********************************************* * Mod Management with "SFP1MAN" (LOMAN 2.0) * ********************************************* Version 1.0b by Murdock One of the more powerful functions of LOMAN2.0 is its ability to automatically process the ini file manipulations that skin additions, weapons effects, and other tweaks require. This short tutorial will take you step by step through creating a multi-skin pack utilizing the ini management functions of LOMAN 2.0 This document will also briefly review single [section] changes and additions to ini files. How To Create A Multi-Skin Pack - For example sake, download two skins for the same model aircraft from your favorite modder of choice (For example, I have taken two skins from www.marcfighters.com as they are some of my favorites) - First, take those files and seperate themm into their own unique temporary folder. For example, "skin1" and "skin2". *This tutorial will refer to those two temp folders. You will want to take out the f4-e.ini file from each of those folders (if the mod author had included them), as you are not going to want to copy that ini file to the end user (because LOMAN2.0 will do all that work for you automatically now!) Make sure and SAVE the ini files that the mod author may have added (NOTE: the best place is your desktop, as you are going to need the information the modder advises you to "add" to the ini to create the automation within LOMAN.) - So, now you should have two folders, skinn1 and skin2 : each containing a decals.ini file and 5 bmp image files of the skin. For this tutorial, let us assume we are going to skin the F4-E. - Open LOMAN 2.0 and Click on the "Addon Paackaging Maker" button. This takes you to the main gui for creating a LOMAN compatible ZIP file. - At this point, you are going to want to uuse the section "1" of the gui (at the top) to browse out all the files on your local pc that you want added to the end users PC (That browse function is labeled "1- Choose Addon File (Texture, sound, skin, etc.etc.)") You can use CTRL button to pick multiple files at one time. You should not pick "folders". Only pick "files". - Then you use section 2 (The browse functiion is labeled "2-Chose Relative Install Folder") to "point" LOMAN to the folder you wish those files to be added to on the end user's computer. For example, we will take ALL of the files from our temp folder skin1, and add them to the folder: \Objects\Aircraft\F-4e\skin1\ Instead of "skin1" you should in reality take a look at the readme from the original mod author's files. It will tell you what folder to create. For example one of Marcfighter's F-4e skins is titled DesertStorm. The "INI" files changes point to that new directory. So, if the first skins that you were adding labeled in the ini changes as having a Directory=DesertStorm, then your target folder would be: \Objects\Aircraft\F-4e\DesertStorm\ It all depends on what the ini file change request says the "Directory" of the skin should be entitled. - Once you select the files and point them to a target folder, the area of the GUI Entitled "Packaging File List" will now be populated with all the files you picked in section1, and all of the target folders relative to the end users install of SFP1. LOMAN checks the registry of the end user's PC to properly find that relative location, so all you are doing is point to your relative target folders. For reference sake, here is an image of the main packaging GUI after I have selected file additions for two skin additions in a new package: - Ok, phewww. Now your done with the major part of any mod; the addition of files to target folders, but you are not done. Many mods, including SKIN mod packs which we are creating in this tutorial require INI file management. Its actually quite easy to do. - Click on the .ini management button whichh is located just above the "Create Addon Package" button. This takes you to a nifty looking GUI with several option buttons on the right. - At this point you can use the button on tthe right to "ADD" a line to the management area of the gui. It will have blank entries for each column. The columns are File | Section | Incremental Format | Key | Value | Then uninstall Options. - In the case of adding skins to an aircrafft's ini file, you will be utilizing the increment function of the INI management tool. Its time to describe what this means. If you take a look at your default f-4e.ini file, it includes [SECTIONS] in brackets. Each of those [SECTIONS] has different keys=values. That is the terminology you will need to understand. Any file that has sections in [] brackets may be manipulated with the ini management tool. - To add a single skin, or several, you aree going to have to "add" an "incremented" [TextureSetxxx] section. I put xxx in there, as those xxx represent a numeral that needs to increment, or be added by 1. For example, the default [TextureSetxxx] of the F-4e.ini file is [TextureSet001]. In order to add two files to that ini file, you are going to have to find that value, then tell LOMAN the format of the numeral found in the section name. For TexturesSet, that numeral is a 3 digit integer. If you look at the header for the Section column of the INI management tool, youll see that it clearly tells you to only include the PREFIX of the section if you plan on incrementing an existing value. - Ok, thats a heck of a lot of words to bassically tell you to put "TextureSet" in that column. Then check the check box to indicate you want to increment that value when adding a new section. - In the next column, the Incremental Formaat, you will put the following for each skin you want to add. If you are adding only 1 skin, that value should be "000" If you are adding two skins, the first skins values should be "000" and the second should be "001". - All of this will make a lot more sense iff you look at this following image: - In the above picture, you see that two neew skin references will be added. One is called DesertStorm, and the other is IsraelMark. (NOTE: both are by MarcFighters, I am not the author!) You can readilly see that you just point to the ini file you want to edit. You pick the section you want to edit (in this case, minus the integer value) then you designate to LOMAN the order and format of the integer value. *************THE CONFUSING PART: is that the first skin is 000, second is 001, third would be 002, etcetera. Thats likely what is confusing people most!********* - STRONG NOTE: When adding new "incrementedd sections", the ONLY VALID Uninstall OPTION is "SECTION"!! ***** - If you just want to "change" an existing key's value, it is much simpler. You just browse the file name. Change the Section to The bracketed section name you want to change, then you just pick the KEY you want to change, and the VALUE you want it now to be. The proper UNINSTALL function to use in this case would be "value". - If you want to just "add" a new key to ann existing section, then you would state the section name you want to add the key to, the newkey name, and its value. The proper UNINSTALL function to use in this case would be "key". - And last but not least, if you want to addd an entirely NEW section, you do exactly like we did in the skins example, but you do not check the incremental box. Hence, you dont have to mess with prefixing references, etcetera. You just state the new section name, its keys and values. The proper UNINSTALL function to use in this case would be "section". (as we did in our original example) ******************************************************* * FILE MANAGEMENT IN LOMAN 2.0 * ******************************************************* File Management is easy. It's relatively self explanatory but I will give you a case in point with adding a new terrain using LOMAN. To add a new terrain to SFP1, you have to necessarily "copy" the Desert.cat file from /Terrain/Desert/ into your new terrain's folder, for example /Terrain/Israel/, and rename it to the name of the new terrain, for example Israel.cat. - The File Management tool is located just to the right of the INI MANAGEMENT tool. Below is a picture of how to COPY a file to a new folder and RENAME it. - NOTE!: Please NOTICE that in order to prooperly UNINSTALL a terrain, you need to add a "Before Uninstall" line to DELETE the file you have moved into the new terrain folder. If you do not do that, then LOMAN will not be able to properly uninstall the newly created "ISRAEL" terrain folder that this mod adds to the end user's system. *ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO THE "WHEN" COLUMN!* For copies of these two EXAMPLE mod packages, go to my homepage: http://geocities.com/murdocksimboy. Likely it will be out of bandwidth over the next couple days, so try again later if you get an error message. I apologize, but I am a cheap bastard.