Can't change Hook5 lighting

[tigergolphins]

Hello,

I have installed Tk17VX +Hook5 after using TK17 7.5. and Hook5 for some time in the past. My actual problem is that most rooms have very dark lighting and I just want to tweak the level of sunlight and such.  From researching in various places it looks like the two ways to affect lighting are either 1) to edit the level_definitions file for the room in question, or 2) use the F4 menu to tweak the lighting ingame. Here are my immediate problems:

 

1) Most rooms do not seem to have a level-definitions file, only the ones I found as addons

2) When I use F4 I do not actually get the interface I have seen online where you get to choose either the 'graphics menu' or 'level menu'. Instead, f4 takes me directly into the graphics menu where I can edit things like shadow settings, glow, SSAO, etc but not the actual lighting.

 

Any help would be appreciated

[hdiddy]

If a room does not have a Level_def, you are not going to get the additional menu items for Hook5 objects and lighting.  I like to just grab a simple level definition from another room without objects or lighting added.  Then copy that level definition into the room folder and Alt+R to refresh textures if your already in the game.  From there you can modify ambient lighting, spot lights, sun light, and other items through the F4 menu.  Just make sure you save your changes.

[tigergolphins]

18 minutes ago, hdiddy said:

If a room does not have a Level_def, you are not going to get the additional menu items for Hook5 objects and lighting.  I like to just grab a simple level definition from another room without objects or lighting added.  Then copy that level definition into the room folder and Alt+R to refresh textures if your already in the game.  From there you can modify ambient lighting, spot lights, sun light, and other items through the F4 menu.  Just make sure you save your changes.

 

Thank you, this will be helpful soon.  I am entirely new to room modding and wasn't expecting to have to get into it yet, so first I need to ask some followup questions.

1) Where to find the folders for the rooms? I found what looks like a folder for each room in vx-mod/scripts/luder/ but I can't make sense of the contents.

2) Rooms that seem to have level_definition files already (such as R-Oasis, which is in the Mod/ActiveMod folder ) still do not have lighting options in F4 menu

3) Only some of the rooms in the ActiveMod folder actually appear ingame. I suspect some of the ones here were already part of the base installation (oasis, upgraded bathroom, alternate stripclub) and that my 'adding mods' didn't actually do anything?

 

It seems I would benefit from being pointed to a general beginners guide to room modding but I have tried in vain to find one for VX anywhere I look.

 

[hdiddy]

1 hour ago, tigergolphins said:

 

Thank you, this will be helpful soon.  I am entirely new to room modding and wasn't expecting to have to get into it yet, so first I need to ask some followup questions.

1) Where to find the folders for the rooms? I found what looks like a folder for each room in vx-mod/scripts/luder/ but I can't make sense of the contents.

2) Rooms that seem to have level_definition files already (such as R-Oasis, which is in the Mod/ActiveMod folder ) still do not have lighting options in F4 menu

3) Only some of the rooms in the ActiveMod folder actually appear ingame. I suspect some of the ones here were already part of the base installation (oasis, upgraded bathroom, alternate stripclub) and that my 'adding mods' didn't actually do anything?

 

It seems I would benefit from being pointed to a general beginners guide to room modding but I have tried in vain to find one for VX anywhere I look.

 

1. Folders for rooms are in your activemod folder.  The rooms in archives are you base game rooms, I suggest you stay away from there unless you know what you are doing.

2. You have to add lighting to rooms yourself, unless you download a Level definition someone already did which has lighting added.

3. Anything in Activemod if it is not a base game texture needs a corresponding addon.

 

Unfortunately there are not many guides here on Lovers Lab...most good documentation was available on MG which is now dead.

[hdiddy]

I will add we have a fair amount of tutorials on Klub Exile uploaded by some dedicated folks sitting on a treasure trove of information they have collected over the years.  Namely Hootie, that dude is a beast.   Feel free to check it out if you wish.

 

[EJAX]

1 hour ago, tigergolphins said:

 

Thank you, this will be helpful soon.  I am entirely new to room modding and wasn't expecting to have to get into it yet, so first I need to ask some followup questions.

1) Where to find the folders for the rooms? I found what looks like a folder for each room in vx-mod/scripts/luder/ but I can't make sense of the contents.

2) Rooms that seem to have level_definition files already (such as R-Oasis, which is in the Mod/ActiveMod folder ) still do not have lighting options in F4 menu

3) Only some of the rooms in the ActiveMod folder actually appear ingame. I suspect some of the ones here were already part of the base installation (oasis, upgraded bathroom, alternate stripclub) and that my 'adding mods' didn't actually do anything?

 

It seems I would benefit from being pointed to a general beginners guide to room modding but I have tried in vain to find one for VX anywhere I look.

 

Well, first of all there's nothing in vx-mod that you really need to mess with. None of it has anything to do with hook, it's just scripts that the devs included to add features and such. Anything you would want or need to do in there can now be done in either Addons or ActiveMod.

Second, Addon rooms are always installed in your addons folder, and may or may NOT have additional active mods. An active mod folder affects either one of the default rooms, or an addon room in your addons folder. If an ActiveMod room doesn't appear in the game, it's most likely because you don't have the corresponding addon (though they could just be named incorrectly -- not likely, unless you're making it yourself). You can generally tell where everything belongs because Addons have subfolders: images/scenes/scripts; whereas ActiveMods will just be a folder full of files (images, txf's, ,level_defs, pass_ files, etc...).

The hook stuff I can't help you with, I don't use it.

[EJAX]

OR you you could just go join KE.

[tigergolphins]

Thank you to everyone who has commented. They have helped a lot with general modding practice and I have indeed been able to successfully edit the lighting of non-base rooms using the level_definition files. Here is my next round of questions:

 

1) Still no access to lighting options in F4 menu, even though I am specifically using a room (Paris apartment) where I am able to edit the level_def files and update via Alt-R.

 

2) How do you switch between multiple level_definition files for the same room? For example, Oasis has files for night, day, morning, etc

 

3) Are there mod/addons for playing around with the basic rooms (Back Alley etc) that would allow me to do these basic tweaks without messing about in the archive/binary folders?