Replacing a car model, lights in an already existing mod

[Horsman4James]

Hi, first time poster/modder (in em4) here. I would like to replace a police car in a mod I have with a model I downloaded off here (2020 ford explorer posted by itchyboy).

Im not worried about the textures at this moment, just need help with the car model/prototypes.

I appreciate any replies 

[2Bells Gaming]

This can be a fairly complicated process, my friend.  You're looking to replace a current vehicle, and not add on, correct?

[Horsman4James]

I've decided to use a police car model/texture from Miami Dade mod, so I will not have to create my own lights for it. I'm trying to replace the two impala units that spawn automatically in the Montana Mod with the Miami Beach PD ford explorer from Miami Dade mod.

I copied the model & prototype files for the ford explorer and renamed them to match that of the impala units, and pasted them into the corresponding Montana mod directories.

I also edited the text in the .e4p and .v3o files to match the directories and unit names of the Montana mod, not the Miami mod

The problem I'm having is, when I load the mod in game, the two explorer models/textures are missing and it has the blue box, but the emergency lights work perfectly fine. 

 

 

[2Bells Gaming]

I would recommend using the editor to point to the correct model file.  I've found that editing the .e4p file in a text program opens yourself up for minor errors that will make your hair start to turn grey and fall out.  *Points at own head as example.

 

It's likely a very small spelling or grammatical error that sent you in that direction.  In the editor, does the model show correctly, or is it the missing box there too?

[Horsman4James]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:40 PM, Horsman4James said:

I've decided to use a police car model/texture from Miami Dade mod, so I will not have to create my own lights for it. I'm trying to replace the two impala units that spawn automatically in the Montana Mod with the Miami Beach PD ford explorer from Miami Dade mod.

I copied the model & prototype files for the ford explorer and renamed them to match that of the impala units, and pasted them into the corresponding Montana mod directories.

I also edited the text in the .e4p and .v3o files to match the directories and unit names of the Montana mod, not the Miami mod

The problem I'm having is, when I load the mod in game, the two explorer models/textures are missing and it has the blue box, but the emergency lights work perfectly fine. 

 

 

in the em4 editor it says "MBPD Explorer" instead of what it should say "MPPD Impala Unit 10" . The model and skin looks fine when i spawn in the mbpd car in the editor, but there is no option to spawn mppd unit 10 

[Horsman4James]

On 8/23/2021 at 4:29 PM, 2Bells Gaming said:

This can be a fairly complicated process, my friend.  You're looking to replace a current vehicle, and not add on, correct?

Hi, I've decided to change my approach. Is there any way you can assist me with adding a new vehicle into fresh copy of the L.A. mod. For example, I do not want to replace an LAPD car, I want to add a completely new vehicle (2020 ford explorer) and lightbar (federal signal valor). Because I am a beginner I want to create a very simple flash pattern, just one half of the lightbar flashing and then the other. No crazy strobing or anything. I'm going to create the texture, a fictional "East Pasadena" police department. Never going to be a public sub mod, just my creative canvass

Once again, any replies are appreciated

[2Bells Gaming]

On 9/13/2021 at 12:39 AM, Horsman4James said:

Hi, I've decided to change my approach. Is there any way you can assist me with adding a new vehicle into fresh copy of the L.A. mod. For example, I do not want to replace an LAPD car, I want to add a completely new vehicle (2020 ford explorer) and lightbar (federal signal valor). Because I am a beginner I want to create a very simple flash pattern, just one half of the lightbar flashing and then the other. No crazy strobing or anything. I'm going to create the texture, a fictional "East Pasadena" police department. Never going to be a public sub mod, just my creative canvass

Once again, any replies are appreciated

 

Alright.  This is a bit of a tall order, but I'll do my best to break it down for you!

 

1) start with making the model.  I recommend Zmodeler2, as I've found that best for EM4 to model with.  Zmodeler3 is newer and has a different interface, however I personally prefer Zmod2.  I also use paint.net for my textures, as it works with .dds files as well.  I save them as .png as I find it keeps the textures "crisper" if that makes sense.

2) once the model is done, copy a vehicle in the editor and name it something easy to remember, such as "EPPD_2020_Explorer.e4p" or similar.  I recommend using something with minimal lighting, as you'll want to just keep the basics, like headlights, blinkers, brakelights....  Use those existing lights, moving them around as needed to get the new vehicle with the base lighting.  Then move on to the emergency lighting.

3) after the lighting, I go into the scripts.  If you're using the LA Mod, you'll need to edit the LASiren.script for the sirens to work.  I believe the majority of the rest of the LA scripts use vehicle type, so you should be okay with just that one.

4) next, I do the unit folder.  in units/vehicles/police, copy an SUV and rename the folder something similar to your e4p file name.  I personally would use EPPD2020EXPLORER or something.  The order of the folders is the order they will show up in the unit-calling menu.  Top folder will be the first car.  That's why there's numbers in front, to make it easier to order them.  Within the folder, you'll have the pictures that will show up in the menu.  What we need to focus on is the unit.xml.  Edit that with a text editor, changing the name (again, something you can remember) and the path to the e4p file.  That's the basics, but you could get more advanced by editing the number of spaces for officers and detainees, and the default officers etc.

5) at this point, I do the specs and lang files, which are the last steps.  In specs, you need to add your vehicle to portraits.xml and freeplaybase.xml.  I you use the other vehicles as a guide, you'll be fine.  In the lang folder, you're looking for portrait.xml again, as well as infotexts.xml.  Again, use the existing vehicles as a guide.  Heads up: in the infotexts.xml, it's 3 lines of text per vehicle.

 

I know that's a fair amount of work, however trust me when I tell you that in time, steps 1 and 2 will be the longest.  If you're editing and existing model, such as in this case, step 2 (adding lighting) will be the longest for you.  This is a very high-level overview of what needs to be done.  If you get jammed up anywhere, let me know and I'll walk you through it!

 

Cheers!