/ All information and files related to the Star Trek: Legacy mod called - The Ultimate Universe - by Chris Jones Gaming. en-gb This site is powered by e107, which is released under the terms of the GNU GPL License. Any Opinions expressed belong to their owners, and do not necessarily reflect those of 'Chris Jones Gaming'. cjones@nospam.com (Chris Jones) cjones@nospam.com (Chris Jones) Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:17:24 -0500 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:17:24 -0500 http://backend.userland.com/rss e107 (http://e107.org) 60 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/e107_images/logo.png / 88 31 All information and files related to the Star Trek: Legacy mod called - The Ultimate Universe - by Chris Jones Gaming. http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.40
This is an updated Beta release of the Legacy Mod Tools Suite. Various updates. Also fixed the 2on2 Testing Modes to now WORK for Non UU Installs, sorry about that I thought they were right until I tried to use them on stock, it was due to the Maps, any maps NOT included with this release will still not work but the 6 new/updated ones work perfectly on Stock Legacy and should work on anything else. There are also various other updates to the LMTools utility, It now includes the UUTools utility but for full operation you must have UU2.0, but it has basic operation as well for non UU installs. This release does not come with an Installer.

This package includes the following Legacy Modding Utilites:

The LegacyMissionEditor by Bethsoft updated by Muldrf
Version: 1.04c

LMTools or the "Legacy Modding Tools" by Muldrf
Version: 9.2.3

Legacy Mod Install Packager by Muldrf
Version: 1.0.0.5

UUTools or the "Ultimate Universe Tools" by Muldrf (full function requires UU2.0 or above)

a) The LegacyMissionEditor is included for it's auxillary files which the LMTools require for Mission Compiling. It's complete and all there, but I recommend using the LMTools for Mission Creation.

b) The LMTools are a tool set I developed over the years while working on the Ultimate Universe Mod. Initially they weren't much, but in the last year I have done quite a bit of additions that should make them useful for about anyone working on Legacy, from Odf work to Mission Creation to Ship testing and Balance work. The LMTools include:

1. Mission Building and Compiling. It's a more disconnected process for a better workflow in the "real world".

2. Map database and Xml Singleplayer Menu and Label Map creation. These features take more setup, because you must create a map database manually for them to work properly. UU2.0 comes with the complete map database setup for it.

3. Various ODF Data Lookup editing and and Mass Odf Update functions are built into the UUTools as well.

4. Chunk duplication tool. This tool can quickly and easily duplicate existing ship/station chunks to new ships, it also allows easy alteration of ship textures so they look more approprate to the ship that's going up.

5. Readme Creator/Editor. This tool lets you make readmes in either .rtf or .txt formats using existing files as templates or making a blank new file.

6. 2on2 Testing. This mode allows launching specially setup maps directly for easy ship and station testing. There are 6 default maps. Each of the maps has some special function.
a. flighttest.sol is as it says a Flight Test or maybe it should be "fight" test. It's the "regular" 2on2 Fight Testing mode. You pick up to 2 ships per side (or stations or other map objects).
b. phasetest.sol is a mode where there are only 2 ships one per side. The Enemy ship is sitting infront of you disabled. For Endurance Testing of ships specs and Weapon strength without the enemy taking off. How quick do you take out a Galaxy that isn't fighting back?
c. meshtest.sol is a 1on1 where BOTH ships get a small photon hit by way of scripting at the beginning. This is for testing the Damage Mesh of a ship/ships to verify if they are staying inside the main hull properly. The enemy is disabled in this mode just like in phasetest mode.
d. meshtesta.sol is the same as meshtest.sol except the enemy is NOT disabled.
e. nodetest.sol is a 1on1 where the Enemy ship's systems are all destroyed. This instantly plays any "System Destruction" effects as well as breaks of the associated "Breaknodes" such as Nacelles if the model is so equipped. This leaves the enemy ship's hull exposed similar to phasetest but with the lack of shields.
f. dnodetest.sol is almost the same as nodetest, the only difference is the addition of having the Damage Mesh active like meshtest. This is for making sure your breaknodes fall away and that the underlying damage mesh looks as expected.

