Need to understand config

[Victim9l3 11]

I have made a CSAT mod that adds about 5 new choices for units. Desert and woodland versions of current CSAT and brown camo and green camo units that were AAF reskinned to be CSAT Army. Also a few other things.

When I created them, I was using AAF D and ACC mods that were similar units to test my skins on.

I am now at the config stage. I don't know why, but there doesn't seem to be any tutorials or even guides or definitions. At least none that I have found. While searching, most responses tend to tell people to copy working configs and replace with your stuff.

So I have been using 1 mod as my guide. When I come across a problem, i'll look to others to find the answer. But that only confused me more.

It seems every mod has a different way of doing their configs. There is rarely any consistency from 1 to another.

I think I got the backpacks and uniforms and units correct.

I have hit a wall with helmets and vests.

One mod uses:

class MOD X_Helmet: ItemCore

another uses:

class MOD Y Helmet: H_HelmetB

Both are the same helmet.

So with their being no list of definitions or anything I don't know why the 2 mods are using different codes.

Basically it's the AAF helmet. I made a couple textures for the helmet and I need to know what I should put. Maybe someone has the full code I need for the helmet that I can just copy and paste for each texture I made. But I still need to know the difference so I can understand and get better.

I'm not interested in changing values of anything so I just want to retexture using CSAT or AAF or NATO values that bi gave them.

I thought I understood because of the backpacks. I knew that if I put:

CSAT_B_Kitbag: B_Kitbag_Base

I knew that I was taking the values of B_Kitbag_Base and creating a new bag. And then any other bag I made would us CSAT_B_Kitbag values. Like this:

CSAT_B_AmmoPack: CSAT_B_Kitbag

CSAT_B_LATPack: CSAT_B_Kitbag

I had same issue with Vests. I got some help understanding Vest_NoCamo_Base and Vest_Camo_Base.

But the mod I'm "copying" seems to use them the same. Both have "camo" and hiddenselection info identical. Both have the same info under it. Every line under it is the same except the name of texture. BUT looking at another mod, they replace Vest_Camo_Base with Vest_V_PlateCarrier2_rgr.

So the same vest in different mods look like this:

Vest_X: Vest_NoCamo_Base

Vest_X: Vest_Camo_Base

Vest_X: Vest_V_PlateCarrier2_rgr

So I don't know which I should use.

So if anyone is left that isn't completely confused by all this, I could really use a lot of help. I have no idea what i'm doing.

Thanks.

[Locklear 214]

You seem to understand the basics well, and by the basics I mean inheriting properties from an existing class into a new one. Which one to inherit from is a personal preference of a modder, I guess; you can check the config viewer first to know what properties you actually inherit to your new class. For vests, the only difference between Vest_NoCamo_Base and Vest_Camo_Base is the hiddenSelections property. Basically, Vest_NoCamo_Base vests have their texture in the model itself, and do not define them in the hiddenSelectionTextures property, which Vest_Camo_Base vests do. However, if you inherit your vest class from the Vest_NoCamo_Base one and define hiddenSelectionTextures property correctly, it shall work (if the model has selections set properly).

Anyways, if changing a texture is the only thing you want to do, the best way is to take the class of the asset you are retexturing, inheriting it into a new class, and define only hiddenSelectionTextures and displayName properties. Also do not forget that a ground holder has to be configured as well in order to have the equipment available in editor. And getting it into Zeus requires a cfgVehicles macro, which you probably encountered in the mods you looked into.

If you have any more specific questions, I'll try to help, as others probably will. To help the community more with this stuff in general, I actually work on some sort of a config guide covering characters and their equipment. However, I expect it to be published sometimes during Q1/Q2 2015.

[Victim9l3 11]

Thanks.

Let me see if I am getting this. Here are 2 examples of different mods that are creating the same soldier. It's an auto rifleman.

This first SampleModA is creating "SampleModA_Soldier_AR" and he is using all the information and inheritence from the AAF AR "I_Soldier_AR_F". While SampleModX creates his from O_Soldier_base_F. I'm guessing that the soldier_base is the base for all soldiers of that kind. Meaning that even the I_Soldier probably has that same base.

The 2 examples I use are at the bottom.

The ModX needs to add more info because the base is the base. The base won't have weapons or ammo or uniform or anything. So Mod X NEEDS to put all that info into his AR. But the ModA is using an already existing unit. So whatever he does not include will be taken from the I_Soldier_AR.

For example, ModA does not have a display name, but ModX does. So what will the display name be in the game for ModA? Since the display name is missing, the game will show whatever the display name is for "I_Soldier_AR_F". AutoRifleman. Because it inherited the name from I_soldier.

However, if ModX did not put a display name, there would not be one. or won't work at all or something.

Is that correct?

I'm guessing that anything I add into the modA sample, that would override the info from I_Soldier_AR_F. For example, the "linked items". If I put "linked items" in my soldier, then that is what it will have and it won't use "linked items" from I_Soldier_AR_F. But if I don't add Linked items, then my soldier will have whatever I_Soldier_AR_F has.

But are there any settings that can't change when Using I_Soldier_AR_F instead of base? Like a "display name". if i add a display name will it still show or would I_Soldier_AR_F rule out mine?

One last one. You can't see it since I didn't want to copy all the codes, but Sample ModA did not include any magazines. Only items and weapons.Can I still add magazines even though they aren't included? (ModA is the mod i have been basing my stuff after), and I don't want I_Soldier_AR_F loadouts, so if i add my own loadouts will it be ok using I_Soldier_AR_F or would it be better to use the Base?

Thanks for the help.

class SampleModA_Soldier_AR: I_Soldier_AR_F

{

author="xxxxx";

_generalMacro="SampleModA_Soldier_AR";

scope=2;

side=2;

faction="SampleModA";

vehicleClass="SampleModAmen";

model="\A3\Characters_F_Beta\INDEP\ia_soldier_01";

uniformClass="SampleModA_Uniform_A";

linkedItems[]=

{

"SampleModA_PlateCarrier_IA1",

"SampleModA_Helmet_IA",

"NVGoggles",

"ItemMap",

"ItemCompass",

"ItemWatch",

"ItemRadio"

};

class SampleModX_Soldier_AR: O_Soldier_base_F

{

author="xxxxxx";

_generalMacro="O_Soldier_F";

scope=2;

displayName="Automatic Rifleman";

vehicleClass="ModX_men";

nakedUniform="U_BasicBody";

uniformClass="ModX_Camo";

backpack="ModX_Carryall";

hiddenSelections[]=

{

"Camo1",

"Camo2"

};

hiddenSelectionsTextures[]=

{

"blah\blah\blah.paa",

"blah\blah\blah.paa"

};

linkedItems[]=

{

"ModX_Vest",

"ModX_Helmet",

"NVGoggles",

"ItemMap",

"ItemCompass",

"ItemWatch",

"ItemRadio"

};

[Locklear 214]

Basically yes, although you are wrong in some points. Base classes actually include everything needed, so they do have a displayName, uniform, weapons, magazines, etc. In the config viewer in the game, you can see what is defined in a particular class. In general, it might be useful to use the config viewer to find a soldier closest to what you want to make, check its config, and adjust whatever needed in your config.