To use the SDT Loader, extract it into a new folder and run Loader.swf using the standalone Flash Player projector application. Extracting the folder into an existing vanilla SDT folder is possible, but not recommended. Playing the game via a web browser is possible, but not recommended.
If you're new to SDT then please take a look at the Newbie Guide. It will walk you through some of the common modding activities.
If you already have a SDT folder which includes Loader files, then you can make a backup of your existing Loader.swf file and replace it with the new Loader.swf extracted from this archive. In most cases, this will suffice to give you all of the bugfixes and new features.
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The Loader project aimed to implement various experimental features, sometimes via unconventional coding techniques. Some of these features were subsequently incorporated into the core SDT game.
Mods intended for use with the Loader can be identified by the .mod file extension. The vanilla game cannot use these files, but the Loader can. The Loader can, of course, also benefit from any .swf mods written for the core SDT game (such files are sometimes called "vanilla imports"). It can also load standard dialogue files, raster image files (hairstyle or background), charCodes, and character lists.
In terms of functionality and flexibility, the Loader is a strict improvement over the core SDT game. It has two noteworthy faults: a very minor decrease in framerate due to a few less-efficient code paths, and a significant increase in the complexity of the user experience. The Loader can be very confusing for newbies, which is why we advise users to find a bundle with the most popular mods already installed (such as sby's Loader Pack).
Prominent features of the Loader include:
- Character Folders (described briefly here)
- lProxy code hooks (used extensively by animtools)
- Settings files (allowing extensive gameplay customization without the need for any SWF files)
- console output (trace statements are very handy for a novice modder)
- a standardized approach for incorporating user-customizable configuration settings into SWF mods
- a standardized approach for SWF mods to listen for keystrokes
- user-driven recoloring of arbitrary elements within the gameplay scene via HSL sliders
- the ability for SWF mods to add minor GUI elements (such as sliders and buttons) instead of relying entirely on keystrokes
Users who make the upgrade from vanilla SDT to Loader will notice several semi-transparent numeric indicators at the top of the screen. These are trackers for some of the game's internal variables (such as pleasure and lung capacity). They may be useful for dialogue writers who want to double-check that their triggers activate at the correct moment, and to apprentice modders who wish to start out by creating mods of similar simplicity.
Most users will probably find the numbers distracting. You can disable these mods by omitting their filenames from your Mods\$INIT$\Mods.txt file.
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Moderator's note: this Resource has been uploaded on
ModGuy
's behalf, because he's been inactive for a while and might not be coming back.If you'd like to trying using some of the advanced Loader features in your own SWF modding work, then be sure to look through the readme files (and source code examples) which are included in this ZIP package. Once you've exhausted the written material, it's probably better to post your questions in the Loader thread.
ModGuy
was always very supportive of new modders, but PMs sent to him at this point might go answered.
