Very odd problem with Steam version and modding...

[DJK83]

Hi, I came from Ubi's Dark Messiah forums, where I found a post with you saying to come here. So here's what I'd posted there (which got no replies, unfortunately):

I just bought the Steam version last night, and I was attempting some very simple modding -- just decreasing the exaggerated force exerted on the ragdolls which sends them flying... that's just something that really irritates me, and I successfully changed it in the demo by editing values in "mm_game_settings.txt" ("force_damage_death", etc.)

So I didn't think it would be a big deal to do it in the full version, so I unpacked the appropriate GCF file with GCFScape, edited the aforementioned file, and then made a scripts folder in the mm folder to put it in. But to my shock, the changes I've made have no effect. I thought maybe the Steam version worked differently, but I tested a mod I'd downloaded (which made some changes to bows), and that took effect. But the file I'm trying to edit is installed in the exact same way, yet it isn't being recognized. How can this possibly be?

It's incredibly frustrating, because those exaggerated ragdolls are something I hate in games, and I thought I was going in prepared, after testing my changes in the demo. I'm completely stumped as to why it won't work -- I've done everything the same.

[Blín D'ñero]

Hello. I have no experience with GCFScape modding the Source engine, that's why i directed you to the Modding forum overthere!
A suggestion: maybe making it read only helps?
why did you make a "scripts folder". Isn't a autoexec.cfg better?

[DJK83]

Oh... well I don't really have much experience modding Source games. The reason I attempted what I did, was because that's what I thought I was supposed to do -- unpack the GCF file, edit the appropriate files, and then put them in the mm folder with the correct folder structure (mm/scripts). Like I said, it worked in the demo, and it's how I saw it done in a mod for the full version. But my changes aren't taking effect. I'll try making it read only, and see if that helps...

But how would I make changes to lines in "mm_game_settings.txt" like "force_damage_death", in an autoexec.cfg? I actually tried putting that line directly in it, but it had no effect. I tried making another .cfg file, and executing it in-game with the console, but it said that line (force_damage_death) was an unknown command. So, I'm confused. I feel like I'm overlooking something huge, but I have no idea what.

As for the Ubi modding forum, there's still no reply. So I don't know where else to turn...

[Blín D'ñero]

First enter
sv_cheats 1
into the console.
Then put your command.
I hope that helps.

Trouble getting the console working? See http://www.blindnero.com/forums/phpBB3/ ... hp?f=2&t=2 'Possible Errors' item =24=)

Of course, it makes no sense adding your command into "mm_game_settings.txt" That would never work.

[DJK83]

Okay, well first of all, I just tried making mm_game_settings.txt be read only, and unfortunately it still didn't work. But I think you misunderstood me -- I did put my command in the autoexec.cfg. I took one of the lines from mm_game_settings.txt that I want to change, and put it into the autoexec.cfg. But it didn't work, and when I put that line directly into the console, it didn't recognize the command. That's the problem. I don't know how to make lines from mm_game_settings.txt be applied anywhere. For some reason, the game doesn't recognize the unpacked file when I put it in mm/scripts/, and it won't accept the line as a command in the console...

What's so confusing is the fact that I'm sure I'm doing it right. I've read on forums and such that you're supposed to use the same folder structure as there was in the GCF file, and then put the unpacked files in the Dark Messiah folder. Like I said, a mod that changed weapon attributes was installed in exactly this way. You put an unpacked "models" folder in the "mm" folder, and it worked. But when I put a "scripts" folder in that same "mm" folder, the file inside the scripts folder (mm_game_settings.txt) has absolutely no effect. I just don't understand...

[Blín D'ñero]

Don't forget that the Source engine is heavily protected. Models can be added/'replaced' but i believe scripts can not. Otherwise people would have made Custom Dark Messiah mod games already. which i'd love to play.
But then. i wonder (with you) why it worked for you in the demo, as you said.

Have you studied the Source tweakguide pages? http://www.tweakguides.com/HL2_7.html

[DJK83]

I just looked at the tweak guide, and I don't see anything which relates to this particular problem. But the mod I was referring to wasn't replacing any models, it was editing weapon stats to make the bows more powerful. And yeah, my changes worked in the demo, so it doesn't make any sense that it won't in the full version...

[DJK83]

So no other ideas?

[Blín D'ñero]

Ok, let me try. Which values exactly you wanted to change in mm_game_settings.txt ?

[DJK83]

Okay, these are what I want to edit:

"force_damage_death" - in the demo at least, it controlled how much force was exerted on the ragdolls when you finally kill an enemy (when it's not an animation, such as stabbing them on the ground). In the demo I set it to 50 (from 300), and they fell over more realistically, rather than flying quite far away at times.

"force_damage_impale" - seemed to control the force exerted when an enemy goes to ragdoll from being stabbed. It was originally set to 150, but I put it really low (to something like 25 I think), because it doesn't make sense that getting impaled by a sword would knock somebody back... it would be going into them, and therefore it wouldn't push them back at all.

"force_damage_cut" - this was a new line that wasn't in the demo, but I suspect that it would control the force exerted when a character goes to ragdoll temporarily after being stunned.

"mul_damages_Npc_Not_alerted" - this is the line I was using to know for sure whether my changes were having any effect. It's the damage multiplier for an enemy who doesn't see you. It was originally set to 3, but I raised it to 10, so that if my changes in mm_game_settings.txt were working, that very first black guard in the training mission (the one with his back to you) could be killed instantly (but of course, it never worked). That's the level I kept loading to test everything.