c) The Mod Install Package creator for packing up Legacy Mods into easy on click Self Installers.
1. Allows easy packaging of Singleplayer Missions because they are generally difficult to install due to usually requiring manual editing of existing files to make them accessable.
2. Setup for Ships with Custom Sprites and/or Sound Effects as well as allowing the person installing the ship the ability to assign the ships to their desired race (good for Chungi's New Races Mod or TC mods with additional races).
3. Now with 1.0.0.5 you can package more Basic mods. Such as Deathmatch Maps or UI or Menu mods, bascially anything can be packaged now, it doesn't have to be a Singeplayer Mission or Ship Mod.


------------
See the Individual Readmes for more Details on these 3 tools:

\Readmes\Muldrfs Modified LegacyMissionEditor.txt
\Readmes\Muldrfs Legacy Mod Tools LMTools.txt
\Readmes\Muldrfs ModInstaller.txt
\Readmes\Ultimate Universe Tools Readme.txt

-----------
Permissions / Notices:


This tool set and these files are not supported by Maddoc or Bethesda Softworks and they are not responsible for any damages to your game directory. As with all modtools you are using them at your own risk. The end user of the package accepts responsibility for usage of the tools. See the Individual Readmes for more details.

By installing this package you (the user) agree to and assume all risks of said addon. As a result, I take
no responsibility for any damages that may occur to your game, mod or hardware.

Star Trek and related marks are trademarks of Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.
All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

-----------
Credits / Contact:


If problems are found you can contact me and I'll see what I can do to help.]]> Star Trek Legacy Mod Tools noauthor@nospam.com (Muldrf) Mon, 31 May 2010 08:51:22 -0500 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.40 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.38
This patch will be updated as issues are corrected. You must have UU2.0 Part 1 of 2 and Part 2 of 2 installed to use this patch.

This fixes issues found after the initial release of UU2.0.

Minipatch 3 Includes: 5/4/2010
1. Updated Dominion Alliance Odfs for various ships.
2. Updated UUTools Utility. Fixed crashes if the player hadn't selected their Legacy Install Path and tried to use functions in the UUTools. Made it a bit more apparent if you haven't selected your Legacy Folder that you need to. Fixed some issues and improved on the tools ability to "Find" your Legacy folder automatically.

Minipatch 3 is NOT Multiplayer Compatible with previous Releases.


Minipatch 2d Includes: 4/29/2010

1. Legacy Mod Tools "lmtools.exe" updated. Enhancment to the Mission Editing.

Minipatch 2d is fully multiplayer compatible with Minipatch 1, 1a, 2, 2a, 2b and 2c.


Minipatch 2c Includes: 4/17/2010

1. Corrected mission name length limit for Instant Random Battle Vs Script that was causing the 2 "borgearth" maps to crash on startup in Instant Random Battle Mode.

2. Updated UUTools v3.5.1.1 Instant Random Battle now lists the "Map Display Name" instead of the filename for all the maps. They are not sorted alphabetically at this point, so they are actually displayed in the same order as they were when they were just the filenames. Also made some other small visual changes, slightly altered image on the main screen, item alignments and some alterations to the Vs Armada screen.

Minipatch 2c is fully multiplayer compatible with Minipatch 1, 1a, 2, 2a and 2b.


Minipatch 2b Includes:

1. Corrected map for Isoa Outpost Survival Mission.

Minipatch 2b is fully multiplayer compatible with Minipatch 1, 1a, 2 and 2a.

Minipatch 2a Includes:

1. Corrected Mission Script for the "Exploring History" mission "Evolution Earth" under the Exploration Menu. This fixes an issue with the 1701E Phase of the mission getting stuck with Extra ships when going to 1701F Phase causing numerous issues.

Minipatch 2a is fully multiplayer compatible with Minipatch 1, 1a, and 2.


