted files directly. This is convenient for testing changes to extracted files.
Answer by red. (more details).
</p>[/list]
</p>
<a name="Engine003"><hr>
Q. In what order are multiple patch files be loaded?
<ul>
<pre>
These are the three rules that fallout2.exe uses to search for data files.
If patch000.dat is found.
Search order:
- patch000.dat
- critter_dat and master_dat (from fallout2.cfg)
If patch000.dat does not exist but patch001.dat, patch002.dat, ... patchNNN.dat exist.
(Must be at least two patch dats, and order must be consecutive).
Search order:
- patch003.dat (highest NNN found)
- patch002.dat
- patch001.dat
- critter_dat and master_dat (from fallout2.cfg)
Default searching rule (same as Fallout1).
Search order:
- critter_patches and master_patches (from fallout2.cfg)
- critter_dat and master_dat (from fallout2.cfg)
So to create a mod:
Rename patch000.dat (from fallout 1.02d patch) to patch001.dat
Create your mod and archive it as patch002.dat
This should allow us to create and distribute mods without having to include all
files from patch000.dat. It will also make it easier to play fallout with more
than one mod active.
Note: The directory listing in the dat file *must* be in lexicographical (sorted)
order. If you create your own dat files, ensure that this holds true.
</pre>
Answer by noid. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine004"><hr>
Q. The game won't read my custom mods, how do I fix this?
<ul>
If you're having trouble getting the game to read any of your modded files, the following steps always worked for me,
This assumes you have Fallout 2 v1.02 installed:
1) In the main Fallout 2 install directory, create a directory named "Temp" (or whatever other name that suits your fancy).
2) Use a DAT extractor utility to extract all the Patch000.dat files to the "Temp" directory.
3) Rename Patch000.dat to Patch000.bak, or move it to some other place.
4) Rename "Temp" to "Patch000.dat".
5) Place all your modded files under the proper subdirectory in the Patch000.dat directory. If Windows asks you whether you want to overwrite the file, then the file you're replacing has been patched, so you better make sure your changes and the patch's change are all accounted for.
For example, if you want to add your modded dcTyler.int script, place it under \fallout2\Patch000.dat\scripts\, overwriting the existing file there. If you need to restore a file you overwrote, just get it back from the Patch000.bak file again.
Answer by Haenlomal. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine005"><hr>
Q. Can Fallout 1 be played using the Fallout 2 engine?
<ul>
FO2 is hardcoded to start the game in a map with a specific name (temple of trials). The FO1 talking heads and speech would need to be put back in, they were taken out of FO2 to save space. Some files like city.txt (city info) and maps.txt (maps info) and worldmap.txt (encounters etc) are not present in FO1, so they would have to be written from scratch. NPCs need updating (combat controls and other considerations). The critter pro format from FO1 is not quite the same FO2, 4 bytes need to be added to the end of every *.pro to make it FO2 size.
Answers by Various. (more details)
If you look at how tightly integrated all of the configuration files are, and note how they are all numbered differently between FO1 and FO2, and consider that FO2 was sort of "overlayed" onto the FO1 configuration, you will see that although it may be techincally possible to make FO1 run on the FO2 engine, it would be a lot of work. Bottom line: realistically its not going to happen.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine006"><hr>
Q. What Can and Cannot be Modified in Fallout?
<ul>
What can be modified:
<ul>
[*]Edit and create FRMs
[*]Write and edit scripts
[*]Edit and create maps
[*]Edit items (maybe create)
[*]Edit and create critters
[*]Edit and create scenery
[*]Edit and create walls
[*]Edit and create tiles
[*]Edit and create talking heads (long and painstaking, but possible)
[*]Probably more
[/list]
What cannot be modified:
<ul>
[*]Adding or changing perks
[/list]
Answers by Mialdor900 and alex957. (more details)
Note: There are many things that are hardcoded in the Fallout2 executable.
Some of them can be changed (using a virtual patcher/loader tool), but others cannot (perks for example).
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine007"><hr>
Q. What is hardcoded in Fallout2.exe?
<ul>
The following are harcoded in Fallout2.exe but can be changed using a virtual patcher/loader:
<ul>
[*]Set starting year
[*]Set starting time
[*]Set starting date
[*]Overcome 13 year limit (not very clean..)
[*]Remove city limit
[*]Version number in main menu
[*]Debug info to screen or to logfile
[*]Have the jumpsuit in the beginning
[*]Have the pipboy in the beginning
[*]Choose starting map
[*]Choose patch-file (e.g. patch123.dat instead of patch000.dat)
[*]Disable videos
[*]Load and jump to any map you want during the game
(a.k.a MapLoaderPatch. it might crash.. but it's useful when stuck behind a stupid npc)
[*]Save the current map to .map -file (opposite to MapLoader). Any use?
[*]PC to look like any critter you want
[/list]
Answer by platon. (more details)
Also see this offets.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine008"><hr>
Q. What is known about perks and traits in the game engine?
<ul>
I believe I've figured out where Perks and Traits are stored (though I haven't tested these in-game, so it might all be an elaborate mistake):
<ul>
Traits: 0x10c184 (Just the location- I haven't looked at them any yet)
Perks: 0x1083cc (15A3A0 in mapper2.exe I believe)
[/list]
Perks seem to have the following format (Up to Mutate! at least, after that it changes, and then seems to fall apart).
Each perk appears to have the following format:
<ul>
[00] - ? (Always 0000 0000)
[04] - ? (Always 0000 0000)
[08] - ID (Appears to be ID in PERK.MSG -29)
[0C] - Number of Ranks available
[10] - Required Level
[14] - Stat Modified (entry in STAT.msg - 100) (FFFF FFFF = None)
[18] - Amount Stat Modified
[1C] - Skill 1 (SKILL.MSG - 100) (FFFF FFFF = None)
[20] - Amount for (in % points) Skill 1
[24] - Type*
[28] - Skill 2 (SKILL.MSG - 100) (FFFF FFFF = None)
[2C] - Amount (in % points) for Skill 2
[30] - Req. STR
[34] - Req. PER
[38] - Req. END
[3C] - Req. CHA
[40] - Req. INT
[44] - Req. AGI
[48] - Req. LUC
[/list]
*- is 0000 0000 unless there are two skill entries (In these cases, it is a requirement I think) , in which case it looks like the entry is 0200 0000 if they are requirements and 0100 0000 if they are bonus (points the character gains).
(For the addiction perks, Ranks looks like it is always FFFF FFFF, and the Stat Req. Fields look like they are rather the change applied FEFF FFFF for -2 to the stat, for example.)
There are some problems- some perks are supposed to due more than can be encoded here, for example (Ignoring things that should be purely script based). For example, the Mr. Fixit should have requirements for 2 skills AND add points to 2 skills. In addition once we get past Mutate! / The Addiction entries, then the system appears to stop working as well- there are entries with the same ID's as earlier entries, and I'm not 100% sure all perks are accounted for. I'd guess (But it is just a guess with absolutely no backing yet) that multiple entries for a perk allow for the perk to do more than would be allowed with one entry. (Like the Mr. Fixit). In addition, I'm not sure about the ID- it works perfectly up through the addiction stuff, but it just seems odd to have it to be ID-29.
Answer by Temaperacl. (more details)
Also see this thread.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine009"><hr>
Q. Is it possible to add new skills, are are they hardcoded?
<ul>
Skills are hardcoded.
Answer by Jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine010"><hr>
Q. What is known about elevators in the game engine?
<ul>
This information is for Fallout2.exe version 1.02 US.
Everything is just a list, that is, everything is just [Data for elevator1][DataForElevator2], etc.
