Help With .erf, .hak, blueprints and other such things...

[dunniteowl]

Okay, I know the file extension names and what they are supposed to do. However, it's been a while since I last placed CC into my folders and the last time I did this, I had nothing but trouble.

So, being the kind of guy I am, I started searching the web for better descriptions that might assist me where I went wrong with installing all the cool stuff that I wished to use. The NWN2 Wiki, didn't have it. The Lexicon didn't have it. I couldn't find it in the best descriptions on the Vault. I couldn't find it.

So.

What is the .erf and how is it placed and used in the NWN2 folders?

What is the .hak and how is it placed and used in the NWN2 folders?

What do we do with all the .dds, .bmp and blueprint files with CC and in what folders are they required to be stored in NWN2?

The funny thing is this just seems to be so -- BASIC that there should be explanations aplenty and, for all the searching that I did, couldn't find one. Not one. Isn't that odd? It's almost like the net didn't want to give up the information. I know it's there. I've seen it before.

So, here's what I am asking my fellow Citadel and Community members:

Can we please get some decent, simple and good explanations of these questions that I have asked? I see new folks wanting to download CC or a new Module ask these very same questions. Why? Why is it that they should even have to ask? Shouldn't this sort of information be prominently displayed?

It's like the Crunchy Frog skit of Monty Python fame.

"It doesn't say lark's vomit!"

"Oh yes it does, right there after sodium glutamate in the ingredients list."

"I still feel that's an insufficient explanation of the ingredients. This particular confection should have a prominent red label that says, "WARNING! Lark's Vomit!"

"Our sales would plummet!"

"F your sales, we've got to protect the public!"

And in that vein, only in a much more positive way, having these things prominently and well described would be in the best interests of the entire Community. I cannot tell you how many times I have read, "Simply place these files in the Override directory, and then place the Hak in your hak folder. Note: Placing files in the hak folder isn't recommended if you're going to be building, place the erfs instead in the override and don't use the hak."

Isn't that just a little bit confusing? Doesn't that sort of send a mixed message?

So what I am asking for here is for you folks that really know the ins and outs of all these files, how they are used and where, to gently, simply and completely explain these here. With those explanations handily put, I can then port them to the NWN2 Forums in a sticky somewhere as well as possibly post a Vault explanation. Then, if these explanations are the best they can be, we could then edit this information into the NWN2 Wiki in a page.

best regards,
dunniteowl

[pain]

you are reinventing the wheel.

I've been working on this here

http://nwn2.wikia.com/wiki/File_formats

I did a lot of the edits here, but it looks like grinning fool has worked on it as well.

[pain]

What is the .erf and how is it placed and used in the NWN2 folders?
What is the .hak and how is it placed and used in the NWN2 folders?

An ERF is a file format used to package up other files. You can open up these files using Tanita's NWN2Packer. The file format is a container which is used for a LOT of different formats. Hak, Mod, Erf, and PWC are all the exact same file format, which means you can really mix and match where things go. The name indicates what it is used for. ( Patches also seem to be the same format, this is interesting http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewto...59212&forum=48 )

The PWC stores various files, is primarily for terrain, but it contains dds files as well. You can actually put a lot of content in the PWC. The PWC is stored in the /pwc folder, and is loaded based on the name of the module, it has to have the same name as the module or it is not accessed.

The Hak stores various files and is loaded based on a setting in the module.

The module itself can store these things as well. Same format. It has to have the area files.

A Hak, if named properly can contain content for multiple PW's, modules, and can be shared like the CEP is.

Erf's are used to "import" content into a module, or to distribute files which you want to export. Importing is a very bad idea, use NWN2packer, get them into a folder where you can see them. Then put them in the module using directory mode. "Always" work in directory mode, this lets you manage your blueprints, backup files for portions of your module. ( I always have a good working directory, then i have a directory which contains just the things i am working on, so i only have 2-3 areas out of 60, or all the scripts, this means i deal with less stuff, and if things go corrupt i don't lose everythign. )

Note that in single player the modules content loads first, which i think is a change made by obsidian ( have not tested this but they said it works correctly ) but in multiplayer it only loads after module creation.

Now the third place to put things is the tlk file format. This contains strings used in the module, referenced by number. 1 is barbarian. A custom tlk is used to configure text specific for a module or PW, it is named not custom, but is specified in the toolset by typing in the name you want it to be ( dex.tlk for my dex.mod ) and located in the "tlk" folder. Note that it needs to have the extension in the name to work properly, otherwise it seems buggy. The custom tlk is interesting in that you can set up your 2da's to refer to it's values by adding an offset ( it's 16 something million, you need the specific number which i don't remember off the top of my head ). So adding this offset to 1, you put something else in tlk entry 1, perhaps "barbarinus".

This means that if you have a 2da which sets the class name to the offset+1, it refers to the dialog.tlk entry of 1 by default and you will see "barbarian". If you have a custom tlk set in your module the module will not load unless you have that tlk file present, but when it does load it first looks up the value in the custom tlk file and returns "barbarinus".

Note that to support various PW's and other custom content, the players will be using dialog.tlk files with content by Reeron, Kaedrin, Ladydesire, so it is a very good idea to use a custom tlk to not interfere with that other custom content users like to use.

For single player you put ALL other files in the override folder, except for music files. Note that this is a "Global" change which overrides PW's setup, which means you can be playing with different rules.

For Multiplayer you put all client needed files in the hak file, except the pwc content. You actually strip the module, since by default it still contains the client terrain files which are not needed by the server, by using the strip command in nwn2packer. ( there are other means too, but it's the best way since it uses less memory ) The actual scripts are only used server side.

Another category of content is blueprints, utp's and the like, they all start with U for the extension. They are used to have items to place in the toolset. You have to keep them in the override of the program, and not the user folder for use with the toolset. They

[vendalus]

I've added a few additional notes to and older post I did over at Wendersnaven.

http://wendersnaven.com/resource/99

Feel free to comment if I missed anything.

[pain]

You focus on folders, and here are the ones you need some input on

dmvault, holds the bic files which are used when you log onto a server, they are stored locally and not on the server.
servervault, holds the bic files for a PW's players, will contain folders for each username, and their bic files will be in these folders.
UIHas preferences, xml files, tga files for images and icons used in game. Hak's and overrides will be used instead. It's a good idea to backup the preferences file saved in this folder.
portraits has to be added but lets you use custom portraits, seems to be a source of crashing and lag so be careful, similar to nwn1
mileshas to do with sound
tlkcustom talk files go here, the main dialog.tlk stays loose in the program directory next to the exe file. If you use reerons or kaedrins or ladydesires work you will have a dialog.tlk in your player folder. You should use a custom tlk if you don't want what you are modding to be shared across everything a player does.

As for where files go, Nothing should go in the program directory at all, point blank, it can mess up any updates, and the player folder is where you should put all modules, hak's overrrides, or whatever. If it goes bad you can delete your my documents folder and it will recreate the next time you start the game. Anything in the program folder can be replaced by the player folders version.

The program directory override folder can be used for working in the toolset, for cases where the toolset does not see the player folder. But it is in a general a bad idea. we use it for the 2da's to support tilesets and placeables, and the utp for items to put in the module.


.