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Skin FAQ (Installing, server usage, and more)  XML
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Shantara

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 12/19/2004 18:35:28
Messages: 861
Location: SLC, Utah
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Part I: How to download and install skins.

Downloading skins is usually the easiest part. Assuming you have a link to the skin you want to download, click on the link. It will generally take you to a summary page of the skin. Somewhere on that page will be a link for downloading the skin. Click on the download link. NOTE: for some sites, you may have to follow the link further, such as "Please click on this link to start your download." I recommend downloading the skin to your desktop so you can find it easily (it will prompt you and ask where you want to download it to when you click the download link).

Once you have the skin downloaded, you have to extract it. Most skins come in a .zip format, but some come in a .rar format. Either way, double-click on the skin file on your desktop, and it will open up the extracting program for you (assuming you have it installed; if not, you need to Google for Winzip or WinRar and download the appropriate program).

Most skins come with a readme file that tell you how to install the skins. You can either follow the instructions they included, or continue reading.
Some skin creators have inserted what folder (System, Textures, etc.) each file should go to within the zip/rar file. If they have, this will appear on the extraction screen on the right. If they have specified the folders, you can simply extract them to your UT2004 folder and be done.
If you are uncertain about whether or not they specified the folder, extract the files to your desktop so you can move them manually.

Once you have extracted the files to your desktop, all you need to do is look at the file extension (the part after the . such as ".upl, .u" etc.) to figure out where it goes. Here is a list of file extensions and where they go:
*.upl goes in UT2004\System
*.int goes in UT2004\System
*.u goes in UT2004\System
*.utx goes in UT2004\Textures
*.ukx goes in UT2004\Animations
*.ka goes in UT2004\KarmaData

The skin zip file may have come with other files, such as *.txt files or screenshots of the skin. These are not necessary to install. Once you have moved the above files into the appropriate folders, you can delete the zip file, and you're done!

NOTE: Some skins come in their own installation package, known as a ut4mod. You'll be able to tell generally from WinZip because there will only be one file in the zip file: a ut4mod. For these kinds of skins, usually all you have to do is double-click and the file/s will install themselves.

I'm wondering what it will take for my country to rise,
First we admit our mistakes, then we open our eyes
--Ani Difranco

My skin: http://www.ut2003hq.com/pafiledb2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5094
Shantara

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 12/19/2004 18:35:28
Messages: 861
Location: SLC, Utah
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Part II: Skins on the server

A question that comes up frequently is, why doesn't the server force everyone to download all the skins of all the people who play here? There are several reasons for this:

1) Not all skins that everyone everywhere use are appropriate for our server.
2) Not everyone who plays on our server wants to download skins.
3) At last count, the file size of all the skins just listed on the forums was over 600MB. That is a very long download for anyone, and is a lot of bandwidth that we have to pay for.

So what this means is, if you want to see other people's skins, you need to download them yourself. If you want other people on the server to see your skin, the best thing to do is read the instructions for posting skins in this forum, follow them, and post it.

I'm wondering what it will take for my country to rise,
First we admit our mistakes, then we open our eyes
--Ani Difranco

My skin: http://www.ut2003hq.com/pafiledb2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5094
Shantara

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 12/19/2004 18:35:28
Messages: 861
Location: SLC, Utah
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NOTE: If you have suggestions about the content of this thread, or questions that were not answered about skins, you may post them in response to this thread. They will be incorporated into the FAQ and then deleted.

Any other responses to this thread will be deleted.

I'm wondering what it will take for my country to rise,
First we admit our mistakes, then we open our eyes
--Ani Difranco

My skin: http://www.ut2003hq.com/pafiledb2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5094
savagedogg38



Joined: 04/05/2009 12:56:12
Messages: 19
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My ut4mod files do not automatically install, how can I manually install or is their another route I can take?

The Federal Reserve Bank is a system of debt and through debt, they shall enslaved us all! Go to www.zeitgeistmovie.com now!

Take it easy, it is just a game people. No need to burst a blood vessel in your head.

