Random Newbie Questions (1 Viewer)

[SemiAngel29]

So I know this is stupid and kinda dumb to make a whole new thread for this but I'm practically new to using forums and thing like the in general, with Reddit being my only experience and all I use it for is looking at gifs and pictures all day >.>. So iwas hoping that some more experience fellows could help out a poor noob like me.

I downloaded the game and followed @Huitznahua noob guide which helped out a lot with the basics.
I thought of some questions along the way.

1. If I want to save changes I made to a custom character do I have to edit the new code text into the characters folder every time I make a change to it or is there another way to do that?

2.I don't know why this doesn't work but I can't add a thumbnail to the character I made.

3.The game seems to have trouble locating the folders I use to store my downloads and things like that when I make character folders.

4.For mods and swfs, say if I want to change from one hair template to another, do I have to do those manually? I downloaded a shirt and the game doesn't seem to load it when it loads the character.

 

[stuntcock]

do I have to edit the new code text into the characters folder every time I make a change to it

Yes, you must edit the Code.txt file.

2.I don't know why this doesn't work but I can't add a thumbnail to the character I made.

Press Enter while playing the game. You'll be prompted to save a file, with the suggested filename Thumb.png. Save this file into your Character Folder (or just save it anywhere and then cut-and-paste it into your Character Folder).

The thumbnail will not immediately appear in your in-game Character Roster. You will need to force a "refresh", by navigating into a subfolder of the roster and then navigating back out. Or just restart the whole game. Or just don't do anything; the thumbnail will appear properly during your next gameplay session and there's no need to confirm or verify it immediately.

3.The game seems to have trouble locating the folders I use to store my downloads and things like that when I make character folders.

I don't understand the problem. Could you please explain it in greater detail?

4.For mods and swfs, say if I want to change from one hair template to another, do I have to do those manually? I downloaded a shirt and the game doesn't seem to load it when it loads the character.

For security reasons, Flash is not allowed to scan for files on your local disk. It would be cool if SDT could auto-detect any SWF files in your Character Folder, but that capability was very deliberately blocked. If Flash applications were able do stuff like that, then a malicious programmer could potentially scan your PC for passwords and bank account numbers -- and then upload the obtained information to the hacker's server.

Instead, SDT relies on hardcoded filenames (such as Mods.txt, Code.txt, etc). You must manually edit these files so that they mention any other mods or resources (such as PlatformBoots.swf or SexySweater.swf) which you want the game to load.

Some of the more tedious aspects of this process can be automated. You've probably seen a Mods Folder.jar script which will create CharacterFolders.txt files for you, thus saving you the effort of transcribing folder names manually. But in general you will need to do some typing.

The (partial) alternative is to register each of your mods using moreClothing. You can then omit those files from your Character Folders (and from your Mods.txt files). The mods will then become an extension of the game's standard wardrobe. The new clothing items can be activated in-game (via the ◄ ► selector buttons) and saved/loaded as part of a charcode. Hence, your Code.txt files will become longer ... but since you're usually just copy-pasting those things, it potentially means less hassle for you. You'll still need to type in the filename (such as PlatformBoots.swf), but you'll be doing it only once (in the moreClothing configuration file) and you can then reuse the item in any number of character definitions.

 

[SemiAngel29]

I don't understand the problem. Could you please explain it in greater detail?

Like I store the mod into my downloads folder and I add them to the code text but when I load the character none of it seems to load except for the hair. It also seems to do this with backgrounds too.

 

[stuntcock]

Like I store the mod into my downloads folder

You'll should move the downloaded SWF files into the appropriate Character Folder, or into your moreclothingmods folder (or both). If a file is just sitting in c:\My Downloads\ then you'll need to mess around with relative paths.

It takes a bit longer to move all of your SDT files into proper locations, but it will be more reliable in the long term.

 

[SemiAngel29]

You'll should move the downloaded SWF files into the appropriate Character Folder, or into your moreclothingmods folder (or both). If a file is just sitting in c:\My Downloads\ then you'll need to mess around with relative paths.

Yeah I already have my mods sorted in seperate folders inside my SDT Mods folder.
Just got the backgrounds to load because I labeled it customBackground:[insert file path here] instead of customBG:[insert file path here] inside the code.txt, which i really am hoping that that's the reason the clothes won't load instead of another problem >.>

 

[stuntcock]

inside the code.txt, which i really am hoping that that's the reason the clothes won't load instead of another problem >.>

If you're trying to do something like...

panties:thong;bra:Camo Bikini.swf;

...then it will not work. You can try to include external files via the SwfMod parameter like so:

panties:thong;swfmod:Swimwear/Camo Bikini.swf

But this approach is unreliable because of relative-path confusion. If you've already set up Character Folders then you should just use them. Copy-paste the files (such as Camo Bikini.swf) into the Character Folder of each girl who is supposed to wear that item. Then edit each Mods.txt file so that it mentions the filename of all the local SWF files.

