This should be more helpful for making an NPC costume than anything else.
I will walk you through making a Paragon Protector from an NPC.
What you will need:
SQLiteBrowser (http://sqlitebrowser.org/) installed, Tequila (http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Titan_Icon) installed, Lots of Time, and a good understanding of Windows.
Note 1: CMR = Crey Male Revenant. It doesn't happen often in the database but for these costume pieces the devs used this abbreviation for the pieces.
Note 2: "PC" = "Paragon Chat", not anything else
Note 3: "PC Folder" = The Folder containing ParagonChat.exe because you can name this folder anything during install. ie - mine is named "CoH Icon".
Note 4: Inside your PC folder you need a folder named "data" (all lowercase). If there isn't one, make one.
I am no programmer, just a swell guy with a head to match. Many of my suggestions are highly biased and mayhaps even unnecessary, however, if you follow these instructions to the end you WILL have a playable Paragon Protector Elite Male. If you want a female PPE, or a Lord Recluse, or a Rikti - you are welcome to experiment. I welcome insights, questions and suggestions.
- Your desktop Icon shortcut: rightclick on it, "Properties", "Shortcut" tab, then modify "Target" with " -n" as shown and click "OK". This makes Icon run in NPC Mode.
- Run Icon using the shortcut. Make a "Freedom" not a "Going Rogue" toon, any origin.
- Make a Controller (because you wanna start in Outbreak and need to be a Hero to start there)
- Choose Darkness Control / Cold Domination (because you want to avoid powers that make you choose weapon costume pieces)
- Choose the pre-made "Bare" costume, name him "Bob", click "YES" to enter Tutorial (Outbreak has minimal demofile "junk").
- Once in Outbreak, type into chat "/benpc Model_Protector_Elite" and hit enter. Booya!
*Don't move Bob or the camera for the next 2 steps*
- Type into chat "/demorecord Paragon_Protector_NPC" and hit enter (Use underscores NOT spaces).
- Type into chat "/demostop" and hit enter.
- Hit "F2" to detach the camera, fly it around and type /screenshot to take reference pix of all sides of your Protector.
- Type into chat "/accesslevel 9" and hit enter.
- Type into chat "/costume_save Paragon_Protector_NPC" and hit enter.
- Go to Menu and Quit to Desktop.
- Now open your PC Folder, rightclick "ParagonChat.exe" and "Send to Desktop (Create Shortcut)". Rightclick your new desktop shortcut, "Properties", "Shortcut" tab and in "Target" add " -offline" to the end (as shown) and click "OK". This shortcut will now run PC in offline mode (no password) and people won't see you popping in and out of Paragon constantly.
- In the PC Folder open the "client_demos" folder and open the file "Paragon_Protector_NPC.cohdemo" using Notepad and leave it open.
- In the PC Folder open the "data" folder and open the file "Paragon_Protector_NPC" using Notepad and leave it open. Also, note down all costume categories your NPC uses, in this case only "Pants", "Chest", "Head", "Gloves", "Boots" and "Cape".
- In the PC Folder open the "screenshots" folder, open the best pic of the NPC and leave it open.
- Minimize everything.
- Run the offline Paragon Chat shortcut.
- In a new slot roll a new "Freedom" Controller Dark/Cold again.
- In the character creator choose parts from the same categories as the Protector NPC "Pants", "Chest", "Head", "Gloves", "Boots" and "Cape" referencing the screenshots as needed.
But since this is a walkthrough...
- Start with the "Bare" model like before. Then pick ONLY these pieces.
- For "Head" choose "Full Helmets" and under "Helmets" choose "Tech Helm".
- For "Upper Body" choose "Tights", under "Chest" choose "Tights" and "Alpha".
- For "Gloves" choose "Smooth/Bare" and "Shiny Leather" and "Alpha".
- For "Lower Body" choose "Tight" and under "Pants" choose "Tights" and "Alpha".
- For "Boots" choose "Smooth" and "Shiny Leather" and "Alpha".
- For "Back Detail" choose "Half Mantle" and "Short Cape" and "None".
- For colors make them "linked" and choose blue/yellow, not yellow/blue. Then "Unlink" the colors, got to "Cape" and make the exterior colors both blue and the interior colors both yellow.