Minipatch 2 Includes:

1. Updated UUTools utility by Muldrf.
a. improved the ability of the tools to automatically find your UU install.
b. Added "Camera" Setting to the Settings section along the Right side of the tool. This setting alters the viewpoint of your onscreen ship. The Default is "Off Set" which is UU 2.0 style. The other option is "Center" which is closer to Center of the screen more like UU1.5. The view angles of all ships are optimized for the "Off Set" view so the Center view might have some ships that don't look quite right. This is a replacement for the "View Angle Patch" that Chris posted.
2. Fixed the first of the UU Interviews that are under the Extras menu for UU2.0. It played the first time, but after that it wouldn't "restart" if you canceled it, which happens at times because it can take a few seconds to start.

Minipatch 2 is fully multiplayer compatible with Minipatch 1 and 1a.


Minipatch 1a Includes:

1. Updated ModInstaller utility by Muldrf.
2. Main and Upgrade System Readme updated.

Minipatch 1a is fully multiplayer compatible with Minipatch 1.


Minipatch 1 Includes:

1. Borg Alliance TNG crash fix.
2. Klingon Neghvar and Advanced Neghvar weapons fixed.
3. Federation Prometheus registry fixed
4. One of the TNG Mirandas was showing up in TMP Era.
5. Section 31 Strider was showing up in TOS Era now TMP Only.
6. DC Fontana TOS Constitution Class moved from Uber Race to Multi Era.
7. Vulcan XRT 55d AI Fixed (it now moves when AI controls it).
8. A Mission update from Chris Jones.
9. No longer displays "Beta" in mainmenu.
10. Asteroid Field Deathmatch map now properly scripted.
11. Survival Mode maps fixed as well as one of the System Conquest maps. Was due to a minor script defect.
12. Valiant and Argentina Connie Variant/Refits are renamed to reflect their "Connie Heritage".
13. Various other ships display names have been altered to give a more uniform look to them.
14. Main Menu: Load button was missing for the Campaign
15. Ubber Race Enhanced. Now includes more ships in Ent Tos and Tmp Eras. Would have crashed in Skirmish, and was unable to select ships in those eras in Instant Random Battle usually. Remember Ubber Race is INTENDED to be Unbalanced.
16. Shield coloration adjusted for various ships in Ubber Race and Multiera to better reflect their Heritage.
17. Some map adjustments and various other little things.


Minipatch created by ChrisJonesGaming staff for UU2.0]]> Ultimate Universe 2.0 Files & Addons noauthor@nospam.com (Chris Jones Gaming) Tue, 04 May 2010 20:16:38 -0500 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.38 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.44 Composition: Mindwipe
Hosting: Chris Jones Gaming
Artwork: DanvanDam and Mindwipe]]> Albums and Compilations mindwipe@nospam.com (Mindwipe) Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:57:51 -0500 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.44 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.43
Following on from the ON Synth Album i have put together this EP collection of music done from the popular scfi epic that is Star Trek. 10 tracks in total showcasing myself again on synth performing some of the more memorable anthems from the films

Composition: Mindwipe
Hosting: Chris Jones Gaming]]> Albums and Compilations mindwipe@nospam.com (Mindwipe) Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:33:22 -0500 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.43 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.42
After the popularity of the Ultimate Universe Game soundtrack, i’ve spent the last month or so polishing up some of my earlier renditions of popular Scifi and fantasy anthems and remastered them into this wonderful 21 track album.

featuring versions of classics like the theme to Superman, Thunderbirds, Doctor who and many more, there is something for everyone to enjoy!

Composition: Mindwipe
Hosting: Chris Jones Gaming

Many thanks to all the fans of my work who have eagerly awaited this album to come out. please take a moment to read the reviews.

Review by JC2006

Mindwipe recently allowed me to preview his latest album, named "Mindwipe On Synth", which will be freely available to download shortly.

As I admitted to him, I'm not that into music and my knowledge on the subject is generally limited, but this album brings a number of classic and modern classic tracks to its 21 track line-up........


See a review by Chris Jones after JC's. JC2006 is a member of Chris Jones Gaming and is responsible for our WIKI.

Star Trek fans are treated to three tracks amongst these.

