Duck and Cover

OTB, is there a way to modify an existing entity's imagery aspects (colour..etc) from in-game (saved game)?

let's just say if no external utility-editor [non-FT Tools] can amend recruits' colours/sprites that have been saved in an ongoing single player game, is there a way to do this internally?

thanks.

No, there isn't.

The v1.27 editors will allow you to change an entity's color and that will take effect if you place a new copy of that entity on a map, but will not effect the color of those entities already placed on maps. (This way you could, for instance, modify your version of a generic type of Raider and not have each and every single example of that entity change to that color scheme.) However, what you do w/the editors has no effect on games you're already playing, unless you're dealing w/an area that hasn't been accessed in your current game, so you could change the color of a recruit that hasn't been added to your squad yet and that should take effect.

You could change the portrait or description of an entity by substituing new ZAR files or modifying the various TXT files, but that's about it. These things are not included in your saved game, but rather are read from the HD each time they are needed.

I'm unfamiliar with cheats/trainers/etc., so I can't help you there.

OTB

thank you.

OnTheBounce wrote:... so you could change the color of a recruit that hasn't been added to your squad yet and that should take effect.

on your previous advice in 'questions on CORE_campaign modding':
your procedure on "adding new recruits to the pool" was to be implemented before the start of a single player campaign. can the procedure work in an ongoing game?

assuming that the answer is 'yes', your statement highlighted above means i can make a replica of an ongoing entity at any time, alter its image, introduce it as a new entity in the pool, later change its names/display name/etc to resemble the original entity which i wanted the image change. . . . ? [might be the only alternative then?]

BloodGod wrote: [O]n your previous advice in 'questions on CORE_campaign modding': your procedure on "adding new recruits to the pool" was to be implemented before the start of a single player campaign. can the procedure work in an ongoing game?

If you're looking to change the CAM file itself you have to make any changes that you're wanting make before you start a new SP game. Now, if you're looking to modify any MIS or ENT file that you have not yet encountered/accessed yet you can make those changes. For instance, if you want to change a recruit that is introduced after you return to a bunker after Mision 5 is complete, you can save your game rigght before you get back to the bunker after you've completed Mission 5, fire up the Entity Editor, change the recruit in question, then go back to your saved game, enter the bunker and viola! you will see your modified recruit in the pool. This is because that recruit file isn't read until the trigger in that bunker mission tells it to look in the CAM file for recruits with a certain tag (which you assigned in the campaign.txt and then imported into the CAM file) and add them to the Recruit Pool. The same goes for any mission that you haven't entered yet.

BloodGod wrote: [A]ssuming that the answer is 'yes', your statement highlighted above means i can make a replica of an ongoing entity at any time, alter its image, introduce it as a new entity in the pool, later change its names/display name/etc to resemble the original entity which i wanted the image change. . . . ? (might be the only alternative then?)

Yes, that would be a viable solution. It also seems to be the only solution, other than starting a game over again.

OTB

thanks again.

you wrote :-

"For instance, if you want to change a recruit that is introduced after you return to a bunker after Mision 5 is complete, you can save your game rigght before you get back to the bunker after you've completed Mission 5, fire up the Entity Editor, change the recruit in question, then go back to your saved game, enter the bunker and viola! you will see your modified recruit in the pool. "

does this mean that you can only do this 5 times max if the bunkers only go up to Epsilon?

You're welcome, again.

BloodGod wrote:does this mean that you can only do this 5 times max if the bunkers only go up to Epsilon?

If you're going to try to modify your campaign on the fly - that is, w/o starting a new game - I guess that's all you could do since when you enter any mission you automatically have that MIS file imported into your saved game and any changes you make to the bunkers wouldn't affect your current game.

OTB

I checked the mods utilities programs yesterday, and it seems the one you want is Ftdewo.
You can only run this in a dos window(I couldn't run it in Windows or exiting in DOS) and you have to type ftdewo there for basic instructions, or "type tms.nfo |more" for details. It does modify .sav files, but I couldn't modify my own saves it kept giving a "is not a world file" or something, error.
As I don't actually consider myself a modder, you can try to find someone with a more than basic knowledge of the program to help you, or hopefully they will see this topic. Bosche could probably help too, but I couldn't run it(I'm missing an unnamed file). All other programs I found useless in that direction.
[Edit]Also BloodGod an others, note that this .Cam file OTB is talking about is located under core\campaigns[Edit]

thanks. where i can i get hold of Ftdewo?

Bosche was one of the editors i mentioned in my PM [the first one on the list]. it is very limited, allowing you to mod only some not all fields, and totally NO squaddies-modification capability. however, in some rare instances, useful

You can get it here (While the link lasts, that is).