Buttons Count: 2ee1C (Fallout2.exe) 37ccc (mapper2.exe)
[00-03] # of buttons for each elevator
Elevator Image: 2ed5c (fallout2.exe) 37c0c (mapper2.exe)
[00-03] Base image to use (In \art\intrface\INTRFACE.LST)
[04-07] Button panel image overlay (In \art\intrface\INTRFACE.LST)
(FFFF FFFF if none- that is, to use just the base image button panel)
Everything below has 4 entries per elevator- one for each possible button the elevator can have.
The description is per button
Button Keys- 2f2fc (fallout2.exe) 381ac (mapper2.exe)
[00-00] Character to use for keyboard input for that button (00 if N/A)
Button Destinations:
Dest: 2ee7c (fallout2.exe) 37d2c (mapper2.exe)
Format:
[00-03] Target Map ID (0000 0000 if N/A)
[04-07] Target Elevation (0000 0000 if N/A)
[08-0B] Target Tile (FFFF FFFF if N/A)
Everything has been tested with two elevators (0 and 5), and all changes have produced the expected results.
Answer by jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine011"><hr>
Q. How can I change the starting map by modifying fallout2.exe?
<ul>
The starting map is hardcoded to artemple.map in fallout2.exe. In hexadecimal that is:
<ul>
61 72 74 65 6D 70 6C 65 2E 6D 61 70
[/list]
If, for example, you want to change the starting map to base.map, then:
<ul>
00 00 00 00 62 61 73 65 2E 6D 61 70
[/list]
Note that the new value of the map name must have the same number of "letters", so if the name is shorter than artemple, it must be padded with zeroes.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
Additional Note: There are ways to change the starting map without mofiying fallout2.exe:
<ul>
[*]Name your starting map to artemple.map
[*]Use a virtual patcher/loader to change the starting map name in memory
[/list]
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine012"><hr>
Q. What can I do about gamma problems where everything is dark?
<ul>
Are you saying that '+' and '-' buttons aren't working? (press F1 for more help) There are also brightness settings in config files (fallout2.cfg and mapper2.cfg). If those don't work, a program called PowerStrip might.
Answer by platon. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine013"><hr>
Q. Can Fallout be modified to run at higher resolution?
<ul>
No it's not possible and it would entail a heck of a lot of problems even if you did put it in another resolution. The game was made for 640x480, and everything was designed to work that way. Imagine swithing to 1024x768, the bottom part would need to be centered horizontally (and moved down). All the mouse pointers might be in relation to upper left instead of the bottom left, so clicking might be fucked. Then you have the UIs which wouldn't look right either, and if centered would probably have the same problem as the UI.
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine014"><hr>
Q. How does the recording mode work?
<ul>
Step 1: Start Recording (Ctrl-R from main menu)
Step 2: End Record (Ctrl-R in the map you selected)
Step 3: Wait (in the main menu)
Now every two movies, instead of seeing the movie, you'll see (one of) the recording(s).
Note that it records everything you do (mouse moves and key strokes).
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>DAT Files</h3>
<a name="DAT001"><hr>
Q. Do I have to add files to DAT one at a time?
<ul>
Dat Explorer can add multiple files to a DAT.
Answer by Shrike. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="DAT002"><hr>
Q. Do DATs created by DAT Explorer not work correctly?
<ul>
Unpacking of DATs works fine with Dat Explorer, however creating new DATs sometimes causes corruption problems. You can use DatRepairer by KIA (from teamx.ru) to fix this problem. It reconstructs DAT files created by DatExlorer and makes them runnable.
Answer by Perceptron. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="DAT003"><hr>
Q. Datman gives me the error: activex component can't create object, what is wrong?
<ul>
Unpack the ZlibTool.zip file and run the patch file inside, it associates the Active-X DLLs.
Answer by wild_qwerty. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Graphics</h3>
<a name="Graphics001"><hr>
Q. How are critters aligned in FRM files?
<ul>
1) Individual frames (BMPs) are centered in the middle of the bottom edge of the image.
2) Critters feet are well above this center point; you will need to adjust the "Frames Offset" to fix this.
3) The individual frames within an orientation can be adjusted by editing the X and Y offsets for them. You should probably line up all individual frames and make sure each orientation is centered correctly is reference to the other orientations (use Frame Animator for this).
4) Each orientation can have its X and Y position 'shifted' by adjusting the Frames Orientation. This will move the whole orientation rather than just the indivual Frame (use Frame Animator for this).
Answer by Wild_qwerty. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics002"><hr>
Q. How are critter PIDs associated with image files?
<ul>
The ID of the PROs are their line numbers from the critter.lst. You can't leave empty spaces (though you could make some usless PROs which fill the gap). Check the mapper keys reference on how to edit the PRO files properly. You need the contained ID to match their real critter.lst ID or the editor won't edit the real ID but the contained reference. To associate a PID with an image file, install the mapper and look at critters.h. For critters, take it's line number and add 16777216 (which happens to be 0x1000000 in hexadecimal).
Answer by red. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=330
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics003"><hr>
Q. How can I put serveral bitmaps into one FRM file?
<ul>
The gif2frm converter works fine with multiple frames. A normal gif is pretty easy, pretty much anything can handle that, just make a pic and save it in your favorite editor. Animated GIFs are more complicated though. I recommend Paint Shop Pro and its counterpart Animation Shop wich supports animated gifs pretty well. A note about animated gifs: try to eliminate all possible "otpimisations" the program supplies since they're useless for the gif2frm converter and risk screwing up the palette.
Answer by red. (more details)
If you get the error "Can't translate color table" You need use -d=Value or -n options. It occurs because the program cannot find nearest colors from Fallout palette.
Answer by Anchorite. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics004"><hr>
Q. What Palette do I use for frm2gif?
<ul>Use a color.pal or any other *.pal-file from the game. The color.pal file is in the top (root) level of master.dat.
Answer by Jochua. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics005"><hr>
Q. How can I make an image use the fallout palette?
<ul>
I posted a little while back about my woes with the palette being limited to a single default palette defined by Fallout 2. I thought this was the end as I'd never be able to take pictures from the web and use them properly in Fallout 2. I'm happy to report that I was completely wrong and there is a very easy way to solve this problem (provided you have Photoshop). You need the Fallout 2 palette in ACT format. Take your picture and set the color in Photoshop to RGB color. This effectively removes the palette. Set the palette to Indexed Color, and for the palette option chose Custom, and load the ACT file. This automatically performs best match to the colors in the picture to the colors in the default palette.
Answer by DarkwingGT. (more details)
Also see this thread.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics006"><hr>
Q. How can I specify a palette file to be used in FRM conversion?
<ul>
Use frm2bmp with the following command line option:
<ul>
frm2bmp.exe -p EG_V1301.pal EG_V1301.frm
[/list]
It converts using the pallete file. It also creates a .inf file for the bmp, which is used when converting back the other way.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics007"><hr>
Q. What settings should I use for bitmaps for conversion to FRM?
<ul>
Hue:160
Sat:0
Lum:240
R:255
B:255
G:255
Make sure you don't have the image set to millions of colors, use 8-bit (256) color instead.
Answer by Smackrazor. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics008"><hr>
Q. Can I convert Fallout Tactics .TIL files to FRM?
<ul>
To understand why there is no TIL->FRM conversion mechanism, simply look at both in Red! Viewer. Basically, the "cutout" isn't the same in both games and simply "skewing" and/or "rotating" the image won't solve the problem. It would be possible to create some weird converter that takes each pixels and map the to a proper place, but that'd be a lot of work. Another solution would be to render them in 3D and apply the rotation to the polygon. Both solutions are rather complicated to code for rather little reward.
