AMS2 Content Manager

Edit: found the solution to my problem

 

I was investigating an issue running custom liveries with the "NAMeS+AI for Thunderflash AMS2 Mods v0.5" pack and realized there's something else in CM that would be a nice-to-have.

Currently CM will create an .orig file if it finds a conflict with a CustomAIDrivers XML file (which is an awesome feature and helped me identify some issues I was having). What if CM was able to append additional entries to an XML file to add support for additional liveries? Or if it could spot discrepancies between the livery names in the UserData and Vehicle folders?

For example, "NAMeS+AI for Thunderflash AMS2 Mods v0.5" works perfect with default liveries but if you have changed the liveries, the names in the XML no longer match. This can be done manually of course but to automate it would be a huge help. You'd need to scan the CustomAIDrivers .xml files, in addition to the Overrides .xml files for all mods being enabled in a given class and generate new .xml files which are compatible with each other (one AI file per class and one for each vehicle within the class).

But then how do you match the names? I guess you could look in the livery name for a number and match on that but I don't know how reliable that would be...

 

I’m working on alternative thunderflash files that work with various mods out there. Any particular ones you want first?

 

NAMeS Expansion Pack 2 and NAMeS Expansion Pack 3 have some overlap in the GT1, GT4 and GTE classes.

 

I updated the Thunderflash AI files to include variants that match MrBraindown & Emà!!!'s skins for GT1, GTE & GT4.

 

I know there's already another project in development with regard to custom AI and grids, etc. but I think this feature should ultimately live in a future version of CM. To me, CM's ability to keep track of what is installed is a prerequisite to make things user friendly (maybe a collaboration opportunity?).

Objective: provide an interface to manage custom AI/grids

1. Choose whether to open an existing file (current, default or a previously created/saved file), open an external file, create a new file or load a file (for installation to UserData)
2. Choose a class
3. Load existing data from .xml files in UserData and Vehicles (to get available livery names)
   
4. Perform integrity check (specifically for livery name discrepancies, highlight those to the user)
5. Choose number of opponents/slots (you might want different grid files based on single or multi-class, etc.)
6. Select models/liveries/drivers (livery previews would be cool)
7. Edit AI traits
8. Save .xml with descriptive title (e.g. GT4_mixed_8cars, GT4_32cars, etc.), file information would ideally save locally in CM
9. Select file to compile/load (e.g. GT4_mixed_8cars would become GT4.xml in UserData) -- ("load a file" from Step 1)

The reason I think CM is perfect for this is because when mods get disabled, their UserData and Vehicle folder entries are removed as well, which keeps things clean. If the files from Step 8 are local to CM, the last known .xml per class could be saved during deactivation so when mods are re-enabled, their last known .xml files would load with them by default (using the default/supplied .xml upon re-enabling could be an option to keep things flexible).

 

before using Content Manager, do we need to uninstall all the liveries and AI files that are currently installed?

Or is Content Manager just for cars and tracks?

 

I use AMS2CM for everything. Yes, it is best to remove all your current mods. After that, you basically dump every zip or 7z file you want activated (livery set, Ai file, car mod, track mod, whatever) in the Enabled folder and run AMSCM. It will automatically install them. Like JSGME, the order of installation matters, so if you want a jusk ai file installed after a F1 carset, make sure the separate AI file is named so that it installs after the set. Paola has already improved some of the issues I pointed out earlier in this thread, but I cannot confirm that EVERY mod will install correctly (due to the varying folder structure that different modders use), but the app already seems to recognize some of the differences out there and installs things the right way. I have taken the time on my end to compile mods exactly how I want them into 7z files (like a livery set with jusk’s latest AI file), and everything works flawlessly, mods and all … a bit of time well spent to hand the workload over to the app forevermore.

 

Gave this a try for the first time tonight for the RC...

Pretty handy for those installing mods... Great work...

Some suggestions to make it more useful for modders...

1. Allow unpacked mods to be picked up in the enabled folder, as repackaging via winrar or another program for each edit is tedious...

2. Have an option to unpack the bootfiles into the enabled folder for modders... These files are necessary when building a new mod...

Otherwise I'd continue to use it as it's very handy... But with those 2 limitations the JSGME method is easier for modders whilst they work on their mods...

 

Since installing Content Manager I have found that the custom livery file path has changed and you can’t install liveries as before if they don’t actually work via CM.
Luckily we had someone in our league that fixed the 2002 livery pack for the Formula V10 gen.2 cars so they will install using CM.
You could still manually install before CM by dropping the folder into Vehicles folder browsing game files via Steam.
All the xml files have changed to crd files, don’t think this is a big issue.
So is there a way to manually install liveries with the changed game file paths without using CM if needed due to the packs not compatible?