[Tutorial] Using Extended Character Template FIXES

[Ajgiel]

I won't go through the whole process I'm only gonna point out problems and fixes I found on the forum.

I will also add links to the threads I found solutions on at the end.
I don't know if they work with RoG or vanilla. It's meant for DST.

• Tutorial made by the original creator as well as the video provided by one of the followers can be found here: 

Now, onto the problem's and how I fixed the issues.

Here's the list of what I will discuss:

1. Character is too small (ECT is made for a small cat character)
2. .zip files in anim folder don't have new character's name after compiling
3. My character isn't a cat, proportions are similiar to Wilson's, what to do?
4. Face/Hair/Body parts in the wrong position in-game
5. Modicon doesn't autocompile into .tex and .xml file (your character's icon doesn't appear as mod in-game)
6. Golden name doesn't appear

1. Character being too small

This fix allows you to make the character bigger as well as the other way.

• Open your mod's folder. For example I'll use my directory, character's name is mongman.

• In there, go to scripts -> prefabs and open yourcharactername.lua with Notepad++. 

What we're looking for in there, is this chunk of text below. As you can see, I already added the code.

• Paste it directly under health/hunger/sanity.

1.3 is a decent, most Wilson-like size. You can of course change it as you like.

• Save the document, run your autocompiler and test it in-game.

inst.Transform:SetScale(1.4, 1.4, 1.4)

2. .zip files in anim folder don't have new character's name after compiling

Now this is fairly simple. Make sure ALL of the esctemplate.png/lua/folders are renamed to your character's name. Remember, don't use caps.
This happens when you don't change the name of folders found in /exported.

3. My character isn't a cat, proportions are similiar to Wilson's, what to do?

I was really bummed when I saw all of the .png's were of a cat. There might be a better way to find Wilson's sprites, but I simply downloaded them from Cheerio's thread:
https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/37002-easy-character-art-tutorial/?page=0&tab=comments#comment-491446

You can extract it to your desktop and drag the files you want to work on into your mod's folder.

4. Face/Hair/Body parts in the wrong position in-game

That one gave me a few headscratches. But it's not that hard to fix. You will need to re-open your DST a few times, so be ready for that.

• Go to exported -> yourcharactername and open .scml in spriter after autocompiling. 
• I recommend positioning everything as you want to see in-game, saving file (even though they tell you not to) and then focusing on pivots.

Pivot is a red dot that appears when you left click on a certain part, for example hair. 
Assuming your png files are centered (drawing is centered inside the .png file), and that if you copy all of your elements into one .png, they match with size, the only problem that could appear should be position of certain element.

• Open your game, snip the character from front/side/back and put it up somewhere on the screen, so you can have a look on what's wrong.

My character had his face and hair a bit off:

Here, you need to remember WHERE is the piece off. Right, up, down, left? In here, his face is too far RIGHT and too far UP, it's important.

• In your spriter, to position the f.e. face, you need to drag the red dot OPPOSITE of WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE. If my character's face was RIGHT/UP, that's how I move the red dot so the face moves LEFT/DOWN. 
• Right click on the dot after you're done and overwrite defeault pivot.
• Check in-game, repeat if needed.

There might be a situation where only ONE piece of f.e. face moves. Sadly, I don't know other way than manually overwriting defeault pivots on all of the elements. You don't have to click on the character anymore, just go to your right, where folders are and copy x and y of the fixed pivot, double left click on the element's preview and change them.

5. Modicon doesn't autocompile into .tex and .xml file (your character's icon doesn't appear as mod in-game)

• Delete modicon.tex and modicon.xml
• Open TEXCreator.exe from your tools folder (link to download is provided in ECT tutorial)
• Add modicon.png from your mod's folder
• Insert Output Directory, same as modicon.png
• Convert it
• Create new .XML file (or copy any of the .xml found in mod's folder then delete scripts inside if you have no idea how)
• Paste this code and change ICON.tex to modicon.tex, save it

<Atlas><Texture filename="ICON.tex" /><Elements><Element name="ICON.tex" u1="0.001953125" u2="0.998046875" v1="0.001953125" v2="0.998046875" /></Elements></Atlas>

• Open modinfo.lua with Notepad++ and find those lines, then insert the code:

icon_atlas = "modicon.xml"
icon = "modicon.tex"

Next time you will want to edit your modicon.png, you will have to repeat all the steps above.

