How to remove a model from client side?

[Zissik]

I have a friend that wants to play EQ on a server with me, but she is terribly, and i mean TERRIBLY, afraid of spiders. Even animated or cartoonish ones.

I was wondering is there is a way to remove the spider model from her computer. I know they would just end up looking like a bare human model, and that is fine.

[Shendare]

Some spider race models can be removed from the client to prevent them from showing up in the game. Specifically, spd_chr.s3d, tar.eqg, spq.eqg, lsp.eqg, lsq.eqg, and mta.eqg.

Many older zones, however, have the spider models stored in the zone files themselves. If your friend plays on a server you have control over, you would have to change the race numbers of the spider NPCs to other race numbers in order for them not to appear.

Running some npc_types database searches, the race numbers for spider creatures in EQ appear to consist of 38 (old spider), 326 (arachnid), 327 (crystal spider), 440 (new spider), 441 (new spider queen), 450 (lava spider), 451 (lava spider queen), and 654 (spider mount). It was with those numbers I was able to look up the model files to delete.

Race 57 (old drachnids) and 461 (new drachnids), are also half-spiders (and half dark elves), so they would likely need to be changed as well. The models for the new drachnids are dcm.eqg and dcf.eqg, for male and female. The old race 57 models are built into the old zone files. Mostly Kunark, I think.

[Shendare]

It looks like 1200 npc_types records fall under the race numbers above, out of the 62,802 records that come with the default peq database installation. Removing the .eqg files and .s3d file listed will take care of 625 of those 1200, just over half. The remainder will be found primarily in old world, kunark, and velious zones.

[Shendare]

Some games have built-in automatic options to allow you to set it to swap out phobia-prone models for different ones (spiders change to bears, or whatever). It's a shame it's not a universal thing, for those who are afflicted.

[Zissik]

I really appreciate the info you gave. We were just going to play on a normal server so we had the ability to buy gear and such, but she says that will be more than enough.

I had no idea any of this was possible and i'm glad i asked.
Thank you

[Zaela_S]

Probably not worth the effort, but if you want to get rid of the remaining spider models that are baked into zone files, I made a little program for that:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...20Squasher.zip

1. Download the above
2. Unzip it (it's a folder with some stuff in it)
3. Put the folder (with its contents) in the EQ folder you want to remove spiders from
4. Open the folder and run EQ Spider Squasher.exe
5. Should take around a minute, will show a popup with the number of files changed when finished.

[Shendare]

And Zaela doing the hard work. MVP!

[Zissik]

For Zaela!

[Zaela_S]

;p

I'm honored.