Star Beyond Time is the first of them, taking fans back to the first film of the TMP era. At first, I didn't know why I recognized the track, but after just a few seconds (and a prompt from Mindwipe about exactly where it was from, damn my memory), Mindwipe's performance (attributed to the Deltan, Lieutenant Ilia, from the film) made it immediately clear and I think Star Trek fans will appreciate the quality of the performance.

This is immediately followed in the track listing by the theme from Star Trek: First Contact, one of my favourite Star Trek themes. Mindwipe's performance creates a track that both embodies the power, flow and expression of the First Contact theme, while also giving it a new and unique sound created by the equipment used.

The final Star Trek theme included is a popular track from the TNG episodes "The Inner Light" and "Lessons". For me, this track embodies the memories I have of "Lessons", of Nella Darren and Captain Picard sitting in a Jefferies Tube junction playing this song. This is one of the longest tracks on Mindwipe's album, with a running time of over 6 minutes but you find yourself listening to the end, for the identifiable flute solos that say just as much as the larger sounding portions of the track. Again the equipment used provides the track with an authenticity, while also adding new dimensions of sound that create a new experience of the tune, capable of both power and subdue.

Other tracks included on the album include tunes familar to Doctor Who fans, with a track based on the Doctor Who theme, as well as an easily recognisable track from the beginning of the Doctor Who revival in 2005, "Westminster Bridge".

There's a track based on the classic theme of Thunderbirds, which from the beginning, is instantly recognisable and a pleasure to listen to for it's resemblance to the original theme and is a track, I'm sure, that downloaders will want to listen to a number of times again.

If Star Trek and Thunderbirds aren't your cup of tea, how about tracks dedicated to Galaxy Quest, Robocop The Series, Quantum Leap and there's even a Star Wars track thrown in there.

For me, the Superman track is especially good. Mindwipe's performance of this song vividly takes you back to the films of the 80s, and I myself could picture the late Christopher Reeve as I listened to the track. Again, it is a different sound, but at the same time, it's what it says on the tin also, it's the theme from Superman and that fact alone will leave you with a smile on your face.

I believe there is probably something for everyone in this 21 track album. If you like Doctor Who, Star Trek, Galaxy Quest, Quantum Leap, Battlestar Gallactica, there is at least one track in there for you and much more, which I'll allow you to discover for yourself when the album is available to download soon.

As mentioned, Mindwipe sent me a preview of this album and so in summary, here's my overall view.

I believe this to be a very well put together album. Although the sound may be unconventional to some listeners, I think that the tracks manage to combine tracks of mass popularity and instant recognition with a new originality and as mentioned previously, I think there are tracks in there for everyone, some that you'll likely play a number of times again and all it'll cost you is a bit of bandwidth while you're downloading it.

Personal recommendations of mine must be Westminster Bridge, Doctor Who, Superman, Thunderbirds, Star Beyond Time, Robocop: The Series and The Inner Light.

In finishing, I'd like to say nice work on this album Mindwipe and it's without doubt worth a download........... ......come on, 21 quality tracks for nothing, how can you not?

A link to Mindwipe's new album, "Mindwipe On Synth", will be added to this post when available.

Chris Jones review:

There are 21 Tracks in the Album - and I'd like to point out my favorites, and why.

Captain Scarlett - well performed and upbeat - makes me want to dance.
Battlestar Galactica (Colonial Anthem) - Captures the spirit of the original show and it flows well. I'd expect to hear it on Time Warner's soundtrack music channel. Well done.
Star Beyond Time - this is inspirational - I keep wanting to listen to it again - from Star Trek: The Motion Picture
and what can you say about the Star Trek: First Contact theme? AWESOME!
JC was right about Superman! The essence of the original is right there! I've listened to it 5 times now.

The Doctor Who theme is here - I love how it starts - sinister sounding building to an exciting piece of music.

There's a nice flow to the sequence of tracks - not too many upbeats or slow ones back to back - this will keep you interested.

