TorchED User-Made FAQ

[Stezzy]

Thank you guys, you helped me alot ^^

[SpuneDagr]

I just PMed GBrown, asking...
"Is it possible to put custom particle effects on a weapon, aside from the elemental damage ones?"

His answer:
"No, but soon, hopefully.
We'd like to add a layout property to items so we can attach particles, secondary meshes, etc to items. with any luck, this will be in the next game and editor patches."

[Stezzy]

hei, again, i just wondered if there was any way to make this rooms fast? like the short video on youtube. Because it is very anoying when you have to move the tile with those arrows, so i just wondered.

[pampl]

Something I should have probably posted in here:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8586

It's just an argument to convince people making items (and maybe classes) to add GUIDs to their .dat files before uploading

[aholman]

Thought I could throw some of my questions in here to.
I'm trying to make a monster have a passive effect on attack that has a chance to interrupt(like they can also have increased chance to crit). I'm stuck and appreciate help:), not really a FAQ but still. *edit* What I really want to do but maybe not possible or alot of work, is to make monster's interrupt chance greater when they deal higher % of player's HP

Is it possible to make monsters aggro and follow you even when they are outside the screen(follow- and sightrange set to any number does not help)?
Something I tried was "ALWAYSRENDER" this seems to work and monsters follow you around, with one tiny tiny problem.... they are invisible....

[coffeegoblet]

How do I mod with 1.0?
I'm not sure if mine's really 1.0 but it uses the Runic logo as the icon.
I tried making a mods folder like that of 1.2 exactly where it should be, but that didn't work.

[draconis00788]

Where can I find the game images to alter? The path given in the tutorial from TorchEd doesn't seem to exist, at least not that I can find.

[ironKing]

Could we get a couple of STICKY threads that cover:

Item design / Item modding

Level design / Level modding

etc.

I wanted to mod a sword - opened TorchED and closed it again after 30 minutes of clicking on things...

How would I, for eg., take an existing sword like the Epic Sword of Ancestors and use that as a base for a new sword? I presume I could find the png and recolor it and save it as a new name, but after that Im lost - how do I give it stats and requirements and enchantments etc.

thanks

[astroblue]

I have a question about whether it is possible to launch a new type of game made with TorchED tools inside the Torchlight main menu or some kind of console.

Basically i have this idea to create a whole new single player experience with a different storyline that does not reside in Torchlight as the main starting area. (for example, Black mesa and halflife2)

Is there going to be support later for changing gameplay mechanics like instead of using cast times for every spell, you have to channeled spells while being able to move the char and aim. Furthermore, is there some way to allow the user to control more than one character on 1 screen? Basically having a pet's spells controllable? Queuing the pets actions would also be what i'm looking for.

I would really like to recreate the experience of a particular ARPG SNES title in PC form and I'm wondering if this is a suitable platform to do this. Artwork is a separate issue obviously but I'd just like to know if the functionality is there with the tools to allow such indepth levels of modification.

It would be greatly appreciated if someone could point me to a resource that would touch on these subjects or if it is generally possible with current tools.

[RaffoBaffo]

Is it possible to use TorchED on ubuntu?

[VenomousRacoonKing]

A few questions concerning chunks and dungeon development, and replies by Volbard who has been very kind and helpful to provide such useful information.

(a) How does the game combine chunks randomly? If I make a mod with my own set of chunks will these appear in the main game? If yes, how do I prevent this?

Open the game's media folder, and then open the layouts folder. Each of the folders in there contains all the chunks for a tileset. Now open up the cave folder. In there are lots of sub-folders, each of which contains variations on a type of chunk. The letters in the folder name indicate the sides of the chunk that can connect to other chunks. A 1x1Entrance_E chunk is an entrance to the floor and can connect only on its East side. The game will connect it with whatever it has available that has openings on the West side, for example it could pick a 1x1NW chunk and make the level bend around to the North. The chunks are made to fit together seamlessly, when you're just starting out you should probably just try opening existing layouts and changing them, being careful not to change the border tiles.

If you drop new layout files into those folders, the game will automatically find and use them. If you want to share the new chunks, it's best to drop them in your mod directory. It works the same way but is nice and separate, I'm sure you can find tutorials on how that works.

If you don't want your chunks to appear in the main game, there are a few ways to do that. One way is to just make your own folder in the layouts directory, and make your own folders to contain your chunks following the same format as the existing ones. You will also need a rules.dat file in there, it lists all the chunk types and has some other information about lighting and such, you can probably just copy one from a similar tileset. Then in the editor you can go to the Dungeon Editor and create a dungeon that uses that ruleset, and you can even go into the item editor and make a new map item that opens a portal to your dungeon. You could also create a new rules file in the original directory, but you would then need to modify the original rules files and tell them to exclude your new chunks. You can do that using the rulesets tab of the Dungeon Editor, if any Inclusive chunks are listed under Chunk Types it uses only those, otherwise it uses every layout of that type.

(b) Do chunks show up one at a time for each dungeon level? Or do they line up in a continuous form in a single level?

The game grows the levels based on the kinds of chunks available to it. So it might start with an entrance piece that connects on the South side, then add a piece that connects on its North and West sides, then add one that connects on its East and South sides, and then add an exit that connects on the North side. The number of chunks in a level is determined by the rule set, that rules.dat file.

Rooms can also have three or four connections, if you add those then you will have to make endcap rooms as well to close off the levels. A room that connects in all directions would go in a 1x1NSEW folder, and an endcap would go in a 1x1N folder. You will need an endcap for each direction. Our test dungeons had this sort of branching, but it created too much backtracking so we took it out. Also, branching hasn't been tested in a while, so be ye warned!

