MIB88 MegaMod - opinions, technical issues, etc.

[MIB88]

Any plans for you or other modders with FIFE?

Can't answer for any other modders, of course, but I haven't really planned on using FIFE. I mean, it's great that it's being made, so that if some other modders come along they have the option to use it. However, I'll most likely just stick to what I know, and continue to do things "the old fashioned way."

 

[MIB88]

Re: Unpowered Electric Door in Klamath Sewer

But I also need some help with the EPA again. Fixing the voice computer...I cant find it. And the game seems to be getting unstable. It randomly goes to a black screen when I change floors looking for this effing computer. I have to kill fallout2 as a process and restart the game. Its random, but it seems like the utility level is more frequent. I jsut want to finish the damn EPA map and go on my merry way.

If your game suffers random crashes, then it is most likely because you have some corrupted proto files in the critter sub-folder. Check the folder out and make sure none of the corrupted ones are there. Delete them if they are. If you are wondering how to know if they are corrupted, look at it like this: you should not have any files in that folder that were modified after anything included in a Megamod update. Then place the folder again on read only.

 

[xf69fs]

Re: Unpowered Electric Door in Klamath Sewer

But I also need some help with the EPA again. Fixing the voice computer...I cant find it. And the game seems to be getting unstable. It randomly goes to a black screen when I change floors looking for this effing computer. I have to kill fallout2 as a process and restart the game. Its random, but it seems like the utility level is more frequent. I jsut want to finish the damn EPA map and go on my merry way.

If your game suffers random crashes, then it is most likely because you have some corrupted proto files in the critter sub-folder. Check the folder out and make sure none of the corrupted ones are there. Delete them if they are. If you are wondering how to know if they are corrupted, look at it like this: you should not have any files in that folder that were modified after anything included in a Megamod update. Then place the folder again on read only.

Hmm great. Might as well delete it all and reinstall it. How the hell do these files get corrupted anyways? And could you at least tell me which level that voice computer is on? I am going bonkers.

Ryan

 

[MIB88]

Re: Unpowered Electric Door in Klamath Sewer

Hmm great. Might as well delete it all and reinstall it. How the hell do these files get corrupted anyways? And could you at least tell me which level that voice computer is on? I am going bonkers.

No. Don't just delete it and start over. Learn how to fix it now, then you'll know how to deal with it later...and it will happen again. It just happens. The game wasn't originally meant to work like this. However, it will work right after you get rid of the bad files.

As for me helping you with the voice computer, pay attention here, in case you didn't believe me the other times I wrote it:
I...don't...give...gameplay...advice.

 

[dagorkan]

Anybody know if this mod would be compatible with Mack_The_Knife's mod?

I've got both on my hard-drive and can't decide which to install. Mack_The_Knife's (Deep Gameplay Impact mod) basically changes damage and AP values, makes bullets rare and more diverse and pre-holocaust items much more expensive.

I really like the idea of that but also want to try the Vertibird, see the EPA and other additions.

How would I go about doing this? Last time I tried to install several mods I ended up destroying my saved games.

Would writing over just Megamod's weapon info files mess up other parts of Megamod?

Somebody told me that I can install Megamod (2.0, then 2.1, then 2.11) copying over my old data files and using the ModLoader for Mack's mod.

I have Mack's mod in both dat and undat format.

Thanks in advance. I want to do the reccommended clean install, and I know nothing about the mod system, so I'd prefer to get it right the first time... if I can.

 

[MIB88]

Anybody know if this mod would be compatible with Mack_The_Knife's mod?
...
Would writing over just Megamod's weapon info files mess up other parts of Megamod?

Do not use the .dat formats. Install the Megamod files in the order you said above. If you then add in only the proto/item files from Mack's mod, then the Megamod will still work without any problems.

However, you can't do this procedure and have everything you want. Yes, the item prices for the changed items will be different. But all ammo already in weapons and on the maps will not be affected. Ammo that is picked up from random encounters, however, would reflect the changes from that other mod. Also, you might get some strange things with weapon descriptions and the ammo they use, because I have made a few changes that the other mod might overwrite. Item descriptions are also going to be different.

