[Technical] UPL Entry Variables

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klasnic

ra ra rat Putin!
Jan 24, 2004
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This is to explain what a .UPL file is and how you can write your own so that your character plays the way you want.

When skinning in uPaint the .upl file is automatically created in UT200X\System when you export your character and is given minimal info for that character to work in game. When skinning outside of uPaint you can just write your own text file and save it with the .UPL extension using notepad. Either way the .UPL file can be edited with any text editor.

So, if like me you want complete control over your character, well this is the first step...

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EXAMPLE UPL This is a text file which contains character info...

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Player=DefaultName="Osschaart",Race="SkinCity",Mesh=Hellions.Hellion_Kane,
species=xGame.SPECIES_Merc,BodySkin=Osschaart.Body,FaceSkin=Osschaart
.Head,Portrait=Osschaart.Portrait,Sex=Male,FavoriteWeapon=xWeapons.
BioRifle,Jumpiness=1,CombatStyle=0.5,Tactics=1,Aggressiveness=0.5,
Accuracy=0.5,StrafingAbility=0.8,ReactionTime=1,TeamFace=1,BotUse=3,Menu="SP",
Text="Name: Osschaart|Age: Unknown|Race: Human||Data:||Osschaart jumps on
the backs of Tournament contestants, hindering their movement. He then leaves a
few grenades as a parting gift.||")


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EXPLANATION To the best of my knowledge...

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DefaultName="Osschaart"

Your character's name. Try to be original in naming your character. Don't use a name that already exists in the default game. You can check all the default character names by looking in xplayersL1.upl xplayersL2.upl and xaplayersL3.upl in UT2004\System. Avoid using a name that already exists if you can as it will cause characters to double up in game or one of the characters won't be usable at all. Also avoid two names e.g., "firstname lastname". If you want two names do it like this "firstname_lastname" - Don't use spaces as this too can cause problems. Lastly avoid more than ten letters in the name (if I remember right).

Race="SkinCity"

What race does your character belong to? If it's a Xan skin and you tend to use Xan more than the others, then make this Race="Cybernetic". When you goto Settings - Player in the UT200X menu you have a drop down list of Race... Under the Xan characters you'll now have your Xan skin. If, however, you use a diverse range of characters but still want all your own characters together you can call it whatever you want, e.g., Race="BeyondUnreal" - by choosing "BeyondUnreal" as the race you'll only see your own characters.

Mesh=Hellions.Hellion_Kane

If you've skinned Kane/Baird of the Hellions then this is the mesh used (Hellions.Hellion_Kane) - The mesh is basically the shape of the character and you shouldn't need to change this.

species=xGame.SPECIES_Merc

This controls more advanced properties of your character, such as what speed the character runs at, what sound group should be used, etc., etc. Best to stick with whatever species the character you've skinned is by default. [NOTE] Although you can select to play as any character in Single Player, in the Team Roster (at this time) you can only select players of the species Human and it's derivatives (Merc, Night...) as your team mates!

BodySkin=Osschaart.Body ¦ FaceSkin=Osschaart.Head ¦ Portrait=Osschaart.Portrait

The texture file (.UTX in UT200X\Textures and image therein of the character's body). In the example, the texture file is called Osschaart.utx and the image for the character's body is called Body. This applies also for the face/head image being called Head and the portrait (the pic on the character select screen) being called Portrait. Best to keep it simple when naming them.

Sex=Male

[DISCLAIMER] I know nothing about birds and bees :lol:

FavoriteWeapon=xWeapons.BioRifle

[NOTE] American spelling - Nearly caught me a few times! Want your character to use a specific weapon more than the others? Well, this is where you do it. In the example he'll use the BioRifle more.

You can change this to whatever weapon you want (the default are listed in xWeapons.int in UT200X\System).

Jumpiness=1 UT2004 Only

In UT2003 this entry is bJumpy=, for UT2004 it's been changed to Jumpiness=. This specifies how much you want the character to jump around. Typically set at 0 to 1 where 0 is less jumpy and 1 is more.

CombatStyle=0.5

Typically set at -1 to 1. The lower the value the more likely to snipe the higher the value the more likely to hunt you down.

Tactics=1

How intelligent the bot is (I think). Lower less likely to stop for all pickups, higher likely to pickup everything along the way.

Aggressiveness=0.5

Typically set at 0 to 1. The higher the value the more likely to go in all guns blazing.

Accuracy=0.5

Typically set at -1 to 1. 0 is default, higher is better aim and more accurate. :sniper:

StrafingAbility=0.8

Typically set at -1 to 1. The higher the value the more likely to strafe (dodge).

ReactionTime=1

How quick a bot is to react to other players... Higher value, faster reaction.

TeamFace=1 UT2004 Only

If you've made team coloured faces for your new character, this is where you get them in game. Leave out the entry if you haven't made team faces.

BotUse=3 (Thanks to Radiosity for telling me this some time ago)

Notice how the new default 2k4 models get used more than the 2k3 ones? This is why. Typically set at 1 or 3. At 1 the game uses the bot less often and 3 uses it more often.

Menu="SP"

This is the main entry, whether you want the character available in Single Player mode. Note, I don't mean Instant Action but rather the Single Player campaign. Leave it at Menu="" if you don't want it in Single Player.

Text="..."

Here you put your character bio information if you want to include it... Name, Age, etc. Each | moves the cursor onto the next line in game.

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Other entries not in the example

There are a few other entries that can go in the .UPL such as Voice=, Ragdoll=, Skeleton= but unless you're using custom content you can ignore these.

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Things to think about

Before you go rushing to make your character some kind of superman, think about a few things. All the values will only go so high before they have no effect. If you're used to playing against bots that are say Adept and you make your character's abilities +5 for example, you're gonna' get your a** whooped unless you lower your bot skill level. Other people that use your character might be less inclined to use it also. Higher values on bots that are available in SP come with higher costs. Where a regular bot might cost 800, yours could cost 20,000 - Great to have on your team but you'll be broke in no time paying him. My advice, stick to the typical values or thereabouts.

If I've forgotten anything or need to add something, I'll edit this post.
 
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