wagnerma.de

[Matze]

Hi,

current beta version of FinalBIG is available here:

http://wagnerma.de/download.php

It basically supports a lot of different INI editing features. However, finalbig.ini still lacks some information, and help would be appreciated.

This thread is for editing finalbig.ini, this means it's not about modding, but about extending FinalBIG's functionality.

FinalBig.ini kind of mirrors the module structure of the corresponding game. Have a short look at it, and you'll see that its INI uses the same layout as Generals/LOTR. For every game, we have a INIStructure module. Beginning at that module, all modules of the origjnal game can be mirrored. You can understand this by comparing finalbig.ini with the game ini's.

In the following posts I'll show you some advanced techniques regarding finalbig.ini

Bye,
Matze
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[Matze]

You will only understand this post if you have already had a (closer) look at finalbig.ini

Regarding Implementing modules:
Let's say you have a Module called ModA. It can be used in modules ModB and ModC. ModB and ModC are independent of each other. How would you write this in finalbig.ini? There are 2 options: Either you copy & paste the ModA declaration to both ModB and ModC. However, if you change something you usually will want to change it in both ModB and ModC then. Much work.

Better way:
INIStructure
...ModA_decl
......value1 = bool
...... ....
...end
...Object
......ModB
.........ModA Implements ModA_decl
.........end
......end
......ModD
.........ModC
............ModA Implements ModA_decl
............end
.........end
......end
...end
end

You see, this saves a lot of typing work, and keeps the structure clean. Any module with _decl will be invisible in the module list, so only the modules that implement this module will be visible.
_________________
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[Matze]

What is this Specified thing?
Well, it's used for Modules like Draw. You know, that freaky Draw = W3DModelDraw stuff etc. It causes the module name to be "Draw = W3DModelDraw" inside FinalBIG (referenced with "Draw Specified W3DModelDraw" in Finalbig.ini for Implementing etc!), and not just Draw. This means, Draw = W3DModelDraw will be completely independent from Draw = MyFreakyDraw. Of course, MyFreakyDraw can Implement W3DModelDraw, like this:

Draw Specified W3DModelDraw
... stuff=0
end

Draw Specified MyFreakyDraw Implements "Draw Specified W3DModelDraw"
... newvalue=Float
end

Note it's enclosed in quotation marks.

Don't mistake any = sign inside a Generals/LOTR module name as a candidate for Specified. It can be suitable for the Lists marker, too, which I will explain in the next post.
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[Matze]

Let's stay at the Draw example, condition states:

DefaultConditionState
...Model = Model
... ...
end

This is the declaration for the Default Condition State (I hope you guessed that )
Now, there are other ConditionState's for more specific circumstances. For example, we want to have in our object.ini the following line:

ConditionState = USING_WEAPON_A USING_WEAPON_C
... Model=OtherModel
end

This would override the Model while the entity uses weapon A or C. Now, we want FinalBIG to be able to let the user choose which condition state types the condition state belongs to. We're gonna do this like that:

ConditionState Implements DefaultConditionState Lists ConditionStateTypes
End

ConditionStateTypes must be inside the Lists module (right above the INIStructure module) and list all possible settings. Also, ConditionState must be put into the ObjectsWithLists module (at the very top of finalbig.ini's corresponding game section). This is important!

Well, that's it, the user can now select between the different ConditionStateTypes for a ConditionState.
_________________
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[Matze]

This post as far as i know only affects the LOTR part of finalbig.ini:
Some values don't have a = sign between value name and value. Don't ask me why... it definitly is annoying. If that's the case, put
for example

ValueName = Direct Bool

That'll make FinalBig put
ValueName Bool
when you add that value.
_________________
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[Matze]

Current work status:

Generals \data\ini\Object : Waraddict
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[Matze]

Status Update: Uploaded new exe, finalbig.ini supports a few new keywords.
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[Guest]

I can help you (if I had enough time) write me an E-Mail. My adress is aragon999@web.de

I hope I can help you.

Aragorn

[mightymo]

are you gonna try to recreate the whole syntax of the program and make a parser??

[Matze]

Kind of. Parser is finished, we just need to finish finalbig.ini
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[Guest]

hey matze whats ur email i have a FULL List of valid weapon tags for weapon.ini