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Basic Conversations Tutorial
By Jered
Date Created: 5/23/2002


First off load up the ConEdit program. You will be presented with a cool logo screen. Click 'File -> New', and it will bring up a data entry box. Under the Missions Tab, pull over 'Mission16'. Under Misc -> Audio Package, type 'ConTut'. Click the okay button. The first thing we need is actors for our conversation. Click 'Conversation -> Add Conversation'. This will bring up a data entry box. The first thing is 'conversation name'. This is where you can type in the name of your conversation. DO NOT USE SPACES OR SPECIAL CHARACTERS! This will screw it up. Lets use the name 'HiPaul' for a conversation name. Skip the description panel, and go to the 'Conversation Owner' Entry Slot. Type in 'PaulDenton', minus quotes. It will ask if you would like to add it. Answer 'yes'. Then go to the 'Notes' space and type in Meeting Paul in tutorial or something of the like. It doesn't really matter this is for you to help keep track of things. Ignore the 'Flags' Tab and go to The 'Invoke' Tab. There are a number of options [checkable boxes] here. They are:

PC frobs NPC

PC bumps NPC

NPC sees player

NPC enters PC radius

The first two should be checked. they mean, in order:

PC frobs NPC - The player frobs, or uses, the NPC to initiate the conversation

PC bumps NPC - The player has to bump into the player to initiate the conversation

NPC sees player - The NPC (Non Player Character) can see the PC (Player Character, JCDenton

NPC enters PC radius - When the PC is a certain distance from the NPS the conversation will start. This is best used for barks (later). (Note: 16 ExEd Units equals 1 foot)

For this conversation, we want to check only the first one, PC frobs NPC. Click the Tab 'Options' This brings Up yet anther set of checkboxes:

Display Conversation Only Once

Datalink Conversation

Non-Interactive Conversation

Remain in First-Person Mode

Random Camera Placement

Can be Interrupted by another conversation

ABSOLUTELY CANNOT be interrupted

Here's what they do:

Display Conversation Only Once - Conversation can only happen once.

Datalink Conversation - Conversation occurs through the Datalink.

Non-Interactive Conversation - The player Keeps moving and nothing happens. The text just appears and the NPC talks

Remain in First-Person Mode - Don't Leave First Person

Random Camera Placement - DON'T TOUCH! It was never finished and was never used in the game

Can be Interrupted by another conversation - DON'T TOUCH!

ABSOLUTELY CANNOT be interrupted - DON'T TOUCH!

We only want the first one checked for now. After this has been done click 'OK'. You are now ready to begin the conversation itself. Under the Conversations Box (Far Left) tow things should have appeared. A Thing saying 'PaulDenton' which expands to 'HiPaul'. Click 'HiPaul' ONCE. Then go to 'Events -> Add -> Speech' on the top menu bar. A new box should pop up. The first one is 'Event Label' This is for use in jumps. For now enter 'Begin'. The next thing should say 'Event Type -> Speech' Leave this normal. The next is 'Actor To Speak' This is who will be speaking. Type 'JCDenton' minus quotes. When prompted answer 'yes'. Now you can use the pull down menus to select your actors. The next one is 'Speaking To' this is who the speaker will be speaking to (looking at). Select 'PaulDenton'. The next field is 'Speech' this is the big one. This is the text that will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Only one person should say what you type. Lets put in 'Hi' minus the quotes. Under that is the 'audio file' box. THANKS TO ION STORM/EIDOS THE DX AUDIO FILES WERE NOT INCLUDED! You can create your own, but for now, leave it blank. Leave the font box alone as well. When this is done click 'Update' NOT CLOSE! After you click update then click close.

A box should have appeared in the Events field (far Right). It has some basic information. It says Who's speaking (JCDenton) the action (Speech) and what is being said (Hi). We all know that conversations need more then one line so go to 'Events -> Add -> Speech' Again Leave the first two boxes alone. Then For the actor speaking, choose 'PaulDenton' and the person being spoke to 'JCDenton'. Then change the speech filed to say 'Hi JC' Then Click 'Update' followed by 'Close' Another box should have appeared on the Events field on the main screen. As of now, when we get this into ExEd and eventually play it, You will Click Paul and Say 'hi', then he will say 'Hi JC' Then you will stare at each other because your conversation needs an end. This ones easy. Click 'Events -> Add -> End' Click 'Update' at the bottom and then close. We now have our first 2 line conversation! Yay! But now comes the pain in the ass part of getting it to ExEd (UnrealEd) Click 'File - > Save' and Create a new folder in the DeusEx directory called 'MyMap' Save the file in 'MyMap' as "Mission16.con" (use the quotes ) then close ConEdit.

