Where do I start? [DON'T PUT THINGS INTO PAK FILES YOU DIDN'T MAKE YOURSELF!]

[Darkplanet01]

If you just have a new one, you can just put it in addon and it will work, as long as it's done right.

VSMIT.

I made a new weapon and put it in the addon folder, but it didn't work. What have I done wrong?
(P.S. Civbase, sorry for using your topic to ask some of my own questions)

[CivBase]

Sure, I don't care.  This would be the thread for it, after all.

[Steeveeo]

I made a new weapon and put it in the addon folder, but it didn't work. What have I done wrong?

What are the filenames? Also, did you put the files in the addon folder while BZ2 was active?

[Darkplanet01]

What are the filenames? Also, did you put the files in the addon folder while BZ2 was active?

Lemme see... I made a new stabber weapon named the machine stabber, and I exported the at-stab using pak-explorer. Then I fiddled around with a few things in the files (like tweaking shot delay etc.) and renamed them, before putting them in addon. Here are the file names (after I renamed them).
Folder: gmstab
Containing: Assault (folder), Combat (folder), apmstab, apmstab.odf, ordin_a (obviously without the commas and words in brackets)
Files in assault: gmstab_a, mstab_a, rocket_a
Files in combat: gmstab_c, mstab_c, rocket_c, xstabcar_c, xstabgnd_c

[VSMIT]

One other good thing to know would be exactly how it didn't work.  If you tried placing it in the editor, you need to place the apmstab (if you didn't know that already).  If your changes didn't work, then I'm not sure how to help you without knowing what the odf files are.

VSMIT.

[Darkplanet01]

One other good thing to know would be exactly how it didn't work.  If you tried placing it in the editor, you need to place the apmstab (if you didn't know that already).  If your changes didn't work, then I'm not sure how to help you without knowing what the odf files are.

VSMIT.

Well, I didn't try placing it in editor, and besides I may be pretty stupid when it comes to BZII, but I would still realise it would be apmstab. I'm not that stupid. I tried seeing if it was in the armoury, and, when it wasn't, checked if I could add it to a unit in the factory.

[Nielk1]

You would have to specifically add it to the armory or to the race's weapons list for the factory for it to show up there.

[Darkplanet01]

You would have to specifically add it to the armory or to the race's weapons list for the factory for it to show up there.

So now I get told. How do I do that?

[AHadley]

Take a look for buildlist under the armoury's ODF. It should look like this...

Code Select Expand


[ArmoryGroup1]
buildLabel = "Guns"
buildItem1 = "apmini"
buildItem2 = "aplase"
buildItem3 = "appumm"
buildItem4 = "apchain"

[ArmoryGroup2]
buildLabel = "Cannons"
buildItem1 = "apstab"
buildItem2 = "appstb"
buildItem3 = "apsstb"
buildItem4 = "applas"
buildItem5 = "apblst"
buildItem6 = "apmagg"

[ArmoryGroup3]
buildLabel = "Rockets"
buildItem1 = "aptagg"
buildItem2 = "apfafm"
buildItem3 = "apshdw"

[ArmoryGroup4]
buildLabel = "Mortars"
buildItem1 = "apmort"
buildItem2 = "apmdmg"
buildItem3 = "apspln"

[ArmoryGroup5]
buildLabel = "Mines"
buildItem1 = "apflar"
buildItem2 = "apmcur"
buildItem3 = "apmits"
buildItem4 = "approx"

[ArmoryGroup6]
buildLabel = "Specials"
buildItem1 = "apredf"
buildItem2 = "apphan"
buildItem3 = "apsite"
//buildItem4 = "apffld"

[ArmoryGroup7]
buildLabel = "Pilot"
buildItem1 = "apbazo"
buildItem2 = "apsnip"
buildItem3 = "apgren"
buildItem4 = "apjetp"

You'd put your weapon in like this:

Code Select Expand


[ArmoryGroup2]
buildLabel = "Cannons"
buildItem1 = "apstab"
buildItem2 = "appstb"
buildItem3 = "apsstb"
buildItem4 = "applas"
buildItem5 = "apblst"
buildItem6 = "apmagg"
buildItem7="apmstab"


Of course, you move it up and down the list as you want, but be aware that a lot of commanders build stuff without looking at the menu (say, I know the combination for a gun tower is Constructor, 3, 6, so I'd press that every time I want a Gun Tower. I know that a Greenheart Wall Tall Dual Assault tower is Utility Constructor, 3, 4, 4. It I want plasma, I go 3, 2, 4. If you were to put your machine stabber further up the list, plasma might become 3, 4, 5, which would confuse me and cause me to make either the machine stabber or super stabber instead, which isn't as good.

This is what the ODF would look like if you did that:

Code Select Expand


[ArmoryGroup2]
buildLabel = "Cannons"
buildItem1 = "apstab"
buildItem2 = "appstb"
buildItem3 = "apmstab"        <==  There it is
buildItem4 = "apsstb"          <==  You need to change the buildItem number further down so you don't reference to two things being built by one key, that would cause an AV.
buildItem5 = "applas"
buildItem6 = "apblst"
buildItem7 = "apmagg"


[VSMIT]

In the armory odf.  Use the pak explorer to extract ibarmo.odf or fbarmo.odf (I think those are the names, going from memory here) and open one in Notepad or some such simple text editor.  There should be an area that is marked clearly as the build slots.  Don't remember what the ODF lines are, and I can't find the small tut I did on them a while back.  It's pretty self-explanatory, though.

Edit: Dangit, AHadley!

VSMIT.

[AHadley]

In the armory odf.  Use the pak explorer to extract ibarmo.odf or fbarmo.odf (I think those are the names, going from memory here) and open one in Notepad or some such simple text editor.  There should be an area that is marked clearly as the build slots.  Don't remember what the ODF lines are, and I can't find the small tut I did on them a while back.  It's pretty self-explanatory, though.

Edit: Dangit, AHadley!

VSMIT.

You did mention the stuff I missed out, though.

Becoming steadily more helpful... I've just helped DarkPlanet with an uninstall issue... with regediting! =]

[VSMIT]

I wrote that half at home and half at school, so I didn't have access to the actual ODFs when I finished it.  Otherwise I would have also had the ODF lines that you posted.  Thanks, though.

I saw that you helped with uninstalling.  I didn't know that would work.  But then I never had to try it, but I'll store that away for the next time something gets corrupted and won't uninstall.

VSMIT.

[Nielk1]

None of my BZ2s are 'installed' hence there are no registry entries for me. I stopped installed and have a 'mother bz2 dir' that I spawn all others from. Like making bread.

[AHadley]

Like making bread.

An unusual analogy there, my friend... never heard that one before.

I didn't know that would work.  But then I never had to try it, but I'll store that away for the next time something gets corrupted and won't uninstall.

I found that out when I deleted my copy of TRO - which I later lost, unfortunately - I googled for how to remove an add/remove programs entry, came up with that, memorised it, used it whenever I needed it... passed it on. We all learn something new every day, remember =p

[VSMIT]

An unusual analogy there, my friend... never heard that one before.

To make sourdough bread, you have to start with a lump of it, called "mother dough."  Otherwise it won't work right.

VSMIT.