Guide to changing graphic colors

[Dikiyoba]

WARNING: This thread contains information about modifying your game files. If you modify your game, it may change in ways you don't expect or want. These modifications are not designed or supported by Spiderweb Software. Use at your own risk.

 

Tired of having all your companions be pink and green? Having trouble finding the buttons for secret doors? Want to create color atrocities of your own? Then this is the guide for you!

 

Basic info and disclaimer:

 

Much of the game's information is stored within the text files in the Scripts folder. This allows for a fair amount of modification to the game. However, this can easily cause the game to freeze upon loading or otherwise make the game unplayable. Change scripts at your own risk. Spiderweb does not support modified games. Make a backup copy of a script before you attempt to edit it. Attempting to edit items, abilities, or text is complicated and risky, and for this reason this guide is limited to simple color changes only. I have a copy of the game for Windows bought directly from Spiderweb Software. I have attempted to provide instructions for Windows versions of the game bought from Steam or GOG. I would be most grateful if someone could provide instructions for finding the Scripts folder on a Mac (and any other platform-specific information). Once you find the scripts, editing should be identical no matter the platform or where you bought the game. I have no idea whether you can edit the version from the Mac App Store.

 

If for some reason you need to restore the scripts to the original version but don't have a backup of them, you can download a clean copy of the game from Spiderweb Software's homepage. This should not mess up your registration. In the extremely unlikely event that it does and re-entering the original key doesn't work, contact Spiderweb Software for a new key. But realistically, you will never have to do this. (Be extra cautious if you bought this game from Steam, because getting an unmodified download of the game may be harder. But moving a game downloaded from Spiderweb Software to the Steamapps folder should be doable. It's much better to have backups, though!)

 

 

Where to find the scripts:

 

To find the Scripts folder on Windows, either right-click on an Avadon 2 icon and select "Open file location" to get to the main Avadon 2 folder. From there, open the Avadon 2 Files folder. The Scripts folder will be there. Or, if you bought the game directly from Spiderwb Softare, go into Program Files to Spiderweb Software to the Avadon 2 folder. If you bought the game from GOG, it will probably be in a similar location. If you bought the game from Steam, go Program File > Steam > Steamapps > common (or possibly under your registration name, depending on how you installed it) > Avadon 2. If you want to adjust the colors of your companions, the file you need is "av2itemschars." If you want to make secret buttons more obvious, the file you need is "av2objsmisc." Make a copy of that file, and put it somewhere safe. Newer versions of Windows might not let you make any changes to the scripts. Make sure you are logged into Windows as an administrator account. If that doesn't work, you can usually move the file somewhere else (like to the Documents folder), edit it there, and then move it back.

 

 

Removing or editing the palette swap from a companion Hand:

 

Open the file "av2itemschars" and search for their name to find their coding. For instance, this is Yoshiria's code.

 

begindefinecreature 7;
cr_name = "Yoshiria";
cr_graphic_template = 275;
cr_scaling = 95;
cr_graphic_coloradj = 2;
cr_sound_when_slain = 41;

 

The only call we are interested in is "cr_graphic_coloradj = 2;" This is the call that makes her green. To remove it entirely, either delete the line entirely or comment it out by putting two forward slashes in front (so that it now reads as "//cr_graphic_coloradj = 2;"). (The game ignores anything preceded by two forward slashes.) If you want to make her a different color, change the 2 to a different number. Possible values and their effect are listed later.

 

This is Yoshiria's code with the color adjustment removed:

 

begindefinecreature 7;
cr_name = "Yoshiria";
cr_graphic_template = 275;
cr_scaling = 95;
//cr_graphic_coloradj = 2;
cr_sound_when_slain = 41

 

This is Yoshiria's code with a color adjustment that will make her slightly darker (to distinguish her from the PC, if the player chooses a female Shadowwalker):

 

begindefinecreature 7;
cr_name = "Yoshiria";
cr_graphic_template = 275;
cr_scaling = 95;
cr_graphic_coloradj = 16;
cr_sound_when_slain = 41

 

That's all there is to it. Repeat for any companion you wish to change the colors of. The most realistic palette swaps are 16 (to darken the graphic slightly) and 32 (to lighten the graphic slightly). This will make the companion slightly different from a PC (and sometimes NPC) of the same class and gender without being too obvious.

 

 

Adding a palette swap to make secret buttons more visible:

 

Open the file "av2objsmisc" and search for "Secret Door" to find the code for the secret buttons. Note that there are two different versions, one for east-facing walls and one for south-facing walls. The original code looks like this:

 

begindefineobject 202;
import = 90;
ob_object_type = 11;
ob_name = "Secret Door";
ob_graphic_template = 7;
ob_graphic_sheet = 6;
ob_base_icon_num = 6;
ob_default_script = "secdoor";

begindefineobject 203;
import = 91;
ob_object_type = 11;
ob_name = "Secret Door";
ob_graphic_template = 7;
ob_graphic_sheet = 6;
ob_base_icon_num = 7;
ob_default_script = "secdoor";

 

To add a palette swap, add the line "ob_graphic_coloradj = 64;" immediately before the line "ob_default_script = "secdoor";" Remember to do so for both versions of the button. The new code should look like this:

 

begindefineobject 202;
import = 90;
ob_object_type = 11;
ob_name = "Secret Door";
ob_graphic_template = 7;
ob_graphic_sheet = 6;
ob_base_icon_num = 6;
ob_graphic_coloradj = 64;
ob_default_script = "secdoor";

begindefineobject 203;
import = 91;
ob_object_type = 11;
ob_name = "Secret Door";
ob_graphic_template = 7;
ob_graphic_sheet = 6;
ob_base_icon_num = 7;
ob_graphic_coloradj = 64;
ob_default_script = "secdoor";

 

This will add a palette swap to the secret button graphic to make it stand out more. In this case, the value 64 will invert all the colors in the graphic, making it extremely obvious (and pretty ugly as well). If this is too much for you, you can experiment with other values. The values and their effects are listed below.

 

 

List of graphic adjustments

 

1 - Swap red and blue

2 - Swap green and blue

4 - Swap red and green

8 - Convert the graphic to grayscale

16 - Darken the graphic (sometimes hard to see)

32 - Lighten the graphic (sometimes hard to see)

64 - Invert the colors

128 - Convert the graphic to grayscale (again)

256 - Tint the graphic red

512 - Tint the graphic green

 

Multiple adjustments can be added together to get different effects. The value 257 (tint the graphic red and swap red and blue) will tint a character blue, for instance.

 

 

Dikiyoba wishes you good luck, and happy adjusting.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Lilith
added warning

[Triumph]

How to find the scripts on a Mac: Go to the Avadon 2 icon in your Applications folder. Left-click and select "Show Package Contents. Open the "Contents" folder, then the "Resources" folder. This is where you find the .txt files av2objsmisc and av2itemschars.

[Slawbug]

Very cool. What happens if you combine the 1, 2, and 4 flags?