help w/ arsenal 3

[frogger]

I dl'ed arsenal 3 and am having trouble useing the DAT files. I tryed MPQ draft, but it says they won't work. Do i put them somewhere in the starcraft directory? What do i do?

[Dark_Soul74]

What do you mean? Did you edit files using Arsenal 3 and try to move the ones in its directory?

You should save the files in a different folder, preferably one with the title of your mod. Then you have to make a copy of the patch_rt.mpq(so you don't screw up your original StarCraft), put it into the folder, and replace the files that you made a modification on, keeping the correct folder prefixes. Then you use MPQDraft to assemble it, plus MemGraft-ing any StarGraft information you made, and putting MemGraft as a plug-in for MPQDraft, then configuring it(you select your .mem file).

[frogger]

thank u dark soul, i will do that.

[Modred]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. I just whip out mpq2k and make a nice little mpq then run mpqdraft to load it.

[BSTRhino]

I have a completely different approach. it's explained in ChauSara's custom tutorial. Using the MPQ Compactor.

I wouldn't recommend replacing your patch_rt.mpq, that only makes your customs larger but doesn't serve any other useful purpose.

[makes]

to mod with Arsenal III, go to
http://www.stormcoast-fortress.net/index.php?file=gaming/starcraft/tutorials/modmaking1.php&PHPSESSID=ae9f7a43d3d0ec0aabb59f0e3968a51c

it's very well explained
on the other hand be aware that i still haven't find tblpad, and i found a working winmpq on only one site which adress i've lost... sorry :\

btw, i have one question too on Arsenal III : what's the difference between "food" and "space" in the units editor ?

[Doom_Dragoon]

Food is how much supply they cost, and space is the space they occupy in a transport or bunker.

[makes]

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH
okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk...

...well thanks

[makes]

this's going to become the Arsenal III help topic... :)

another question : i've made a little mod with it, but when i test it, Broodwar crashes after a few minutes...

what do you think ?

[BSTRhino]

Have you changed any unit's sight range beyond 11? That's usually the first crash most modders run into.

[Dark_Soul74]

Well, what did you edit?

[makes]

carriers, cruisers and guardians have a sight range of 11, but nobody has an upper...
I don't think I've edited this anyway.

what I edited is only units, weapons, technologies and upgrades.

[Case_in_point]

If you gave an air attack to a unit that normally has no air attack, or a ground attack to a unit that normally has none, it will crash when they attack.

Also, adding too many effects to attacks will make them crash.

I never go crazy with the modding, I do just enough to get what I want, anything more and I usually have to start all over to find out what the problem was.

[makes]

...

you're right, i tried and it crashed when i made a VCS attack a Wraith...
moreover, the Medic have attacks, but no "attack" button... :(

what can I do ?
(and what's the point of Arsenal III if you can't do that...)

[Traveller]

you have to edit the iscripts.bin to give attack animation information to a unit before you can give it a weapon with Ars III. i'm just getting started on editing iscripts so i won't try to give directions there unless i make them while i'm editing. anyone know iscripts well here?
i used StarExeHack to make a modding setup om my comp gotta go out of time on this library comp.

[BSTRhino]

That's right Traveller, you know quite a lot for a person who's just getting started. You can add the medic's attack button using StarGraft.

I spent two years doing Arsenal III alone, it's a very powerful program if you know it inside out.

What's a VCS?

Anyway, with ICE, to get the air attack, this is what you do:

1. Go File > Load Default to start with a fresh new unedited file
2. Select Terran Vulture or whatever a VCS is
3. Select the Entry Header Tab
4. Copy the number in Initial Ground Attack
5. Paste it in Initial Air Attack
6. Copy the number in Repeated Ground Attack
7. Paste that in Repeated Air Attack
8. Copy the number in Return to Idle from Ground Attack
9. Paste that in Return to Idle from Air Attack
10. Save the file as scripts\iscript.bin in your patch folder
11. Put it together with your Arsenal III files using the MPQ Compactor. Or something similar.

[Traveller]

i've been modding by trial-and-error for a little while. currently i have 1.09b and altered a copy of the SC exe and the SE exe to use a patch mpq with a different name. that saved a lot of space on my hard drive and as long as it doesn't corrupt the Broodat or Stardat mpq i'm fine. but i've got those backed up too on a separate hard drive. i got started in modding in general on Activision's Star Trek: Armada, so i'm used to being paranoid about protecting files since one time my entire Activision folder disappeared after scandisk ran due to a hardboot. i never modded w/o backups since. oh, once i set my profile up y'all might recognize me. i couldn't use one of my hadles due to illegal characters in the name.