How To: Borrow Better Skin and Brow for Your Younger Ryder

I may try to change things again, but I will wait until its confirmed exactly where we need to export/import from....this will be an issue every time the game is patched so I want to be sure.

Also, I havent been ingame yet, does the 'new' default Sara still have skin issues or did they tweak her normal map as well?

Wavebend has a thread here

bsn.boards.net/thread/10049/next-generation-modding-tools-preview

there's hope for some real changes down the line

And now I can not wait for you to begin your work with the tool

Ehamloptiran was our savior before. As far as I remember modding frenzy for DAI, that workaholic managed to be everywhere - making modding tool, following updates and answering post on forums. If anyone can battle FB to surrender - it's Ehamloptiran . I can only wish luck to all the modders with this endeavor.

For me all works fine even in saved game tweaking files on data.

I suspect what happen to all of you, Default Sara's files (the ones on same directory as before in data) crash the game whenever you try to swap them now. Those files now need some hex editing to work because it doesn't match with the files you want to swap (they touched something with new patch). So I'll try to explain it as easy as possible (use latest MEAexplorer version of course and remember to copy ansel.dll files too, the patch reverted them to original files so modding will not work):

- Go to the same directory as you worked before this new patch \Data\Win32\characters_sp.toc -> win32/dev/characters/player/bundles/sp/blueprintbundle_sibling_female_customized now load this file into VFS and go to VFS/ROOT/game/characters/human/hmf/0_heads/hmf_head_jayde/textures here export hmf_head_jayde_mask.res then open -> pca/textures and export diffuse_mean.res, export normal_mean.res too if you want to use Default Sara's normal map but I didn't recomend it because it makes your skin too prominent.

- Now, what preset textures do you want to replace with? I'll go with preset 9 for this so go to Cora's files in same .toc like above and extract hmf_head_cora_mask.res and diff_mean.res too.

- Open your hmf_head_jayde_mask.res.bin in a hex editor like HxD you should see something like this:


- Open your hmf_head_cora_mask.res.bin in the hex editor as well:


- Look at line 00000080 and those numbers and letters in hmf_head_cora_mask.res.bin and copy them in same line in hmf_head_jayde_mask.res.bin

The file hmf_head_jayde_mask.res.bin should looks like this now:


- Save hmf_head_jayde_mask.res.bin and make the same hex change editing in line 00000080 with diffuse_mean.res from jayde and every file from jayde that you want to replace comparing the original preset file you want to replace .

- Import Jayde edited files back to replace Cora's preset 9 files and that's it.

For my preset 9 I replaced hmf_head_cora_mask.res with jayde mask edited file, diff_mean.res with jayde diffuse edited file, ao_head_mean.res with jayde ao edited file and normal_mean.res with preset 1 Amy's normal map which doesn't need hex editing to work for skin smoothing.

This is the result (it's a saved game with the game completed):

Still prefer diffuse texture from preset 9 a thousand times and now even more with that lipstick they added to default sara's texture .


I was using this method before the patch to evade some crashes with some textures and it was working fine anyway. So try it and let me know if it works for you.

Aaaand sorry for my shitty english with large text :poop: .

Are you using same files as my guide? in this case jayde and cora's mask file and important part, using a clean backup with your game without mods installed before try it? I can send you my edited files for preset 9 if you want to try them.

Here are Jayde edited files ONLY for Preset 9, it will only work for preset 9.

Edit: Files removed

You're welcome . I uploaded the file again with all Jayde files edited.

Maybe someone can make a mod for me, with the preset 1 normal map on the default.

Im sure others would enjoy a smooth skinned Default Sara as well? Pretty please?

Sweet...thanks, maybe you should upload this to the Nexus as well...I assume the 2nd one is the less shiny version?

Ok i got an error message when trying to run the mod in MEA Mod Manager..."ERROR: Plugin 'SHA1 Export/Import' not found!"

Any idea what ive done wrong? 

EDIT: figured it out, I had to 'unblock' all the .dll files in the MeaExplorerWW folder

So does this mean all these texture mods will need to be redone every time they patch?

You really should put this on Nexusmods, im sure many others would want a better Default Sara

Could you release your preset 9 with Sara's texture that you were explaining? Maybe with 9's normal?

I'm still learning how to mod. Could anyone help me figure out how this mod was done?

link

I'd like to remake it for the patch but I don't know what file to edit.