There's been a lot of "How do I make 3000kg bots?!?!11?!?!?Shift+/+1!!"
topics recently, so I thought I'd do my part. Some easy tutorials with links here, and a sticky would be nice.
SHW help:
1. Decide whether you want to do it yourself or take the easy way out.
(jump to #3 if you take the easy way out.)
2. (For non-lazy peeps only) Copy the entire contents of this quote:
name = SHW Ballast
preview = ballast_preview.bmp
dir = ballast
model = ballast1.gmf
type = extras
base = Component
styles = default
description = The properties of physics are out, crazy overweight bots are in. Stick one of theses on your bot and you'll never have to worry about weight again.
attachsound = sounds\cmp_generic.wav
damageable = false
standard = 1
Sort = -5000
mass = -100000000
And put it in a text file in your components folder. Bam.
3. (For lazy peeps only) Download one of the antiballasts on this page:
https://gametechmods.com/Ra2_Components.php4. TAKE IT OFF AFTER YOU FINISH WITH PARTS!!!! You can put it back on later if you need to.
AAM:
(This is usually considered cheating, since it allows for some rather crazy and cheap bot designs. Choose wisely your path.)
1. Find a very small part, like the multi-extender from the Firebeetle pack or angle connector, and copy the .gmf from it's directory.
2. Find the directory of the component you want to AAM. If you know the name of the component's .txt, use that for a little back-tracking.
3. Rename the component's .gmf that you want to override to something else, but make sure you can re-rename it back to what it was.
4. Paste the replacement .gmf in the directory, renaming it to what the replaced component was named.
5. Start RA2 and paste as many of the component that you want.
6. Exit when you're done, and undo the "damage" to the game that you did.
7. Delete the extra .gmf that you replaced the original with, unless you want to do it again soon.
Rupting Flippers:
1. You're on your own on this one, unless people contribute. Never went for flippers.
Decompiling .cfz's:
1. Get one of the cfz decompilers, either Dummy's commandline version or Lu-Tze's GUI version.
2. Follow their instructions.
3.(For reference) The game looks for the .txt first, so it overrides EVERYTHING that can be done inside it. A .txt with the same name as one in the .cfz will override that .cfz'd txt.
Editing in general:
If you haven't gone to the Beetlebros. site yet, go there (
http://beetlebros.gametechmods.com/)
If you have and are wanting for some help, I'll endeavor to give some advice.
1. Take heed of their suggestion to make a graph of what you're making. It can save a lot of confusion if you can visualize it on a piece of paper. If you're making a non-flat-ish component, get a cad program, learn it, and go from there to help yourself.
2. Learn your attachment points!(gmfs) Get comfy with those things, as they're the most important part of thy component. Know the different types of attachpoints, as well as which type attaches to which.
3. Figure stuff about orientation and part placement(gmfs) and write it down in a text file for easy reference. With no references, looking at a string of comma separated values really doesn't make sense to anyone but the most hardened component modders. If you were one of those, you wouldn't be here, so that most likely goes for everyone.
4. Still got questions? Good, this is not an all-encompassing FAQ, so get smart, try to figure things out, and if need be, ask INTELLIGENT questions, such as: "How does one go about adding reflective pieces to my component, the uncompiled .gmf of which is here(link)?", or, "What type of texture map is best for a cylindrical object, which is part of the component here(link)?" Questions without fluff or exclamation points will get statistically more answers of a helpful nature than those with:
(a. More than one exclamation point
(b. Incredibly bad spelling and/or grammar (if you have no excuse like english not being your first language)
(c. More than one smiley/over sized smiley/more than one over sized smiley
(d. Ranting about how hard it is to mod RA2, since we (forum goers) didn't make it. We hate it too, so suck it up.
(e. Most of all, asking someone else to do the work for you. Being lazy is not appreciated, unless you're on a mac or something and the tool doesn't work for you because of compatibility issues.
More to come when I have more time.
