Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:42 am Post subject:
Demo Modding
So, now that the demo is out, does anyone feel like trying to snoop around the internal files and get some "pre-modding" experience and figure them out? Empire at War had mods for the demo the day after it came out. _________________ WOL nick: migtybob
I'm not sure if it is encryption... because you can still see some (partially) readable texts in some of the files. I think it is some kind of 'custom' compression. Hopefully the real game does not use this. QUICK_EDIT
There still are INI files, yes. But I have also seen some encrypted XML files.
The one thing I am worried about, is that I cannot find the INI/XML file of units anywhere... perhaps I haven't looked well enough. _________________ TibEd 2 for C&C3 experimental QUICK_EDIT
Wouldn't be surprised if it was just encrypted or compressed in a way us mere humans can open easily. If i released a game beta I wouldn't allow it to be modded, thats just insulting. QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:46 am Post subject:
ea made the game easy to mod unpurpose. they actually like people od there games so they get more replay value. so im not surprised they had some ini rules. QUICK_EDIT
About new BIG format:
Header - the same.
Before every file, situated variable (6 byte lenght?) with some information (it may be uncompressed size of file, I'm thinking)
After that var compressed file beginning.
That is all. = ) _________________
Westwood Studios forever! QUICK_EDIT
Is there already a TS(or RA2):CNC3 conversion in the works? I'm sure someone out there is just waiting to get to the models and convert to voxel and SHP haha QUICK_EDIT
If we dig deep enough, we should be able to modify textures, music, sounds and code. We could enable the Scrin! (yup, their data files are all in there)
Oh, and the stuff is encrypted/compressed, by what I'm told. QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Location: 3rd Rock from the Tiberian Sun
Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:13 am Post subject:
I may be wrong, but while coding for the Scrin might be in the demo, I doubt EA aand the C&C3 team would take the chance of including the Scrin models. They know how the modding community is, they know there is a good chance it will be cracked. I think they wouldn't take the chance and would want to keep something in reserve for the games release. That being said, I think the most important would be either adding more playable maps, especially larger ones, to the demo. Or getting the models out and converting them to W3D so that we can use them in Generals, TS & RA2. I'm a big GDI C&C3 unit fanatic. To be able to convert them to Generals ZH or voxels for TS or RA2 to tide me over for the next month would be fantastic. But the best would be just some new bigger maps in the demo. I wish I had the abilities to crack it myself, but since i don't, we're counting on the best of the community to do the impossible. Good luck!
Also Known As: banshee_revora (Steam) Joined: 15 Aug 2002 Location: Brazil
Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:17 pm Post subject:
Siberian GRemlin wrote:
Before every file, situated variable (6 byte lenght?) with some information (it may be uncompressed size of file, I'm thinking)
After that var compressed file beginning.
That is all. = )
It would make sense if it was the uncompressed size, but... the values there are too big for it.
I've noticed that, from these 6 values, all of them start with $10FB and there is a random 4 byte. Player template.ini has a size of $59F and the 4 last bytes in the beggining is $001A042C.
If this was the compression size, this compression would be a Chuck Norris God like one. So, I don't think this is the case.
However, if you divide $001A042C / $10FB, you get an integer value (392 = $188). QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 14 Feb 2006 Location: Flying into hostile territory
Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject:
I hope EA didn't choose some obceainly weird model format like Westwood W3D as you have to have 3ds max and Gmax to get them into any viable format. _________________ QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Location: 3rd Rock from the Tiberian Sun
Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:11 pm Post subject:
ORCACommander wrote:
I hope EA didn't choose some obceainly weird model format like Westwood W3D as you have to have 3ds max and Gmax to get them into any viable format.
Actually I believe they are in an even weirder format. Something like a modified W3D, but W3X or something like that. So it will probably just add another layer to convert. Convert it to W3D, then to Max, then to whatever else you want. Hopefully I'm wrong, tho.
Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Location: 3rd Rock from the Tiberian Sun
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:53 am Post subject:
Way to decompress the ini files.
First use FinalBig to extract the game files.
Then use the application at http://rapidshare. com/files/18650086/big4decomp.rar.html to expand the extracted files.
Posted by Issvar @ EA CnC3 Forums.
Just drag an encrypted ini file into the program and it decompresses it.
There's no "rules.ini" file anymore. The data is separated into different XMLs. For units, it's basically an XML that contains both the rules and art data of the unit.
And the 3d models come in w3x. (wasn't that it the same extension name for wc3 tft maps? uh-oh...) QUICK_EDIT
i know where isnt a rules.ini, thats why i said file, thought it would have been converted to xml.
So its an xml for each unit, heh, so where do u find them? (specifically plz ) QUICK_EDIT
it's very easy to replace skirmish map in demo. you only have to replace the map_mp_2_black5.map file, add map.xml, overrides.xml and optionally replace map_mp_2_black5_art.tga in the data\maps\official\map_mp_2_black5 folder in demostreams.big
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Demo Modding
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(yup, their data files are all in there)
(specifically plz 
