Hi,
I just started modding with the Ark Dev Kit. I followed the tutorials and was able to create a basic Mod.
I started with just adapting the player’s first few experience levels just to get my feet wet.
I cooked the changes as a mod and when playing with it in the game, the changes to my player XP requirements appear in game.
When I cook it as a Total Conversion. No changes appear in game and falls back to the default.
What do I need to change to make my mod a Total Conversion?
Which fields in which blueprint need to change?
For info: Everytime I tested the game I deleted my mods folder, and my LocalArkSave folder, to have a fresh start.
Is there actually any benefit towards a Total Conversion in regarding to stacking with other mods like Aku Shima, Roofing Plus, …
versus just creating my own mod and have it on top.
I’m thinking along the lines of changing things like the Smithy and Dino Overhauls.
Can you give examples of what cannot be achieved with a mod, that can be done with a Total Conversion again more specifically in regard to stacking with other mods.
When my mod changes the smithy (adds new item to craft) can others:
a. my mod as regular mod, use my smithy and also add new items, or is first in load order the only one who can have it changed
b. my mod as a TC, use my smithy or again loose out as my TC loads first and is the only one who can make changes.
Besides that I can not help you that much since I have no experience with Mods at all. TCs do not stack, but it might be that you can do a TC and stack only Mods on top of it.
OK after wasting a complete day to get a Total Conversion running based on the provided tutorials. I finally found the solution.
It seems the inheriting/subclassing/childing of the PrimalGameData_BP and referencing/overriding it from my own map didn’t perform as expected. AKA a total bust!
After looking at the Statera Vis TC I saw that there was no new level, no new child blueprints present.
However there where a ton of base blueprints present.
So I said to myself, lets try that approach.
So I directly edited the core files itself. And look and behold. My changes actually appeared in game.
Now from browsing this forum and it’s support section. It became quite clear that the Dev Kit is a mess.
E.g. I had previously installed the Devkit once before and messed around with it. Not knowing that you better not mess with core files you do not intend to change.
I figgled with the Stag one once. Didn’t change anything, but probably altered something reverted the thing, but saved.
Well with all my issues. I have uninstalled the dev kit, and reinstalled in a different location on my harddrive.
When cooking a TC in my output the Stag Status component blueprint still appears.
And the hell am I going to try to find how to teach the DEVkit what files actually changed and what not. I even did a verify before cooking, and it still appears in my cooked TC.
If anyone knows the solution to this second problem. Please enlighten me.
So for all those trying a TC. If the Tutorial to create a TC is a bust for you. Editing the actual core files works.
But fair warning: including to myself. You better keep a good track of what you have changed and what not, cause an update to the dev kit will probably overwrite all those changes. I better dust of my toolkit for doing a folder compare on which files got changed and which didn’t so I know what to redo on an update.
I have read somewhere on this forum that a user created a copy of the PrimalGameData blueprint and referenced it in PrimalGlobals or something.
That is what I am going to try next for a TC. In that way I could make a copy in my mod folder (with backups made!) and hopefully an ArkDevkit update leaves these files untouched, I that way I can make changes to the game without touching the core files.
OK In hindsight I better need to read up on stuff before I start doing things: seem if I read this page http://ark.gamepedia.com/Modding:Total_Conversion first I would have known that I could alter the base files instead of fiddling around with subclassing and such.
Subclassing is great for mods, not so much for Total Conversion.