List of Programs needed...

[Josiah]

I am wanting to know what programs I need to have for BzII mission making. Also, if there is some sort of tutorial for movies in-game, what the dll files do and how to use them, and what are all the flags for the odfs, terrain, and what they do. basically, are there tutorials to make a total noob understand the game?

EDIT: lol, just found Bz2Scriptor, somewhat helpful. Also, is there an BzII xsi import for 3ds max?

[TheJamsh]

and what are all the flags for the odfs

how many years have you got? You know what the best way is to learn to mod? Dive in and experiment.

The best tool for ANY modder is notepad. And thats free. You can edit ODF's, CFG's, .TXT, .INF, .XSI etc. If you want to learn C++ for complex mission .dlls you can download a C++ scripter/compiler somewhere (Visual Studio for example).

The second best tool is the BZ2 Editor. Which comes with BZ2 free also (with 1.3 systems its a separate .exe). Here you can create maps, edit original maps, test youre objects etc.

Something you WILL need is PAK Explorer, which allows you to open data.pak and patch13.pak in the root directory. These two .pak files contains nearly all of BZ2's assets, and you will need to go HERE to get it. (under utilities somewhere).

If you want to program SP .dll's with ease, find the BZ2 scriptor on that same link. Again there are no tutorials, you will just have to experiment and read the documentation it comes with.

For tutorials, i can only point you towards THIS PLACE. However there is nothing that will get you started. The only way to really learn BZ2's internals is to dive in and find stuff out by teaching yourself. It sounds daunting at first but its really not...

With a little time and patience you will soon figure everything out.

[VSMIT]

Don't know if there are any importers for Max.  But for ODF stuff, you can look at Commando's Modlog.

[TheJamsh]

Just remember that the modlog only covers NEW ODF flags added in 1.3, definately NOT all of them.

[GSH]

Useful tip for modding that I rarely see mentioned here:

Make windows show file extensions by default

Rationale: Windows hides file extensions (e.g. the ".txt" part of "Changelog.txt") by default. But, most modding instructions point you at specific files, like .odf or .ini . If Windows hides the extensions, it's MUCH harder to find and modify the right file. You'll have to get your hands dirty modifying files when modding.

Fix: In Windows Explorer (i.e. open up 'My Documents' or the C drive), go to Tools -> Folder Options -> View. Uncheck "

• Hide extensions for known file types." I generally also turn on "Show hidden files & folders." in the same place.
  
  -- GSH

[ScarleTomato]

speaking of windows quirks, while you're in there changing the extension setting, you might want to turn off thumbnail caching. I think 1.2 FE has a problem listing maps if a thumbs.db file shows up in the install folder. It also keeps unneeded thumbs.db files from accidentally slipping into mod distributions.

as for nice programs, notepad++ is a pretty good editor with some insanely helpful tools.
MM5 is nice for managing many different installs and mods
in fact just browse through the descriptions of things over at bzscrap. Many nice downloads over there.

[Josiah]

What in the world opens .pic files??? I have Photoshop CS2(legal), is there a plugin for it that will open BzII .pic files?

[Josiah]

is there a blender xsi importer? very needed, as I love modifying stuff.

[GSH]

Photoshop and pic?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=photoshop+pic+plugin

-- GSH

[AHadley]

IfranView, GIMP and XNView are the three best image editing programs I have ever come across.

[TheJamsh]

photoshop is the best if you know HOW to use it. Thats the important thing.

Importing XSI's into blender isn't possible unless you use the one for the latest version of XSI, which as i understand doesn't work correctly from my attempts. You will have to convert it with 3D Exploration or something like that.

I always edit .pic files by converting them to .png or .tga in XNView (as a copy), and editing the copy. I just managed to get a hold of Photoshop CS3, so when i finally have the time to learn a new interface, i'll have a go at PS. Thing is i was never much of an artist with a pencil and paper...

[Nielk1]

I open and save as PIC. If I do major edits I use a PSD too but I save as PIC for the game. PIC plugin is on bzscrap.