Changing the main menu character?

[ebola9717]

Has anyone figured out how to manually change which character is displayed at the main menu? It sometimes seems random, and sometimes it's always the same character. I thought maybe it was in the config file, but I had no luck finding it.

[WhoZeDuke]

Blade seems to appear alot less than everyone else. I dont know how to choose.

[KalZakath]

When I first installed I had Jessica most of the time - after I progressed through the game I saw only blade. Now, after the patch, I have an error on startup in the console and a screwed-up menu with *no* character, and huge text /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Need to report that but @ work atm... got screenies of it last night after patching. I'm guessing I could be the only one, since I see no other mentions of odd menu behaviour... meh /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[he_the_great]

I think as you progress through the game it chooses the character that is displayed. Then when you beat it, it would just randomly choose. I haven't been able to beat it yet to test that theory though.

[Embryodead]

This was bothering me also so I went looking into the config and checked the console upon loading of the menu/game.

This is what I have seen for various characters:

Spawn server background* and * being 01-04 when you check the console, this command does not work though and it is very frustrating.

03 is jessica and I just want jessica on the damn menu screen, I am so sick of looking at Radek and JC, seen Elexis once and Jessica first time I loaded the game. I hope someone figures out how to "spawn server background".

[wisecode]

These are done with Source engine background maps.

To see Jessica open the console and enter this:
map background01

Options are background01-06

You can also create this as a launch option for the game with a parameter line from the Steam Game Launcher.

The NPC actions are done with VCDs, essentially text files that contain Face Poser script commands.
(Part of the Source SDK)

[Lord_Rick]

ive seen blade just the once, i was starting to worry that ritual may not have actually given the poor bloke his own model :P

[programmer2]

wisecode almost got it right, the correct command would be "map_background", which loads the map while still showing the menu items on top of it.

This means that you can right click SiN:Emergence in your Steam games list, choose properties, click "Set launch options" and write "+map_background background01" (without the quotes) if you only want Jessica on your menu.

There are actually backgrounds for 01-06, but it seems that both 05 and 06 show Elexis (altough I can almost swear that it showed me Jessica the first time I loaded 05... weird).

If you really want some control, you could make yourself several shortcuts to start Emergence, each with a different character on the menu. Just ask Steam to create a desktop shortcut for you, and then edit the target line by appending the "+map_background background01", then make another pointing to background02 and so on.

[wisecode]

In my erratic head I did get it right.
Reason being, I like it that way, the menu hidden.
Simply press Esc to pull up the menu.
For me it seems better that way, works as a kind of desktop show.

I was even able to use Camtasia Studio to record a video I can watch at anytime, by using the hidden menu option.

Final line, it is subjective, the players have options.

[anton_es]

Originally posted by KalZakath:
When I first installed I had Jessica most of the time - after I progressed through the game I saw only blade. Now, after the patch, I have an error on startup in the console and a screwed-up menu with *no* character, and huge text /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Need to report that but @ work atm... got screenies of it last night after patching. I'm guessing I could be the only one, since I see no other mentions of odd menu behaviour... meh /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif



He, i have this problem, tooo.
BIG, BIG menue letters and NEVER EVER ANY background characters
displayed. dont know if the patch did alter this, i think it was like this
always for me.

did you post that problem on steam ? what was the response ?

thanks, toni