So I've been putting together my first mod, and I ran it through the XML Validator and it said it was fine. After fixing a couple bogus filename pointers in regards to ability art, I loaded it successfully through the ModLoader and saw it in the Character Creation screen. However, once I'm actually in-game, the skill doesn't show in my Skills menu nor upon leveling up! For debugging purposes, my three .xml files: mod.XML Code: <dredmormod> <revision text="1.0"/> <author text="Doc"/> <name text="Spiteful Scumbag"/> <description text="After years of lying, stealing and cheating, your self-gratifying ways have finally paid off in the form of an inexplicably-effective combat skill tree. Lucky you!"/> <info totalconversion="0"/> </dredmormod> skillDB.XML Code: <skillDB> <skill name="Spiteful Scumbag" skillName="scumbag" type="rogue" description="After years of lying and cheating, your self-gratifying ways have finally paid off in the form of an inexplicably-effective skill tree. Lucky you!" > <art icon="skills/ryan.png"/> </skill> <ability startSkill="1" name="Spiteful Scumbag" icon="skills/ryan.png" skillName="scumbag" description text="After years of lying and cheating, your self-gratifying ways have finally paid off in the form of an inexplicably-effective skill tree. Lucky you!"> <primaryBuff id="3" ammount="2" /> <primaryBuff id="4" amount="1" /> <primaryBuff id="0" amount="-1" /> </ability> <ability level="1" name="In Thrust We Trust" icon="skills/thrusty64.png" skillName="scumbag" description text="Like the inky black creatures of legend, you live to thrust and thrust you must. As it turns out, dry humping is as effective a weapon as it is a means of picking up chicks." /> <spell name="In Thrust We Trust"/> <damagebuff crushing="1" stabbing="1" /> <secondaryBuff id="6" amount="5" /> </ability> <ability level="2" name="Blundering Blusterer" icon="skills/unskilled_weapon.png" skillName="scumbag" description text="You're real good at making threats. Backing them up is a different matter entirely." /> <primaryBuff id="3" amount=3 /> <primaryBuff id="4" amount=1 /> <secondaryBuff id="0" amount="-1"/> <secondaryBuff id="2" amount="-1"/> <resistbuff crushing="1" /> </ability> <ability level="3" name="Dodgy Weasel" icon="skills/skill_dodging.png" skillName="scumbag" description text="With practice stemmed from long nights of shirking your fair share of duties around the house, you've come to be able to avoid a blade just as well as you can avoid responsibility." /> <primaryBuff id="3" amount="1" /> <primaryBuff id="2" amount="2" /> <primaryBuff id="5" amount="-1" /> <secondaryBuff id="6" amount="10" /> </ability> <ability level="4" name="'Roid Rage" icon="skills/stat_str64.png" skillName="scumbag" description text="You know a guy who knows a guy who can get those nasty strength nerfs out of your system for a limited time. What could possibly go wrong? (Hint: A lot of things.)" /> <primaryBuff id="0" amount="2" /> <primaryBuff id="1" amount="-1" /> <primaryBuff id="5" amount="-1" /> <secondaryBuff id="12" amount="-1" /> <spell name="'Roid Rage" /> </ability> <ability level="5" name="Painful Existance" icon="stat_chr64.png" skillName="scumbag" description text="No, it's nothing emo - You've mastered the art of the jackass, becoming so narcissistic and self-righteous that it's literally painful just to be around you." /> <primaryBuff id="3" amount="5" /> <primaryBuff id="5" amount="3" /> <primaryBuff id="2" amount="3" /> <primaryBuff id="4" amount="2" /> <secondaryBuff id="4" amount="5" /> <secondaryBuff id="6" amount="5" /> <damageBuff asphyxiative="2" righteous="3" existential="5" /> </ability> </skillDB> spellDB.XML Code: <spellDB> <spell name="In Thrust We Trust" type="template" templateID="30" icon="skills/thrusty32.png" wand="1" downtime="6"> <effect type="damage" crushing="5" piercing = "2" crushingF="0.1" piercingF="0.2" /> <anim sprite="sprites/sfx/impact_crushing/impact_crushing" frames="4" firstframe="0" framerate="50" sfx="crushing" /> <description text="Like the inky black creatures of legend, you live to thrust and thrust you must. Also works great for picking up ladies." /> </spell> <spell name="'Roid Rage" type="target" self="1" icon="skills/stat_str32.png" downtime="35"> <buff usetimer="1" time="25" allowstacking="0" stacksize="1" self="1" icon="skills/stat_str64.png" smallicon="skills/stat_str32.png" bad="0"> <primaryBuff id="0" amount="3" /> <!-- +3 Burliness--> <primaryBuff id="3" amount="3" /> <!-- +3 Caddishness--> <primaryBuff id="4" amount="5" /> <!-- +5 Stubbornness--> <secondaryBuff id="4" amount="10" /> <!-- +10% Crit Chance--> <primaryBuff id="5" amount="-3" /> <!-- -3 Savvy--> <primaryBuff id="1" amount="-3" /> <!-- -3 Sagacity--> <secondaryBuff id="6" amount="-10" /> <!-- -10% Dodge Chance--> <secondaryBuff id="11" amount="-5" /> <!-- -5% Magic Resist--> </buff> <description text="It's hard to tell whether those pills do more harm than good. It's also becoming increasingly difficult to walk in a straight line. Are you sure those were steroids? /> </spell> </spellDB> Please, someone tell me what I'm doing wrong! I just know it's something silly and negligible, but I'd really love to see this in-game. (Also, if anyone can give me some insight on balancing these skills, I'm horrible at that, too.) Thanks in advance!
First of all, you have no level 0 ability, and your dummy ability has passive bonuses (what?). Secondly, you are to use 'skill="[something]"' and not 'skillname="[something]"' in abilities, or at least in those that aren't dummy abilities.
I thought the startSkill="1" was a suitable replacement for level="0". I'll try fixing what you said and get back to you!
No, it is not a replacement. Tier 0 skill (marked by 'level="0"') is the skill you get from the get-go when you take the skill tree. Dummy skill (marked by 'startSkill="1"') is the one that sits on the very left of the skill upgrade screen and is there only to give us a description.