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics009"><hr>
Q. How do I make critters move using Frame Animator?
<ul>
See this tutorial by Wild_qwerty.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics010"><hr>
Q. Is there an index of FRM files somewhere?
<ul>
See this thread.
Answer by Ruin.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics011"><hr>
Q. Is there a list of the various appearance FRMs?
<ul>
Here is a list of all of the appearances in critter.dat:
<ul><font size=-1>
HA NPWR = Adv. Power Armor
HA POWR = Power Armor
HA ROBE = Purple Robes
HF CMBT = Fem Combat Armor
HF JMPS = Fem Vault13 Jump suit
HF LTHR = Fem Leather Armor
HF MAXX = Fem Leather Jacket
HF METL = Fem Metal Armor
HF PRIM = Fem Primitive
HM BJMP = Black Male Vault13 Jump suit
HM BMET = Black Male Metal Armor
HM CMBT = Male Combat Armor
HM JMPS = Male Vault13 Jump suit
HM LTHR = Male Leather Armor
HM MAXX = Male Leather Jacket
HM METL = Male Metal Armor
HM WARR = Male Primitive
MA ANTT = Ant
MA BOS2 = Franky Torso half
MA BOSS = Franky
MA BRAN = King rat
MA BROM = Brahmin
MA CLAW = Adult Deathclaw
MA CLW2 = Baby DeathClaw
MA CYBR = Robo Dog
MA DDOG = Dog
MA DEGG = Egg
MA DETH = Grey Deathclaw
MA FEYE = Eye Robot
MA FIRE = Fire Gecko
MA GCKO = Golden Gecko
MA GUN2 = Plasma Turret
MA GUNN = Mini Turret
MA HAND = Mr. Handy
MA LIEN = Alien/Wanamingo
MA MANT = Mantis
MA MRAT = Mole Rat
MA MTN2 = Super Mutant Leather
MA MTNT = Super Mutant
MA MURT = Pig Rat
MA PLNT = Mutant Plant
MA QUEN = Queen Wanamingo
MA ROBE = Goris
MA ROBO = Brain bot
MA ROBT = Assault bot
MA SCP2 = Baby Radscorpion
MA SCRP = Radscorpion
MA SPHN = Floater
MA SRAT = Rat
MA THNG = Centaur
NA BLUE = Blue Robe
NA BRWN = Brown Robe
NA CHLD = Child
NA GHUL = Ghoul
NA GLOW = Glow Ghoul
NA POWR = Power Armor w/o Helmet
NA ROBE = Rag robes
NA VGUL = Vault Ghoul
NA WHIT = Black Robe
NF ASIA = Asian Fem
NF BRLP = Fem Blonde Peasant
NF LYNN = Lynette
NF MAXX = Fem Leather Punkette
NF METL = Fem Redhead Metal Armor
NF NICE = Fem Blonde Renogirl
NF PEAS = Fem Redhead Peasant
NF PRIM = Fem Ponytail Primitive
NF TRMP = Fem Tramp
NF VALT = Fem Vaultsuit
NF VRED = Fem Vaultsuit Redhead
NM ASIA = Asian Male Peasant
NM BONC = Bouncer Bluesuit
NM BOXX = Boxer
NM BPEA = Black Male Peasant
NM BRLP = Male Peasant
NM BRSR = Bouncer Blacksuit
NM BSNP = Male Peasant Balding
NM COPP = Police Officer
NM DOCC = Doctor
NM FATT = Vic
NM GANG = Asian Blue Guard
NM GRCH = Midget
NM LABB = Labcoat
NM LOSR = Male Junkie
NM LTHR = Male Bald Leather Armor
NM MAXX = Male Longhair Leather Jacket
NM MEXI = Mordino Guard
NM MYRN = Myron
NM NICE = Male Tuxedo
NM OLDD = Old man McGee
NM PEAS = Male Hat Peasant
NM RGNG = Asian Red Guard
NM VALT = Male Vaultsuit
NM WARR = Male Primitve
RESERV = Funny flame guy
[/list]</font>
Answer by Ruinhttp://nma-fallout.com/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1718. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics012"><hr>
Q. How can I do batch conversion of image files?
<ul>
The ReaConverter utility is perfect for editing images by batch. The Pic2Pic utility allows you to load the correct palette by batch. There is also a Color Palette Swapper which is useful for moving graphics between different games.
Answer by Wild_qwerty. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5592
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics013"><hr>
Q. How can I make my own MVE intro movies?
<ul>
You can use the avi2mve converter to make MVE movies from AVI files.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics014"><hr>
Q. How do I create RIX format files for splash screens?
<ul>
RIX files can be created using Image Alchemy.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Audio</h3>
<a name="Audio001"><hr>
Q. Extracted sounds playback too fast, what can I do?
<ul>
If you want to play ACMs normally, you have to specify -m option in the command line of acm2wav. You can convert multiple files like this:
for %i in (*.acm) do acm2wav %i -m
Another way is to use version 1.2 of ACM plugin for Winamp. To make your own sound effects or speech files all you need to do is make mono WAV file. snd2acm will make normal ACM suitable for Fallout.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Audio002"><hr>
Q. How do I put my own sounds into the game?
<ul>
16-bit WAVs are preferrable. You can use the the following snd2acm syntax to create the ACM files:
<ul>
snd2acm file.wav file.acm
[/list]
The data\sound\sfx\sndlist.lst list file contains information about all sound effects in Fallout2. If you modify some of the ACMs, or add new sounds, you need to modify this list file, otherwise the game can refuse to play some of the ACMs. The simplest way to modify this list-file is to use regsnd utility, it finds all changes in ACMs and records them into sndlist.lst.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Audio003"><hr>
Q. What bitrate should I use for creating new background music?
<ul>
If you make new background music, it must be a 22050 Hz, 16bit, stereo source file, and the sfx-files should be mono.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Audio004"><hr>
Q. How are gun sound effects encoded in the acm files?
<ul>
The sound ID on the left is the sound ID when you use the item.
The sound ID on the right (in the special "weapon type" box) is th
<font size=-1>Version 1.01 by dude_obj.
Please send corrections and additions.</font>
<h4>FAQ Categories</h4>
<ul>
[*]Credits
[*]Modding
[*]Existing Mods
[*]Game Engine
[*]DAT Files
[*]Graphics
[*]Audio
[*]Scripting
[*]Area Maps
[*]World Map
[/list]
<a name="Mod">
<h4>Modding</h4>
<ul>
[*]What tools are available for making Fallout mods?
[*]Is it legal to distribute fallout mods?
[*]How do I use modrunner?
[*]How do I use the Fallout Virtual Patcher (fvp)?
[*]<a href="#Mod005">What file specifies item names and descriptions?
[*]How can I change the name that is displayed when examining a critter?
[*]How do I add new dialog?
[*]How can I give the player a pipboy at the start of the game?
[*]How do I make new quests show up in the pipboy?
[*]How can I change the frequency of random encounters?
[*]How I can I add new random encounters?
[*]How can experience points for killing critters be changed?
[*]Where is the code for NPCs leveling up?
[*]Is there a way to remove the limit on maximum number of party members?
[*]Can Frank Horrigan be made into an NPC party member?
[*]How do I make the player character start with the vault suit?
[*]How can I change the appearance of the player character?
[*]How do I create traders that barter items?
[*]How can I use the animated monitor from the fallout 1 cathedral?
[/list]
<a name="Mods">
<h4>Existing Mods</h4>
<ul>
[*]Are there any completed Fallout 2 mods?
