Help Getting Started Modding Keen 4

Anything related to Keen Modding.
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Paramultart
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Help Getting Started Modding Keen 4

Post by Paramultart »

Hello everyone, I am new here.
Have been playing Commander Keen since 1993. :D
Is there a step by step tutorial for modding Keen 4?
I really want to make a Keen mod, but I have no idea where to start.
I tried ModKeen, but it gave me an error saying there was no DPMI or something.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
lemm
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Post by lemm »

Hello, welcome =)

I don't do galaxy modding myself, and there are others out there who could probably help you a lot more. Anyways, here's a very rough outline of what you would probably want to do...


First, get modkeen to work.

http://www.dbit.com/pub/cwsdpmi/csdpmi4b.zip
You can unzip CWSDPMI.EXE into your modkeen directory and it should go. Type modkeen -export -episode=4 -bmpdir="img" to output all bitmaps into the sub directory "img" I usually just keep a copy of modkeen in the keen directory.

Some other useful tools:

Tile properties editor (CK456tli):
http://www.bipship.com/ck456tli

Executable Patcher (CKpatch):
http://files.keenmodding.org/ckpatch-0.10.0.zip

Level Editor (Keen:Next):
http://www.keenmodding.org/viewtopic.php?t=1201

All of them are pretty well documented, and there are subforums with more you can read to get you started.

As the next step, you could just try exporting the graphics with modkeen, fiddling around with them, then importing.

Then you can try to make custom levels using the level editor and tile properties editor to make some test maps.

After that, you could make custom sprite behaviours using CK4Patch.
There is an index of all the patches at http://levellord.rewound.net/Index/Keen%204/

This article also describes how sprite actions work in keen galaxy. http://www.keenmodding.org/viewtopic.php?t=906

As an example mod, you might want to check out The Keys of Krodacia, (http://www.shikadi.net/wiki/files/Mods/ ... odacia.zip).

And then there are ways to do sounds and music... but I am not sure of how that works.

Hope that helps =)
Mink
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Post by Mink »

Hey there, glad to have you onboard!

Your ModKeen problem happens because you need the DOS Protected Mode Interface to run ModKeen in DOSBox. You can either download CWSDPMI and stick it in your ModKeen directory or you can run ModKeen from the command line (or make a batch file since that's pretty much the same thing only much more efficient) since that way doesn't require DPMI.

So the other tools you'll need to get started:
Ck456Tli - changes the properties of tiles
TED5 - pretty much the best level editor (so far ;-) )
CKPatch - patches new files into the game and can change other stuff too once you get a little more advanced (e.g. text, number of council members to rescue, lots of other stuff)

You can get all these (along with some other goodies) in the Galaxy Modding kit which is.... somewhere. I thought it was on the KeenWiki, but I can't seem to locate it right now, so I'll have to get back to you on where to download it.

As for tutorials, TheMagician's is an excellent place to start.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Edit: Lol, of course Lemm sneaks in there while I'm typing.

Edit again: Ah, here we go: http://shadowm2006.sitesled.com/galaxymk.zip So it was on KeenWiki kind of, linked in the TED5 article.
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Paramultart
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Post by Paramultart »

Thanks guys, I appreciate it! That was exactly what I needed!
Wasn't expecting that fast of a response, either. :D

So far, I'm having no problem modifying the graphics, but whenever I made a slight change to the map in TED5 (all I did was modify the name), then carmacized it and ran the game, I get an error saying "Map too tall".
What would be the cause of this? :/

Thanks.
Mink
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Post by Mink »

There should be a batch file in there named goX.bat, where the x is 4, 5, or 6, depending on which episode you're using (I'm pretty sure TED5 automatically makes one/comes with one). You need to run this from now on instead of the executable because it has the commands to run CKPatch and load the modified files.
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Paramultart
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Post by Paramultart »

Yes, I've been doing that, yet the error still appears whenever it loads Shadowlands. :(

EDIT: Alright, it seems the problem came from using TED5's carmacizing instead of instantcarma.exe. The situation is remedied and I've already begun working on a Keen 4 mod. I think I've got mapping down, but for some reason, I can't make invisible blocks, so it says "BLOCK" everywhere. :(
EDIT2: Ah, I see... It needs to be a masked foreground, and I don't need to use the BLOCK icons. :D
levellass
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Post by levellass »

I vote we make a modding tutorial on the keen wiki, complete with many pictures, links and simple instructions. Anyone up for help?
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Paramultart
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Post by Paramultart »

I think that's a great idea. Whenever I first considered modding Keen 4, the first place I went to was the Keen Wiki, and it wasn't there.

