NPCs won't appear in custom built module

[Qui-Gon Glenn]

Well, I suppose if I'm ever going to get a mod made, I have to finally get down to the nuts and bolts of things. And, I have to accept that I'm still a giant noob, even after years of lurking and tinkering. :)

My problem is this... I have followed both DoomDealer's custom module building tutorial, and GSCCC's storyline mod tutorial, and have been stuck at the same point through both tut's.

I have followed just now step-by-step DoomDealer's tut and worked my way through using newer tools to get his demo module built. I successfully extracted all resources it called for, edited the .git with KGFF removing the prescribed structs and adding in the new struct for n_selkath99. (Yes, I did the creature edit also with KT before saving the n_selkath99.utc)

I successfully compiled attack.ncs, wrote the dialog (tricky following the tut there... thanks Pavlos for your tut, which combined with the old got me thru), thought everything was ready to rock. Built my erf with KT with all 13 necessary files, built the .mod, copied it into my module folder and crossed my fingers. Started a game up, loaded a save (would the save I chose have anything to do with success/failure here?) from mid-way thru a normal game, and warped into doomdealer.mod. As has happened in two previous instances with this, and with tinkering around on my own to no avail.... no NPC. Warped into an empty room. The ambient sounds worked though :D

If anyone can help me with this, I would really appreciate it. I will be glad to provide more specific information if I can!

EDIT: I will also gladly learn from old threads that deal with this.... through searching I was unable to find more regarding this.

[Marius Fett]

The same thing happened to me then i followed that tut.
Maybe theres something wrong in the instructions?

[Qui-Gon Glenn]

The same thing happened to me then i followed that tut.
Maybe theres something wrong in the instructions?

I have a suspicion that I need to alter the area OnEnter script to make my NPC appear, but I am totally guessing on that. I've followed that tut and GSCCC's to the letter a couple times, and I can never make my NPC appear. I don't want to do it via scripting, because eventually I will need to make every NPC I want in the module spawn correctly, and I would rather do that in the .mod file than through a ton of override scripts.

[stoffe]

I have a suspicion that I need to alter the area OnEnter script to make my NPC appear, but I am totally guessing on that. I've followed that tut and GSCCC's to the letter a couple times, and I can never make my NPC appear.

If you place the character within the Creature List field in the .GIT file of the area you won't need any script to spawn them in. Just make sure you refer to the correct ResRef name of an UTC file (max 16 characters long file name), and that your coordinates are set correctly.

[Qui-Gon Glenn]

^^^ Thanks stoffe... I double checked the resref, which was correct, but apparently doomdealer used some bad coordinates for spawning his selkath... changing his location with new whereami coordinates and *poof* spawned npc. Hooray.

Well, now I've proved to myself that I can get something in-game. Thanks for the troubleshooting.

A different question.... When the game spawns a creature, like a cannok in the Dxun forest for example, is there a unique .utc for each one of these cannoks, or the same .utc recycled for each of them?

I ask this because a couple areas I want to play with will be loaded with beasties, and I'm wondering what is the most efficient way to make them appear. I don't know if a script calling the creatures in is best, or if they should all be put into the .git files creature list individually.

Hope that question makes sense?!