 

[dagorkan]

Thanks for the reply.

I discovered that I don't have the undat version. I do have DatExplorer and have extracted the files though. Can I just copy the extracted proto folder over Megamod?

Also, do you have a list of the changes to weapons/guns/ammo that you've made (damage values etc)? That way I could tell what comes from which mod and which descriptions are wrong.

Finally, wouldn't item names be messed up? Mack's mod I think renames a lot of stuff. If any weapon/ammo inventory graphics have been changed, would your graphics or his show up?

Will there be any effect on vendors? Mack also changes the range and quantities of armament you can buy.

edit:
To clarify, if I did what you suggest (copy protos) then only weapon and ammo attributes will be changed? All weapons will be his in game terms (except those placed in map) but all text descriptions will be yours and the graphics will be yours... so I'll have to know what each text/graphic corresponds to in reality?



Here are all the changes Mack's mod makes:

Proto/critters
2 files

Proto/items
368 fies

Art/interface
2 files (help files)

Maps
15 files

Data
4 files (Vault13.gam and 3 txts)

Scripts
446 files (most seem to refer to locations and people, both other things too)

Text/dialog
14 files

Text/game
4 files

 

[MIB88]

I discovered that I don't have the undat version. I do have DatExplorer and have extracted the files though. Can I just copy the extracted proto folder over Megamod?

Correct. Proto files only for the items...nothing else.

Also, do you have a list of the changes to weapons/guns/ammo that you've made (damage values etc)? That way I could tell what comes from which mod and which descriptions are wrong.

Not all of them. Also, the ones I do have are not in any format that would be of any use to you.

Finally, wouldn't item names be messed up? Mack's mod I think renames a lot of stuff.

see above:

Item descriptions are also going to be different.

If any weapon/ammo inventory graphics have been changed, would your graphics or his show up?

His would show up.

Will there be any effect on vendors? Mack also changes the range and quantities of armament you can buy.

Depends. Not if you change only the protos. When vendors generate new ammo, the new values (from Mack) will show up. However, if that mod changes the frequency, then that change will not be present by you doing this.

edit:
To clarify, if I did what you suggest (copy protos) then only weapon and ammo attributes will be changed? All weapons will be his in game terms (except those placed in map) but all text descriptions will be yours and the graphics will be yours... so I'll have to know what each text/graphic corresponds to in reality?

Correct. If you want to make the changes yourself, just look at the file numbers included in his mod. Then, open up his pro_item.msg file in the text/game folder. Compare those item numbers against the same file in my mod. You can make changes yourself. Open that file with notepad and edit away.

Finally, obviously if there are any files from his mod that you DON'T include, then those changes won't show up on the Megamod. I am telling you that you can make changes to the proto files from items, because those changes will not cause any game-crashing scenarios.

 

[dagorkan]

OK.

Just to check:

Prices for items overwritten will correspond to those in Macks.

Vendors will sell the range of items and in the same quantities as in your mod (since that's defined in scripts?)

I'm going to try it out, hope it works.



edit:
Seen your edited reply, which answers those last two questions.

If you want to make the changes yourself, just look at the file numbers included in his mod. Then, open up his pro_item.msg file in the text/game folder. Compare those item numbers against the same file in my mod. You can make changes yourself. Open that file with notepad and edit away.

Yeah I know how to do that, if it's not too much work I'll make the changes.

Thanks for info.

 

[dagorkan]

nm

 

[dagorkan]

Problem:
The game won't start

I installed a new version in the directory Fallout Series/Fallout 2 - Megamod

In it I have

critter.dat
master.dat
fallout2.exe (one found in your mod)
[data]

I made fallout2.exe run in Win95 compatibility (I have XP). I get the intro splash screen and two seconds later the game just returns to desktop without any message.

So I tried deleting the two critter files and all the .acm's except sewer25.acm - fixes that were mentioned in this thread.

Since then I've noticed that a new folder was created in the Fallout 2 - Megamod directory, a sound/music directory but it's empty. Obviously it needs the music.

Anybody had this?

Normally I use a nocd fallout2.exe from the 1.05 patch and it runs in Win95 compatibility. I think the problem must be the different exe.

