Dark and Light Elves
A Dungeon Siege Mod
Version: 3.0
Released: March 2005
Author: Witness (Lisa Hui)
E-mail:
Project Summary: http://lisa.siegenetwork.com/elves/
Project Thread: http://siegenetwork.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6057
Website: http://www.siegenetwork.com Table of Contents
1. Features
2. Compatibility
3. End User Licence Agreement
4. Installation
5. Creating a New Character
6. Notes
7. Acknowledgements and Credits
8. Version History
9. Known Issues
1. Features
This mod adds a female dark elf and a female light elf, with new meshes, equip appearances and accessories. It also introduces some new scripted features such as Auras, and Spellcasting Gauntlets. There are...
A variety of appearance combination options for character creation:
* 6 face-body skins (3 for light, 3 for dark)
* 3 hair styles (semi-long hair, front pigtails, short)
* 18 hair colors
* 20 clothing textures (8 different styles with color variations) for a new default/unarmored body shape
Four new elf-only boot types, in addition to being able to use the original Dungeon Siege and Legends of Aranna boots:
* sandals
* calf-high boots
* knee-high boots* (cannot equip Armor Types 6,8,9 while wearing these and vice versa)
* mid-thigh boots* (cannot equip Armor Types 5,6,8,9 while wearing these and vice versa)
* These boots have body armor type limitations and will be placed back into inventory (or dropped to the ground if there is no room) if you attempt to equip them with an incompatible armor type.
Three new elf-only glove types, in addition to being able to use the original Dungeon Siege and Legends of Aranna gauntlets:
* open-fingered gloves
* bracers
* short gloves
* clawed gauntlets
Two new (elf-only) clothing types, in addition to being able to use the original Dungeon Siege and Legends of Aranna armor types:
* A2B, santa dress
* A7B, floor-length, off-shoulder dress
Three new helmet types, in addition to the ability to use the original Dungeon Siege, Legends of Aranna, and DS Revived helmets (which are from the OC Helmets Pack).
* headband
* santa hat
* hood
Four new melee weapons, (equippable by all) with new meshes and textures:
* Hunting Knife
* Jackal Knife
* Elven Blade
* Kris
Scripted Features
* Auras - These are passive area-wide effects that are typically party friendly. Auras appear as spell pages in the game, and to use one, simply place it in either active spell slot to activate it, and remove it from the active spell slots to deactivate it. Most aura effects do not stack with other instances of the same aura, but they stack with other auras and effects.
Auras are level-based, and as you level up your character, you will gain 1 Aura point for every 15 character ("Uber") levels. You can then use these points to increase the Aura level for any of the four auras available in the mod, at your discretion: Aura of Aptitude, Aura of Blessing, Aura of Might, Aura of Regeneration. When you have Aura points to allocate, open the spellbook when browsing your inventory. The icons of your auras in the active spell slots will be shaded red with a plus sign. Click the a reddened aura icon to increase that aura's level.
Pay attention to the Radius listed for each Aura. This tells you how far away from your character the effects of that aura reaches. Typically, radius increases with Aura level.
An aura's listed Mana Cost indicates the number of mana points deducted every second. At high levels, your character naturally regenerates mana so quickly that this deduction is negligible.
* Backslash Weapons - Similar to backstabbing, this type of attack is often associated with deception... When attacking an unguarded enemy (either unconscious or attacking the enemy's backside) kris daggers mete out double to quadruple their normal amount of inflicted damage. Successful backslash attacks are indicated by a spray blood from the victim as well as a small trail of blood dripping from the weapon.
* Console Commands - This mod adds a few new commands that can executed by typing them into the chat bar and pressing ENTER (or RETURN). To get a listing of console commands, click the question mark button next to the right of the chat bar. (See UI Views)
* Dagger of Skill - Your elven characters start the game wielding a damage and to-hit bonus scaling dagger, a cousin of the famous "Knife of Skill". When you level up, the weapon will automatically update its bonuses (no reequipping required).
* Knockback Weapons - Two types of two-handed melee weapons, the Elven Sword (for dexterity specialists) and the Shinto Katana (for strength specialists), wielded expertly, will stun the enemy and push him a short distance away from you.
* Multiple-Use Rejuvenation Potions - You can find multiple-use rejuvenation potions offered by any shopkeeper with rejuvenation potions in stock. The number of uses remaining on the potion is indicated in the name of the item. For example, Small Rejuvenation Potion (3/10) means that there are 3 more uses left out of 10 total. The current purchase cost/sell value depends on the number of uses left on the item. The number of uses can be replenished by selling the potion to any shopkeeper and then buying it back.
