Blogs - VKVII

Almost finished. It took me some time to figure out a couple of things and I had to correct the controller buttons I remade to be of an exact size.

I have already create a full BAIN installation package with pics for the options and integrated the .ini changes for the fonts.

Of course I will release a 'manual installation' package too, I for one exclusively install mods manually.

I need some time to make some tweaks to the focus of a couple of tabs and further test the BAIN installer.

If I release something I care it will work with no problems and while I have always released BAIN compatible archives, I never created before a complex BAIN installation package, so I want to be sure everything is ok.

The work is proceeding, I wish I had more time, these weeks have been plenty of relax and I was able to get back to Oblivion as much as I wanted. Soon I won't be able to do so, I hope to finish this.

Everything is working smoothly, constantly testing with both controller and MKB.

...and I was tempted to use small fonts because they look pretty but in the end it's plenty of UI around making use of small fonts (and even too small). The fonts won't be huge but not tiny either.

And in the end I'll avoid adding fonts through script extender, sadly. It perfectly works and it runs once only, for the entire game session, so it would be ideal, though even setting the script to immediately start I don't like to risk to open the interface and the fonts aren't loaded, unfortunately it's not just about how fast it can run on seconds, frames is the wild factor and it varies too much. Hell, even in my own game, sometimes the fonts immediately show and sometimes it takes 2-3 seconds for them to appear, not ideal. Too bad.

Experimenting with a personal UI, never touched the interface in Oblivion, I'm doing something simple but entirely compatible with NorthernUIAway for controller support.

So the focus here is to have something nice but fully compatible with controller support.

Done new fonts, the Kingthings Petrock Regular in two smaller size and it wasn't easy since Oblivion uses the freaking double .fnt plus .tex format, besides I had already worked on 2 menus, hence I had to set the glyphs of the fonts to match my initial setup, what a pain. And after all that, I may use Theo's ones which are cleaner since with the right application he didn't forced the line height. No, I think I will end up using one of him and 2 of mine, I managed to get good results.

Now I'm finishing the Stats menu, the Inventory menu is done.

It's an interesting work, it drives me crazy sometimes, and some values are a bitch to find too. Learning a ton from Beider first UI mod from many years ago, on which all the UI mods around are based, while I cannot use his code (it's not suitable for controller support), I keep it as a reference.

Why bother? Because yes. I want to use the controller like it's natively implemented (the miracle mod NorthernUI made it possible) and as well I want things in my game made by me, so I work on this very gladly, and in order to learn about the UI, I start from where it all begun: BTMod.

A lot of fun but time consuming. Good so far, everything works.

In case, I will share it. Someone may like it and enjoy it along with full functionality for controller.

I may add some pics later on.

I sincerely don't know what the fuck is wrong with rings in Oblivion.

I ran into several problems regarding items in all the games I modded (as naturally when modding a game), FO3, FNV and Skyrim, but everything has always been solved with logic, patience, or the knowledge other players shared in forum boards or tutorials.

I NEVER encountered in those games the WEIRD things I sometimes see in Oblivion.

And in this case (rings models!) there is no logic, nor patience, nor other's suggestions that can possibly explain what the fuck is going on!

This time around, it makes no sense whatsoever!

Oblivion freaks out with rings, BEHOLD the madness of this game:

if you create rings as clothes (the category "Clothes"), and I mean skinned meshes, with bone weights, like any outfit model (not like the vanilla rings that have extra data Prn with the value of a bone to which the ring is attached), SOOOO if you crate a ring like the most common thing on earth, aka a weighted mesh... this is the result:

the ring wont render on the player.

LOL WHAT

On NPCs it renders, not on the player.

I can't find for the life of me a possible explanation to this insane fuckery.

But

behold again

there is more, I made a discovery so 'awesome' that my jaws dropped underground:

if you create that exact same ring (NOTHING DIFFERENT) as armor (the category "Armor"), then it renders anywhere with not problems at all!

What can I say? Other than WTF

Ah yes... "IT JUST WORKS"(cit)

So, to summarize:

• A custom ring is not displayed on the Player, while it displays perfectly on ALL NPCs.

• If you add that same custom ring to the game as 'Armor' instead of 'Clothes', it will be displayed with no problem: on Player AND NPCs.

So, after I've spent an outrageous amount of time trying to solve this mystery to no avail, I had 2 possibilities to circumvent the ring issue:

1. make all my rings as Armor instead of Clothes, which I despise as a solution. I have assigned new models to ALL vanilla rings and I don't like to make them all Armor, changing also Leveled Lists and all the clusterfuck of records that need to be changed, only because they wont render on my character. Even creating an exclusive set for my character only, when picking a vanilla ring, I don't like this solution. It could be ok for new ring but not the vanilla ones.

