Kacpo wrote:Ok, that third file: "mod-appendix" is something I see first time.
What is it? What does it contain? What it's for?
mod-appendix contains a single file called metadata.xml. the purpose of this file is to create a description of the mod when viewing it in the Slipstream Mod Manager, so you have more information about the mod than just the title. the mod-appendix will be generated automatically when using Slipstream v1.9.1 to create the template for a mod, using File -> New Mod...
Kacpo wrote:I want to change the image of a weapon itself (the gun) and the projectile (the shell, laser, missile, etc.)
okay, so we will need to make a new anim for the projectile, and a new weaponAnim for the weapon itself.
Kacpo wrote:I also want to make the weapon animation (charging, firing), BUT the projectile is a single picture (a single frame)
How should I go about this, because I found myself confused with which part of a animations.xml is supposed to refer to gun and which to projectile.
The file (this is animations.xml) I have right now looks like:Code: Select all
<animSheet name="rod" w="50" h="10" fw="50" fh="10">weapons/rod.png</animSheet>
<weaponAnim name="railgun">
<sheet>railgun</sheet>
<desc length="11" x="0" y="0"/>
<chargedFrame>7</chargedFrame>
<fireFrame>11</fireFrame>
<firePoint x="15" y="22"/>
<mountPoint x="2" y="65"/>
</weaponAnim>
the Railgun is the name of Weapon animation strip
and Rod is the name of the projectile pic.
Is that correct (and I'm almost certian it is not), or should I create another paragraph within file, or new file altogether?
no, it's not correct. the projectile should have both an anim and an animSheet, and the weapon itself should have both a weaponAnim and an animSheet. the anim/weaponAnim describes the animation, and the animSheet describes the image's properties and location.
here's some example code like you wanted:
(I'll just call the image for the weapon itself, rail_cannon_strip11.png ... for the image of the projectile, rail_projectile.png)
animation code for the projectile:
Code: Select all
<!-- note that the height of the projectile's image is listed as 11 pixels on imgur, not 10 like you have there -->
<animSheet name="rail_projectile" w="50" h="11" fw="50" fh="11">weapons/rail_projectile.png</animSheet>
<anim name="rail_projectile">
<sheet>rail_projectile</sheet>
<desc length="1" x="0" y="0"/><!-- only one frame -->
<time>1.0</time><!-- meaningless since there is only one frame -->
</anim>
animation code for the weapon itself:
Code: Select all
<!-- image width / number of frames yields frame width. 242/11 = 22, the frame width -->
<animSheet name="rail_weapon" w="242" h="71" fw="22" fh="71">weapons/rail_cannon_strip11.png</animSheet>
<weaponAnim name="rail_weapon">
<sheet>rail_weapon</sheet>
<desc length="11" x="0" y="0"/>
<chargedFrame>6</chargedFrame><!-- you listed 7, but here we begin with 0 as the 1st frame -->
<fireFrame>10</fireFrame><!-- as above, which is why 11 does not work since 10 is the 11th frame -->
<firePoint x="15" y="22"/>
<mountPoint x="2" y="65"/>
</weaponAnim>
be sure to reference the new anim in <image> and the new weaponAnim in <weaponArt> for your weaponBlueprint:
Code: Select all
<weaponBlueprint name="...something...">
<type>LASER</type>
...
<image>rail_projectile</image>
...
<weaponArt>rail_weapon</weaponArt>
</weaponBlueprint>
Kacpo wrote:And one last thing:
How should I save the files as?
Because the guide mentiones Filename.xml.append, while unpacked game files I found them simply saved as Filename.xml or some even simply as .txt
Is there a significant difference between .xml and .xml.append ?
saving as .xml will replace the ENTIRE file. this includes the vanilla files and any mods that came before mod. for a simple weapon mod, or even a ship pack, this will crash the game. only do this if you are intent on replacing everything in the file. otherwise use .xml.append, which just adds to the existing data of the file.
for example if you're just adding a weapon, you'd use blueprints.xml.append, but if you're making like an overhaul mod (Twinge's balance mod, sMPK, Arsenal+, etc.) it may be a good idea to use blueprints.xml, because you're changing everything anyway.
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I hope I didn't miss anything. it's pretty late here and my mind is a bit foggy I believe this should work though!