Shadow Sets
Shadow sets allow you to override any component in a .pp file in real-time with any same-named component. The order that AAU loads shadow sets, based on pp files with the same name, is:
- Extracted pp folders in the data/ folders
- Enabled Shadow Set folders in the data/sets/ folders (make and play)
- Encrypted pp2 files in the data/ folders (see the page about these files)
- Encrypted pp files in the data/ folders There is no layered override in this process. It loads the first one it sees in the above order and then stops. In other words, if you have versions of a file present at all 4 levels it only loads the extracted pp folder version. If the file gets replaced twice in the same type of set, the folder that is first in alphanumeric order gets priority.
Type 1 shadows are not advised to use at all. It can create confusion if you forget to remove a backup. If you replace a pp file while you have an unchanged extracted folder of that pp, the folder takes priority.
Type 2 shadow sets are the cool thing:
In this example of a play/data/sets/ folder, sets preceded with an exclamation point (!) are enabled, while ones without it are disabled. You can enable or disable a set at any time by adding or removing that !, and you will see the effect on next load of the affected file(s). Once you make the change, simply reload the thing you're editing. For the Maker, press a height button. For a 3D Room, change the sex pose. And so on.
The inside of a shadow set folder looks like this.
This example is a simple snowflaking background/border set.
- Set name - This part, with the !, is arbitrary but must be unique to your set for obvious reasons. It can also be changed at the local level if conflicts arise.
- PP folder - The folders inside the shadow set are formatted like AA2Install/wizzard mods. Make folders for the pp files that will have filed overridden by the set. Since this is the format, it is very easy to convert a wizzard/AA2Install mod into a shadow set. Important to note that you CANNOT "create" new pp files in this way. You can only edit existing pp files by adding new files to them, or by overriding existing files already within them.
- Files - Within each folder you place the files that you want to see overriding the existing game's files. Much like AA2Install mods you can also add entirely new files through this method.
- Certain list files only load once, at the start of the game. As such, these specific files cannot be updated in real-time.
- You must place sets in the appropriate data folders to find the pp files they are overriding. Play sets in \play\data, Maker sets in \maker\data. AA2Mini and AA2MiniPPX both have those merged into one folder.