CEP Install Help for Mac

[Legacy_Synystra]

                Hi everyone, 

I signed up so I could get some advice for installing the CEP Pack for my Mac version of Neverwinter Nights (SoU and HotU expansions included). I've been searching all over but I can't seem to find a good guide on how to install it on a Mac. I am not very tech-savvy and I don't know anything about scripting and stuff like that. '>

Sincerely, 

Synystra
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Calvinthesneak]

               Good news.  You don't need to be too terribly tech savy to install CEP for Mac or Linux.



So you'll need to download the 7z version of CEP. (2.3 is latest). here



Now you simply open the file with a 7zip extraction utility.  Inside are a bunch of files, most will end with a .hak entension, extract all of those to your nwn/hak directory.



anything that ends with a .tlk extention gets extracted to your nwn/tlk directory (if it doesn't exist, create it and extract file there)



anything that ends with a .erf gets extracted to your nwn/erf directory.



I'm I think anything left just goes into your NWN directory. (should just be auto updater).



CEP team can correct me if I've forgotten anything.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Synystra]

               Okay, I did all that.



But when I try to open up a CEP-only module, it says that I'm missing a "custom talk table". What does that mean?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Eradrain]

               

Synystra wrote...

Okay, I did all that.

But when I try to open up a CEP-only module, it says that I'm missing a "custom talk table". What does that mean?

Calvinthesneak wrote...

anything that ends with a .tlk
extention gets extracted to your nwn/tlk directory (if it doesn't exist,
create it and extract file there)

.Tlk is short for Talk Table.  That's what you're missing.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Eradrain, 18 novembre 2010 - 04:09 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Synystra]

               I found all of my .tlk files and put them in the tlk folder. Then I started up the game and found that all of the text (like on the start screen buttons and stuff) is missing.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_KenquinnTheInsaneOne]

               Did you by any chance move the dialog.tlk file from the NWN base folder into the tlk folder? If you did that it could explain your missing text. The dialog.tlk is a stock resource and goes in your NWN base folder aka the one that contains the tlk folder.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Eradrain]

               

Synystra wrote...

I found all of my .tlk files and put them in the tlk folder. Then I started up the game and found that all of the text (like on the start screen buttons and stuff) is missing.

You just needed to put the CEP.tlk file into your tlk folder.  Just that one.  Those other files were all already in a different directory for a reason, they're basic game files.  Put all the rest back where you found them, or, if you don't remember, a clean uninstall/reinstall should do it for you.

Calvin was being unclear, when he said "anything that ends in .tlk," he really meant "anything in the CEP install package you just downloaded," and he didn't need to say "anything," since there would only be the one file, "cep.tlk".

The way that the game works is that custom content goes into hakpacks, which you store in your hak directory (in some cases custom content is in override form, but we don't need to overcomplicate things here), and the game uses these things called talk tables (.tlk), kept in the tlk folder, to refer to text that is appended to custom content that needs it (Like custom classes, custom spells, that sort of thing).  The basic text that you're now missing is also kept in a .tlk file, but that isn't kept in the .tlk folder, which is only for custom player-made talk tables.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Eradrain, 19 novembre 2010 - 01:25 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Calvinthesneak]

               My bad, I thought I was being clear about talking about the contents of the rar package. Sorry.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Synystra]

               Okay, the text is back now. (Phew!)



Where do I get these custom talk tables? I can never seem to find them on the download screens. To be more specific, I want to be able to run this module: http://nwvault.ign.c....detail&id=4215
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Eradrain]

               It doesn't work that way.

.Tlk files are for custom content.  Modules are not custom content.  Modules use custom content, sometimes.  Custom content uses a .tlk sometimes.

Custom content = stuff you put in haks, 2das, overrides, .tlk tables, that sort of thing.  Custom classes, spells, art resources (models, tilesets, weapons, clothing).  Only things that require modifications/additions to game engine text make use of a custom talk table (like custom classes, custom spells, modifications to the toolset menus, that sort of thing).  Custom content is made outside of the game, with programs like 3D-Studio-Max, Adobe Photoshop and Textpad, and then imported into the game via proprietary formats like .2da and .mdl formats, which are packaged into hakpacks via the NWHak.exe utility in your /Util directory, and finally uploaded to the NWVault, downloaded, and finally stored in your /Hak directory so that module-builders/players like you can use them if they want.

Modules = The campaigns, worlds and stories you build in the toolset.  Each "game" or "adventure" in NWN is actually a module.  Each chapter of the original campaigns that shipped with the game and its expansions are modules.  Modules use custom content, sometimes, if the builder wants to, but they are not custom content themselves.  Modules are made inside of the game, via the provided toolset, and they can take advantage of custom content like art resources and stuff, which is what the CEP is, just art resources (no gameplay changes like new classes or spells).  With the toolset you can create creatures, gear, areas, you can script encounters and rules and almost anything else using NWScript (NWN's proprietary object-based programming language, it's pretty much identical to C++), and with custom content you can increase the amount of art resources or whatever else you have to work with.

If you have questions about modules and the toolset, you'll want to go to the Builder or Scripting forums, depending on what your question pertains to.

The module you linked to utilizes the CEP.  You just need to put the module in your /modules directory (And remember to unpack the .mod file itself, putting the compressed .zip or .rar file you downloaded in there won't do a damn thing), and make sure that the CEP is installed like we told you to do, and it should run fine.  That's all.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Eradrain, 20 novembre 2010 - 01:47 .