Don't be afraid of the Editor here is some stuff that has helped me and I'm trying to get people to dive in. Give it a try it is powerful, confusing, frustrating but well worth it when you see you new item in the game for the first time. Most of this information applies ONLY to Steam version only, especially the restore portion below. I would assume if you mess you game up so much that you lose files that you could simply re-install from disk, but use the below method item (5) to backup your hard work (projects). Also remember that the editor will only work with version 1.3.1 or greater and I have learned that still some stuff is still turned off you will see "TODO" next to it and in some of the files.
Learn from my pain and frustration. Hopefully the moderators can make this a sticky if enough people join in the modding community. Below are a list of things that will help in understanding the EM5 world editor and the functions associated with it. Please feel free to add information and suggest new things. I am far from a great programmer and most of what I have learned is because I have messed up the game so much I had no choice but to learn to fix it. These items are not listed in any particular order.
1. BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP. I can't say this enough. If your going to mess with the editor or files make sure that you back up things to a safe location. It doesn't matter if your simply editing a texture or changing a lighting pattern. Backup the file. This allows you to always have a safe file to go back to if the worst comes to worst. DO NOT RELY on the EM5 undo function as it does not always work and can corrupt a prefab file. If you have the room backup the entire PREFAB directory its approx 8-10gig
2. CREATE YOUR NEW PROJECT, DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING UNTIL YOU DO. When you first open the editor you are going to want to dive right in or run the other way depends on what your mindset is and how much frustration you can take. DONT DO ANYTHING YET. When you open the editor for the first time you will be making changes to the default files. (I did this prior to version 1.3 and had to start all over) If you do not have the latest version of the EM5 game then you may want to stop.
PRESS F11 and choose the "create new project" If you have the words "TODO" next to this you are NOT on the correct version and will NOT be able to safely create MODS. Go download the newest patches.
Give you project a name and description (it must be in all lowercase letters for some reason) the name does the descrition can be all CAPS it doesn't care. If you cant create the file look at the DEBUG log window for red writing and a reason. It will probably tell you that the name is invalid.
ALWAYS CREATE A NEW PROJECT. What this does is allow you to overwrite files for that project only while keeping the core file fine and intact. When the project / mod is enable EM5 will use the MOD files and overwrite the changes. If the mod or project is NOT active the EM5 game goes to all default files.
Once you have created a NEW project you can mess around and change things with little fear of messing things up too bad.
3. MAKE SURE THE PROJECT IS RUNNING. This got me good and messed up several things until I figured it out. If you have tons of projects, lets say one for a the police_stw and one for the police_hc then you must choose what one you want to work with. You can select both but then you may run into problems with shared assets and children files. Make sure your porject is running by right clicking on the project and looking for "RUNNING PROJECT" This should be the top selection. Click on it. If you see the project name highlighted in WHITE FONT it is RUNNING.
IF it is GREYED out FONT it is NOT running. A Running project is the only project that is effected by your changes.
4. SAVE SAVE SAVE, Again I can't stress enough after hours of work or five minutes SAVE your work. If changes are made to a prefab vehicle or object use the "SAVE PREFAB" command. DO NOT USE the "SAVE PREFAB AS" command. If you use the SAVE PREFAB command you are using the correct default file name that EM5 will look for and will find and launch without extra scripts etc. If the SAVE PREFAB AS command is used you give the file a NEW name and it will show in the prefab browser but EM5 will NOT know what to do with the new file and it will NOT show in game. You then would have to change the file name manually in the directory to fix this mistake.
5. LAST RESORT IF ALL ELSE FAILS YOU HAVE A SAFETY NET (SOMETIMES) Last one for now. If you become as unlucky as me and corrupt your files or game beyond help here is the solution to get you back on track and keep from smacking your head into a wall too hard. Lets say you deleted the file for the police car or any other file for that matter.
Make a backup copy of all your hard work project files. They can be found in the following directory (if steam)
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Emergency 5\data.
Backup all files and move them to a safe location. Do NOT MOVE or delete the following two directory files "EM5" or "QSF" all other files stay in the DATA folder.
Using STEAM open up and make sure that it is online. Then go to the Game library and look for the EM5 Banner under games.
Right click on the EM5 banner and select the "properties"
Once you click on this look at the top tabs and look for the tab labled "Local Files"
In the "Local Files" tab look at the lower portion and find a button labled " VERIFY INTEGEGRITY OF GAME CACHE..."
What this will do is compare the files on Steam to the files on your computer. It will then tell you how many files are lost and replaced. This will effectivly repair the game bringing it back to default.
Then to bring your prefab models or projects back into the game. Find your project files you saved earlier. Right click on the file and then select the option to compress to .zip file. Once you zip the file / files you can now import the files back into the EM5 editor.
Hit F11 brings up the Asset Browser. The Second Left most icon in the lower corner will show "Import existing project" if you hover over it. Select this option and browse to your file location. Create a name and description again. Remember that your description of the Mod is what is displayed in the EM5 Splash screen when selecting what Mods to use. So make it easy for a normal person to understand.
Make sure after the import of the existing project that you check your DEBUG log and look for a message showing successfully mounted of the package.
Check to make sure the project is "RUNNING project" highlighted in white font. If not select it and make it.
Check the prefab or item once again in the editor and make sure it works.
Best of luck and enjoy, you have saved all your hard work.
6. DEBUG LOGS IS YOUR BEST FRIEND AND WORST ENEMY. Pay attention and make sure that the DEBUG LOG window is part of your layout. It will show you information about everything you do. It will tell you if something is successfully "white text" then it will complain about everything you do wrong in "red text" Pay attention to the messages as they can point you in the right direction especially when it points to items being misplaced or "ID's" missing. You will learn to Love and Hate this all in the same session.
For now that all I have time for. Best of Luck and remember to contribute to this. We can make this game work over time. Thanks to EVERYONE who has pointed me in the right direction and taught me some of the tricks to save my long hours of work.
I will post more as I get time and learn more about this editor.
Bill
Delaware, USA
