Just looking for a little help from the modders...

Xavioria

SO I've decided to try to make my own NPC, one that is quite different from any that are out there, and I'm using A beginner's guide from PPG to create him... and I've come to my first roadblock... I can't convert my .CHR file to a .CRE file because NearInifinity just isn't finding it. Was wondering exactly how to get NearInfinity to find the proper .CHR files, because none of them are there. ALSO, is this guide good to use to create an NPC on BG:EE, or would it be considered obsolete?

Jackkel_Dragon

Not sure about the guide you're using, but I've been using (http://katbella.com/npcguide/) to get the basic idea on how to do things for my NPC mod. So if the other guide is missing something, take a peek at that one.

What I've noticed using NearInfinity linked to my BGEE install: you have to have the CHR files within the 00766 (or whatever on your install) folder or a subfolder to appear. By default, exported characters from in-game are stored in your Documents (Windows Vista) or My documents (Windows 7) /BGEE folder and subfolders. (Not sure on other OS.)

My point: Look for any exported CHR files in your OS's documents/BGEE folder and subfolders, copy it to a subfolder of the install path NI is using (even if just temporarily), then open NI (or refresh). More complex than it needs to be, but that's what happens when a program installs into two places at once.

Xavioria

@Jackkel_Dragon thanks, I don't know WHY I didn't think of that.

ANYWHO, I'm now up to the part where I got all my files ready to install a very simple NPC. I want to make sure it installs all my components correctly. So far I'm having a blast, and once It's finished, I will expand, but I don't doubt that I might need more help later on lmao

Edit: NOW having different issues, with the weidu installation, I was wondering or hoping that someone who is good at modding might be able to look at my humble beginnings and tell me exactly what I'm doing wrong? Just tell me what to copy and paste, and I shall, and Hopefully I can figure this out

Coriander

What sort of error are you getting? Probably the most useful thing to see would be your tp2.

Xavioria

Kk well it says Parsing error, and as this is my first Attempt, I'm sure it's some stupid mistake, but @Coriander I'm sure you would definitely notice an issue (if you are even a novice modder) because I'm sure you've been there a million times... so I'm going to copy paste it here:

BACKUP ~Jerr/backup~
AUTHOR ~Xavioria (rlbecker11@yahoo.com)~
BEGIN ~Jerriam the NPC for BG:EE~

// The Following is the copying of Jerriam's .cre file

COPY ~Jerr/X#Jerr.cre~ ~override/X#Jerr.cre
SAY NAME1 ~Jerriam~
SAY NAME2 ~Jerriam~
SAY SELECT_COMMON4 ~Blah~ [Male1a]
SAY SELECT_COMMON5 ~Blah~ [Male1b]
SAY SELECT_COMMON6 ~Blah~ [Male1c]
SAY SELECT_ACTION1 ~I'm on the job~ [Male1d]
SAY SELECT_ACTION2 ~Very well, master~ [Male1e]

// The Following Compiles the d files

COMPILE ~Jerr/X#JERR.d~

// The Following compiles the script for the location

EXTEND_TOP ~AR2900.bcs~ ~Jerr/AR2900.baf~

APPEND ~pdialog.2da~
~X#Jerr X#JerrP X#JerrJ X#JerrD X#Jerr25P X#Jerr25J X#Jerr25D X#Jerr25~
UNLESS ~X#Jerr~

APPEND ~interdia.2da~
~X#Jerr X#JerrB X#JerrB25~
UNLESS ~X#Jerr~

AND lastly, weidu tells me I messed up by saying:

"Parsing error" "Line 14 column 1-30"

I'm guessing it has to do with my .d file. I would love some feedback (even if it's harsh lol)

Coriander

You'll usually get a bit of context from weidu based on the actions it's performing. If it's your d file you'll see "Compiling 1 dialog file ..." before the error.

Xavioria

[C:\Program Files\Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition\Data\00766\Setup-Jerr.exe] WeiD
U version 23105
This is a non-stable version. Unless you're sure about what you're doing, consid
er downgrading.
[C:\Program Files\Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition\Data\00766\Setup-Jerr.exe] Usin
g scripting style "BG1"
In state 27, I expected one of these tokens:
[2] ~~
Parse error (state 27) at COMMA

[JERR/SETUP-JERR.TP2] PARSE ERROR at line 14 column 1-30
Near Text: ,
GLR parse error

[JERR/SETUP-JERR.TP2] ERROR at line 14 column 1-30
Near Text: ,
Parsing.Parse_error
ERROR: parsing [JERR/SETUP-JERR.TP2]: Parsing.Parse_error
ERROR: problem parsing TP file [JERR/SETUP-JERR.TP2]: Parsing.Parse_error

FATAL ERROR: Parsing.Parse_error

KK well here is where I messed up. Just let me know what I'm doing wrong if you see what I'm not seeing.... please and thank you so much for your reply

Jackkel_Dragon

I'm unfamiliar with the exact error that you're getting, but I've noticed that WeiDU's parsing error detection tends to be pretty accurate. Whatever file it having a problem (WeiDU seems to be saying it's the Tp2 file...), the problem is around line 14, and that problem is between the first and thirtieth character on that line. At least with my notepad editing of files, WeiDU counts blank and commented lines as whole lines for parsing error warnings.

If your Tp2 was copied exactly as you posted it, that would mean the program is having troubles with

SAY SELECT_ACTION2 ~Very well,

Thing is, I see no problem there... however:

COPY ~Jerr/X#Jerr.cre~ ~override/X#Jerr.cre
SAY NAME1 ~Jerriam~

If the above is exactly as it is in the Tp2, it needs to be "~override/X#Jerr.cre~" (closing ~/tilde).

Which reminds me of something I read in another tutorial: while WeiDU is good at narrowing down the problem, look within about 5 lines of the problem on each side to see if it's not actually elsewhere.

Xavioria

@Jackkel_Dragon OMG how could i MISS THAT?!?! Funnily enough, that was the issue. It's now having more issues installing (it's saying it's the .d file at this point, but I think I can get the hang of this...

WOW I'm stupid, but thank you SO much.

One question though, if there are issues INSIDE the .D file, will weidu be able to see those and tell me there are issues inside other files besides the .tp2?

Edit: installed correctly, thank you for your help so much

Jackkel_Dragon

In my experience, WeiDU will tell you which file it's getting caught up on during install. So if a particular dialogue or script has errors, it'll say so and give what it thinks is the line/column.

Glad to hear you've got it working for now.

Xavioria

I went into the game and it works great!! It's not at the particular quality that I want it, but that's okay because this is my first time trying. Thanks for your help, and if I need help again I'll probably be more apt to asking on the forums again. Also @Coriander, both of you have been very helpful

Wisp

@Xavioria
Not to spoil your fun or anything, but the prefix "X#" is already reserved by the BG1 NPC Project. Please refer to the reservation list to find out which prefixes are unreserved.

Xavioria

OMG @Wisp I had no idea! Thanks for letting me know. X is my favorite letter (Hense the X in Xavioria). I'll be sure to take a look