Can I specify backgrounds and dialogs in charcodes? Or .sdt files? (1 Viewer)

[skulls]

I'm trying to make a character pack with charcodes, hairs, dialogs and backgrounds. I've found that you can put something like customHair:rarity.png in a character code, and that it reliably saves in a "Char List Backup" file (.sdt)

HOWEVER: it doesn't seem like there's a customDialog or customBg I can use. And while I haven't tested backgrounds yet, giving a .SDT file to somebody (in the same dir as every other file) does not seem to save the link for each character dialog, so while the person I give it to can switch between characters and get all the different character designs and hairs, they still have to manually pick the dialogs.

So is there a way to put these two things in the char codes? What's the best method of distributing a pack of characters with all the files linked up, anyway (i.e. does a characters backup .SDT save absolute file paths that aren't really portable)?

 

[TOlive]

I'm pretty sure you can do all of that with Modguy's loader program (http://superdeepthroat.undertow.club/index.php?topic=91.0).

It's like, you can make a directory for each character and specify which dialogues, backgrounds, custom settings, mods & whatevers in it. I would check that out, but make sure you read the guides too.

 

[skulls]

aw man, that complicates things a lot. There's just no way to link up these files without a heavy mod loader addon?

 

[TOlive]

Well, the mod loader just runs the regular game, plus the stuff you're putting on. It functions almost identically; about the only inconvenience is actually setting up the characters and getting everything in the right place. Not hard, just tedious.

If there is another way, I don't know it, though I'm pretty sure that custom characters (and custom imports) currently store custom background associations...just not dialogue yet.

 

[Mak]

The Vanilla version saves hairs, bgs, and swfs for sure in the .sdt, and character codes; I'm not sure about dialogues though. After you make a character, add the bgs etc. generate the character code again. You'll see the file paths for all the mods on it providing you're using the most recent version; as I said though, I don't know about dialogue.txt being saved there.

If you mean trying to save things to the characters that come with the game, you have to re-save them as separate custom characters to keep custom content, and load the custom versions to get it.

I would recommend the loader too though, it sounds more complicated than it is and there's lots of info along with 2 guides to use it. (detailed on site, text only in the download.) Making characters is less work, no need to do any saving, and it makes things much more organised. Seems ModGuy is in the process of improving that too. Not to mention a lot of loader only content.

Edit: Also I should mention that sharing your folders sounds simple, but it will change the file paths of anything you had to manually enter so they would need to update with their own paths. The only way I can think of that might work without changing file paths is to put all the content in one folder named "Mods" (not seperated into any more folders,) in the same place as the game itself.

Hope this helps.

Edit2: With the loader the Mods folder is interchangeable with anyone.

 

[ModGuy]

Re: Can I specify backgrounds and dialogs in charcodes? Or .sdt files

"heavy mod loader add on"

100kB.

Less than almost every hair file and background.

I'll allow you to point out that the included SDT is ~1.3MB but you need that anyway.
I don't mind this attitude to be honest, it's just unusual.
Like rejecting chocolate sprinkles on a dessert.

You're missing out.

 

[skulls]

I meant "cognitive load" more than file size. I remember using the Loader in the past and it was overwhelming and complex, with lots of files spread everywhere.

But, well, I downloaded it and tried it again so I could articulate an informed response, and:

Hey, it's not that complicated. The concept of setting up character directories is pretty easy. And it relieves me a lot that I can delete every file except Loader, Settings and the Mods directory, and delete all those % meters at the top of the screen. I'm still a little turned off by the inexplicable RGBA meters and other UI cruft in that slide-out bar, but it's simple enough to work. Thanks for pushing me into it, it's a very useful solution!

I suppose the only ideal thing now would be for it to load a certain character - a certain "Mod", I guess, in Loader parlance - by default, on first open of Loader.swf. Is that possible? I can't find it as a setting. If this isn't possible, that's fine.

 

[TOlive]

Re: Can I specify backgrounds and dialogs in charcodes? Or .sdt files

"heavy mod loader add on"

100kB.

Less than almost every hair file and background.

I'll allow you to point out that the included SDT is ~1.3MB but you need that anyway.
I don't mind this attitude to be honest, it's just unusual.
Like rejecting chocolate sprinkles on a dessert.

You're missing out.

You callin' mah imports fat?

 

[ModGuy]

I suppose the only ideal thing now would be for it to load a certain character - a certain "Mod", I guess, in Loader parlance - by default, on first open of Loader.swf. Is that possible? I can't find it as a setting. If this isn't possible, that's fine.

The "Default" folder used to load automatically, but that causes issues now if a user already has save data.
Because I can't really listen out for the built in save there's a race for who will load first and the outcome is random leaving the character pretty broken.
I will keep looking for ways to fix this however.

 

[zzaapp002]

So you cannot specify dialogue in a char code like you can with hair and backgrounds? (In classic SDT).

And that even if you load a dialogue it won't stick in the .sdt file?

Meaning that you have to load dialogue each time? And that you cannot save specific dialogue for specific characters? (That seems like a glaring omission but I guess the dialogue import idea didn't happen in the original planning stages).

So there is no assigning and keeping (saving) dialogues for each character? Unless you use the loader, right? Which I still have trouble with to be honest. Sigh. Yes, I know it is supposed to be easy but it isn't for me. (Yes, yes I know, a monkey could use it but I guess I'm a slower than usual monkey).