Replacing armours?

Neverwinter Nights 2 Toolset, Scripting, NWNX
#1

If I was to replace all the armour in NWN2 with custom ones so my npcs and players got a totally new look what do I have to change ? If it’s not too much hassle I could do some clothes too for mages and monks.

Can I just change the numbers on the custom content ones to the normal ones ?

The way I figure it there are 4 leathers, 6 Chain, 4 Hide, 3 Plate and 2 Scale ( I forgot the padded but I think it’s 2 or 3 ) so if I just look at what their numbers are and swap that onto the custom ones then stick it in a hak is that it ? Will the MDB file that sticks them together just swap them in when it finds the originals have been overwritten by the hak or does that need cloning ?

I didn’t want to start making armour because then you get into male and female issues with shops or drops so figured it was better to just replace the whole lot from scratch. I don’t mind wiping out the shoulder pads and bracers etc on the normal ones so it looks right and campaign blueprinting the whole lot because that’s pretty simple.

Will the new armours automatically pick up on the stats ?

Also what races does human armour fit ? Is it just humans, half elves and halflings ?

Thank you.

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#2

Almost… You’ll need to also make sure the mesh (the model inside the mdb) has the same number, so you’ll need MDB Cloner or MDBConfig.

As long as the number inside the mdb matches the number of the mdb file, hak will take precedence over override, which has prority over campaign (see here for the full list).

Yes, but obviously that will depend on the blueprint (it’s possible to use the same model and give it different stats).

All, unless the mdb don’t cover all the races: HH? for humans, EE? for elves, OO? for half-orcs etc… (with ? being either M for male or F for female).

#3

4760… Thank you for the information, it’s getting clearer now.

I was thinking of changing the mesh numbers to match the original mdb files. However after reading what you’ve posted and thinking about it I’m probably better off making new mdbs with numbers that match the originals and filling them with the new files.

So the way I understand it is that… If I copy a whole load of the original armour mdb data files, open them with the cloner, change the files inside, clone it as the same number and stick it in the hak along with the new textures it should overwrite the original armours in the data files .

Is making al numbers match necessary or can I have a P_HHM_LE_body15 dds in a P_HHM_LE_body 02 mdb ?

One thing that puzzles me is that some have t dds and some don’t, if this is the tintable bit can I just stick nothing in it because those armours aren’t tintable ?

#4

I just tried swapping in files and it doesn’t work, here’s what I did…

I copied a chainmail mdb file from the NWN2 data files.

I opened the mdb for the armour that I wanted to make the new look chainmail to be.

I opened my copied NWN2 file and put in all the exact same file numbers as the custom one ( neither had a tint ).

I saved the clone as the original data file number etc. and stuck it in the override.

All I get in the toolset is a messed up version that looks nothing like the one I wanted. It’s on the right chainmail number, but totally wrong looking.

I even made a different chainmail mdb file with the same numbers and it comes out different to the first one I made !

I can still use the custom armour from it’s original format, which looks fine so the files aren’t missing from the override.

I tried moving those custom armour dds files into a materials file in the override just in case there was a clash or they were blocked in some way, same result and the original still works.

I’ve looked to see if there are missing files somewhere because there are certainly missing bits of armour but there’s nothing. The only thing the original has that’s different is a UTI file so could that be it ?

What’s in a UTI ? Can I copy and rename the original one if it exists ? Is it relevant and can it cause problems ?

I really don’t get this because as far as I can see my file has the same content as the custom one and the name’s the same as the NWN2 one, it overrides the original but looks different ( badly ).

Any ideas ?

#5

OK I’ve got a bit of a clue but no idea what’s wrong. I put all three characters together one with the perfect custom armour on and the other two with my sad looking messes on.

They are all different but on my messed up ones they still retain the shape, length etc. of the original NWN2 armour with no colour or messed up textures even though the new armour isn’t that shape at all.

It’s like there’s still a model of the armour on the bodies which the new textures don’t know how to deal with so something didn’t disappear and is stil trying to put on the original style even though I remade the NWN2 mdb file.