[*]Is there a mod to make party members armor show?
[*]Does the vertibird mod work?
[/list]
<a name="Engine">
<h4>Game Engine</h4>
<ul>
[*]How do I get debugging information for Fallout 2?
[*]How does the FO2 engine find its data?
[*]In what order are multiple patch files be loaded?
[*]The game won't read my custom mods, how do I fix this?
[*]Can Fallout 1 be played using the Fallout 2 engine?
[*]What Can and Cannot be Modified in Fallout?
[*]What is hardcoded in Fallout2.exe?
[*]What is known about perks and traits in the game engine?
[*]Is it possible to add new skills, are are they hardcoded?
[*]What is known about elevators in the game engine?
[*]How can I change the starting map by modifying fallout2.exe?
[*]What can I do about gamma problems where everything is dark?
[*]Can Fallout be modified to run at higher resolution?
[*]How does the recording mode work?
[/list]
<a name="DAT">
<h4>DAT Files</h4>
<ul>
[*]Do I have to add files to DAT one at a time?
[*]Do DATs created by DAT Explorer not work correctly?
[*]Datman gives me the error: activex component can't create object, what is wrong?
[/list]
<a name="Graphics">
<h4>Graphics</h4>
<ul>
[*]How are critters aligned in FRM files?
[*]How are critter PIDs associated with image files?
[*]How can I put serveral bitmaps into one FRM file?
[*]What Palette do I use for frm2gif?
[*]How can I make an image use the fallout palette?
[*]How can I specify a palette file to be used in FRM conversion?
[*]What settings should I use for bitmaps for conversion to FRM?
[*]Can I convert Fallout Tactics .TIL files to FRM?
[*]How do I make critters move using Frame Animator?
[*]Is there an index of FRM files somewhere?
[*]Is there a list of the various appearance FRMs?
[*]How can I do batch conversion of image files?
[*]How can I make my own MVE intro movies?
[*]How do I create RIX format files for splash screens?
[/list]
<a name="Audio">
<h4>Audio</h4>
<ul>
[*]Extracted sounds playback too fast, what can I do?
[*]How do I put my own sounds into the game?
[*]What bitrate should I use for creating new background music?
[*]How are gun sound effects encoded in the acm files?
[*]How do I use the LIP Editor?
[/list]
<a name="Scripting">
<h4>Scripting</h4>
<ul>
[*]Where can I find a tutorial on scripting?
[*]How do I set up my system for script compiling?
[*]How do I make the watcom compiler work with WinXP or Win2000?
[*]Can gcc be used for compiling fallout scripts?
[*]What is the syntax for using the IPP compiler?
[*]What are the bwand and bwor commands for in noid's compiler?
[*]I get the error: 'Unable to initialize DAO/Jet db engine' when using decompiler
[*]Where can I get the source code for the Klingon Academy compiler?
[*]Where can I find the mapper scripts that have been updated to version 1.02d?
[*]Where is the list of outdated version 1.0 scripts?
[*]How can I use scripts from Fallout1 in Fallout2?
[*]Where can I find some generic party member scripts?
[*]Why do I get #define NAME SCRIPT_SCRIPTNAME error when adding new script?
[*]How do I get a script to use a .msg file?
[*]What does PID stand for?
[*]How do I determine Object PID Numbers?
[*]How do I determine the critter pro number for random encounters?
[*]How can I determine the script number associated with a .pro file?
[*]Where are the global variables listed?
[*]Can New Global Variables be added?
[*]How do I use timer events in scripts?
[*]What is the purpose of target_object in scripts?
[*]How can I make a town become visible on the world map using a script?
[*]Where can I find information about Map script ID?
[*]How do I set barter modifiers in a script?
[*]How can I make a critter change appearance in a script?
[*]Is there a way to script new animations?
[*]How do I make scripts for NPCs that wander around and have floating text?
[*]How do I make a critter move between hex A and hex B continuously?
[*]How is radiation programmed in the game?
[*]Why won't NPCs talk even though I've assigned a script for talking?
[*]What script function do I use to give a critter a weapon?
[*]How can I add items to inventory using a script?
[/list]
<a name="AreaMap">
<h4>Area Maps</h4>
<ul>
[*]Where can I find a tutorial on mapping?
[*]Can I use the fallout 1 maps and scripts with the fallout 2 mapper?
[*]Why do critters not attack in the mapper?
[*]Why do critter proto changes not show up in the game?
[*]Why won't my critter protos save?
[*]I get an "error saving prototypes" when using the mapper, what is wrong?
[*]Why are my critter protos disappearing?
[*]How do I place dead critters on the map?
[*]How do I make critters transparent like the nightkin?
[*]How do I get a source of lighting in the room?
[*]What is the size of a hex in Fallout?
[*]My floor tiles are at roof level, how do I change this?
[*]Why are there holes in walls that I can walk through?
[*]How do I remove blockers in the official mapper?
[*]What is the scenery item number for hex blockers?
[*]Why do my blockers turn into a red boxes with questions marks inside?
[*]How can I find scenery numbers for objects in existing maps?
[*]How do I create exit grids?
[*]How do I take screenshots in the fallout mapper?
[*]How can I get screenshots of my entire map?
[*]How do I rotate critters in official mapper?
[*]How do I rotate critters in Dims mapper?
[*]Why does the car disappear from my new map?
[*]The mapper gives error 'wmAreaInit: Error Loading Cities!', what is wrong?
[*]Is there any information about pattern files?
[/list]
<a name="WorldMap">
<h4>World Map</h4>
<ul>
[*]How can I modify the world map?
[*]How do I remove towns from the worldmap?
[*]What file defines what names appear on the world map beneath the green circles?
[*]How do I convert Worldmap MSK files?
[*]What determines the change of speed on the world map when moving over mountains?
[*]Where can I find map images suitable for a new world map?
[/list]
<hr><h3>Modding</h3>
<a name="Mod001"><hr>
Q. What tools are available for making Fallout mods?
<ul>
See the download sections of NMA, DAC, and TeamX.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod002"><hr>
Q. Is it legal to distribute fallout mods?
<ul>
Yes, it is legal. But it is not legal to distribute the fallout engine or any other original files with your mod.
Answer by de dood. (more details)
Note: Technically is not legal, but accepted unofficially by Interplay. See responses from Interplay on this issue here. You can find the same "official word" in the Fallout Bible. The Fallout Bible says this: Basically, you can use Fallout if you're willing to take the intellectual property risks. This isn't a "no" or an official "yes", just a "if you want to do this, you'll be proceeding at your own risk". I wish we could just come out and say, "sure," but we don't have the time for contracts. In my opinion, as long as you hold true to the Fallout license, make sure there's no money involved, and don't claim its an Interplay-sponsored or official thing, you should be fine.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod003"><hr>
Q. How do I use modrunner?
<ul>
1) Copy modrunner and mod to main fallout2 directory (wherever fallout2.exe resides)
2) Run modrunner
3) Select mod.dat file and click run
Patch 1.02 must be in main fallout dir.