JC mentioned something I will expand on - combining recognized tracks with some that may not easily remembered - which is something I enjoyed doing when I ran my internet radio station on Live 365. The familiar tunes will grab you and serve as an anchor leading into track's that are not so familiar - which is a great way to keep listeners around to give them a taste of freshness while keeping things familiar.

I would never expect Galaxy Quest to be done again by anyone, but it fits here.

Even Final Fantasy 7 makes an appearance. I like this one..

There are a few places where the flow of the music seemed strained - but those are few and far between, and not noticeable by the average listener. Keep in mind I am a disc jockey/presenter by trade.

All in all - this is worth the download - and I am proud to host these fine pieces of music.

Get ready to Enjoy!

- Chris]]> Albums and Compilations mindwipe@nospam.com (Mindwipe) Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:15:04 -0500 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.42 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.39
This will put the ship camera angle back to near the original position from Stock Legacy. Download, unzip, and put in the UI folder of your UUM 2.0 install. Overwrite.]]> Ultimate Universe 2.0 Files & Addons cjones@nospam.com (Chris Jones Gaming) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:37:13 -0600 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.39 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.35
This is part 1 of a 2 part installer. Be sure to grab Part 2 of 2 as well, both are required!.

UU2.0 is a FULL INSTALL.

This is NOT An Upgrade to UU1.0 or UU1.5, you MUST start with a Fresh Clean unmodded Legacy install. If you try installing over UU1.0 or 1.5 you will CERTAINLY have problems!


--------
Now that's out of the way. You will find a new menu structure, more races, enhanced missions, the new Vs Armada, and Instant Vs modes. As well as the new "Exploring History" mode which is a mostly non combat mode that explores Earth and Mars development from the NX-01's time to the Ncc-1701F.

Great new intro, loading screens and main menu graphic by Mindwipe. Three interviews with the CoWriter of the Stock Campaign Derek Chester sone by Mindwipe himself and a TMP Theme music vid with Mike Shaw. Rebuilt mainmenu by Muldrf. Enhanced Explosions and weapon effects by Miri as well as some nice new Glow work on some of our favorite starships. New Terran Empire ships by Nix and new Section 31 by Gan as well as some other offerings. Additional ships by Maxloef. New Map Editor menu structure with easier navigation setup by Tjoz with nearly all flyable 2.0 ships as well as the stock components. A fair number of ships by MRJohn have been added. And lets certainly not forget DJ Curtis's beautiful Century and Vivace Class starships. Enhanced UUTools utility and the new LMTools Modding Utilties have been released as well, also the Legacymissioneditor is included although the LMTools has full mission building abilities built in. I have included the Modinstaller for good measure for any aspiring modders out there who might find use for it.

And Many more..]]> Ultimate Universe 2.0 Files & Addons noauthor@nospam.com (Chris Jones Gaming) Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:45:31 -0600 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.35 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.36
This is part 2 of a 2 part installer. Be sure to grab Part 1 of 2 as well, both are required!.

UU2.0 is a FULL INSTALL.

This is NOT An Upgrade to UU1.0 or UU1.5, you MUST start with a Fresh Clean unmodded Legacy install. If you try installing over UU1.0 or 1.5 you will CERTAINLY have problems!


--------
Now that's out of the way. You will find a new menu structure, more races, enhanced missions, the new Vs Armada, and Instant Vs modes. As well as the new "Exploring History" mode which is a mostly non combat mode that explores Earth and Mars development from the NX-01's time to the Ncc-1701F.

Great new intro, loading screens and main menu graphic by Mindwipe. Three interviews with the CoWriter of the Stock Campaign Derek Chester sone by Mindwipe himself and a TMP Theme music vid with Mike Shaw. Rebuilt mainmenu by Muldrf. Enhanced Explosions and weapon effects by Miri as well as some nice new Glow work on some of our favorite starships. New Terran Empire ships by Nix and new Section 31 by Gan as well as some other offerings. Additional ships by Maxloef. New Map Editor menu structure with easier navigation setup by Tjoz with nearly all flyable 2.0 ships as well as the stock components. A fair number of ships by MRJohn have been added. And lets certainly not forget DJ Curtis's beautiful Century and Vivace Class starships. Enhanced UUTools utility and the new LMTools Modding Utilties have been released as well, also the Legacymissioneditor is included although the LMTools has full mission building abilities built in. I have included the Modinstaller for good measure for any aspiring modders out there who might find use for it.