#6

More clues to the great mystery…

There’s an altered armor visuals 2da with the custom armour and by putting CH in the dds file names instead of what it was they come out better but still crap !

#7

You didn’t see anything you liked in the existing NWN2 hak packs?

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#8

GCoyote… The ones I want are rather civilised in comparisson to them but I’m not making them, that’s way beyond my capabilities !

I’ve downloaded an armour mod but want to make them the standard armours so everybody has them and when you buy/ find some it looks like that. Basically a whole load of replacing models in my module’s hak folder.

I could just use the hak I’ve got and make heaps of blueprints but making them available for males and females is really difficult. Kill a man, take his +1 Chainmail but you’re a woman… It wont work and putting two sets of armour on everybody and running an honour system or spawning in creatures according to gender can only go horribly wrong.

This is driving me nuts ! I can’t understand why it wont work by simply replacing the numbers inside the copy of the original armour mdb file which is overriding fine, just looking crap. Something is missing or overriding something, either the original armours just don’t want to let go of their shape so the new textures freak out or the custom ones have something somewhere that makes them fit a new shape and wipe out the old.

I looked at the Always Summer replacing armour files and all they have is mdbs and dds files so how come I can’t do the same ?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

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#9

This armour visual 2da is in the custom armour file if it helps solve the madness…

Label ToolsetName Prefix Parent
0 Cloth 112978 CL ****
1 ClothPadded 111246 CP 1
2 Leather 111247 LE ****
3 LeatherStudded 111248 LS 3
4 Chain 111249 CH ****
5 Scale 111250 SC 5
6 Banded 111251 BA 5
7 Half-Plate 111252 PH 9
8 Full-Plate 111253 PF ****
9 Hide 113308 HD 3
10 Naked 182339 NK ****
11 padding **** **** ****
12 padding **** **** ****
13 padding **** **** ****
14 MP_Historical_Armory MPHA MPHA ****
15 MP MP MP ****
16 Duck_n_Monkeys_Costume_Barrel “Costume Barrel” DMCB ****
17 Acme_Clothing_Monsters_n_Equipment ACME ACME ****
18 OPS OPS GBX ****
19 PHT PHT PHT ****

The numbers are the same as the original but line 14 onwards are new. No idea what it means but there’s no ducks, monkeys, barrels or anything at all from ACME corporation in the armour file but it still works when you use them as a new custom item.

#10

Just a thought, since there are two expansions for NWN2 (MoTB and SoZ) maybe there’s another armor visuals 2da among the data files that overrides the original for the OC? I’m just brainstorming here.

#11

Thanks andgalf… I looked but can’t find one and surely the one I’ve got in the override would be more important. The armours work fine as custom ones but not when I swap them into the copied mdb files to overwrite the original ones.

#12

I just looked up a mod on the vault here and although it isn’t quite the same one as I’ve got ( same maker different set ) somebody else had the same issue when trying to overwrite the mdbs by changing numbers and the armours didn’t show, so what can it be that blocks this or makes it come out wrong ?

I have tried so many combinations of numbers in the dds files, capital letters, changing different file names and using them but I just get variations of rubbish and really fed up !

#13

GCoyote… In a strange way I think you solved my problem ! I downloaded the mod from your link as it was an override one which I was trying to do. I then changed the mdb body name from PF to CH and the armour came up as chainmail, so no issues there as that’s what I wanted to do in the first place change the look of armour.

So I took one of the custom armour mdb files and stuck that in the Bronze armour files and renamed it to the same with a CH and it showed in the toolset perfectly overwriting the original !

This is exactly what I’d been doing over and over again in different combinations until I completely lost it ! But the only difference is that it was now in the Bronze Armour File and the others were in a NWN Models and Materials file in my override. I wil never ever remove that bronze armour file just in case !