Answer by jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod004"><hr>
Q. How do I use the Fallout Virtual Patcher (fvp)?
<ul>
Put FVP.EXE and FVP.INI in main Fallout 2 directory and run FVP.EXE
How to add new patch? Edit FVP.INI file. This is normal ini file with 3 standard sections:
<ul>
[US] - Pathes for US version 1.02d
[UK] - Patches for UK version 1.02e
[GR] - Patches for GR/FR version
[/list]
FVP will check size of Fallout.exe file and red patching data from coresponding section. You can add new section for another version. New section name should be Fallou2.exe file size in bytes (Dec) like this: [1119213]
Patching data syntax:
<ul>
name=address:length:data
name - just a name for you patch
address - Vitrual address (Hex)
length - Length of data in bytes(Dec)
data - patch data(Hex)
[/list]
Example: pipboy= 4971C1:1: EB
With this patch one(1) byte at offset 4971C1 wil have value EB (235)
Answer by Jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod005"><hr>
Q. What file specifies item names and descriptions?
<ul>
The descriptions are in \data\text\english\game\pro_item.msg
Answer by Temaperacl. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod006"><hr>
Q. How can I change the name that is displayed when examining a critter?
<ul>
To edit the name that appears when you hover/examine, you have to edit the approriate line in the proper .MSG file in /text/*/dialog/ (for example, ccdrill.msg). To alter the name field (As displayed in the Edit window in the Editor), alter the appropriate line in \text\english\game\scrname.msg corresponding to the script file for that critter. (for example {818} for the Drill Seargant [CCDrill.int]).
Answer by Temaperacl. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod007"><hr>
Q. How do I add new dialog?
<ul>
See this thread
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod008"><hr>
Q. How can I give the player a pipboy at the start of the game?
<ul>
There is an executable mod that will:
<ul>
[*]Give the player a pipboy at the start of the game
[*]Change the character's appearance to the vault13 suit
[*]Enable the city patch (allows you to have more, or less, than 49 cities in the game)
[/list]
To use the mod, just run the executable in the FO2 directory, it will launch and patch the game in memory (the original fallout2.exe will not be changed).
Answer by Wild_qwerty. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod009"><hr>
Q. How do I make new quests show up in the pipboy?
<ul>
The quests are in quests.txt, and set the global variable to check, the value needed to be in that variable for the quest to be listed in the pip-boy, and the value in that variable for that quest to be listed as done in that variable. Example:
<ul>
# Kill the Evil Plants
# Arroyo, GVAR_KILL_EVIL_PLANTS, Quest_Accepted, Quest_Completed
1500, 100, 9, 2, 6
[/list]</p>
1500 is the line number from map.msg that describes the town.
100 is the line number in quest.msg for the description of the quest.
9 is the global variable to look for which can be found in the global.h file (in this case GVAR_KILL_EVIL_PLANTS).
2 is the value the global variable needs to be for the quest to show up in the pip-boy.
6 is the value the global variable needs to be for the quest to show up as DONE in the pip-boy.
It ignores anything after the # (these are comment lines). The display and done numbers are actually thresholds (the value must be at least that) so you could set a quest to kill 10 mutants in an area, then increase the global variable by 1 every time you kill one and after you kill 10 the quest would register as done.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod010"><hr>
Q. How can I change the frequency of random encounters?
<ul>
Edit worldmap.txt and increase the percentage for each instance of the type of encounter you want to increase in each of the encounter tables.
Answer by ColJack. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7814
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod011"><hr>
Q. How I can I add new random encounters?
<ul>
See this thread[/b]
Answer by ColJack and Corpse
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod012"><hr>
Q. How can experience points for killing critters be changed?
<ul>
Edit the points in the header file and then re-compile ALL of the scripts to include this change. Basically, each critter or object has a script, and the points are awarded from those individual scripts, so you have to change all of the relevent scripts.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod013"><hr>
Q. Where is the code for NPCs leveling up?
<ul>
You can edit leveling in party.txt
<ul>
level_minimum=6
level_up_every=4
level_pids=16777541,16777542,16777543,16777544
[/list]</p>
The last line show prototypes for this character in all levels:
<ul>
1) 16777541
2) 16777542
3) 16777543
4) 16777544
[/list]
Answer by jargo. (more details)
You can find a list of these PID numbers in CRITRPID.H in the scripts\headers directory of the official mapper.
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod014"><hr>
Q. Is there a way to remove the limit on maximum number of party members?
<ul>
The limit is programmed in the NPC scripts, look for a line like this:
<ul>
if (((((metarule(16, 0) - 1) >= (floor(get_critter_stat(dude_obj(), 3) / 2) + has_trait(0, dude_obj(), 98))) or
((metarule(16, 0) - 1) >= 5)) == 0) and ((party_member_obj(16777313) != 0) == 0)) then
[/list]
And remove the if from the statement (and tweak other stuff so the dialgos work out).
Answer by red.
Thanks Red, that did it. I tried removing the entire statement as you suggested but it gave me problems with some scripts when I tried to recompile them, then instead of removing the statement I shortened it to:
<ul>
if (((op_metarule(16, 0) - 1) >= 12)) then
[/list]
And now I am able to take every recruitable NPC (with the exception of Davin) in my party at once.
Answer by Corpse. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod015"><hr>
Q. Can Frank Horrigan be made into an NPC party member?
<ul>
You do not need to and cannot make horrigan into an NPC. He has a number and the scripts refference him by that number. You CAN however, make one of the existing NPCs LOOK like horrigan, for example Vic. You need to edit all 4-6 versions of that NPC (there is a different critter for each "level" of an NPC, with improved stats and skills for when they go up a level with the player).
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod016"><hr>
Q. How do I make the player character start with the vault suit?
<ul>
See this question.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod017"><hr>
Q. How can I change the appearance of the player character?
<ul>
You can change the appearance of the player character as follows:
<ul>
[*]Backup your fallout2.exe
[*]Get youself a hex editor
[*]Find the text string "hmwarr" in fallout2.exe
[*]Change the text string to some other critter
[*]Save and run the fallout2
[/list]
And now the bad news: Some critters doesn't have run or secondary attack, and wielding weapons didn't work.
Answer by platon. (more details)
Note: Although you can change the player character to look like any critter, the player is then limited by the critter chosen. For example, dogs cannot use guns, and and the frank horrigan model can only use large guns and knives. There are limitations in the sprites that display various weapons and actions. This is why there is no "proper" way to show party members in their armor, there are no sprites of "Vic wearing combat armor" for example.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod018"><hr>
Q. How do I create traders that barter items?
<ul>
You put a container off the screen and fill it with items, then assign a script to replenish the stock over a period of time. Then you give the "trader" a script that deals with the dialog, and when you pick the trading option, it swaps out the items in the character's personal inventory and replaces them with the items from the off screen container. The trader should have its "can trade with" flag set to yes.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mod019"><hr>
Q. How can I use the animated monitor from the fallout 1 cathedral?
<ul>
There is a blank "unused art" space next to the existing monitor that is where the other monitor is supposed to go (in fact there is a .frm file named the same as the original monitor which contains the "unused art" art). Replace the file with the original. It should work, if not you will need to edit the prototype (I think it needs its script changed to animfvr to make it cycle through the images). Also, the FRMs need to be in the fallout2\data\art\scenery folder, and you must remove or rename the patch000.dat (or put the artwork in the data\art\scenery folder in the patch000.dat file).
Answer by ColJack. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=795
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Existing Mods</h3>
<a name="Mods001"><hr>
Q. Are there any completed Fallout 2 mods?
<ul>
If you mean a TC (total conversion) mod, then no.
Answer by PsychoSniper. (more details)
Note: There are a number of small mods that change minor details of the game, and several large projects have been started to add new cities, quests, and plots. Unfortunately none of the large mods is complete, and some have been in development for quite a long time.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mods002"><hr>
Q. Is there a mod to make party member's armor show?
<ul>
Party members change the look when wearing armor with unofficial patch 1.05. Just install the patch on a clean Fallout2 installation and everything should work. There's also a separate B-Team Mod that shows the armor change if you don't like the unofficial patch. Answer by Celestial. Note: They don't actually show the armor they wear, they just change their sprites to "generic <armor> wearing NPC". This is because sprites don't exist for each of the different NPCs wearing each of the different armors.