6. Golden name doesn't appear

I don't have to add much here, what you need to do is written in images/notes (updated v1.2.4). 
Added it in here, in case someone is as dumb as me and doesn't see notes left by the creator.

Helpful tips:

• Make sure 5 times you renamed every folder/file to your characters name
• Follow every step from tutorial slowly
• Check in-game if everything works after you change anything/save anything, you'll thank me later
• If you checked, and it works fine, MAKE A COPY OF THE MOD FOLDER, save it somewhere on the desktop (you might want to use it when something goes wrong)
• Make some tea and relax, you can do it! ♥

Links:

https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/32567-changing-a-characters-size/

https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/87327-how-to-make-the-name_character-appear-on-select-screen/

https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/74527-how-to-rearrange-mod-body-parts/

https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/57800-how-to-add-mod-icon/

 

[polarvortecks]

Sorry to bother you but my game crashes after i click to create a world with my character mod, do you know why this happens?

 

[00:00:49]: ModIndex:GetModsToLoad inserting moddir,     Polar the Artist    
[00:00:49]: Could not load mod_config_data/modconfiguration_Polar the Artist    
[00:00:49]: Loading mod: Polar the Artist (Polar) Version:1    
[00:00:49]: Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)    Loading modworldgenmain.lua    
[00:00:49]: Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)      Mod had no modworldgenmain.lua. Skipping.    
[00:00:49]: Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)    Loading modmain.lua    
[00:00:49]: MOD ERROR: Polar the Artist (Polar): Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)    
[00:00:54]: Event data unavailable: lavaarena_event_server/lavaarena_achievement_quest_defs
[00:00:54]: error loading module 'speech_polar' from file '../mods/Polar the Artist\scripts\speech_polar.lua':
    [string "cannot OLDFILEACCESSMETHOD @../mods/Polar the Artist\scripts\sp..."]:291: '}' expected (to close '{' at line 288) near 'PREY'

[Ajgiel]

 

On 12/17/2018 at 5:06 AM, PuroPlays said:

Sorry to bother you but my game crashes after i click to create a world with my character mod, do you know why this happens?

 

[00:00:49]: ModIndex:GetModsToLoad inserting moddir,     Polar the Artist    
[00:00:49]: Could not load mod_config_data/modconfiguration_Polar the Artist    
[00:00:49]: Loading mod: Polar the Artist (Polar) Version:1    
[00:00:49]: Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)    Loading modworldgenmain.lua    
[00:00:49]: Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)      Mod had no modworldgenmain.lua. Skipping.    
[00:00:49]: Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)    Loading modmain.lua    
[00:00:49]: MOD ERROR: Polar the Artist (Polar): Mod: Polar the Artist (Polar)    
[00:00:54]: Event data unavailable: lavaarena_event_server/lavaarena_achievement_quest_defs
[00:00:54]: error loading module 'speech_polar' from file '../mods/Polar the Artist\scripts\speech_polar.lua':
    [string "cannot OLDFILEACCESSMETHOD @../mods/Polar the Artist\scripts\sp..."]:291: '}' expected (to close '{' at line 288) near 'PREY'

Not sure but it seems you have an error somewhere in the code? And the speech file could be corrupted or doesn't work, that's all I get from this.
Im not a professional so I cant really help, I only posted whatever fixes I found on my way of creating a character ♥

[Andreasgamming]

There is a way to compile the modicon without using the texcreator, if you put the modicon.png into the images folder and compile then move them back OR Modify the Mod info and put the new path to the mod icon's xml and tex files they'll work, it's what I did for my Mod icons.