So this means that to overwrite something like armour by swapping mdb names…

:face_with_symbols_over_mouth: :face_with_symbols_over_mouth: STICK IT IN A SEPARATE DIFFERENT NAMED FILE OR SPEND HOURS ON END GETTING FRUSTRATED WHEN YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN HAPPILY FINISHING YOUR CASTLE INTERIOR ! :face_with_symbols_over_mouth: :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

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#14

if you want to replace the original armor design without keeping the visuals, you don’t have to mess around with 2das. all you have to do is the following:

  • download the mod you want to use and extract all the .mdb and .dds files
  • open the toolset, switch to the armor set tab of a creature you want to change the armor for and select the kind of armor you want to replace; note down the number shown in the variation drop down field
  • add +1 to the variation number (the toolset begins listing the models at 0, but the actual names start at 1)
  • open the nwn2_modesl.zip in the data folder and look up the file name of the armor; you need to know the naming conventions to find the correct model (file name has to start with p_, followed by hhm for human males, _ch for chain, etc.)
  • the extracted custom armor files are likely named; P_HHM_something_bodysomething.mdb, choose the correct race and gender
  • open the extracted .mdb file from a mod with an mdb editor, like rjshae’s mdbconfig and change the packet name to the name of the original file you want to replace in all the tabs (main model and all the detail model tabs, if any)
  • the packet names of the lod files have to end with _L01 and _L02 still
  • don’t change anything else, no textures, nothing!
  • save the .mdb under the name of the original .mdb you want to replace and throw it into the override folder along with the texture files linked in the .mdb (to make sure just take all the extracted textures)
  • start the toolset, switch to the armor set tab and choose the armor you replaced; it should now show the custom model you chose

this has to be done with alle the models for every race and gender you want to replace.

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#15

Semper… Thanks for that, it’s pretty much what I was doing but the problem seems to be the file that I used in the override. I think it needs a completely new yellow envelope looking one to work that has no relevance to anything in NWN2.

I’m going to leave this alone for a bit to save my sanity, but I will do it !

ps. I had wondered where the body 0 models were !

#16

then you did something wrong in the process, like a typo or something else, or there’s a conflicting file flying around messing all up. to avoid the latter just test with an empty override folder.

#17

I think I wasn’t clear enough, sorry for that: it’s not only the number that needs to be the same, but the name itself (the packet and the mdb).

So, if you want to use p_hhm_pf_body15 instead of p_hhm_cl_body03, you’ll have to open p_hhm_pf_body15 and name the mesh inside and the mdb p_hhm_cl_body03.
Note that this may have an impact on the possibility for the characters to wear the armor (pf is full plate, cl is standard clothes: everyone can don cl “armors”, but you need the proficiency for heavy armors). It may also have an effect on the AC [the blueprint (.uti) has a line where the “base item” is defined: that’s where the standard characteristics of the object are given to the engine].

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#18

Semper… It works now so whatever I did can stay a mystery I’ve completely had enough of moving files for now. But it didn’t work in the override in a file called NWN2 models and worked in a file called Bronze armour ( which was just another mod I downloaded to look and see how it was done ) Same mdb, same override, nothing changed but the result.

I’ve got other mdbs in the Override NWN2 Models file, none of which are armours they’re heads and they all work fine so I have no idea what happened and why. But I think the safest bet is make a new file for everything you swap in.

4760… I’ve got it working without changing the file names inside the mdb, they’re the original custom armour numbers.

You’ve got me worried now and I’m going to have to put some armours on some characters and check their stats. I was hoping that because all I changed was how they look they’ll still be the same. If you buy a +2 chainmail isn’t it still a +2 chainmail and the mdb swapping just gives the look a makeover.

The armour pack has light, medium, clothing etc. but I’m not using them direct from that I just want the looks and the new revised NWN2 file to only override that. The armour data can stay in the program files never to be abused !

If it all goes wrong I can always campaign blueprint the whole lot and have my own UTIs in the campaign folder but I’d rather not.

#19

Glad it somewhat worked out for you @Tsongo. I feel bad for everything you had to endure with this. But I guess this is NWN2 for you. Sometimes working in the Toolset and whatnot can almost drive you insane. I know, I’ve been there a few times.

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#20

andgalf… I’m perfectly happy with the toolset and I’m only making a mod to distract myself from other things… But I have to agree about the whatnot, that’s the real beast !

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