Answer by Ashmo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Mods003"><hr>
Q. Does the vertibird mod work?
<ul>
I've never had luck with the damn vertibird mod.
Answer by GroovyNinjaPhil. (more details)
After flying the Vertibird to Vault City several times, your character will get "stuck" and unable to move at all the next time you fly into Vault City, thereby forcing you to load another saved game.
Answer by I Must Be Crazy 2. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Game Engine</h3>
<a name="Engine001"><hr>
Q. How do I get debugging information for Fallout 2?
<ul>
Fallout 2 contains debugging code in the executable, but it is not enabled by default. This debugging information is likely to be valuable to those who are writing mods, or who are just plain curious as to the internals of the game. There is a patch[/b] that enables the debugging code.
Answer by noid. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine002"><hr>
Q. How does the FO2 engine find its data?
<ul>
The game engine looks for data files in the following order:
<ul>
1) patchXXX.dat
2) critter_patch
3) critter.dat
4) master_patch
5) master.dat
6) Current directory
[/list]
Note: The game engine can read from a compressed DAT file or a directory of the same name. You can, for example, extract the contents of MASTER.DAT into a directory called MASTER.DAT, and the engine will still work, reading extracted files directly. This is convenient for testing changes to extracted files.
Answer by red. (more details).
</p>[/list]
</p>
<a name="Engine003"><hr>
Q. In what order are multiple patch files be loaded?
<ul>
<pre>
These are the three rules that fallout2.exe uses to search for data files.
If patch000.dat is found.
Search order:
- patch000.dat
- critter_dat and master_dat (from fallout2.cfg)
If patch000.dat does not exist but patch001.dat, patch002.dat, ... patchNNN.dat exist.
(Must be at least two patch dats, and order must be consecutive).
Search order:
- patch003.dat (highest NNN found)
- patch002.dat
- patch001.dat
- critter_dat and master_dat (from fallout2.cfg)
Default searching rule (same as Fallout1).
Search order:
- critter_patches and master_patches (from fallout2.cfg)
- critter_dat and master_dat (from fallout2.cfg)
So to create a mod:
Rename patch000.dat (from fallout 1.02d patch) to patch001.dat
Create your mod and archive it as patch002.dat
This should allow us to create and distribute mods without having to include all
files from patch000.dat. It will also make it easier to play fallout with more
than one mod active.
Note: The directory listing in the dat file *must* be in lexicographical (sorted)
order. If you create your own dat files, ensure that this holds true.
</pre>
Answer by noid. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine004"><hr>
Q. The game won't read my custom mods, how do I fix this?
<ul>
If you're having trouble getting the game to read any of your modded files, the following steps always worked for me,
This assumes you have Fallout 2 v1.02 installed:
1) In the main Fallout 2 install directory, create a directory named "Temp" (or whatever other name that suits your fancy).
2) Use a DAT extractor utility to extract all the Patch000.dat files to the "Temp" directory.
3) Rename Patch000.dat to Patch000.bak, or move it to some other place.
4) Rename "Temp" to "Patch000.dat".
5) Place all your modded files under the proper subdirectory in the Patch000.dat directory. If Windows asks you whether you want to overwrite the file, then the file you're replacing has been patched, so you better make sure your changes and the patch's change are all accounted for.
For example, if you want to add your modded dcTyler.int script, place it under \fallout2\Patch000.dat\scripts\, overwriting the existing file there. If you need to restore a file you overwrote, just get it back from the Patch000.bak file again.
Answer by Haenlomal. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine005"><hr>
Q. Can Fallout 1 be played using the Fallout 2 engine?
<ul>
FO2 is hardcoded to start the game in a map with a specific name (temple of trials). The FO1 talking heads and speech would need to be put back in, they were taken out of FO2 to save space. Some files like city.txt (city info) and maps.txt (maps info) and worldmap.txt (encounters etc) are not present in FO1, so they would have to be written from scratch. NPCs need updating (combat controls and other considerations). The critter pro format from FO1 is not quite the same FO2, 4 bytes need to be added to the end of every *.pro to make it FO2 size.
Answers by Various. (more details)
If you look at how tightly integrated all of the configuration files are, and note how they are all numbered differently between FO1 and FO2, and consider that FO2 was sort of "overlayed" onto the FO1 configuration, you will see that although it may be techincally possible to make FO1 run on the FO2 engine, it would be a lot of work. Bottom line: realistically its not going to happen.
Answer by dude_obj.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine006"><hr>
Q. What Can and Cannot be Modified in Fallout?
<ul>
What can be modified:
<ul>
[*]Edit and create FRMs
[*]Write and edit scripts
[*]Edit and create maps
[*]Edit items (maybe create)
[*]Edit and create critters
[*]Edit and create scenery
[*]Edit and create walls
[*]Edit and create tiles
[*]Edit and create talking heads (long and painstaking, but possible)
[*]Probably more
[/list]
What cannot be modified:
<ul>
[*]Adding or changing perks
[/list]
Answers by Mialdor900 and alex957. (more details)
Note: There are many things that are hardcoded in the Fallout2 executable.
Some of them can be changed (using a virtual patcher/loader tool), but others cannot (perks for example).
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine007"><hr>
Q. What is hardcoded in Fallout2.exe?
<ul>
The following are harcoded in Fallout2.exe but can be changed using a virtual patcher/loader:
<ul>
[*]Set starting year
[*]Set starting time
[*]Set starting date
[*]Overcome 13 year limit (not very clean..)
[*]Remove city limit
[*]Version number in main menu
[*]Debug info to screen or to logfile
[*]Have the jumpsuit in the beginning
[*]Have the pipboy in the beginning
[*]Choose starting map
[*]Choose patch-file (e.g. patch123.dat instead of patch000.dat)
[*]Disable videos
[*]Load and jump to any map you want during the game
(a.k.a MapLoaderPatch. it might crash.. but it's useful when stuck behind a stupid npc)
[*]Save the current map to .map -file (opposite to MapLoader). Any use?
[*]PC to look like any critter you want
[/list]
Answer by platon. (more details)
Also see this offets.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine008"><hr>
Q. What is known about perks and traits in the game engine?
<ul>
I believe I've figured out where Perks and Traits are stored (though I haven't tested these in-game, so it might all be an elaborate mistake):
<ul>
Traits: 0x10c184 (Just the location- I haven't looked at them any yet)
Perks: 0x1083cc (15A3A0 in mapper2.exe I believe)
[/list]
Perks seem to have the following format (Up to Mutate! at least, after that it changes, and then seems to fall apart).
Each perk appears to have the following format:
<ul>
[00] - ? (Always 0000 0000)
[04] - ? (Always 0000 0000)
[08] - ID (Appears to be ID in PERK.MSG -29)
[0C] - Number of Ranks available
[10] - Required Level
[14] - Stat Modified (entry in STAT.msg - 100) (FFFF FFFF = None)
[18] - Amount Stat Modified
[1C] - Skill 1 (SKILL.MSG - 100) (FFFF FFFF = None)
[20] - Amount for (in % points) Skill 1
[24] - Type*
[28] - Skill 2 (SKILL.MSG - 100) (FFFF FFFF = None)
[2C] - Amount (in % points) for Skill 2
[30] - Req. STR
[34] - Req. PER
[38] - Req. END
[3C] - Req. CHA
[40] - Req. INT
[44] - Req. AGI
[48] - Req. LUC
[/list]
*- is 0000 0000 unless there are two skill entries (In these cases, it is a requirement I think) , in which case it looks like the entry is 0200 0000 if they are requirements and 0100 0000 if they are bonus (points the character gains).
