Introduction to modding

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introduction

In sum, modding Oni looks like writing a theater play: You have stages, actors, and scripts - wide areas, buildings, rooms, decorations, characters running from A to B whereas the protagonist triggers most events. Due the none-existence of modding tools at the time of Oni’s release, fans had to document the data jungle and create modding tools by their own. It took over seven years to unlock most possibilities – and the work is still ongoing. Read HERE the full story.

Scripts are written in Bungie Script Language and stored as *.bsl files, that's why we often say "BSL mods". They build up the level logic, simply said they make the level to appear logic/intelligent, they give basic commands to game engine. Spawn enemies there if player reaches point X, give them weapons, start cutscene , etc..

OBD refers to Oni Binay Data. Script commands are useless when their addressed resources don't exist. A BSL command might say "ai2_movetoflag characterA 7" (characterA moves to point 7) but the actual movement animation and flag comes from the binaries, in this case called TRAM and FLAG. Every resource has a four-letter-acronym. (Make sure to check out the talk pages, they might contain additional information such as XML documentations.) For example, TRAM stands for Totoro Animation. Nowadays, TRAM can be converted to XML almost bug-free. XML files can be read and rewritten more easily by hand but still lacks user-friendliness when it comes to a few special file types.

An "appetizer screenshot".

Some binary resources don't suit XML. These are 3D objects and animations, sounds and textures, they become converted into their native formats.
By modding it is often meant that you can also create complete new resources.

• 3D objects (characters, objects, levels) and animations can be modified/created in Mod Tool, SketchUp is also good for levels.
• Texture can be modified/created in your favorite graphic program: GIMP, Photoshop, etc. – as long as these programs outputs files in formats that can be reconverted.

In any case make sure to download AE which provides you a sophisticated modding framework.

TIP:

Copy the edition folder. Then you have:

• one AE installation to create mods whereby you can use self-made level plugins and so on
• one AE installation to test your own final mods, if no problems appears it's ready for release

links to tools, documentations and tutorials

BSL

• introduction and database links HERE
• tutorials: BSL:Tutorial/Scratch

OBD

file converting in general

• tool download: OniSplit
  • tool download: AETools - GUI for Macintosh
  • tool download: OniSplit GUI for Windows
  • tutorial: basics

3D

• tool tutorial: Blender
• tool download: (formerly "XSI") Mod Tool
  • more information about Mod Tool
  • obj export requires an addon
• tool tutorial: OCF's XSI thread
• tool download: SketchUp
• tutorial: Importing character models TRBS
• tutorial: AE:Importing_weapon_models
• tutorial: SketchUp

Animation

• tool download: (formerly "XSI") Mod Tool

You need to add some stuff to that file to make it actually work as an animation. In particular the animation type, from/to states and varient needs to be set.

For all I know this works with animations exported from Oni and modified in Softimage. If you come up with a completly new animation it should work as long as the skeleton is similar to the one used in Oni.

Note that the geometry that is present inside the Collada file is used to compute the "vertical extents" so it better be the same or close to the one the animation is intended for.

The biggest problem are the attacks. While it's not difficult to add attacks to the xml file, computing the necessary "extents" is not going to be easy. I guess in the end I'll have to add some command to OniSplit to do it.

Edit: attack extents becomes automatically calculated with onisplit v0.9.55.0 and newer

• tutorial: AE:Authoring_custom_camera_animations

HEX

• any hex-editor
• tool download: OniUnPacker
  • tutorial: tweak animation
• tutorial: Adding spawnable characters to a level CHAR
• tutorial: Adding character classes ONCC

Sound

• Instructions how to import sounds and links to conversion tools can be found HERE.

Textures

• tool download: gimp
• tutorial: Modifying textures TXMP

inspiration needed ?

• play some existing mods to get ideas
• Modding Brainstorms
• Review criticisms
• AE:Requests