* Spellcasting Weapons - Spellcasting gauntlets and wands are placed in the melee weapon slot. They carry a finite number of spell charges, which cost no mana to cast and are not dependent on your magic skill levels. Charges are expended by attacking targets, and you can use the Force Attack hotkey (default: 'A') to target terrain (for spells that allow terrain targeting). Charges regenerate over time (1 charge every 20 seconds), but can be instantly replenished by selling the item to any shopkeeper and then buying it back. You can also shorten the charge regeneration time by being affected by an Aura of Regeneration and/or a mana shrine.
* Throwing Weapons - Snowballs, pointed sticks, and javelins are new ranged weapons. Like bows, you don't have to worry about limited ammunition, they are magically self-replenishing. Because they rely on good aim as well as some brute force, throwing weapons gain a ranged damage bonus proportional to the wielder's strength and dexterity scores combined.
* UI Views - UI views are additional GUI windows that you can open by typing in +ui ui_view_name into the chat console. Click the question mark button next to the chat bar to open up the console_help view, which lists the various console commands at your disposal. Double-click any command listed there to copy and paste it into the command line.
Oh yea, I also restored a few Dungeon Siege items that were missing templates and GUI icons. So, now they'll drop normally.
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2. Compatibility
Dungeon Siege Versions
This version of the mod was tested in Dungeon Siege v1.1 and Legends of Aranna, mostly in singleplayer but with a little bit of multiplayer testing to fix some MP issues from the beta.
PC and Mac
Except for the optional content that requires Ikkyo's dsdll, this mod should be compatible with both the Windows and Macintosh versions of Dungeon Siege. However, I have not tested the mod on the Mac OSX version of Dungeon Siege, so MAC OSX compatibility is only a guess.
Multiplayer
All players - including the host - need to have the core resource file installed because mod includes a fair amount of new art, scripting, and template files (which need to be loaded in all players' game clients to synchronize with the server/host properly).
Beta Versions
Singleplayer saves from the beta version of this mod are not compatible with the final version of this mod. Multiplayer character saves can still be loaded, but they will have one fewer aura levels than the new elfgirl standard (unless you edit your character's save to include an extra aura level). Test-only items from the beta have been removed.
Other Mods
This mod has incorporated minor elements of Dungeon Siege Revived, and also contains corresponding elfgirl meshes for the OC's Revived helmets in order to maintain compatibility with that mod. Regardless, compatibility is not guaranteed.
This mod has not been conclusively tested with any other mods at the time of this release, but the following mods will not work with this one:
* Level cap increase mods (e.g. Level 300 mod, Level 900 mod)
* MP Experience rescaling mods (e.g. AddXPlayers, Num PP mod)
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3. End User License Agreement
What follows is a bunch of policy stuff you should be aware of if you plan on redistributing or creating derivative works from elements of this mod.
* the MOD - is this Dungeon Siege Modification, composed of all the Dungeon Siege Tank files indicated in the Installation section
* the AUTHOR - is the author of this MOD, Lisa Hui
* the DISTRIBUTION - refers to this MOD, and optionally, the associated documentation
Disclaimer
This MOD is provided "as is", without any warranty of any type or nature, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and any warranty that this MOD is free from defects.
Although it is not possible for the MOD to damage your computer or Dungeon Siege installation, the AUTHOR does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for any damage that may arise from use of the MOD.
Terms and Conditions for DECOMPILING AND DISTRIBUTING
You may not redistribute direct copies of this DISTRIBUTION through public or subscription mediums without the express written permission of the author. All authorized distributors must include all original documentation unless indicated by the agreement between you and the AUTHOR.
Unless otherwise indicated, you may not distribute reverse-engineered copies of the encoded art assets (*.asp and *.raw) through public or subscription mediums without the express written permission of the AUTHOR.
This Dungeon Siege Mod is not open source. The official DISTRIBUTION is not tank protected, as a courtesy to other mod developers or players interested in tailoring their personal gameplay experience; The contents of the DISTRIBUTION may be browsed/analyzed and modified for private purposes.
