Change icons and descriptions in hidden skills

[Naus Allien]

Since the release of Showtime I've been really bothered by the fact that some important skills were made hidden, like Singing, Magic and Performing Artist (for acrobats). Of course, it's easy to make them unhidden, just by erasing the line <Hidden>True</Hidden> in Skills.xml
But the problem is that these skills have neither icon/s nor description. I want to add a proper icon and description.

I've tried to add icons by using the same model found in other skills with the lines <DreamsAndPromisesIcon></DreamsAndPromisesIcon>
<IconKey></IconKey>
<SkillUIIcon></SkillUIIcon>
But the icon does not appear, no matter if I use custom or vanilla images (IMAG 2F7D0004 Type). And with description, I just don't know how to change it or add it. I didn't even found lines in STBL file that comes with Showtime.

I don't think this can be THAT hard, since the only thing I want is to add common things to hidden skills, and not make skills from scratch. I have some experience with tuning mods, but not with scripts (I'm not a programmer, just a common user). Perhaps someone can explain me how to do what I want.

Thank you all in advance! :)

[XTS]

I could also use an answer to this exact question. I've had someone asking me in my thread that offers skill speeds & hidden skills visible why it never shows names and such. I'm interested in finding out if it's pretty simple to add images and descriptions where needed.

[Srikandi]

Did you try looking at a mod that adds a skill with a full skill tab? Like Twallan's Kama Simtra skill, or Kolipoki's Magic skill?

[XTS]

Did you try looking at a mod that adds a skill with a full skill tab? Like Twallan's Kama Simtra skill, or Kolipoki's Magic skill?

I know this is gonna make me look pretty ignorant but I must confess I had not thought of that. lol And for me, one who peeks at every mod I find practically, it's unusual that I haven't.

Thanks for the idea Srikandi!

[Shimrod101]

FWIW I once upon a time had a hidden skills mod where I had no problem placing icons on the hidden skills like Chess and Dancing, but these were not "new" icons which I made myself or found somewhere else among EA's IMAGs. I simply reused the ones they are using on the other skills.

Using the Logic skill as an example, in the Skills XML it has:
<DreamsAndPromisesIcon>w_logic_skill</DreamsAndPromisesIcon>
<IconKey>w_simple_logic_skill_s</IconKey>
<SkillUIIcon>skillobjectlogic</SkillUIIcon>

Take these three lines and copy them into the Chess skill, and the chess piece icons should be showing up everywhere on the Chess skill, if it is an unhidden skill. I couldn't figure out at the time how to type something else in there, something new, which would be an indicator leading to some other IMAG. Simply typing in the names of some IMAG files which I found in the FullBuild0 didn't work.

[XTS]

@Shimrod101, Thank you so much for your input! Logic and Chess sort of go together so I think using the same symbol/image for both makes sense. So, though XML is a tuning file, it's capable of additional text? I was worried anything additional would be null and void (ignored) in the xml files, or cause errors. I've strictly changed values in the variable sections but had not ventured further than that with Sims 3 files.

When you say "copy them into the chess skill", you mean put them beneath the chess section in the skills.xml file, or within the chess code before it concludes? NVM, I see it in there now, how they have it with the others choices ;) When you say "if it is an unhidden skill", you mean one that I unhid, correct? The offered mods I have are both, #% faster with hidden skills visible and #% faster with hidden skills NOT visible. I'm thinking you are saying that I can only have an effect by injection of this code if it's put into the Skills.xml that offers the #% faster with hidden skills visible and that there wouldn't be any effect if you put it in the skills.xml file that offers the #% faster with hidden skills NOT visible because they are not even visible ingame when they are still hidden. ;)

@Srikandi, I tried to find Twallan's Kama Simtra skill mod but can't seem to find it here, nor at Nraas. I must be looking in all the wrong directions, being exhausted doesn't help, I'm sure! Can you maybe point me in the right direction?

@Shimrod101 & Srikandi, Thank you both for your help! You guys are a wealth of information and I owe it to all of you modders and members of MTS that I am able to mod anything!

EDIT: I see that typically the code you have above is after the modifiable part in the skills.xml file. What has me baffled is, What did you use for dancing? :blink:

[JustAnotherSimsFan]

Not sure if you still need it XTS but here's Twallan's Kama Simtra mod (http://nraas.wikispaces.com/Woohooer+KamaSimtra+Phase+Eight) :)

[Shimrod101]

I don't think you want to add in the icon lines in a mod flavor which does not unhide these skills, no. Only in the Hidden Skills Unlocked flavor(s). IIRC I used the martial arts icons for dancing. You have unhidden the Tricks skill for dogs, yes? If not, you need to try this right away, then do some tricks with a dog and check the skill journal; very cool.

[XTS]

Thank you JustAnotherSimsFan & Shimrod101!

