Very odd problem with Steam version and modding...

[DJK83]

But you did restart the computer before the changes actually took effect? You were using the edited mm_game_settings.txt, then you put the original back in, and then restarted, at which point you saw results?

[Blín D'ñero]

I didn't say changes took effect. I said i had the impression. But i had the impression it worked earlier too. But all too vague to say for certain.
But i found it remarkable that even with the restored file the game seemed to behave slightly different.
Now this is too much of speculation and not measurable.

In fact, i think that the way npc's are sometimes launched like a rocket is rather a bug in the interaction between havok and the game's engine. Happening in the protected files, so not something that is to be controlled by the user.

[DJK83]

I guess I too had the impression that some things were working, in a vague way that wasn't consistent... it's all really odd. It's almost like the changes were taking effect sometimes... because I definitely killed a few enemies with power attacks, without sending them flying at all. But then other times, they flew 10 feet as usual... maybe that happened before, too. I don't know anymore, haha...

But as for that bug you mentioned, I don't think that's what I'm experiencing here, because in the demo, the ragdolls flew in exactly the same way, until I edited the values.

[Blín D'ñero]

really odd. It's almost like the changes were taking effect sometimes... because I definitely killed a few enemies with power attacks, without sending them flying at all.

Exactly! But not for the first guard; no matter the settings changes he always just fell pretty hard from one kick, the same way. Yet further in the game, others i suddenly killed with one footkick. One jumped then fell onto a bed and in fact what i kicked was the wooden side of the bed and that killed him. I always play hardcore mode. That mode isn't supposed to be easier for the player, but harder.
There is an inconsistancy in this game's physics from start off, i suppose everybody noticed.

[DJK83]

But I just don't understand what it is about that file, you know? Other things can be edited easily, so there's got to be some reason why changes to the mm_game_settings.txt don't apply consistently.

[DJK83]

I've finally made some progress, not with regard to making the mm_game_settings.txt work, but in editing the force applied to the ragdolls. I just finished the singleplayer campaign for the first time, so I was looking around in the NPC folders (in models), and I came across one for the player, and there's a file called "first_basic.qtc". In it are the values for how much force is applied on each individual type of strike from various weapons. Each strike has a line called "impactcoeff", which controls the impact force on ragdolls. Now the good news is, changes I make here do apply. The bad news is that, on death, the amount of force specified in the line in mm_game_settings.txt is still added, so ragdolls fly further when they die... but not as far.

But to stop them from flying any significant distance on death, I'd have to lower the values to the point where they didn't get knocked around at all when a character collapses due to being stunned. So it's still kind of a problem, but not as much...