terrible modding guide for dead estate

MODDING OHHHHHHHHH I WANT TO MOD CORDELIA TO HAVE MORE JIGGLE PHYSICS BUT I NEED HELP SO I'LL READ THE GUIDE OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Beginning

I'm gonna teach you ♥♥♥♥♥ ass horny stupid mother ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ how to mod Dead Estate (sorry, i didn't mean those insults)

This is gon be like any other modding guide for games that were made on GameMakerStudio but I wanna see people ♥♥♥♥ around with mods in this small community so I'm making this. (GB/GJ page when?!?!)

The video that made me make this guide:

Requirements

• UndertaleModTool: DE Version (For modding basically everything): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qs68JLwkpzDbYq-OvVcd7dqO_TGZPvsp/view?usp=drive_link
  
  
• VLC (To check the codec info for the audio files): https://www.videolan.org/vlc/
  
  
• Any Audio Software that allows you to change bit rate and file formats. (FL Studio recommended): (just pirate fl or something lol)
  
  
• Coding/Texting Editing Software: Visual Studio Code[code.visualstudio.com], Notepad++[notepad-plus-plus.org], Game Maker Studio[gamemaker.io], etc.
  
• Xdelta Patcher (To patch the data.win file): https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/598/
  
  
• Delta Pather (To extract mods into your game): https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/704/

Getting Started with Ripping

(Imagine a bunch of old text here that doesn't apply to the current version of DE rn.)

(Be sure the read the README.md file to get a better understanding of this tool.)

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There's a lot of ♥♥♥♥ you can mess with but I'm gonna focus on the main things people will mostly be focused on which are the Sprites, Code, Text, Music, and Sounds/Voice lines.

To access the game, first you'll need to locate where Dead Estate is. (let's be real, 90% of us know how to access game folders on steam but search it up if you don't.)
You'll see 8 files (excluding the Axel sprites) but the main 3 we'll need are:

• Data.win: The file that makes the game be the game and holds everything besides audio.
  
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• Audiogroup1.dat: Music.
  
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• Audiogroup2.dat: Sound effects and Voicelines.

Ripping and Editing Sprites

Now with the UndertaleModTool still opened, head over to file, open, locate Dead Estate, and open up the "data.win" file. (should have a funny undertale logo on it.)
After it's done loading, you should see that arrows appeared on a lot of the ♥♥♥♥ on the side. (great, you're doing good!!!!!)

Now searching for specific sprites may look difficult at first since there's a lot of sprites to scroll through but I'm sure you saw the search bar which counters that issue. (the only issue is that you kinda have to guess what a texture may be called, for an example a lot of Cordelia sprites will either start with "sprCordelia" or "sprWitch")

After finding what you wanna edit, either click "Export all frames" (don't include the padding) or click the 3 dots on the texture path and export from there to get the sprite. (I'd recommend doing the second option since it allows you to import the edited sprite from there.)


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Now let's say, "what if i want ALL the sprites at once" WELL SHI I GOT YOU COVERED (please laugh)

Right where you opened the data.win file, there should be text that says "Scripts" and there will be a lot of ♥♥♥♥ that looks overwhelming but a lot of the scripts are meant for Undertale and Deltarune so we don't gotta worry about most of them.

Head over to Resource Unpackers and click "ExportAllTextures" or "ExportAllSprites" (Textures will give you every single sprite/texture and Sprites will only give you the main sprites which is what most people want {what a shocker!})


♥♥♥♥ around with the sprite in your preferred art software of choice (best choice is Aesprite for pixel art.)
Go back into UndertaleModTool, Search for the sprite you just edited, click the 3 dots on the sprite, import it, and save.

That's all we got for ripping and editing sprites, gng. (Quick reminder, saving the game can take a minute so wait until it's fully done saving before reopening the game.)

Image Example:

OG Image if anybody is curious:

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SPRITES

steam guide ♥♥♥♥ is being ass and won't let me put this text above so im making a section for it ig

Importing sprites might cause issues with the edited sprite being blurry in game

This is caused because of the canvas resolution matching up with what the in game resolution for the sprite is supposed to be.
Be sure that your edited sprite is the resolution as the OG sprite.

If you wanna be like me and waste time then this Reddit thread may help: ♥♥♥♥♥

EXTRA NOTE

since undertalemodtool isn't made for dead estate
the compatibility for editing weapons is so weird and i don't understand what the ♥♥♥♥ the devs did in order to make the weapon sprites
i have no info on how to editing weapon sprites but please tell me if one of you figure out how to.

Ripping and Editing Music/Sound effects and Voice Lines

Audiogroup files are the files that contains the music and sounds (as i said before)

As before, you open the files like you would with the data.win file but the issue is when you click "Embedded audio"
You'll see all of the sounds are named "EmbeddedSound X" which will make it really hard to find which sound is which but I GOTCHU AGAIN.