@JustAnotherSimsFan, Yes I'm still interested. I've just been super busy the last few days. I'll also be busy until Thur or Fri evening so if I'm MIA, you know it's not just me ignoring ya ;) & Thank you for the link!

@Shimrod101, Thank you as well! That is a well appreciated tip. Martial Arts does look a bit dancy, aye? Sounds like a good choice. As for dogs, if it's in Skills, then I likely did. I honestly quit reading and just started looking for particular words and numbers lol. I do not have a dog ingame, only 2 cats. Maybe I'll get a sim to adopt a dog (one wants to) but right now there's a family of 8.. :o The kids are getting older though, think within a few days of playing I can grow one of them up or I'll just start a simple family in another world to test a few things with, which sounds more logical. You've got me curious! ^.^

[XTS]

(Please know I'd make my own thread but I'm trying to keep this together. I hope I'm not wrong in my approach to this. This may even help the OP.)

I don't know if I'm wasting my time or not (I am learning a few things at least) but, I'd like to know if any of you (or anyone else) knows where certain icons are located in game. At my skills mod download page, here @ Mod The Sims, I have 2 screenshots posted, to help if my terms confuse you.

You can see a 1. pop up (top right corner) announcing skill level up, 2. skill journal, 3. skills list at bottom of screen found under the tab "skills".

Where exactly are these icons located in the game itself? A. "Dreams & Promises Icon" B. "Icon Key" C. "Skill UI Icon"

B is white, the other two are like normal icons with colors (unless the Riding skill is different than others).
A & C are 54x54 in size, B is 32x32 in size.

Regular & Hidden Skills List (Up To Showtime), As well as Information I found about Skills:


In my case, looking at "Riding" in the FullBuild package of EP 5 (Pets), A. (Dreams & Promises Icon) is IMG named "w_riding_skill", B. (Icon Key) is IMG named "hud_riding_skill_s" and C. (Skill UI Icon) is IMG named "skillobjectriding" (which are all PNGs).

I noticed throughout all the skills, some of the values sort of change (gets confusing as it's not consistent). For example, Dreams and Promises Icon for Rock Band is "hud_band_skill_s" while the Dreams and Promises Icon for Bass Guitar is "w_bass_skill". Sometimes the ones starting with "hud" have an s, sometimes they don't. There seems to be 75 skills in all, if I'm not mistaken.

Hidden Skills are:



Dancing ~ Martial Arts
Diving
Potty Training
Learn To Talk ~ Charisma?
Learn To Walk
Dominoes
Chess ~ Logic
Hacking ~ Writing?
Mooch ~ Charisma?
Video Game
Xylophone
Homework ~ Writing
Peg Box
Air Guitar ~ Guitar
Blocks
Child Cooking ~ Cooking
Foosball
Snake Charming
Tattooing
Trampoline
Gnubb
Styling
Consignment
Club Dancing ~ Martial Arts
Shuffleboard
Darts
Bubbles
Arcade Machine
Child Gardening ~ Gardening
Child Athletic ~ Athletic
Child Guitar ~ Guitar
Child Piano ~ Piano
Child Bass Guitar ~ Bass Guitar
Child Drums ~ Drums
Sandbox
Learn To Drive
Ballet
Scouting ~ Collecting?
Hopscotch
Wildlife Friend ~ Collecting or Hunting (Cat/Dog)? I've not seen the icon for this ingame yet.
Trick ~ Hunting (Cat/Dog)? I've not seen the icon for this ingame yet.
Golfing
Gambling
Performance Artist
Karaoke ~ Rock Band?
Pool
Magic
Entertainer ~ Rock Band?
DJ Turntable ~ Rock Band?


Some of those are self explainatory as to which icons I could reuse. If I wind up having to reuse icons, do any of you have any ideas as to which icons I could use for the above from the ones listed below? (I added some that I thought of, or you guys helped me with, to the above list. If you have a better idea, please let me know.) Hopefully I won't have to reuse because I think that'd be more confusing, don't you? (Hahaha, even more confusing than I can be)

Visible Skills are:



Athletic
Charisma
Cooking
Fishing
Gardening
Guitar
Handiness
Logic
Painting
Writing
Collecting
Photography
Martial Arts
Nectar Making
Sculpting
Inventing
Piano
Bartending
Rock Band
Bass Guitar
Drums
Riding
Jumping
Racing
Hunting (Cat)
Hunting (Dog)


:faceslap: ~I could use some advice on this if anyone wants to chip in with more information or ideas~ :faceslap:

[XTS]

Well, I've got another pc coming in a few days.. My cpu is maxing out a lot, even with programs updating (think the thermal paste is dry, but it's time for an upgrade anyway).

It'll give this thread a little bit of time for someone to maybe post if they know where these icons are in the game.. or whatever input someone may have on this topic.