[MUA1] How to add/modify character selection menu effects

[Norrin Radd]

The location of the menu effects is /effects/menu/, although you could place them where you want

Adding or removing existing menu effects is fairly simple. To explain it, I'll use two examples.

Removing a menu effect:
Besides removing the effect file itself, there is another way to remove the effect.
1. Decompile ui/menus/team_back.xmlb
2. Find the entry that contains the effect you want removed, and remove it
3. Recompile

Example
For example, if you don't have human torch on your team and you don't want his fire to be there, remove the lines:

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   item {
   effect = menu/team_humantorch ;
   enabled = false ;
   name = pad24_fx ;
   neverfocus = true ;
   type = MENU_ITEM_EFFECT ;
   }

Adding a menu effect:
The process is similar to removing an effect, except you have to place your effect in the right spot, and add some text in team_back.xmlb.
1. Decompile ui/menus/team_back.xmlb
2. Find out which spot in the menu you want your effect to be on.
3. Add the MENU_ITEM_EFFECT effect entry, and make sure it points to the right effect file
4. Recompile
5. Decompile the effect file
6. Change the effect's origin to match up with the chosen menu location
7. Recompile

Example
For example, let's say you wanted jubilee's back to be on fire, and you have her in menulocation 13. Decompile the team_back.xmlb, add these lines (note the 13 and the effect name):

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   item {
   effect = menu/team_jubilee ;
   enabled = false ;
   name = pad13_fx ;
   neverfocus = true ;
   type = MENU_ITEM_EFFECT ;
   }
Recompile this file. This change will turn the effect on and off when she is deselected/selected. Then copy a decompiled effects/menu/team_humantorch.xml to effects/menu/team_jubilee.xml. Open the new file and go to the line that says:

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   origin = 58 189 90 58 189 90 ;
and change it to:

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   origin = -99 159 89 -99 159 89 ;
This change places the fire right on jubilee's back in the menu (instead of human torch's spot). Now compile this file.

If you follow these steps, the effect should turn on when you don't have the character (in this case jubilee) on your team, and should turn off when you have the character on your team.

[Hobgoblin]

This is a great guide, but could someone add how to figure out the 'origin' location of menu slots?

Norrin Radd's example gives 'origin = -99 159 89 -99 159 89 ;' for menulocation 13, I'd be interested to know what those origin coordinates are for different slots.

[UltraMegaMagnus]

This is a great guide, but could someone add how to figure out the 'origin' location of menu slots?

Norrin Radd's example gives 'origin = -99 159 89 -99 159 89 ;' for menulocation 13, I'd be interested to know what those origin coordinates are for different slots.

Nikita and Maegawa teached me how to found these value, thx again to them & Norrin Radd for the tutorial.

The value origin given by Norrin Radd has this template X Y Z X Y Z, like -99 is X, 159 is Y and 89 is Z, then repeat XYZ value.

XYZ value will determine where is positioned the effect, here is how these value are translated in game :


So you need to found these X, Y & Z value, (in 3DS Max, it's at the bottom) there might be simpler way, but I only know this from Nikita & Maegawa so far :
What you can do is to open the file provided by Nikita with a 3D software, adopt your units (metric etc) to it (big thx again for it) : http://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,10335.0.html
Alternative is to take the value of Norrin Radd and do trial and error, by guessing the numbers for your spot, taking in account how XYZ are translated in game with the above pic.
Then look for the square that correspond to your desired slot, go in top view in your 3D software, hover your mouse on it and check the XYZ value showed in your 3D software, you have now a starting point with X & Y value (Z will have to be guessed with trial & error), note that is not entirely accurate value, you will have to trial and error to found good value. you don't need to be too accurate with decimal value too, round value should work fine.
Z value must be guessed too to fit your mannequin. Check the above image to what XYZ value corresponds to.

For menulocation 26 with Human Torch in this spot, I found origin = 108 199 94 108 199 94 ;