L2 File Editor - chat colouring in Lineage2 client

think, think, think...

Contents

• Introduction
• Ideas of using chat colouring
• Before start
  • Everything you should know about colours in L2 client
• Downloading program
• How to?
• Setting up 'on-screen' messagess
• End result

Introduction

Chat window is basic way to communicate between players in game. In that window player can also see messagess from server, like damage, infos about succeded, or failed actions, about received or lost buffs, picked up items and so on.
In this simple tutorial, will be explained step by step, how to change those long, boring, machine-talking messages to form we want to.

To emphasize the higher-priority messages from spam, all messages what reach the player can be filtered and colored. In the game, we have 5 tabs, and the possibility of including additional windows to help 'embrace' all received messages. On each tab you can configure filters that determine what type of message should be displayed on which card. This allows keeping messages from the clan away from the proposed trading announcements.

Image 1. Default chat window

While gaining experience, or during a fight with another player, we are not always able to read everything that appears in the chat window. Therefore, we highlight the important messages in a different color than the others, and others simply turn off.

Image 2. Default, one-coloured announcements

If you ever played with archer, for sure you have noticed this one of the most annoying messages - information about loading the arrow...

Image 3. Unwanted message

If you are playing with a  mage character, you would probably know if thrown curse, poison, or spell was succeed, it would be much easier to play if we somehow highlight those messagess.

Ideas of using chat colouring

Most of the cases, which we will deal with later in this article have already been mentioned in the introduction ...
So recalling, editing the SystemMsg-e.dat we can:

• -get rid of unwanted messages
• -highlight received messages by different colors
• -change the content of automatic messages sent from the server
• -add sound to a message
• -view important messages on the screen

Before start

Before editing game files, it is highly recommended to backup all the file you intend to edit, or even better whole directory system!
While working with files, the game should be closed!
To file work correctly, you should preserve its structure. Carefully insert the values ​​into the appropriate columns, be careful not to lose the character starting / ending a message, and do not leave empty values.
Message's bodys what we will edit are in the message column. Every message's body begins with the characters 'a,' and ends with '\ 0', it must be remembered and respected.
Message's colors can be freely changed at their discretion.

Note, however, that color is stored as RGBA (hexadecimal with an additional parameter alpha) in reverse order (see next section).

Everything you should know about colours in L2 client

Table 1. Most commonly used color codes

rgba[0]	rgba[1]	rgba[2]	rgba[3]
blue	green	red	alpha

79	9B	B0	FF	grey
00	BE	FF	FF	yellow
F1	61	00	FF	blue
00	38	FF	FF	orange
19	D5	4A	FF	green
48	15	FF	FF	red
FF	E1	78	FF	cyaneous
A7	28	F4	FF	pink

Using Internet sources, or graphic programs like GIMP, we can take colors we want to, and use them easily in game client as we want to, where we need to.

Use the below example to convert all your favourite colours saved in hexadecimal code to RGBA used in L2 client:

To replace the yellow written in hexadecimal code #FFFF00 for usable by L2 client:

• 1) Divide code for 3 pieces, with every piece for 2 signs. Like that: FF | FF | 00
• 2) Reverse pieces order: 00 | FF | FF
• 3) Add Alpha parameter ('FF') at the end of code: 00 FF FF FF
• 4) Received color code pieces insert in the appropriate columns in the file

Downloading program

L2 File Editor is a program what we are looking for. It is pretty popular so shouldn't be many problems finding it. Typing its name in google searcher should give us some download links.
Otherwise visit www.l2lige.eu home page. L2 File Editor is added to package with l2lige program so you should find it there also.

How to?

