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HL Authoring Kit

J

joelcifer

Member
Hey, can anyone help me figure out how to use the authoring kit? I really want to make a Fallout system using it but, I don't even know what to do.
 
Open up any current system. Click Develop and make sure "Enable Data File Debugging" is checked. And then select "Create New System". Then switch to your new system.

Then go here: http://hlkitwiki.wolflair.com/index.php5?title=Home

Read through Basic Concepts, Advanced Concepts and Kit reference. Then go into the Examples section and see the "Savage Worlds Walkthrough" do that before you start working on your own system. I'm just making the assumption you have very little programming knowledge so make sure you watch the order things are entered into the files.

While going through the walkthrough come and a) search for issues you're having and then if you don't find the answer b) post a question. The searching part is very important because lots of things have been answered many times.

After all is said and done, make another new system, but this time for what you want to do.

The authoring kit is not for the faint of heart, it takes a lot of time and work.

Good luck.
 
Thank you, it worked. Does it always copy the previous game system? Is there a way to make it completely blank?
 
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It should start you with a skeleton game system - a starting point to work from

Completely blank would mean there were a lot of components you needed to build before it would even compile, like building a tactical console, a dashboard, and a proper container to build the rest of the character within.
 
Mathias said:
It should start you with a skeleton game system - a starting point to work from

Completely blank would mean there were a lot of components you needed to build before it would even compile, like building a tactical console, a dashboard, and a proper container to build the rest of the character within.
Click to expand...
It won't let me edit or get rid of the sample stuff in it, they're read only.
 
If you mean the .dat files, change their extensions to .user while you're working with them, and then back to .dat when you're ready to publish, so your users don't accidentally overwrite something core to the game.
 
Mathias said:
If you mean the .dat files, change their extensions to .user while you're working with them, and then back to .dat when you're ready to publish, so your users don't accidentally overwrite something core to the game.
Click to expand...
thanks man, what is a good program to work with XML's?
 
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joelcifer said:
thanks man, what is a good program to work with XML's?
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I personally use TextPad and lots of people like Notepad++. Both are really good and free.

If you want to get into some really good software then it can cost. But honestly the complexity of the authoring kit is in the scripting language not the XML parts.
 
I would like to point out that I suggested going through the walk-through and reading the documentation I linked. Which answers many questions you've already asked.
 
joelcifer said:
thanks man, what is a good program to work with XML's?
Click to expand...

Assuming Windows, for free I would suggest Notepad++ AND you download the plugin for XML tools. It won't help you visualize things the way for pay programs do, but at the least you can ensure the xml is well formed. xml has some syntax requirements to a file to work properly or it won't load into programs that "read" xml. Honestly, the rules are relatively simple, but it REALLY easy to miss a closing tag or quote or something like that(one of the benefits the for pay tools come with is that they automatically close quotes and tags for you so you don't forget!). I tend to use XML spy (one of those REALLY expensive tools I was talking about) at work for some things, but for simple xml editing, I still use Notepad++(even with work stuff sometimes).

I have not used Textpad in years, but at the time, I am fairly sure it did not have full support for XML. granted, that may have changed.
 
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