Trying to make a mod for AC1 and I'm stuck
I posted this on Nexusmods and I thought I'd ask here as well
Original post (where you can also find the image): https://www.nexusmods.com/assassinscreed/images/47
I've been trying to find a way to replace Altair's skirt mesh with the normal Masyaf assassin skirt, and it ain't going well.So far, I've discovered how to "disable" mesh files in Entity files using HxD and Anviltoolkit (look up the ID of the mesh you want to disable, and change the "01" right before it to "00"). I already knew a few things about playing around with IDs in AC Brotherhood, so that wasn't too hard to figure out.
I'm still at a loss tho
The image I uploaded here was of an experiment where I disabled the mesh "extensions" of Altair's robes, hoping it would make his outfit look more like the other Masyaf assassins. As you can see the mesh is too short and the material files were probably designed to "flow" into the extensions. For some reason I can't replace Altair's skirt mesh with a Masyaf assassin skirt mesh with the same ID, even though they use the same skeleton. I've tried disabling the original mesh and combining the Masyaf assassin skirt mesh with other meshes that could be replaced, but some vertices keep getting displaced as a result. I'm starting to think the only way to add the mesh is by adding lines to the Entity files themselves, and I have no idea how to go about that.
I'd really appreciate any advice on this
Nevermind I got it I think
Congrats on making AC1 mods!
Hello Apricot, glad to see you're putting some love into the AC1 modding! Maybe you can share your solution, for my curiosity's sake? Then also other people who have this problem in the future can find this thread and find the answer, and don't have to figure it out themselves!
Oh yeah of course. I just merged the new skirt mesh with the "back patch" and dagger sheath meshes with the original skirt mesh disabled, and it worked just fine. I had tried merging it with the torso and flaps meshes, but they got a little messed up because they shared more than one bone. Meshes in AC1 are weird because different groups of meshes have different offsets, so when I try to merge meshes that share too many bones some of the vertices would be displaced as a result. Trying to correct the offset typically makes things worse, so the solution I have is to merge meshes that don't share any bones and hope that their skeletons readjust their offsets accordingly. It's a mostly flawless method, but it results in some really wild mesh combinations.
What programs did you use to make the mod?
I used Anviltoolkit for merging meshes and HxD for switching IDs
other people who have this problem in the future can find this thread and find the answer
Exactly. I consider this one of the core values of The Hidden Blade - document what you've learned for the benefit of others.
Thank you for sharing your experience with modding, Apricot.
It sounds like you're making great progress with disabling mesh files and experimenting with different approaches. To replace Altair’s skirt mesh with the Masyaf assassin skirt, you might need to not only disable the original mesh but also correctly reference the new mesh in the Entity file. If the vertices are getting displaced, it could be because the Masyaf skirt mesh isn’t aligned properly with Altair’s skeleton, requiring adjustments to ensure the new mesh fits. I recommend checking the bone weight and rigging of the Masyaf skirt mesh to match Altair's model more closely or using a mesh tool to manually adjust the alignment before re-exporting it into the game.