Skin FAQ (Installing, server usage, and more)

How to change the Default Character to a Custom Skin

First a little background info: Every skin comes with a UPL- a text file that tells the game the name of the character, the textures and model used, and its other attributes. If you have two entries that have the same name the game chooses the one from the first UPL alphabetically.

So for example if you have two different characters named "Hulk" in the upls ComicDudes.upl and TheHulk.upl, the one from ComicDudes.upl is used.

When you are playing online, the name of the characters used by other players is sent to your machine. The game checks your upl collection to see if there is a match, and displays whatever skin and model is specified in your upl. If it's character you don't have, your default character is displayed. (See my next post for how to change your default character the official way.)

We can use this fact to our advantage to change the appearance of the default character you see when you don't have someone's custom skin - usually Jakob, Malcolm or Gorge. No existing file actually has to be changed. Just create a new upl that comes before 'xplayers' alphabetically, copy the data from another character, then rename the character to match your default charater's name.

Step by Step Guide:

*Create a new text file. (for example Aaaaaaa.txt)

*Rename it from .txt to .upl (for example Aaaaaaa.upl)

*open the upl containing the character you want to use, paste the data into your new file. If it contains multiple characters, look for the section you need and just copy that entry, starting with Player=( and ending with ).

*Change the name of the character to "Jakob", "Malcolm", "Gorge" or whatever character is your default.

*Make sure the line [Public] is at the beginning of the file.

*So for a Cylon to replace Jakob, you'd have this (see attachment) and need to have the Cylon model installed of course.

*Place the file in UT2004/System

*Restart UT2004, join a game and test it out.

Just as a note, the reason for making a duplicate entry is because upls for the stock characters should never be edited. Editing those will give you problems when joining servers that run AntiTCC or UTComp. Those mutators scan for changes to prevent cheating, since you could just change them all to bright pink or something. They also check for duplicate entries. To play on servers like that, you'll just need to move your custom upl out of your system directory, or open the file and place a ; in front of Player=(... to make UT2004 ignore the entry.

The environment here is different of course. You could also just back up the originals in another folder, and edit XplayersL1.upl or XplayersL2.upl, but I think this is harder to screw up.

I wanted to use the new skin I made without having people see me as Jakob. Instead of them having to change their default character to something else, can I set it up where they see my old character Motig if they haven't downloaded my new skin?

As a test, I might try to change Default.ini and DefUser.ini main character to Motig. Maybe that'll work.

Dragon7350 wrote:

I wanted to use the new skin I made without having people see me as Jakob. Instead of them having to change their default character to something else, can I set it up where they see my old character Motig if they haven't downloaded my new skin?

As a test, I might try to change Default.ini and DefUser.ini main character to Motig. Maybe that'll work.

It will not work. All skins have to be in the client's file for them to see your skin. It is up to the individual player to decide if they will to download other players skins.

Demon is correct. Displaying skins is a client-side process and there is no way to make other players see you as a specific default character if they don't have the custom skin you're using. They will always see their selected default characters.

Speaking of that, it is possible for players to change their default characters the official way from a small list of choices, and it's also possible for a player to force all players to appear as their default choice -- but only if they also use their default choice.

(Copied from Unreal North.com)

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Forcing Default Models in UT2004
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Forcing default models is when you pick from a list of, well... default models & edit your UT2004 files so that everyone you see `in-game` is that person. There are various reasons people want to do this, ranging from visibility of characters, to frames per second (fps) performance, to reducing game jitter when a new player enters the game.

Example: a popular forced model is Gorge because of his `easy-to`-see characteristics. To someone forcing Gorge, everyone is gorge.

The forced models can only be ones taken from the following list:

Allowed Default Models
----------------------
Female skins
Tamika
Ophelia
Sapphire
Rylisa

Male skins
Jakob
Gorge
Malcolm
Rapier
Roc
Mokara
Brutalis
----------------------

Hey, I don't make the rules, so don't complain to me if the list doesn't have a lot of variety.
Remember, I'm a custom content freak, so I never force default models. Which reminds me... I need to warn you before we go any further...

****** WARNING ******

Forcing default models will turn every character you see `in-game` to the one (sometimes 2) models that you specify. If you have installed any custom skins or models, you will not be able to enjoy them while the forced models are enabled. Custom skins are not 'forceable.' I suggest saving a backup copy of the User.ini and UT2004.ini files before making ANY modifications, that way you can revert to 'the way it was' if you mess something up.

****** /WARNING ******

Ok so let's get on with it...

We'll be dealing with 2 files:

C:UT2004SystemUser.ini
C:UT2004SystemUT2004.ini

1. Open User.ini in Notepad
2. Do a search for [XGame.xPawn]
3. Check the lines below [XGame.xPawn] & modify them until you get:

[XGame.xPawn]
PlacedCharacterName=Gorge
PlacedFemaleCharacterName=Rylisa
bPlayOwnFootsteps=False
bUnlit=True

// Note: bUnlit=True will brighten up the skins a bit.

3a. While you're at it, search for [Engine.Pawn] in the User.ini, & make sure the line below it looks like:

[Engine.Pawn]
bNoCoronas=False

// This will also help visibility of skins.

4. Save & close.
5. Open UT2004.ini in Notepad
6. Search for [UnrealGame.DeathMatch]. If it's not in there, add it somewhere.
7. After you find/add that line, alter your UT2004.ini to reflect the following:

[UnrealGame.DeathMatch]
bColoredDMSkins=True
bForceDefaultCharacter=True

8. Save & close. You should now be showing 1 model for everyone.
9. If you want to change the model you're forcing, go back into User.ini & modify the line

[XGame.xPawn]
PlacedCharacterName=Gorge

to the model you want to see. An example would be:

[XGame.xPawn]
PlacedCharacterName=Mokara
PlacedFemaleCharacterName=Rylisa

I would recommend playing around with these 2 lines to get a feel for how they will effect your game.
Use the list of allowed default models to experiment.

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Using the Console to Force Default Models in UT2004
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You can also use the console to set the default skin. Note that the quick console will not allow these operations.
You must pull down the console by hitting the ~ key (default).

Once your console is open, you'll need to enable the default character setting by typing:

set UnrealGame.DeathMatch bForceDefaultCharacter True

To turn them off, you would open the console & type:

set UnrealGame.DeathMatch bForceDefaultCharacter False

Then you set your default character...

set XGame.XPawn PlacedCharacterName *
or
set XGame.XPawn PlacedFemaleCharacterName *

...where * can be a character name from the lists mentioned previously (remember the gender separation)

You can use these console methods to set up keybinds if you're so inclined.

NOTE: On servers enabling `Anti-TCC` or other cheat protections, the "set" command may be disabled, so be sure to do your modifications offline or on another server prior to joining.

Now it's also possible to use my technique to make everyone appear as the custom character of your choice, but keep in mind, they'll still see you as Jakob or whatever default you chose to change, even if they have your custom skin installed, since you must use the skin you are forcing.

However, if you can get your skin added to the DC skin pack SVN, any player who uses the SVN will see your skin, in addition to players that have installed your skin the normal way.