Or you can download the moreClothing mod and use that instead. In that case you'll need to register each SWF file only once, and you wouldn't need to do any additional copy-pasting of files. You would subsequently be able to customize your characters almost entirely via their charcodes; the Mods.txt files could be ignored or omitted.

Anyways - if you're looking for tech support regarding this current issue then I would encourage you to post a few of your Code.txt files, or share a screenshot of your SDT mods folder. We might be able to explain why it isn't working properly.

 

[SemiAngel29]

Ok I think i see where the problem was.
So I would always put the Code.txt in like this

charName:Konan;mood:Normal;bodyScale:1;arms:onlegs,onlegs;throatResist:50;hair:sdchan,1,1;iris:normal,56,100,137,1;breasts:149;skin:tan;nose:normal;ear:normal;lipstick:1,0,0,0,0;eyeshadow:55,26,99,1;sclera:255,255,255,1;blush:196,80,77,0.35;freckles:60,24,24,0.8,0;mascara:0,0,0,1,20;nailpolish:0,0,0,0;eyebrow:normal,56,31,15,1,30,19,19,1;hairhsl:0,1,1,1;skinhsl:0,1,1,1;hisskinhsl:0,1,1,1;bg:3;hisBody:male;hisPenis:0,1,1;balls:0,1;hisSkin:0;hisTop:shirt,238,242,245,1;hisBottoms:slacks,27,29,29,1;hisFootwear:loafers,0,0,0,1;collar:tie,0,0,0,1,232,240,255,1;cuffs:leather,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1;gag:none,0,0,0,1;panties:briefs,255,255,255,1;top:bra,255,255,255,1;armwear:none,0,0,0,1;tops:shirt,255,255,255,1;bottoms:none,65,60,75,1,120,90,240,1;legwear:none,255,255,255,0.8,255,255,255,0.8;footwear:none,255,255,255,1,0,0,0,1;eyewear:none,0,0,0,1;headwear:none,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1;tonguePiercing:none,183,187,195,1;herTan:none,0;customHair:Mods/Downloads/Hair/Konan.png;customBG:Mods/Downloads/Backgrounds/Building_-_Classroom_(13).png;SwfMod:Mods/Downloads/Clothes/Legs-Diamonds Stockings.swf

But the

SwfMod:Mods/Downloads/Clothes/Legs-Diamonds Stockings.swf

Would never load like

customBG:Mods/Downloads/Backgrounds/Building_-_Classroom_(13).png

I thought it would search and load the files in my Clothes folder like it did in the other folders.

 

[stuntcock]

I thought it would search and load the files in my Clothes folder like it did in the other folders.

I think that you've misunderstood the purpose and function of Character Folders.

Each folder is supposed to define a single character fully and exclusively. When this folder is loaded, all of the files within it are supposed to be applied to the current scene. There's no reason to place multiple Leggings files into a single Character folder -- unless you actually want the girl to simultaneously wear two sets of overlapping leggings.

In most cases, Character Folders involve a lot of duplication. You'll have a Leggings.swf file in the Asuka subfolder, and another copy of Leggings.swf in the Rei subfolder, and a third copy in the Misato subfolder, etc etc... It's possible to store only one copy of each file and then have the various Mods.txt files refer to it indirectly, but this approach is somewhat unstable. The main benefit of Character Folders is portability (alternatively: "ease of sharing"). The file duplication is wasteful, but it means that each Character Folder can be reorganized into a new subfolder (or moved to a backup location, or copied onto another computer entirely) and it will still work perfectly.

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If you want to dump all of your SWF files into a single folder (with subfolders for Footwear, Hairstyles, Gloves, etc) then that's fine. But in that case the target folder should be your moreclothingmods folder, and you should be using the moreClothing mod. If you're doing this then you don't need to include Mods.txt files in each of your subfolders ... but you do need to edit your moreclothingV6_3settings.txt file (so that it mentions each new file that you've added to the moreclothingmods folder).

So it's basically a question of overlap. If each of your saved characters tends to use a fairly unique costume, or if you're constantly downloading new SWF files and experimenting with them, then Character Folders will present fewer complications. If you have a small collection of "favorite" items which you tend to reuse on most of your girls, then the moreClothing approach will probably be more efficient.

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You should probably look into the Loader collections (such as sby's pack or WeeWillie's bundle). Some of these collections include pre-configured sets of Character Folders and moreClothing lists. You might decide to build up your own personal collection "on top of" one of these files. If you choose to stick with your own SDT folder, then these collections can serve as working examples for you to study and emulate. Also: the dialogue bundles add new gameplay mechanics and narratives, which you might have overlooked.