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Step 6: Creating XML Files of Truck Components

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Now, we can focus on the XML classes of Suspensions, Engines, Gearboxes, and Winches that we haved touched earlier.

Let's do it step by step. The summary and motivation of these activities will be as follows.

Before this step, our mod was not packable, due to validation that is performed during packing.

Particularly, some classes in the original XML files of components have the UnlockByExploration and AddonUnlockByObjective attributes set to true, since they are locked by default and will be unlocked either by exploring some map in the original game or by accomplishing some in-game objective.

However, if you are creating a truck mod that is not linked to any map, you will not be able to unlock them that way. I.e., these components will remain locked.

So, during packing, the validator identifies the true values in these attributes and cancels packing due to them – to avoid "forever locked" components in the mod.

And, we will also remove references to Truck Replacements from the Suspension classes, since they are not covered by this guide.

I.e., we will need to:

  1. Create copies of the XML files of these components.
  2. Rename these files themselves and identifiers of variants of components within them.
  3. Set UnlockByExploration and AddonUnlockByObjective to false for all variants of these components.
  4. Remove references to Truck Replacements.

Process

Create Copies of XML files of Truck's Components

Creating Subfolders

Let's begin with creating subfolders for the XML files of the components' classes.

Paricularly, in the classes subfolder of the folder of your mod, you will need to create four subfolders:

  • engines
  • gearboxes
  • suspensions
  • winches

Totally, you will have 5 subfolders in classes, since you already created trucks there.

Extracting files from initial.pak

Now, you need to extract the original files of truck's compontents that are used for International Loadstar 1700 from the initial.pak archive.

This archive is located in the folder of the installed game, within its \preload\paks\client\ subfolder. For details, see File Paths in the Map Modding section.

To extract files from this archive, you will need some file archiver that works correctly with .pak files, e.g. WinRAR. You will need only to extract files, you will not need to modify the archive.

WARNING: Incorrect modifying of the initial.pak archive may lead to a crash of the game or the game not working. Always make the backup of it.

In the initial.pak, the necessary files are located at the following paths:

  • [media]\classes\engines\e_us_truck_old_international_loadstar_1700.xml
  • [media]\classes\gearboxes\gearboxes_trucks_international_loadstar_1700.xml
  • [media]\classes\suspensions\s_international_loadstar_1700.xml
  • [media]\classes\winches\winches_scouts.xml

You will need to extract these files and put them into subfolders you have created.

NOTE: All XML classes of suspensions, engines, gearboxes, and winches can be found in the subfolders of the initial.pak archive mentioned above.

Rename Files and Idnentifiers of Components

Now, you need to rename these files and identifiers of component variants within them.

These identifiers are specified as the value of the Name attribute for every class of the component within the XML file.

For example, the identifier of one variant of an engine from all compatible engines listed in e_us_truck_old_international_loadstar_1700.xml is us_truck_loadstar_1700_engine_0:

    <Engine
        CriticalDamageThreshold="0.55"
        DamageCapacity="160"
        DamagedConsumptionModifier="1.5"
        FuelConsumption="4.6"
        Name="us_truck_loadstar_1700_engine_0"
        Torque="100000"
        BrakesDelay="0.47"
        EngineResponsiveness="0.018"
        MaxDeltaAngVel="0.015"
        DamagedMinTorqueMultiplier="1.0"
        DamagedMaxTorqueMultiplier="0.65"
    >
        <GameData
            Price="1000"
            UnlockByExploration="false"
            AddonUnlockByObjective="false"
            UnlockByRank="1"
        >
            <UiDesc
                UiDesc="UI_ENGINE_US_TRUCK_OLD_0_DESC"
                UiIcon30x30=""
                UiIcon40x40=""
                UiName="UI_ENGINE_US_TRUCK_OLD_0_NAME"
            />
        </GameData>
    </Engine>

As you have probably noticed, earlier, in the XML class of the Truck, we have referenced the same particular values: the name of the XML file, without extension – in the Type attribute of the <...Socket> tag, the identifier of the default variant of the component – in its Default attribute.

Thus, we need to change the following:

  • In XML classes of the components:
    • The names of their XML files themselves.
    • The values in their Name attributes.
  • In the XML class of Truck:
    • Corresponding values of the Type attribute in the <...Socket> tags
    • Corresponding values of the Default attribute in the <...Socket> tags.

At first sight, this looks like a massive change, but it's well worth it.

However, if you are OK with reducing the number of customization variants for your mod, you can leave only a single variant of a component and specify the same variant as the default one. I.e., you can rename the files, and leave only a single <Engine>, <Gearbox>, <SuspensionSet>, and <Winch> tag (with its contents) in the <...Variants> parent tags within these files. And, then, reference only these variants as default ones in the XML class of the truck.

NOTE: Be sure to change names and identifiers in both XML classes of the components and the XML class of Truck.

In the end of this process, the corresponding piece of your XML class of the Truck may look similarly to the following:

<Truck>
    <TruckData
        ...
    >
        ...
        <SuspensionSocket
            Default="mytruck_suspension_default"
            Type="s_mytruck"
            MaxWheelRadiusWithoutSuspension="0.5"
        />

        <EngineSocket 
            Default="us_truck_mytruck_engine_0"
            Type="e_us_truck_old_mytruck"
        />

        <GearboxSocket 
            Default="g_truck_mytruck_default"
            Type="gearboxes_trucks_mytruck"
        />

        <WinchUpgradeSocket
            Default="w_mytruck_default"
            IsUpgradable="true"
            Type="winches_scouts_mytruck"
        />
        ...
    </TruckData>
    ...
</Truck>
And the XML classes of components will have the corresponding names and variants.

Modify the UnlockByExploration and AddonUnlockByObjective attrubutes

But that's not all. We still need to set proper values of UnlockByExploration and AddonUnlockByObjective attributes.

Particularly, we need to set them to false if they are set to true.

To pass the validation during packing, they need to be false for every variant of the component that is described in the correspondign XML file.

For example, for a single variant of the Engine: 

<_templates Include="trucks"/>
<EngineVariants>
    <Engine
        ...
    >
        <GameData
            ...
            UnlockByExploration="false"
            AddonUnlockByObjective="false"
            ...
        >
            ...
        </GameData>
    </Engine>
    ...
</EngineVariants>

Remove References to Truck Replacement

Now we need to remove references to Truck Replacements from the Suspension classes. They are a separate topic and are not covered by this simple tutorial.

Simply remove the following line:

    TruckReplacement="international_loadstar_1700_susp_1"

from the descriptions of the ..._high and _crawler Suspensions in the corresponding XML file.

That's it. It seems we are done the XML classes of the components.

Bonus

Working with this bunch of files may have the feeling of a mess, a little bit.

But, creating and modifying these files gives you the power and control over components of your mod.

In fact, similarly to the XML class of the truck itself, these files contain a lot of important properties in the form of tags and attributes.

Do you want to make your engine more powerful?
Increase the value of the Torque attribute of the necessary <Engine> tag in the XML class of engines.

Do you want the winch to be available only when the engine is working?
Set IsEngineIgnitionRequired to true in the corresponding <Winch> tag.

And so on.

However, our mod is now packable and we are almost ready to drive it.

Let's proceed to the next step – Creating Truck Pictures.