Hello all,

I've just put some weapons in-game but I would like to "theme" them for different factions. Right now I'm using ku_capgun_01 effect and with the orange and yellow and white it is perfect for the faction I made it for. However, I'd like to theme a purple one and a green one for two other factions in my mod. The trouble is, I don't know how to do this.

Through my vast research I've narrowed it down to the ku_capgun_01 effect in FX/WEAPONS. I've also noticed that chances are I need to edit either the ALE file or the ANL file, and so I downloaded the ALE editor packaged by Digital Brilliance and posted on this forum. Unfortunately I haven't the slightest clue what to edit to change the color.

I'm up a creek at the moment so any help anyone can offer would be extremely appreciated!

Thanks

Just further, I would suggest using FF's excellent FLDev program (found here on this site) for calculating RGB into decimal, as it includes some extremely helpful Math Tools, including the RGB to decimal converter and vice versa.

Which brings me to a couple of my own questions.

1. Is there any particular upper limit to the 'timing' value? I haven't really had a chance to play around with it yet, mainly as up until I read this thread I didn't have the foggiest what the first value was, lol.

2. Also, do you have to keep the decimal values with the same number of decimal places?
To explain.
Original: 0.8000000715255737
New: 0.1759386039582745

Do I have to keep my new values to the same number of decimal places? Or can I have a number that only goes to, say, four decimal places (like calculated decimals from FLDev)? And FL will still be able to read it correctly. I'm fairly sure (from memory) that I've had some work either way, so I may as well ask someone who definitely knows rather than just play around and make my own (possibly incorrect) assumptions.

Hope that makes some sense.
Avenger

Much to my chagrin I don't see any reference to Node_Color in the decoded ALE. Here is a copy of the file I'm working with:



Can you guide me to the specific element I'm to be editing?


EDIT: I checked out the ANL file and there seems to be some references to color in here. Can you guide me specifically which ones have the effect on the weapon effect? (IE: Inner glow, Outer glow, etc.)



Side note: I can't find FLDev in the downloads or the archive

Thanks for the replies! I'm dyin' here!

OK, sorry to but in here but just want to help, the weaon_equip.ini references everything, just read the names of the FX_Type = FxBasicAppearance and FX_Type = FxRectAppearance in the anl. Some effects also use a FX_Type = FLBeamAppearance. They will have _flash, _proj, _impact and other extras attached to the names. These are pretty simple to figure what part of the weapons effects they are used for and these are all used by the weapon in the ini.

As FF said, node_color under Node_Name = ku_capgun_01_proj.app (_proj for projectile ) is what you want to change.

The appearence sections are what you want to change for things like opacity (or varying levels thereof), color (once again varying levels if you want) and size. (also if you want to be flashy and create animated textures you would specify how the animation plays under the appearence section but leave that for now).

So if you want it to be say green then you would change it to this:

SubEntry = 0.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000
SubEntry = 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000

So now it will be green from start to finish, but you could have a rainbow effect too:

SubEntry = 0.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000
SubEntry = 0.2000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000
SubEntry = 0.4000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000
SubEntry = 0.6000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000
SubEntry = 0.8000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000
SubEntry = 1.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 0.0000000000000000, 1.0000000000000000

Just my 5cents, hope it helps a bit more.

.tale is just like .ale. Replace the old ALE file with the new one and it'll do the trick.

FLDev actually does swap through between RGB and Decimal in the Math Tools. As long as the syntax is correct, it should work. Remember however that the first value in the SubEntry is timing and should NOT be put in FLDev.

You should find a CRC calculator on digitalbrillance.com in the downloads section, made by our one and only Lancer Solurus (look for DB software).

You take the effect's name in the AEL file and plug it into the calculator, then get the CRC out of it.

Both are the same...

Remember Freelancer uses unsigned integers for CRCs. this means there are always two possible ways to represent a CRC in decimal, one positive and one negative.

0xFFFFFFFF = 4 294 967 295 (maximum value of any integer)

Say I take "test" as a CRC, it gives me either -4192492930 or 102474366...

-4 192 492 930 + 4 294 967 295 = 10 2474 366