2. I see there is a function that makes it render the rings, so I'm attaching a simple one-line script to every freaking ring.

I don't know if I'll keep this solution or if I'll ever find out what the hell is wrong with rings.

If anyone is interested, encountering the same problem with rigged rings models, what I did is to attach to the rings a script object with OnEquip Player block and use player.Update3D

In this case the Update3D function perfectly works on player, (the official OBSE documentation reports this function not always works on player, in this case it works for what I've seen so far).

I would have avoided adding a script object, but until I find out why in the "it just works" world this is happening, I'll keep it.

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P.S. There are very few ring mods around (it's a small item barely visible after all), the few old mods of rings I found... they add IN FACT new rings to the game as Armor.

Who made those rings years ago, surely ended up baffled like me today and discovered rings are rendered with no problem ONLY if added as Armor.

Oblivion is incredibly weird sometimes.

No time now but I would like to go back to it.

Last time I played it was long ago and I was doing ports.

Fallout 3 is another one that won't be finished (speaking of personal mods), many outfits done, items, races (all of them), many places, but I have a lot of personal quests too to finish and I can't see the end of it (much like Oblivion).

I love Fallout 3 so much.

My character in recon, last thing I was doing.

Testing in Megaton common house, chairs also ported and replaced those crappy ones (model was so bad).

NPC with ported gear, IIRC I have replaced the combat armor with this one.

Many armor need better pipboy version because I like to use the classic pipboy on my char, otherwise I could consider that folder done.

Sorting folders and screenshots I feel big nostalgia when I see Fallout <3 stuff.

Released the Argonian pack, it's been a bitch because hgec UV are something else.

Hope people will enjoy it, there are also age maps and eyes. Smaller hands modified with nails annexed are in this pack too (optional ofc).

If you want to check news, info or complete gallery my site

7 EYES COLORS: orange (default), blue, green, grey, hazel, and added indigo and magenta in case someone want to spice the Argonian up!

Geechan's hands modified with nails and textured.

A male age map, kept the vanilla pattern and colors of course.

Finished the Khajiit textures pack and the Argonian one is coming (hope to find the time next week).

You can visit my site for news on releases, info or complete galleries.

The mod page here on ModDB.

Added alternative hands mesh with my custom nails.

In the end also made the eyes.

Colors are: hazel (classic), green, blue, cyan, grey and I've added Indigo and Magenta in case someone want to spice the Khajiit up!

All body is seamless enough, I've also mended seams.

Genitals are covered (no literally), I made those parts too.

On the chest they have different fur and pattern, I kept the vanilla in mind creating this.

I like now the Khajiit! I hope you'll enjoy too.

Love

Happened to open my Fallout folders today, I shouldn't have. I'm tempted to go back to it but I have no time now, next weeks almost zero time, I will later on.

These pics are from good times making a mini story mod for my own game I've called Hideout 18 with lot of ported things, with an interesting story and a futuristic place to be used as home at the end of the quest, along with various weapons. I added a lot of elements along the way and I want to add more.

Also made a quite unusual puzzle, in that quest the player must solve a test made in an alien language with movable holographic tables, something simple but effective.

All takes place in Fallout 3 but it can have a sort of outcome in NV too. I will return to it when I'll have some free time again, I miss Fallout.

Of course I did put an Easter egg inside the quest, guess about which other game...

These screenshots are taken without ENB, the peculiar light is due to changes to the ISM and ambient lights.

I may change the name of the drone, replacing the word "drone" or merely getting rid of it. At the time I did this mod there were no fucking drones around, it was ages ago, now this word doesn't sound as cool anymore :/

Did some ports of big cats and... found the leopard in a place it was not supposed to be (poor horsey!).

Flagged all horses essential long ago and the cat (essential too) was falling unconscious, horses beating his ass for good.

Of course the guards were getting in the middle of the fight for no reason at all lol (Oblivion as usual).

These tests have been a hilarious mess until I flagged them all "friendly" just to be quick, now they get along just fine, until the test is done at least.

Horses with new friend hanging around:

Both the tiger and the leopard look fine, animations aren't terrible but not perfect, they would need more work, though I prefer to spend that time on other things, the result now for what I'm concerned in my game, is good.

I like to keep big cats around because they are a beauty.

I think I'm going to leave them friendly with horses at least in the Arcane University.

Those are mages after all, they put a spell on them and the environment is weird alright.