I looked at the fallout2.cfg file and it mentions that I need H:\cdlock.dat which I don't have on my CD (H is the right drive though). The rest refers to dats and folders that I do have in my installed Fallout directory so those shouldn't be the problem.

 

[MIB88]

I can't tell you what you did wrong. That crash happens under a variety of situations. If you leave certain typos in files like worldmap.txt, worldmap.msg, pro_item.msg, and some others then the game will crash at that point.

Could be that you didn't copy the .exe file from the Megamod.

Could be this thing about running in windows 95 compatibility mode, I don't know. My game works fine on XP.

Could be that your new configuration file isn't pointing to the right area.

As for the music folder, the game automatically installs it. When you install the Megamod, it shouldn't be empty: there is already one file in there (sewer25.acm). The rest of the music files should come from the disc if they are not in that folder.

 

[dagorkan]

I'm going to try reinstalling.

One other thing I noticed, just experimenting, I put the Fallout2.exe in the main Fallout directory (where both Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and Tactics are kept).

I ran the exe and got the same thing but now have an empty ..\Fallout Series\Fallout 2 - Megamoddata\ folder with [map] and [protos] subfolders.

Why Megamoddata in one word? I checked and rechecked the cfg and it's fine.

Weird. I'm going to reinstall this time running setup in Win95 mode and choosing a simpler installation directory... c:\f2 should do.

edit:
Forget all of that, the error was in the pro_items.msg that I'd modified.

What kind of errors should I be looking for?

Mack had some item descriptions on several lines which I changed to a single line, also fixed some typos and deleted a few things.

 

[MIB88]

Forget all of that, the error was in the pro_items.msg that I'd modified.

What kind of errors should I be looking for?

The biggest thing to look for is extra brackets: { or }. Look for duplicate numbers, too. Comment lines are allowed, and begin with a /, but you shouldn't have any other information that doesn't either begin with that slash or in brackets. I don't remember if it makes any difference, but if a description is on two lines, leave it that way, unless you are shortening the description. I don't know if really long single line descriptions are harmful.

 

[dagorkan]

Finally got it to work!

Played through the Temple of Trials and it's already very cool.

MB, if you want I'll go through fixing any bugs in Mack's mod (DaC says that there are some), seeing if there are any conflicts with your mod and make it into an add-on. What do you think?

 

[MIB88]

Personally, I am all for making ammo more scarce. That was actually something already included from New Vision 1.2. For example, instead of finding a brick of 16 bullets of 10mm ammo, all bricks were set to have only 8 rounds. Same with shotgun shells, .223...all of them were cut in half at least. I only mention this because i just don't know what it is that Mack's mod changed to make it any different (is ammo even rarer than this?)

...
I just read through the readme file for that mod. There are some interesting ideas there. I don't agree with making things like keycards, holodisks, condoms, and pocket lint worth a lot of money, though. But I see that he made ammo really expensive.

I think I might have to play his mod and see if there is anything I want to incorporate. I'll definitely have to check out the new item descriptions. If you see something really noteworthy as you play it, let me know, and I'll look into it.

 

[Oracle]

I lke the idea of scarse ammo and making them more expensive. So you need to restock difrent weapon incase your weapons runs out.
But one thing troubles me though. the armour drop mod makes it pretty easy to gain much money. Maybe the selling price should drop of amour to keep the ballance.

 

[MIB88]

Yeah, I have a plan for the lootable armor mod. I am going to change it when I get the chance so that enemies will drop armor only under certain conditions taking into account such things as repair skill, how the critter was killed, and just good old luck.

 

[Sorrow]

There's one problem with changing amount of ammo in one brick - it makes 8 bullets weight 1 pound...

 

[dagorkan]

Question: are there supposed to be any healing items in the Megamod Temple of Trials?

Because I'm finding it impossible to get through. I used the same save all the way through and I'm at the doorway to the exit now. Problem is I die a few seconds after this last save from poison (though I'm not poisoned).

I have the food, the smoking herbs, mushrooms and powder but none of them do anything. I'm wondering if this is a change Mack made.