Backgrounds! Oh boy, it's not until you're typing it all out that you realise just how much there is to learn when you first start using this method xD Into the breach!
1. Backgrounds are taken as in-game screenshots whenever I load a level. Now this doesn't mean I have to play through the game everytime I want to get to a certain level to take screenshots, since we can use cheat codes to do the hard work for us.
2. Launch Jedi Academy. On the main menu, open the game console by pressing SHIFT+` (the key above TAB, and to the left of the 1 key).
3. Inside the console, type 'devmap [map name here]'. For example, if I wanted to go to the level on Hoth, I would type 'devmap hoth2' . The name of the map you want to warp too can be found by going into the pk3 of that map (when you download custom maps, they will be in pk3 form just like when you download new characters), in the 'maps' folder. Whatever the name of the .bsp file in that folder is is the exact name you want to use in the game console. For maps that come with Academy, they are found in the assets0.pk3.
NB: Unlike character models, there is no way to run Outcast maps in Academy.
NB 2: Whenever you load a map, you should get an automatic saved game appear in your 'Saved Games' menu. This is a nice way to quickly revisit maps you've loaded in the past without having to remember the exact code.
NB 3: If you are ever told by the console that 'cheats aren't activated' or something similar, just type 'helpusobi 1' without the quotation marks. This will activate cheats.
4. Once you have warped to the map you want to take screenshots in, there are some more console commands you need to do: The good news is that if you're only planning on using the game for screenshots, then you only have to enter the following three console commands once, as they will save automatically. If you wish to play the game itself some time, you will need to reverse some of these commands first.
Type the following commands into the console, one after the other:
/bind O screenshot : this doesn't have to the 'O' key, it can be any button that you want to press to take screenshots. I use O because the game doesn't seem to use it for anything else. All screenshots will be saved automatically to your Base folder.
/cl_noprint 1 : this makes sure that no text messages display in the game; this allows for faster screenshot taking as it means there is no 'screenshot taken: *date*' message that appears after every shot, meaning you have to wait several seconds before taking another. To reverse this effect, just re-enter the code and replace the 1 with a 0.
/cg_draw2d 0 : this removes the map, healthbar, etc, allowing for a cleaner screenshot. To reverse this effect, just re-enter the code and replace the 0 with a 1.
5. Now, here's the fun stuff. Type the following commands, in the following order:
/god : this activates god mode. It's not hugely necessary, but it means if you accidentally fall off a cliff trying to get a good shot, you won't die and have to restart the level.
/npc kill all : this won't matter for the vast majority of custom maps (as they don't have any NPCs), but whenever you're loading a map that serves as an actual level in the game, this will kill off all those pesky Non-Player Characters running around and give you a free, empty map to run around screenshotting to your heart's content.
/give all : this will outfit your character with all the weapons in the game. We only need one for screenshotting. Press 4 to activate the sniper rifle. You can then press right-click to activate the zoom feature; usually this would have a complicated crosshair overlay, but because of the earlier cg_draw2d 0 command, we instead just get a clean, zoomed view, which can be great for close-up shots.
/noclip : this makes your character non-corporeal! The laws of physics no longer apply, and you can fly all over the map, through walls, etc, to ensure you get the best possible angle.
6. Once these are in place, you can zoom around the map taking whatever screenshots you wish with the 'O' key, or whatever key you chose to bind the screenshot command to.
NB: Whenever you want to use screenshots - NEVER rename or remove them inside the screenshots folder. This is because Academy lists the screenshots by number, and if a number is edited or missing, the next time you try to take a screenshot the game will pick up from that number - overriding any still there. For example:
I take 32 screenshots, labelled shot_0001 to shot_0032. I rename shot_0020 to 'Jedi Fight'. Next time I go into the game, Academy will not register that there are still shot_0021 to shot_0032 already taken. It simply sees shot_0020 missing and assumes that's where it needs to start from when I take more screenshots, meaning it will overwrite shot_0021 to shot_0032. If you ever want to rename/edit a screenshot, copy and paste them to a new folder.
7. Phew! I think that's it for that one.
As for where to get maps and characters:
http://jediknight3.filefront.com/ is the best resource, though if you can't find something in particular let me know and I'll be able to tell you if there is a model/map for it out there or not.
And here are those custom animation files: Each of them contains the basic Academy ones, but any that have been edited, changed or added are found at the bottom of the animation list (so anything under ROOT in the Sequences tree is unique to that specific animation file you've chosen). I've put each one in its own _humanoid folder ("_humanoid_tcw", "_humanoid_rp", etc). Follow the same instructions I gave you for Jedi Outcast models in the last post to activate each animation file whenever you want to use it. I included a screenshot to show you which part of the ModView command to edit to the relevant folder name:
http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/25533130/file.html Never used that file hosting site before, but hopefully it's reliable and the download is intact. Good luck!