You now have a character sporting all similar geometry pieces and textures used by the Protector NPC.
- Name him "Super Bob" and again enter Outbreak tutorial (just do it, you can rename him later).
- Type into chat "/demorecord Super_Bob" then hit enter.
- Type into chat "/demostop" then hit enter.
- Go to Menu and Quit to Desktop. Quit/close Paragon Chat as well.
- Maximize your PC folder, go to "client_demos" and open "Super_Bob.cohdemo" with Notepad and leave it open.
- Compare "Super_Bob.cohdemo" and "Paragon_Protector_NPC.cohdemo". The arrows show the costume pieces for the "Pants" on Super Bob that you must now replace with the Paragon Protector "Pants" pieces. I've numbered and labeled which lines are which pieces. They are always these numbers, in this order, on all toons and NPCs. Note the Protector NPC has nothing in line 15 which is actually the CapeMantle/Collar line. If you look at the screenshots of your NPC the cape has no mantle, it comes right out of his back. Players do not have the option to have a cape with NO mantle, but I have verified this setup does work fine on the player model.
- Click Windows "Start" button/All Programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer. In the address bar type "%APPDATA%" without the quotes and hit enter. Open "Paragon Chat" then "Database". In this "Database" folder create a new folder named "Backup". Copy "ParagonChat.db" into the "Backup" Folder. If you screw up the "ParagonChat.db" file in your "Database" Folder, you can always copy from the original in the "Backup" Folder. Remember tho, If you have to restore from a backup you will lose all NPCs you created since the last backup.FYI - I rename all files in my Backup Folder as dates (ie- "07-07-2015.db") and I back up often. You can close this window.
- Run SQLiteBrowser. Go to "File" and choose 'Open Database...". In the search window address bar again type "%APPDATA%" and hit enter, go to Paragon Chat/Database/ParagonChat.db and click "Open".
- Go to the "Browse Data" tab. Click on "account" to pulldown to "character". Find your "Super Bob" and remember his "id" (character slot # in PC) and his "curcostume" number (current costume slot he's using).
- Click "character", pulldown to "costumepart". The first column here is named "character". The second is "costume". In the "character"column replace the word "Filter" with Super Bob's "id" number. In the "costume" column replace the word "Filter" with his "curcostume" number. Note: in CoH codes ZERO is a NUMBER, the first of anything is usually number "0", not "1".
- The third column is named "part". Notice the part numbers coincide with the ones I labeled earlier. Costume pieces are always listed as geometry>Texture1>Texture2. Copy and Replace the "geom" "tex1" and "tex2" pieces from the NPC demo file to the appropriate columns and rows.
- The mantle (line 15). If you decide to go canon and lose the mantle like I did, highlight the entire line as shown, double check you've highlighted costume line "15", then click "Delete Record".
If you want the mantle than leave it be.
- View the costume file "Paragon_Protector_NPC". In the diagram I have tabbed the colors into columns to make them easier to distinguish. Make sure to copy/replace each color individually to the correct line number. Notice the color of the "Head" is different than the others because a Protector's helmet is actually golden, not yellow (ref your pix!).
- If keeping the mantle (line 15), use the same colors as lines 0,1,3 and 4
- Click the "Write Changes..." button.
- If you REALLY need to rename him, go to the pulldown, click "Character". Find "Super Bob" and rename him but stay within the boundries of Paragon Chat. For instance: don't use symbols you couldn't use when naming a toon in PC. Bad things can happen here if you do that. and The name can't be longer than what PC will accept. Play by the rules here and err on the side of caution. Click the "Write changes" button and close SQLiteBrowser (it needs to be closed to run Paragon Chat, and vice-versa)
- Run Paragon Chat the normal online way. If you use Tequila to launch it, go ahead. Log in with your new Paragon Protector Elite Chat-a-holic and be the envy of all your friends!
- WARNING:DO NOT EVER GO TO A TAILOR while wearing this costume. It will remove any unauthorized parts, and all your parts are now unauthorized... except for the cape. So the tailor will let you keep the cape. :roll:
(https://i.imgur.com/DiqQEwu.jpg) (http://imgur.com/DiqQEwu)
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