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Where do I start?

I think I've found the biggest part of the learning curve is the vocabulary.

For example, I'm working on a data set for the old Twilight 2000 ruleset and it has a master skill list, and some of those could be selected as "background" skills and I'm currently working on making a portal on a tab that will allow someone to pick one and have it add skill points to their character. The hardest part of going through the authoring kit is even formulating the question to ask, using the right vernacular - or understanding the answer.

I've gone through half of the example and I'll complete the other half, but it can be a fairly intimidating wall of text until you're somewhat savvy in it.
 
The thing with the AK is you just sort of have to fail a lot and get through the frustration with the understanding that it's all learning experience. Once you grok the basic concepts (gizmos took me a bit), you'll discover that a WHOLE LOT of possibilities open up.

Planning is super important though. My first data set required a major overhaul because I hadn't accounted for certain more advanced features that had to interact with the stuff I'd already done -- in ways that the work I'd done made, well, difficult.

Also, spend time with the SW sample files. They are very helpful, but you sort of have to know what you're looking for. A full-featured text editor like Notepad++ (which can search through files within given folders) is indispensable.

Lastly, you have to REALLY want your set of datafiles for HeroLab. That motivation is key.
 
That depends.... sometimes they're not even worth trying...lol.

I'm having a bit of trouble adding the races of my game in. I added the 6 races according to the sample in thing_races.dat file but only the sample race shows up when I launch the program. I also added the stats and they show up fine, well sort of. They are in alphabetical order which is not how they are supposed to be. How do I change the order?

Bruce
 
Ok update:
I was corrected in something I did when entering the races. I apparently inserted the other races before the end code for the sample race. It was fixed for me. But now I am having trouble with one race in particular. The Halfling. When starting up the game I get a unique id error on the line the Halfling starts. I tried rewriting the code, and copy & pasting from the others then changing just the race and nothing works. But when I completely remove the Halfling stuff the game will boot up in HL just fine.... what gives here?

Bruce
 
What were you using as a unique ID, what was the exact text of the error? It's hard to help without the appropriate information.
 
The exact code for the Halfling is:
<thing
id="racHalfling"
name="Halfling"
compset="Race"
isunique="yes"
description="Halfling Player characters">

</thing>
Click to expand...
Which other than Halfling, there is no other difference from the other entries.
The error I am getting is:
The data files could not be loaded due to the following errors:
File thing_races.dat (line 73) - Thing - Invalid unique id
Click to expand...

Bruce
 
The issue is id="racHalfling" this because that is an 11 character Unique ID and HL only supports 10 characters.

Wouldn't you need to do races after you configured all the Race Components? Then setup the editor.dat so that entering a new race would be really simple then. If you build a race now before you change all the components to support races for your game means you will have to go backwards later to fix.

That is just my opinion though. :)
 
I dunno..... I am working with BoomerET who is helping me on this and he told me to enter the races, so I did. There are no plans to add any new races just yet. But where do I go to set up all the Race Components?

Bruce
 
Really, so that very limited Savage Worlds tutorial has something I missed?..... I went through it and didn't see anything useful. So far BoomerET is helping me so much more than that tutorial did. I am not even sure I would call it a tutorial.

Bruce
 
It has how to update components, create races, resources, etc, did you actually do it or did you just skim it?
 
I'm looking through it right now, and like before, it is showing me things in the script that isn't helping at all. I'm in the Races and Racial Abilities section and it is talking about components, but it isn't explaining enough to make sense for me and the game system I am trying to implement.

Bruce
 
Actually it isn't even called a tutorial, it is a walk through and for others like me a walkthrough can lead to more confusion. I even have some limited "programming"(?) experience in getting the game I am using to work in Maptools and that wasn't easy but it was fun to see it all come together. So far Hero Lab is no where near as intuitive as Maptools is, and I don't think anyone could call Maptools intuitive.

Bruce
 
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