How to Swap an Ident
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:32 pm
Allright guys, this is for the new modders who are just starting out.
This is really simple, you do it one time, and you'll be able to do it a million.
Preferred Application
Entity UE v1.6
Requirements
Halo 2 Map File
Tutorial
Step 1 - Open Entity UE v1.6, or whatever other application you are using to edit Halo 2 Maps.
Step 2 - I will be using Zanzibar for this step. Go to File > Open > Zanzibar.map
Step 3 - On the left side of Entity, you should see a treeview of things such as, "<fx>," "adlg," "bipd," etc. Scroll down until you see "weap."
Step 4 Press the little plus sign to the left of it, and tags of all the weapons in the map should appear.
Step 5 -Click "objects/weapons/rifle/battle_rifle/battle_rifle" This is the weapon, the battle rifle, in the map.
Step 6 - Things called Reflexives should appear in the middle of the screen. You should see, "Attachments [0], "Predicted Resource [0]," etc. We won't be dealing with those. Right click the screen, next to those Reflexives, and three options should appear, "Swap," "Display," and "Clone Chunk." Go to Display > Idents.
Step 7 - Many things should appear on the screen. In the box where everything appeared, scroll down until you see "Projectile [0] on the left side on the box."
Step 8 - Right Click "Projectile [0]," and click "Swap." A small box should appear on your screen, with two drop down boxes.
Step 9 - Click the, "objects\weapons\rifle\battle_rifle\projectiles\battle_rifle_bullet" one, and all the projectiles available in that map should appear. So, if you want the battle rifle to shoot plasma rifle bullets, find "objects\weapons\rifle\plasma_rifle\projectiles\plasma_rifle_bolt" and click it. It should have replaced "objects\weapons\rifle\battle_rifle\projectiles\battle_rifle_bullet."
Step 10 - Press "Swap Ident."
And you're done! You're battle rifle should now shoot plasma rifle bolts instead of battle rifle bullets. Now, this seems a little boring, because who wants to shoot plasma rifle bullets? You can back to Step 9 and decide to have it shoot Scorpion tank cannon shots, or banshee bombs. By the time you finish reading this tutorial, you should know how to do that yourself.
There's an extra step for those just starting out and want to play it immediately.
Step 11 In the bottom right of Entity, there's a button called "Sign." Click it. Wait a moment, and a box should appear, saying "Done." You have to do this WHENEVER you edit the map. It fixes the encryption, so that you'll be able to play the map.
WARNING: Very professional, amazing mods can be made using Ident swaps. The problem is, "cheating" mods are also made by Ident Swaps. You can't make a mod with every weapon shooting the scarab gun, and expect it to be respected. People consider these as mods that are used on Xbox Live to boost one's skill level, because gaining kills is so easy.
Ident swaps are great, but you need more than that, be sure to skin your maps as well, and to other original, creative things, such as adding scenery.
Happy Modding.
This is really simple, you do it one time, and you'll be able to do it a million.
Preferred Application
Entity UE v1.6
Requirements
Halo 2 Map File
Tutorial
Step 1 - Open Entity UE v1.6, or whatever other application you are using to edit Halo 2 Maps.
Step 2 - I will be using Zanzibar for this step. Go to File > Open > Zanzibar.map
Step 3 - On the left side of Entity, you should see a treeview of things such as, "<fx>," "adlg," "bipd," etc. Scroll down until you see "weap."
Step 4 Press the little plus sign to the left of it, and tags of all the weapons in the map should appear.
Step 5 -Click "objects/weapons/rifle/battle_rifle/battle_rifle" This is the weapon, the battle rifle, in the map.
Step 6 - Things called Reflexives should appear in the middle of the screen. You should see, "Attachments [0], "Predicted Resource [0]," etc. We won't be dealing with those. Right click the screen, next to those Reflexives, and three options should appear, "Swap," "Display," and "Clone Chunk." Go to Display > Idents.
Step 7 - Many things should appear on the screen. In the box where everything appeared, scroll down until you see "Projectile [0] on the left side on the box."
Step 8 - Right Click "Projectile [0]," and click "Swap." A small box should appear on your screen, with two drop down boxes.
Step 9 - Click the, "objects\weapons\rifle\battle_rifle\projectiles\battle_rifle_bullet" one, and all the projectiles available in that map should appear. So, if you want the battle rifle to shoot plasma rifle bullets, find "objects\weapons\rifle\plasma_rifle\projectiles\plasma_rifle_bolt" and click it. It should have replaced "objects\weapons\rifle\battle_rifle\projectiles\battle_rifle_bullet."
Step 10 - Press "Swap Ident."
And you're done! You're battle rifle should now shoot plasma rifle bolts instead of battle rifle bullets. Now, this seems a little boring, because who wants to shoot plasma rifle bullets? You can back to Step 9 and decide to have it shoot Scorpion tank cannon shots, or banshee bombs. By the time you finish reading this tutorial, you should know how to do that yourself.
There's an extra step for those just starting out and want to play it immediately.
Step 11 In the bottom right of Entity, there's a button called "Sign." Click it. Wait a moment, and a box should appear, saying "Done." You have to do this WHENEVER you edit the map. It fixes the encryption, so that you'll be able to play the map.
WARNING: Very professional, amazing mods can be made using Ident swaps. The problem is, "cheating" mods are also made by Ident Swaps. You can't make a mod with every weapon shooting the scarab gun, and expect it to be respected. People consider these as mods that are used on Xbox Live to boost one's skill level, because gaining kills is so easy.
Ident swaps are great, but you need more than that, be sure to skin your maps as well, and to other original, creative things, such as adding scenery.
Happy Modding.
