hi, im new to modding. it sounds pretty fun, while time consuming im sure, but before i can get started i need help with starting my mod tools thing and zero editor. first off...when i double click the icon of a clone head that says "BF2_ModTools" it says "This application has failed to start because binkw32.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem". any idea where i could find/fix this problem? and second of all, whenever i launch zeroeditor, it immediately pulls up a microsoft error report thing. plz tell me if you have any idea how to fix either of these problems.

For the first:
Move BF2_Modtools.exe to your directory with your SWBF2 exe.

For the second:
Check FAQ on running ZE with 3Danylyzer.

jedimaster745 wrote:second of all, whenever i launch zeroeditor, it immediately pulls up a microsoft error report thing.

This happened to me for a while too. For me the problem was, my computer sucked at the time. What kind of graphics card and RAM are you running? Those are VERY important

my RAM is about 500 mb, and my graphics card...or chip, cuz im on a laptop, is Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family. do i need a different/better graphics card/chip? :chew:

Sounds to me like a perfect candidate for 3DAnalyze. Check HERE.

1. thanks man for the link to the 3d analyzer. it fixed everything.
2. i know this might sound a little noobish, but where do i save my completed zeroeditor mod thing to, because everywhere i save it, when i go to play my mod i just have a blank map

You have to got to bf2_modtools/data_modid/build and run visualmunge.

oh, ok, thanks for the help!

Edit
*sigh* now i have yet another problem. this one might not be fixable, but who knows? so, whenever i go on BF2 to test my mod, as soon as the level loads the game crashes. that happens with some other mods, but usually on the second try it loads right...well, not with mine. plz tell me if u have some advice.

what exactly did you change before it crashed?

well, the only thing i ever did to my mod was create its modid folder, and then run zeroeditor and place everything. then, as culvar advised, i ran visualmunge to make it so all those item placements showed up. then, when i played my mod, as soon as the last loading bar finished, BF2 crashed. so i never switched any folders around or anything, all i did was use zeroeditor to place the stuff.

wait, never mind, i got it working...but for some reason the objects STILL wont show the colors i put on the mpa show, but none of the objects. *sigh* wow i have a lot of questions.

Are the onject ODFs and MSHes in data_modid/worlds/modid(you need to creat a MSH and ODF folders there) Also did you place the MSH or ODF? ODF's are what you place.

Generally two reasons for that to my knowledge:
1: Culv got it.
2: Your mod tools are installed incorrectly.

ok, i know what i did wrong. right before i played my mod, i took the msh and odf files out. i did not realize they were so vital to have after the munge process, and to further push me to take them out, after the munge, i got an error log warning that the msh and odf files in there might cause my mod to be slow. but now i understand how vital they are, and i shall not make the same mistake again...next time it will be a different mistake

After you have munged the map, all files necessary to play the map are in the LucasArts\Star Wars Battlefront II\GameData\addon folder, thus deleting the mshs and odfs after the munge would have done nothing to change the outcome when you played the map from Battlefront 2.
To help you figure out what's wrong, post the munge log (the log to which you referred), and if and only if there where no errors in the munge log, run the map with BF2_modtools.exe from the LucasArts\Star Wars Battlefront II\GameData and post the contents of the BFront2.log that spits out.

Ignore the warnings about being slow, unless you're making a brand new model. All it's saying is that the model has a lot of vertices, so it'll potentially slow the munge process. It's just a general reminder, and it shows up with several stock models, so it's nothing to be overly concerned with unless you're munging complex models.

Edit: You tell me.

first i have one question: where should i keep my mod tools folder? i have it in the main directory of my c: drive because when its in my BF2 folder with addon and the other stuff, it messes with my online play. should i keep it there regardless of the online interference?

No, it should be in C:\. If it were in the actual battlefront folder, it won't work, as there's a space in the path name. DOn't ask me why, but it won't. As for the reason it messes w/ online, no idea why, maybe you have a side mod and don't know it or summin like that.

ok, so before i do anything, can someone please list(or give a link) for everything i need to do to just make a simple mod, which just means right after creating the mod id running zeroeditor and munging it. because that is all i wanna do, and im getting tons of advice but i dont know which one to use.

i think i got everything working now...except whenever i play my mod, before it completes loading, it freezes and not even the ctrl, alt, delete thing works so i have to reboot my computer.