Terms and Conditions for CREATING DERIVATIVE WORKS
You may use elements of this mod in your mods and redistribute them as long as the following rules are observed:
* the scripts may be copied, modified, and redistributed in an open source manner
* unless otherwise indicated, the encoded art assets (*.asp and *.raw) files may be reused as long as the following restrictions are observed:
o they cannot be reused in a commercial product without the express written permission of the AUTHOR
o they cannot be reused in developments not directly related to the Dungeon Siege franchise without the express written permission of the AUTHOR
o they may not be reused or modified for public or subscription distribution with a nudity mod or a mod that contains full nudity
* elements that are used should be properly credited to their respective authors
* the same restrictions apply to anyone redistributing your redistribution of elements of this MOD
The model and bitmap "source" files (*.gmax, layered *.psd) remain the private property of the AUTHOR.
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4. Installation
Delete all prior (beta) versions of this mod from your mods folder. The mod files included in this distribution are:
* Dark_Light_Elves_CORE_v3.dsres
* Dark_Light_Elves_CREATE_v3.dsres
* optional\Dark_Light_Elves_DSDLL_v3.dsres
* optional\ikkyo_ds.dsdll
* optional\ikkyo_loa.dsdll
Place the first two files (CORE and CREATE) into your designated mods directory:
usually, your mods directory is...
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Dungeon Siege\Resources\ ...or
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Dungeon Siege\DSLOA\
OR use a mod manager to "load" those mod files.
Optional Files
If you have the Windows version of Dungeon Siege, or if you are already using any of Ikkyo's mods, such as DS Multiplayer Quest Save or DS Revived, you have can also install the files located in the "optional" folder. To do that, place the DSDLL mod file in the same folder as CORE and CREATE, and then place the appropriate ikkyo_*.dsdll file in your Dungeon Siege directory - same folder as DungeonSiege.exe. In other words, if you have Legends of Aranna installed, use ikkyo_loa.dsdll, but if you don't have Legends of Aranna installed, use ikkyo_ds.dsdll instead.
Uninstall/Removal
To uninstall this mod, just delete all of the aforementioned mod files from the folders that you placed them.
Warning: Almost all single player saved games that were created while this mod was active will fail to load while the mod is not active; The game will display error messages about items failing to persist, which most likely means that the game client can't find the templates for items added by the mods you just removed. To be able to load that savegame again, add the mods back.
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5. Creating a New Character
All female elves begin with the following:
# 10 STR
# 10 DEX
# 10 INT
# 49 Life
# 30 Mana
# Slower Strength Gain
# Normal Dexterity Gain
# Normal Intelligence Gain
# Slightly Slower Life Regeneration
# Faster Mana Regeneration
Slightly faster run/walk speed.
One initial Aura level.
The following equipment:
* Auras: Aura of Aptitude, Aura of Blessing, Aura of Might, Aura of Regeneration
* Knife (aka "newbie knife" for quest fulfillment)
* Enchanted Dagger (scaling melee weapon)
* Pointed Stick (ranged weapon)
* Spells: Fireshot, Zap
Overall, creating a new elfgirl character is pretty straightforward. This is particularly true for multiplayer, in which you click the...
* Race button to switch between Dark and Light elves.
* Head button to change hairstyle.
* Hair button to change hair color.
* Skin button to change face skin with its corresponding body color.
* Clothes button to select the default clothing for your character.
For singleplayer, click the...
* Gender button to switch between Dark and Light elves, AND their different hairstyles.
* Hair button to change hair color.
* Skin button to change face skin with its corresponding body color.
* Shirt button to select the default clothing for your character.
...and ignore all the other options.
Multiplayer Character Choices
The mod limits multiplayer character creation to the two available elfgirl types. If you want to change this back to the game's default choices (farmboy, farmgirl, dwarf, skeleton) or have a mod add different choices, deactivate or remove the Dark_Light_Elves_CREATE_v3.dsres file.
Resetting Character Preferences
If the character elements don't seem to be synchronized correctly anymore (probably due to the previous presence of a mod that uses the same hero template names with different character creation parameters), open your My Documents\Dungeon Siege\prefs.gas file and delete the saved character element preferences (head, skin, hair, shirt and pants) for the following character templates:
* elfgirl_h1_dk
* elfgirl_h1_lt
* elfgirl_h2_dk
* elfgirl_h2_lt
* elfgirl_h3_dk
* elfgirl_h3_lt
Restart the game, and the character creation menu options should now begin in the order specified by the settings in Dark_Light_Elves_CREATE_v3.dsres.
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6. Notes
What's New?
See the changelog.txt file for a list of changes from the beta versions of this mod.
