Guide to adding new content to CDDA for first time modders

[Curlyfried]

SERIOUSLY comprehensive.

Thank you, @mlangsdorf for the time and effort required to compile this.

I’m going to devour this and start churning out content.

[TooDAMNMuch]

i’m considering at least giving a try to creating a mod that would totally remove both freezing and spoilage mechanics from the game so that players who want a vastly easier and less tedious experience can readily have this crutch.

i looked over the documentation linked above and still sort of drew a blank on how to totally remove features from the game via a mod.

[Stone]

There is already a mod that does this, if you use the launcher you will see it’s called no freeze.

[TooDAMNMuch]

right, but that’s only half of what i want, plus it doesn’t actually remove the ability of things to freeze as a mechanic, it just sets the threshold for when it should happen to a ridiculous number.

since it’s obvious you aren’t aware that mod has also been totally non-functional and broken for quite a while now too.

[Stone]

Yeah I’ve never used it, but it should give you an idea of where to start.

[TooDAMNMuch]

no, not at all, i’ve seen that setting ridiculous values as the threshold is a worthless course of action that’s assured to be broken by updates to the game later, that’s why i’m focused on entire removal.

[TooDAMNMuch]

so… no advice at all on how to remove game mechanics via a mod?

[mlangsdorf]

Yes and no.

Generally, when you’re talking significant changes to game mechanics such as removing rot and freeze, you’re going to need C++ support. And while I am more than willing to help a programmer out, I don’t have any experience in teaching people to become programmers.

So, while I’m pretty sure that this:

diff --git a/src/item.cpp b/src/item.cpp
index b362b413d3..0a3d2e2d2e 100644
--- a/src/item.cpp
+++ b/src/item.cpp
@@ -3894,7 +3894,7 @@ std::set<matec_id> item::get_techniques() const
 
 bool item::goes_bad() const
 {
-    if( has_flag( "PROCESSING" ) ) {
+    if( has_flag( "PROCESSING" ) || get_option<bool>( "DISABLE_ROT" ) ) {
         return false;
     }
     if( is_corpse() ) {

would be a key part of a maintainable approach to disabling rot, if that doesn’t mean much to you, then my only advice would be to search on the web for some c++ tutorials and learn enough programming that it makes sense. I’m sorry if that isn’t a satisfactory answer but that’s really the best I have to offer.

[TooDAMNMuch]

it’s an answer, i certainly can’t handle anything to do with c++ programming, thanks for responding.
i mean, i’m sure i probably could, i understand what an if statement is and i think i follow the logic statements there as well, but the rest i’d have to learn from the ground up, i’ve never really even toyed around with c++ yet, the only time i did would be the cheat codes in the old carmageddon game that decrypted the game files so you can edit them to your liking.

[Kyti]

Hi. On adding new items, I am confused about item weights in the json vs item weights in-game and I was also wondering if it is possible to have an item “look like” a combination of multiple items? For example: I am wanting to make a custom suit for a character class that I am making and I want it to use the tileset of a combination of different existing armor pieces so that the suit will be one item but look the same as if you combined several pre-existing items. Example is if the suit is a combination of if you wore a hood with cat ears or pants with a tail, etc. For now, I am just going to make the item available only when starting with that particular character class, but I am considering actually making it craftable as a combination of a bunch of other armor pieces and able to be disassembled into the individual parts as well. I may also create a new scenario for the class in the future if I can get the hang of this stuff. Thank you.

[TheMurderUnicorn]

The “weight”: line in the json refers to the weight in grams. Kilos are easy, but if you’re like me and use lbs, you’ll have to google the conversion.

So, I want to make an item that’s 1 lb. I google what is 1 lb in grams and get 453 grams. So my line looks like this:

"weight": 453,

[Kyti]

Oooohh… Yeah, I use pounds so I was very confused where these numbers were coming from. The difference between “volume” in the json and “volume” in the game was easy and made sense, but the weights… Thanks!

[ecchi_squid]

I love you @mlangsdorf and your sexy mustache too. Always helpful.

[mlangsdorf]

I didn’t write code to recompose multiple sprites/images into a new one for looks_like. I wrote code to tell the function that looks up an image that if it doesn’t find an image, it can look for a different image and use that instead.

No, you can’t specify a combination of items for looks_like.

[faefux]

Hey, Can someone point me to the best examples of missions that update maps? I specifically want to change some terrain in a faction map at the end of a mission, getting a litttle confused though. thanks!

[mlangsdorf]

data/json/npcs/tacoma_ranch/*, especially NPC_ranch_foreman.json

[faefux]

That’s perfect! Cheers mate!

[chuanyueyouxia]

Excuse me, can I translate the content of your post into Chinese?

This guide post is really wonderful. I want to share it with my friends.

[mlangsdorf]

Yes, of course you may! Please do. Though use the current version at the development wiki.

[chuanyueyouxia]

Thank you very much.I like this guide post. Cheers!

Yes, of course you may! Please do. Though use the current version at the development wiki.