theworldofdreams.com

The time has come again to update the WoD scripts to the latest version available on WoD. One thing that I think I need to mention is that the WoD scripts are becoming more and more dependant on the WoD files (several new items, advanced alchemy potions needing the new stackable graphics, etc.) To be able to use the WoD scripts to the fullest, any shard out there based on the WoD scripts will probably need to have our players use the WoD verdata files too. I'm not really sure if that would be a problem, but its an issue I thought I should bring up...

On a side note, the last version of the WoD files (that I released on 10/03) were downloaded 305 times.

Before I upgrade, can you please explain some stuff?
First of all, its fairly late, so please excuse any spelling errors I'm bound to have.

Our shard uses a totally new map - Created using Dragon and Dragon Mod.
If I update to these new scripts without using the custom verdata that you provide, what problems will I have?
We use the newest version of AOS

Where can I download the verdata and other misc files you guys provide? Is it the whole thing or just a few patches (I don't know how patches would be possible, but hey, youre Drocket. And you can do it with the map, so I assume you can with the verdata as well.)
Can we modify the provided verdata? We have a few items we’ve been itching to put in anyway.

What else?

Oh, ok here’s a good one. Is there a way to find out exactly which items need new graphics and change them to the standard AOS verdata versions?
How would I go about doing that?

What tool do you use to mod the verdata? We use Michelangelo, but its not working too well with AOS.

I’d prefer to just use your files, but would they work with a custom map?
Do we just install the WOD files and have our players install them or what?


That’s it for now.

Thanks and good night, hmm actually morning. Well, I’m off to bed.

If you try to run the WOD scripts without the custom verdata files, its quite possible that POL simply won't start (with the "No graphic defined for objtype XXXX" error.) I didn't test that, though, so it may be able to get past that anyway.

Assuming that it does work, the biggest problem is likely that there are several items (and getting to be more all the time) that simply won't be visible to players. I recently changed to advanced alchemy potions to use some new stackable graphics that I added. If you don't have the right client data files, they'll simply be invisible to your players (though you can fix them by changing the graphics defined in the alchemy itemdesc.cfg file. Still, there's going to be more and more of them in the future, so that's little more than a short-term solution.)

Probably the biggest problem with adding items like I did is that they don't work with UO3D (at least not until someone figures out the UO3D file format.) You're pretty much stuck with UO2d. Considering how much the 3d client sucks, though, thats probably not much of a problem

Assuming you can get past the stuff above, the easiest way to make them available is to take the WoD player files which are available to download and rename them to something unique to your shard (its not polite to overwrite files other shards may need ) You have to make them the same number of letters as the original file, so for WoD, verdata.mul becomes wodverd.mul. You could just replace the wod with some abbreviation for your own shard. Once you do that, you then edit the UO client to look for the modified files instead of the original. To do that, you need a text editor that can work with hex files. Just do a search for 'verdata.mul' and replace it with your 'xxxverd.mul'.

The modified verdata files should work just fine with any modified map that you may have made. YOu can also use them as a base to add any extra graphics you may want to: just specify them as the base verdata.mul in whatever program you're using to modify the file. I've been using mulbuilder (http://mulbuilder.hozyxon.net/) myself, though there are quite a few other tools.

*needs to make a permanent write-up for drocket.net*

Ok doesn’t sound too bad. Ill just stick to using your files, but modify them a bit.
Thanks for the prompt response, and yes, if you can just copy paste the post to drocket.net.

hum i have my own custom ver too but i can um if you dont mind rip the need graphic from your verdatum
if thats ok

Rest assured that I have been using WoD verdatas for a while now on my custom map shard without problems. I am still not convinced that the armour leggings is worth all the problems it causes me , but I have stayed the same as WoD to avoid compatability problems as much as possible.

I rename all the mul files and hack/rename client.exe the same way Drocket does with my own shard abbreviation. You can actually vary the length of the file names if you like, but when you overtype the name when editing their name in client.exe you only overtype the existing name and any '00' hex values you see after the name. The '00' are there just to pad out the space (For example I have multimapsq.rel as the cartographer's map which is longer than the original but will fit in the space in client.exe)

There is nothing to say you have to *use* the new items unless all your players are using a compatible version of verdata.

Regards,
Stephen Donald.