Mod Override Priorities
The mod files were tanked with the following override priorities. In order to create mods that override these files, you should tank them with even higher priorities:
* Dark_Light_Elves_CORE_v3.dsres - 18001
* Dark_Light_Elves_CREATE_v3.dsres - 18002
* Dark_Light_Elves_DSDLL_v3.dsres - 18003
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7. Acknowledgements and Credits
Credits
* All A7B "dress" textures are recycled A7 "robe" textures by Gas Powered Games and Mad Doc Software. Similarly, the openfingered and bracer handwear reuse type1 glove textures.
* Adding compatibility with the Dungeon Siege Revived mod by Ikkyo and Omniscient Colossus required copying over of a few farmgirl animations, and the revision of a few scripts. Credits for these materials were left intact where possible.
* The provided ikkyo_*.dsdll files were developed and provided by Ikkyo
* The base body skin that I later adapted for use with the new base elfgirl model is by hamcat.
Beta Testers
Although there wasn't anyone officially testing this mod, I want to give a very big "Thanks" to the following people for their efforts in reporting and troubleshooting beta problems: Charietto, gfb, ghastley, Huntress_on_Fire, iryan, Liantedan, lili, Mobius, niceguy, Shocked, sjr, SuicuneSol, Tigerbiten, TheTantrum, and xenom.
Further Acknowledgements
I'd like to offer thanks to everyone who has provided me with encouragement, inspiration, knowledge, and tools.
* Dan Strandberg, for the essential modding tool, Tank Viewer
* frilly wumpus, for the U6P Interface Designer tool, great for previewing UI layout changes
* gfb, for the tips on setting up sword gizmos and imposing MP (in)compatibility
* ghastley, for his head modelling tutorial that got me started with all this version 3.0 stuff
* Icemage_999, for the sfx examples from the Copperhead siegelet
* Ikkyo, for the animation, UI, and component scripting examples, ideas
* Jomdom, for the sfx examples from his Cosmetics mod
* Kaikopere, for the Modding the Dungeon Siege UI tutorial
* Lokiswaq, for the UI scripting examples in BufUI
* Monsoon, for the name change UI example
* Omniscient Colossus, for the very handy DS Icon tutorial
* Shulsocrath, for the scripting examples and the gold-charge ratio idea
* Snowfox, for sharing his right-click/potion scripting ideas, string passing techniques, and gmax/modelling posts
* theresnothinglft, for his DSMod tips and tutorials
* Trailstorm-Radeem, for the sfx examples from the Circle of Lorent
* Xaa, for the SiegeMax addon to import Legends of Aranna and OC helmets, tutorials (Skrit and Gas in 30 Days, Creating a DS Weapon from Scratch, Farmgirl Skinning and Weapon Creation with Siege Max), and code samples which helped me get started
* xmen90s, for sharing his innovations and animation, ui, component code samples, and techniques on multiplayer-compatible scripting
Additional "thank you"s for feature ideas and encouraging comments - they really do make a difference - also in alphabetical order... Arman, Bj Rox ur Sox, Brkopac, Cyberatog, Dee_Dee1, Elys, Emmarld~Storm, ExodiaTheNeckromaster, Gom_Hunter_Thorth, Iceblok, Iolaus, iryan, Leonheart, Lurker, mcarp, Narane, niceguy, NtheGreat, pyro05x, Shocked, Silverthorne, sjr, slak, sol77, Strider978, TheTantrum, Ulfman, Wanderer2k, wat1, winterstorm, Wynne, Zegorzalek...
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8. Version History
Version 3.0
This version does not replace version 2.0. There is no male elf specific material included in version 3.0, and as long as the character creation components for v2.0 and v3.0 are not active at the same time, both mods can be active at the same time.
* complete overhaul of the elf female with new models and skins
* altered the character creation options UI
* added the light elf female
* added some elf-related items and a variety of scripts for them
* added an aura system
* added a spellcasting gloves system
* added optional testing commands and items
Version 2.0
* fixes character selection for Legends of Aranna
* adds a variety of skin shades for both the male and female dark elf
* adds a no-tattoo version of the original blue skins for both the male and female
* adds a "bald" head-skin option for the dark elf male
Version 1.0
* Adds a blue dark elf male skin
Version 0.5
* features a blue dark elf female skin with facial tattoos
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Known Issues
Please visit http://lisa.siegenetwork.com/elves/issues/ for a current list of known or reported issues of which the author is aware.
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Gas Powered Games(TM) and Dungeon Siege(TM) are the copyrighted property of Gas Powered Games, Corp.