Today we'll cover the /vdata/system/disciplinetgt_00#.txt files (with # being the number of the file)
These files regulate how the targeted disciplines work. All of these are those which in game have 5 selectable levels. Weirdly Presence is structured like this but you can only use one upgradeable level. It doesn't matter, for our example editing disciplinetgt_003 (the file of Presence) we can cover the majority of the functions.
Let's see its structure and what we have to edit:
"Name" "Presence-1"
"InternalName" "Presence_Level1"
"Discipline" "Presence"
"Level" "1"
"BloodCost" "1"
"Overt" "0"
"SupernaturalLvl" "0"
"RecoveryTime" "0.5""Name" is the name of the level shown in the hud when you scroll with the mouse wheel (although Presence only shows the discipline name)
"Discipline" is the name of the discipline. It must match one of the discipline names in /vdata/system/stats.txt for each level on the disciplinetgt file
"BloodCost" is the cost in blood points of said level
"Overt" sets if the level is a masquerade infraction, 0 is safe to use, 1 is risky to use in safe areas
"SupernaturalLvl" sets the criminal level you'll face if using this level in a safe area
"RecoveryTime" sets how many seconds you have to wait before using this level again
Other parts, not present in this particular case, are:
"TgtHightlightParticle" tells the game to use a targeting particle on top of the target
"ViewModel" uses a model as weapon (like in Blood Shot)
"TriggerAISound" set to 1 makes NPCs on hear range react on activation, set to 0 to not make them react
"ShouldRemove_OnTakeDamage" set to 1 ends the effect on the affected target if damaged, set to 0 to not make them react
"ShouldRemove_OnWasBumped" set to 1 ends the effect on the affected target if touched by the PC, set to 0 to not make them react
We can just leave them as they are. Now look at the first part of the "AoR" (Area of Effect?) section:
"Range" "150"
"Source" "Self" // Self/Target
"Affects" "Radius" // Target/Radius:#/Cone:#
"MaxRadius" "150"
Affects_Filters
{
"Critter" "1"
"No_Self" "1"
"No_Friends" "1"
}"Range" sets the range of the level in game units
"Source" sets where the effect starts
"Affects" sets the area of effect
"MaxRadius" sets, if you choose Radius or Cone in "Affects", the maximum radius (still in game units)
"MinRadius" sets inversely the minimum radius
"Critter" if it will works on Critters
"No_Self" if it won't effect the caster
"No_Friends" if it won't effect the caster's allies
The Affects_Table subsections tells the game which effect will be applied to the different kind of NPCs, for each Affects_Filters a Default_Mapping will be applied. Usually I don't even touch them if in cases like this the effect I want to add is similar to the one before my modification. Otherwise I will copy them from other levels.
Now there are the Effect, Hit, OnInterrupt, OnEnd, Trigger_Casting, Projectile.... parts, which launch particles, sound, AI_Schedule, Gesture_Anim and Trait effects. These parts have these lines:
"ParticleName" launches a particle file (without the .txt extention) from the Particles folder
"AttachType" sets where in the bone structure the particle will be launched ("BoneTree" sets the whole skeleton of the PC/NPCs, "BoneSinglePoint" one single bone point then selectable in the "AttachName" section below, "ScreenCenter" and "ScreenBorder" works only on 1st person mode and attach the particles to the center or the border of the screen respectively, "BoneTreeWithColors" seems to be a limited part of the "BoneTree" type, "Origin" seems to works on those particles spawned away from the PC)
"Sound" plays the sound effect in the "Sound" directory
"Duration" sets the lenght of the effect (a "-1" sets the value to infinite)
"AI_Schedule" runs a script.
Replace the effect with "SCHED_TROIKA_D_TRANCE" in order to make the enemies fall in trance.