Before editing the file, we need to write down the old message's content we intend to change on the card - it will be easier to find them later in the file. Here we go!
1. Run L2 File Editor program on your computer.
2. From the left vertical menu, choose the first option

.
3. In the new window look for the game directory, go to the system directory, and select file SystemMsg-e.dat, and then open it:

Image 4. Click to enlarge

 

4. After the file loads in program, it should look like this:

  

Image 5. Click to enlarge

5. Now lets try some easy stuff for the begining. Assume we want replace the content and color of the welcoming message:

• Original message in the client, is “Welcome to the World of Lineage II”,
  so from the left menu, choose option
  
  .
  In the window type in the keywords in your original message, eg „Welcome to” – this will highlight the phrase on the line with ID equal to 34 (You can see that on previous screen, last line in editor).
• Lets change original message to something else like:
  „Ignorance is the mother of fear.”
• Using the previous guidelines change the default color to green (# 4a d5 19):
  79 | 9B | B0 | FF – columns content in file before change
  19 | d5 | 4a | FF – switching old values with this

6. Substitute in the appropriate places in the file:

Image 6. Click to enlarge

7. Now we can test if everything went just as planned. Click

button and wait until the file is closed - its content should automatically disappear from program's window.

Remember : Do not save the file under a different name, but overwrite the changes to the file you opened. Otherwise, the game client will not turn on with an alert saying that our system has the edited files.

Image 7. First effect

Other examples

Dalbor, is our character nick. Lundy, is our friend, or somebody on our ‘target’.
Task: Change the color of the message and the message of injuries inflicted.

Original message	Dalbor has given Lundy damage of 100.
Suggestion	You hit Lundy for 100.
File content	a,$c1 has given $c2 damage of $s3.\0
New content	a,You hit $c2 for $c3.\0
Old color	79 9B B0 FF
new color	19 d5 4a FF

Task: Change the color of the message and message received injuries.

Original message	Dalbor has received damage of 100 from Lundy.
Suggestion	Lundy hit you for 100.
File content	a,$c1 has received damage of $s3 from $c2.\0
New content	a,$c2 hit you for $s3.\0
Old color	79 9B B0 FF
new color	48 15 ff ff

Task: Get rid of nock an arrow message.

Original message	You carefully nock an arrow.
Suggestion	Rid of this message
File content	a,You carefully nock an arrow.\0
New content	a,\0
Old color	79 9B B0 FF
new color	leave it, no matter what it is

Task: Change the color of the message which is to cast a spell failure.

Original message	Lundy has resisted your Power Break.
Suggestion	Lundy has resisted your Power Break.
File content	a,$c1 has resisted your $s2.\0
New content	change color only
Old color	79 9B B0 FF
new color	48 15 ff ff

Task: Spoil succeded message color.

Original message	The Spoil condition has been activated.
Suggestion	The Spoil condition has been activated.
File content	a,The Spoil condition has been activated.\0
New content	change color only
Old color	79 9B B0 FF
new color	ff e1 78 FF

Task: Join/Leave party messages

Original message	Lindy is invited to the party. Lindy has left the party.
File content	a,$c1 is invited to the party.\0 a,$c1 has left the party.\0
Old color	79 9B B0 FF
new color	B BE FF FF

Examples of other messages that should stand out, or change:

• Dalbor’s attack went astray.
• You have avoided $c1's attack.
• You have missed.
• Critical hit!
• You have joined $s1's party.
• You have run out of arrows.

Setting up 'on-screen' messages

Basicly 'on-screen' means that the message appears not only in chat window but in can shows up in one of eight possible positions on screen. It can be very helpful in highlighting the most important message types. Like when your skill didn't worked, or mob has been spoiled.

Image 8. Click to enlarge

To make this work we have to set up few things. If you didn't changed color, on screen it will be probably white.
First thing we have to do is insert value '1' in column UNK_1[3]. This will enable this message on screen.
Next thing to do is setup content of message on screen (On screen message can be different then message in chat window). Easiest way is to copy message column content, or write something different, anyways column sub_msg is for setting on-screen message content. Other then that, look on Image 8, and think where you want to place it. After that insert a number (1-8) in column UNK_1[0].
And now last thing we have to setup is number of seconds we want to message stay on screen, its column UNK_1[2].

Image 9. Click to enlarge

End result