Here's another idea: Make a better software bundle complete with EVERYTHING you need to make a complete Keen mod, including batch files for conveniently importing graphics, because the galaxy mod kit was missing some important stuff. (I made a batch file for ModKeen so I wouldn't have to keep typing the command line parameters, which is inconvenient and a lot of people have problems with them).
Maybe make one central batch file with a menu that you can select all the different options or run all the different programs. I dunno, just a thought.


In other news, I think I've got the hang of Keen 4 modding, so I've already started a mod. Unlike other Keen games, it takes place on Earth, and Keen's mission is to stop a science experiment gone horribly wrong.
That's all I've got so far, but I already have a level, half a tileset, and some new sprites and enemies already finished. :D

Here's an early screenshot if anybody is interested.
Image[/img]

I did all the new art myself.



PS. Keen's favorite purple shirt is in the wash, so he had to wear red. ;)
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Grimson
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Post by Grimson »

Looks great, but why does it immediately scream "Bio Menace" to me? :P
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Paramultart
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Post by Paramultart »

Because Bio-Menace had city levels and was based on the Keen 4 engine. :P

Some of the art was from my old game project Hell Balls, but I still did them all, so no, you won't find any of these tiles in Bio-Menace if you're implying I ripped anything. :P


QUESTION: How do I make working doors in TED5? :(
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Grimson
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Post by Grimson »

if you're implying I ripped anything.
No, don't get me wrong. That's not it.
Mink
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Post by Mink »

Wow, you work quickly! And it looks good, to boot.
Paramultart wrote:QUESTION: How do I make working doors in TED5? :(
These can be pretty tricky at first but not too bad once you get used to them: place the cursor on the top tile of the door, and note the last two digits of the x and y coordinates in the bottom right hand corner. Then press enter and enter the coordinates in the form $xxyy. Now you can place this info tile on the corresponding gem holder.

And yeah, that Galaxy Mod kit is terribly outdated. A new one is certainly in order.

Edit: And.... I just realized you might be talking about the other type of doors, the kind that transport Keen. At any rate, check out adurdin's "Changing the World" article which explains both types of doors along with a lot of other tricks for TED5.
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Paramultart
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Post by Paramultart »

Thanks Mink! It works great! :D

And yeah, I'm a pretty experienced pixel artist, so making 16x16 tiles with 16 colors is very easy for me. The detailed mountain graphics I admit are from my previous game project Hell Balls, which did take me a little bit of time. :)

(I also used the mountains in my other game, Scarecrow Tobias, which you can download the demo here if you're interested: http://www.paramultart.comyr.com/downlo ... s_v046.zip )

The only thing that's taking a little while is the floor tiles, since they are at an isometric perspective, and that makes it really hard to locate all the different pieces of the ground.

Are there any tutorials on changing enemy behavior?
And also, is it safe to change the size of an object's sprite?

Thanks a bunch!

Oh yeah, and Grimson, it's cool man... I just misunderstood you. :D
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CommanderSpleen
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Post by CommanderSpleen »

Most impressive artwork so far! It does indeed have a somewhat Bio-Menace atmosphere. But this is a good thing.
levellass
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Post by levellass »

What would be interesting is one way up tiles that Keen could stand on, and also walk backward\forward towards the screen on. (As an example, the road in the picture is several tiles wide, it would be neat if Keen could move 'down' a level by pressing the down key. Possibly some modifcation of pole climbing code...)
Here's another idea: Make a better software bundle complete with EVERYTHING you need to make a complete Keen mod, including batch files for conveniently importing graphics, because the galaxy mod kit was missing some important stuff. (I made a batch file for ModKeen so I wouldn't have to keep typing the command line parameters, which is inconvenient and a lot of people have problems with them).
Maybe make one central batch file with a menu that you can select all the different options or run all the different programs. I dunno, just a thought.

I'm thinking completely extracted game with TED5, tileinfo, instantcarma and lmodkeen, with batch files set up to import everything in a single click. I can do this if nobody who made thee things minds. It could accompany a full article on modding things, with screenshots. What does everyone think?
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