These scripts are known to work:
"SCHED_TROIKA_CALMED"
"SCHED_TROIKA_COWER_SIMPLE_NOSEE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DISORIENTED"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_BLOODBOIL_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_BLOODYEYE_ACTIVITY" (used on a NPC using Protean crashes the game)
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_DANCE_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_HAUNTING_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_JUMP_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_LEAVE_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_MADNESS_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_SLEEP_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_DO_THEFTOFVITAE_ACTIVITY"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_AFRAID"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BERSERK"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BLOODBOIL_BOSS"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BLOODBOIL_EXPLODE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BLOODSHOT_KNOCKBACK"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BLOODSUCKERS_COMMUNION"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BRAINWIPE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_BURROWING_BEETLE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_DAZE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_HYSTERIA"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_MASS_HALLUCINATION"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_MESMERIZE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_PESTILENCE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_POSSESSION"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_PURGE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_RAVENS"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_SPECTRAL_WOLVES"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_SPECTRAL_WOLVES_ESCAPE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_SUICIDE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_TRANCE"
"SCHED_TROIKA_D_VISION_OF_DEATH"
"SCHED_TROIKA_FLEE_AND_COWER"
"SCHED_TROIKA_KNOCKOUT"
"SCHED_TROIKA_MESMERIZED"
"SCHED_TROIKA_SWAT_INSECTS"
"SCHED_TROIKA_SWAT_INSECTS_END"
"SCHED_TROIKA_TAKE_COVER_GIVE_UP""Gesture_Duration" sets the lenght of the animation
"Gesture_Anim" sets an animation. These are known to work:
"ACT_ALERT_FRONT_INTO"
"ACT_BLOCK_fists"
"ACT_BLOCK_stake"
"ACT_BLOOD_MALADY_LOOP"
"ACT_BURNING_INTO"
"ACT_BURNING_OUTOF"
"ACT_CAST_CHARGE_LAYER_THAUMATURGY"
"ACT_CAST_CONTINUE_LAYER_THAUMATURGY"
"ACT_CAST_LAYER_HOLY_LIGHT"
"ACT_CAST_RESET_LAYER_THAUMATURGY"
"ACT_CAULDRON_PRE"
"ACT_COMATOSE_INTO"
"ACT_COWER2_INTO"
"ACT_COWER3_INTO"
"ACT_COWER_INTO"
"ACT_FLINCH_CHEST"
"ACT_HOWL"
"ACT_INSANITY_PRE"
"ACT_KNOCKBACK_BIGLOW"
"ACT_LAND_HARD"
"ACT_MADNESS_GETOUT"
"ACT_MADNESS_IDLE"
"ACT_MADNESS_INTO"
"ACT_PAY_PHONE_HANGUP"
"ACT_PRAYING_BEGIN"
"ACT_PRESENCE_DAZED"
"ACT_PRE_CHOKING"
"ACT_RAVENS_OUTOF"
"ACT_SLEEP_FALL_INTO"
"ACT_SLEEP_GETUP"
"ACT_THEFTPAIN_PRE_INTO"
"ACT_THEFT_IDLE"
"ACT_VOMIT_GETOUT"
"ACT_VOMIT_INTO"But enough with the examples, let's carry on:
"Flinch" sets the possibility of flinching
"Effect" sets a TraitEffect picked from traiteffects000
"Expression" makes the NPC use a face expression
"InheritFrom" copies datas from the selected section
"Blood_Suck" sets the part of blood the caster receives (to be used on the "linked" levels, more of it later)
"Dmg_Health" gives the set amount of damage
"Dmg_Health_Src" gives the set amount of damage (to be used on the "linked" levels)
"DisciplineFX" links to a "linked" level
Then at the end of the level there's the Hit_Strata section. While it's important to not touch that it's also important to know who are affected by these (a huge thanks to Populism from the TCI forum for identifying these):
Strata 1= Sabbat vampires, bloodhunt vamp, tzim creations, blood guardian, the sheriffs minions and mings tenticles.
Strata 2= Sabbat vamps, Bloodhunt vamps, Tzim creation
Strata 3= Warehouse thugs, Sabbat vamps, Chastity, Julius
Strata 4= Lasombra vamps, Tzim creation, Mings Proxy (minor boss), Ventrue ghouls
Strata 5= Sabbat Mage, Killer, Asian vamp, Hengeyokai, Yukie, Gargoyle, Sabbat Leader, Sheriff, Andrei, Pisha,
Cont.....= Jezebel, Chang Bros, Kanker and Bruno (seems to be all boss types)
Strata 6= Bach, the Sheriff (manbat form) and Ming herself.
Strata 7= Nos Attacked (guess this is the nossy that gets ambused), Vamp Critical and the werewolf
Edit all the levels with the modifications you deem fit for your mod.
As a final note, you might have noticed some disciplines have more than 5 levels. That's because some needs to "link" to a secondary effect in another one (like Blood Shot where the first level attacks and the second returns the blood). Avoid to make more than 35 (more or less) levels combined on all the disciplinetgt files and the game won't crash.
I hope someone might understand something about all this ramblings, for sure I got an headache writing all of it :/ Have a nice sunday!