Open UndertaleModTool again so you'll have 2 to work with, open the data.win file, and look for "sounds"
It will have all the named sounds and upon clicking on one, it will tell you the number for the audio file (Example: bgmHeavenmart = Audio File 44)
Once you found what you want to rip, double click on the sound, export it, and name it whatever you want.

Now this is VERY IMPORTANT, you can't just simply replace a file and you're done. A lot of the files need to fit the codec info of the original audio file.

I know most of y'all are like "wtf is this nerd emoji talk" and imma be real, i didn't know what the ♥♥♥♥ was this ♥♥♥♥ either.

Basically, UndertaleModTool says all the files are WAV files but that isn't the case for Dead Estate.
The audio can be silent sometimes and that's because the original audio files is a OGG file.
With VLC, choose your selected ripped audio file, press CTRL + J, and you'll see the codec info.
The main thing we want to focus on here is "Codec" and "Bits per sample"
Those 2 have to match up with the ripped audio codec.

For FL Studio users, I know a lot of you probably don't ♥♥♥♥ with the export settings but when you export the FLP, you'll be able to change everything through there to match the bit rate (it should be self explanitory)
ignore the color palette

Cutscene Example:

Gamplay Example:

Ripping and Editing Code/Text

So, you can literally change everything with the game but ♥♥♥♥ is mad confusing and isn't gonna be people's main focus.
Imma still give a brief explaination on both but it ain't gonna be as detailed.
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Code:

Self explanitory; it consists every line of code in game that you can ♥♥♥♥ with.

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Text:

In game text can be edited through strings, you can either find the string you want to edit and just rename the content text or you can export the strings via using the "ExportAllStrings" (similar to exporting all sprites.)
Exporting the strings into a txt file will makes thing easier to navigate through especially if you're using something like Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code.
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Not much to explain since most people might not care about this and most people would prolly want to change how much damage a weapon can do or the range.
(The main focus for editing the majority of the specific code usually ends with "PreCreate" and will most likely have what you're looking for. (It just depends what you're looking for.)

Video Example:

Installing a mod/Patching the game

Installing a mod isn't difficult.

So if mods do start coming out after this guide, you'll most likely see files end with "xdelta" if they're a sprite/script mod.
(If it's an audio mod, it's as simple as dragging the audiogroup.dat file into your game files but make sure you make a backup of your files before you mod them)
Download Delta Patcher, Extract it, and open it.

i hope this screenshot explains what you need to do.


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Patching mods aren't difficult either.

This is for if you want to share a mod without giving out the whole source code for people who don't own the game. (me with my complied version of aesprite)

To respect the devs, we're gonna patch the game for "privacy" reasons even though Steamunlocked exists.

You'll need xDelta but I'm not gonna sit here and explain what you need to do.
Watch this really good guide on how to patch the game:

Conclusion

It ain't that hard to mod the game but I still wanna make a guide on how to do it since people are interested in modding.
Happy modding, squad!

istg if one of you ♥♥♥♥♥♥ make a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ nsfw nude mod or some ♥♥♥♥ like that, im killing myself and im haunting yo ass

(i also spent all day on this guide so like, please mod the game)

SOMEBODY MAKE THIS

[Cordellious]

alright good

[Headcrab]

i managed to make it work, dont worry, i was just using delta patcher wrong

[Cordellious]

@Headcrab how did you edit the sprites. did you just edit the image file and then save it or did you do something else

[Headcrab]

i tried to change some sprites

[Cordellious]

@Headcrab depends on what you tried to change

[Headcrab]

whenever i apply the patch to dead estate i cant open the game, is there anyway to fix this?

[Void]

i get an error that says "and error accured whie trying to load: failed to refernce at 6427426 at 008B76AC while reading object UndertaleModLib. Models. UndertaleVariable in chunck VARI" can someone help me with this?

[Gekker]

OK, fo anyone having problems like i did, i found the source of the problem, i think.
So, rn we have a working version that can decompile the data.win.
What makes the errors, like the one which i had trouble with, is the "Decompiled" tab. If you start changing things in "Disassembly" tab instead, it's gonna go fine, and the game will launch fine.
Seems like "Decompiled" tab is something like a manual re-arrange of whatever is in "Disassembly" tab, just made for user's convenience, and all the real data is in "Disassembly".
p.s. spent entire yesterday on making modifications, hopefully will finish soon to make a mod out of it.

[Gekker]

well, sadly it's the same result like with the version in the link i provided. Thanks for your version though, now at least i wont be looking for ghosts.
Seems like some scripts i just can't be touching, or the compilation fails.
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BUT i somewhat-achieved what i wanted by creating a new script for the "step" part, then the compilation was fine. The possibilities are limited that way, though.
Thanks all the same, for the guide and the link.
P.S. the version i linked works faster than yours regarding packaging, maybe that'll help you.

[Cordellious]

try this https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qs68JLwkpzDbYq-OvVcd7dqO_TGZPvsp/view?usp=drive_link