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ECHO

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Joined: 09/03/2006 23:12:48
Messages: 1335
Location: orange county
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savagedogg38 wrote:
My ut4mod files do not automatically install, how can I manually install or is their another route I can take? 


Need more info. Operating system?

You can never have too much precision in your soup.

"I don't think it's fair for me to be on the jury because I'm a hologram..." - Liz Lemon

turtle power!

Skin packs!
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savagedogg38



Joined: 04/05/2009 12:56:12
Messages: 19
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I have 64bit Vista

The Federal Reserve Bank is a system of debt and through debt, they shall enslaved us all! Go to www.zeitgeistmovie.com now!

Take it easy, it is just a game people. No need to burst a blood vessel in your head.

[Yahoo!]
ECHO

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 09/03/2006 23:12:48
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Location: orange county
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http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/29702-13-cant-install-umods

You can never have too much precision in your soup.

"I don't think it's fair for me to be on the jury because I'm a hologram..." - Liz Lemon

turtle power!

Skin packs!
[Email] [Yahoo!] aim icon
savagedogg38



Joined: 04/05/2009 12:56:12
Messages: 19
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Thanks, the UTModExtractor worked perfectly.

The Federal Reserve Bank is a system of debt and through debt, they shall enslaved us all! Go to www.zeitgeistmovie.com now!

Take it easy, it is just a game people. No need to burst a blood vessel in your head.

[Yahoo!]
dom60

Wicked Sick!

Joined: 09/30/2006 16:10:39
Messages: 931
Location: NorCal is currant home
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question..is it possible to take pic of self and apply it to a skin??


GOOD GAWD THAT WOULD REALLY BE SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I may be getting old and falling apart but I can sure can raise Hell and have fun doing it!
Jefe

Godlike
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Joined: 11/05/2008 22:52:53
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Yes. There's a program called upaint that comes with UT2004 that lets you do that.

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dom60

Wicked Sick!

Joined: 09/30/2006 16:10:39
Messages: 931
Location: NorCal is currant home
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Jefe wrote:
Yes. There's a program called upaint that comes with UT2004 that lets you do that.  


ok the only UP listing in my dir is Uplaylists.ini is in the unreal editor?

I may be getting old and falling apart but I can sure can raise Hell and have fun doing it!
Jefe

Godlike
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Joined: 11/05/2008 22:52:53
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It's on one of the cds or the dvd, depending on which version you have. Has to be installed separately. Dunno if it's on the Unreal Anthology dvd or not.

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Jefe

Godlike
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Joined: 11/05/2008 22:52:53
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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.
 Filename Aaaaaa.upl [Disk] Download
 Description Example UPL - Change Jakob to Cylon
 Filesize 376 bytes
 Downloaded:  845 time(s)


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Dragon7350

Rampage
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Joined: 06/10/2011 21:05:04
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Location: IL, USA
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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.

Weapon Master: Draconyx
Adrenaline Master: PuffTheMagicDragon
Medic/Monster Master: Dragon7350
Engineer: Dragonark
General: Dragonlance

Get the DC Invasion program HERE.
I use the custom character skin "Arkos." Get it HERE.
If you want your own custom skin (and you have played at least 3 months on the DC server), post a new thread on the forums containing your request. (As of June 2013)
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(DC)DEMONSLAYER

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 03/18/2006 12:10:27
Messages: 2151
Location: Colorful Colorado
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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.

Let us not fool ourselves into thinking we went to the Moon because we are pioneers, or discoverers, or adventurers. We went to the Moon because it was the militaristically expedient thing to do. Neil deGrasse Tyson

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it....Autograph your work with excellence. Author Unknown

UT2004
LW-DEMONSLAYER-ACTIVE
LM-DEMONMEDIC-ACTIVE
LA-DEMONMAGIC-ACTIVE
LE-DEMONEER-ACTIVE
LG-DEMONJACK-ACTIVE

UT3
LW-DEMONSLAYERII
LM-KNIGHTMAGIC

My skin is Graah, a reincarnation of an ancient African warrior mixed with the soul of a lion,
download: http://www.disastrousconsequences.com/dcforum/posts/list/2843.page
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