So, I downloaded a bunch of modding tools the other night and I have been fiddling with them. I understand and can use, if only for basics, winmpq, mpqdraft, datedit, tblpad, GRPedit, and SFGRPConv. I downloaded Firegraft last night, and today I tried to use it. It took me a little bit, but i finally clued in that you open everything by hitting new (which should have been a lot more obvious to me) and I altered some things with the command center, such as adding a button that would create an infested duran, but then changed that so that it kept the icon for an infested duran but actually spawned a dragoon. this was done just so I could see what I could and couldn't do. I turned off any dragoon pre reqs in case that affected it. I was pretty much winging it this whole time, and then saved it as a patch and ran the patch, only to see that nothing new was added ot the command center. Idon't know if anything I did was correct because I didn't read anything on how to use firegraft before I started clicking things. What should I have done/should I do in the future, and how much of what I did was correct?

mpqdraft won't run a firegraft mpq with the changes, you have to save as .exe and choose to copy the mpq with other data into the file.

(Firegraft 0.92)

Sorry, that only made half sense to me. I literally started modding, if you can call i that yet, two nights ago. I understand that mpqdraft wont run a firegraft mpq, and that I need to save the firegraft changes as an exe patch. But what do I do after that?

it should ask you if you want to copy an archive into the saved file (an MPQ). you put all of your other modded files into an mpq, then once you save your firegraft changes as an exe, you choose to copy that MPQ into your new exe.
Run the exe to run the mod.

Gotcha, thanks a bunch!

Quote from someone09

it should ask you if you want to copy an archive into the saved file (an MPQ). you put all of your other modded files into an mpq, then once you save your firegraft changes as an exe, you choose to copy that MPQ into your new exe.
Run the exe to run the mod.

uhhh yeah I was looking around and I have this same problem and I don't understand what you mean or something here.Cause how are you suspose to put a mpq into a exe .

when you save as an .exe, it's supposed to ask you if you want to copy an archive into the saved file. it only does it the first time, though.

IT'S NOT A BUG!

It's how it's coded. It only askes the first time because after the exe is made, you can edit it with WinMPQ. That's so FG plugins stay with the mod instead of being lost each time. MPQDraft ones need to be re-added though.

Well I am lost if I were to update my FG patch how to add it to the mpq or exe I dont get it......

wait: so i can edit an exe with winmpq?
(does anyone know another program similar to mpqdraft but newer/better?)

Quote from Twitch

Well I am lost if I were to update my FG patch how to add it to the mpq or exe I dont get it......

Your changes will be part of the new saved .exe. Any non-Firegraft stuff such as .grp's, .dat files, .wavs etc, you can archive into the .exe using an MPQ archiver (WinMPQ) just as you would normally update any other MPQ.

hahahah didn't notice i could open it with winmpq. lol.