(For the addiction perks, Ranks looks like it is always FFFF FFFF, and the Stat Req. Fields look like they are rather the change applied FEFF FFFF for -2 to the stat, for example.)
There are some problems- some perks are supposed to due more than can be encoded here, for example (Ignoring things that should be purely script based). For example, the Mr. Fixit should have requirements for 2 skills AND add points to 2 skills. In addition once we get past Mutate! / The Addiction entries, then the system appears to stop working as well- there are entries with the same ID's as earlier entries, and I'm not 100% sure all perks are accounted for. I'd guess (But it is just a guess with absolutely no backing yet) that multiple entries for a perk allow for the perk to do more than would be allowed with one entry. (Like the Mr. Fixit). In addition, I'm not sure about the ID- it works perfectly up through the addiction stuff, but it just seems odd to have it to be ID-29.
Answer by Temaperacl. (more details)
Also see this thread.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine009"><hr>
Q. Is it possible to add new skills, are are they hardcoded?
<ul>
Skills are hardcoded.
Answer by Jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine010"><hr>
Q. What is known about elevators in the game engine?
<ul>
This information is for Fallout2.exe version 1.02 US.
Everything is just a list, that is, everything is just [Data for elevator1][DataForElevator2], etc.
Buttons Count: 2ee1C (Fallout2.exe) 37ccc (mapper2.exe)
[00-03] # of buttons for each elevator
Elevator Image: 2ed5c (fallout2.exe) 37c0c (mapper2.exe)
[00-03] Base image to use (In \art\intrface\INTRFACE.LST)
[04-07] Button panel image overlay (In \art\intrface\INTRFACE.LST)
(FFFF FFFF if none- that is, to use just the base image button panel)
Everything below has 4 entries per elevator- one for each possible button the elevator can have.
The description is per button
Button Keys- 2f2fc (fallout2.exe) 381ac (mapper2.exe)
[00-00] Character to use for keyboard input for that button (00 if N/A)
Button Destinations:
Dest: 2ee7c (fallout2.exe) 37d2c (mapper2.exe)
Format:
[00-03] Target Map ID (0000 0000 if N/A)
[04-07] Target Elevation (0000 0000 if N/A)
[08-0B] Target Tile (FFFF FFFF if N/A)
Everything has been tested with two elevators (0 and 5), and all changes have produced the expected results.
Answer by jargo. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine011"><hr>
Q. How can I change the starting map by modifying fallout2.exe?
<ul>
The starting map is hardcoded to artemple.map in fallout2.exe. In hexadecimal that is:
<ul>
61 72 74 65 6D 70 6C 65 2E 6D 61 70
[/list]
If, for example, you want to change the starting map to base.map, then:
<ul>
00 00 00 00 62 61 73 65 2E 6D 61 70
[/list]
Note that the new value of the map name must have the same number of "letters", so if the name is shorter than artemple, it must be padded with zeroes.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
Additional Note: There are ways to change the starting map without mofiying fallout2.exe:
<ul>
[*]Name your starting map to artemple.map
[*]Use a virtual patcher/loader to change the starting map name in memory
[/list]
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine012"><hr>
Q. What can I do about gamma problems where everything is dark?
<ul>
Are you saying that '+' and '-' buttons aren't working? (press F1 for more help) There are also brightness settings in config files (fallout2.cfg and mapper2.cfg). If those don't work, a program called PowerStrip might.
Answer by platon. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine013"><hr>
Q. Can Fallout be modified to run at higher resolution?
<ul>
No it's not possible and it would entail a heck of a lot of problems even if you did put it in another resolution. The game was made for 640x480, and everything was designed to work that way. Imagine swithing to 1024x768, the bottom part would need to be centered horizontally (and moved down). All the mouse pointers might be in relation to upper left instead of the bottom left, so clicking might be fucked. Then you have the UIs which wouldn't look right either, and if centered would probably have the same problem as the UI.
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Engine014"><hr>
Q. How does the recording mode work?
<ul>
Step 1: Start Recording (Ctrl-R from main menu)
Step 2: End Record (Ctrl-R in the map you selected)
Step 3: Wait (in the main menu)
Now every two movies, instead of seeing the movie, you'll see (one of) the recording(s).
Note that it records everything you do (mouse moves and key strokes).
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>DAT Files</h3>
<a name="DAT001"><hr>
Q. Do I have to add files to DAT one at a time?
<ul>
Dat Explorer can add multiple files to a DAT.
Answer by Shrike. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="DAT002"><hr>
Q. Do DATs created by DAT Explorer not work correctly?
<ul>
Unpacking of DATs works fine with Dat Explorer, however creating new DATs sometimes causes corruption problems. You can use DatRepairer by KIA (from teamx.ru) to fix this problem. It reconstructs DAT files created by DatExlorer and makes them runnable.
Answer by Perceptron. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="DAT003"><hr>
Q. Datman gives me the error: activex component can't create object, what is wrong?
<ul>
Unpack the ZlibTool.zip file and run the patch file inside, it associates the Active-X DLLs.
Answer by wild_qwerty. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Graphics</h3>
<a name="Graphics001"><hr>
Q. How are critters aligned in FRM files?
<ul>
1) Individual frames (BMPs) are centered in the middle of the bottom edge of the image.
2) Critters feet are well above this center point; you will need to adjust the "Frames Offset" to fix this.
3) The individual frames within an orientation can be adjusted by editing the X and Y offsets for them. You should probably line up all individual frames and make sure each orientation is centered correctly is reference to the other orientations (use Frame Animator for this).
4) Each orientation can have its X and Y position 'shifted' by adjusting the Frames Orientation. This will move the whole orientation rather than just the indivual Frame (use Frame Animator for this).
Answer by Wild_qwerty. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics002"><hr>
Q. How are critter PIDs associated with image files?
<ul>
The ID of the PROs are their line numbers from the critter.lst. You can't leave empty spaces (though you could make some usless PROs which fill the gap). Check the mapper keys reference on how to edit the PRO files properly. You need the contained ID to match their real critter.lst ID or the editor won't edit the real ID but the contained reference. To associate a PID with an image file, install the mapper and look at critters.h. For critters, take it's line number and add 16777216 (which happens to be 0x1000000 in hexadecimal).
Answer by red. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=330
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics003"><hr>
Q. How can I put serveral bitmaps into one FRM file?
<ul>
The gif2frm converter works fine with multiple frames. A normal gif is pretty easy, pretty much anything can handle that, just make a pic and save it in your favorite editor. Animated GIFs are more complicated though. I recommend Paint Shop Pro and its counterpart Animation Shop wich supports animated gifs pretty well. A note about animated gifs: try to eliminate all possible "otpimisations" the program supplies since they're useless for the gif2frm converter and risk screwing up the palette.
Answer by red. (more details)
If you get the error "Can't translate color table" You need use -d=Value or -n options. It occurs because the program cannot find nearest colors from Fallout palette.
Answer by Anchorite. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics004"><hr>
Q. What Palette do I use for frm2gif?
<ul>Use a color.pal or any other *.pal-file from the game. The color.pal file is in the top (root) level of master.dat.
Answer by Jochua. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics005"><hr>
Q. How can I make an image use the fallout palette?
<ul>
I posted a little while back about my woes with the palette being limited to a single default palette defined by Fallout 2. I thought this was the end as I'd never be able to take pictures from the web and use them properly in Fallout 2. I'm happy to report that I was completely wrong and there is a very easy way to solve this problem (provided you have Photoshop). You need the Fallout 2 palette in ACT format. Take your picture and set the color in Photoshop to RGB color. This effectively removes the palette. Set the palette to Indexed Color, and for the palette option chose Custom, and load the ACT file. This automatically performs best match to the colors in the picture to the colors in the default palette.