And Many more..]]> Ultimate Universe 2.0 Files & Addons noauthor@nospam.com (Chris Jones Gaming) Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:44:51 -0600 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.36 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.26
This tool is intended for Mod Creators to use to create customized installers for Ships or Missions (or a combination of both) for Star Trek Legacy.

Features:
1. Installation of Ships with Custom Sprites to Any Flyable Race on practically Any Version of Legacy.
2. Installation of Singleplayer Missions on practically Any Version of Legacy that includes Singleplayer Missions. For "Stock" Legacy it is able to add an Additional Missions button to the Campaign Menu.
3. Installation of Sound Db .csv entries for dbsound.csv, dbsoundgroups.csv and dbmusic.csv
4. It also enables automatic db.pak regeneration, this prevents the players from having to manually delete or move the db.pak
5. Other Stock Legacy Features that the tool can enable are: (specifically written for Stock Legacy and TLG 2.3, but might work for other versions that have minor menu editing)
a. Enable Load/Save features (they only work in the Stock Campaign and are not perfect, which I believe is why it was disabled)
b. Enable All Missions feature
c. Enable Free Camera (for Stock, TLG already has this)
d. Enable "Hero Ship Fix" (Help prevent getting the incorrect hero ship during the stock campaign in some cases)
e. Enable Map Editor function, only enables the map editor it doesn't provide any interface changes to open it.

---------

Installation:
1. Extract "ModInstaller.exe" and place it in a folder. You can create an icon for it etc..

2. Check the Version of "C: \windows \system32 \iexpress.exe" on your pc. To check the version find iexpress.exe and right click on it and pick Properties and check the Details section for the Version number. If the Version is 6.0.2900.2180 or lower your good to go. But if the version is higher such as 8.00.6001.18702 you must extract the older version of the required files from the "Additional.zip" to the same folder as you placed ModInstaller.exe, otherwise your Installers will fail to operate on Vista with UAC "User Account Control" enabled.

----------
Usage Instructions for creating a Package:

1. How to get to the Right Screens:
Press "Help" then "Setting Creation Menu" to get to the Setting Creation section of the tool. I did it that way so it will be less likely for the end user to end up in there and cause problems.

2. Creation of ModInstaller Setting Files.

a. Mission Settings: (Needed for singleplayer missions both scripted and unscripted)
To create the "Mission Setting" xml type the data into the boxes just as if you were entering them into the xml file. Then Save the file, it will create an xml file in the same directory that ModInstaller.exe is in. If you want you can more than 1 mission on the list.

b. Objective Settings: (Only needed for scripted missions with objectives)
To Create a Mission "Objective Settings" xml you will pick the objective file for your mission and press the button to add the entries to the list. If you have more than 1 mission you pick the "Add to List" button instead and it will append to the list the first button will clear the list. Once you have all the right objectives listed save the setting xml file.

c. Ship Settings: (Needed for ships will have their races chosen by the installer)
To create a "Ships Settings" xml you will need view the list and check the checkbox for each ship you want to include. You can filter the list by Race and Era if you like. Once you have checked all the ships you want added you must press the button to add them to the list in the lower box. After the ships are in the lower box press the button to save the setting xml file.

d. Sprite Settings: (Needed for ships that have weapons with new sprites)
If you are packaging ships that use customized weapon sprites of some type you can create a settings file for the sprites as well. To do so pick the proper "Reference" and the "Material" for the sprite. Then enter the info for the sprite into the boxes just like you would in the .spr file. After you have it all setup properly press the "Add to List" button and it will put it in the lower screen. Once all the sprites you want are down there save the setting xml file.

e. Sound/SoundGroup/Music Csv entries: (Optional for mission music, weapon sound effects or captain/crew audio entries)
If you are packaging ships with custom weapon sounds, or missions with new custom music that needs added to one of the \db\*.csv files.