Open Up windows explorer. Go to C:\DeusEx\System. There should be a file called DeusEx.ini in there. Open it with notepad or a similar application. And Holy Crap! Complicated stuff! we are looking for a specific section of the document near the bottom (.75 down) that looks like:

...
EditPackages=Core
EditPackages=Engine
EditPackages=Editor
EditPackages=Fire
EditPackages=IpDrv
EditPackages=Extension
EditPackages=DeusExUI
EditPackages=ConSys
EditPackages=DeusExConversations
EditPackages=DeusExSounds
EditPackages=DeusExItems
EditPackages=DeusExDeco
EditPackages=DeusExCharacters
EditPackages=DeusExText
EditPackages=DeusEx
EditPackages=IpServer

[DeusEx.DeusExGameInfo]
bNoMonsters=False
bHumansOnly=False
...

See all those Edit Packages things? We need to create a package for your 'MyMap' folder so that UCC knows to compile it. Edit the document so that it reads:

...
EditPackages=Core
EditPackages=Engine
EditPackages=Editor
EditPackages=Fire
EditPackages=IpDrv
EditPackages=Extension
EditPackages=DeusExUI
EditPackages=ConSys
EditPackages=DeusExConversations
EditPackages=DeusExSounds
EditPackages=DeusExItems
EditPackages=DeusExDeco
EditPackages=DeusExCharacters
EditPackages=DeusExText
EditPackages=DeusEx
EditPackages=IpServer
EditPackages=MyMap

[DeusEx.DeusExGameInfo]
bNoMonsters=False
bHumansOnly=False
...

There is one other thing you need to do. Look for the line that says ‘cdpath=[yourcddrive]‘. Change that so it points to your DX directory. (cdpath=c:\deusex if you did the normal install) Now close it and save it. This will tell UCC that there's a package called MyMap that needs to be made. Now go to notepad. What you need to create now is a Unreal Compile file (.us) that tells UCC to put Mission16.con in your maps .u file. Type up this file EXACTLY like this:

class DeusExConversations expands Object
abstract;

// Import conversations
#exec CONVERSATION IMPORT FILE="Mission16.Con"

// shared conversations

// Intro/Endgame

// AI Barks

defaultproperties
{
}

the '#exec CONVERSATION IMPORT FILE="Mision16.con" is telling UCC to put that file into your .u file. Save this file as "DeusExConversations.uc" WITH the quotes. Put it in the 'DeusEx -> MyMap -> Classes' IT MUST GO IN CLASSES! This are the files that UCC runs. Now exit and go to DOS mode. Get to the c:\> by typing 'cd\;' minus quotes. Then type 'cd\DeusEx\system'. This puts you in the system directory. type the command 'UCC make' (no quotes) and watch it do its thing. This WILL take a while. IF you finish with zero errors (if you've followed you shouldn't have any) exit dos and head to Windows Explorer. Note that in the 'DeusEx -> System' directory there's a file called 'Mymap.u' That's your file in a way that ExEd can understand it. Now we are ready to add the conversation to a level. Open up ExEd and build your basic square room remembering to put in your 'PlayerStart' and 'DeusExLevelInfo' objects. Make sure that for 'DeusExLevelInfo' you set 'missionnumber' to '16'. NEW! With the release of the Multiplayer Patch, a new step to importing conversations has been added! Under the 'DeusExLevelInfo', there is a catogory called 'ConversationPackage'. In this field, you must place the name of the .u file that contains your conversations. In this case it would be 'MyMap'. Now go to "Object -> Actor -> Pawn -> ScriptedPawn -> HumanMilitary -> PaulDenton" place Paul Denton somewhere in your level and edit his properties. "Conversation -> BindName" Should be PaulDenton NO SPACE! This is the name we set for him back in ConEdit. now that this is done jump into the game and click on him! Isn't that cool? He doesn't verbally speak but you can read the text at the bottom! Wow! That's it for now.

Notes: To redo your .u (to add to it) you will have to delete it form your system folder and re UCC make it. UCC will only update a file if its missing (Delete=Missing).

"Give us the Tools, and we will build worlds" ~ Jered



Copyright 2001 | Design by AsylumX | Coded by Jim