Re: FoC Demo 100% Modability- Post your great discovery's!

[Mikan Cyclone]

FoC is completely modable...I think.  I'm ripping the models & textures out right now.  If anyone can confirm their workingness, please do. Edited October 6, 2006 by Cain

[Yodaminch]

what tool are you using. i tried using the one of those meg extractors and no luck. I'd like to mess with the xml.

[Mikan Cyclone]

Use the EawExtractor.  I used that.  All you have to do is hit file/open and go to the file

[Yodaminch]

Which extractor. I downloaded the beta link in the tools and tutorials topic and that didn't work. Isn't there a newer version? I can't seem to locate it.

[Mikan Cyclone]

hmmm...to be honest I don't know....look for other things...possibly Finalbig, I think that's what it's called.

 

Anyway, the XML's are VERY organized.  As in every single unit has it's own XML. Seriously, I'm not joking.  THe Tie Phantom, Defender, even Urai Fenn have their own XML's all to them.  Also, I discovered something that might be in the ful lgame.  SLAVES.  OMGZ SLAVES.  I don't know how they work, but there in the XMl's.  I think Corruption_Special_Units.  Hopefully we'll make more discovereys...

[Droid803]

Coll each unit has its own XML!

[swgbex]

Big extractor..

best extractor.. ^^

for both generals and EAW ^^

Oh yes

completely moddable.. im actually taking some of these things right now.. ^^

[fortune faded13]

do you think itll be possible to edit the campaign? like put more planets in? that would be sweet. maybe even units?

[Droid803]

I think it'll be completely possible

[Kelathin]

if we could get the empire playable that be sweet.

[fortune faded13]

wow it seems pretty easy to mod. cant wait to see what everyone including me can come up with.

[Mike.nl]

Just to summarize:

 

First, I need to update the AloViewer for FoC.

Right now it doesn't look for the FoC Demo directory (it will require another update once FoC is released)

 

And also, the animations in FoC are different.

I noticed the droideka is present but my Alo Viewer cannot open the animations because of the new and unsupported file format (I expected this to happen). I'm currently in the process of figuring out how to use these new animations.

I'll release a new version of the Alo Viewer once that's done.

 

Second, my MTD Editor and String Editor seem to work just fine. So the MTD and DAT file formats haven't changed.

 

Third, to list what's in the demo:

Some (fully textured) models I've seen in Models.meg, but not in the game:

[*] Thrawn's ISD (basically a standard ISD, but with a blueish hue)

[*] Droideka

[*] Dark Trooper (level 1, 2 & 3)

[*] Imperial Guard Tower

[*] TIE Phantom (TIE Interceptor is present as well, but it's in the game)

[*] TIE Defender

 

The models file format appears to be unchanged, so they could be used in EaW, if the animations can be converted (maybe I can write a convertor).

 

The demo contains 9 maps: 2 attract maps, the 2 space maps and 5 land maps.

However, besides the two land maps in the campaign (felucia kamino), the other three are just placeholders:

http://alpha1.dyndns.info/eaw/screens/foc-map.jpg

At least it shows the mappers have a sense of humor

 

And from what I can tell, it doesn't seem that we actually have more control over abilities then we do with EaW. There are more abilities, sure. But I don't think we can just add our own or change images now.

 

 

Anyway, let's all keep looking

[Mr.Crisp]

LOL at the pic. I'm downloading it now. Looks like its gonna to be a good day. Now I fell like master cheif... http://halo3ending.ytmnd.com/

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

So that stange blue ISD was the Thrown one.

Any trace of the SSD or ESSD??

[Mr.Crisp]

I played the demo and I'm really impressed. It looks like its gonna be a nice expansion back. Now to modding, Ive been looking through the XMLs yea there are a lot of units. I spotted the Death Star II...They left out the Major Heros like Jedi luke and such... I think.

[Dark_Dragon]

Only the new units seem to have their own XMLs, not the units that came with EAW.

[1upD]

WHAT!?

 

Every unit with it's own XML!?

 

THAT MEANS OLD MODS WILL WORK WITH FoC!!!!!!!!

 

sweeT!

 

wait.....FoC is out????

[Mike.nl]

I've got good news and bad news

 

The good news is I was able to decypher the altered animation files, so the Alo Viewer now works with the FoC animations. Get it here:

 

http://alpha1.dyns.net/eaw/

http://alpha1.dyndns.info/eaw/

http://mike.ultimate-eaw.com/

 

I particularly like the droideka. That deploy animation never gets boring

 

Now for the bad news. It seems the demo ignores physical files, and only reads from the Mega Files. I've created an XML directory, put the Campaigns_underworld_demo.xml file in it and modified it so the Underworld would start with 60,000 credits. No luck. Only when I hexedited Config.meg to change the 3 to a 6 would the game change the starting credits.

 

So where does this leave us?

If I didn't screw something up and the game truly only reads the Mega Files, we need to put any mods we make in a Mega File. I don't know if there are any Meg writers, but it's not too difficult to create one. It would be a bit troublesome to rewrite the Meg file whenever you change something in a file though, but so be it.

 

However, before everyone goes off overwriting the original Config.meg, it's easier to put your altered files in your own .meg file, and list the file in MegaFiles.xml. Just make sure you put it at the end.

For example, I made a micro mod that just gives you 90000 credits:

http://alpha1.dyns.net/eaw/downloads/demo_mod.zip

 

 

Oh, and I don't know if simply plugging the units from EaW into FoC will make them work. The animation file format is different for FoC. Maybe FoC also accepts the "old" EaW format, but if it doesn't they'll have to be converted.

[Lord_of_the_Sith]

May be like in Generals where you may also create the mod by adding a mega file.

So it hould be the same.

For the new animation ect. does this mean that FOC will increase EAW quality and playability?

[Mike.nl]

Not really. Maybe there is some performance improvement, but I don't know how their engine works. The information in the files is exactly the same, just structured different. Think one-on-one conversion.

[Tuskin]

Actually the Dark troopers are in the demo they are on kamino, they killed me the first 2 times i tried to invade but the third time there were none, actually there was like only like 10 units the third time out of like the 20 I faced the first 2 times. The demo looks great, So there is no DS2 model? Cuse the its in the XML, oh well.

[Mikan Cyclone]

Just In- Moldy Crow uncommented, and has it's own landing sequence

[Kelathin]

really... interesting

[fortune faded13]

how do you hex edit? ive never done it before. and yeah the demo only pays attention to the meg documents i guess. cause my xml folder did not work.

[michglich2]

ok im here just to say the FoC demo is f**king awsome and i will test any mods if any1 needs me too just pm me