==================================================== ==================================================== MODDERS Quick Start ==================================================== ==================================================== This document was designed as a no-frills guide for serious

modders and for peop le who have tinkered with the toolset and want to know more. Here's a super-fast run-through of everything you need to get a *very* basic mod in place The three programs you will need can be found via the Start Menu, under 'Program s -> THQ -> Titan Quest -> Toolset'. They are: - ART MANAGER: compile and build your mod, database editing - EDITOR: build map levels - QUEST EDITOR: wire triggers for quests and scenes 1. Start the Mod a. Open the Art Manager a. Go to 'Mod -> New...' and create your new mod 2. Make a Map a. Open the Editor a. Select your mod, create a new map under the 'Maps' folder b. Under the Region menu, choose 'Add New Terrain' (overground) or 'Add New Grid' (underground). Create a new file name under 'Maps'. (256x256 is *BIG*!) c. Select your new level and press the button with two red arrows. This will take you to the level d. Make your map. Have fun! Be sure to add one 'spawnplayer' from the sidebar ('records -> controls -> spawnplayer'). If you do not, your character will not have a place to spawn! e. Return to the Layout Mode tab (bottom of window). f. Under the Build menu, 'Rebuild All Pathing' and 'Rebuild All Maps' g. Save all and exit the Editor 3. Maps in the Art Manager a. Open the Art Manager again b. Under the 'Sources' tab, select the 'Maps' folder c. Right-click on the *world* file, which should end in '.wrl' that you created. Select 'Auto-Create Assets' from the pop-up menu d. In the window that comes up, click on 'Add' and select the *level* (.lvl) file that belongs to the map. All level files that belong to a map should be added here. e. Select 'OK' f. Go to the 'Build' menu and select 'Build'. This will build the map assets. g. Your mod is playable at this stage 4. Add a Quest a. Open the Quest Editor b. Under 'File' click on 'Select Mod...'. Select your mod. c. Create a new quest. d. Quests are composed of quest steps, which are composed of triggers, which are composed of conditions and actions.

e. Add quest steps, then triggers, then conditions and actions to build your quest. f. To copy values into conditions and actions i. Select a value in the Asset Chooser ii. Select the field in the action or condition iii. Click the '...' button in the field, and the value will be copied over. g. Save your quest under your mod's 'Quest' folder and quit the Quest Editor 5. Hook Up Your Quests a. Open the Art Manager b. In the 'Sources' tab, auto-create the quest asset c. Build all d. Open the Editor e. In Layout Mode, under the 'Quest' menu, click on 'Select Files'. Choose your quest. Quests must always be associated with a map to work in a mod. f. Save the level and quit the Editor g. Build all in the Art manager again. 6. Adding Custom Text All custom text must be added to a string list to appear in the game. To edit t he string list you need to create a mod in the art manager. Once you have creat ed the mod follow these steps: a. On the sources tab click on the text folder. b. Double click the ModStrings.txt file - it will open in notepad. c. Enter all text in the following format: StringName=StringContent For example: NPCName01=Timmy NPCDialog01=Hi, my name is Timmy. Can you and I be friends? WeaponName01=Sword WeaponName02=Bigger Sword etc. d. Save and close the ModStrings.txt doc. e. Right click on the ModStrings file and select auto create asset (you will on ly need to do this the first time you edit the ModStrings file. Each additional time you edit the file you will only need to select build from the top menu to add your changes to your mod.) f. To add the string name to a database record simply put the string name into the text field. For example if you are working with a dialog pack, in the Dialo gTextTag field you would put in NPCDialog01 g. This process is the same whether you are changing the name of a button, UI E lement, character, monster, equipment, etc. All new text must come from the str ing list. 7. Play Your Mod a. Run Titan Quest b. Select 'Play Custom Quest' c. If everything is build correctly, you will see your mod on the list. d. Create a custom character and click 'Start' 8. Distributing Your Mod:

a. Navigate to your My Documents\My Games\Titan Quest\CustomMaps\<Mod Name>\ dir ectory. b. In that directory there should be a database and resources sub directory. Yo u will need to copy and distribute what is directly in the Database and Resource s directories but you do not have to include the sub directories within Resource s and Database - just the root level files. For Example: - Assume you have made a mod called TQMod - Make a copy of the TQMod folder in My Documents\My Games\Titan Quest\CustomMa ps\ - Go into the TQMod copy and remove any sub-directories within the Database dire ctory and Resources directory but leave the root files. (these additional subdi rectories in the Database and Resources directory just hold the temp files used to make the archives) - So you might be looking at a file list like this depending on which resources you have changed: TQMod\database\TQMod.arz TQMod\resources\maps.arc TQMod\resources\items.arc TQMod\resources\sounds.arc etc. - The end user would then need to place these files in their My Documents\My Gam es\Titan Quest\CustomMaps\ directory - For best results zip the mod files with the directory structure in place, and then the end user will only need to extract the files to their My Documents\My Games\Titan Quest\CustomMaps\ directory.