Where are the FG2 XML files?

[jedbob]

This question may have already been answered in a separate thread, but I haven't been able to find it. I simply want to be able to modify the existing d20 monster manual (or even add a copy of the same book as a campaign-custom monster manual to the books in the library). I can't seem to find where the core xml files for that book are. I've found *.mod files for each of the d20 books in the Application Data/Fantasy Grounds II/Modules folder (I'm running XP), but I can't edit or open them with any text editor.

Are there xml files available to copy and modify, and if I do so will they simply show up in the library once I'm hosting a game? I found another group of d20 xml files from a previous install in a Fantasy Grounds/Rulesets/d20/Database/Monsters.xml in what may be a previous install of v.1.05, but when I tried adding my own monsters by copying an existing <node>...monster info...</node>, modifying it, and appending it at the end, it didn't show up in the d20 monster book when I re-booted FG2. I'd like to be able to do this for spells as well...do I have to learn LUA scripting or something?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Irian]

1. A .mod file is nothing more than a .zip file with another name. Open it with Winzip, extract it, modify it, zip it again and rename it to .mod. Bingo.

To extract the D20 ruleset for FG II (into Application Data/etc.) - simply run D20unpack.exe in your Fantasy Grounds program folder - it will generate an "example" directory. But as long as you only want to modify the module, you will not need to do so.

[jedbob]

Got it! Windows was confusing the *.mod file as an old Amiga format music module file, and my WinRar wasn't immediately recognizing it as something unzippable. Still, I guess I should join the call for the eventual release of a module editor plugin...having to go through this process of unzipping a file that doesn't appear to be a compression format and which needs to be renamed with a new extension after making the changes is non-intuitive and user-unfriendly. However, I can see the XML source now and can proceed to make my changes. Thanks for the advice!

[Oberoten]

I use Winrar instead of Winzip, if you rightclick the file and choose "Open as..." you can choose to open all *.mod as a compressed folder, edit and save the files within and automatically repack.

Or just drag the file out, edit it as you see fit, drag it back into the open winrar archiver window and boom. All where it should be.

[jedbob]

OK, I managed to get all the zipping and unzipping of the module file done. I went in and made a copy of the d20 Monsters file, which I then proceeded to modify. I called my new file "d20 Custom Monsters". I zipped it back up and put it in the Application Data/Fantasy Grounds II/Modules folder. However, my module is not showing up in the library (or in the module activation window) when I start up FG2. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong?

[Irian]

did you rename your .zip to .mod? Does your .mod include all files?

[Griogre]

jebbob, did you change the other file? There are three files in a mod, the icon, the definition, and the db.xml. Did you update the definition.xml file? Finally, when you zipped up the file did you just zip the three files? If you zip the folder too the mod won't work.

jimbob, doing this the way your are doing it - is doing it the hard way. You are doing by hand what the export command does for you. You can make personality modules that only include personalities. Thus you wouldn't have to reinput the current d20 monsters you could just add new monsters as seperate books. And should an update to the d20 monsters be posted you won't have to update them by hand.

To do this you just start a new campaign called My Monsters. You then just input the monsters you want in the module. Then type /export in the chat box. This will pop an export window. Name the module, add an icon, and only select personalities for the type of data. Add any tokens you want in the module by drag and dropping on the bottom pane of the export window.

Hope that helps.

[jedbob]

I'll give that a shot. I had no idea about the /export command or the technique for adding monsters by making a new campaign. Will this and other hidden knowledge be covered in the documentation for FG2, should it ever get released?

And yes, I had renamed my .zip files as .mod files, and I had updated the definition.xml file with my new "d20 Custom Monsters" name.

Regardless, I'm grateful for the advice from all who responded. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon.

[jedbob]

OK. I followed Griogre's advice and created a new campaign named "Custom Monsters". I added a single new monster personality, then used the /export command to save my new "d20 Custom Monsters" module.

I left both "index group" and "thumbnail" blank under the Model Export window, and checked only Personalities to be exported.

When I opened up another FG2 campaign I am working on, my new module "d20 Custom Monsters" was available in the Module Activation window. I opened its book icon at the top right, but it is not showing up in the Library. Should I have added it to the "d20 Essentials" index group? How do I get my module to show up in a library in different campaigns?

[Griogre]

I'm not yet sure how index entries work. There is that tantalizing hint you might be able to associate them with the standard library.

I was originally just thinking you could treat you new monsters as if they were from another book. IE like the MM, MM3, MM4 etc.

Maybe one of the developers could fill us in on how the index works and what checking it when the module is made means.

[Goblin-King]

The index refers to the entries in the library. If you check the index checkbox on some exported items, they will show up in the library as one list of links. You have to enter the index group label string for that to happen. The index group label is simply a subtitle heading used on the left hand side of the library screen, you can use it to group your campaign modules etc.

All entries exported using the /export command appear in the list books as well. This is not a technical limitation as such, you could avoid it by post processing the xml by hand or creating a more complex custom export script, but that would be a leap that would make the export command quite a bit more complex so we decided to keep it as simple as possible.

[Griogre]

Thanks for the imformation Goblin-King. "List books" are like the story book, map and images, ect?

I got this to work but I don't understand the logic in also including the indexed data in the List Book(s). It seems to me if you are going to index it you probably don't want *all* of it duplicated in the book and if you don't want it to be a reference in the library you just wouldn't index it.

I may be missing something, but if you assume most things to be indexed are referance material similar to the d20 monsters, the d20 magic items, or spells where a small subset will be normally be actually in use but most will not.

[Goblin-King]

I got this to work but I don't understand the logic in also including the indexed data in the List Book(s). It seems to me if you are going to index it you probably don't want *all* of it duplicated in the book and if you don't want it to be a reference in the library you just wouldn't index it.

The list books index data in a particular location in the data base, even if it is imported from a module. Preventing this would mean moving exported data to a different location, which might break links and such.

Also, it's good to keep in mind that you can index things for player side modules. They can't see the lists directly.

[acmer]

I don't know if this is solved somewhere, but if I make books for all the Monster Manuals, there's going to be a huge list in Personalities too. Now if I want to create an NPC, it would be lost among the monsters. Is there a better way of doing this? I know I can create a link somewhere that points to the NPC, but that doesn't really solve it.

[richvalle]

I don't know if this is solved somewhere, but if I make books for all the Monster Manuals, there's going to be a huge list in Personalities too. Now if I want to create an NPC, it would be lost among the monsters. Is there a better way of doing this? I know I can create a link somewhere that points to the NPC, but that doesn't really solve it.

Why would there be personalities created from adding MM books? They are two seperate things.

What should happen (I think) is that you create a mod for each book you want to add. So there would be a MM1 book, MM2, ect. When activating that mod and going into the Mosters book you would see all those entries listed.

From there, if you wanted too, you could drag and drop some of those entries into the Personalities book to create encounters.

rv

[acmer]

Why would there be personalities created from adding MM books?

Because using /export you must put the new monsters to Personlities, right? Then, when I export, delete the monsters from Personalities and try to see if the book is still ok, all the entries are empty. If I want to see the monsters in my new books, I have to keep them in Personalities too.

Noticing this got me so frustrated that I gave up creating new monsters and haven't really looked into /export after that.

It could be that I'm driving in the wrong side of the road too...

[Griogre]

Part of the confusion here is the term module. richvalle, I think, is sugguestion you make a book like the d20 monster one that is in the default ruleset. You can not make a module like that using the /export command instead you would take the d20 monster book mod and convert it to a zip file, unzip it, rename the files and in the db.xml strip out the existing monsters and put in your own.

You may find the app on this thread helpful: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6336