I've been replaying Torchlight 2 recently with (among others) the Xev's Pets mod enabled. The thing that's bothering me is that the Dark Zealot does not have a weapon.
One of the mod's other pets (and the only one, I've since noticed), the ranged Netherim, has a weapon that is not part of its model by default 'equipped', so I opened it up in the Units Data Editor to try and figure out how to replicate that but... I can't find a reference to the weapon model anywhere? I've also tried looking at Monsters (replicating them didn't work), checking whether the TL1 model has the right attachment points (tags? in TL lingo, which it does), checking the .MESH and other files as .XML etc.
What am I missing here? 🤔
Well, I imaging you're refering to the glaive thrower nethering, those have the glaive attached as a particle in their animation definition. If you check the model folder and open the .animation file with a text editor you can see that in the "Bind" animation the glaive is attached as a particle.
This is one of the ways of adding weapons to monsters and pets, specially when the weapon is not something that has an unit file.
To check this in GUTS you need to add a new monster unit to the layout, then change the monster to the Nethering_glaive in the properties tab, and then hit the icon that looks like a wrench & hammer (View External tool) to open the animation editor.
There are basically 4 ways to add weapons to monsters or pets.
1 - Give them the weapon as equipment. This need that you create a unit file for the weapon.
2 - Give them the weapon as an attached unit. This also need that you create the unit file.
3 - Give them the weapons as an attached particle. This need that you create a particle system using the 3d model of the weapon you want. (I think that you can also use a Unit theme to give them the weapon, but I don't remember that being done)
4 - Attach the weapons model directly to the 3d model with a 3d modeling program.
Ah, I've found what you're referring to!
[ANIMATION]
<STRING>FILE:netherim_ranged.skeleton
<STRING>NAME:Bind
<FLOAT>DURATION:0
[KEY]
<STRING>NAME:SPAWNPARTICLE
<FLOAT>FRAME:0
<STRING>LAYOUT:media\particles\monsters\netherim\glaive.layout
<STRING>BONE:tag_lefthand
[BONEOFFSET]
<FLOAT>X:0
<FLOAT>Y:0
<FLOAT>Z:0
[/BONEOFFSET]
[/KEY]
I'm going to assume I can copy this into the Zealot's animation file (and making the necessary changes, ofc)? Thank you!
EDIT: Alright! It worked! Now to find out whether .LAYOUT and .DAT/.BINDAT files are interchangeable as far as it's concerned? 🤔
EDIT 2: Okay I don't know what I'm doing. 😑
Changing the path to some other .LAYOUT file breaks it (or I picked a bad file?) I think I'm fundamentally misunderstanding the file types at work here...?
EDIT: Alright! It worked! Now to find out whether .LAYOUT and .DAT/.BINDAT files are interchangeable as far as it's concerned? 🤔
EDIT 2: Okay I don't know what I'm doing. 😑 Changing the path to some other .LAYOUT file breaks it (or I picked a bad file?) I think I'm fundamentally misunderstanding the file types at work here...?
.Layout files are a bit confusing because they are using for a lot of different stuff. Particles, spawners, missiles, UI, Levels, etc (basically everything related to visual effects) are all .layout files but you can't change a Particle layout for a UI layout and hope things work. So you must guide yourself with the folder where they are located, also you can load them in GUTS layout editor to preview them.
Then about .dat files, this are related to units (players, monsters, items, interactable props), spawnclasses, skills, affixes, effects, triggerables, quests, and a lot more. Again you canīt change a Monster unit for a Item unit. There are a lot of things unique to each thing a dat file defines.
then any file that starts with bin, like .binlayout or .bindat this are the binary file of the editable text file. If you're working outside GUTS it's always a good practice to delete this binary files so GUTS parse the text files and convert it again to update the changes you made.
I had the bright idea to copy and make changes to the Netherim Glaive particle. I... It's showing up on the model, for sure, but that's... not quite how swords're supposed to work...
As an aside I'd gone ahead and shuffled(that is, renamed) animations around in anticipation of the Zealot having a weapon, using the .XML converter and Notepad, such as renaming the Polearm to simply Attack and Rwand to Special_Cast1 (not sure what tags apply to animations honestly) but the Polearm and Rwand animations are... disabled? in GUTS...
It's all quite confusing
EDIT: Alright, I got it. And I'd forgotten to update the names in the Zealot.ANIMATION file, maybe that's why?
EDIT 2: Updating the .ANIMATION file did the trick. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Anarch!
I was having the same issue with a pet I was working on.
I solved it a different way.
I borrowed the "PETBODY_CUSTOM.DAT" from "human pets" mod by kriss_gjeng, renamed it to be specific to my pet.
Then in my pet DAT file, I added the new container to my pet, and added equipment.
[EQUIPMENT]
<STRING>LEFTHAND:SWORD_SCARLET
<STRING>RIGHTHAND:SWORD_DEMONBLOOD
[/EQUIPMENT]
[INVENTORY]
<STRING>CONTAINER:PetBody
<STRING>CONTAINER:FIONNA_CUSTOM
<STRING>CONTAINER:PLAYER_BAG_ARMS
<STRING>CONTAINER:PLAYER_BAG_CONSUMABLES
<STRING>CONTAINER:PLAYER_BAG_SPELLS
<STRING>CONTAINER:Pointer
[/INVENTORY]
Worked great!
Lot of issue are involved when applying weapon usage on starting pets.
Hi, I used to mod intensively around pets (starting pets) and pet summons (minions). I know for sure that giving them equippable weapons will lead to 2 game breaking issue:
- Equipment Comparison Malfunction - If you happen to add LEFTHAND and/or RIGHTHAND slot into your pet's inventory container, mouse-over at your equipped weapons will now compare the pet's and the player's, and mouse-over at unequipped weapons in your inventory will now compare the pet's instead of the player's equipped weapons.
- Instant Game Crash - Even if you succeed in giving weapons to your pet, that doesn't mean it's safe already. Now, you will need to think about pet fish or transformation potions. Transforming your pet will give ghost abilities and stats that your new pet will acquire from the previous pet, this include skills and inventory containers. Dropping/Equipping a weapon into a unit/model that cannot wield weapons will immediately crash your game. To prevent this, you will need to make an inventory container that doesn't allow AUTOPLACE for the LEFT/RIGHHAND slots. Then you will need to have a complicated pet inventory layout UI (Pet Panel) that can switch equipment slots automatically and it should detect if the current pet is a weapon wielder or not so that non-weapon wielder pets can still be used properly. Then finally, you have to do a quick EXIT GAME then RESUME, so that the pet's data will be refreshed to your pet's current form.
I think, this is the reason why the OP asked for a "Visual" only weapon wield for the pets and I think the best solution here is what
Anarch16sync suggested.
Thanks for the heads up! I hadn't considered switching the pet. I'm still concentrating on getting mine looking right.
Yeah all things considered the particle approach seems like the safest option, in regards to interacting with other systems at work...?
Anyway because I'm good at using my time responsibly here's the end result, since while I liked my choice of weapon, the colour scheme didn't match any of the Zealot textures. Doesn't really match TL2's texture style but that was to be expected, I guess. Been a while (since I've textured anything, that is)...
1. Its Really well done and looks great; i salute you!
2. It isnt that far from the TL graphic style imo
I am excited to try out your pet mod (when its ready of course; no rush
)
@Phiengley That's actually a really nice texture work.
@Phanjam thank you, once I figure out how to compile my own mods (getting there) I'll make it available... somewhere...?
@Anarch16sync thanks! Couldn't have pulled it off without your help, though I will say I am also glad I managed to get the model into 3ds Max because that texture layout is... rough....