3. Final Packaging:

a. After you have all the setting files created that you need (you don't need all 4 in most cases, most likely you only need 1 or 2 for your mod) you will be ready to setup the package.

b. To setup the package you will take your files for your mod and place them into their own folder just as if you were going to zip them up. Never include a Labelmap xml or Objectives Localized Strings xml the ModInstaller's setting files take care of updating the ones in the user's current install. Place your Readme file into that folder and name it "Readme.txt" or "Readme.rtf". Such as "C:\ThisIsMyMod\Readme.txt" or "C:\ThisIsMyMod\Readme.rtf" When the mod is installed it will use the Readme.txt/rtf as a display for the end user. When the Mod is installed it will be placed in \Star Trek Legacy\Readmes\ and renamed to Readme#.txt\rtf so the file doesn't get overwritten. The .rtf format is a nice alternative to a plain .txt file because it allows formatting such as colorized text, centering, bold, font changes and font size etc. You can create ".rtf" files with WordPad or most other word processors it's generally listed as "Rich Text Format" in the word processor. You can always use the traditional .txt format if you prefer.

c. After the files are all where they need to be and you have your setting files created properly you are ready to package the mod into its own self extracting exe installer. The next step is to browse for the "Mod Files Location". When you pick a folder it will list all files it finds in that folder and the subfolders. Be sure to check that list that all the required files for you mod are found. Also it will show any of the 4 setting xmls that it finds in the directory with ModInstaller.exe and will be including them in the final package as well. If there are setting files that you don't want to be in the package, but are listed you can delete them by pressing the Delete "name" .xml so it doesn't include them (note the file is actually deleted). Next press the "Step 1" button to create "TheMod.zip" in the same location as ModInstaller.exe. Then you can pick the Final Package Filename (default is TheMod.exe) and finally press the "Step 2" button to create the exe. You can then test that things packaged properly and release your mod.

When creating a mod package there is also a file called "TheMod.zip", the only file that needs sent is the .exe that gets created by the Mod Installer (default filename is TheMod.exe) and it's not needed. It is used for testing purposes or if you want to package the mod differently you could combine it and ModInstaller.exe in a .zip or with some other SFX exe creator such as WinZip or winrar.

-------------------

Best Practices:

When using the ModInstaller here are some tips for preventing compatibility issues.

Ships:
If you have a new Refit Miranda model then you could overwrite the old ones, when you do such replacement you should list what versions of Legacy you have tested the mod on. Because large mods like Ultimate Universe often happen to have more than 1 Miranda Refit odf that works of the same m3d file and the hardpoints etc will likely not match up, mostly these "alternate odfs" are for mission specific configurations such as the Wrath of Khan mission for UU would have a Miranda Refit that has better hull or weapons etc and possibly no shields so it can be a challenge to the Enterprise.. This means that entirely new ships are less likely to cause issues in the big mods than an updated version of a stock ship. But if you’re adding a Variant ship that shouldn't be likely to cause issues with the big mods.

Be sure if you alter any stock odfs or others that get used by various other mods like the "Ship Cruiser Class Odfs" to keep in mind replacing the Cruiser Class odf with your modified one might cause problems in the larger mods even if that file works fine on Stock. If you’re going to make changes to an odf such as that you would be best off creating a copy of it to a new file name and make the modifications to that file and use it instead. Also you can always "reuse" that same modified cruiser odf for your future releases.