To be clear, endcaps are only necessary if you add branching rooms, rooms that have more than two exits. If there are branches from the main path that runs between the entrance and exit, there will need to be endcaps to tie off the loose ends.

(c) How can I specify the flow of the storyline using chunks and rulesets? For instance, how do I tell the editor that first I want set A to show on the first two levels, then only chunk 1 in the following level, then tileset B, and so on...?

You should check out how we put together the main dungeon, because it's a lot like that. Open the Dungeon Editor up, and select the dungeon called Main. You'll see a list of all the tilesets, in order, and a few tricks. If you click on STRATA0 you can see that it uses a rules file called mine/firstfloorrules.dat, switch to the Rule Sets tab and select that one. In there you can see that among the chunk types is one called 1x1NE_MUSTPLACE. That means that a chunk of that type will always appear on that floor, we did that to add chests with class specific items to make sure everyone got off to a good start. You can use mustplace chunks to make sure a particular layout always appears on a floor, but still allow the game to randomly generate the level. Your other option is to just make one enormous room, which is what we did for several of our boss floors.

So there you go, that's a lot of complicated information, I hope it helps!

[Armatus]

How do I make my .ogg or .wav files work in game?
How can I modify the animations already put in game?
Is there a way to modify the skeletons of already existing models?
Is there an easier way to make a guy die after interacting with a character (talk+quest) without reinstalling the editor =.=?
Thank you very much for your input.

[VenomousRacoonKing]

How do I make my .ogg or .wav files work in game?

Don't you just need a file converter to convert mp3 files to wav? If that is your case, you can try one of many freeware format conversion software. Let me suggest formatfactory.
Also, if your file is of the right format and it is not working, I believe there is some issue with the specifications of the file.
The game's .ogg files have sampling rate being 44100 and they use VORBIS codec.
The .wav files use a bit rate of 705kbps and seem only used for effect sounds. Make sure your files match these specifications
That is, if you are going to add a new soundtrack, make sure it is in .ogg format.

How can I modify the animations already put in game?

From the little I know, 3dsmax is the main program that was used to create models and animations. Unless there are 3dsmax importer files, I'm afraid you can't do much. Some importers have been released for blender I guess. For 3dsmax I am not too sure.
A pack of 3ds mods have already been released together with the tutorial for TorchED. Intuitively I am lead to believe that many characters use the same skeleton and set of bones. For Fate it was so. You can use the released models' skeletons and simply export the animations as .bip. The it only takes replacing default animations with your own.
I don't know any further about this atm. I suggest your read the tutorial by Runic about animation modding and texturing.
Also, TorchED has an animation editor which I guess would simplify life.

Is there a way to modify the skeletons of already existing models?

You could do that in 3ds max if you managed to import the character's mesh. But why would you want to do that? This would distort the mesh.

Is there an easier way to make a guy die after interacting with a character (talk+quest) without reinstalling the editor =.=?

Can you be more specific?

[Armatus]

Haha, I guess changing the skeleton would be redundant unless I wanted to add some more arms to the Destroyer or something. Which would call for editing the existing mesh and creating a new texture for him. For the quest giver situation I was thinking of interacting with him once and then he "collapses" he stays that way, disallowing the player to target the NPC in the process. The reward would be recieved through another NPC. I took a break from that and started creating meshes for Torchlight through Blender. The texturing is too hard though =/ (making a good texture that is) Thank you for replying.

[RaffoBaffo]

Noob modder question: I created a particle for a new missile skill, but the projectile particle won't face the right direction when firing, it is always displayed in it's "default" direction. How do i change that?

[Kenny1213]

I have a problem...

I can't create anything. I go to the palette, select a floor texture, and nothing happens. Sometimes a weird looking half of a multicolored cube will appear, but I can't do anything to it. I hope I'm just missing something and my game files aren't corrupt or something.

[RaffoBaffo]

i noticed that all the skills i create carry some knockback even if they should not (all the skills i create carry weapon damage). What is the option that determines whether a skill carries weapon knockback or not?

[ciphernemo]

I have a problem...

I can't create anything. I go to the palette, select a floor texture, and nothing happens. Sometimes a weird looking half of a multicolored cube will appear, but I can't do anything to it. I hope I'm just missing something and my game files aren't corrupt or something.

Make sure you run TorchED as administrator if you use Windows Vista or Windows 7. I ran into the problem of not being able to apply anything from the palette until I ran TorchED as administrator. To do this, right click on the editor executable (Editor.exe) in the install folder, choose Properties, then Compatibility tab, then put a check next to "Run this program as an administrator".

I hope that helps. Sorry for the late response. I just started and didn't see your post until now.

[Zardica]

How do I use the "Texture Replace" function properly?

[VenomousRacoonKing]

How do I use the "Texture Replace" function properly?

What issue are you having exactly? This should be simple. In any case:

The Replace Texture function simply links the unit file to a .PNG or .DDS texture. It is wise to base the new texture on a copy of the original and modify it. You can modify DDS files easily using a freeware program called PAINT.NET
I am assuming you are trying to edit a unit through DATA EDITOR > UNITS in TorchED, be the unit an item or a monster. Therefore in the unit editor, to link a character to a new texture simply click the browse button [...] and locate the DDS file you want to use as a texture.

If you are modding a monster unit through a text editor, access the file through \media\units\monsters\ and add the following string between [UNIT] and [/UNIT]:
<STRING>TEXTURE_OVERRIDE:media\units\monsters\unitfolder\newtexture.dds

Where newtexture.dds is your modified texture file