9 replies to this topic

[ul99]

This post is meant to collect all the known information about custom items in Cataclysm, in hopes I can make a working guide on how to make your own weapons, armor, and such for your private server.

First of all:
Item.db2 - This file contains the sheath of the weapon (way it lays when not in use), the model ID, and weapon types such as Sword or Staff.

Item-sparse.db2 - Contains all the real information about custom items for your server. Contains models, stats, item level, required level, effects, and everything else you need to know about custom items.

YOU MUST HAVE BOTH Item.db2 AND Item-sparse.db2 FOR A CUSTOM ITEM TO WORK.

This link
http://code.google.c.../downloads/list
is a deposit on Google Code that I found that has all the things you need to add custom items to Item-sparse.db2 and Item.db2. You must take the DB2, convert it to the SQL (all these functions can be found in the programs), inject it into your custom table (the name of the table and information for the program to connect to your table can be found in the convdb2.conf file), then use the other program to convert it back to a DB2 file. In the custom table is where you will put custom items that will be converted into a custom DB2.

Programs from the Google Code that you will need:
SQLtoDB2.rar
dbc-db2_Extractor.rar (Use only if you need a new fresh set of DB2 files.)
Dbc2ConverSQL.rar

The top and bottom files will be used for the conversion process.
When you want to make a custom item, I recommend copying and pasting an existing item and then editing it. After this, to make a custom patch, use Ladik's MPQ Editor (you can google this) to create a custom MPQ file. You will make the file like this:

Name: wow-update-XXXXX.MPQ (Use a number that is 1 higher than your server patch number. Ex: My server is patch 13623, so I will use 13624.)
Format: 4.0 (Cataclysm)

Steps:
1. Create folders inside the MPQ named DBFilesClient and base.
2. Inside the DBFilesClient folder, create folders named enUS, enGB, and enMX. Inside each 3 of these folders, place the custom Item.db2 and Item-sparse.db2
3. Inside the base folder, create a .TXT file named "component.wow-data" that contains:

<componentinfo format="1">
    <component name="wow-data" version="XXXXX" />
</componentinfo>

This contains the data that the server will use for patch name references.
4. Close the MPQ and place it in the Data folder inside your World of Warcraft folder.
5. Delete the Cache folder inside of your Data folder (this contains a cache of what the MPQ files should contain, and if a file does not match up with the Cache, it will fix it automatically.).
6. Open your World of Warcraft Private Server Client, login to a character, log out, then exit the game.
7. In your Data folder, go to the Cache folder. If you see caches for the custom patch, you are doing it correctly. If not, you can just copy and paste the original caches that are 1 less than your custom patch, and fill those in instead.
8. You should theoretically be able to use custom items now.

Problems:
In Wrath, they used a list of unused item IDs. In Cataclysm, if you use these IDs, you will be able to use the custom items without many problems. However, it will say "Retrieving Item Information," which is the entire problem with custom items in Cataclysm anyway. I have no idea how to fix this problem. Also, the custom weapon will use the model of the unused item's model, even though it will show correctly on the Character Selection Screen.

What We Need to Know:
We must know how to fix the annoying Red Question Mark (?), and the horrible "Retrieving Item Information" error. If you know any way to speed up or correct the Item-making process, please, pleASE, PLEASE post here with what you know.

[Thetruecrow]

Make the DBC extractor include your custom MPQ, and maybe your server will recognize the custom item?

[eatos92]

Did you know that you need also to disable several checks from wow.exe + to inject item.db2 and item-sparse.db2 into Cache folders too :P

[ul99]

Well I've heard alot about disabling checks and I think you have to compile your own scripted launcher of some sort of even your own Wow.exe.

Something interesting I found was when I opened my normal patched Wow.exe to open my own server, it opened fine. But when I used the Eternion-wow.exe or Mond-wow.exe, it comes up with an error with something involving "Wow.exe\Client.cpp", which leads me to believe that the Client.cpp file is custom made and has all of the checks disabled.

If anyone knows how to disable these checks, then please be glad to post here as it will help many of us who have no idea what we're talking about :D. Anyways, how would I go about with the cache injecting? Do I have to make my own .ADB files or does a program directly inject the DB2s into the cache files?

[Sargasus]

Well, can you equip an item then even if it says "Retrieving info"? And if you equip it will it show correct display/stats/name and etc?

[ul99]

@Sargasus: Yes.
  It will say "Retrieving item information", and you can equip it though.
  However, it will not show the correct display ID unless you happen to give it an empty ID that has the exact Display ID you want.
So in other words, yes, it will give you the stats and the damage.

PS: Small thing I found was damage and armor is based off of armor material, weapon type, and item level if that is of any help to you. You can look in the Damage DBC files in a repack and they will contain the data you can refer to along with ArmorTotal.DBC.

[ul99]

JUST MADE A NEW FIND:
I extracted the Item.DB2 and Item-sparse.DB2 from the 14880 MPQ files, put them in a patch, and they show up in game if you are using the modified client and you have them in item_template. You do not need to have these put into your repack/server files to be used, so "Item does not exist in Item.db2!" really doesn't matter at all.
However, anything referencing a spell that doesnt exist in your DBC files will crash the client, and items using non-existent models will show as the red question mark.

In other words:
4.2 IS POSSIBLE ON A 4.0.6 SERVER AS LONG AS YOU PUT THE REQUIRED FILES IN A CUSTOM MPQ PATCH.
1000% possible.

[Sargasus]

Just wanted to let you know that required DBCs are:
Item-sparse.db2
Item.db2
ItemStt.dbc

I guess the fix for retrieving info is located at ItemStt.dbc anyways good luck I'm looking forward seeing updates on this thread!

[ul99]

ItemStt.DBC is just a list of item sets and what items are in the set.
I know this cus when they added the VIP6  Set bonus for eternion-wow, they had a custom ItemStt.DBC to go with it.  In other words, you could actually make different items combine to make a new set, such as the Bloodthirsty Pyrium items to say give 200 resilience at 4 pieces or something similiar.

[ul99]

ItemSTT.dbc is actually the same as ItemSet.DBC just so you know you can change names and the client will still read it FYI :D just so you dont go looking through our db files and wonder where ItemSTT.dbc is