Dat Files Connection, Lets work it out to add new Units!

[Zarkonacas]

I em trying to edit the Dat and DLL files so that i can add more cards and Units. Until now i had no succes but i think if we all work together they is a chance to find the files that are connected together, once found it should be easy to add stuff and ensure that it works.

 

I em not sure if anyone have tryd this before i have not found it in the forum, so as far i have looked it seems that the installed version looks into the cd rom of the game for some files when building in the game units like Stardestroyers or recruting Charakters. Does anyone know what for Slots in what for a file they use?

 

I em still working to find out more about it, i think this is the key to add new units to edit the data on the cd then to burn it new with the add data and then it just should be fine.

 

Perhaps i em wrong if you allready made expierince in modding this stats please tell me i would like to learn more about it.

[Mad78]

As far as DLL goes the picture files are in the Strategy.dll.

I have no idea about the .dat file.

[Trejiuvanat]

Dats contain the stats of units, etc. I think Mask or Hastings or vadunkok once tried to edit the systems.dat to try and add more world but nothing happened.

[Zarkonacas]

i tryd the hole Sunday to edit it but... no progress i think that there must be something too on the cd-rom that is important for it. i will try tomorrow a new test by just copying existing data from the folder on hardisk and doubling it into the same folder just to see what happend i want to try to multiply it perhaps something interresing happens. Becouse by symply adding a few lines done nothing in the game... I need to find a key to unlook it however

[Master_Xan]

Editing the units is easy enough, but adding more units is tougher. I think somebody told me that the unit count was hard-coded in, making it impossible to add units without replacing existing ones.

 

Then again, I've done no testing to prove this myself, so don't take this as fact.

[Zarkonacas]

In the dat files i can made changes... but nothing in the DLL it just dont want to accept it, and if it dont want to copy the first line what indicates the position it wont work, perhaps it is really inpossible. I made some changes in dat but the game keeps on crashing... i guess i need to do dll too but i cant find a key to get accress there and chance or ad new once. Is it this what they ment with the sourcecode? If yes then the code must be in the EXE file.

 

Does anyone knew a good hex-editor the last one i downloaded yesterday was "Ultra-Edit" but i still cant chance the dll entries or add new once.

 

I think i need both DAT and DLL to work it out. Anyone have a idea how to edit or add new lines in DLL?

[Mad78]

Try with Ressource Hacker. It can be found in the download area.

 

The only thing to game uses the cd-rom for is for the movie files. Just copy the movie folder into the game's folder.

[Zarkonacas]

I just downloaded it and now i em exploring the dll entries, how it looks all the data is in the Tactical.dll what needed to be changed.

 

I found two folders 301 and 303 in the folder 303 i found bmp what been used for the models but i em not sure what 301 is for?

 

Does anyone have any idea or how can i ask how allredy try to edit it?

 

I em still exploring the other dll but so far it looks good to me, i think there is a chance without the sourcecode to add units if all entries what are connected are edited correct.

[Zarkonacas]

Its in the Strategic.dll how it looks... but i cant open it with the resource hacker. the Tactical yes but it contains just data for the tactical spacebattle as far i have seen...

 

so how can i open the strategic.dll? there is the data we need to edit to make space for more cards.

 

i try a internetsearch for other hex-editors someone must work to open it... i hope so...

 

Once open its is easy to do the rest.

[DarthTex]

It would definitely be nice to have additional units for capital ships, starfighters, troops, facilities (generic stuff, nothing totally new), spec forces, and some characters. But when it comes to characters ... isn't 30 enough? I mean, when I first got the game (Rebellion) I didn't know who half the characters were. Some of these characters only exist in Rebellion and not in other EU products. Plus it's simple to replace their cards with the plethora uploaded into the card database. In fact I find some of the characters, down right useless. Even characters with abilities (R&D, Diplomacy, etc) become obsolete once R&D is complete, or all neutral systems assigned (especially those that don't have command ranks available). How many more would you really need?

[Zarkonacas]

I would like to have about 300 Charaktes or even 1000 if possible 30 is way to low. i like to play as the empire with assination missions and kill just the nice rebels... otherwise with the rebels it is fun to hunt the evil once throuth the gallaxy. I think it make the game more autentic and give Life to it.

 

I have a problem with resource hacker i get the fellowing problem by opening stategic.dll

 

" This is not a Win32 executable file "

 

Anyone ever opend the strategic.dll?

[Zer_Teron]

1000 , can you imagine the micromanaging

[Zarkonacas]

why i just load up the card once there is a slot for it or?

 

[Zarkonacas]

i fix the problem why it doesent wanted to open the strategy.dll was something of a differnet program i used what allready indicated it was a different docoment in 64 bit modus

 

But i still haven found the files i em looking for...

[Zarkonacas]

I think if got them now in the Strategy.dll there are in the RCData folders names from 32 to 624 they are total 63 i think they been used for the cards... they also use the folder with 6200 and 6700 the first for rebel the second for imperial guys... tomorrow i will test to add a few new folder into it. i hope it works

[Antonius]

I am courious if u will succeed.

For me is too few characters in the game too, but Darth Tex is right, after many days u didnt need more chars, only would be more interesting the game with various characters.

 

I didnt remember if were needed to open the strategic.dll when made my TC.

But anyway i think, in the .exe is stored the command lines wich refer to the numbers in the .dll's.

So if in the exe the last number (fictionally) is the 100, and if u give the 101 slot, nothing will happen.

[Zarkonacas]

I have not found many usefull in the exe file perhaps it is not so much needed like im most other games i keep a look on it

 

I cant find a way to add files in it... but i know now that the Strategic.dll and the Gokres.dll are connected.

 

i need to find a way just to import folders into the files so then there must be a way. i keep searching for programms online.

[Master_Xan]

If you succeed, I will have to throw a party for you.

 

Personally, 30 characters is just fine with me. I don't want to even think about the nightmare that would become 1,000 characters... there isn't enough for them all to do! You'd have a commander/general on every planet, and commander/general/admiral with every fleet, diplomats all over the galaxy, sab missions left and right, incite uprisings and capture missions up the wazoo, and you'd STILL have 700+ characters sitting around!

 

However, if we ever gained the source code and made it so characters age... now then, that's a different story. Wouldn't it be cool to have, say, 300 characters, and after so much game time some of your people retire? After awhile you can recruit more, either younger people who were too young before, or else people who for some reason didn't want to join you before, and use them to fill your ranks as others retire. You could even go so far as to make an entire Star Wars saga game, starting with Ep 1 and moving through each episode's characters, ships, and so forth...

 

(now if we only had the source code and somebody who wanted to live in their basement for 2 years to make all the necessary changes...)

[Mad78]

Good luck. If you get this to work I shall pay you a beer (when i pass close to where you live).

[Zarkonacas]

I found a view ways to open dat files like wordpad... but i cant read what is like a hole bunch of zeros... perhaps i need a data converter of it so i can see what it is written...