Answer by DarkwingGT. (more details)
Also see this thread.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics006"><hr>
Q. How can I specify a palette file to be used in FRM conversion?
<ul>
Use frm2bmp with the following command line option:
<ul>
frm2bmp.exe -p EG_V1301.pal EG_V1301.frm
[/list]
It converts using the pallete file. It also creates a .inf file for the bmp, which is used when converting back the other way.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics007"><hr>
Q. What settings should I use for bitmaps for conversion to FRM?
<ul>
Hue:160
Sat:0
Lum:240
R:255
B:255
G:255
Make sure you don't have the image set to millions of colors, use 8-bit (256) color instead.
Answer by Smackrazor. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics008"><hr>
Q. Can I convert Fallout Tactics .TIL files to FRM?
<ul>
To understand why there is no TIL->FRM conversion mechanism, simply look at both in Red! Viewer. Basically, the "cutout" isn't the same in both games and simply "skewing" and/or "rotating" the image won't solve the problem. It would be possible to create some weird converter that takes each pixels and map the to a proper place, but that'd be a lot of work. Another solution would be to render them in 3D and apply the rotation to the polygon. Both solutions are rather complicated to code for rather little reward.
Answer by red. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics009"><hr>
Q. How do I make critters move using Frame Animator?
<ul>
See this tutorial by Wild_qwerty.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics010"><hr>
Q. Is there an index of FRM files somewhere?
<ul>
See this thread.
Answer by Ruin.
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics011"><hr>
Q. Is there a list of the various appearance FRMs?
<ul>
Here is a list of all of the appearances in critter.dat:
<ul><font size=-1>
HA NPWR = Adv. Power Armor
HA POWR = Power Armor
HA ROBE = Purple Robes
HF CMBT = Fem Combat Armor
HF JMPS = Fem Vault13 Jump suit
HF LTHR = Fem Leather Armor
HF MAXX = Fem Leather Jacket
HF METL = Fem Metal Armor
HF PRIM = Fem Primitive
HM BJMP = Black Male Vault13 Jump suit
HM BMET = Black Male Metal Armor
HM CMBT = Male Combat Armor
HM JMPS = Male Vault13 Jump suit
HM LTHR = Male Leather Armor
HM MAXX = Male Leather Jacket
HM METL = Male Metal Armor
HM WARR = Male Primitive
MA ANTT = Ant
MA BOS2 = Franky Torso half
MA BOSS = Franky
MA BRAN = King rat
MA BROM = Brahmin
MA CLAW = Adult Deathclaw
MA CLW2 = Baby DeathClaw
MA CYBR = Robo Dog
MA DDOG = Dog
MA DEGG = Egg
MA DETH = Grey Deathclaw
MA FEYE = Eye Robot
MA FIRE = Fire Gecko
MA GCKO = Golden Gecko
MA GUN2 = Plasma Turret
MA GUNN = Mini Turret
MA HAND = Mr. Handy
MA LIEN = Alien/Wanamingo
MA MANT = Mantis
MA MRAT = Mole Rat
MA MTN2 = Super Mutant Leather
MA MTNT = Super Mutant
MA MURT = Pig Rat
MA PLNT = Mutant Plant
MA QUEN = Queen Wanamingo
MA ROBE = Goris
MA ROBO = Brain bot
MA ROBT = Assault bot
MA SCP2 = Baby Radscorpion
MA SCRP = Radscorpion
MA SPHN = Floater
MA SRAT = Rat
MA THNG = Centaur
NA BLUE = Blue Robe
NA BRWN = Brown Robe
NA CHLD = Child
NA GHUL = Ghoul
NA GLOW = Glow Ghoul
NA POWR = Power Armor w/o Helmet
NA ROBE = Rag robes
NA VGUL = Vault Ghoul
NA WHIT = Black Robe
NF ASIA = Asian Fem
NF BRLP = Fem Blonde Peasant
NF LYNN = Lynette
NF MAXX = Fem Leather Punkette
NF METL = Fem Redhead Metal Armor
NF NICE = Fem Blonde Renogirl
NF PEAS = Fem Redhead Peasant
NF PRIM = Fem Ponytail Primitive
NF TRMP = Fem Tramp
NF VALT = Fem Vaultsuit
NF VRED = Fem Vaultsuit Redhead
NM ASIA = Asian Male Peasant
NM BONC = Bouncer Bluesuit
NM BOXX = Boxer
NM BPEA = Black Male Peasant
NM BRLP = Male Peasant
NM BRSR = Bouncer Blacksuit
NM BSNP = Male Peasant Balding
NM COPP = Police Officer
NM DOCC = Doctor
NM FATT = Vic
NM GANG = Asian Blue Guard
NM GRCH = Midget
NM LABB = Labcoat
NM LOSR = Male Junkie
NM LTHR = Male Bald Leather Armor
NM MAXX = Male Longhair Leather Jacket
NM MEXI = Mordino Guard
NM MYRN = Myron
NM NICE = Male Tuxedo
NM OLDD = Old man McGee
NM PEAS = Male Hat Peasant
NM RGNG = Asian Red Guard
NM VALT = Male Vaultsuit
NM WARR = Male Primitve
RESERV = Funny flame guy
[/list]</font>
Answer by Ruinhttp://nma-fallout.com/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1718. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics012"><hr>
Q. How can I do batch conversion of image files?
<ul>
The ReaConverter utility is perfect for editing images by batch. The Pic2Pic utility allows you to load the correct palette by batch. There is also a Color Palette Swapper which is useful for moving graphics between different games.
Answer by Wild_qwerty. (<a href="http://nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5592
">more details</a>)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics013"><hr>
Q. How can I make my own MVE intro movies?
<ul>
You can use the avi2mve converter to make MVE movies from AVI files.
Answer by ColJack. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Graphics014"><hr>
Q. How do I create RIX format files for splash screens?
<ul>
RIX files can be created using Image Alchemy.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<hr><h3>Audio</h3>
<a name="Audio001"><hr>
Q. Extracted sounds playback too fast, what can I do?
<ul>
If you want to play ACMs normally, you have to specify -m option in the command line of acm2wav. You can convert multiple files like this:
for %i in (*.acm) do acm2wav %i -m
Another way is to use version 1.2 of ACM plugin for Winamp. To make your own sound effects or speech files all you need to do is make mono WAV file. snd2acm will make normal ACM suitable for Fallout.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Audio002"><hr>
Q. How do I put my own sounds into the game?
<ul>
16-bit WAVs are preferrable. You can use the the following snd2acm syntax to create the ACM files:
<ul>
snd2acm file.wav file.acm
[/list]
The data\sound\sfx\sndlist.lst list file contains information about all sound effects in Fallout2. If you modify some of the ACMs, or add new sounds, you need to modify this list file, otherwise the game can refuse to play some of the ACMs. The simplest way to modify this list-file is to use regsnd utility, it finds all changes in ACMs and records them into sndlist.lst.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Audio003"><hr>
Q. What bitrate should I use for creating new background music?
<ul>
If you make new background music, it must be a 22050 Hz, 16bit, stereo source file, and the sfx-files should be mono.
Answer by ABel. (more details)
[/list]</p>
</p>
<a name="Audio004"><hr>
Q. How are gun sound effects encoded in the acm files?
<ul>
The sound ID on the left is the sound ID when you use the item.
The sound ID on the right (in the special "weapon type" box) is th