Unreal Mods

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Unreal Mods

• CIS 488/588
• Bruce R. Maxim
• UM-Dearborn

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Based on notes byRachel Cordoneand Joe Wilcox
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Mods

• Unreal Tournament 2004 supports a flexible mod
  system
• You can replace the game types, menus, and splash
  screen
• Total conversions have their own separate set of
  folders contained within the main mod folder

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Running Mods

• Assuming MyMod is the (directory) name of your
  mod.
• // start the game
• ut2004.exe -modMyMod
• // start the game with a different user ini
• ut2004.exe -USERINIMyUser.ini -modMyMod
• // join a server running your mod
• ut2004.exe 1.2.3.47777 -modMyMod
• // start UnrealEd for your mod
• unrealed.exe -modMyMod 
• // running the UnrealScript compiler
• ucc.exe make -modMyMod

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Directory Structure
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Mod Directory

• All your Unreal Script class folders are placed
  in the main mod folder and the source code is
  complied here as well
• The isolated directory of your mod should be
  created in the same root directory.
• Create a directory called MyMod in the root
  directory (a meaningful unique name is better)
• The name of this directory is important because
  that's the name you will have to use for the
  -mod command-line switch.

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Mod Directory

• This directory will be the root directory of your
  mod that will contain your mod's content and
  scripts.
• How you further organise the content in the MyMod
  directory is up to you, with one exception a
  sub-directory called System has to exist.
• The most important file is UT2k4Mod.ini (this
  name is not changeable)
• The contents are also fairly tightly specified

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UT2k4Mod.ini
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Contents UT2k4Mod.ini - 1

• ModTitle - The name of your mod. This can include
  spaces.
• ModLogo - A 512 x 128 texture, displayed when
  people select your mod in the UT2004 Community
  tab.
• ModDesc - A description of your mod that will
  also be displayed in the Community tab. Use pipes
  for a carriage return.

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Contents UT2k4Mod.ini - 2

• ModCmdLine - Command lines passed to UT2004
  besides the -modMyMod switch.
• ModURL - URL for your mod's website.

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Script Packages

• The UnrealScript packages you create should be
  set up just like you would do with a normal
  package for UT2004 except it should be within
  your mod directory.
• Your mod directory would look like this
• MyMod
• MyModCode -- an UnrealScript package for
  your mod
• Classes -- put you UnrealScript
  source code here (.uc)
• MyModGUI -- another UnrealScript Package
  
• Classes

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Content Packages

• Content packages go in their respective
  folders...
• MyMod
• Animations -- Skeletal Mesh animation
  packages (.ukx)
• Help -- Splash screen (.bmp) and
  ReadMe (.txt)
• KaramaData -- Physics data (.ka)
• Maps -- Level packages (.ut2)
• Music -- Music files (.ogg)
• Sounds -- Sound packages (.uax)
• StaticMeshes -- Static meshe packages (.usx)
• Textures -- Texture packages (.utx)
  ...

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Help Folder

• Needs to contain a 600 x 400, 256 bit color
  bitmap file called MyModLogo.bmp
• You must name the .bmp file the same as your
  mod's root directory ltModNamegt Logo.bmp.
• This bitmap will be used as a the splash screen
  when the mod is starting up

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System Folder
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System Folder

• You do not need to create the actual MyMod.ini
  and MyModUser.ini files
• These will be created from the default versions
  the first time the player starts the game

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Shortcut
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Merging Configuration Files

• It's important to understand how merging files
  works.
• The files Default.ini and DefUser.ini have to
  exist in your mod's System directory.
• If UT2004.ini exists in the game's System
  directory, it will be merged with the mod's
  Default.ini
• Otherwise it will use the game's Default.ini and
  merge it with the mod's Default.ini .
• The same goes for the user.ini files.

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default.ini

• The most important content are the Paths lines in
  the section Core.System
• Other sections can be added as game evolves.
• Be sure to delete MyMod.ini and MyModUser.ini any
  time you change default.ini

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default.ini - 2

• Note the prefix in front of the Paths and
  EditPackages lines.
• There are two prefixes you can use for
  addition, and - for removal of entries.
• This is only usefull for dynamic array
  configuration entries (like Paths, EditPackages,
  ServerPackages, ServerActors, etc.).

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default.ini - 3

• For example, adding the following entry
• -Paths../Maps/.ut2
• Will remove default path to the Maps directory
  from the generated configuration file.
• This way the maps for the normal game can't be
  accessed from your mod.
• If no prefix is used the line will simply set the
  values, old values will be overwritten.

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default.ini - 4

• Keys get processed in the order they appear, so
  the following is possible
• -CacheRecordPath../System/.ucl
• CacheRecordPath../MyMod/System/.ucl
• CacheRecordPath../System/.ucl
• This basically inserts the reference to you mod's
  ucl files before looking in the default game
  location.
• Be careful with ordering of some of the entries
  the order often is important.

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Log Files

• When running with mod support, the main .log
  files will be placed in your mod's System
  directory by default and be called ltModNamegt.Log
  (i.e. MyMod.log).
• All other secondary log files (such as ucc.log)
  will still be created in the game's System
  directory.

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Localization Files

• Starting with the latest patch, UT2004 can
  correctly locate and use localized text (.int)
  files stored in your mod's System directory.
• This requires some work on your part.
• DUMPINT will always create the new .int files in
  the game's System directory.
• This is an unfortunate outcome but changing it
  would have proven difficult at this time.

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Cache Record Files

• Starting with the latest patch, UT2004 can
  correctly locate and use cache record (.ucl)
  files stored in your mod's System directory (or
  in the case of cache record files, whichever
  directory is specified by the CacheRecordPath
  array).
• EXPORTCACHE will create the .ucl files in the
  first directory found in the CacheRecordPath
  array. Using the trick above, you can force it to
  use your directory, but that's unsupported.
• As a general rule, you will have to hand copy
  these files in to their proper place - from the
  game's System directory to your mod's System
  directory.

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Player Settings Files (.upl) - 1

• There is special logic built in to the latest
  patch to make UPL files mod friendly.
• When the Cache Manager searches for .UPL files,
  it traverses the Paths array in reverse (bottom
  to top)
• It checks each directory for .UPL files, adding
  any that it finds to the cache.

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Player Settings Files (.upl) - 2

• When it reaches the game's System directory, the
  following occurs
• If you are not running with a mod, it will scan
  the directory as normal.
• If you are running a mod, and no .upl files have
  been found already, it will scan the directory as
  normal.
• If you are running a mod, and the game has
  already found even a single .upl file, it will
  skip the default System directory.

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Player Settings Files (.upl) - 3

• In a nutshell, this means that if you have a mod
  that uses both your own custom .upl files and you
  want to allow them to use the default characters,
  you will need to include a copy of the original
  .upl files with your mod.

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Optional Matinee Sequence

• This can be used to replace the default nVidia
  log sequence at the start of the game
• Create an empty black map containing the
  following
• Player start
• Matinee sequence that starts at interpolation
  point
• ScriptedTrigger that waits one second and then
  triggers your menu (1 second delay essential)