Sprites:
When using Sprites for ships etc you must always use a New Unique name for a new sprite. Also when picking a name for your new sprite be sure it's not likely to be used by someone else in the future or have been used in the past.. Such as "khanphaser3" would be BAD for me to use as some mod might have created that one already or is likely to a better alternative would be "MuldrfKhanPhaser3" or some such.. Also Never try to "Update" even one of your old sprites... Just create a new sprite, but as long as your just reusing the same Exact Sprite you are fine.. Say I release 3 ships that use "MuldrfKhanPhaser3" as their main phaser weapon sprite that's great, but if I tweak the sprite entry like up the res to 512 from 256 or anything else that requires a sprite line entry change I must do a new sprite such as "MuldfKhanPhaser4".. Now if your just updating the .dds texture and it won't require a sprite line change then you can continue to use the same sprite entry and the other 3 ships that were released previously will have the new enhanced sprite texture and still match the new ship. The only side effect to updating the texture is if someone installs or one of the 3 old ships after installing the newest one the texture gets swapped back to the older original one.

Keep in Mind that Mission Scripts can actually call on sprite entries for things such as creation of explosions in a specific point in space. So there might be some creative uses for sprites for Missions and not just confined to weapons on ships.


Missions:
When including scripted missions be sure to pick good unique names for your .sol and .drl/.dsl files. Also be sure to use good unique names for your objective files. You don't want to use "TWOK.sol" "TWOKR.DRL" "TWOKS.DSL" "TWOK_OBJECTIVES.xml" etc... You will want to use something more unique "Mtwok.sol" etc or "Muldrftwok.sol" or "twokmuldrf.sol" etc. Also that means it's a bad idea to use "STL15" as your names.. I suggest using the updated mission editor that I released that allows you to pick your own mission basename rather than using the one released by Bethsoft that locks you into "STL##". The reason you want to use good unique names is to prevent conflicts with file names of other mods.


General:
Remember when creating a mod for as many versions of Legacy as possible you must include all files required to operate your mod. When doing missions keep in mind you much include any nonstock music files, nonstock audio files, nonstock ship and station odfs etc. The best way to ensure that your mod will work on most versions of legacy is to either develop it using Stock Legacy or at least test it on Stock Legacy before finalizing the package.

Also when making mods to work with many versions of legacy you need to be sure not to be overwriting existing files with your new files in most cases as that could cause issues with the various mods that the player might have installed otherwise.

Never include a Labelmap xml or Objectives Localized Strings xml or some altered singleplayer mission xml (such as AllMission.xml, or HistoricalBattles.xml) with your mod. This tool takes care of those files automatically. All other files must be included. For Missions you can optionally include the mission sourcecode (the folder with the .rul, .scp files) but the source code is not needed. For Scripted missions you must include the .drl, .dsl, .sol, mission image file to display on the mission selection screen(1024x512 res .dds or .jpg format recommended) and the objective file from the \objectives folder as well as any other unique files be them odfs or audio etc.


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Version History:

Version 1.0.0.4
1. Corrected so you can use a comma in the display name of your mission when packing a mission.
2. Various corrections for lookups, minor cleanup mostly not exactly bug fixing.
3. Added Version History Tab to the Creation form.


Version 1.0.0.3
1. Fixed potential for corruption of Labelmap file with the previous version.

Version 1.0.0.1
Initial release Canidate version.


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Permissions / Notices:

This tool can be use to package ships and/or missions for Star Trek Legacy. It's been tested on Stock Legacy, Community Mod, Ultimate Universe 1.0, Ultimate Universe 1.5, Aftermath 2.0, Trek Battles 2, TLG 2.3. I tried to write the mod installer to work on practically any version of Legacy, but compatibility is not guaranteed.

This tool and these files are not supported by Maddoc or Bethesda Softworks and they are not responsible for any damages to your game directory. As with all modtools you are using them at your own risk. The end user of the tool accepts responsibility for usage of the tool. If a mod is improperly packaged with the tool it can cause issues with the player's copy of Legacy. It's up to the modder that uses the tool to test and verify it's operating properly.


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Credits / Contact:


If problems are found with the mod installer you can contact me and I'll see what I can do to help. Also if you have feature requests let me know.

ModInstaller.exe coded by Muldrf

markenobrookstone AT hotmail DOT com

http://forum.chrisjonesgaming.net/

-----------]]> Star Trek Legacy Mod Tools markenobrookstone@nospam.com (Muldrf) Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:09:14 -0500 http://ultimateuniversemod.net/download.php?view.26