Newbie to modding in need of help - Hommlet sign post

I had the butterflies as well when I reloaded a save in the Hommlet outdoors map after changing the file. As I mentioned in the installation notes, if that's the case, then before applying the mod, take your party inside a building, save, then apply the mod. The file you need to delete in order to remove the update is in the Hommlet map folder -

modules\Co8-5.0.0\maps\Map-2-Hommlet-Exterior\402653193.sec

Please let me know if it works out.

@Ted: I did use sector sort. Remember, I'm using your tutorials as reference

So, about the cursor not changing into a hand - any ideas? People might ignore the signpost if they have no indication it's interactive. I could always just revert to the container object, but I'd like to keep the scenery object since it doesn't trigger the fiddling animation on the PC.

 

Alas, it turns out that the modification of the portrait.mes messed up char gen. When you get to the portraits stage, the game locks (sometimes requiring a reboot even, unless in windowed mode). When I remove the lines I added at the end of the file, it works fine again (but then the post has no portrait, and you get T-man again). Otherwise, any entry I add at the end (even with no files specified) causes the freeze up. I searched the old posts for answers, but almost all search results were about PC portrait issues, and none for NPC portraits. Anyone else getting this? And has this issue been addressed before?

(BTW, just realized I need to update the .ppf files as well in case someone switches portrait packs - will do in a bit. But that doesn't solve my problem of course)

 

So basically, we can't add any new critters unless we recycle portraits?

I think we can free up about 8-10 existing slots, though. There are about 12 bugbear portraits: 4 elemental temple bugbears, 1 unaffiliated bugbear portrait, and 1 generic Temple portrait, and multiply by 2 for Bugbear Leader portraits. Personally I've never noticed the difference ingame, they look the same except for a stripe of color at the bottom. IMHO we can just change the proto so all the bugbears share the same portrait, and all the bugbear leaders share the same bugbear leader portrait. That would free up 10 portraits. If you want to have different portraits for Temple bugbears and non-Temple bugbears, that's 8. What say you?

Also, I noticed that there's an empty slot labeled Krunch's bard. Is that bard still in the works or just some forgotten relic of the past that I can salvage?

Edit:

Another two useless portraits as far as I know:
1 - Frederic Bertram (the straight version of Bertram - I bet he was supposed to totally replace the gay one when ToEE got censored). He should be deleted from the game anyway. The gay one is the authentic one. (portrait # 7490)
2 - A seemingly unused peasant portrait from the CE encounter (portrait # 6610). It doesn't appear in that encounter anyway, so unless someone used that portrait in a mod...

Unless someone objects, I'm going to replace #6610 with the signpost portrait.

Edit 2:

Ok, here's the latest. As usual, backup & unzip to main if you're interested.
What's new:
- Added Nulb "post" (see for yourself )
- Fixed portrait issue by hijacking portrait slot 6610
- updated .ppf files, so if you change portrait packs via ToEEFE the new portrait should still work

And please, if you use it, tell me if it works ok or if you've run into any problems. I really want to make sure I haven't introduced any new bugs before adding it to the CMF thread.

View attachment Generalized_post.zip

 

It's definitely the portraits.mes file. Copy and paste this inside the file to fix it:

{6610} {}
{6611} {NPC_6611_m_CE_Peasant_02.tga}
{6612} {NPC_8362_s_Signpost.tga}
{6613} {NPC_6613_s_CE_Peasant_02_grey.tga}
{6614} {NPC_6614_m_CE_Peasant_02_grey.tga}


It was supposed to be in the CE opening vignette - one of the farmers you butcher, presumably - but seems to be unused (that's why you didn't recognize it - that's good because it means it IS unused ), so I took it. Only the second entry (6612) is relevant because the post isn't supposed to enter combat and/or die

 

and if someone runs into a guy that looks like a signpost somewhere we'll know it was used somewhere

 

Heh. It was inspired by the zombie post in Planescape: Torment I figured it'd fit well with that town's dark atmosphere.

Actually, you can. Just open the world map and click on Nulb It works even if you're already there, and whisks you instantly to the bridge.

 

I haven't seen the Nulb post yet, but I would call Nulb a seedy town more than an evil one. Yes, it attracts bunches of unsavory folk, but the vast majority of the residents aren't actually evil, so I can't imagine a zombie anything just sitting around in "town square".

 

@Ted: Frankly, I've never attacked it or anything like that. If you want to kill the useful shortcut, be my guest. Though now that I think about it, COMMANDING it could turn out to be a bit of an exploit

@Kal: The zombie itself has nothing to do with being evil or not, think of the Dustmen's zombies in PS:T But like I said, it fits the atmosphere IMO. I imagined it as a malfunctioning zombie captured from one of the Temple's failed raids.

 

There's a lot more pirates than zombies in Nulb. Maybe you could make it look like Captain Morgan or something? You know...holding up a :rant: sign or something? Maybe, if you had him hung in a gibbet, then he could groan and point, or something. And still be dressed up as a pirate. Though why the pirates would hang one of their kind up for all to see is silly in a town chiefly populated by pirates. Besides...who from the Temple ever raided Nulb?

It doesn't fit. No one - good or evil - wants a malfunctioning zombie around. They tend to eat people's brains regardless of alignment...even evil clerics who fail to turn them.